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Caduceus
The name given to a number of different symbolic
wands,
first appearing in ancient
Mesopotamian cultures around 2600 BC, consisting of two
serpents or basilisks
twisted around a rod.
In Graeco-Roman
mythology, the caduceus was the white wand carried by Roman heralds suing for peace and the wand of
Hermes (Roman
Mercury ), herald of the gods.
According to the legend, Hermes came upon two serpents fighting.
He thrust his rod between them. They coiled around the rod and remained
attached to it. Thus, the caduceus emerged as the symbol of the messenger of
the gods.
The caduceus is also associated with the use of
paired serpents in general, such as those
on the Egyptian Pharaoh’s headpiece or the serpents coiled around the body
of Mithras.
Some occultists claim that the two entwined
serpents symbolize the healing snakes of Aesculapius — demigod of medicine
and healing in ancient Greek mythology
— and the representation has
been widely adopted as a symbol of the medical profession — a form of the
caduceus is used in the badge of the
Royal Army Medical Corps.
Over the centuries, the caduceus was brought
into the esoteric
Gnostic tradition and
reappears as symbolic of power and the balance between positive and negative
or darkness and light. As Eastern and Western symbology mixed and merged in
the 20th century, the ancient caduceus has emerged as a symbol of
enlightenment and acquisition of the ancient wisdom.
In Hindu and Buddhist
esoteric teachings the caduceus represents the two spiritual energies or healing forces
which run up and down the human spine. In Roman
thought, the caduceus was a symbol of moral equilibrium and good conduct.
In India, the caduceus became
associated with the kundalini or serpent
power, the latent power believed to lie as a coiled serpent at the base of
the spine. As spiritual consciousness awakens, the energy travels up the
spine to the top of the head.
The caduceus has a special place in the rich iconography
of speculative Freemasonry. For Freemasons
the caduceus represents the harmony and balance between negative and
positive forces, the fixed and the inconstant, the continuity of life and
the decay of life.
See
Medicine: A
History of Healing: Ancient Traditions to Modern Practices,
The Cambridge
Illustrated History of Medicine,
The Golden Wand
of Medicine,
The Greatest
Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity,
Western Medicine: An Illustrated History,
Aromatherapy,
Body Cleansing,
Bodywork,
Biofeedback,
Chelation Therapy,
Flower Essence Therapy,
Herbology,
Holistic Medicine,
Iridology,
Macrobiotics,
Massage Therapy,
Naturopathy,
Polarity Therapy,
Reiki and
Rolfing.
Sources: (1)
Dictionary of the
Occult, Caxton
Publishing;
(2)
Spence, Lewis,
An Encyclopedia of
Occultism, Carol Publishing Group;
(3) Longe, Jacqueline L.,
The Gale Encyclopedia of
Alternative Medicine, Thomson Gale; (4)
Mysteries of Mind,
Space & Time: The Unexplained,
H. S. Stuttman Inc. Publishers.
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