The Organisation and Religion to Re-unite All Religions

 

History & Beliefs of  Mesopotamia :

 

Mesopotamia means, “ Land between rivers,” and is the area within the Fertile Crescent valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the country that is now known as Iraq .  This area is often referred to as the “cradle of civilization,” as this seems to be where groups of farming villages first began to appear somewhere around 4,000-3,000 BCE , leading to buildings, streets, granaries, and temples.  The historical origins of these peoples are uncertain, but the early inhabitants of Mesopotamia , known as the Sumerians, believed themselves to have come “from the sea.”

Hard as it may be to imagine, knowledge about Mesopotamia was little more than myth and conjecture until around the late 1800’s, when archeologists first unearthed the ruins of the Assyrian city Nineveh .  Entire libraries were found at Nineveh and other similar sites, containing tablets written in cuneiform, which means “wedge-shaped” writing or inscriptions.  The language of the cuneiform was likewise unknown at the time they were initially found, but through the persistence and diligent study of various scholars, it was eventually decoded until it could be translated with as much accuracy as possible.  The tablets contained a wealth of information that was compiled by order of the Mesopotamian kings and included subjects such as architecture, finance, magick, religion, and depictions of peoples’ daily activities.  All of this has given us an amazing insight into the lives, beliefs, and practices of these peoples.

Mesopotamia was made up of several parts, with Assyria in the north and Babylon in the south; which was itself divided into Sumer in the southern part and Akkad in the northern part. Perhaps the most influencal peoples of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians. Sumer itself was made up of many city-states such as Ur , Nippur , Kish , Lagash , Uruk, and Khafajiah; each of which had fortified walls and its own ziggurat or temple.

The Sumerians were quite possibly the first to write, the first to use metals, to have mathematics, and to have a recorded mythology. The Babylonians, whose beliefs and practices were in turn adapted by the Assyrians, had adapted many aspects of the Sumerians beliefs, practices, and daily life. These sorts of adaptations continued into the neighboring cultures so much that they have become difficult to separate at times, and many of the Gods rose and fell in power almost as often as the cities and peoples they represented. The Mesopotamian inventors of both astrology and astronomy are known as the Chaldeans, who created the first Zodiac (which was divided into twelve months) and could plot the movements of the planets, stars, and heavenly bodies with an amazing degree of accuracy. The Mesopotamians were also the first to celebrate the Sabbats, which were held in accordance with the lunar calendar. The very word Sabbat (or Sabbath) derives from the Assyrian word Sabattu, which means “a day of rest for the heart,” while the Akkadian equivalent meant “a day of completion of labor.”

Some of these neighboring cultures that were influenced by the Mesopotamians included the Egyptians, Arabs, Greeks, and the Semitic peoples. The religious beliefs and magickal practices of the Mesopotamians were likewise greatly influenced by the fact that the fertile plain area faced constant threats of invasions, unpredictable floods, and even landslides. This often harsh and unpredictable climate led to the religion being somewhat pessimistic at times, and was concerned primarily with the survival of human life. Magick was depended upon as a means of securing necessities such as a successful hunt, a good harvest, fertility rites, and bringing rain.

Injuries and illnesses were caused by harmful spirits and demonic possessions, which could only be cured with special charms and exorcisms. Knot magick was also practiced in the belief that the tying or untying of knots could produce magickal results such as curing sickness or any number of things. Priests and magicians were virtually one and the same since they were the only ones who knew such rituals. In fact, writing was seen as a type of magick and it was not allowed for common people to write, or even to speak the names of the Gods or kings in public. This has even affected the evolution of the modern day word “magick” (or “magic”), which derives from the Persian word magi, a priestly class who oversaw rituals. Magi became magus, meaning both “priest” and “fire worshipper;” (a title which implies that the Magi were Zoroastrians, who worship and tend an eternal flame) which was in turn adapted by the Greeks as magos, meaning “wise one,” “wizard,” or “juggler” (conjurer). 

The Mesopotamians created various epic tales to relate the story of creation. In one of these epics, the Epic of Gisdhubar, a great Deluge or Flood is sent from the Gods, killing everyone but Xisuthros, who survived in a ship. A text from the library of Cuthah describes creation as “taking place on evolutionary principals, the first created beings being the brood of chaos, men with ‘the bodies of birds’ and ‘the faces of ravens,’ who were succeeded by the more perfect forms of the existing world.” Some of the myths (as well as a later version of the creation myth from the library of Assur-bani-pal) are often compared to the Judeo-Christian book of Genesis. This is yet another example of the tremendous impact of the entirety of the Mesopotamian culture.
 

It is possible that the Qababla has origins in Mesopotamia ; the Hebrew patriarch Abraham is mentioned as coming from the “ Ur of the Chaldeans.” Likewise, the biblical Moses (who was raised in Egypt ) may have been similarly influenced by the Mesopotamians. It is certain that the Temple of Solomon has many similarities to the earlier Mesopotamian temples; the later had both an outer and inner court, a shrine (which seems to have contained a coffer with two inscribed stones) approached by a set of steps which only the priests had access to. Inside the outer temple was a large basin of water referred to as “a Sea,” which was used for religious ceremonies. At the entrance of the temples a pair of winged bulls statues with the faces of men often stood guard against harmful spirits. These statues, called ? were also sometimes referred to as “cherubs” and are also associated with a sphinx. The temples were filled with depictions of the Gods, and sacrifices consisted of animals such as a bullock or meal offerings. The Assyrians did probably not practice human sacrifice, but there is evidence of it amongst the Akkadians, who would burn the bodies of human sacrifices. 

References:

Butler , E.M. Ritual Magic. California , 1949   Gonzalez-Wippler, Migene. The Complete Book of Spells, Ceremonies, and Magic. Minnesota , 1997

Sayce, A.H. Assyria: Its Princes, Priests, and People.  New York , 1895

“The Epic of Gilgamesh.”  The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian, Trans. George, Andrew.  London , 1999.  “The Necronomicon.” Ed. Simon. New York , 1977

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon. The Grimore for the Apprentice Wizard.  Minnesota , 2004