Nef
The Sixth Cantref
This past week our focus was on the Sixth Cantref, Nef. Nef has a number of connotations in the Dolmen Arch which are:
Among elements the Spirit Above, Among seasons Time to Come, Among times of the day Day, Among beast the Red Dragon, Among Gods Celi the Hidden One, Among days Thursday, Among laws the Law of Correspondence, Among planets Jupiter, Among directions Above, Among colors Purple, Among trees the Oak, Among angels Metatron, Among powers Inspiration, and Among grades Gwyddon y Cylch.
Purple is the color of authority and royalty, and so it fits well with Spirit Above, as well as Jupiter, who is King of the Gods. It is the color of Yesod on the Tree of Life, ruler of the Astral sea.
Thursday comes from Thor, and Jupiter’s Greek equivalent is Zeus, who is also a thunder bringer. This connects to Inspiration as Nef, as inspiration is often described as a lightning bolt of thought, suddenly appearing in the mind. Zeus can be associated with purple in Greek mythology being of a ruling or king of gods. Keravnos is the Greek word for lightening but one could also use Astrape who was like a personage of lightening and female. Wherever lightening struck was considered sacred.
This brought about a lively discussion of lightning. St-Yves d’Alveydre from Agathias ch 4 - Our electricians would look very sorry for themselves standing before those Egyptian priests and their initiates (Greeks and Romans) who manipulated lightning as we use heat and made it descend and strike at will. It is St. Yves who shows us the working of this secret which constituted one of the most occult practices of the sanctuary. In the Ecclesiastical History by Sozomen book IX Ch VI - we can observe the Etruscan priesthood defending the city of Narnia against Alaric with lightning strikes (La mission des juifs - the mission of the Jews - ch 4). Livy (The History of Rome book 1, ch 31) and Pliny (Natural History book 2 ch 53) describe the death of Tullus Hostilius (the Roman king) who also tried to evoke electrical forces according to a manuscript he had obtained by Numa, who died by lightning strike for lack of knowing how to properly prepare for it properly (he not being an initiate of the mysteries).
For the Norse deities associated to Spirit Above, Thor or Odin could likely work well in that role. I went back and forth a lot of who I should use, and ultimately decided on Thor, as he has the most connections to the other elements of Spirit Above. He is the Norse equivalent to Jupiter, and the day of Thursday is names after him. He is also said to reside in an Oak tree, which is the tree of Nef.
Oak trees have been revered for their strength, durability, and spiritual significance for centuries. In Norse culture, the oak tree symbolized endurance, steadfastness, and protection and was a tree revered for its ability to make good sea faring vessels. They believed that their god, Thor, resided in an oak tree, and that the tree itself possessed remarkable strength and durability. Throughout history, oak trees have been associated with wisdom, growth, renewal, and environmental importance.