User blog:Inept Wiki User/Exploring Bases: Bits on the Bridge Builders (November 2022)

Exploring Bases: Bits on the Bridge Builders (November 2022) This is a little something strung together from bits and pieces found while looking into the backgrounds of certain subjects used in the series, in the process of doing wiki work - in this case, the Transcendents of the Bridge Builders Cabal, who've been at the forefront of the most recent volumes of Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index (so bear in mind, potential spoilers).

This is not going to be extensive - there is too much to be done elsewhere and not enough time to spare for a full exploration or analysis. Haven't been able to fully verify all of the details, given time limits and subject matter. This is intended to just be a small number of cursory tidbits, presented to provide something slightly interesting (as well as for a slight change of pace to try and get out of a mental stall).

Note: Due to time constraints, some of the sections and references will be incomplete for a while after initial posting. Bear in mind besides the fact that this is mostly based on cursory glances and thinking, I'm also just a casual reader in this area - I'll try to avoid them but there may be some mistakes in the post. If there are any points for improvement, correction or discussion, please feel free to discuss them in a constructive manner in the comments section below.

Alice and Book 4
Following Alice's introduction and during wiki work involving her, a bit of searching was done looking for connnections (symbolic and otherwise) made between Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Kabbalah, Magick and other esoteric stuff by Aleister Crowley and others. Regrettably, there weren't many viable and verifiable results found during those searches. As such this tidbit is less about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and more about the primary reference found where Aleister Crowley associated it with Kabbalah.

Specifically, it comes from an appendix in Magick in Theory and Practice (also known as Book 4) which lists a list of reading materials, bibliography and curricula for the A∴A∴. It falls under the first course 'General Reading', under the second section "Other books, principally fiction, of a generally suggestive and helpful kind". Three of Carroll's works tied to Alice are mentioned, all noted as "Valuable to those who understand the Qabalah"; #14) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (listed as Alice in Wonderland), #15) Alice Through the Looking Glass, and #16) The Hunting of the Snark. At the bottom of this section is the quote which was used at the start of Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 6:
 * "This course is of general value to the beginner. While it is not to be taken, in all cases, too seriously, it will give him a general familiarity with the mystical and magical tradition, create a deep interest in the subject, and suggest many helpful lines of thought. It has been impossible to do more, in this list, than to suggest a fairly comprehensive course of reading."
 * &#8213;Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley

There are a fair few works on the list, many of which seem as though they would be unfamiliar to most modern readers, though there are some other works on the list that the average person might have heard of, and these will be noted here:
 * Bram Stoker's Dracula is number 12 on the list ("Valuable for its account of legends concerning vampires.")
 * Three of Shakespeare's plays; Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest are noted around the 34-36 position as "interesting for traditions treated".
 * Also on the list are The Arabian Nights (with Crowley noting the translations either by Sir Richard Burton or John Payne) and Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, included at 17 and 18 respectively as "valuable as a storehouse of _ magick-lore", oriental and occidental respectively.
 * Although likely unfamiliar to most, there are at least two works tied to the Rosicrucians on the list at 23 and 24 respectively; The Rosicrucians by Hargrave Jennings (which Crowley notes as "Valuable to those who can read between the lines") and The Real History of the Rosicrucians by A. E. Waite (fellow member of the Golden Dawn)(which Aleister describes as "a good vulgar piece of journalism on the subject").
 * The Bible "by various authors unknown" is included at number 40. Aleister notes that "the Hebrew and Greek Originals are of Qabalistic value", and that it also contains "many magical apologues, and recounts many tales of folklore and magical rites".
 * Kim by Rudyard Kipling (who also wrote The Jungle Book) is placed at 41 as "an admirable study of Eastern thought and life". Crowley states that many of Kipling's other stories are "highly suggestive and informative".
 * For mythology and teaching correspondences, Crowley includes a number of general references (without naming specific titles); Books of Fairy Tales, Oriental Classics, Sufi Poetry, Scandinavian and Teutonic Sagas, and Celtic Folklore.

References regarding occultists drawing connections between Alice and Kabbalah aside, there are a number of subjects concerning the book itself which could be explored in further detail (and may well appear among Alice Anotherbible's repertoire of "wonders" in the future - some quite nasty), but not this time. However, a few notes will be made concerning the crest on the gates and building of the cabal's consulate (not regarding the teapot and red hearts on a white shield though - those seem quite clear). It might not be one hundred percent clear from the image, but the creatures on the sides of the shield are a lion and a unicorn.

are symbols and heraldic supporters which feature in the full royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The lion symbolizes England and the unicorn represents Scotland. Their enmity features in a nursery rhyme ("The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown...") and from this nursery rhyme comes their appearances in Alice Through The Looking Glass (which features character from various nursery rhymes). In the story, though some of their associated traits reversed, they are fighting over a crown much like in the nursery rhyme - specifically the crown of the White King, even though they are both on the White side (as is Alice, playing the role of a Pawn in the chess game and who gets crowned herself later in the game).

Trismegistus and Liber 777
There are various aspects tied to 'Random Letters' Trismegistus which could potentially be explored further some other time; the use of the name by authors, the syncretized legend, the three aspects of astrology, alchemy and theurgy, the Emerald Tablet, triads, trinities, and perhaps speculation about mechanisms behind his cane sword's slashing and severing (though this is not the first time a sword's symbolism of severing has been utilized in the series). However, the bit below is stuff collected from Liber 777.

As shown during the events at the consulate, Trismegistus's method of transcending human territory is derived from the correspondence table in Liber 777, the connections of which have been utilized previously at various points in the series. Specifically, he invokes equated deities in his hands, forming a triangle with his hands and his body,, and through this triad and equivalence, falsifies himself as an entirely invented deity. This aspect of a freshly fabricated deity or the numerous (but not unlimited) options may be the reason his particular seal is called a numberless seal.

Below are the relevant columns from Liber 777's table, assembled into a separate table for convenience while looking into this matter (Note: A few bits have been left out due to a potential problem I don't have the time, stamina or patience to deal with at the moment).

Maria - Attributions and Alexandria
As seen during the battle at the consulate, Good Old Mary's transcendence comes in the form of her gigantic alchemical tools, capable of creating and containing a universe of some kind, along with her role as their creator. Three specific tools (the tribikos, kerotakis and bain-marie - more on what these are some other time) are mentioned in that instance, with the tribikos making an appearance - these three, most notable among the inventions attributed to her, are mentioned as her creations in Peri kaminon kai organon (On Furnaces and Apparatuses) from. Said to have lived between the first and third centuries, none of 's supposed work has survived first-hand, with only second-hand attributions and references in other works remaining. Writings of Zosimos (who lived around the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth century) are the oldest surviving works on Greek alchemy and thus also the oldest set of surviving works to reference Mary.

There are a number of alchemical concepts which have apparently been associated to Mary in some way by various writers. One of these is the (associated in a work of Zosimos, along with the apparent association of lifelike qualities such as body, soul, spirit, gender etc with metals). Another is the set of four colored stages involved in the (,,  and ), the same four which cropped up during the battle against Citrinitas (named after the third yellowing stage) and were again remembered on arriving at the consulate  - from what was found in the cursory search, aside from the works of Zosimos, another origin point for this association is a text detailing a dialogue between Mary and the philosopher Aros (though the latter might be part of the former). One precept attributed to Mary is the - "one becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth." This might be where the name of her 'singular seal' comes from. From a cursory glance at the referencing works in question, a fair few cooking impressions which come across, much like how she operates in the series.

Mary supposedly lived in, Egypt, the same as. With regards to other subjects which have featured in some way in the Toaru series, two other people said to have lived in Alexandria are, whose legend forms the basis for Lucia's weapon, and , writer of the Tetrabiblos, a grimoire mentioned but not yet explored so far. It was also the site of the, one of the destroyed (the Great Pyramid being the only survivor out of the seven) - which was spoken of as a symbol (emphasizing Egypt and thus Horus over Apollo for the Sun) during that improvised spell that Karasuma Fran and Toyama Luca used to rescue Kamisato Kakeru from the new world.

Mut Thebes
One matter of curiosity in the most recent volume was the only new Transcendent to be named, briefly glimpsed and fleetingly appear in the story; Mut Thebes, a Transcendent tied to Egyptian mythology and apparently the cabal's execution specialist. This brief glimpse has prompted a number of questions - no doubt most of them will be answered in due course, but they provide a subject of speculation in the meantime.

As mentioned in Mut Thebes' article, (whose name means "mother" in ancient Egyptian)(aka Maut and Mout) is an Egyptian mother goddess who was a patron deity of the capital, part of the  with the solar creator god  and lunar god , ascribed as her husband and son, the three worshipped as such as Thebes'. This is where the Transcendent's name comes from.

Note: Below two sub-sections have swelled beyond intended levels while gathering information, and have yet to be refined and trimmed down.

Visual Aspects
So far, she has only been seen from a distance, but there are a couple of notable visual details involving her headwear - a double structure, two black strands down either side, and a small protrusion at the bottom-front.

In contemporary art (apparently starting from the time of pharaoh, who rebuilt her temple in Karnak), the goddess Mut is often depicted wearing a double crown or , symbolizing the union of Upper and Lower Egypt, the double crown worn by rulers of Egypt and representing power over the entire land. Although prior to reading and revision, the lower protusion for Mut Thebes had looked a bit like a cobra on the indistinct image, on reading about Mut and looking briefly at depictions, it is more likely the head of a vulture - Mut being depicted with that headdress and being strongly associated with the (haven't fully verified, but apparently it is another meaning of her name).

Speculation and Curiosity
As for the matters of curiosity and speculation, one of them is this; all of the previously introduced Transcendents have an element of obscurity and inauthenticity in their stories - besides the basic aspects of myth, does Mut Thebes follow this pattern?

Although her namesake doesn't seem to have the same type of writings/records that the others have, and her mythological basis seems to be of a different kind, Mut does have something which might fit the pattern - her extensive evolution and assimilation of attributes and aspects over the course of ancient Egypt's history. Mythologies were not static, not always in the form we know them, and many deities within them gradually changed over the course of their respective civilizations and the movements of cults dedicated to them - this is the case for ancient Egypt as well. Mut seems to have had many different aspects and attributes that changed a great deal over thousands of years of ancient Egyptian culture, many of which originally belonged to other figures and were acquired through displacement, identification or assimilation.

Besides the Theban Triad, among other things, she has also been considered as a primal deity associated with the primordial waters of, sometimes said to have birthed the world through parthenogenesis. Besides the vulture and cobra, she's also been associated with the lioness, cow and cat, as well as the and the disk of the Sun via Amun. In the first place, she may have been a relatively minor goddess before accumulating attributes and growing in power into the 'Lady of Heaven, Mistress of all the Gods'. She was Amun's consort during the and  eras, but didn't apparently appear in texts or art until the late Middle Kingdom. The course of this evolution might be a bit indistinct and how things truly or originally were might not be clear - that might be her particular part to the pattern of obscurity that the Transcendents seem to follow.

Another is matter of curiosity her nature as a Transcendent and her seal - however, it is probably too early to say. Her brief look when Trismegistus spoke on the matter of gods should be noted though.

The associations between pharaohs and gods held in ancient Egypt should also be noted, including the aspects of being considered living divinity or ascending to the position of divinity after death, with the additional note of Mut being the spouse of a patron deity of pharaohs and her own worship being supported by pharaohs at her cult's high point to emphasize their authority and right to rule through this association. On a less generalized note, the various attributes ascribed to Mut herself could be involved.

The last subject of curiosity that will be mentioned here is there; Mut Thebes apparently specializes in punishment and execution, including against other Transcendents. Questions come to mind; why might this be, and what background might it have?

If there is an aspect of death among the various attributes associated with Mut, it is probably not connected to the - the vulture was seen differently in ancient Egypt compared to how it is seen in various Western cultures. With the positions of pharaohs and gods, the dominion over the kingdom and its territory comes similar oversight of the law and punishment for transgressions - though this doesn't seem quite enough to explain why she is an execution specialist. There is also Mut's identification with and role as an Upper Egyptian counterpart to (whom we've had a bit of before), but that doesn't seem like it either. Another possibility (though similarly seeming not enough) is the variety of traits ascribed to Mut over time - with the way magic works, this could perhaps grant her more options and a greater degree of flexibility in countering others.

Transcendents and Secret Chiefs
If Aleister's conclusion at the end of Volume 7 was correct, the Transcendents all have connections to the Secret Chiefs and Holy Guardian Angels in some way, be it calling on their power, utilizing knowledge derived from them, or some other means. At present, the only one associated with either of those titles who has appeared in the series is Aiwass. Aleister is deeply tied to Aiwass, and through Aleister's Magick, Alice, Aradia and Trismegistus are also connected. Anna Sprengel is said to be the priestess of the Secret Chiefs and currently commands Aiwass. The connections of Mary, the Bologna Succubus and Mut Thebes are currently unclear.

This prompts a question - who are the other Secret Chiefs? An answer for other Secret Chiefs in the Toaru series might come soon, but what other named individuals or entities have been referred to as Secret Chiefs in external writings? Putting aside the matter of Holy Guardian Angels for now, a cursory search was performed to try and find names other than Aiwass ascribed to Secret Chiefs - only two have been found so far (ignoring a supposed suggestion to Aleister that he may have been acting as one unknowingly). The other two names mentioned in Chapter IX of Magick without Tears by Aleister Crowley are Ab-ul-Diz and Amalantrah, but little has been found regarding them. One other unnamed reference of note found in that search was to a Secret Chief of the Rosicrucian Order in a preface of a translation of the Lesser Key of Solomon.

There are few aspects regarding the Transcendents' general traits which could be explored, but not this time around. Anna Sprengel, Aradia and the Bologna Succubus will have to wait for another time.

Other
Reader discretion advised for parts of Crowley's works.

External References
Reader discretion advised for parts of Crowley's works.

Preview Override: Exploring Bases: Bits on the Bridge Builders (November 2022) This is a little something strung together from bits and pieces found while looking into the backgrounds of certain subjects used in the series, in the process of doing wiki work - in this case, the Transcendents of the Bridge Builders Cabal, who've been at the forefront of the most recent volumes of Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index (so bear in mind, potential spoilers).

This is not going to be extensive - there is too much to be done elsewhere and not enough time to spare for a full exploration or analysis. Haven't been able to fully verify all of the details, given time limits and subject matter. This is intended to just be a small number of cursory tidbits, presented to provide something slightly interesting (as well as for a slight change of pace to try and get out of a mental stall).