The term Demiurge (or Yaldabaoth, Yao, Ialdabaoth and several other variants, such as Ptahil used in Mandaeanism) refers in some belief systems to a deity responsible for the creation of the physical universe and the physical aspect of humanity. The word derives from the ancient Greek δημιουργός (dēmiourgós, latinized demiurgus), meaning "artisan" or "craftsman". (This word in turn comes from δήμιος "official" which in turn comes from δῆμος "people" and έρ� ...

Including:

• Demiurge - Platonism
• Demiurge - Gnosticism
• Demiurge - Comparisons
• Demiurge - Christianity
• Demiurge - Vedic tradition Hinduism
• Demiurge - Siberian Shamanism

Read more here: » Demiurge: Encyclopedia - Demiurge

Demiurge

The leader of the archons, a second-rate deity who falsely imagines himself to be the true God and claims creation of the world of appearances

(See also: Demiurge, Body Mind and Soul)

Like Plato, Gnosticism also presents a distinction between the highest, unknowable "alien God" and the "creator" of the material - the Demiurge. However, in contrast to Plato, many systems of Gnostic thought present the Demiurge as antagonistic to the will of the Supreme Creator: this sort of Demiurge focusses solely on material reality and on the "sensuous soul". In this system, the Demiurge acts as a solution to the problem of evil. In the Apocryphon of John (in the Nag Hammadi library), the Demiurge has the name "Yaltabaoth", and proclaim ...

See also:

Demiurge, Demiurge - Platonism, Demiurge - Gnosticism, Demiurge - Comparisons, Demiurge - Christianity, Demiurge - Vedic tradition Hinduism, Demiurge - Siberian Shamanism

Read more here: » Demiurge: Encyclopedia II - Demiurge - Gnosticism

Brahma (written Brahmā in IAST transliteration) (Devanagari ब्रह्मा, pronounced as "brəhmα:") is the Hindu creator god, and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. He must not be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit of Hindu philosophy Brahman (the word stems of both are the same). Brahmā is identified with the Vedic deity Prajapati. At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā created ten Prajapatis (used in another sense), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race ...

Including:

• Brahma - Creation
• Brahma - Appearance
• Brahma - Vehicle
• Brahma - Consort
• Brahma - Temples

Read more here: » Brahma: Encyclopedia - Brahma

Adonis | Anat | Asherah | Astarte | Ba'al | Berith | Dagon | El | Elyon | Elohim | Hadad | Mot | Salem | Shaddai | Yaw Adonai | El | Elohim | Elyon | Shaddai | Shekinah | YHWH Adad | Amurru | An/Anu | Anshar | Asshur | Abzu/Apsu | Enki/Ea | Enlil | Ereshkigal | Inanna/Ishtar | Kingu | Kishar | Lahmu & Lahamu | Marduk | Mummu | Nabu | Nammu | Nanna/Sin | Nergal | N ...

Including:

• Yaw god - The development of monotheism in the Levant
• Yaw god - The problem of evil

Read more here: » Yaw god: Encyclopedia - Yaw god

The Yazidi or Yezidi (Kurdish: Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. They are primarily ethnic Kurds, and most Yazidis live near Mosul, Iraq with smaller communities in Syria, Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Armenia, and are estimated to number ca. 500,000 individuals in total. There are also Yazidi refugees in Europe. Yazidi - Origins. The origins of Yazidism are ultimately shrouded in the mist of the ancient Middle East. Although the Yazidis speak Kurdish, ...

Including:

• Yazidi - Origins
• Yazidi - Religious Beliefs
• Yazidi - Yazidism and Zoroastrianism
• Yazidi - Organization
• Yazidi - Religious Practices
• Yazidi - Prayers
• Yazidi - Pilgrimage
• Yazidi - Festivals
• Yazidi - Purity and Taboos
• Yazidi - Customs
• Yazidi - Myths
• Yazidi - Recent History
• Yazidi - Views of outsiders fiction and stereotypes
• Yazidi - Academic texts about Yazidis

Read more here: » Yazidi: Encyclopedia - Yazidi

The Cainites were a Gnostic and Antinomian sect who were known to worship Cain as the first victim of the Demiurge Jehovah, the Old Testament God, who was identified by many groups of gnostics as evil. The sect following was relatively small. They were mentioned by Tertullian and Irenaeus as existing in the eastern Roman Empire during the 2nd century. Cainites - Source texts on the Cainites. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.31.1-2 Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion 38 ...

Including:

• Cainites - Source texts on the Cainites
• Cainites - Other meanings
• Cainites - Cainites in art and literature

Read more here: » Cainites: Encyclopedia - Cainites

Iao. Alternate spelling of Polynesian god Kiho Alternate spelling of the Gnostic deity Ialdabaoth i.e. the Demiurge As Ī'ao meaning "cloud supreme" in Hawaiian, the place name of a popular tourist attraction on Maui; see Iao Valley. As 'Iao meaning "dawn" or "Jupiter" in Hawaiian. The Information Awareness Office whose acronym is IAO. Another name for the Wattlebird, as for example the Red Wattlebird from the group of Hon

Read more here: » Iao: Encyclopedia - Iao

The word Abraxas (or Abrasax or Abracax) was engraved on certain antique stones, called on that account Abraxas stones, which were used as amulets or charms by Gnostic sects. It was believed that Abraxas was the name of a god who incorporated both Good and Evil (God and Demiurge) in one entity, and therefore representing the monotheistic God, singular, but (unlike e.g. the Christian God) not omni-benevolent. Abraxas has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon, sometimes even being associated with the d ...

Including:

• Abraxas - Meaning
• Abraxas - Quotes

Read more here: » Abraxas: Encyclopedia - Abraxas

Yao can refer to: The name of the demiurge in Gnostic scripture. Yao, a city in Japan Yao, a town in Chad The Yao people of China and southeast Asia Emperor Yao, a mythical Chinese ruler The transliteration of Chinese family names 姚, 銚, and 么. The waYao people in southern Africa Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, a computer scientist Yao Wenyuan, a member of the Gang of Four Yao Ming, a basketball player Kazuki Yao, a seiyu Francis

Read more here: » Yao: Encyclopedia - Yao

Bai-Ulgan, also referred to as Bai-Ulgen, Ulgen, or Ulgan; a Siberian creator-deity, usually distinct from Tengri but sometimes identified with him in the same manner as Helios and Apollo. Bai-Ulgan may be analogous to the demiurge of Gnostic theology. The birch tree, regarded as a cosmic axis between earth and sky, was regarded as sacred to him, as was the horse (horse-sacrifice was a part of his worship). He was regarded as the patron g ...

Including:

• Bai-Ulgan - Resources

Read more here: » Bai-Ulgan: Encyclopedia - Bai-Ulgan

In Christianity, Docetism is the belief, regarded by most theologians as heretical, that Jesus did not have a physical body; rather, that his body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion. This belief is most commonly attributed to the Gnostics, who believed that matter was evil, and hence that God would not take on a material body. This sort of statement, however, is rooted in the idea that a divine spark is imprisoned within the material body and that the material body is in itself an obstacle, deliberately created by an evil lesser god (the demiurge) for this purpose, that prevents man from seeing his ...

Read more here: » Docetism: Encyclopedia - Docetism

In the complex mythology of William Blake, Urizen was the embodiment of reason and law. Urizen is one of the four Zoas that result from the division of the primordial man, Albion. He has an 'emanation', or paired female equivalent, Ahania. According to S. Foster Damon, Ahania stands for Pleasure. He is usually depicted as a bearded old man; he sometimes bears architect's tools, to create and constrain the universe; or nets, with which he ensnares pe ...

Read more here: » Urizen: Encyclopedia - Urizen

The Apocalypse of Adam discovered in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi library is a Gnostic work written in Coptic. It has no necessary references to Christianity and it is accordingly debated whether it is a Christian Gnostic work or an example of Jewish Gnosticism. It proclaims one form of Sethian Gnosticism. Adam in his 700th year tells Seth how he learned a word of knowledge of the eternal God from Eve and that he and Eve were indeed more powerful than their supposed creator. But that knowledge was lost in the fall whe ...

Read more here: » Apocalypse of Adam: Encyclopedia - Apocalypse of Adam

The Ophites is a blanket term for numerous gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt about 100 A.D. The common trait was that these sects would give great importance to the serpent of the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, connecting the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) to gnosis. In contrast to Christian interpretations of the Serpent as Satan, Ophites viewed the serpent as the hero, and the regarded the figure that the Bible identif ...

Including:

• Ophites - Ophite sects

Read more here: » Ophites: Encyclopedia - Ophites

Demiurgic Mind. See MAHAT; UNIVERSAL MIND

(See also: Demiurgic Mind, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Demiurgic Mind.The same as "Universal Mind". Mahat, the first "product" of Brahma, or himself.

(See also: Demiurgic Mind, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

Demiurge, Demiourgos (Greek) (from demos the people + ergon work)

In Gnosticism, the deity as creator or cosmic artificer was a secondary or subordinate god, distinct from the supreme deity of the hierarchy, acting as creator or former of worlds, with which function the supreme is not directly concerned. Because of this seeming duality of rival gods, monotheistic Christian theology classed the demiurge among the powers hostile to God and mankind, as it did with Satan, the Serpent, Lucifer, and so many others. Marcion (2nd century) and his school attempted to reconcile these by equating the Demiourgos with the Jewish Jehovah.

The Demiourgos, however, is the deity in its creative aspect, the Second Logos -- not a personal deity, but an abstract term denoting the host of creative powers. Later, the conception was anthropomorphized. It is the elohim of the Bible who make kosmos out of chaos; the universal mind, separated from its fountain-source; the four-faced Brahma; the seven principal dhyani-chohans.

In the Qabbalah, Hokhmah (wisdom) becomes united with Binah (intelligence), which latter is Jehovah or the Demiourgos. But the Demiourgos itself is dual in the same sense as are those formative powers for which the name stands: acting on all planes from the highest to the lowest, the contrast between above and below, light and its shadow, is shown; added to which, it includes potencies which are symbolized by human minds as masculine and feminine. There was plenty of scope, then, for confusion as to the meaning and application of the word.

See also ARCHITECT; DHYANI-CHOHANS; LOGOS

(See also: Demiurge, Demiourgos, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Craftsman God

The God who fashioned the world; the divine smith who governs metallurgy and the sacred sciences.

• Sumerian - Enki and Ea
• Egyptian - Ptah and Khnun
• Greek - Demiurge and Hephasius
• Roman - Vulcan
• English - Wayland the Smith

(See also: Craftsman God, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Although Brahmā is prayed to in almost all hindu religious rites, there are only two temples dedicated to him in India, the more prominent of which is at Pushkar, close to Jaipur. Once a year, on the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartika (October - November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy lake adjecent to the temple. There is also a famous murti of Brahmā at Mangalwedha, 52 km from Solapur district in Maharashtra. There is one more temple for Brahma in the te ...

See also:

Brahma, Brahma - Creation, Brahma - Appearance, Brahma - Vehicle, Brahma - Consort, Brahma - Temples

Read more here: » Brahma: Encyclopedia II - Brahma - Temples