By Colin Y.S.C. (Cheeyung@vax.lse.ac.uk)
P.S. "Euthanatos" has been used here as both the singular and plural senses of the word. Anyone who has a problem with that can speak to my lawyer.
The Euthanatos today has adherents the world over, from the dark streets of New Orleans to the jungles of Bali. The Tradition however bases itself in the land of its birth, India. Unlike the Akashic Brotherhood in China or the Celestial Chorus at Rome, the Euthanatos has never linked its fortunes with that of a kingdom, polity or nation. Instead, it sees its mission as one to all humanity. Instead of trying to influence a single culture, the Euthanatos work towards Ascension at a highly individualized level.
Towards this, the Tradition has often worked through localized, mystical cults which emphasize one's personal relationship with the Divine. Throughout its existence, the Euthanatos has manipulated the cults of Baal and Anath, the dark worship of Ahriman, the Shiite sect of Assassins, the cult of Rangda, the Thuggees, and the Saiva-Shakta sects of India. The Euthanatos itself is not a religion, but its doctrine of death and transmigration shares much in common with religious mysticism, especially Hinduism which it influenced and was itself influenced by.
The Euthanatos do not truly worship Shiva or Kali, or any of the other gods of Hinduism. Instead, Shiva is seen as the personification of the Euthanatos ideal, to be contemplated and emulated. Many modern mages feel that the religious trappings of Saiva, the adoration of Shiva, are no longer necessary as an aid to Ascension, but many others feel that Saiva remains important as a focus for the Tradition.
Briefly, Shiva represents all that is dark and uncontrollable in the universe. In Hinduism, he is one of the two greatest manifestations of the Divine, alongside Vishnu, the embodiment of light and order. All of Shiva's aspects are metaphors for the many faces of Entropy : the god of storms, haunter of tombs, master of ghosts, bringer of pestilence, lord of the dice, drinker of poison, and the Destroyer of worlds. His dance keeps the universe in motion, and as his breath created this existence, so his hand shall destroy it.
The Euthanatos locates its history at least 5000 years back, to the Harappan culture of the Indus Valley, one of the first civilizations to appear on Earth. In the ruins of Moenjadaro, "the City of the Dead," clay seals have been found depicting a Shiva-type figure, horned and seated in yogic position, surrounded by wild beasts. The Euthanatos weathered the destruction of the Harappan culture and the Aryan invasions circa 1000 BCE. They adapted and assimilated the Vedic religion of the Aryans. By the 2nd century BCE, the worship of Shiva was becoming powerful again in India. The Euthanatos today continues to centre its activities at Calcutta, the sprawling capital of Madras named after Kali, spouse of Shiva and goddess of destruction.
Curiously, the Tradition is most commonly known by a Greek name. This is the name which the Tradition has accepted for itself in western circles, allegedly because the Greeks were the first "Europeans" to encounter the Tradition. Although the Euthanatos has long had a foothold in Mesopotamia, it was only in the 4th century BCE when they encountered the Greeks. More accurately, it was probably the Greeks who first reached the Euthanatos, marching under the banner of Alexander the Great. Alexander reached Baluchistan (modern-day Pakistan) and sailed down the Indus, and Greek ambassadors were later sent to the court of the Mauryan empire in North India and Afghanistan. The Euthanatos too probably travelled westwards. It is known that there were Indian ascetics in Athens and the great cities of the Near East by the time of Christ.
The name which the Greeks gave the Euthanatos seems to be an attempt to translate the concept of Moksha, the blissful state of extinction which the Euthanatos hold to be Ascension. The Euthanatos themselves refer to their Tradition simply as the Sadhaka, "mages." Some old texts also have the name Kapalikas, "Bearers of the Skull" in Sanskrit, from the old custom of carrying a human skull as a begging bowl.
Humanity is trapped within an endless cycle of rebirth akin to imprisonment. This is because of the cosmic law of Karman, that consequences of one's deeds will pursue one relentlessly. Even death is no escape, since Karman follows one through all incarnations, condemning a person to rebirth in order to reap the fruits of actions not yet "ripened" in this life. Ascension is escape from this cycle (called Samsara), to attain a state of blissful non-being, Moksha. Death in this world is not true death since it simply means a return to the cosmic Wheel (the Sri Chakra) for subsequent reincarnation. There is only one true Death, Moksha, which is the Good Death that means eternal release from desire, suffering and individual consciousness.
By nurturing one's Karman, one can attain Ascension. There are three paths to do so: the disinterested execution of duty, the accumulation of knowledge and the practice of mysticism. The Euthanatos combine all three paths in their Tradition, and hence follow the perfect path towards Ascension.
Since Karman means that each person is ultimately responsible for her own fate, it is useless to attempt any grand-scale modification of Reality as the other Traditions believe. It is futile to try and live another's life for him. But as mysticks, the Euthanatos are moved to assist those who are unaware of Reality's true nature.
Life is precious to the Euthanatos, since it is only in life that one can work towards Ascension. In fact, life is too precious to be abused pursuing goals which are not only worthless in themselves but may also jeopardise one's destiny by corrupting one's Karman. The best thing that can be done is to hasten the turning of the Wheel. Killing the profane not only returns their being, their Atman, to the Wheel where they can be reincarnated into new lives, but it also halts their disasterous journey towards karmic retribution.
Wraiths are merely part of the process of Samsara, the cycle of rebirth. The "afterlife" contains no higher spiritual truths. Wraiths remain subject to the Karman which they accumulated in life, but in their present state are unable to continue pursuit of Ascension, which is why the Euthanatos value life so much. Many Euthanatos despise wraiths. On the one hand, wraiths are delaying the Wheel of Reincarnation. On the other, they only display their ignorance in thinking the living world any more 'real' or 'lasting' than their own.
The Euthanatos perceive the universe as insubstantial, being made of the same substance as thought and consciousness. But although it is insubstantial, the world is not devoid of meaning, since it is through the world that Ascension is achieved. The vast majority of people fail to grasp the true nature of Reality because of Maya, the power of illusion exerted by the universe itself, which deludes people into thinking that the world is solid, "real" and immutable. Maya freezes Reality and blocks off the Spirit realms. It has a useful role in the cosmos, but the Technocracy has perverted it and turned it into their own instrument.
The enlightened can see beyond the veil of Maya. Since reality is of the same stuff as consciousness, it can be manipulated by sentient thought. Maya however constantly works to foil the mage. Only through grace ("arul", or Arete) can the mage transcend Maya and move towards Ascension.
Furthermore, the universe is diffused with Shakti, divine energy. This energy comes from the Brahman, the One spoken of by the Celestial Chorus. Shakti is therefore Prime or Quintessence, and is the fount of all creation. Without Shakti, nothing exists. Shakti is accessible to the enlightened, and can be employed for all manner of siddhi, or magickal effects.
Entropy, the sphere of the Euthanatos, is envisioned in Shiva as the most important power in the cosmos. Entropy is perceived, ironically, as part of a greater order. Chaos and order are intrinsically related and balanced as equals in the universe. (Fractals come as old hat to the Euthanatos.) This is the metaphor of the Nataraja, Shiva as Lord of the Dance, whose wild, unfettered movements measure the rhythm of the universe and keep it in motion. Qlippothic Entropy is an abomination to the Euthanatos because it is unbridled and meaningless, unconcerned with the greater scheme of things. It is asat in Sanskrit, meaning "chaos" with connotations of something unholy and apocalyptic, and is alien to the dualistic perfection of the Euthanatos paradigm.
N.B. The word probably also lies behind the name of another Tradition, the Akashic Brotherhood. If this is the case, then the Brotherhood's name is really the Brotherhood of Ether (!!) or the Brotherhood of Quintessence.
p.s. I know it's nit-picking (my favourite hobby) but the Oriental elements are not fire, earth, water, air and void, as suggested by the Akashic Tradition book and others. Taoist metaphysics holds the five elements (wu hsing) to be fire, earth, wood, water and gold.
Arul: "grace", Arete.
Asat: "chaos", Qlippothic Entropy and the Nephandi who use it.
Asrama: a Euthanatos chantry.
Asura: an inhabitant of the infernal regions; any dark or malevolent spirit.
Atman: the self which animates the individual and undergoes reincarnation; very broadly speaking, the soul.
Avatar: the part of the soul which is "divine," descended from the Godhood, and permits the use of magick.
Deva: a "higher," usually benevolent, spirit like an Incarna or Celestine. 8 Kali: "black female"; the Goddess as the Black Earth Mother, the dark and malevolent aspect of Nature.
Kapalikas: "bearer of the skull"; 1. a now extinct Saiva sect of ascetic mendicants who used a human skull as a begging bowl (historical); 2. an ascetic sect of the Euthanatos; 3. a name for the Euthanatos in general.
Karman: also Karma. The concept that one's deeds affect one's own fate.
Karunya: the pity which moves the mystick to assist those who remain ignorant of Reality's true nature.
Loka: "world," a region of the universe, denoted by its rulers and/or inhabitants, such as the sphere of Gaia or Stygia.
Maya: commonly but inaccurately translated as "illusion"; the power of the universe to disguise its true nature.
Moksha: escape from the Wheel of Life and Death; Ascension.
Pashu: "livestock"; derogatory name for Sleepers.
Pralaya: "doomsday"
Rakshasa: a Nephandus or demon, especially one using deceit and illusion.
Sadhaka: a Euthanatos mage.
Samadhi: a state of meditative grace, applied to the moment of Awakening or on completion of a Seeking.
Samsara: transmigration, the material universe.
Shakti: divine energy; Prime or quintessence.
Shiva: the ideal of the Euthanatos; a Hindu deity portrayed with four arms, covered with ashes and serpents, with a third eye in his forehead.
Siddhi: Magick.
Sri Chakra: the Wheel of Life and Death.
Trailokya: "the Three Worlds" of High, Middle and Low Umbrae.
Trilaka: he mystical "third eye" which looks inwards, but can be used to release devastating power.
Yuga: a cosmic period which comes in cycles of four, analogous to the Platonic gold, silver, bronze and iron ages. The yugas are not named for metals, but appropriately after throws in dice. The first and most glorious (double sixes) is krtayuga, followed by tetrayuga, dvaparayuga and finally kaliyuga (snakes' eyes).