*The Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah - Genesis 19

When you look at what people have to say about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah they usually say it was homosexuality. God destroyed the cities because they were having samesex sex in those cities and it was obviously very abhorrent to God. According to the story, the men of the town did want to have sex with the male angel visitors. So because these men wanted to have sex with the male angel visitors the sin of the city was homosexuality. Others say, no, it is the fact that the men of the town were being inhospitable that is the sin. Both of these explanations seem to fall short of the obvious, i.e., rape. To quote a popular internet news clip,

Hide your kids, hide your wife . . . and hide your husband . . . 'cuz they rapin' everyone out here . . .  -A.Dodson

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were morally depraved rapists. They were bored with sex and the people available to have sex with. They had already had sex inside, outside, upside down and backwards. When the new people arrived they were turned on, something was happening, it was a new fix, something to quell the unbearable torture of their boring pointless existences, even if just for a moment. The visitors were angels, they were probably pretty compelling. I'm sure they were very beautiful.

    Archangel Michael - Legion, 2010

It is true that the men of the town preferred the angels over Lot's daughters, yes. However, we don't know what Lot's daughters looked like, and maybe there is a reason why they were able to remain virgins in such a town. Who knows? In any case, they were probably not as good looking or exciting as the angels, which for someone driven by uncontrolled depraved lust, would be a compelling consideration and might help tip the scales in favor of the angels. Let's see, Lot's plain daughters…or the hot mysterious guests, hmm.

    Archangel Gabriel - Legion, 2010

We know that the fiancés of Lot's daughters didn't come with them when Lot asked them to. Maybe they were happy to get out of the arrangement, besides not taking Lot seriously? Then the daughters ended up raping their own dad in order to have children. So, it is fair to say that the men (and women) of the town were perverse. They did not want to have sex for spiritual connection, but rather plain lust (or selfish aspiration). They were not asking to have sex with the visitors. They were demanding for them to be handed over for their own personal sexual gratification at the visitors' expense. And Lot wasn't all that great himself (offering to hand over his own daughters in place of the angel guests), but at least he hadn't sought to rape the angels himself and had instead tried to protect them, so they were going to save him for that good deed. However, Lot didn't even realize that the visitors didn't need his protection. He wasn't too bright, and did't exhibit a lot of faith or obedience on more than one occasion. The angels literally had to drag him out of the city by the hand. Genesis 19

I'm sure the angels didn't have wings when they showed up in town, but it is just a way of depicting their otherworldly awesomeness. Same thing with the halos in art which are meant to depict their bright auras. An angel is a shining one. Halos is a Greek word meaning "the disk of the sun or moon" which is shiny. Hals [hálas Koine] is a Greek word meaning "salt; sea" 

    Halos and Hals, by Julie O. /chthonickore

Sol is "sun" and sal is "salt" in Latin. There is a connection between that special something-ness of salt and the bright majesty of the sun. Halal is "shine" in Hebrew. Shine is zing, and salt is zing. Melach is "salt" in Hebrew and "angel" is malak. The malakim (angels) are melach (salty) like the majestic sea (hals), and salty like the sun (helios) and the moon (selene) which exhibit halos from their shinning radiance. It is this "saltiness" which makes the angels desirable. 

    Pink Himalayan Rock Salt, photo by Julie O. /chthonickore

What a Dog

Adam's apple didn't fall far from the tree. Adam was a laborer upon the earth who ate from the produce of the ground with much toil, 

". . . Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life"Genesis 3:17. 

His first born, Cain, was a slave to the earth as well, i.e., a "tiller," 'obed in Hebrew(in the sense of "laborer, worker, servant, slave," or even "worshiper," form of abad) of the "ground" adamah; a slave of the earth. But the second son Abel/Habel/Hebel was the ruler/keeper/shepherd ro'eh, from ra'ah "to pasture, tend, graze," the one who pastures the flocks, leads the sheep, make them to go or lie down, a "shepherd" roi. Therefore Abel was roi-alty to the son/tsone "flock, sheep and goats." His lording over the flocks could maybe be considered to be easy work compared to slaving away tilling the earth. From this we can see that there might have been some judgment on Cain's part of his brother's profession. Cain worked his ass off in the fields(or his oxen) . . . and his brother, Hebel, sat around "vainly, being useless, worthless" hebel, as the meaning of his name might suggest. Perhaps Cain viewed this behavior as foolish. Since Cain worked hard, of course he was better, more righteous, and would obviously be more pleasing to YHWH.

    The Children's Bible, 1962, Abel taking it easy keeping his flocks, Cain slaving away in the field, photo by Julie O. /chthonickore

That is to take a negative angle on the name, Abel, of course, and there is certainly nothing wrong with being a shepherd, or with having things come easily, or enjoying ones occupation. There are things to be learned from both working hard(striving), and also letting things flow to you, as through grace. How hard, or how much you suffer through your work is not the measure of righteousness. However, it seems that Cain equated hard laborious work with righteousness, and therefore was angered when the Lord did not care to regard his offering. 

Cain worked very hard. He toiled in the fields(itstsabon "toil, pain," consequence of the fall of Adam) and thought he deserved a reward, but his offering was not pleasing to the LORD. Abel was a keeper of the flocks, and maybe had a lot of down time, yet his offering was pleasing to the LORD. People generally say this is because Abel gave the firstborn and "fat" cheleb of his flock, i.e, the choice part to God, and that maybe Cain was stingy in his offering. Perhaps this was true, but in any case we do know is that Cain offered the "fruits/produce/reward" peri of the ground to God, 

In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, Genesis 4:3

whether they were the first or finest, is not clear. Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that they were the first and finest fruits, might there have been another reason why Cain's offering was not regarded(shaaw "gaze upon, look, respect, pay attention") by the LORD?

    Thank Offering Unto the Lord, Offering of First Fruits, by Providence Lithograph Co., c 1896-1913

How did Cain know in the first place that his offering was not acceptable to the LORD, and that Abel's was? Did the LORD talk to them directly? Or did the LORD maybe "tell" them in some other way? It could have been that Abel prospered and was blessed with many healthy, fat, lambs, but Cain's fields did not produce well. And if you equate prosperity with favor, then this would be a visible sign to all that Abel pleased the LORD and Cain did not. Perhaps this was their "face" to the world, i.e., what they produced through their occupation. Abel could hold his head high because his offering was acceptable to the LORD and he did well. Cain's face, however, was "brought low" kana("humbled, subdued"). This would be reason for Cain's "face/countenance" to fall as well. 

but for Cain and his offering he[YHWH] had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his[face fell / countenance fell / face was downcast / face was gloomy, etc]. Genesis 4:5

The phrase in Hebrew is  panaw[his countenance] wayyip.pelu[and fell], from (panaw)paneh "face" and (pelu)nephal "to fall, fail." The reason that Cain had an angry surface or exterior and began to "look cross," could be because he began to "look bad" by means of his crops ceasing to produce well, i.e., his "face" paneh/panim fell(and in Latin panis/panem(acc.) "bread; (figuratively) food, nourishment," so we might say Cain's "bread failed," or his livelihood was reduced). He was humiliated. Cain looked bad, his crops did not produce well, so he knew that the LORD was not happy with him. But why not after all his hard work? It isn't fair! The LORD then told Cain that he shouldn't be angry that his crops had failed him(i.e., that he was not regarded by the Lord), rather he should just do well/be good and then he too would prosper and things would be well/good with him. 

The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? . . . Genesis 4:6-7

But, but, but… he WAS doing well! How was he not being good? He was working hard! He was doing everything RIGHT! Why was that not acceptable? 

For I desire[take pleasure in/delight in] mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 

So, it was the disposition of Abel's heart that made the sacrifice pleasing to the LORD. He trusted in God to provide. It was not the "sacrifice," i.e., the blood and sweat, hard work suffering of Cain that he desired.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous… Hebrews 11:4

    The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve, William Blake ca. 1826, Tate Gallery, London

Why is this so hard to understand, Cain? If things are not well with you, the problem lies with yourself, not anyone or anything else. We can't say, "I'm doing everything right, but all those sinners(losers like Hebel) are messing up the world and making my life bad." Nope. If things are not well with you, the fault is your own. 

"Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin(i.e., the bad, evil) is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it." Genesis 4:6-7

Cain/Qayin was made kana("bring low, humble, subject") because he didn't please the LORD with his offering. So he was qanah "jealous" and killed his brother. How did he kill him? It doesn't say. Possibly it was with a cane, or a "spear" qayin/cain. He may have caned his brother over his head with some sort of agricultural tool. If there had been others around it is easy to imagine Cain inciting a mob to anger against Abel with pitch fork in hand, or being the first to throw a stone.

    Lorenzo Lotto, Stoning of St. Stephen, Oil on Wood, 1513-1516 (men holding qayin/cain, canis in the foreground)

That's really sad. Cain killed his bother in the sadeh "field" in Hebrew. Sadeh in the sense of the open wild area, i.e., the bush, where Cain's deed would go unobserved. This would have made Qayin/Cain the cause of the qinah "lamenting" of his parents. 

I don't think this is what his mother, Eve/Havvah "Life," had in mind when she named him. She didn't know what grief Cain would eventually bring her when he was born. After his birth she said,

"YHWH 'et 'iš qaniti " Genesis 4:1

That is, "With the LORD I have acquired a man/male(iš)." 

Qaniti is a form of qanah meaning "get, acquire, buy." So Eve qanah(acquire) a boy child and then named him Qayin(spear). 

It is interesting that the passage states that "the man"(ha'adam), knew his woman/wife/other half('išša/ishshaw), and she conceived and brought forth Cain. Then Išša(the female), i.e., Havvah(Eve), says "I have gotten(qaniti) an 'iš(man/male) with(or with the help of) YHWH. She does not say she has gotten an 'iš from her'iš(man/husband), i.e., Adam. Eve gives the credit for helping her to acquire a son/male child/'iš, to God, not to man, or her husband. However, then this male child('iš), Cain, grows up to be a man(adam) who thinks that one acquires(qaneh) through man(adam) and not through the LORD. You qanah do it yourself Cain! There are deeper causes at work in the world. It is through favor with the LORD that he will grant you wisdom and you will prosper, 

for even if one is perfect among the sons of men, yet without the wisdom that comes form you he will be regarded as nothing. Wisdom of Solomon 9:6 

Send her forth from the holy heavens, and from the throne of your glory send her, that she may be with me and toil, and I may learn what is pleasing to you. For she knows all things, and she will guide me wisely in my actions and guard me with her glory. Then my works will be acceptable . . . Wisdom of Solomon 9:10-12

The man who toils without wisdom toils in vain. 

For creation, serving you who have made it, exerts itself to punish the unrighteous, and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in you. Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms, it served your all-nourishing bounty, according to the desire of those who had need, so that your sons, whom you loved, O Lord, might learn that it is not the production of crops that feeds a man, but your word preserves those who trust in you. Wisdom of Solomon 16:24-26

Canis is "dog" in Latin, kuon κύων in Greek, keleb in Hebrew. A dog is bound and wears a collare Latin for "chain for the neck." A dog is a servant to man(adam),

And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog(keleb), that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you are to be King over Syria." 2 Kings 8:13

     Canaan Dog

And Cain was a servant of the ground(adamah), so we might say figuratively that he was a dog[...who also became a king].

Canines are known for their canine, dog teeth, or perhaps we might say, cain/qayin "spear" like teeth, or cuspids, from Latin cuspis "point, pointed end."

Cain worked like a canis. He thought he could qanah(acquire) God's good graces because of his own labor. But it didn't work out as it should have according to Cain's wisdom. 

"Behold, you have driven me this day from the face the ground[adamah, i.e., his origin as an adam]; and from your face[paneh, i.e., God's grace, maybe panis "bread of life"?] I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me." Genesis 4:14

However, for Cain's evil deed he was not slain, but rather, God put some sort of indicative "sign"oth in Hebrew, upon him so that he would not be harmed. Was this a gift or punishment? Or maybe just an effect? Cain was a driven, arrogant, worldly man. Perhaps he exerted certain quality of leadership, or charisma, from kharisme/charisma χάρισμα "favor, divine gift." So, because of this oth bestowed upon Cain from God, he was not killed by others, but rather chosen to be their leader. Then because he had this power over men, of course he would have been "avenged sevenfold"(Genesis 4:15) by any who might have tried to harm him. Cain was not his bother's "body guard/keeper" shamar, but he would have had his own body guards for his protection, certainly, after he was married, had a son, and built a city naming it after his son, Enoch. Not just any ordinary yokle gets to build a city and name it after his son. Cain must have been canny and become an important man in the eyes of the world after he killed Abel and left his parents. He was marked (maybe "anointed"mashach so that he would "shine" before his fellow man like an "angel"malak) and was "appointed" malak by God to rule. He then found favor and/or was feared by men and became their Cain or melek "king" in Hebrew). 

    Cain Building the City Enoch, Maarten de Vos, 1583 (Cain with cane in hand)

Out of anger and jealousy Cain killed his brother in the ager Latin for "field." It was an act of aggression. Cain dis-[t]roy-ed Abel, i.e. he took out, dissed the "shepherd" roi. Then Cain went on to build a city and become an important man, unlike his simple, vain, naive brother who sat all day in the "pasture" naveh in Hebrew, with the sheep. Cain's business had been agriculture "cultivation of the land" from genitive agri "field, land" + cultura "cultivating, agriculture," from colere "tend, guard, cultivate, till." This is probably why Cain thought himself to be better, i.e., he was more cultured, cultivated, or polished than his brother Abel. Cultus(past participle of colere) "care, labor, cultivation; tended, culture; worship, reverence," cultus also has the meaning of "polish, elegance."

    Polished Gold Jewlery, Late Canaanite Period, 13th century BC

People who live in cities wear fine clothes and jewelry, and are more refined and polished than the wild people(perhaps villains) who live out in the villages, like the civilized people of Canaan, the descendants of Canaan, son of Ham. The land, so called, "flowing with milk and honey." Exodus 3:17

Wild is from Old English wilde "in a natural state, uncultivated, untamed, undomesticated, uncontrolled," from Proto-Germanic *wildia- (also source of Old Saxon wildi, Old Norse villr, Dutch wild), of uncertain origin. Compare to Welsh gwyllt "untamed").

Although dogs can act like dogs and be kind of ewwy, a dog, iwiw in ancient Egyptian(imitative of their bark) is domesticated, civilized, useful and more reasonable, than their wild, loopy, counterpart, Canis lupus, the wolf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from PIE root *wlkwo-, possibly also the root of Greek lykos λύκος, and Latin lupus. However, perhaps the wolf is not really the crazy one, but has been vilified for being wild and untamed. Maybe the lykos "wolf" is really one who is quite "bright, brilliant" leukos λέυκός in Greek, for being free, but it's not the kind of brightness that is allowed in the civilized world, is it? Much like children. Children are wild and uncivilized. 

Girl is from c.1300 gyrle "child, young person"(of either sex most often of female, specific meaning of "female child" late 14c.) of uncertain origin, possibly from Proto-Germanic *gurwilon(diminutive of gurwjoz), with possible relationship to Low German gaere "boy, girl," Swedish dialectical gurre "small child." It is said the g-r denotes small children, animals(grunt), worthless(grime), and things past their prime(grandma, grandpa?). So children were not respected historically, then the word came to designate the female child in English. 

    Inger Nilsson as Pippi Longstocking, 1969

Children have a lot of energy and act wild. Little girls("gwils" as my daughter used to say) are gwylt "untamed" before they are shoved into a "corset" and cultured. Corset is from Old French cors "body," from Latin corpus. But sometimes the cultivated corset "body-et", i.e., the woman that is shaped from the girl, ends up being no more than a living corpse. 

    Corpse Bride with Corset, from Corpse Bride, Tim Burton, 2005

A girl or woman's place in the world historically has been to serve, and a woman could get in a lot of trouble for not following the civil rules and acting too wild. Thanks to people like Jesus who attempt to change perceptions and make people free again. In this story below, I'm sure Martha was thinking Mary was a bitch for not helping out, but who really was the bitch(dog, servant) in this case? Martha was the one working like a dog, canis (like Cain) and Mary was sitting idly, "vainly" listening to Jesus(more like Abel).

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about mant things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41

    Martha Scolds her Sister Mary, Orazio Gentileschi, Italian painter, oil on canvas, c. 1620

Jesus seemed to have a certain appreciation for the uncultivated, like John the Baptist, and Jesus himself was from Nazareth. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"John 1:46 (uh . . . Hair of the Dog is from Nazareth 🤷‍♀️), and the pastoral "of or pertaining to the shepherds," is from Latin pastoralis, from  pastor "herdsman, shepherd," and even, the pagan, from paganus classical Latin "villager, rustic; civilian, non-combatant," from the adjective pagus "country people; province, rural district." The term pagan came to mean heathen, which is taken from heath, from Old English hæð "untilled land, track of wasteland." The pagans are the ones who were said to be uncivilized, without the knowledge of God, and vilified. But in actually, Jesus had a lot of trouble with the civilized folk(who ended up having him put to death) and spent his time with those who were considered less, and marginalized. 

And behold a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begging him saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their Masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:22-28

It is in the cities like Enoch, built by Cain the cultivator, that the so called civilized and cultivated reside. However, the inhabitants of cities often end up being violent and destructive to their fellow man. Like the inhabitants of Sodom/Sedom, a Canaanite city that was near the dead sea. The Sodomites were city dwellers. They should have been civilized, right? But they were really uncivilized, and thought they were shadday-mites, "almighty" people, who could go around raping everybody they felt like[read it, it's not about homosexuality Genesis 19 *commentary]. Dogs! For their crimes, they were leveled like a sadeh(field) and burned to the ground, incinerated. Civilized, indeed! 

    The Destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah, John Martin, 1852

So, it is clear that there is some bias in the language that indicates a distain for the bumpkins. But really there is not necessarily anything bad or evil about those who live in the country or the wild, as opposed to the city folk. Sometimes they are the best kinds of people.

"Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet. Now Bilbo, my boy, fetch a lamp, and let's have a little light on this!" Gandolf - The Hobbit, ch. 1.104 

Wild is not bad, civilized is not good, wild is not good, and civilized is not bad. As it turns out no certain group of people is either all bad or all good. So we should never judge people based on things such as race, creed, or place of origin, but rather we should look at people individually and see what their fruit is. If the fruit is good, i.e., love, then they must be acceptable to God. 

What God has cleansed, you must not call common." Acts 10:15

This goes for dogs too. I didn't mean to give them a bad rap.

Kala the Wild

In this modern age of smart phones we might think of the word "call" as being a really ordinary word. I make lots of ordinary phone calls. I call people I don't even want to talk to, in order to make appointments for things that I wish I didn't have to, like getting braces for my kids. I call about these things, yet these things do not call to me. Like a wolf howling to the sky at the full moon those things do not summon me. We are animals filled with longing. We long for the beauty, goodness and pleasantness with seems to elude us in this life. The wild softly summons us with its melody to teach us about beauty; a true beauty that is not found in the world, but rather in the fulfillment of the desires of our hearts. The call of the wild in our hearts is tinged a mournful tune until we reach paradise. 

In Old Norse kalla is "to cry loudly," and kaleó καλέω in Ancient / Koine Greek is "call, invite, summon."

Calls can be made with flutes or pipes. Reed pipes are often portrayed in Ancient Greek art. "Reed, reed-pen, measuring rod" in Greek is kalamos κάλαμος (kalama Sanskrit, calamus Latin).

A bird's song is also said to be its call. They are often beautiful songs like the call of the Calandra Lark. Calandra / Kalandra is derived from the Ancient Greek name for the lark, i.e., kalandros. It is a bird found around the Mediterranean and eastwards though the area that was once known as Mesopotamia and north into Scythia, which is Southern Russia. Its habitat is open plains, steppes and pastures. Syrinx is the name for the vocal organ of birds, i.e., the lower part of their windpipe.

Syrinx Σύρινξ was a beautiful wood (in Cornish, celli "wood") nymph who was pursued by the god Pan, though reluctantly. A Pan Pipe, is a type of reed pipe which is called a syrinx. In mythology Pan made the syrinx / Pan pipe from the reeds which Syrinx, his object of desire, was turned into. 

    Pan Pipes/Syrinx

She was turned into reeds to escape Pan. Then when Pan heard the soft sound of the wind whistling / singing over the reeds he made a flute out of them to have her with him. Perhaps the music of the pipes reminded Pan of his yearning for Syrinx and her beauty, kalós "beautiful, good, noble" in Ancient Greek, origin of the name Kala. But perhaps he also thought her callous for refusing his advances.

    Pan and Syrnx, Jean Francois de Troy 1722-1724, J. Paul Getty Museum

Because of Pan's pursuit and desire for her, Syrinx was transformed into a reed (kalamos) quite a calamity for her.

You know Syrinx disregarded fiery Kythereia[Aphrodite], and what a price she paid for her too-great pride and love of virginity; how she turned into a plant with reedy growth substituted for her own, when she had fled from Pan's love, and how she still sings Pan's desire! -Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42. 363 ff

The "place of reeds" in ancient Egyptian mythology was considered to be heaven, the best place, paradise. It was called Aaru and was described as a field of reeds in the east, where the sun rises. Aaru jꜣrw has the meaning of "rushes, reeds" in ancient Egyptian.

For the Greeks the best place, heaven, was called the Elysian Fields, a place of plenty and blessedness. Perhaps it was like Cana, insofar as it was a happy place, like Cana, the location of the wedding festival and Jesus' first miracle in the bible. Cana is from Greek Kana Κανά and is said to mean "place of reeds" likely taken from Hebrew qaneh "reed, stalk, cane, rod, branches." 

This(i.e., reeds being associated with the good), reminds me of the ancient Egyptian nefer, nfr hieroglyph. The nefer hieroglyph was used to represent the ancient Egyptian concept of beauty / the beautiful / goodness. The symbol is generally believed to represent a stylized sheep's heart(due to its markings) + trachea / windpipe ("reed"). So we could say it is a symbol with something like a kalamos (reed)," and has a similar meaning to kalós (beautiful / good). But what does this symbol have to do with beauty? 

    nfr - nefer

There is not a clear explanation of the origin of this symbol. However, it had many extended meanings and the specific shape was used for amulets, jewelry and other objects, as well as the hieroglyph. The symbol did not just mean beauty and goodness as a word, it also conferred meaning through its form. So what was it representing through its form?

It seems possible that it could have represented something like *the word of the god expressed from the calling of his heart*.

A word is spoken from the larynx located in the trachea. In Egyptian mythology it was said that the primordial god Ptah conceived of creation in his heart and spoke it into being through his mouth. And it is not just any word that comes from the mouth of God, it is the Perfect word . . . and that Word is the Beautiful and the Good, i.e., nefer. 
It is said that word's come from the wellspring of the heart.

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good(nefer), and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance* of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

The mouth speaks what overflows (*perisseumatos περίσσευματος "abundance, overflow") or comes out of the heart. The heart was viewed as seat of the personality in ancient Egypt. So in this way the heart and trachea can be said to be connected. However, why then a sheep's heart and not a human heart for the symbol?

Khnum/Khnemu ḫnmw (from ḫnm meaning "to join, unite; build"), the god of the waters, and thus also the silt which formed the fertile soil and clay of the Nile Delta region, was the "Divine Potter" who created man out of clay on his potters wheel and placed them in their mothers wombs. He was depicted with the head of ram (ba is "ram" in Egyptian, and ba was also "soul," being one of the five aspects the soul). So the nefer symbol had a ba heart, i.e., a ram's heart, which would also call to mind the ba "soul". 

    The Ba of the dead person hovers over his mummy clutching a shen-ring

In later periods Amun / Amon / Amen-Ra(the "concealed/hidden" one) took prominence as the chief creator god. Amun was also sometimes depicted as a ram, or with a ram's head. So the chief god was depicted as a ram (sheep) therefore it would not be too far out to say that the sheep's heart in the nefer symbol represented the heart of God. Then the whole symbol would represent that which proceeds from the sacred heart, i.e., beauty / goodness.

In Hebrew towb/tobe/tov/tova means "good, better, best, beautiful, pleasant, agreeable, sweet". The Lord(Yah) is Towb where we get the name Tobiah / Tobias(towb + yah). So, towb is used to describe God, and it is also used to describe the knowledge of the tree in the Garden of Eden. The tree in the midst of the garden was called "the Tree of the knowledge of towb and ra'".

Calista / Kalistos, means "fairest, most beautiful" in Greek, she was a nymph who took a vow to remain a virgin, however Zeus disguised himself as Artemis (Diana) to lure her into his embrace. She then became the mother of Arcas and ended up being turned into a bear. 

    Diana and Calysto 1559 Titian, national Gallery of Scotland 

Now Calista resides in the heavens as the Great Bear(momma bear), Ursa Major.

Calla lily means "beautiful flower," also called Arum Lily, "naked flower," Trumpet Lily, and Pig Lily. The Calla Lily, although considered to be neither a true calla nor a true lily, is said to be "naked" achlamydeous (literally "without a cloak") in botany because it is lacking petals and sepals. 

    Calla Lilly, Zantedeshia aethiopica

Calla Lilies are often used at both weddings and funerals. They are generally considered to be symbols of purity and rebirth. Yet they remain somewhat bawdy in their "nakedness". . . or at least alluring. 

Nefertem was the ancient Egyptian god who represented the lotus flower which arose from the primordial waters. He was known as "He who is beautiful" and Water-lily of the Sun," he was the morning aspect of Ra blooming / reborn as the Nymphea cerulea, Blue Water lily / Egyptian Lotus, every sunrise. 

    Nymphea cerulea- Blue Water Lily/Egyptian Lotus

He was associated with the beautiful scents of the lily and other flowers, and with the first morning sunlight. The Blue Water Lilly arises each day out of the murky, muddy depths, beautiful and alluring. 

Calidus  means "warm, hot" in Latin, and calor is "heat", from

PIE root *kele-(1) "warm." Warm is good and beautiful (kala) when you have been out in the cold and finally come in and take a nice soak in the hot tub or cozy up by the fire. Warm is like home.

    The Runaway Bunny, pictures by Clement Hurd- "I will become your mother and catch you in my arms and hug you." - photo by Julie O. /chtonickore

In her more gentle aspects, Kali is a mother goddess. However, she is a mother who is able to fiercely protect her children. Kali means "the dark / black one," she who is "beyond time." She is associated with Shakti "Power, Empowerment" (from shak "to be able", ie., can, from Old English cunnan "be able, know, have power, Old Frisian kanna) and is the goddess of time and change. She is the counterpart of Shiva, the destroyer, who is called Kala meaning "time, black/dark, death. Her name, Kali, comes from kala.  

    The Goddess Kali standing on Lord Shiva

Kali is kind of beautiful (kala) despite being so wild and foreboding. And from the look on Shiva's face I'd say he was enjoying his predicament. Perhaps he finds something about Kali's fiery nature alluring. She is a woman who can get things done. Maybe he's met his match, Caliente!

I am dark but beautiful, O Daughters of Jerusalem- dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon's tents. Song of Solomon 1:5

Lovers yearn for each other. The beloved calls to the beloved. They are consumed by their love for each other. This can lead to the end or destruction of one, or the other. Kaleh in biblical Hebrew is translated as "yearn," from kalah "finished, annihilate, accomplished, been consumed, complete, destruction, devoured, at an end." An encounter with Kali can definitely bring a man to kalah (destruction). Time to meet your maker. But that's not always a bad thing, right? To discover or become the Shiva or Christ within, a certain destruction is necessary.

Amen, Amen I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto eternal life. John 12:24-25

Kali is beautiful, yet fierce, like a shrill battle cry that invokes dread or the terrible drone of the bagpipe.
In fact the Old Irish meaning of Caellach (one possible origin of the name Kelly) is "war, strife, lively, aggressive," and Old Norse kalla is "to cry loudly".

Kali seduces you to your destruction.

    Siren with Reed Pipe/Aulos and Cane(?)- Thomas Bulfintch, The Age of Fable, 1897

Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful. To listen to their call meant death. They lured men in with their enchanting mournful song, then the unwary travelers were dashed against the rocks, shipwrecked, or simply driven into a deadly torpor. The voyagers were so high on beauty, they would forget how to do anything, neither steer their boats, nor even eat, to their ultimate demise.

    Seiren, Agent of Death

Siren (Seiren Gk.) is possibly from Greek seira "chord, rope," meaning something like "entanglers, binders." They lure or rope you in with their eloquent song, and  then you wither up and die. Searian is Old English "dry up, to wither". 

Kalupto/Kalypto has the meaning "to cover, veil, hide, conceal, envelope; deceive" in Ancient Greek. Calypso Καλυψώ "she who conceals." 

    Odysseus  and Calypso, Arnold Bocklin, 1883, Swiss Symbolist Painter

Odysseus was seduced and drawn in by Calypso, but after a while came the apocalypse from Greek apokalyptein "uncover, disclose, reveal." After the dis-clothes-ing or unrobing and consummation of his desire he realized that he needed to leave that place and get back home to Penelope. He did not feel called to be Calypso's immortal husband.

Sometimes an unveiling can feel like the end of the world.

Jesus called ("kaleo") his disciples and they left their former lives to follow him. However, he was actually leading them to their death. Was this a good or bad thing? You be the judge of that, but make no mistake, they were never going to be the same. You could say that Jesus was a destroyer (Shiva) and deceiver (Calypso). He lured in his apostles when the mission was concealed (kalypto). He preformed all sorts of wonderful miracles, was eloquent, and was and all round awesome guy . . . then bam-o! He's being crucified, and the apostles are scared out of their wits. Afterwards most of them ended up being tortured and killed. But that revelation (apokolypsis) came after the initial calling / seduction, and then it was already too late. They were hooked.  

Pieter Pierterz the Elder c 1569, Dutch Renaissance painter, Death of St. Peter and St. Paul

However, the purpose of it all was salvation, to partake in Christ and to become God. We are called to share in Christ's nature and become gods.

The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods. -St. Thomas Aquinas, Opuscula 57:1-4. From Catechism of the Catholic Church 460

In ancient Egypt the shen hieroglyph was a stylized rope with a loop in it, meaning "protection." In the ancient world the shen-ring was a symbol representing eternal protection. The shen is a place enclosed, like "paradise" from ancient Greek paradeisos "park, garden, paradise," from an Iranian source similar to Avestan pairidaeza "enclosure, park"[OE].

Here is an image of Inanna or some say,  or Lilith (Hebrew "night demon," possibly related to the Babylonian concept of the Mesopotamian Lilitu, a class of female demons) holding two shen rings.

    Queen of the Night/Burney Relief, Mesopotamian terracotta, c.1800-1750 BC, British Museum, London, shown with shen rings

The Hebrew letter ש shin/sin can represent fire (esh / aysh) and Shekinah שכינה‎ (from verb shaken meaning "settle down, abide, dwell.״ Shekinah is a grammatically feminine name used to denote the dwelling or settling of the divine presence of God. 

Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Exodus 24:17

      Letter Shin (reminiscent of a Cala Lily, and also a candelabra, trident, or wings?)

The shin is said to stand for Shaddai "Almighty," one of the names of God that YHWH gave of himself to Abraham, "I am God All Mighty [El Shaddai]; walk before me and be blameless (Genesis 17:1)," from the root shadad "destroyer." It is indicated in the posture of the hands in the Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim).

    Priestly Blessing- Mosaic at Synagogue of Enschede(detail), Netherlands

Why would God come down and dwell with men?

"For the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage." Deut 32:9

One's dwelling place is his home and his portion. God's home, his heaven, place of rest (shabbat) is with his people. And the home of his people is with God. Heaven is the home of their desire / heart.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul …  Lam 3:24

Remember heaven is Aaru, the Field of Reeds (aaru). And Cana has the meaning "place of reeds." Late Latin canna is "reed," it also has the meaning "small vessel / gondola." Maybe this is canna in the sense of a safe enclosure, like the haven of the reed barque of Ra, or a home in the eternal abyss / waters.

Papyrus Reed Solar Barque (Barque of Ra), on pt "sky/heaven" glyph, at gateway to Nuit / Nut (goddess who is the starry night sky)

There is something about eternity that is really quite frightening. It's just SO big! We might actually choose to keep / confine ourselves to one portion of it. However, we don't want that portion to be a prison (like Calypso's island). In Hebrew kala also has the meaning of "shut up, restrain, withhold." And from this kala comes the word kele "prison, confinement, imprisonment." When parents try to protect their children they may put their own "shen" protective ring around them, but it can seem a bit like a prison. Maybe more like a lasso rope than the shen. Cloister is perhaps a little more of a benevolent word than prison, being from Latin claustrum "enclosure, place shut in," but still, what we desire is heaven, a paradise, so it would have to be the perfect enclosure; the cloister that is in NO anyway confining, but more like perfection; an un-cloister, or un-prision (more like Disneyland). 

 NASA MODIS compound photo, 2002. Spaceship Earth is our Cloister in the Abyss of Space, but feels like an Un-Cloister. Earth is Not a Prison Planet

Maybe like a perfect / ideal marriage or union, i.e., a binding that does not bind or limit. Instead it is comfort, the heart's desire, beauty (kala, nefer, towb), and protection, i.e., a home, om, eternal dwelling place, where we are "limited," but only to goodness. 

"Behold the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:3-4

Yes, f*ck the chaos. I would like to retire to a beautiful paradise, or heaven Earth when I'm done with all this.

Amen!