Heabani

The name "Heabani" likely derives from Akkadian "Enkidu," a wild man companion to Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh. This suggests a connection to Mesopotamian mythology, where such figures often bridge the human and divine.

A famous astrologer at the Court of Izdubar. frequently mentioned in the fragments of the As.syrian tablets in ref»'rence to a dream of Izdubar, the great Babylonian King, or Nimrod, the "mighty hunter before the Lord". After his death, his soul being unable to rest underground, the ghost of Heabani was raised l)y Merodaeh, the god, his body restored to life and then transferi-ed (ilivr, likiElijah, to the regions of the Blessed. Head of all Heads (Hah.). Used of the "Ancient of the Ancients" Attickah D'attcrkco), who is the "Hidden of the Hidden, the Concealed of the Concealed". In this cranium of the "AVhite Head". Rcsha Hivrak, "dwell daily 13,000 myriads of worlds, which rest upon It, lean upon It" (Zohar Hi. Idrah Rahhah). . . "In that Attcckah nothing is revealed except the Head alone, because it is the Head of all Heads. . . The "Wisdom above, which is the Head, is hidden in it. tlie Brain Avhich is tranquil and quiet, and none knows it but Itself. . And this Hidden Wisdom . . . the Concealed of the Concealed, the Head of all Heads, a IL ad which is not a Head, nor does any one know, nor is it ever known, what is in that Head which Wisdom and Reason cannot comprehend" (Zohar iii., fol. 288 a) This is said of the Deity of which the Head {i.e.. Wisdom "perceived by all) is alone manifested. Of that Princii)le which is still higher nothing is even predicated, except that its universal presence and actuality are a philosophical necessity. Heavenly Adam. The synthesis of the Sejihirothal Tree, or of all the Forces in Nature and their informing deitic essence. In the diagrams, the Seventh of the lower Sephiroth, Sephira Mtdkhooth — the Kingdom of Harmony — represents the feet of the idi-al ^Macrocosm, whose head reaches to the first manifested Head. This Heavenly Adam is the natura )taf}irans, the abstract world, while the Adam of Earth (Humanity) is the natura naturata or the material universe. The former is the presence of Deity in its univi'rsal essence ; the la

The figure of Heabani, as presented in Blavatsky's compilation, offers a fascinating glimpse into the ancient Mesopotamian imagination, particularly its engagement with the afterlife and the possibility of transcendence. While the name itself is linked to the epic hero Enkidu, the narrative of Heabani's soul being raised and transferred to the "regions of the Blessed" echoes a broader human impulse to conceive of a post-mortem existence that transcends earthly limitations. This resonates deeply with the work of Mircea Eliade, who explored the archaic yearning for a return to the sacred, a breaking free from the profane time of history into a mythical, eternal present.

The description of Heabani's soul being "raised by Merodaeh" and his body "restored to life" before his spiritual transfer is a potent image of resurrection or, more accurately, a transfiguration. This process of being brought back from the brink of oblivion and then elevated to a higher plane is a motif found in numerous spiritual traditions, from the Egyptian Osiris myth to the Christian narrative of Christ's resurrection. It speaks to a fundamental human hope that death is not an absolute end, but a potential gateway to a more perfect state of being.

Furthermore, Blavatsky's commentary links Heabani to "Head of all Heads," a concept that draws from Kabbalistic mysticism, specifically the "Ancient of the Ancients" in the Zohar. This connection, though perhaps anachronistic in its synthesis, highlights the universal search for an ultimate, ineffable source of being, a primordial consciousness from which all existence emanates. The idea of a "Head which is not a Head," beyond human comprehension, mirrors the apophatic theology found in various mystical traditions, where the divine is described by what it is not, rather than what it is. This echoes the negative theology of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and the profound silences in Meister Eckhart's contemplation.

For the modern seeker, Heabani’s story is less about the specific historical or mythological details and more about the underlying archetypal pattern: the journey from the mortal coil to a state of spiritual permanence. It invites reflection on our own relationship with mortality and our aspirations for meaning beyond the ephemeral. The legend suggests that even in the face of death, there exists the possibility of a profound transformation, a movement towards a state of being that is both eternal and blessed, a testament to the enduring power of myth to shape our understanding of existence.

RELATED_TERMS: Apotheosis, Ascension, Transfiguration, Moksha, Resurrection, Theosis, Myth of Return, Afterlife Beliefs