Septerium

The term "Septerium" likely derives from the Greek "septenarius," meaning seven, or perhaps related to "hepta," also signifying seven, potentially referencing a cyclical or ritualistic number associated with the festival, though its precise etymology remains debated among scholars.

A great religious festival held in days of old every ninth year at Delphi, in honour of Helios, the Sun, or Apollo to commemorate his triumph over darkness, or Python; Apollo-Python being the same as Osiris-Typhon in Egypt. Seraphim flleh.) Celestial beings described by Lsaiah (vi., 2,) as of human foi-ni with the addition of three pair of wings. The Hebrew word is ShKPIM. and ai)art from the above instance, is translated serpents, and is related to the verbal root ShRP, to burn up. The word is used for serpents in Xiniilxrs and I)< ut( ronom]i. Moses is said to have raised in the wilderness a SliRP or Seraph of Brass as a type. This bright serpent is also used as an emblem of Liglit. Compare the myth of ^sculapius, the healing deity, wno is said to have been brought to Rome from Epidaurus as a serpent, and whose statues show him liolding a wand on which a snake is twisted. (See Ovid, Metam.. lib. xv.). The Scrapliim of the Old Testament seems to be related to the Cherubim (q.v.). In the Kabhahih tlie Seraphim are a group of angelic powers allotted to the Sephira Geburah— Severity-, [w.w.w.]

The Septerium, as described by Blavatsky, points to a deep wellspring of ancient ritual, a vibrant echo of a time when celestial events and divine pronouncements were intimately woven into the fabric of human life. The festival at Delphi, dedicated to Helios and Apollo, was not merely a historical observance but a living embodiment of the cosmic drama of light vanquishing darkness, a theme that resonates profoundly across millennia and cultures. Mircea Eliade, in his seminal work "The Myth of the Eternal Return," explored how ancient societies perceived time not as linear but as cyclical, punctuated by moments of renewal and re-enactment of primordial events. The Septerium, occurring every ninth year, suggests such a cyclical understanding, a periodic reaffirmation of cosmic order against the ever-present threat of chaos.

The conflation of Apollo with Osiris, and Python with Typhon, highlights a cross-cultural dialogue of mythic archetypes. These dualities—light versus darkness, order versus chaos, life versus death—are fundamental to the human psyche, as Carl Jung so meticulously detailed in his exploration of universal symbols. The serpent imagery, particularly the "bright serpent" of brass raised by Moses, connects to a panoply of serpentine symbolism, often representing both primal forces and healing, as seen in the staff of Asclepius. This duality of the serpent, as both a potential threat and a symbol of wisdom or divine power, is a recurring motif, appearing in Gnostic traditions and even in the alchemical symbolism of the Ouroboros, the serpent devouring its own tail, representing the cyclical nature of existence. Blavatsky’s inclusion of the Seraphim, with their fiery association and multiple wings, further links the earthly festival to celestial hierarchies, suggesting that the triumph of light on Earth is mirrored in the divine realms. The Hebrew root "ShRP," meaning to burn, directly connects to the fiery nature of the Seraphim and the illuminating power of the sun, reinforcing the festival's core theme of radiant victory.

The Septerium, therefore, transcends its specific historical context to offer a timeless meditation on the human aspiration for illumination and the enduring quest to overcome the shadows within and without. It speaks to the ancient impulse to find meaning and order in the cosmos, a pursuit that continues to animate the spiritual seeker today.

RELATED_TERMS: Apollo, Helios, Serpent Symbolism, Cosmic Dualism, Archetypes, Ritual Renewal, Mythic Cycles ---