Geb and Gaea — Two Lands
One of the most intriguing historical details preserved in the magical myth is the observation that, in the most ancient times, the human world was divided into two separate universes.
The myth relates that the human form of mind, after a catastrophic event, manifests as a binary of two worlds — conventionally called the world of Geb and the world of Gaea, after the names of the corresponding deities of the Mediterranean pantheon.
One world (the world of Geb) expresses the activity of matter, the other (the world of Gaea, or, as our world was called in northern Europe — Erd) the activity of intellect. In other words, the binary Spirit–Matter, like any duality, unfolds only through the mutual reflection of its poles; accordingly, “Heaven” — Prav — contains active and passive components, “Earth” — Yav — does as well.
The active component of Heaven is represented by Uranus, the passive by Nut. Likewise, the passive side of Earth is represented by the goddess Gaea, and the active by the god Geb.
That is, Geb’s world is one where creative activity is inherent, where technology is natural and “magical,” whereas Erd’s realm is the realm of the external, of things “separate” from the world of beliefs and techniques.
Such an idea explained a fact observed since antiquity: the existence of “two parallel lands” inhabited by the human form of mind. It is said that each person has their binary counterpart in the opposite world, and the existence of one such “twin” is impossible without the other. In other words, in the two “parallel worlds,” “parallel” people are born and live lives linked to one another by a thread of binary correspondence, even though outwardly these people may look completely different.
It is believed that long ago these two worlds were one; then for a long time they existed in parallel, and a constant exchange of information took place between them, even to the point of mutual visits by their inhabitants. But over time the situation changed. In the world of Geb, where activity originates from the Earth, people developed by cultivating inner capacities, since their bodies, rooted in the earth, are for them the source of all potential for action.
In the world of Erd, where activity is detached from the self, development followed a technological path, and activity moved out of the human depths to external devices and machines.
It is believed that this path was mistaken, yet the people of Erd firmly embarked on it and do not intend to change course, whereas the people of Geb remained human-centered. How real the possibility was for the humanity of Erd to develop spiritual capacities rather than seek external aid is an open question, but the fact remains — the people of Geb found reserves of strength in their bodies, while the people of Erd deplete nature’s resources.
This turn in development also changed the nature of relations between the worlds — from harmonious and complementary, they became tense and confrontational. To a person of the world of Geb, the exploitative attitude toward the earth seems brutal and unacceptable, while for most people of the world of Erd it is difficult even to admit the possibility of seeking sources of existence in the Heavens or in the Spirit, rather than in the bowels of the earth.
However, a connecting thread remained — the twin nature of the worlds themselves. And although, it is said, over time even Gaea’s realm contracted compared to Geb’s Earth, and, accordingly, the population densities differ between worlds, everyone in Erd retains a deep connection to their counterpart in Geb, and it is said their memories sometimes overlap, which is the reason for the modern person’s strong craving for fairy tales and fantasy, which express the experience of free, joyful being in Geb’s parallel world.
Dear Enmerkar, a very interesting article and after reading it I immediately had a question: what, for example, when a person from the world of Geb enters the world of Gea or vice versa, will they be affected by all the factors that apply when entering any other worlds? Such dangers as loss of form, etc. Or does the ‘kinship’ of these worlds smoothen adaptation?
Of course, the severing force will act in this case – the stronger it is, the more the descriptions of the worlds differ, but at the same time, its effect in ‘twin’ worlds is incomparably weaker than in unrelated worlds.
Enmerkar, is Geb the world that in some traditions is referred to as the world of magicians?
It is quite possible.
Did the people of Geb leave any structures on Gea? 🙂
Not by themselves – but together with local inhabitants – quite possibly.
Good day. I have long understood and felt that humanity is inexorably driving itself into a dead end that leads to its own degeneration and the destruction of life on Earth. I regret that someone gave mankind reason. It is frustrating to realize that, despite understanding this, one is aware of the hopelessness and impossibility of changing the mindset of the majority of the population, which will ultimately lead to disaster.
Yes, sometimes memories mix, and sometimes heavily. And then an ordinary person living on Gaia, drinking beer on weekends, and buying technical inspection coupons, begins to flail and wriggle, howling from despair, and starts applying fragments of glimpsed memories. Regardless of the fact that this can lead to destruction, that they don’t even understand what exactly they are doing… Because they want to break the chains and escape from hell. At any cost, even if it costs them their soul. Because to flare up for a moment like a star is still better than to drag on with nothingness…
It seems to me that contact with one’s ‘parallel being’ can be very valuable for anyone following the path of Magic. Unfortunately, besides this blog, I have not encountered this story anywhere else; it’s not quite clear how to attune to the world of Geba? Or has contact become complicated due to the relationships between our worlds?
Wow! How informative!