The document discusses the cultural influences on the writings of the 8th century Arab poet Abdul Alhazred, also known as the Mad Poet. It explores the currents of mystical and magical thought in the Near East during his time, including pre-Islamic Arab mythology, early Sufism, Greco-Egyptian magic, Gnosticism, Mesopotamian myth, and Central Asian myth. It also examines specific mythical figures and symbols that appeared to influence Alhazred's magnum opus, the Al Azif or Necronomicon.

1. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
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۞_A LHA Z RE T IN CULTURA L CONTE XT_۞ WILL E XPLORE V A RIOUS LITE RA RY A ND CULTURA L INFLUE NCE S
ON THE W RITI NGS OF A B D A LHA Z RE T ( ‫ " عب د الح ضرة‬S LA V E OF THE P RE S E NCE " ) A LS O W ID E LY KNOWN A S
T H E M A D P O E T ( ‫ . )ش ا ع ر م ج ن و ن‬I N P A R T I C U L A R I T E X P L O R E S T H E C U R R E N T S O F M Y S T I C A L A N D M A G I C A L
T H O U G H T I N T H E N E A R E A S T D U R I N G T H E 8 T H C E N T U R Y. P R E - I S L A M I C A R A B M YT H O L OG Y, E A R L Y
S U F I S M , G R E C O - E G YP T I A N M A G I C , G N O S T I C I S M , M E S O P O T A M I A N M YT H , A N D C E N T R A L A S I A N M YT H A L L
I M P A C T E D A L H A Z R E T ' S M A G N U M O P U S : _ A L ' A Z I F _ ( ‫. )ا ل ع ز ي ف‬
MONDA Y, JUNE 4, 2012 PAGES
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2. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
The swastika-like "Sign of the Old Ones" is in the center of this symbol and
it is surrounded by a four-fold repetition of the Arabic word 'azif (voice of
the Jinn) in an ancient Kufic script. These are in turn encased in an eight-
pointed star.
The swastika is an appropriate symbol for the Old Ones (as Lovecraft
suggested) for many reasons:
The inward spiral suggests an ingress of some type.
The right angles (as opposed to a smooth curving spiral) suggests a radical
change. Indeed, the right angle is as different as an angle can be (because
once you go past it; you start to get closer again).
So the swastika can be a symbol of the ingress of that which is most
different or -most alien-.
The right angle is significant on another level. The fourth dimension is -at a
right angle- to absolutely everything. So the "Sign of the Old Ones" can be
symbolic of the ingress of the extra-dimensional. The incursion of the
extra-cosmic into the cosmic (and terrestrial). (cf the Dunwich Horror and
Dreams in the Witch-house etc)
The anti-clockwise directionality is a reversal of the normal order (and it is
worth noting that widdershins circumambulation is used at the Ka'aba; a
rite which goes back to its use as a pagan shrine)
These meanings all seem vaguely congruent with the 'azif which is the
incursion of a non-human and pre-adamic consciousness into the human
mind.
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3. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
The four bars of the swastika are often said to represent the rotation of the
seasons. The fact that this swastika is diagonal can be seen as a reference
to the pre-Islamic celebration (later adopted in Islam) of the seasonal
*cross-quarter* rites (which are of course the "rites howled at their
Seasons", and are also identical to the "greater Sabbats" of the witch-cult).
The eight pointed star is one of the quintessential Arab symbols (and/or
artistic motifs). Although it was adopted by Islam, it is pre-Islamic in origin
and is associated with controlling the Jinn. An eight-pointed star is also the
symbol of Chaos and of Chaos-Magick, a system which often taps into the
"magical current" of the Old Ones.
The disproportionally large letter "zai" is significant because its sound
reflects the buzzing sound of the 'azif which the Mad Poet can hear in a
trance state. It also is a direct reference to the tree-branch like "Elder
Sign" which in fact is "zai" in the graphemes of Disaqoridos (‫. )ديسقوريدس‬
P OS TE D B Y S HA 'I R M A J N UN A T 10:14 P M 1 COM M E N T:
SA T UR DA Y, JUNE 26, 2010
Alhazret's "Elder Sign" and its occult associations
Alhazret's "Elder Sign" seems to
be all but completely unknown
to western occulƟsts. However,
it is a relaƟvely common
symbol in Arabic magical
tradiƟons. Below the
associaƟons of Alhazret's "Elder
sign" have been summarized
based on the wriƟngs of Ibn
Wahshiyya (‫ )بن وحشية‬and
supplemented with material
from Ibn 'Arabi (‫ )ابن عربي‬and
other sources.
The name of the sign is "Zai" (‫) زاي‬
It is a Solar Grapheme ["huruf ash-shams" (‫])حروف الشمس‬
Its numeric value is 7 (٧)
It is associated with the 19th lunar mansion ["manzil" (‫ ])منزل‬which
called The SƟng ["ash-shaula" (‫])الشولة‬
Its zodiacal sign is Scorpio [“burj al ‘aqrab” (‫]) برج العقرب‬
The divine name associated with this sign is The Living One ["al
Hayy" (‫])الحي‬
Terrestrially it is associated with the element Water and celestially it is
associated with the element of Air.
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4. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
P OS TE D B Y S HA 'I R M A J N UN A T 11:11 P M 6 COM M E N TS :
T H UR SDA Y, JUNE 24, 2010
Coming Soon: The Secrets of Lēng
It doesn't appear to be well known, but Lēng and Tsang are real regions in
Central Asia on the Tibetan Plateau. The tantric sects of these areas
actually do practice anthropophagy and make extensive use of ritual items
made from human corpses. While the phrase "the corpse-eating cult of
inaccessible Lēng, in Central Asia" may be overly sensationalistic, it is also
accurate. The author has participated in the rituals of these sects and will
be publishing a short illustrated essay describing various ritual items from
his personal collection, their origin, and their traditional uses.
This includes a rare look at the actual Indo-Tibetan practice of necrophagy,
the survival of the practice into the present, and its slow (and extremely
cautious) transplantation to Western countries .
The collection includes:
Extremely rare pills made from human flesh ( ) which are
consumed to gain magic-powers
Several styles of ritual drinking bowls made from human skulls ( )
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5. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
A hand-drum made from the skulls of two children and human skin ( )
A trumpet made from a human thigh-bone ( )
A rosary made from bone from multiple human skulls ( )
P OS TE D B Y S HA 'I R M A J N UN A T 5:58 A M 3 COM M E N TS :
W EDNESDA Y, MA R C H 24, 2010
Alhazret's Sources of Inspiration
We can identify with
reasonable certainty where
Alhazret derived his
description of kthulu (ُ‫)خذول‬
as: being far older than the
human species, coming to
the Earth ages ago from
"out of the sky" (amongst
the stars), being of gigantic
size, with scaly skin,
leathery wings, and
prodigious claws on its fore
and hind limbs. Most
disturbingly, having a mass
of writhing serpentine
appendages where one
would expect to find a head or face.
Alhazret's parents, being typical Sana'a natives in the 7th century, only
converted to Islam as adults. So, Alhazret almost certainly would have been
familiar with this image as an older representation of ash-shaytan (‫.)الشيطان‬
Being fluent in Greek, it is likely that Alhazret also read descriptions of this
figure in such ancient texts as _Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου_ where we find
Σατανᾶς described as a “δράκων µέγας” and as “ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ”.
We also can conclude that Alhazret derived the name “kthulu” from what was
already an extremely familiar designation of ash-shaytan (cf: “‫لقد اضلني عن الذكر‬
‫.)”بعد اذ جاءني وكان الشيطان لالنسان خذوال‬
Of course this begs the question of why he chose that particular designation
and that specific representation out of all the many which existed in his day.
Alhazret himself seems to indicate that he learned that these were the “true
name” and the “true form” of this ancient god in a series of bizarre dreams.
He also claimed that the (non-human?) leaders of the cult dedicated to this
god in Iram dhat al-'imad (‫ )إرَ م ذات العماد‬confirmed this information. This last
claim is of course fantastic and either an example of Alhazret’s tendency to
spin fanciful yarns or perhaps evidence of mental disorder.
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6. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
In any event, Alhazret seems to have seen himself as preserving the lore of
an ancient cult from the darkest and most remote of the “Days of Ignorance”
(Jahiliyyah ‫.)جاھلية‬
P OS TE D B Y S HA 'I R M A J N UN A T 9:48 P M N O COM M E N TS :
F R I D A Y, F E BR UA R Y 1 9, 2 01 0
Greco-Egyptian Influence
P OS TE D B Y S HA 'I R M A J N UN A T 2:40 P M 2 COM M E N TS :
SUNDA Y, DEC EMBER 20, 2009
Kthulu ُ ‫خذول‬
The monstrous being called
Kthulu ‫ . خذول‬He was
ُ
considered one of "the Old
Ones" (‫ الشيوخ‬ash-shuyūkh),
which is to say that he was
one of the terrible
Gods/Jinn worshiped by
Arab pagans during the
Jahiliyyah (‫)جاھلية‬
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7. Alhazret in Cultural Context http://alhazret.blogspot.com/
Some scholars identify him
with Moloch. However, he is
more commonly identified
as Shaitan (‫لقد اضلني :) شيطان‬
‫عن الذكر بعد اذ جاءني وكان الشيطان‬
‫لالنسان خذوال‬
Some have even suggested that Kthulu is the "soul" of Iram (‫ )إرَ م‬and that
Shaddad (‫ )شدّاد‬was his avatar on earth.
Whatever his ultimate derivation, his worship was surely one of the most
degenerate forms of Shirk (‫)شرك‬
P OS TE D B Y S HA 'I R M A J N UN A T 9:39 A M N O COM M E N TS :
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