| Further
Into the Depths of |
 |
| in
C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia |
Overview of Material
Page
8
Page 1
Introduction
Page 2 Theological
beliefs
Page 3 The Chronicles of Narnia
Page 4 Liquor, Tobacco and
Drugs
Page 5 Sun Worship
Page 7 Dionysus, Bacchus, Silenus and the Maenads
Sensitive
material. Age discretion recommended.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
For anyone still in doubt or still interested, here is information set forth in a more simplistic style. You figure it out. If you can justify this man still, you are on your own. I don't have time to chase every trail Lewis left. There are far too many (almost every time I open one of the books I see more), and that is not my life calling. So, for the interested and the simple, here are more things I saw, but am not going to detail out for you.
Book titles are abbreviated in the text for convenience.
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The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Sun-god worship. Winter witch slays sun-god lion. Sun-god comes back to life and winter is broken. Aslan is not the actual sun. He is the god that it represents. In The Last Battle he has the sun of Narnia quenched. He is Lucifer, the antichrist - a false christ.
Inner spatial travel introduced. White Anglo-Saxon, children are hidden royalty of an unseen dimension, an alter reality. NOTE: This is not portrayed as a spiritual world, but as a "real live" world that exists somewhere else only for the initiates. The first trip in is their initiation. It is possible to enter as either a "good" believer, or a "bad" believer (Lucy vs. Edmund), or a hesitant believer (Susan). This is much like white and black witchcraft and it's many facets designed to accommodate all.Peter becomes High King of all Kings of Narnia (TLB, p.134). He never marries, and hence bears a striking resemblance to the pope. In TLB they kneel and kiss his hand.
Susan, the soldier queen, is a traitor in the end though faithful at first. A prince of Tashbaan wanted to marry her (THAHB), but did not. She does not go to Nirvana (heaven) with the rest at the end because she no longer believes in the "other" world. (Thus, loss of "salvation" is possible, and those interested in the world - defined as "invitations, lipstick, and nylons" [TLB, p. 135] - may not go to "heaven" as they don't believe any more.)
Edmund was a traitor at the beginning but becomes a king and wise man later. Note that Aslan only dies for him. "Salvation" is not purchased for all by this sacrifice.
Lucy, the healing queen, is the bleeding heart who has extra contact with the "other" world, is the first to enter Narnia and given special revelations. She is made a healer with the power of the sun (cordial made of flowers from the mountains of the sun).The "white witch" and her castle in this story bear a remarkable resemblance to the the "snow queen" and her castle in Hans Christian Anderson's fairly tale "The Snow Queen".
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The Voyage of the Dawntreader - Nov. 16
Prince Caspian sales East looking for the lost lords of Narnia. This whole adventure has a strong Freemason odor about it, besides being an obvious "quest for the holy grail". Whatever strange things lie between the goal and the end of the story, please consider the fact that at the end, when they come near the East where the sun is, they finally get to the point where the water is so "rich" they no longer need to eat. They just drink water. This is a little too rich, frankly. The Masonic exchange comes to mind. "I'm just a traveling man." "Where have you been?" "I've been to the East." "What did you do there?" "I left a little urine." Hm....and all the dear Narnia heroes had for sustenance when they got to the East was water? Mere coincidence, or knowingly esoteric information?
Add to this the fact that in this book Caspian attains his bride/queen, who is the daughter of a star. We are told later (TSC) that "the blood of the stars" was in her veins. So, this book is an interesting mixture of the "Holy Bloodline" mystery and Masonic imagery.
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Racism -
There are those who have pointed out that racism is a major part of The Chronicles of Blarnia. This cannot be denied. The human "good guys" are predominantly white and of Anglo Saxon descent, while the human "bad guys" are predominantly "dark faced" and Eastern in the culture.
Some Jews claim that Lewis was referring to Jewish people when he did this. However, I think it seems more likely that he was anti-Semitic in general, including both the Jews and Arabs. The culture, names and descriptions of the people of Calormen resemble Middle Eastern/Mediterranean peoples, including Turks who are not Semitic.
Lewis seems to have incorporated some despite for Middle Eastern cultures in general in the "bad guys" of Narnia. Certainly, he looked down upon the "dark skinned" people he portrayed; and the ever persistent and continually repugnant philosophy of "the great white hope," the "manifest destiny" of "white supremacy" and the beliefe that dark skinned people are "lesser beings" and/or "evil" is pretty blatant in these books.
It should be noted also that in TLB Lewis portrays an ape as deceiving the donkey into impersonating Aslan. This book is more than likely a take upon the book of Revelation, which, incidentally Anglicans don't generally believe anyway. Of course, a lot of occultic junk is incorporated as usual. However, getting back to the ape, it is important to remember that Lewis believed in a kind of theistic evolution and that man was the highest animal. Hence, an ape being portrayed as the mastermind behind the hoax of the false Aslan is slanderously pointed at the lower "evolutionary" creatures. Remember that black people are said to be only slightly higher than apes according to the original theory of evolution. So, the bumbling idiot ape could easily be seen as a gross slur on blacks.
The Calormene in this book are the dark faced worshippers of Tash (presumably Satan) who take charge of the ape and his hoax and turn the whole thing in their favor. Ever heard the lie that "the Jews rule the world and run everything from above"? It seems to me that Lewis was quite possibly introducing this loathsome doctrine in TLB. Also, it fits the context that the Jews and other various groups were seen as lower forms of evolution, though not as low as black people. [This theory was the basis for Hitler killing the Jews and exalting the white Germans. Beware of false theories. They may lead to deadly conclusions.]
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Methods of "salvation" taught in the Chronicles of Narnia
Something for everyone1. Selective substitutionary sacrifice on the "one for one" basis - Aslan for Edmund [TLTWTW]. It's applied through a ritual slaying performed much like a witchcraft sacrifice where a more powerful magic outwits a lesser one, as opposed to the Biblical sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world made through capital punishment. 1John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
2. Personal realization through calamity and "freeing" from outer layers by an external source - Eustace with the bracelet that turns him into a dragon, which he can only be freed from by Aslan "peeling away the layers" [TVTD]. This is one of those "life changing/transforming" experiences which has no relationship to Biblical salvation. Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. When you start "pealing layers" to get "saved" you usually find out you're an onion anyway. 2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; [Not pealed away] behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
3. Rescue by other (more or less human) sources. This is probably portrayed several different ways in the Chronicles. Prince Rilian is delivered from the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the queen of the under world, through the efforts and faith of others [TSC]. As mentioned before, this harks back to the religious legends of the sun being held prisoner in the underworld by the evil "goddess" through the winter months. He is released at the winter equinox when the days start to lengthen. (Remember in TSC they arrive back at the surface during the "the Great Snow Dance", which is remarkably pagan and witchy as described.) Anyway, this also would bear some resemblance to Rome's purgatory from which people are said to be delivered by the efforts of others, and also the baptism for the dead as practiced by the Mormon church (Latter Day Saints, or Church of Jesus Christ as they call themselves in some countries). This is also contrary to Biblical salvation. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ("Thou" representing the singular "you" in King James English.)
4. Sincere belief in something, even if it's the wrong thing - the Calormene who sincerely worshipped Tash (Satan) ended up in the "heaven", or nirvana, of Narnia at the end because he was sincere and all sincere worship was ultimately to Aslan. This, of course, is gross and blatant blasphemy. 1Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (Based on this verse, I could be so bold as to suggest that Lewis is identifying Aslan as the devil he really is through this little incident, whether he intended it that way or not.)
5. Esoteric resurrection? This one I find hard to define - In "Aslan's land" Eustace is commanded to drive a long thorn into Aslan's paw thus producing a drop of blood which raises King Caspian from the dead out of a flowing stream [TSC]. The exact significance of this in mythological or Luciferian lore has eluded me, but the fact that Aslan is portrayed as making a second sacrifice to save Caspian is curious. There is some reminder of the Catholic Mass which offers "christ" continually. As before - the sacrifice at the stone table was not sufficient for all. This is again contrary to scripture. Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
6. Conversion through physical suffering and a change of mind. In THAHB Aravis atones for her sin through physical suffering. She is wounded by Aslan "tear for tear, throb for throb, blood for blood" (p. 194) according as her maid was beaten after Aravis ran away. She also changed her mind. It is Jesus that bore the chastisement for us. John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
