Μπορεί να έχουν περάσει κάποιοι μήνες από την προβολή της τελευταίας ταινίας του James Cameron, όμως ο θόρυβος που προκάλεσε το Avatar διαρκεί ακόμη! Δικαιολογημένα άλλωστε, αφού τόσο το τεχνικό κομμάτι όσο και η μεταφυσική της ταινίας προκάλεσαν το θαυμασμό μας. Μιλώντας όμως για τη φιλοσοφική πλευρά του Avatar, θα ήθελα να μείνω σε ορισμένα σημεία…


Πολλοί θεατές, διέκριναν στην ταινία μια γενναία τοποθέτηση ενάντια στο Χριστιανισμό και υπέρ ενός νέου είδους οικολογικού παγανισμού.
Μάλιστα, τόσο η εφημερίδα του Βατικανού, όσο και ο ραδιοφωνικός σταθμός του, πραγματοποίησαν σειρά ανακοινώσεων κατά της ταινίας του Cameron, κατηγορώντας ανοιχτά τον σκηνοθέτη για τα θρησκευτικά του πιστεύω, λέγοντας πως «προπαγανδίζει» μέσα από την ταινία του!
Ήταν το Avatar αντιχριστιανικό; Διαφωνώ! Πιστεύω πως οι δυο πλευρές έχουν απλά μια διαφορετική θρησκευτική τοποθέτηση, που με κανέναν τρόπο δεν θίγει η μια την άλλη: οι ιθαγενείς φαίνεται να λατρεύουν τη φύση (Eywa) με τρόπο τέτοιο, ώστε μοιάζει περισσότερο με επιστήμη, αφού στηρίζεται σε απτά εμπειρικά στοιχεία: το θείο γι’ αυτούς είναι άμεσα προσβάσιμο και αισθητά αντιληπτό.
Όχι πως αυτό είναι κακό, αλλά χάνει τον κοσμικό και υπερβατικό χαρακτήρα του χριστιανικού Θεού. Άλλωστε, στο Χριστιανισμό, η φύση είναι κτίση και η έμφαση δίνεται στον Χτίστη και τη λύτρωση της ψυχής!
Από την άλλη, όπως ορθά παρατήρησε σε σχετικό του δημοσίευμα ο συγγραφέας του Techgnosis (2005) Erik Davis, η ταινία δεν εστιάζει σε ένα θεϊσμό της φύσης, παρά σε μια περίεργη μίξη τεχνολογίας και νατουραλισμού!
O τρόπος για παράδειγμα που επικοινωνούν όλοι οι έμβιοι οργανισμοί μεταξύ τους στην Πανδώρα (όλα τα δώρα ή τα δώρα του Πάνα / προσέξτε εδώ επίσης τη σημειολογική ομοιότητα με το φετινό sci fi θρίλερ Pandorum του Christian Alvart) παραπέμπει σε δίκτυο ηλεκτρονικών υπολογιστών!
Αν υπάρχει λοιπόν κάποιος «πόλεμος», τότε θα πρέπει να αναφερθούμε στο –κατά τη γνώμη μου– λανθάνον μήνυμα του Avatar, τη σύγκρουση δηλαδή ανάμεσα στο ρεαλισμό (που ενσαρκώνεται από τον άνθρωπο) και τον ιδεαλισμό (που εκπροσωπείται από τους Na’vi). Οι ιθαγενείς εδώ όμως είναι οι ωραίοι αγριάνθρωποι του Ζαν Ζακ Ρουσσώ, οι εξευγενισμένοι μέντορες που βρίσκονται σε πλήρη συντονισμό με την anima mundi.
Πίσω λοιπόν από τη μεταφυσικά ρηχή υπόθεση της ταινίας που παραπέμπει στα δεινά που προκάλεσε ο ευρωπαϊκός αποικισμός της Αμερικής, η εισβολή στο Αφγανιστάν, και η σύγχρονη υλοτόμηση του Αμαζονίου, ένας ανήσυχος θεατής μπορεί να διαβάσει πολλά περισσότερα.
Ένα από αυτά είναι το μυστήριο της ψυχο-μετάγγισης για το οποίο έχω γράψει ένα πολυσέλιδο άρθρο στο τεύχος 59 του περιοδικού mystery.
Κάποιος άλλος, θα μπορούσε να κάνει ορισμένες πιο… ειδικές αναλύσεις, όπως για παράδειγμα ο συγγραφέας του βιβλίου The Atlantean Necronomicon: Veils of Negative Existence (2010), Warlock Asylum, ο οποίος στην ιστοσελίδα του κάνει τις παρακάτω παρατηρήσεις…

Avatar is set in the year 2154 where humans are mining “unobtanium” on the celestial body Pandora, which is located in the Alpha Centauri star system. Interestingly, Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our Solar System. It appears as a single star to the unaided eye, but with the help of today’s technology, we can see that it is a binary star system, or two stars that revolve around each other. The human search for resources such as “unobtanium” is a threat to the “Navi,” a local tribe of indigenous people residing on Pandora. The humans are able to explore and exploit Pandora by way of an “Avatar” or genetically engineered body that appears to be a Na’vi-human hybrid.

The “Avatar” is very similar in its function the the Simon Necronomicon’s Watcher. Adherents of the Necronomicon Tradition are well aware that the Watcher is defined as our dead self, coming back to life, the primordial mind rising up from the abyss, Kutulu. It is also during our Gate-Walking journey of initiation that we become aware that our initiation is nothing more than the Sacred Marriage Rite, we are walking down the aisle to marry our Watcher Self and become one. This theme was also emphasized in the movie as well.. The main character of the film is named Jake Sully, former Marine. He is able to win the confidence of the Navi people through his bravery. Basically, there is one scene where jake finds himself detached from the rest of his team and is on his own. It is here that he must learn to survive in the jungle of Pandora. In like manner the Necronomicon Practitioner, will find him/her self , also journeying through the Mountains of Mashu, during their voyage through the spheres. I thought it was interesting how members of the Avatar Program were in a “sleep-like” state while accessing and using their Avatars. In the Necronomicon Tradition we use the term “dead but dreaming,” which is another way of say that during sleep, or a deathlike state, the mind is still awake in what is known as lucid dreams.

Similar to Lovecraft’s inspiration for the Cthulhu Mythos, James Cameron said that the appearance of the Na’vi people in the film came from a dream his mother had years ago, long before he conceived of the film. It should be noted that while critics of the occult arts will insinuate that art derived from dreams is fiction, dreams play a large part in how the spirit world communicates with man in every religious tradition. So why is it different for artists? John Lennon said that the name Beatles” appeared to him in a dream. The Biblical Prophet Daniel was used to interpret dreams, as well as, Joseph, the son of Jacob in biblical lore. The Apostle John conceives the book of revelation in a dream-like state, and the lists goes on. It is possible then that the appearance of the Na’vi people, which came from a dream that James Cameron’s mother had, may have actually been due to a spiritual phenomena. Additionally, we find a great comparison between tan Avatar and the Simon Necronomicon’s Watcher, when we look up the word Avatar in its original context. The Simon Necronomicon states the following concerning the Watcher:

“The third sign is the Sigil of the Watcher. It is called BANDAR. The Watcher is a Race sent by the Elder Ones. It keeps vigil while one sleeps, provided the appropriate ritual and sacrifice has been performed,: else, if called, it will turn upon you.”

Wikipedia states the following concerning the origin of the term Avatar: “In Hinduism, Avatar or Avatāra (Devanagari अवतार, Sanskrit for “descent” [viz., from heaven to earth]) refers to a deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth, and is mostly translated into English as “incarnation”, but more accurately as “appearance” or “manifestation.”“

In one of the earlier scenes we find the character Jake Sully trapped and must battle what appears to be Pandora’s version of an earthly Hyena. Interestingly, Hyenas are said to be millions of years old and have a matriarchal social structure. Hyneas are also native to two very ancient lands, Africa and Asia. Fortunately, the character Jake is rescued by Neytiri, a princess among the Na’vi people. It is here that we also see a comparison with the Necronomicon Tradition, also known as the Qliphtoth, and this scene in Avatar, wherein Jake is aided by Neytiri when fighting the “hyenas.” First, we should note that the “hyena” has long been associated with the Qliphoth. The Magickal Revival by Kenneth Grant states the following concerning the hyena:

“The Cat was another devil-symbol; also the bat, which , like Sirius, rose when the sun set on the western horizon. The hyaena – the beast of blood – and other hybrid creatures also symbolized the devil on account of their dual nature.”

If we keep in mind the scene where Jake meets Neytiri while battling the cosmic hyenas, note what Grant writes further in his book:

“The Enochian language is sufficiently alien to the mind in its normal state, to act as if it were meaningless, and this is what matters, this, and the potency of its vibrations when chanted, screamed or roared in desolate and terrifying places. The cremation ground strewn with corpses, lit by a baneful moon and haunted by hyaenas, sets the scene for some of the tantric evocations of Kali and other dread deities.”

Grants passage creates a visual scheme that is almost identical with the way Jake and Neytiri met in the movie. One thing more can be said about the qliphotic correspondence of the hyena is found in the history of the Jinn. Wikipedia notes the following underneath the topic ghul:

“The Arabian ghoul is a desert-dwelling, shapeshifting demon that can assume the guise of an animal, especially a hyena.”

The Magan Text states:

“Have builded up charnel houses To nourish the fiends of TIAMAT And the Blood of the weakest here Is libation unto TIAMAT Queen of the Ghouls”

There are many other aspects of the movie that reflect those who live or work with the qliphotic tree, which we may entertain at another time. Readers of the Atlantean Necronomicon can get a deeper perspective of the rivalry between the world of the Jinn and that of man, which in my opinion reflects the movie’s theme.