Way over most people's heads...

I was looking for ages to find the "best" english translation of Inferno. It seems Anthony Esolen has done a good job at it, staying true to the literal translation and also the spirit. I´m still in the middle of it.

Anyhow, this movie was at one point a bit insulting. First she referenced to the Philosopher´s Stone as only having to do with turning base metals into gold. It´s more spiritual than that. Real alchemy scolars would know that. At least toward the end they revealed the more accurate meaning.

Then when they found the entrance with the scarab. She was like "Scarab...Pyramids...Pharaos". She couldn´t have said any more generic egypt associated words of pure cliché. At that point I knew this movie wasn´t going to be deep.

Movies are reflections of time, places and people.
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I might also add all of the "history" and "philosophy" of alchemy described in this movie is completely wrong. The Philosophers Stone is not a real thing anymore than the Holy Grail. Secondly, only those that did not understand alchemy believed turning lead into gold was a literal idea. Lastly, the drawings she pointed out in the catacombs were based on occultist Eliphas Levi's drawings from the 1850's. It was where she explained "as above, so below" which is not from Eliphas Levi, nor is it a French saying. The complete saying comes from The Emerald Tablet, second stanza which reads, "That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing". It refers to the microcosm and the macrocosm, not whatever gibberish she was saying in the movie. Otherwise, what is going on had nothing to do with Alchemy or Dante or what they mean.

It's sad to see most people didn't get it. WAY too many people taking the movie literally, and then wondering what happens with them at the end. It was obvious to me what was going on well before they entered the catacombs. I suggest many of you take a look into Dante's work. You'll see a lot of influence here.

(Just sayin' that this is my first post and that my english is a bit rusty, so i'm sorry in advance)

Didn't know where else to post this, but since we're discussing the historical/occult background of the movie, i'd like to point out the importance of the "as above, so below" painting used in it. It blew my mind actually that they put it there and it made me feel that the occult subplot was really tight.


So: https://hiddenteachings.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/ouro-eliphas194799 2_f248.jpg

That is an Eliphas Levi drawing/illustration from "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magic" and it is known as "The Great Symbol of Solomon/Solomon's Seal-Sigilum Salomonis" etc. It's a hexagram in an ouroboros and it could be interpreted in various ways. I'll just cite some basic aspects, since, firstly, it's easy to look up such meanings online, secondly it's something you could say is in the eye of the beholder; symbols are fascinating and everyone could add something to their interpretation.

Levi himself wrote that "The great Symbol of Solomon. The Double Triangle of Solomon, represented by the two Ancients of the Kabalah; the Macroprosopus and the Microprosopus; the God of Light and the God of Reflections; of mercy and vengeance; the white Jehovah and the black Jehovah."

The sigil is often equated to the hermetic "as above, so below" maxin. Microprosopus and Macroprosopus, the creator of the little world, microcosmos, and the creator of the greater one, macrocosmos. As within, so without, as the universe, so the soul and thus the whole universe is compared and connected to a sole human being. Microprosopus, according to Levi, is the Magician himself as he shapes his own world.

It's also, of course, all about duality. Micro & Macro, In & Out, Positive & Negative, Masculine & Feminine. Two Interlocking Triangles, The Spiritual and the Physical World, the Light and the Dark Jehovah. It's the unity of opposites and what is one way, is reverted, reflected to its opposite self, which, eventually, leads to the creation of the One, of what is All.

The sigil is also said to have inspired the seal of madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society. (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L29cAwxu5QQ/UM3Ko_cqR5I/AAAAAAAAAN8/hnU--LMl cUo/s1600/Theo-logo-400-g.gif) That is quite interesting, since the allegory of the Moon and The Sun used in the movie, is, if i'm not mistaken, hers, as well as the whole "nothing but the truth" motto.

Agreed. Not that you NEED to have read Dante to understand or enjoy but I said the same thing ;)

Above peoples heads? Are you seriously suggesting this film is deeper then the utter crap it seems to be.

I've eaten rice pudding with deeper meaning then this film.

the only things that bothered me was the found footage aspect, how would they have found all the footage when 3 of them died and remained down there? i highly doubt the survivors went back down just to get the footage. she already discovered most of the "truth" she was after and found the stone, and made it apparent that was the most hell she could take and didn't want to risk losing George again. so we wouldn't have seen the three people who died camera footage. so that is sloppy directing and poorly looked over by the director. also not sure how she even got back to rectify herself when they entered the gates of hell it blocked them off and closed the entrance, then all of a sudden she decides to go back and the opening is there again. that also made no sense? other than that i thought it was a good film. my uncle, Stanton Marlan is very into alchemy and published a book about it. "The Black Sun: Alchemy and the Art of Darkness" really interesting stuff.