Some thoughts on the Janya

Within this article I want to make some comments regarding the angelology of the orthodox Filianic / Deanic community as it is manifested within the Chapel of Our Mother God website . To get anything out of this article one should read the site’s primary introductory article on the subject “Goddess Religion.” One can also find additional added information on Filanic Angelology by perusing the Shining Daughter website. These articles are all well worth reading. Finally I also want to make some comments which represent my own views of the significance of the Janya thealogy.

On the origin of the names of the individual Janya? The names given to the Janya by the Orthodox Filianic community have in general come out of the Sanskrit linguistic tradition and may have been adopted quite recently perhaps even as late as this current century. This fact does not mean however that the Janya themselves were made up or created by the community. The Janya represent the differing aspects of God /Thea herself and are her archetypes in the form of angelic beings. Most major religious communities have their own names and titles for the angels. Since the Orthedox Filianic community is a distinctive religious community with its own unigue identity, it has developed its own names for the major Janya / angels.

For some examples on how this works, within many religious traditions God /Thea is seen as either being “Love” or as being a Deity one of whose aspects is Love. That “Love” is what Sai Sucri represents / is. Sucri is a varient on the Hindu god Shukra which is also the Hindu name for the planet Venus. Shukra within Indian astrology is the sign of romantic love, etc. Within the Roman tradition is of course Venus is the Goddess of love. To continue God has the aspect of Justice and insures Order in most religious traditions. Divine Harmony / Order / Justice is what the Janya Sai Thame is and dones. The aspect of Wisdom is of the nature of God again that is what Sai Mati is /does. Thus the Janya connect humanity / nature to Thea via her aspects / names via angelic personages. These are often symbolized as being seven in number a number of fullness, though in fact there are more than seven Janya.

Some comments need to be made regarding the similarities of the Orthodox Filanic doctrine of the Janya and the Christian Jewish conception of Angels. There are many similarities between the two. Thus it is entirely possible to translate the Sanskrit based word “Janya” meaning “derived from” with the word “Angel” derived from the Greek word “Angelos” meaning “messenger” or “envoy.” However certain differences do exist. Within orthodox Jewish and Christian theologies the angels are not to be worshiped as God. They function as simply messagers and servants of God. Within Janya theology the Janya represent and communicate the essential aspects of Thea. Because of this Sai Sucri as “Divine Love” or any other of the major
Janya can be worshiped as Thea as such. Another way to look at this is that the Janya can be viewed as in Gnostic doctrine as being Emanations of Thea and as can thus be worshiped in the knowledge that in doing so one is in fact worshiping Thea in her very self.

Now to an important question. Why should there be any mediators between Thea and humanity? Why not worship Thea directly herself. One can. One need not worship and adore a divine Son or Daughter and one need not worship the Janya. One can strive to worship God fully and directly as is done within orthodox Judaism and Islam. However the aspects of Thea / God are real. God is Love, Justice, Wisdom, etc. One must connect with those aspects / names in order to live within harmony with Thea’s will and being. Thus Janya / Angels are in a sense rays / intelligences which communicate the Names / Aspects of Thea to human beings.They represent the Graces of Thea. We believe simply they can enable persons to be much more easily related to God then one would be if she or he attempted to communicate with Thea only in her Fullness.

I think that it can be said that many major religious traditions recognize this fact even if they are fully monotheistic. Thus within Islam God has 99 names each one of which represents an aspect or activity of Allah. Within the Sufi traditions one must seek remembrance of the names of God. Within the Hindu traditions important deities such as Shiva, Vishnu or the Mahadevi often are said to have 108 names or perhaps 1000 names. And within certain of these traditions one seeks to recite and memorize these names which again places one within connection with and obedience to these aspects of God’s being.

Within modern Paganism very often the many goddesses and gods of the various Pagan pantheons are seen as aspects of the Great Mother / Goddess. Many traditions have developed litanies in which these names of the Goddess are recited. Again this seems to be at least to some degree an attempt to incorporate aspects of the Goddess within the heart.

Thus one can see the Angelotheism of the Janya doctrine as both an effort by the followers of Thea to love Her via Her various beautiful manifestations and to emulate and connect with her virtues and aspects. It is one way in which the Unity / Oneness of Thea is reconciled with her many Names and Modes of being. The Janya connect humankind with the multitude of the aspects of Thea.