I got a new tattoo, it's a portrait of Lucifer being banished from heaven. He is up against a rock wall, grabbing at his hair, a look of absolute anguish etched upon his face. His armor is beautiful, shining, and his sandals are immaculate. Everything about him is very angelic, and so it's very disturbing to see him in such turmoil. Then your eyes wander to his wings. His beautiful, terrible wings. Not the feathery white plume one is so accustomed to seeing on angels of his caliber, but scaly black, rippled, menacing bat-like wings, large and heavy and terrifying.
I don't believe Lucifer and God to be more than legends, stories that have a moral and lesson to be learned.
I can imagine the lesson that is intended to be learned. Lucifer was thrown out of heaven for considering himself equal to his superior. He was beautiful above all other angels, and because of his beauty/pride/ego, he became a leader of angels below him. Unfortunately, he led them to their doom.
God decided that Lucifer wasn't humble enough, that he was treacherous and proud, and that his ego was to blame for his attempted coup on God's throne.
The punishment was to be severe.
God banished Lucifer to serve eternity in a place opposite of heaven's splendor. A place called Hell, where Lucifer and all of the angels who followed him would writhe in pain and regret forever.
In my tattoo, I can understand how Lucifer felt. Abandoned, weak, remorseful, hopeless, absolutely devastated. Angry, resentful, seething with hatred and legitimizing his coup attempt in the first place.
This situation was inflicted to punish the traitors. There was supposed to be no worse torment than to live outside heaven, having known it's unimaginable greatness as home. As the reader of this story, this legend, you are to take away the lessons to obey those who rule over you, not to question them, to accept your place in the hierarchy of life, and not to let pride blind your actions, lest you be refused your place in heaven when you die.
But I see it differently.
Lucifer could have wallowed, as was expected of him. He could have sat in Hell, with all the angels around him having turned into unspeakable demons full of unchecked hatred and evil, and moped. He could have let the punishment break him, as intended.
Instead, he took his place as the ruler of Hell, and apparently, to this day still opposes God anytime he pleases.
He made the best of his situation, of his mistakes, of his cards he was dealt. He rose above what was expected of him and proved that he wouldn't be silenced so easily.
Quite a good lesson to be learned, if I (and my new friend Lucifer) do say so myself.
