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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:44:14 GMT
Atu XI: Justice
Letter: ל Lammed (L)
Number: 30
Proximity: Sephira #5 (Geburah) to Sephira #6 (Tiphareth)
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #22 "Faithful" – Earth of 坎 (K’an) The Abysmal, Water (Above/Below) Water of 離(Li) The Clinging, Fire (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim blessed them, be fruitful and multiply"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #64: 未濟 (Wei Chi) Before Completion
(Lower left) Air: Hex #63: 既濟 (Chi Chi) After Completion
(Upper left) Water: Hex #64: 未濟 (Wei Chi) Before Completion
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #63: 既濟 (Chi Chi) After Completion
Keywords (Dignified): Balance, Consequence, Outcomes, Fulfillment, Sacrifice, Atonement, Reparations, Redemption, Litigations, Formalization, Karma, Dharma, Adjudication, Closure, Conclusion, Correction, Completion
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Inequality, Embezzlement, Corrupt Laws, Falsehood paraded as Truth, Dogma, Overburdened Law and Order system, Infanticide
Interpretations
Historical: The traditional Lady Justice (IVSTITIA) that one finds in courthouses around the world, in Western influenced nations, is the subject of this card on many antique decks. A blindfolded, or hooded woman, carrying a set of scales, or a sword, sometimes both. It lived at number ATU IX until the Golden Dawn, under Waite, placed it at ATU XI.
Golden Dawn: Called Justice Daughter of the Lord of Truth, the Justice card corresponds to the zodiacal Libra and places between Sephira #5 (Geburah) and Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) in the Golden Dawn system. Lesser associations are to the planetary Saturn and Venus.
The Golden Dawn numbers Justice as ATU XI, adopting this change due to the position of Libra in the Tarot. Magus Arthur Edward Waite believed that Justice should match the astrological of Libra instead of being paired with Virgo or Leo, although many decks often didn’t bother taking zodiacal stations into consideration prior to his change anyways. The Golden Dawn changed little else about the card, but inclusion of Taoist elements became popular in the mid 20th century, such as the Yin and Yang elements of the binary Taijitu. M. Waite left The Golden Dawn, but left an indelible mark on it. He later went on to form the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, an anti-Catholic and mystical Christian Cabbalist order.
Thoth: ATU XI in the Thoth tarot is called Lust, and is not the same as our Justice. So we’ll talk here about ATU VIII in Thoth, called Adjustment. “The equilibrium of all things is hereby symbolized.” and “Every form of energy must be directed, must be applied with integrity, to the full satisfaction of its destiny” The woman of Justice is pointed out as the paramour, or consort, of The Fool. She is the mediator between Alpha and Omega, and the results of the “Awakening of the Eld of the All Father,” previously discussed in our synopsis on the Mutational Alchemy attributions of Fortune! Ruled by Venus and Saturn, the card of Adjustment as it is called in Thoth is said to perfectly encapsulate the axiom “Love is the law, love under will.” This is what happens when an occultist gets away from any kind of governing dynamic - the intuition of what was going on here was correct, but the placement in the numbering was incorrect.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Crowley’s assessment of the card is congruous with the determinations of Mutational Alchemy. The Alpha and Omega of the tarot, Before and After Completion, are present here, and not only this, but as reciprocal inverses! Before Completion shows up auspiciously as Fire and Water, while After Completion shows up as their children, Air and Earth. This could not be made to fit more perfectly with classical Western Alchemical ideas, showing that East and West were studying along the very same lines after all, and are not very different in their essence. It also is very agreeable with Aleister Crowley’s assessment of things, confirming his ability to identify occult elements accurately, and insightfully.
In the Temporals, these Hexagrams sit squarely in Tiphareth, whereas here she is moving from Geburah to Tiphareth. This signifies a successful pregnancy. The father is ostensibly The Fool, in this case, this would be Siva. The foolish aspect of Siva should be considered as Siva Bhairav, and happily we find Chinnamastah is responsible for taking a direct part in causing him to manifest as such in the Indian cosmology.
The Scene: Chinnamasta is one of the ten great mahavidyas, although a gruesome image to some, to the tantric adept, it represents the immortality of the soul as well as the natural effortlessness with which the universe, or goddess, provides us with sustenance. Mahavidya means “Supreme Knowing” or “Great Experience” in Sanskrit. In the Svatantra, Siva describes her. He says he ejaculates, and at that moment she appears fierce, and two saktis emerge from her and become her attendants. One day these attendants become hungry and ask devi for food. The goddess cuts off her head and feeds them and herself at the same time. She then places her head back on her body. When she returns home, to Siva, she is pale and he describes that he imagined she had been attacked by another which angers him, and the aspect of Bhairav emerges, a terrible manifestation of Siva associated with annihilation, with a wolf as his vehicle, who is known for destroying empty conventions, and perversion, such as incest, dogma, and empty-handed threats. Another version of the story describes Chinnamasta as an avenger, that comes to the call of the gods asking for help to defeat an evil, like other popular stories of Durga or Kali.
The iconography of Chinnamasta describes the illusionary and complex state of matter, and challenges conventional ideas of Divinity. She also embodies the entirety of the sacrificial process, being the object of devotion, the sacrifice, and the receiver of the boon of satisfying hunger.
She is described as *bright as a million suns*; hence the center of a large galaxy or the universe is shown in the background. Over her chest is a small blue gem, representing her traditional blue lotus. It represents the communicative action, where the blue color of the throat chakra, Visshuddi, is overlaid on the solar plexus Manipura, the area from where thought becomes action. That we show our words instead of just give voice to them is important, particularly in matters of love.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:46:57 GMT
Atu XII: The Hanged Man
Letter: מ Mem (M), ם Mem Final
Number: 40, 600F
Proximity: Sephira #5 (Geburah) to Sephira #8 (Hod)
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #23 "Stable" – Earth of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder (Above/Below) Earth of 艮(Kȇn) Keeping Still, Mountain (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim said, let the earth bring forth animals"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #21: 噬嗑 (Shi Ho) Biting Through
(Lower left) Air: Hex #22: 賁 (Pi) Grace
(Upper left) Water: Hex #47: 困 (K’un) Oppression
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #48: 井 (Ching) The Well
Keywords (Dignified): Surrender, Submission, Passive-Resistance, Conciliation, Sacrifice, Ego-Death, Humility, Courage, Innocence, Oppression, Redemption, Renunciation, Immolation, Resignation, Adversity, Retreat, Yielding, Pacifying
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Resistance, Emotion, Selfishness, Pride, Terror, Indulgence, Stubbornness, Inflammatory, Fighting
Interpretations
Historical: Much of the traditional imagery of the Hanged Man is morbid and creepy in a very special kind of Old Aeon way. The Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza deck has a bored looking young man in a stylish white blouse, and green tights. The “triangle” of the crooked leg is present, as is the rope to hang him by the ankle, on the gallows. It isn’t difficult to connect the white of the seed, with the green of the verdant growth of crops which this card and its commonly associated deity Osiris, or Yeshua (Jesus,) represents. This is especially apparent if he is carrying fish or has a halo, as is the case with Hanged Men in many packs.
Golden Dawn: Called The Hanged Man Spirit of the Mighty Waters, the Hanged Man card corresponds to the planetary Neptune and places between Sephira #5 (Geburah) and Sephira #8 (Hod). The Golden Dawn changed little about the card’s old art, except for some coloring variations, as in the Rider-Waite, with blue and red garb. The Hermetic Tarot, based on the esoteric workings of the Golden Dawn, decides to make the card infinitely more creepy than it already is by making the man faceless, and tattooing a naziesque Der Juden star on his buttcheeks.
Thoth: The Hanged Man represents transcendence through passive resistance, because of the way his body is pinned is in the shape of the element of Air. It seems to be present in the Thoth only as a shibboleth, as Crowley says so himself, “It is the card of the Dying God; its importance in the present pack is merely that of the Cenotaph. It says: “If ever things get bad like that again, in the new Dark Ages, which appear to threaten, this is the way to put things right.” Is the Tarot universal or is it not? It seems inelegant to suppose one of the ATU is a useless appendage. Of course, the only way to prove it is to determine what lies at the heart of The Hanged Man. This can’t be done using the usual tarot framework.
Crowley rejects both redemption, and the idea of sacrifice being relevant at all, dispelling his image as an evil warlock who took part in Satanic culling rituals. He calls self-sacrifice insolence, echoing a time in the future when Ayn Rand would prosecute altruism as evil. I have stated before that altruism is a lie against the Holy Spirit itself. So it is good to know that Crowley at least disagreed with the ideas surrounding the Hanged Man, but the Hanged Man has been maligned, deliberately, over the course of the centuries, and Crowley had no way of analyzing the Tarot from the numbers alone, as we have the luxury of doing.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Biting Through, Grace, Oppression and The Well are fairly ominous and stunningly representative of The Hanged Man’s professional attributes.
Since the card is ruled by Mem, Water, the first Hexagram we will examine is the water Hex, #47, Oppression. Auspiciously, for our scholarly efforts in the marriage of the tarot with the I Ching, it reveals an internal order of Kan the Abyssmal, in the below, and Tui, Lake, in the above. The Confucian lines say “Success. Perseverance.The great man brings about good fortune. No blame.When one has something to say, It is not believed.” Here, Crowley’s warning of another Dark Age is magnified. Visions of Galileo, Pythagoras and other wise men through the ages, proclaiming ideas and truth that are refused by the masses, appear. The sages tell us “There is not water in the lake: The image of EXHAUSTION. Thus the superior man stakes his life On following his will.” The situation is bad, and they are echoing the axiom of The Great Work, found in The Book of the Law. “Thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that and no other shall say nay.” But these attitudes, and the events of unconscious ignorance raising its ugly head are not confined to Dark Ages. In this we have to defer to reality, rather than Crowley’s curious proclamations. The Hanged Man isn’t obsolete, his iconography is merely painfully outdated.
The Hanged Man is the personification of Air. The Air Hex is #22 Pi, Grace. The image of the trigrams, Fire under Mountain, seems to hint at volcanic force, the fire of the mountain, erupting from below, and beautifying the peak. When considering the native position of the Hex, it seems to infer the production of Air itself through the marriage of Fire and Water. This seems to be the underlying nature of the station. But first, the sacrifice must be made to the forces of darkness. Does this not also describe the process of life creation?
In the Fire Hex we find #21, Biting Through. This is a harsh little hexagram that talks about the consequences of wrong action, and inaction in the face of Justice. We know that Justice represents the goddess Ma’at, and Chinnamastah, from the astounding structure of Justice at XI, so here too is Water, who is the Great Black Mother. Is she angry about something, does she hunger for vengeance? If so we must proceed carefully. Here Tezcatlipoca has carefully let her bite through his ankle in exchange for the big catch of the whole crocodile! This may be the overgrown reptile from the Fool card coming back to haunt him.
Lastly, the Water Hex, The Well #48 tells us that it is all part of the balance, it makes no difference. The sacrificed one is the great god Tezcatlipoca still, despite the deliverance of his foot to Cipactli. The sacrifices of evolution are built into the most basic essence of nature. She is red in tooth and claw, and even though it may seem to be an attack, she is upholding the throne of her Lord. Nuit may be dangerous, but she is still Nuit, and these acts of lila are dramas of Maya that diminish nothing real.
The Pentagram seems to confirm this - named “Stable” it talks about a point in creation where the Earth is ready to be populated with lifeforms. This in turn reflects the state of the Earth when Quetzelcoatl, and his brother, Tezcatlipoca, find themselves ready to create life, with the obstacle of Cipactli the devourer in their way. The path from Geburah to Hod is frenetically energetic and busy, so that we get the idea of a feeding frenzy or a firestorm.
All in all it is a complex and interesting card which should not be discarded or ignored easily, although the identities of the card may be more interesting than going through the ordeal by itself.
The Scene: m1thr0s and I were displeased with the traditional imagery of the Hanged Man, steeped in Catholic funk, and misguided intentions as it were. After years of discussion, and months of watching films featuring “Hanged Man” characters, including King Arthur, Moses and so forth, we settled on the Mexican supreme deity Catlipoca, who is, in some regions in Mexico, still depicted as a black corpse on a cross, standing in for Jesus just as his proselytizers of antiquity packaged him, to the reluctant Aztecs. He is known as “The Sacrificed One” and the reasons for this are never wholly clear, except that a victim, reminiscent of a Saturnalia King, was chosen each year and lived a life of luxury, until his heart was removed at the temple. This sacrificial victim was the personification of Tezcatlipoca. Parallels can be drawn between the obsession with the setting and rising sun, the symbol of the patriarchal age, or old aeon. As the singular deity in Mexica civilization, he has many stories, but the one depicted in this card is from the Aztec creation myth. The brothers Tezcatlipoca and Kukulkan (also known as Quetzelcoatl) inhabit a world which is comprised of only the waters, themselves, and the crocodile monster, Cipactli. Tezcatlipoca dangles his foot in the water and tempts Cipactli to him. She bites off his foot, and the brothers tear her apart, creating the world, thus, his sacrifice and resourcefulness causes an explosion of life. It is the moment of sacrifice that we have focused on here.
The website Mexicolore provides an insightful commentary on Tezcatlipoca:
“The symposium opened with a presentation by the ‘grandfather’ of Aztec research, Professor Henry B. Nicholson, setting the whole event in the broad context of our knowledge of Aztec culture (as he pointed out, ‘Aztecs’ is a very inadequate term for the style of the late post-Classic period: the Aztecs themselves called themselves the ‘Tenochca-Tlatelolca-Colhua-Mexica’, or just ‘Mexica’ for short!). Professor Nicholson reminded the audience of just some of the key features of Tezcatlipoca: omnipotent, virile, art sorcerer, darkness, jaguar, ‘were-animal’ par excellence, total power, Jupiter, blended with Ometeotl in the supreme heaven, ‘every creature was powerless before him...’”
Ian Mursell, Mexicolore <http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=aaa&id=222> July 25th 2011
Where the hanged man is usually a victim, it is less apparent that in his victimhood he achieves supreme success: Tezcatlipoca is a sacrifice to Cipactli, but he is, as the Professor puts it: total power, a dangerous shapeshifter, and the supreme deity. Comparisons with Jesus are easy to make, though Tezcatlipoca does the beat with extreme style and sexual panache, thus making him an ideal candidate for the “new” Hanged Man. If we were bolder we could very well have renamed it “The Sacrificed One”.
Images of Siva being subdued under Kali’s blood drunken demon-killing rampage were disposed of, on account of them being overdone and much too common for what we were trying to accomplish here, and thus not quite enough to redeem the Hanged Man from the garbage he had been drowning in for over a century.
This is an individual who follows a dangerous path. If one draws this card, they may already be inexorably tangled in the web of designs in which they are fated to follow. If drawn in relation to a person, whatever power he is servant to is omnipotent, like traditional ideas of god, and also dark. Thus the person cannot be opposed, even if they appear to be in a position of weakness. Their powers will manifest in unexpected and strange ways, not always obviously connected to the person himself.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:48:37 GMT
Atu XIII: Death
Letter: נ Nun (N), ן Nun Final
Number: 50, 700F
Proximity: Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) to Sephira #7 (Netzach)
Ruling Pentagram:
Pent #24 "Imaginative"– Earth of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth (Above/Below) Water of 艮(Kên) Keeping Still, Mountain (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim made the beasts of the field"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #35: 晉 (Chin) Progress
(Lower left) Air: Hex #36: 明夷 (Ming I) Darkening of the Light
(Upper left) Water: Hex #6: 訟 (Sung) Conflict
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #5: 需 (Hsü) Waiting
Keywords (Dignified): Transformation, Finality, Mortality, Exhaustion, Rebirth, Metamorphosis, Redirection, Chthonian, Underworld, Putrefaction, Decomposition, Dissolution, Dispersion, Termination, Suspension, Redistribution
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Stagnation, Pointlessness, Stasis, Entropy, Chaos, Hoarding, Obsession, Clinging to the Past
Interpretations
Historical: The personification of Death is known in modern times as The Grim Reaper. This rustic and simple figure of an animated human skeleton, carrying the ancient symbol of Saturn and the harvest, the scythe, is shown riding on a horse, and some authors indicate him as one of the horsemen of the apocalypse, although, this is the only such horseman ever to show up in the tarot, a telltale clue of its pagan origins.
Golden Dawn: Called Death, Child of the Great Transformers, the Death card corresponds to the zodiacal Scorpio and places between Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) and Sephira #7 (Netzach) in the Golden Dawn system.
The Golden Dawn uses the traditional imagery of the European Death, the Grim Reaper. A snake, phoenix and a scorpion are used as symbols. Scorpions represent pain, the snake, transformation, and the phoenix rebirth.
Thoth: Crowley kept much of the same imagery, but granted Death the appearance of Osiris’ crown. Lady Harris’ projective geometric netting adds a new dimension to the piece.
With Death is the letter Nun, meaning fish; so the scene is built on the bottom of the ocean floor curiously enough. The Thoth was and is one of the most innovative decks of all time while also being correct.
Crowley states the card represents the step of putrefaction. Unfortunately he doesn't bother to apply the other alchemical steps to their respective cards so it's difficult, or rather, impossible to track his reasoning.
The scorpion is explained as an element that tends towards suicide in popular legend, and the snake a sign of "masculine energy." The serpent was quite female in Egyptian magick and mythology, (the entire female half of the human race is represented as snakes, the male as frogs, in the creation myth,) so it is only through their vague resemblance to a penis that Crowley seems to be getting this information. In India the serpent was almost always female when connected to a divinity, with two exceptions, Balarama, the humanoid form of Ananta Deva Adi Sesa. He is correct in assessing its nature as Lord of Life and Death.
The Eagle is said to represent gas, and the skeleton Saturn. The skeletal figure is crowned like Osiris and is dredging up bubbles, which represent new forms. The fish and serpent, are compared to the cults of resurrection and reincarnation. Here, he concretely states the fish represents the cult of Christianity, where ,Jesus is the fish god, and moreover is a fish, and then he vaguely glosses over some supposed Serpent cults, but perhaps we can infer it is Sanatana Dharma, as serpents are quite popular in Indian religious thought, especially amongst the Tantric cults.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Here in the fourfold Hexagrammal attributes of Progress, Darkening of the Light, Conflict and Waiting is the image of Alchemical process. The emphasis, in the holistic sense, is with the Fire Hex, Progress. The hexagram reminds us we are here to brighten ourselves. Death ends those who are not living according to their True Will, or improving themselves in some way. If you refuse to advance, you will fall, and continue to fall, until you determine to be a productive human being. This is symbolized also by Fire in the above, Earth in the below. The still elements will be purified. So it is that the fire element in the scene is the punishing and delivering Chakkrath Azhwar, or circle of God.
In Hexagram #36 we have Darkening of the Light, a strong inference of what Death is to humans. “The light has sunk into the earth; the image of the darkening of the light.”
Man is advised to guard his or her light, and this includes hiding it within, and persevering. Death is very mysterious, but the Tibetans have been studying Death closely for centuries, and seem to know something Westerners do not: the act of Death is only the beginning of a long journey to failure, or success. Like alchemy, it is most important that a Man be aware of such things, lest he fail to apprehend the most important aspect of Life, - its Death.
Hexagram #5 and #6, of Earth and Water respectively, are of interest. Death is classically associated with the bottom of the ocean, as seen in the Thoth. So if we pay attention to the symbolism here, in #5 we see that this station or card is more akin to the chamber of Ma’at than any gruesome spooky grim reaper coming to get us. In a very real sense, Death is a chamber, not a personality, unless it is an amalgamation of the personalities of that chamber: Anpu (Anubis) Ma’at, Djehuti (Thoth,) and Ammit. The I Ching reminds us that Death is fine, and auspicious, for the sincere, and those who persevere will be furthered to cross the Great Water. A feast for Death is advised. But in #6, the symbolism is more difficult to interpret. There is obstruction even if one is sincere, says the I Ching. The passage may indicate the phenomenon of being pushed back from Death into the world, while in the same body, a near-death experience. It could also represent stumbling in the (Tibetan) bardos, and returning to the womb of the living. (which, to a Tantricist, is not all that bad.) In all of these functions, events and phenomena, Maya is the goddess we are examining, and so this is who is represented on our card, even though she is, rarely, ever anthropomorphized.
It is through the hexagrams that this new phenomena of Pentagrammal structures must be analyzed, at least partly. “Imaginative,” fits Maya very well. Earth of Earth signifies the essence of the Daughter, and she is a creative and imaginative child. Called “The Lord’s Maya” in the East, she is both play companion and playground in the Lord’s lila or play. Thus she is ever intimately connected with any change which occurs, so it is natural she will be associated with the most dramatic change, that of Death and its inferred rebirth. In the line from Berashith we also have the creatrix who lends diversity and inspiration to the forms of life.
Lastly the number 50 is of Nuit, so it is she is connected to this card, a death goddess, actually.
The Scene: Maya, represented as the gatekeeper to the world above. She is black, representing the eternal night, into which all existence must coalesce into. Life ends at her feet, colored red like the muladhara, that leads to the bottomless pit where Ananta resides and rules the entirety of whole universe, the “original Krsna” as Sri Prahbupad described him.
The mace represents the brutality of death’s influence on incarnated beings. She points up, indicating that she will slay all who stand before her, on this floor. Raising consciousness was once the supreme goal of all kings and jivas (incarnated beings) and that reason is Maya herself, who will reclaim all that belongs to her. The only refuge is to rise above the inevitable and otherwise inescapable slaughter.
The so-called shamanic death, as it is called, is not like this material death. It is a misnomer, albeit a somewhat distinctively necessary one, as it is not a true death at all, but an active meditation akin to a serpent shedding its skin. Death isn’t always so useful or necessary. People are not serpents, but they can master the art of the transmutative activity. One can achieve this action at death or near death, or during near death experiences, but it is more useful to be able to achieve it on a regular healthy basis in life.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:49:46 GMT
Atu XIV: Art
Letter: ס Samekh (S, X)
Number: 60
Proximity: Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) to Sephira #8 (Hod)
Ruling Pentagram:
Pent #25 "Trial" – Water of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven (Above/Below,) Earth of 兌(Tui) The Joyous, Lake (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim saw that it was good"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #26: 大畜 (Ta Ch’u) Taming Power of the Great
(Lower left) Air: Hex #25: 無妄 (Wu Wang) Innocence
(Upper left) Water: Hex #46: 升 (Shêng) Pushing Upward
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #45: 萃 (Ts’ui) Gathering Together / Massing
Keywords (Dignified): Alchemy, Creativity, Synthesis, Projection, Distillation, Perspective, Assimilation, Invocation, Imagination, Attunement, Invention, Intuition, Communication, Simulation, Refinery, Skill, Mastery
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Inefficiency, Waste, Ignorance, Difficulty, Dullness, Disinterest, Disturbance
Interpretations
Historical: Often shown as a winged lady, pouring liquid from one container, into another, this card has changed numbers. In earlier packs, she was represented with an ermine. The numeration of Temperance tended to be mercurial, shifting from VII, to XIV. This may be the case because it was considered to be the result of the Lovers shown in VI, the child. The mother and her womb is the master alchemist of life who creates the highest material being, Man. Thus, an adult female is shown.
Golden Dawn: Called Temperance Daughter of the Reconcilers, the Temperance card corresponds to the zodiacal Sagittarius, primarily, and Capricorn and Scorpio, secondarily. The planetaries, Saturn and Mars, are considered integral to the card's transmutative process, as well as ruling Capricorn and Scorpio. Art places between Sephira #6 (Tiphareth,) and Sephira #9 (Yesod,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Thoth: Renamed Art, and we are asked to accept this without being offered much explanation for it. He was very concerned with creating a complex scene, that illustrated the full, rich, gamut of the Alchemical Process, the understanding of which is complicated more by his obtuse writings on the card. This is evidenced by continued confusion, to this day, as to why he changed the name from Temperance to Art, and what the scene actually means. Most tarot hoarders are too stupid to know what alchemy is, and even if they’ve bothered to hear about it they won’t connect this card to it right off without a copy of The Tarot of the Egyptians by the author.
Crowley reinforced the card’s visible alchemical traits significantly, and explains its properties in vivid detail. This is fortunate for us, as the card art itself is usually very boring, and his words serve to elucidate poorer versions of “Artemis.” Considering that it explains how babies are made in the middle of the Dark Ages this is no surprise. The Dark Ages of course were anything but Dark in certain parts of the world, outside of the tiny little continent of Europe. Even the ‘heathen’ and ‘pagan’ Vikings were experiencing a Golden Age in contrast to their Christian cousins. This is the eternal bane of the Tarot, it was hidden away for so long, out of fear of discovery by one’s neighbors, that, just as it could come out of the closet, scientific effort banished it to the “occult” cupboard, from where it had to crawl out, once again, into the light of the New Aeon. It was only with the psychedelic 60’s that we see a revival and flowering of the Tarot, largely thanks to Crowley. The cauldron is added, in which the red and white animals of alchemy interact. The woman is many-breasted, like Artemis. He states that the most primitive of the images on this card would simply be Artemis, even though she was degraded greatly by the Romans as Diana. He also states that the station foreshadows the final stage of The Great Work, and points out that he’s added the highest symbol of Mercury according to him, the arrow.
Much to-do is made over Crowley’s decision, but he is correct. The card perfectly encapsulates the Great Mother’s intellect. She is, after all, a mathematician at heart. The old Temperance, before this elevated and exquisite vision is a foul card which should be relegated to the Hell of the old Aeon as quickly and as permanently as possible. (Really she is not that bad actually, but the ideas behind what has made her so boring and uninspiring are unforgivable...there are many good ways to make Temperance elegant and meaningful without sinking into angel wings and matrons)
Although the art of Lady Harris is effective, Crowley doesn't help very much with illuminating the nature of the station beyond his text, and more could have been written in order to help sustain her elevated status.. However, we agreed that it was a dutiful renaming, considering that Temperance was rather Christianized and thus contaminated by false religious ideology.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Our supreme arrow of Mercury is still present, it surrounds our Goddess Ra’ath or Circe with its golden light, the glow of the pregnant female. It has finally found its target, Sol. The Hexagrams proffer up an image of full and waxing pregnancy in the rich fullness of its precision cellular activity. Balanced, concentrated perception where the mother’s great experience and power over the egg and sperm leads to life as told in the Fire Hex #26, Taming Power of the Great. This is the place where the Hermit dwells. The Air Hex, speaks to the child’s grace, Innocence. The Water Hex #46, Pushing Upward, affirms the mother’s status as both nurturer and destroyer, editing and making changes incomprehensible to onlookers. The change wrought by the encapsulation of Life in the alembic of the womb is a destructive and awe inspiring process. Yet like Temperance, it is perfectly balanced and accorded the most careful alchemical oversights evolution has to offer. This massing of cells into a cohesive being is pointed to by the Earth Hex, #45, Gathering Together/Massing. So all in all, we get the image of the supreme act of creative force, a bit mysterious and chaotic looking, but the results from this alchemical master act. .Life is splendid. The process is to repeat as the point of the TwinStar meets Sol, forever. The Star in all of this is the female herself...so powerful, so precise, nothing males can ever do can come close. It is for this reason the card is to be held up as art. There are many disciplinary forces to consider in the card, not merely abstinence. All art is discipline and perseverance, temperance is not enough of a word to describe all that goes along with that. It’s just too short. If the Magus is the Master, then here is where Mastery is personified, in the union of female with Logos.
The Scene: Circe, with influences of Ra’ath, the daughter of Ra (like Anubis, Ra'ath is an Anglicized word, the original form is closer to “Raet.”) There is little written of Ra'ath that is not simply attributed to Mrs. Hathor, who is also a cow headed goddess. While Hathor is Mother, Daughter and Wife to Ra, Ra'ath is specifically the wife and daughter aspect and so close to Ra as to be virtually indistinguishable from his Will and Power. In the language of the East Indian tradition, Ra'ath would be the Shakti of Ra. Just as the goddess takes different forms, so too does her husband, more specifically she is married to Mentu or Montu, the fierce and deadly Lord of War and Vengeance, who introduced himself to Crowley vis a vis the Book of the Law, in the proof called the Stellae of Revealing. This depicts Montu, not merely Ra, and the distinction is of immense importance. It is not the false "Horus" of Isis the deceiver (A curse be upon her) nor is it simply the father god Ra. Cobras were of great importance to Ra'ath, as they flank the walkway to the temple at Medamud. Her connection to Ma'at is secured in her vulture headdress. Ra and Ra'ath are the Mother/Father deities of Stars, of course. Ra is specifically attributed to the largest and closest star by the Egyptians - they were ignorant of the true nature of more distant stars, but in light of modern science we can extend his boundaries much further, especially as the radioactive and warlike Ra Hoor Khut, whose sacred book speaks from a place of stars which mankind has, as of yet, failed to attain. Circe tames men and turns them into beasts according to their nature, this alchemy of revealing the true form by artifice, is the heart of the Art card. Art also has a way of subduing through beauty. "Musick has charm to subdue a savage breast," wrote William Congreve in The Mourning Bride (1697) and, "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd."
It's important not to limit the boundaries of Art within traditional media, such as music and visual Art, or only within a certain style, (for example, the white chauvinist stating blandly that "Rap music is just obnoxious talking;") Art rides over preference, and at the heart of it lies Mystery.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:51:05 GMT
Atu XV: The Devil
Letter: ע Ayin (AA, O)
Number: 70
Proximity: Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) to Sephira #9 (Yesod)
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #26 "Renewing"– Water of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind (Above/Below,) Water of 兌(Tui) Joyous, Lake (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim said, let us make man"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #18: 蠱' (Ku) Correcting / Decay
(Lower left) Air: Hex #17: 隨 (Sui) Following
(Upper left) Water: Hex #18: 蠱' (Ku) Correcting / Decay
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #17: 隨 (Sui) Following
Keywords (Dignified): Sexuality, Creativity, Hedonism, Carnality, Ecstasy, Abundance, Pleasure, Seduction, Naturalism, Dissent, Rebellion, Intemperance, Exploratory, Unconventional, Uninhibited, Daring, Taboo, Reckless
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Repression, Obsession, Restriction, Fear, Entropy, Pain, Repulsion, Scarcity
Interpretations
Historical: Bat wings and horns have been a part of The Devil card since the earliest packs, such as in the 97-120 piece Italian Minchiate packs, from the late seventeenth century. The Devil is often left out, and usually lost. He has been the most hated or reviled card since the earliest European tarot decks, and even today many readers will remove them from their packs, either for themselves or their customers, if they are a paid fortuneteller.
The hairy-legged devil found in the mid-fifteenth century Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza deck packs published today was an imagined replacement from 1975. No one knows what the original looks like, as it was lost to the ages. On a fragmented sheet from the fifteenth or sixteenth century, located in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Devil has his trident, and bird’s claws for feet. His wings are bat-like in appearance, and, he has horns and a beard. He is not hairy, he has scales on his legs, inferring a possible connection to the Goat Fish of Capricorn, representing cautious and steady ascending and descending powers. A face governs over his crotch in some old packs, probably as a more gruesome stand-in for a penis, an inference to Chronos as the infanticidal cannibal of his own children, or, as an indicator of lust and consciousness, centered on sexuality. This trend, of hairless horned and winged devils with clawed feet goes on well into the 1800’s. The hairy legs with goat hooves in place of scaled and raptor-clawed feet automatically infer Pan, or a Satyr, and were possibly added as an attempt to appeal to popular opinion of Graeco-Roman mythology, which was experiencing a revival, during the time the goat Devil began appearing. Eliphas Levi is credited, around the web, with popularizing this hairy Devil in the Tarot and this is probably correct, considering he had the most influence at the time. This Devil’s appearance was rumored to have been acquired by Levi from the tortured reports of Templars, imprisoned by the Catholic Church. If this is true it is an unacceptable, incorrect and offensive image for both Satanists and Pagans as it stands today.
Golden Dawn: Called The Devil, The Lord of the Gates of Matter, the Devil card corresponds to the zodiacal Capricorn the planetary Saturn and Mars, and places between Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) and Sephira #8 (Hod) in the Golden Dawn system.
The Golden Dawn’s imagery of the Devil fluxed around the central theme of the horned God, sometimes depicted as a figure of transformation and other times as a slave driver. The appearance of The Devil never wholly returns to the classic Minchiate youth with horns and bat wings during the reign of The Golden Dawn. At this point the image of Levi’s was the standard.
Thoth: Aleister Crowley, who was very biased towards Eliphas Levi, keeps all of the imagery as it is, save that he places the goat on all fours and gives it a third eye. Then he does something very wild and very Crowley. He puts a huge cosmic dick and balls penetrating a vagina in the background. The testicles are full of tiny people. He veils it all in the flowery words of Nuith and Pillars extending into the Earth’s core, but it plainly depicts the sex act between God and Goddess. (If the Goddess is Nuit (Nwt) then the God would be Geb in traditional Kemetic religion, though Crowley probably intended Baphomet as a physical manifestation of the ineffable Had, or Hadit.) The card is made successful by this bold move and so, all is well.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: This is one of the ATU with a reciprocal inverse. Hex #18 Correcting/Decay and Hex #17 Following are present. The image of #17, Following, which is in the position of Earth and Air, has the trigrams Chen, Thunder, the Arousing below Tui, The Joyous, Lake. It tells us that a younger girl (Tui) is being deferred to by an older man (Chen) and this causes her to follow him. The hexagram also advises wise men to go indoors and rest, when the thunderstorm moves in, over the lake.
Compare this to the image of Balarama and Yamuna. He is the thunderstorm and she is the lake. She has been properly punished for her crime, and the balance is about to be set right. In showing her consideration, by not hacking the rest of her into pieces, she comes into line with the rest of harmonious universe, there is no need to press the issue further. In this scene, she is the one who has been spoiled, and the work is to put things right. Some might protest about the depiction of the God prosecuting and punishing the Goddess, due to modern sensibilities, but in our opinion there is nothing more supportive of sexual equality than allowing for both depictions of either flux being able to express fully. After all, we have images of several women in this deck ruling over, dominating and even destroying masculine symbols. Man itself is neither male nor female, the ternaries express this plainly. Man, male or female of gender, is of the Jen flux value, neither pure Yin nor pure Yang. This is where all of Man and the Magus’ power lies, and puts to rest the old fashioned notion that females cannot be Magicians. It may be that a female is predisposed towards the Yin flux, yet a male may also express the Yin flux. If the transgender and gay rights movement has taught us nothing about this, then Mutational Alchemy certainly has plenty to say about it.
In everyday life, this process of rectifying that which is spoiled shown here will be the most common pattern. If something is decayed, its only purpose is to be strictly cleaned out and remade. The harshness of The Devil, is necessary for perfection. The Devil is often called the Lord of this World. If that is so, he is the Lord of the world only because the Earth is so terrible, so greatly degraded, in its human consciousness which rules everything here. As the Lord of all Nature, it is the duty of the Devil to correct this error and put humanity back on a straight and narrow path. I think we will find that Tolkien’s elves are more akin to how modern humans should behave. Instead they are orcs, dependent on everything else for their existence, fouling all in their wake. Yet, we don’t live in the Garden of Eden, and the seal already having been broken, the apple already plucked from the tree, the only way out of this terrible situation is onward and through to the rational end of technology. The good news is, if we do make it through this ordeal and emerge the victor, as a new subspecies no less, is we will have access to the full range of everything that is appealing about the elves and their lifestyle.
So with the Pentagram “Renewing,” we have the ominous text, “Elohim said, let us make man” The lines’ connection to The Devil of all cards gives us an interesting insight into the nature of the Elohim, Man and The Devil. Man is meant to be culled and the sinister lines of the Book of the Law summarize it perfectly. Only in Completion can there be a return to the solace of Eden, and this Completion is attainable only through much unnecessary bloodshed and suffering. This is brought upon ourselves through misdeeds. If a man carefully follows the edicts of scripture, whether it is through the Vedas or the I Ching, there is a chance of holding together enough, to achieve ignition. It is described by the penetrant Wind, above the Water, which is our crown lotus. This is the descending serpent. This being the first step on the path to Completion, it is often sought, yet hardly ever attained. It must be pursued vengefully, for decades, or more, before it will come to pass. Hard won, we can look back on our achievements with a certainty the rest of the way will be much easier, but long still.
The Scene: The Devil has long been dreaded and hairy in the Tarot, and we wanted to go with a more beautiful, Indian devil. Krsna’s brother, Lord Balarama, the original Vishnu, the original Krsna (as stated by an authentic Vaishnavite priest well liked in the West, Sri Prahbupad.) This very significant form of God is primordial, dark and perfectly suited to be our handsome devil for The Mutational Alchemy Tarot. Balarama’s form is Ananta Sesa, the primordial serpent, who supports the entire universe on just one of his scales. In the Body of Light, Ananta is traditionally associated with the soles of the feet. He is absolute truth and infinite illusion. In this scene, we are seeing him pull the river goddess Yamuna to him, with his plow, and is about to scatter her into hundreds of streams for her disobedience. Yamuna realizes her mistake, and beseeches him "My dear Balarama, you are the most powerful personality, and you are pleasing to everyone. Unfortunately, I forgot your glorious, exalted position, but now I have come to my senses, and I remember that you hold all the planetary systems on your head merely by your partial expansion of Sesa. You are the sustainer of the whole universe. My dear Supreme Personality of Godhead, you are full of six opulences. Because I forgot your omnipotence, I have mistakenly disobeyed your order, and thus I have become a great offender. But, my dear Lord, please know that I am a surrendered soul unto you. You are very much affectionate to your devotees. Therefore, please excuse my impudence and mistakes and, by your causeless mercy, may you now release me."
Now, the Devil should be scary, but Balarama is a far more terrifying figure of omnipotent and sinister energy than a mere satyr sitting in some kind of rape dungeon. It is the position of The Abrahadabra Institute that the son of Hermes, Pan himself, who should in no way be equated to these silly looking goat men on most Tarot cards, isn’t actually a very appropriate figure for The Devil card. He would be more at home on The Fool, Art or Lovers’ card.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:52:51 GMT
Atu XVI: The Tower
Letter: פ Pé (P), ף Pé Final
Number: 80, 800F
Proximity: Sephira #7 (Netzach) to Sephira #8 (Hod)
Ruling Pentagram:
Pent #27 "Exciting"– Water of 離 (Li) The Clinging, Fire (Above/Below) Earth of 坎(K’an) Abysmal, Water (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim created man"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #22: 賁 (Pi) Grace
(Lower left) Air: Hex #21: 噬嗑 (Shi Ho) Biting Through
(Upper left) Water: Hex #48: 井 (Ching) The Well
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #47: 困 (K’un) Oppression
Keywords (Dignified): Perilous, Collapse, Upheaval, Danger, Catastrophe, Deluge, Disaster, House-of-Cards, Frantic Shuffle, Shattered, Crashed, Sudden, Alarming, Unexpected, Titanic, Volcanic, Rupture, Breach, Calamitous, Chaotic, Abrupt
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Misdirection, Calm Before the Storm, Averted Disaster, Shortsightedness, Blindness, Recklessness, Evil, Theft, Armageddon
Interpretations
Historical: Like the Devil, the Tower card is feared and shunned. It, along with the Devil, was lost from the Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza pack and recreated in the 20th century, for inclusion in a reprint. One may argue that this is mere coincidence, but we think it is not. Tarot has a strange effect on the mind, and neither reason, nor feeling, are immune to the weird ways the occult challenges the human mind.
In the dark days of Christianity in Europe, the sinister was viewed with suspicion for all kinds of absurd and moronic reasons. The colorful House of Visconti of Milan, a liberal art-loving family (like the Medicis in Florence) produced Filippo Maria Visconti, who became Duke of Milan and commissioned the deck. To this day they continue to produce artists and cultural creatives of all kinds such as Luchino Visconti. The crest of the house is a blue gold-crowned and horned serpent, devouring a Muslim, and this crest is included in the pack. Sometimes especially in the version associated with Milan, the child is emerging from the serpent’s mouth and is crowned, inferring The Crowned and Conquering Child.
Whomever the cards passed to after Filippo Maria Visconti, was probably more influenced by Christian Fascism, than by proto-satanic Liberty, if they felt the need to destroy the Tower and Devil. We have no idea what happened of course, but it is very suspicious. Today, the crowned serpent is still a universal symbol for the Enlightenment, (Although in Jerusalem, where one often finds them in jewelry, it represents the old Nachash, worshipped as a symbol of God’s protective force and wisdom, as in the old saying, “Be thou as wise as serpents” I own one made in Jerusalem inset with a green peridot for its volcanic properties.)
The Tower Card is possibly a reference to Proverbs 18:10, “The name Yod-He-Vau-He is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe,” and the people falling out of the Tarot Tower purportedly represent those who are not righteous. So, the card is a warning of sorts, but also an image of security, for those that are moral and good. The symbol of angelic force, a glowing disc from heaven, common in Renaissance art, is depicted in 17th century decks as shooting at the tower, with lightning. The unrighteous, male and female alike, are pictured falling to their death. Often the figures will be crowned, indicating an abuse of power.
Golden Dawn: Called The Blasted Tower, Lord of the Hosts of the Mighty, the Blasted Tower card corresponds to the planetary Mars and places between Sephira #7 (Netzach) and Sephira #8 (Hod) in the Golden Dawn system.
The Golden Dawn keeps to the theme of a bright disc, shooting lightning at a tower, which is broken in half. This calls to mind, if one remembers, the old image of Strength as a woman, breaking a pillar. Two Sephiroth, one dark and one light, flank the Tower in Godfrey Dowson’s The Hermetic Tarot, a progressive Golden Dawn imagery deck (based on the Book of Thoth) from the mid-20th century.
Thoth: The Thoth portrays the tower being destroyed by some kind of bizarre and horrific worm, representing the mouth of hell or lake of fire. This is the fiend of God, represented in Heaven by the blazing all-seeing eye, called Dis by Crowley. It’s such a great image that it’s hard not to get chills for some occultists when pulling it in a spread. Strange little polygonal people are falling from the tower. The rays number 27, whereas in the MAT they number 22+5 lightning bolts. Equivalence to Siva is revealed by Crowley and what he calls, “a direct reference” in the Book of the Law: “Invoke me under my stars! Love is the law, love under will. Nor let the fools mistake love; for there are love and love. There is the dove, and there is the serpent. Choose ye well! He, my prophet, hath chosen, knowing the law of the fortress and the great mystery of the House of God.” (Book of the Law, Crowley 1904) He names the eye of God itself as the Eye of Horus and the Eye of Siva. The Lion-serpent is revealed as Abrasax, or Xnoubis, “what Schopenhauer would have called, the Will to Live and the Will to Die.”
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The picture painted by the Hexagrams is fierce, cleansing, and dismal. Pi, Grace, in the position of Fire certainly indicates a kind of inner purity and innocence being protected by a much larger force. It is the image of fire on a mountain. It also indicates physical lava, on a volcanic slope. It is a beautiful sight, but also dangerous. Once again Aleister Crowley has given us an image very much in tune with the true core of the original and most authentic tarot. But here, the tower is the fire, on the mountain of technology.
Besides being attractive and beautiful, this Hexagram also indicates the process of working on some affairs. “But he dare not decide controversial issues in this way.” In the Wilhelm/Baynes edition of the I Ching the Sun is compared to the useful thing, and the stars and moon the beautiful, or graceful thing, that is not practical. By balancing beauty, with practicality, there is success. So, the Tarot is talking about an event where man is being punished for not keeping these two things in balance. It doesn’t take a genius to automatically consider the unnecessary and stark pursuit of profit, for the sake of profit alone, practiced in cronyism (often referred to as crony capitalism,) and immoral, unjust profiteering, that does harm to people. This is not an indictment on business itself, no more than we would condemn the Sun itself for performing its duty. But it is clear that without a balance of beauty and practicality, the universe has no choice but to lay the fiends low, by using their own brutality against them. This is what we see happening today with the rise of disease such as cancer and birth defects, the melting of the icecaps which threatens beachfront properties and whole cities even, the poisoning of water and air to the point where the progeny of these guilty parties is threatened, at great cost to the innocent as well.
The Air Hex naturally follows and supports the Fire element as it should be expected to do when Fire is rampant, and the sages tell us #21 “BITING THROUGH has success.
It is favorable to let justice be administered.” The awful justice of a righteous war is to be administered.
The female elements of Water Hex #48 and Earth Hex #47 speak of difficult times for the just and upright individuals. Things are difficult and the people are suffering. It is advised to help one another and to follow the intimations from fate. Necessity rules. Times like this cannot last forever, as the rest of the I Ching teaches us, as the wheel rises, so it must fall, and in this case, the fall is very hard indeed for those at the top of the wheel. In the beginning of the Age of Hrw (Horus) or Ra Hoor Khut the plight of the life and women are the most crucial issues that need to be addressed. Diversity is an important aspect of the Grace referred to in the Fire Hex, and must be respected. Ra Hoor Khut and the male, Yang, principle, is the only law that matters, no matter what laws that humans make for themselves, and the punishment for breaking those laws is much more severe. As for women, since they are earthly reflections of the body of Nuit and one half of entire universe, the only thing the Fire element cares about, they have to be not only protected, elevated and given their proper place as warriors of the Nu Aeon where they qualify, but also avenged. The souls of millions of of tormented souls cry out to be avenged in the historical record of humanity, as it is written in the doctrines of the old aeon religions, and there will be an answer to it. There is no telling how the vengeance will manifest, but it is here. Ra Hoor Khut is first a god of War and of Vengeance, so this card is especially important to him and may be addressed as such.
In the Pentagram, we have the result of the statement in The Devil, where Elohim creates Man. This underlines Man as an act of War. Against what exactly that is, may have hints in Entropy and Choronzon but it is up to the adept to find out what that is, for him or herself. The two cards of The Tower/War and The Devil may be considered two sides of one thought and action.
The Scene: This card began as a dream of a tall black tower in the middle of the ocean. When I encountered m1thr0s and the Abrahadabra formula, as a Bhakti practitioner I had been coming to what one would presume was the very first stages of Bhakti, that of being in tune with nature everywhere one went – without having to actually enter wilderness. A before unimaginable peace permeated my existence. This was the state of being in which the dream found me. In the dream, I was in the middle of the black ocean. The thought dawned on me to destroy whatever was disrupting this world. There was a man at the top of the tower that was not my proper ruler. I received a vision of the earth and came to the conclusion that whoever ruled this world was driving it towards ruin, and I needed it gone.
In my dream, at the top of my tower there was a light, and I swam towards it – I was a black serpent – Shakti. I crept up the side of this slick black tower of rock in the middle of a vast stormy ocean, and I found the man at the top – I knew he needed to go. And I decided then he was going to go, I knew it was my world and my time to rule as I pleased. I crushed the tower beneath my coils and the man fell into the ocean, screaming, and the rock slipped away to reveal a lovely, white, gleaming radiance. I gazed on the remains of the top of the tower and found my love there, The Emperor. Years later, I spoke with m1thr0s about the Emperor and we both agreed that the proper place of the archetype in the Tarot was properly 17 and the Star, 4. Tzaddi is not the star.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:54:48 GMT
Atu XVII: The Emperor
Letter: צ Tzaddi (Tz), ץ Tzaddi Final
Number: 90, 900F
Proximity: Sephira #7 (Netzach) to Sephira #9 (Yesod)
Ruling Pentagram:
Pent #28 "Natural"– Water of 艮(Kên) Keeping Still, Mountain (Above/Below) Water of 坎(K’an) The Abysmal, Water (Without/Within)
Berashith: "In the form of Elohim he created him"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #52: 艮 (Kên) Keeping Still / Mountain
(Lower left) Air: Hex #51: 震 (Chên) The Arousing / Thunder
(Upper left) Water: Hex #57: 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating / Wind
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #58: 兌 (Tui) The Joyous / Lake
Keywords (Dignified): Imperious, Regal, Paternal, Disciplinary, Strong, Protective, Worldly, Assertive, Resolute, Intent, Focused, Penetrating, Principled, Realistic, Practical, Unstoppable, Authoritative, Indisputable, Foundational
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Danger, Tyranny, Evil, Domination, Oppression, Bad, Anger, Harshness, Petulance, Weak-willed
Interpretations
Historical: The Emperor is often presented as a historical King, or Emperor. The Visconti Emperor is covered in a lush gilt robe, over royal blue, with red shoes. He wears a serene expression on his aged and bearded face and holds a golden globe covered in reptilian scales and scepter. The crown has a dark blue or black phoenix rising from it. Three linked rings on his robe represent the three worlds, and a curved sword between his legs represents his power of diplomacy and war. It is one of the most elegant forms of the Emperor. After this initial flowering of nearly perfect imagery, the Emperor card hereafter became very degraded.
Golden Dawn: Called The Emperor, The Son of the Morning, The Emperor card corresponds to the zodiacal Aries and places between Sephira #3 (Chokmah) and Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) or Sephira #7 (Netzach) and Sephira #9 (Yesod) and is assigned the Hebrew letter/number Tzaddi (90)
As the Emperor has such potential for power, it is a little terrifying to see how awfully it is prepared in most Golden Dawn versions. He fairs a little better well into the 20th century. The eagle or phoenix is always present, and the head of Aries. His scepter and globus cruciger are shown. And he is always dressed in royal clothes, with a cape and crown or phrygian cap. The progressive Hermetic Tarot, by Godfrey Dowson, puts a little life in his step. He’s getting up out of the silly throne and doing something excitedly, and the Eagle, if not the Phoenix, is present at least. All in all, the Golden Dawn failed miserably to achieve a decent picture of the Emperor, this is one of the ATU which actually became worse, after the Golden Dawn took over things from the powerful forces of The Enlightenment. The role of the Emperor has been polluted in this world, and so we can’t fault them for it. But it barely stands as an ATU, let alone a standard of royalty. (The worst looking Emperor is probably the diseased looking man in the Rider-Waite. Crowley rightly calls the deck a ‘grotesque and falsified parody’.)
Thoth: The Book of the Law, (Liber Al Vel Legis) stated in 1904, "All these old letters of my Book are aright; but [Tzaddi] is not the Star. This also is secret: my prophet shall reveal it to the wise."
Crowley responded by switching the Hebrew letter of the Star with the Emperor, but he didn't change the ATU numeration. He also switched its positioning on the tree with the Star but again, didn't change the ATU numeration.
The imagery is quite frankly, awful. The image appears overworked and as many were reworked “up to eight times” according to the correspondence letters between Crowley and Harris, this would hardly be surprising. The two argued about everything and were ill-matched. Crowley had difficulty with women, so it’s incredible they were able to finish it at all, and much of this is owed to Harris’s ladylike patience and tolerance. The work came out decent enough owing to both of them having the heart for the work. The only redeeming element is the phoenix, on the shield. The rams overlooking the scene seem to be wondering, just what they are doing there, and the lamb of God, of Christianity, is sitting in the corner, a bastion of everything the champions of Tarot were fighting against during the Enlightenment.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Emperor card is one of several paths that have been positioned incorrectly according to the Proximity Principle of Mutational Alchemy, and The Book of the Law.
The Emperor with the correct letter, Tzaddi, should logically correspond to the 28th Proximity Principal path between Sephira #7 (Netzach) and Sephira #9 (Yesod). The Emperor card acquires the additional value of Atu XVII, previously assigned to the Star card.
The double mountain Hex of Ken, Keeping Still, the Mountain underlines the nature of The Emperor as someone with excellent timing and the ability to hold the reigns of immense kingdoms, a King of Kings. This is the Lord of the natural world, beyond mere forests and pantheons. The hexagram is also said to represent yoga, by Richard Wilhelm. It also indicates someone who is completely cloaked and very difficult to find, or detect, if he does not feel the time is right to unveil himself. (Notice that the Empress shares a secret relationship with the Hermit in this case, in their descriptions) Wilhelm goes on to explain to us in #51 Chen, that it is a sign of the eldest son, seizing power. It is the representation is of Heaven or God moving below the earth as an earthquake. It is a terrifying but wonderful thing, full of surprise and delight. The phenomenon of initiation is similar. It only comes at the allowance of the Will of Heaven and cannot be attained through mere want, but when it is active, it can inspire and set man into action like no other force. It is said, that when the dragon bites you, one is already on the path of magick, and there is no longer any danger of being lost or blinded. This person will not be afraid of anything, after being visited by The Emperor in such a way. The sages tell us “Thunder repeated: the image of SHOCK. Thus in fear and trembling The superior man sets his life in order And examines himself.” This not punishment or the threat of punishment, it is a revelation to prepare a warrior to be a soldier in the war of Heaven and Earth.
Another double trigram in the postion of Water, Hex #57 shows Wind above Wind. The attribute of the trigram called Sun, is gentleness. It is also enduring and persistent, it does not force itself on anyone, or anything, but it never stops. It encapsulates the sacred axiom “Perseverance Furthers”.
The next hex of Earth is #58, the double trigram of Tui the Joyous, Lake. It is an image of friendship and good vibes, the image of the holy court of Master Ra. It also describes the nature of the dojo, where learning becomes multi-faceted instead of one-sided, as it is in those self-taught. This cannot ever be as efficient and useful as learning amongst others in person. Therefore the power of the Emperor is especially manifest amongst the scene of scholars, learning and discussing amongst each other, whether it is in academic studies, or martial arts.
Finally, the Pentagram reminds us, in the paired line from Berashith, that the Emperor has a responsibility to us, and this is why he treats us with special deference. Men and women are stars, part of his court. They hold a shared responsibility as his creations, for his work, which entails taking care of his vast kingdom.
The Scene: The Emperor was one of our favorite cards. We both agreed, that we were sick to death of the pompous fancy-pants, decked out in tragically hyper materialistic trappings, all too caught up in his silk panties and booties, and not at all very good at ruling, so much as sitting in his highchair. We fought especially hard with the Thoth imagery, where we felt it should be more indicative of an active ruler, at least, and not a disinterested buffoon.
The lightning worlds, the sun worlds and the moon worlds are from Hermetic Qabbalah tradition, relating to the Tree of Life. (this is the linked three worlds, on the Visconti Emperor’s robe as well) The Sephirothic triangle of the lightning world is centered in Da’ath, the uppermost triangle, and its corners are in Binah, Chokmah and Tiphareth. The only way to express the top triangle, cosmologically, according to Hermetic Qabbalah, is with lightning. The sun worlds are anchored in Geburah, Chesed and Yesod. Here, is where the Phoenix of Hermes resides, within the center of the tree. (Note, this is where the crucial 63-64 reside, in the Temporals arrangement. This is very important.) Hermes, the infant and criminal, who always does good through his works, not matter how pestilant he seems at first. The Lunar worlds are anchored in Hod, Netzach and Malkuth. This is not *our* moon, it is not in *our* solar system. The crescent is a fine symbol and this represents the gamut of a moon’s relatively common phases.
Here we have the aftermath of the Devil who is also the hidden Emperor and his work: The Tower – the power issue has been resolved and the true ruler descends, through the three worlds to claim what is his by omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence - The Crowned and Conquering Child.
There is a paradigm shift in his numeration. New tarot users will not be aware of it, but for experienced occultists, the change may be exhilarating, or horrifying, depending on one’s point of view. An educated decision is best.
The Book of the Law through “Hadit” tells us "All these old letters of my Book are aright; but tzaddi is not the Star." Crowley took the advice to heart and switched the Hebrew letters Tzaddi, which was associated to The Star, and He, associated with The Emperor, with each other, but he did not did not switch the Star and the Emperor’s ordering in the ATU. We have issued this correction and feel, very pleased with it, due to the secrets it reveals. Appropriately the Emperor and Empress are no longer side by side. Even more wonderfully, the Emperor’s path now runs between Netzach and Yesod, and in the ATU, he is now before the Moon. The ordering of the ATU reflects his physical position, on the tree. It is appropriate that the Emperor be “down in the fray” as it were, commanding his kingdom – even though his authority derives from his association with the supreme feminine, the Empress, and from Kether itself. His physical manifestation is the “hand of god.” Thus, in the card, he is given the form of Apsu, or alternately, Kolowisi, the all-father water serpent, from Sumerian and Zuni mythology. Apsu is called “Lord of the Sweet Waters,” and is the consort of Tiamat, “Lady of the Bitter Waters.”
He is a black bashumu, or horned serpent, also a symbol of the Indian idea of primordial universe, the sea-serpent Shesha Ananta, a black, endless, serpent outside time and universe, often depicted supporting one of the supreme triumvirate, Vishnu, who is like his child, or emanation.
Shesha Ananta only incarnates a small part of himself, ever as Balarama, always the older brother, of Lord Vishnu’s avatar. He has pure white skin and, a commanding disposition, of the Lord engaged in lila, play, appropriate to the Emperor’s path connecting Netzach and Yesod, or Venus and Luna.
Students of Mutational Alchemy will note the appearance of his horns reflect the anatomy of the TwinStar, and this was intentional from the start.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:56:56 GMT
Atu XVIII: The Moon
Letter: ק Qoph (Q)
Number: 100
Proximity: Sephira #7 (Netzach) to Sephira #10 (Malkuth)
Ruling Pentagram:
Pent #29 "Corporealizing" – Water of 兌 (Tui) The Joyous, Lake (Above/Below) Earth of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim blessed them"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #41: 損 (Sun) Decrease
(Lower left) Air: Hex #42: 益 (I) Increase
(Upper left) Water: Hex #32: 恆 (Hêng) Duration
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #31: 咸 (Hsien) Influence/Wooing
Keywords (Dignified): Lunar, Miasmic, Murky, Eerie, Dreamy, Hypnagogic, Astral, Sensual, Mystical, Foreboding, Shadowy, Transmutable, Reflective, Reverberative, Illusory, Secretive, Ominous, Visionary, Disorienting, Psychological, Drugs, esp. Hallucinogens
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Cold Reality, Terror, Misery, Psychopathy, Lunacy, Self-destruction, Danger, Poison, Entrapment, Insanity
Interpretations
Historical: Usually depicting a night scene, and two towers, there are also present two dogs which represent the fears of the mind as it approaches the unknown mystery, where only the reflected light of the Moon may guide it. The Visconti-Sforza presents us with a young woman, blonde, wearing a red dress and white belt. The belt is shaped like a bow, and the fallopian tubes, and makes a shape like the vesica pisces. The idea of the womb as the bow from which men and women are cast into the world is here.
In the background, rolling hills of emerald green reveal the shape of two flanking hills, one has a house on top of it, while the other resembles the head of the uncircumcised phallus, and a stream of golden stars emerges from the tip to surround the card, representing Father Nature.
Golden Dawn: Called The Moon, Ruler of Flux and Reflux, The Moon card corresponds to the zodiacal Pisces and places between Sephira #7 (Netzach) and Sephira #10 (Malkuth) in the Golden Dawn system.
The Waite deck does little to lift the Christianity from the card. Artemis the Virgin, a stand-in for Mary the Virgin, is still triumphant, her hounds and crustacean pointing at the Moon. In the mid 20th century decks, the imagery was uplifted somewhat to include a winged scarab, an alternate attribution for Cancer, and the twin canine gods Anubis (Kemetic: Anpu,) and Apuat-Sebek, but still, it never regained its focus onto the Method of Science.
Thoth: The Moon is a strange scene in Crowley's tarot, with waveforms and a creepy looking cockroach carrying the solar disk (I suppose it is meant to be a scarab) and two, large tower sized statues of Anubis, and Apuat. It is quite effective at illustrating the Moon’s weird qualities. The ocean rises up, to support the scarab holding the solar disk that appears about to enter the vaginal canal, where the moon is seated between the towers of the Duat.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The strange name of the ruling Pentagram “Corporealizing,” hints at some kind of phantom, unfinished form, coming into being. It calls to mind ghosts and spirits, the unborn, and the undead. This spooky energy is what the Moon is all about. Water of Tui and Earth of Chen, signifies an auspicious feminine energy at play, and its nature as something good is affirmed in the line from Berashith, “Elohim blessed them.” This reflects on the Fire Hex ,of the previous ATU, Grace, in which beauty is essential, even though it seems impractical.
The hexagrams could not be more appropriate. We have Decrease and Increase, Influence/Wooing and Duration. These are very similar to the traditional lunar attributes. Or rather, it is the cycling nature, the increase and decrease of the moon and the romantic attributes of its eternal light, that have caused it to be associated with these universal signs and symbols. It was one of the ATU early on, that caused us to stop and wonder exactly how this could be possible. How could a modern system, Mutational Alchemy, be so coincidentally perfect in its alignment with the ancient Tarot, without making any adjustments to suit it? These are questions which may never have an answer, but to assume the tarot is coming to us from scholars who had access to deeply mathematical, and logical systems of magick. It certainly lends its credence to the Kemetic origin theory of the tarot, and the idea that modern day Israelite ideas came from a wellspring of Sumerian and Kemetic syncretism.
Decrease, the Fire hex informs us that if one is transitioning through a time of scarcity, they should not become desperate or bewildered, they should make adjustments, until the time has come when things are more prosperous. Increase, the Air hex, tells us exactly how we might go about creating prosperity. Through careful activity and perseverance, paying utmost attention to *right action* and *right thinking* we can begin to turn things towards good fortune.
Duration at Earth seems to reinforce this idea, but adds the doctrine of True Will to the mix. One should stand firmly in one’s own moral code and ethics, not giving in for fear of anything. “Thou hast no right but to do thy will, do that and no other shall say nay” it tells us to continue on our path no matter the cost, no matter the threats from outside our immediate area of focus. Hexagram Influence in Water reveals that the *unexpected* is lurking, waiting to shower us with new opportunities, if we would only make room for them. Being open to new people and perhaps even a new partner or wife, is important. The card may actually indicate marriage, but will point to the wife, specifically, so that if drawn for a man she may be unknown, or known, if drawn for a female, it will be a female.
Sexuality is always connected to the Moon card, and we find this reinforced in the hex Influence. It does not warn against sexual contact, it only warns against being careful about one’s behavior. “Exceed by delicacy.” The same can be said of drugs, which can be considered “the maiden,” in some instances.
The Scene: Rather than confine the deck to Earth, the literal terran moon is absent. The texture on the crescent is from a photograph, taken by Nasa, of the surface of Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars. This speaks for the eerier side of the moon card symbology, where fear surrounds the subconscious, and manifests as paranoia, and irrational fears (phobias.) Gravity exerts a vast degree of control on the internal workings of lifeforms, weather and other matter, here on our planet, which lends the moon potency in the religions of man, across the ages. One cannot deny one’s own internal nature, just as the dog cannot wholly escape its genetic heritage derived from wolves, an image the card displays on most other versions of tarot. Instinct is ultimately king, whether or not we admit it to ourselves, choices may barely be ours, instead, it is all too often based on irrational fears and primal instinct.
Instead of depicting a defeated Diana, it depicts a triumphant Hermes. Dionysus, often depicted as an infant, in the arms of Hermes, is an alternate association with the moon, and his animal is the leopard, hunted to extinction in Europe long ago. (As Hermeticists, we of course, don't like Diana, or her cult of the primitive, so we didn't want her on the card at all - Crowley agrees she was greatly degraded from her original form as Artemis Cynthia in Greece.)
The Hexagrams themselves have a dreamy quality, combined with the hexagrams for Increasing and Decreasing, the lunar symbolism is clear. Mushrooms, under the feet of the composite beasts, are a nod to the hallucinogenic herbs that formed the backbone of human civilization’s forays into science. These hidden friends of Man offer occult insights even into the modern age, and beyond, simply for as long as the human brain responds positively to hallucinogenic substances.
Purple and green, artistically the colors of poison, absinthe and nightshade were chosen for the card, as well as the gold and blue-black of the composite chimeric creatures, representing mystery. This is the traditional symbol of the god Ningishzidda, adapted from an ancient Sumerian beaker, created under the rule of King Gudea of Lagash, by an unknown artist. His patron god was Ningishzidda, and he rules as patasi, or governor, in the ancient city of Lagash, a location renowned for its stunning visual artifacts, produced by very advanced artisans.
On the original beaker, the chimeric creatures are mushussu, chaos monsters, here they are leopards. In the various Sumerian studies I had performed in order to accurately interpret the beaker’s symbology, I came across some opinion that they were griffins or cats, which isn’t actually true, although the leopard lends itself well to the symbol. Ningishzidda is referred to as “impetuous leopard” in one translation of a Sumerian balbale dedicated to him. There is an excellent artifact called the Assyrian Lamaštu Plaque which also features this composite beast, and it is equated on that plaque with Pazuzu. Pazuzu did not exist in the Sumerian pantheon, so this is an interesting insight into the nature of Ningishzidda, since the two griffins can be equated with the powers of wind, the element Air.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:58:21 GMT
Atu XIX: The Sun
Letter: ר Resh (R)
Number: 200
Proximity: Sephira #8 (Hod) to Sephira #9 (Yesod)
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #30 "Universal" – Water of 坎 (K’an) The Abysmal, Water (Above/Below) Water of 震(Chên) The Arousing, Thunder (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim said be fruitful and multiply"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #4: 蒙 (Mêng) Youthful Folly
(Lower left) Air: Hex #3: 屯 (Chun) Difficulty at the Beginning
(Upper left) Water: Hex #50: 鼎 (Ting) The Caldron
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #49: 革 (Ko) Revolution/Molting
Keywords (Dignified): Solar, Radiant, Clarifying, Penetrating, Illumination, Nourishment, Agitation, Restlessness, Inspiration, Power, Drive, Motivation, Enthusiasm, Vitality, Strength, Beauty, Illumination, Banishing, Triumph, Awakening
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Irrationality, Pessimism, Ingratitude, Delay, Arrogance, Loneliness, Solitude, Worries
Interpretations
Historical: The Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza card depicts a triumphant looking putto, on a dark cloud, carrying a disembodied, red glowing head. He flies high over a walled city and mountains. This head is supposed to be the sun but it has connotations to the soul-transmigration cult of Orpheus, father of songs. The deep purple scarf around the putto's neck, is shaped like a lyre, the sacred musical instrument of Hermes' invention (made from the shell of his beloved pet turtle!)
Orpheus used this instrument it to charm all living things, including stones, and is said to have completely mastered it, along with poetry and song. The founding of the cult of Dionysus was attributed to him. Orpheus is often depicted with a phrygian cap, like Mithras, and like Mithras, surrounded by a circle. In Orpheus's pictures, there are twenty animals of different types, around him, and this parallels the doctrine of the tetractys (2x10).
Considering the evidence, it is difficult not to associate the Visconti Sun with the Cult of Orpheus, which is very ancient and dated to at least the 5th century B.C. Elements parallel Pythagorean belief structures.
Most importantly, Orpheus was a sun-worshipper, towards the end of his life, having abandoned the cult of Dionysus. The development of Mithraism, and, the Sol Invictus cult, was deeply entwined with the Orphic mysteries. He was killed by Maenads for not worshipping Dionysus, and this has caused speculation that he was an avatar of Dionysus himself, due to the nature of the Dionysus cult.
In later decks, the Sun is treated as merely the Sun, and these ancient mystery cults of the Greeks and Romans are largely shelved, unfortunately.
Golden Dawn: Called The Sun, Lord of the Fires of the World, The Sun card corresponds to the planetary Sol and places between Sephira #8 (Hod) and Sephira #9 (Yesod) in the Golden Dawn system.
Two putti, or youth, are the subject of the card, in many Golden Dawn tarot packs. The mid-20th century Golden Dawn pack The Hermetic Tarot, associated the sun with Heru-Ra-Ha. Flowers are often present, responding with photosynthesis. The Rose is in the center of the sun. This rose appears all over the place, in the Golden Dawn cards. I’ll explain what I think about it just this once, and then leave it alone. It isn’t a remarkable symbol, but it is prevalent. So prevalent, that one could waste a lot of time wondering just what all of the emphasis on the silly thing is. It’s not as important as it’s made out to be, and, is just a device that became popular, to symbolize certain ideas about the pure essence of Vitriol, and subjects pertaining to Cabbala (the Christianized Jewish Kabbala as opposed to Hermetic Qabbala). One can also see a poor facsimile between its more contrived forms and Eastern magickal symbols, such as Tibetan Thangkas (the cosmos on Mahakala’s belly or the cosmic tortoise’s back for example) We’ve dispensed entirely with it in this deck, because it is too stupid to continue to be used by serious students of the occult today, and because it was never necessary before the 17th century. Far too much emphasis is placed on it, and the Rosicrucians and Golden Dawn alike are apologists, without ever actually explaining plainly what it is, so that we’re left to assume it’s a vagina or something. If in the unlikely case it is supposed to be the blood red head of Orpheus-Apollo-Dionysus, then one is left to wonder why they can’t explain that by now, to everyone in the 20th-21st centuries.
Thoth: Surprisingly perhaps, Crowley changed very little about The Sun, it reflects the same imagery hundreds of other packs over the centuries have used, in The Golden Dawn. The scallops of the rose are there, in the center of the sun, and the kids are still butt naked, symbolizing pure innocence. Crowley waxes melancholy over the state of the world in the text, and given the fact he was bisexual, this is unsurprising, given Lady Harris’s unfair reproach of homosexuals and Modern Art, in the correspondence letters of the Thoth pack. Perhaps he was trying to teach her a lesson.
At first glance, the hexagrams seem tumultuous. Difficulty at the Beginning in Air signifies new growth, birth and new ventures. Youthful Folly in Fire reinforces the idea of a toddler, or child. In Water and Earth we have the idea of a young nation, or a teenager. So the general idea of The Sun is of youth. This is closely aligned with the force and energy of Hermes. It could not be more in tune with the old imagery. The bright spring growth and children, are a perfect match. Again, Mutational Alchemy is validated as a behemoth in the occult, that will continue to batter down old stereotypes and build new and lasting connections with all of the old, authentic systems of the occult.
In Youthful Folly we have a description, from Confucius, that indicates the annoyance an old sage has, with a young and inexperienced neophyte, with no discipline. The young thing has not learned the value of “Perseverance Furthers.” In this, we are reminded that the Sun is like a Father, very ancient and strong. It does not deign to talk to the young or foolish, but only speaks to people when it is very important that they listen to what it has to say. One needs to be modest and receptive to it, when it talks. The Sun can represent any kind of teacher, from a parent, or grandparent, or even the star Sol itself, which does have a high intelligence, as one can find out for themselves. Even more than these attributes, Youthful Folly tells us to be thoughtful, and thorough. “If you are not going to do something right, don’t do it at all” as the old saying goes. While this is not true at the best of times, in this case, it is really sound advice, except it would be better if it said “If you are not doing something right, persevere until you get it right.”
Difficulty at the Beginning seems to only serve to reinforce the advice from Youthful Folly, without the young ones. It tells us again to persevere, and do things in the right way, but acknowledges especially difficult situations, and tells us to get helpers.
In the Water Hex #50, The Cauldron, we have the enticing promise of a reward. There is something worth having, at the end of the labor and the frustration. It also tells us that the work itself is the good fortune, like The Great Work. Furthermore, 50 is the number of Nuit and has a connection to the star nature of Man. Here to, is a warning to be correct. “Thus the superior man consolidates his fate; By making his position correct.” (Richard Wilhelm, Cary Baynes, The I Ching Princeton University Press) The image is of a fire, over wood. One can learn more about the nature of this image by building, tending and watching an actual fire.
The combative Hex #49 Revolution is the image of Fire below Lake, it’s a steamy and tumultuous mess. But here is the alchemical process, and the work being fulfilled. It has a special connection to actual political upheaval. The pentagram is supremely life-affirming, and may be a clue to the nature of the revolution. it is for life, fighting entropy, like the sun blazing in the darkness.
The Scene: The sun is the symbol of the brightest natural object in the human world. The splendor of universal form is expressed here. The Sun was considered to be the giver of life in temperate climes, and the bringer of death in the desert, so that the archetypes of the sun historically seem to gravitate towards local opinion. In Egypt however, the Sun was universally regarded as good, and no sinister qualities were ever attached to it, unless it was attributed to one of his two “eye daughters”, the Goddess Sekhmet and consort of Ptah.
The sun bears down at a noon position, over the black abyss, filling the receptive with life and light. The scarab is an ancient symbol of the sun, bearing it across the sky in Egyptian mythology. A particular kind of scarab, the dung beetle, of which there are several species, rolls a ball of dung across the ground for food storage, or, for a brooding ball. To this day, the scarab is one of the most helpful creatures in agriculture. This act of rolling a ball across the desert is repeated in Egyptian art, with the ball representing the sun. The hieroglyphic image of the scarab is also important in Egyptian culture. It has various meanings, generally interpreted as “transformation,” although, this is not the full extent of the word’s meaning. The scarab was also represented as the head of Kheper.
During the creation of the painting I accidentally invoked Kheper, while researching scarabs on Wikipedia. The energy was very good, ancient and fiery. It primarily centered on the left side of my cranium, which indicated a masculine energy, typical of the sun. Easy, vivid and accurate invocations stumbled upon by happy accident, are hallmarks of the star language we are pioneering here. The spontaneity of the encounter can be totally natural yet as delightful as encountering a wolf in the forest on a hike or having a butterfly land on one’s hand.
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Post by Susurrator on May 14, 2019 23:59:43 GMT
Atu XX: The Aeon
Letter: ש Shin (Sh)
Number: 300
Proximity: Sephira #8 (Hod) to Sephira #10 (Malkuth)
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #31 "Perpetual" – Water of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder (Above/Below,) Earth of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim said behold I have given you"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #27: 頤 (I) Corners of the Mouth / Providing Nourishment
(Lower left) Air: Hex #27: 頤 (I) Corners of the Mouth / Providing Nourishment
(Upper left) Water: Hex #28: 大過 (Ta Kuo) Preponderance of the Great
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #28: 大過 (Ta Kuo) Preponderance of the Great
Keywords (Dignified): Era, Time, Epoch, Age, Procession, Continuity, Mechanism, Adjudication, Adjustment, Judgment, Recurrence, Revolution, Reincarnation, Scrutiny, Accountability, Current, Tenor, Spirit, Collective Consciousness
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Outdatedness, Ignorance, Karmic Issues, Reparations, Consequences
Interpretations
Historical: Traditionally referred to as The Last Judgement, the old decks show the dead rising from their graves, to answer the call of God in Heaven. Some decks show an angel, instead of God. Because of its overt Christian connotations, a lot of weird meanings have been attached to the card, over the years, including the idea that there is a council of elders waiting in the sky, to judge all of us after death, or, that it represents a guardian angel or something. The whole thing is creepy and must be discarded. While the old image of a council of Gods waiting in the chamber of Ma’at isn’t so bad, it was taken within the framework of an entire system built on a cohesive dialectic of magick that was intact and formed the basis of religion in ancient Egypt.
Golden Dawn: Called, The Last Judgement, The Spirit of the Primal Fire, The Last Judgement card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacals Taurus, Leo, Aquarius and Scorpio and places between Sephira #9 (Yesod) and Sephira #10 (Malkuth) in the Golden Dawn system.
Thoth: Crowley names the card the Aeon, and this is the standard we have adopted, as well. He himself states, that it, “has been necessary to depart completely from the tradition of the cards, in order to carry on that tradition.” He explains the shape of the elbows of the messengers, as forming the letter Shin, meaning, apocalypse by fire. It is interesting what he says next: “This (apocalypse by fire,) was accomplished in the year of the vulgar era, 1904, when the fiery god Horus, took the place of the airy god Osiri,s in the East, as Hierophant.” Nuit, as the vault of heaven, Hadit as a fiery globe, and Heru-ra-ha, the introverted form of Ra Hoor Khut, is shown. He advises us to study the events around the world, 2,100 years ago, the onset of the Age of Osiris.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: It did not seem necessary to stay bound to any Earth-centric ideology, so the Aeon is represented in a more universal form, that of Abrahadabra, with the Secret Chiefs highlighted, and Ptah, the grand architect, standing behind it all, smiling. Here also, is Ra Hoor Khut and Heru Ra Ha. But it is free from all earthly conflict and stripped of any connection to Christian ideology.
We have a set of reciprocal inverse hexagrams on this card, #27 Corners of the Mouth, with the male elements, and #28 Preponderence of the Great, with the female Elements.
The first hexagram warns against one’s misuse of words. It is perhaps a commentary on the fickleness and treachery of words themselves, which, in mankind, rarely transcend human boundaries to reach universal truth. Instead, we are best off using genuine feeling and geometry, than to try and repair a conflict, or problem with mere words.
Preponderance of the Great shows us a scenario where things have passed their breaking point, in the lines attributed to Confucius. The sages (the older text,) are more concerned with showing us an example of a superior man, who is unconcerned with standing alone, or renouncing the world. He is like Ptah, in the sense that he can find a place in his or her being where no ties, attachments and worldly distractions can influence him enough, so that he ever makes the mistake of forsaking his True Will.
The Aeons are all about the Will of Heaven as it pertains to the economics of Life in general. This is a priority to superior people, but as for inferior people, they don’t care about it. This is injustice, or I should say, it is the source of injustice.
The Scene: The Aeon is thought of in terms of a set amount of years, anywhere from 1,000, to 2,000, as with the astrological ages. This concept may be incorrect, taken at face value. While stronger currents of one aeon or another may indeed exist, time at the level of the tree of life may be more of a Euclidean concept. While we may be living, in say, the year 1997, with another human, we are actually “looking back at them,” in time, from the Aeon of Ra Hoor Khut into the Aeon of some other ruler. We see hints of this all the time in stories, and cultural phenomenon. Avalon was one such example, said to be a place of timelessness, dedicated to the mother goddess of what is now Western Europe, destroyed by the shadow of Christianity – a manifestation of the Aeon of Pisces, or Osiris as Crowley refers to it.
As an individual can learn to navigate the tree, so too, can one participate in future, or prior aeons. The idea that the aeon is a genetic timeline, is also feasible – where one unlocks certain doors only with the right genetic markers in place. Everything that makes us who we are, is affected by DNA structure, so it is not difficult to imagine this is also being affected by the Aeonic trends.
In many cultures, the idea of the divine “culling” certain humans, while leaving others behind to live, (or die, alternately) is a religious theme, complete with its own art, rituals, dogma and stories.
The journey of the shamanic involves casting off old shells, as frequently as needed, – failure to let go of attachments can lead to distorted and stunted growth. Progressive movement through the aeons may be indicated by a child not being able to comply with its parent’s wishes, for one example of a common situation we see in everyday life. The parents may see it as defiance, the child may see it as rejection, when it is only an example of aeonic divergence and the conflicts and tension this necessarily incites.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 0:00:38 GMT
Atu XXI: The Universe
Letter: ת Tau (Th)
Number: 400
Proximity: Sephira #9 (Yesod) to Sephira #10 (Malkuth)
Ruling Pentagram:
Pent #32 "Serving" – Water of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth (Above/Below) Water of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth (Without/Within)
Berashith: "Elohim saw all that He had made"
Corner Hexagrams:
(Upper right) Fire: Hex #23: 剝 (Po) Splitting Apart
(Lower left) Air: Hex #24: 復 (Fu) Return / The Turning Point
(Upper left) Water: Hex #44: 姤 (Kou) Coming to Meet
(Lower right) Earth: Hex #43: 夬 (Kuai) Resoluteness / Breakthrough
Keywords (Dignified): Culmination, Completion, Destination, Closure, Kingdom, Finalization, Accomplishments, Recognition, Coordination, Synergy, Wholism, Solidification, Materialization, Unification, Perfection, Liberation, Kundalini
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Antisocialism, Shortsightedness, Shallowness, Vanity, Ungrounded, Lost, Petty
Interpretations
Historical: Called The World, in the older decks, the ATU represents the physical world we live in and all of its glorious variety. It does not, however, relate to the planet itself or its ecosystem specifically, but to the actual structure of the World, some of it made by humans and other parts of it made by the invisible world. This ATU, is the culmination of all previous ATU and the final destination of the Fool. The four corners are filled with the beasts of revelation, that surround the throne of God. It is supposed that the nearly naked figure is a hermaphrodite, though, the groin is usually covered, so one cannot tell. There is a wreath, or ouroboros, surrounding everything. The wreath often represents a serpent, where serpent symbology is viewed with suspicion by the vulgar, especially Christians. It represents desire fulfilled, or one’s true desire.
Golden Dawn: Called The Universe, The Great One of the Night of Time, The Universe card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacals, Taurus, Leo, Aquarius and Scorpio and places between Sephira #9 (Yesod) and Sephira #10 (Malkuth) in the Golden Dawn system.
Thoth: Also called The Universe, in the Thoth, the card is a depiction of a hermaphrodite or shemale, dancing with a serpent, which is capturing the light, from the all-seeing eye of God.
What is the golden framed structure in the below? This seems to be a holographic illusion, perhaps indicating the Samsaric nature of Universe itself, and of our world, created through the machinations of Man’s mind and vision. Harris has made a really excellent serpent out of the wreath, exhibiting the signs of a grid or network, as seen on the Hierophant card of our own tarot pack. This, before any sort of ideas of computers had emerged, and it conjures visions of Tron, Bladerunner and the Matrix.
The scene is shaped like the Vesica Pisces, the universal sign for the all-mother or Magna Mater, the sign of the great vaginal canal which we are still rooted in. The eye of God looks out to us from within this cosmic vaginal vault, and appears to devour the black crescent moon the hermaphrodite holds. There is No God but Man.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Our Universe is decidedly female, and the serpent, is male. There is no need to divide the serpent from God, since it is *our* God, or as similar a being to God, as we will ever permit in Mutational Alchemy - this is not to say there are not others, but the format of Gods, is a transmutable thing, not some single person, that drifts about in the heavens, managing things microscopically. The silly corner animals have been dispensed with entirely, they are already there in the hexagrams if you like. This card has always been a victim of stupid and ill-wrought scenes, with the exception of the Thoth tarot and the very old Visconti packs, where it is properly shown as being the alembic of Godhead, a centrifuge, or mere plaything.
In Hex #23: 剝 (Po) Splitting Apart, we have the centrifuge. This is the number of Discord and Eris for the Chaotes and Discordians among us. The hexagram is about major and unavoidable, upheaval. It is, perhaps, the nature of the world to be in turmoil. Hex #24: 復 (Fu) Return / The Turning Point follows Splitting Apart, here we have a reticent student, returning to a teacher, or a wayward lover, returning to her paramour, or someone who has lost their True Will’s path, returning to it. In #44, the element of Water is shown, as a powerful maiden, who is not beneficial to the advancement of a person. It may be she has her own agenda. This comes back to the idea of a universal alembic, where the two male and female parts are sorting out issues, and kinks.
Finally, in Hex #43: 夬 (Kuai) Resoluteness / Breakthrough, warns against trying to hold on to anything. It is an image of death, here. The man must dispense of all he owns, as he passes to the other side. There are no material objects in the other world. This is terrifying, to some people, as it should be. Most people squander their lives and rest on their laurels. The universe therefore, has an ominous aspect. True desire, it seems, is well hidden from our lower animal base natures.
The Scene: The Universe is depicted seated in the Tree of Life, surrounded by the Orobouros. Like Devi, who is said to manifest in, and as, young girls (one of the foundational precepts of the Shakti cult,) the Universe is depicted as a young, prepubescent, girl. This attribution is not only Vedic - the Coast Salish peoples with whom the artist and author has relatives with, also regard young pure girls as sacred, and use their hair to decorate their most sacred magickal instruments. Similar rites are certainly to be found elsewhere on the planet. Shakti is a serpent, but here, the masculine force is both the tree and the serpent as the Ouroboros. The species is modelled after the Woma, an Australian species, equated to the Rainbow Serpent. Serpents have a long history in religious iconography, such as in Judaism, where they were venerated for a very long time as the Nachash, or in Hinduism, where the Lord of the Ego, Ananta, supports entire universe, to Zuni beliefs ,where the Serpent is the fertile father-protector of the people and the waters. The Ouroboros symbolizes the constant renewal and self sustaining nature of Universe. The Universe is sufficient first cause unto itself, requiring no other creator. This form of the creation is similar to the model in Kabbalah, where an infinite, never beginning and never ending light, Ain Soph Aur, self creates the vast pocket of space that contains the physical universe, in its entirety. It is here that the light develops into the Supreme Personality of Godhead, called Elohim, by the Jews, Krsna by the Indians and so on and so forth. This masculine god has a counterpart, in the emptiness created through this action, the container herself. Devi is said to be most accurately portrayed as a jar, as a young girl, or as clay, especially a clay idol. It is the jar, or alembic form, that summarizes the nature of The Universe, in the context of totality - that is, what is outside Universe, as well as within - Ain Soph Aur, the Boundless Light and the Boundless.
The card is highly auspicious, but like all of the cards, it carries with it the hint of boundaries. Knowing the boundaries of a space, or situation, allows one to break out of and into different worlds and universes.
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