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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:23:27 GMT
Ace of Staves
Historical Title: Root of the Powers of Fire
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #1 – Fire of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #1 (乾 Qián), The Creative
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Fire (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Neptune (Kether, Crown)
Tantric Root/Aspiration: Yang Descending / Deiseil
Keywords: Primordial Fire, Creative Inspiration, Spiritual Cognition, Material Ignition New ideas, Birth, Creativity, Virility, Power, Masculinity, Heat, Passion
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Aborted, Repression, Stillness, Danger, Drudgery, Menace, Indignation, Horror, Ending, Torture, Lack of Energy
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ace of Wands Lord of the Root of the Power of Fire, the Ace of Wands card corresponds to Sephira #1 (Kether,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A large, phallic wand, is on fire. The hand holding it, emerges from a cloud of fire. Rays of light descend from above.
Thoth: Crowley sticks closely to the Golden Dawn tradition, in all of his imagery, but adds his own vital panache to the scenes. The Ace of wands is no exception. Here, we find ten foxtail-like arabesques, emerging from a rod charged with red and green lightning. Green is the universal alchemical symbol of life and red of fire. Gold, represents the solar fire. Green and Gold together, are the traditional colors of Alchemy. The geometry of the torch itself, is distorted, but interesting, almost inferring the shape of the Hidden Diamond! Alas, it would be another hundred years at least before The Abrahadabra Institute gave it its due recognition and so, we’ll never know what Aleister might have thought of the similarity.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The colors of the Thoth Ace are here, but the geometry is far less murky and actually, have significant meaning in The Hidden Diamond Sutra. Since life is most recognizable when it is presented in a representational way, at least for humans, Izi and I have elected to use plants and animals.
Here, in the small cards, the hexagram signifiers have changed. This was done for two reasons: chiefly, to get people outside of the thought box that the hexagrams are always signified by line stacks, which was never true, even in ancient China, and secondly, to provide a quick way of analyzing a card, to determine if it was a small, or ATU, since they are all illustrated with scenes, instead of repetitive symbols.
These sorts of packs are terribly lazy, since, even The Golden Dawn managed to give the dry stacks of numbered suite elements signifying quirks and activities, within their otherwise bland composition.
The ruling Hexagram of the Ace of Staves is Qian, Heaven, the first Hexagram. The triangle and the circle, Man’s most primeval geometry, are found as the signifiers of the Trigrams and Bigrams, composing the Hexagram. The triangles point up, representing the bigram Fire, or Li, while the circles of the Trigrams represent Heaven above and Heaven below, as in the Taoist system.
Fire’s inclination is to descend, and so, the lightning bolt of the Three Worlds is directed down. The placement on the Tree of Life for the Aces, is at Kether, thus, this is Fire of Neptune or Poseidon if you prefer. In Qabbalah, it may seem curious, but Zeus is not the ruler of the Gods, rather he is more of an active Father principle at work in the world, where Neptune or Poseidon, is the Secret Emperor, in Heaven above. This may take some getting used to, but it is accurate and often overlooked, and it doesn’t diminish the planetary or the god Zeus-Jupiter in the slightest.
The Scene: Life is the dominion of Fire, and often through its destructive characteristics, its burning characteristics seem prominent, it is through life that Fire reveals its purest and most intimate nature. So it is that the auspicious Aces reveal a depiction of fire as the progenitor of life and the owner of the domain of the lightning worlds, the highest heavens. Hardy and predatory species were chosen to outline Fire's special influence in life. Beetles are living symbols of Kephri, the Morning Sun and the scorpion is the feminine counterbalance, the goddess Ishhara or Serket. The great Hidden Diamond is the underlying order of entire universe, its mysterious and sharp angles support the Da'ath coordinate, to which many strange and unexplainable attributes have been pointed out by countless mages, over hundreds of years. It is most especially tuned to fire, as it is the generating element of the entire physical universe, including all three of the remaining elements of Water, Air, and Earth. Therefore, the serpent is assigned to the Ace of Pentacles, as there is, traditionally, always a serpent in the tree of life, who represents the supreme ultimate controller of consciousness that permeates all universes and realities.
Ace of Blades
Historical Title: Root of the Powers of Air
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #1 – Fire of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #1 (乾 qián), The Creative
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Fire (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Neptune (Kether, Crown)
Tantric Root/Aspiration: Yang Ascending / Deiseil
Keywords: New beginnings, Mental Acuity, Justice, Perseverance, Truth, Understanding, Strength, Intelligence
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Gossip, Stupidity, Fear, Escapism, Nervousness, Anger, Insanity, Ineloquence
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ace of Swords Lord of the Root of the Powers of Air, The Ace of Swords card corresponds to Sephira #1 (Kether,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A single sword is shown piercing a crown. The hand holding it emerges from the clouds. A feather and a fruitful branch flank the sword.
Thoth: Correctly identified as the Vau of Tetragrammaton, Crowley goes on further to insult it of course and underestimate it, but at least he acknowledges it as all-embracing, all-wandering, all-penetrant and all-consuming afterwards. He notes “set in motion by its Father and Mother, its power is manifestly terrific” and “Mercury, also most properly the Breath of Life, the Word, the Logos itself.”
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: One might ask, why the Hidden Diamond Sutra is on every single Ace card, and the answer lies in the fact that the Aces are nothing less than the doctrine of Tetragrammaton, as mentioned by Crowley, over a century ago. The Hidden Diamond is comprised of 16 paths, the general number of Tetragrammaton with 4 cardinal elements of Heaven, multiplied by the 4 cardinal elements of Earth. The Hidden Diamond constitutes the driving active force of the Tree of Life. With the triple 4:4 count, (see my article The Da’ath Hack) and its crossing of Da’ath, it can effectively flood the Seat of Knowledge, with the full force of the ternary Tetragrammaton. This makes it exceptionally good contender for the subject of all of the Aces, comprising the generating seed of the entirety of their respective element.
Here, on the Ace of Blades, we find as one might expect, Pentagram #1, indicating its authority as the Alpha of Vau. This, is the same Hexagram and Pentagram found on all of the Aces.
Air’s instinct and urge is to “Ascend” as the principle of Levity and so its lightning bolt is ascending. The Planetary is Neptune of course, planet of Kether (Crown).
The Scene: The Hidden Diamond sits amongst the newly forming universe, where Air is coming into being through the union of Fire and Water. Here, the element is represented by the delicate black butterfly, which symbolizes the frolicking and clever nature of mind and thought which defines Air's special qualities. Levity, is that magick of Air, that makes it especially important to Alchemy. The two interplaying mercurial elements of Air and Earth sport the colors of Alchemy, green and gold, in this tarot. The planet represents ideas and the formulation of Earth, its sister element, showing the special relationship they have. In the above, a white light is the hint of Fire, the Father from which the Son, Air, emerges, while below, the clouds represent the Mother or Water.
Ace of Pentacles
Historical Title: Root of the Powers of Earth
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #1 – Fire of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #2 (坤 kūn), The Receptive
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Water (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Neptune (Kether, Crown)
Tantric Root/Aspiration: Yin Ascending / Widdershins
Keywords: Stability, Abundance, Prosperity, Practicality, Trust, Reliability, Safety, Health, Wealth, Longevity, Consolidation
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Frustration, Stagnation, Overwhelming Situation, Stubbornness, Disaster, Environmental danger
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ace of Pentacles, Lord of the Root of the Powers of Earth, The Ace of Pentacles card corresponds to Sephira #1 (Kether,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A single disk, crowned with a winged disc, with a cross in the center, is surrounded by flowers on branches, held by a hand emerging from a cloud.
Thoth: Crowley contradicts all of his degradation of Earth by proclaiming that "The old conception of the Earth as a passive, immobile, even dead, even "evil" element, had to go." But this is curious, inasmuch as, not only does he incorrectly assign passivity to such active stations as The Empress and some of the Court cards, he then goes on to compare spring to the dying god Osiris mythos, which was only ever popular in the much degraded religion of Egypt and not in the original godforms of Kemet, such as Ptah, the true Ra and the original Heru (Hrw), who had nothing to do with Isis or Osiris.
The sigil of the Prince Priest, The Beast, is at the center of this stunningly beautiful painting, and the six wings surrounding it represent Sol and Terra conjoined, and Crowley suggests you might understand this if you hermitage in the Sahara, where “Sun and Earth can soon be instinctively recognized as living Beings, one’s constant companions, in a Universe of Pure Joy.”
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Here, the Hexagram is denoted by the downward pointing triangle of Kun, Earth for the bigrams and the trigrams are squares, a traditional Chinese attribution for Earth. Earth’s natural inclination is to ascend, so the lightning bolt is travelling upwards. The upwards flowing energy is more unstable than the downward, it is easier to assimilate downward flowing energy than Earth ascending. (Compare this with the overblown horror stories of the Kundalini Shakti.)
In the element/planet we have Earth of Neptune. The card represents the union of high and low, God and Man, or God and Goddess. Therefore, a desert much like the Sahara is shown with a lone obelisk etched with the TwinStar. It could be on any planet, it could be on Mars.
The Scene: Winds, her brother Air, blow over the sands, the element of Earth. The sea of sand also echoes the element's origins in Water, the Mother. A mysterious obelisk hints at the nature of Earth as the place where everything that is important, in the manifest universe happens and is made special. Earth is the ultimate goal that necessitates all the other elements. Earth is all about hidden potential and what can be revealed, through the sands of time, from literal material sand, to the shifting of ideas and perspectives. Always hard work and perseverance is necessary to attain any of the promises Earth holds, but they are great rewards. The stars above represent the distant Fire that created all.
Ace of Alembics
Historical Title: Root of the Powers of Water
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #1 – “Fire of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #2 (坤 kūn), The Receptive
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Water (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Neptune (Kether, Crown)
Tantric Root/Aspiration: Yin Descending / Widdershins
Keywords: Love, The Abyss, Fertility, Change, Intimacy, Emotion, Creativity, Peace, Calm, Receptivity
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Loss, Sorrow, Despair, Hopelessness, Death, Entropy, Fixation, Trapped
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ace of Cups, Lord of the Root of the Powers of Water, The Ace of Cups card corresponds to Sephira #1 (Kether) in the Golden Dawn system. It does not have any angelic correspondences, but could perhaps be associated to Godhead.
Water lilies and other flowers grow at the bottom of the card, and a single white angelic hand holding an overflowing cup is depicted.
Thoth: Crowley states that the card's painting represents "the element of Water in its most secret and original form." Plainly we can see it's a uterus, or the "Holy Grail." Around it is an elegant faux "French curl," marbled paper pattern. This seems to emit from The Rose. Crowley would like us to think of wine, or blood, when we think of the Ace of Cups. Then he ruins it all, by telling us the Holy Ghost is diving into the mix, so the whole idea is off putting.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Like the Ace of Pentacles, the Hexagram is Kun, instead of Qian, and its Trigrams and Tiered Bigrams reveal this in their descending triangles and squares.
Water of Neptune signifies hominess, for the God of the planet is of course lord of the Ocean. The descending nature of the lightning bolt betrays the Mother’s gentler nature, and alludes to her Heavenly nature, as well as hydrogen and Nuit.
The Scene: The element of Water holds and protects everything within it, like the Great Mother. It also represents Memory and preserves the good while purifying the bad. The cleansing nature of water is well known amongst Indian sages, as the water of the Ganges, even though it is the most polluted river in the world, it is considered sacred and able to purify evil. The Ace of Alembics can do this, and more. It carries the power of infinite possibility, and brings out the best in all of the other elements. The ammonite and the goldfish represent Air and Earth, the two children of Water and Fire, represented by the Dragon, on the grail. This symbolism reminds us that Water, the Mother is reborn through Earth, the Daughter. As Nuit said, "I am divided for Love's sake for the chance of Union."
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:26:14 GMT
Two of Staves: Dominion
Historical Title: Lord of Dominion
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #2 “Illuminating”– Fire of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “and the ruach of Elohim”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #44 (姤 gòu), Coming to Meet
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Fire (Middle), Air (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Uranus (Chokmah, Wisdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mars in Aries
Keywords: Achievement, Commitment, Potency, Endeavors, Confidence, Vision, Personal Power, Initiative
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Impotence, Blockades, Suppression, Newbie, Uncoordinated
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called Two of Wands, Lord of Dominion, the Two of Wands card corresponds to the angels Vehooel and Denyal, the zodiacal Aries and the planetary Aries and places at Sephira #2 (Binah,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A hand amidst flames crushed two wands in its grip, they are topped with Ram’s heads. four torches flank the corners.
Thoth: “The Word and the Will,” is what the two always represent, says Crowley, in his The Tarot of the Egyptians. Here, he states that the dorje represents “the destructive,” rather than “creative,” dorje, which is incorrect. His readership at the time possibly had no way to fact check his proclamations, and one must be on guard with him at all times to make sure he is not trying to fill in the blanks, with assumptions. After a while, one gets used to it, and I can even recognize when he is doing it. The dorje is a fascinating symbol, found in facsimiles on the prehistoric British Isles even, and in the petroglyphs of ancient China, of course. It has many layered and hidden meanings, but essentially represents the universe itself, in the Buddhist paradigm. Enlightenment hits us at any time, like a lightning bolt.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: In Mutational Alchemy, the dorje is shorthand for bigrammaton and tetragrammaton, in its two and four fold forms. The trappings of ceremonial Buddhism are unnecessary for Mutational Alchemy practice, they are optional, like all of the other religions on earth. Here, we have the warrior Lord of Thebes, Khensu, who is associated with the moon and war. The wands he carries represent human life, the serpent for female and the frog for male.
In the tiered bigrams, we have an Air sign, following under two Fire signs. This is a child of Fire, who remains filial. The Logos or Vau principle, is strong in him. In the trigrams, there is Qian, Heaven in the above and Sun, the Penetrating, in the below, #44, Coming to Meet.
The situation is dangerous and although Khensu is the right divinity for the job, many others will fail to achieve synthesis and control. The situation is as dangerous as the crocodiles infer. One might complain about your methods, or attitude, but there will be no regret in the end, if you deny those with ulterior motives and dishonest natures. People addicted to socializing, frivolous talk, gaiety, impropriety of various sorts and those who seek friends quickly when they hardly know a person are at great risk in the situation this card infers. A Hermit, a wise man, a loner, a scholar, will do a little better. A warrior with the mind of a commander will do best. Ambition is not a vice here, if it is completely selfish to universal ends. The center of the Dorje. The people will dislike, even despise, or hate, one who has the proper authority of this card. It lays all of their insecurities bare and invites none of the weaknesses they foster, or fall prey to. So, social awkwardness might be indicated.
The essence of the card is of perfect cooperation with the creative will of Heaven, as shown by Fire of Ouranos. The Emperor is inferred by Mars of Aries, a strong militaristic and ruthless force, is nigh at hand. " I am the Lord of the Double Wand of Power; the wand of the Force of Coph Nia--but my left hand is empty, for I have crushed an Universe; & nought remains." (LAVL 3:72)
The Scene: The fierce, warrior lord of Thebes, is Khensu, the son of Amun Ra. this god was chosen to be the face of the supreme ultimate reality or Godhead in this scene, with the unbound force, fire and will that goes along with that personality. Shown with his traditional iconography, the added wands represent male and female, the first primeval forces, feminine serpents and masculine frogs. Ra is the primeval will and force of Fire made manifest, in a personality.
The disc centered in the crescent moon is the universal pagan symbol of the masculine aspect of god, sometimes called the Horned God. Here it represents the moon god in his aspect as the apex of lunar and solar power. The moon was considered to be the night time sun by the ancient Kemetic people and symbolized the immense power of the eternal solar god, Amun Ra.
In this god's name there are clues to be found that correlate with the Book of the Law, in that Khensu also means "To move in various directions". The line "Come unto me is a foolish word: for it is I that go" by Had mirrors this word puzzle, and he corresponds to Khensu by other lines in the first chapter, and we are informed, from the very start, we are introduced to the warrior Lord of Thebes as the one who speaks for Nuit. He is helping her in the revelation of her existence and as her tongue, the one who speaks for her. The first and second chapter are both ‘spoken’ by Had, even if Nuit is being translated for us, by him. Her mind is that of a mathematician.
The time of the middle of the lunar month was called by the Kemetic people, "The uniting of the two bulls," and the dual nature of the lunar/solar masculine god of light is certainly reflected in both The Winged Serpent of Light, consort of the star goddess, and Ra Hoor Khut, the vengeful warrior god who is also known as Montu and here, Khensu. As a dual god he is more powerful, and complete, and represents the full mass of his strength. The crocodiles he has complete and perfect control over, and who uphold his rule represent the greatness of death, and also the great primeval mother. Tiamat in the Sumerian cosmology, Ammit in the Kemetic.
Two of Blades: Peace
Historical: Lord of Peace Restored
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #2 “Illuminating”– Fire of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “and the ruach of Elohim”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #43 (夬 guài), Break-through (Resoluteness)
Tiered Bigrams: Earth (Above), Fire (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Uranus (Chokmah, Wisdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Moon in Libra
Keywords: Truce, Caution, Analysis, Pause, Hesitation, Calm, Rationality, Peril
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Indifference, Cowardice, Stagnation, Overwhelmed, Insufficiency
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Two of Swords Lord of Peace Restored, the Two of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Luna and the zodiacal Libra, as well as the angels Yezalel and Mebahel and places at Sephira #2 (Chokmah,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Two hands emerge from clouds, each holding a sword, crossing beneath The Rose. Two crescent moons are at the top and bottom. A double headed dagger, is below. A bright solar disc shines behind it all.
Thoth: The opinion here, is that the influence of Binah is somewhat sinister, representing the abyss and the darkness of an eternal night. This may be due to the rule of Saturn in Libra, where Binah is manifest powerfully, in her aspect as a bringer of Justice. The Sephiroth is, after all, the master of Geburah.
He tells us to study the 14th Aethyr carefully. “There come into the stone a white goat, a green dragon, and a tawny bull. But they pass away immediately. There is a veil of such darkness before the Aethyr that it seems impossible to pierce it. But there is a voice saying: Behold, the Great One, of the Night of Time, stirreth, and with his tail he churneth up the slime, and of the foam thereof shall he make stars. And in the battle of the Python and the Sphinx shall the glory be to the Sphinx, but the victory to the Python.” (The Vision and the Voice, Crowley ch. 14) The serpent could be Apophis as he suggests: “here is an all-glorious Angel before me, standing in the sign of Apophis and Typhon. On his Forehead is a star, but all about him is darkness, and the crying of beasts. And there are lamps moving in the darkness.” but just as easily, it could signify the beneficent Ananta Adi Sesha.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Two of Blades is a mix of interesting symbols. There is the Hexagram itself, which seems to signify the need for urgent action. Something terrible is about the happen, and the military will not be of any use. The evil cannot be pointed out, or fought directly. This only empowers it and weakens us.
In the tiered bigrams we have two fire elements rising up to meet the lone Air element at the top. The image is of being nurtured. Air has a sinister quality, which is influenced positively by Old Yang, that is, Fire. The source of the evil in this card may be the progeny of the Mother, Vau itself, but it is immortal and cannot be dispelled only transmuted, perhaps by evacuating from it and letting it play itself out.
The trigrams seem to indicate Heaven supporting Lake, and this confirms our suspicion, that the female principle is seeking assistance from the Male principle, but at the same time, this is the source of the problem, just as in a pregnancy. Vau, in and of itself has a tendency to be monstrous and problematic, if by the sheer diversity of its possible forms in matter. The Mother often gets blamed for its “evil” even by Crowley, but it is the genius of Vau, working through her from the Father, that is the actual culprit. Contrast this reality with the absurdities of the Christian churches in blaming Eve for everything and clearly their dogma must be thrown on its head.
The Scene: The King of Heaven and the Queen of Infinite Space are are found here in the sanctuary of bliss and love, which can be found when the Two of Blades vibrates Logos in its purest state (ie, not ill-dignified.) There is a perfect balance of feminine and masculine energy at play, symbolized by the king and queen but also by the peacocks, who are enjoying themselves and displaying their natural plumage. These are a reflection of the double phoenix, or lord of the horizon, found in all of the "two" small cards.
Neither of them rest easy in the certainty that peace is unshakeable. Harmony requires work and diligence to maintain the balance of energy. Any misstep could lead down the long but deceptively easy path to complete ruin, the tenth aspect of Blades.
Chokmah's influence in the Air element is clearly present, with the masculine force, Yin, or Heaven, enthroned amongst fluffy clouds, rising out of the Great Ocean, The Great Mother, Binah, pooled at his feet.
Two of Pentacles: Change
Historical: Lord of Harmonious Change
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #2 “Illuminating”– Fire of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “and the ruach of Elohim”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #24 (復 fù), Return (The Turning Point)
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Water (Middle), Earth (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Uranus (Chokmah, Wisdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Jupiter in Capricorn
Keywords: Splendour, Beauty, The Chaos Principle, Variety, Fluidity, Motion, Balance
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Illusion, Decay, Entropy, Rigidity, Fixation, Inflexibility, Stodginess, Compression
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Two of Pentacles, Lord of Harmonious Change, the Two of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Jupiter, the zodiacal Capricorn, the angels Lekabel and Veshiriah and places at Sephira #2 (Chokmah) in the Golden Dawn system.
An ouroboros in the shape of a figure eight is wrapped around two discs with a cross in the center of each. Clouds fill the background.
Thoth: Although the symbology of the card and the art is quite effective, Crowley tells us little about the inner workings of the card itself. We are left to our own wits and knowledge, in interpreting it for ourselves. The art is elegant, a lemniscate made up of the Ouroboros serpent, who is crowned, surrounds the symbols for Yin and Yang.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: There is stability here, in the single Earth element below two Water elements in the bigrams. One gets the idea of a fertile coral reef or deep ocean vent. In the trigrams we see Chen, the Arousing, Thunder, under Kun, the Receptive, Earth. This indicates a kind of restless movement, protected by the Earth. The hexagram is called Fu, Return or The Turning Point. The text talks about the earthquakes that happen during certain seasons, where the rulers do not travel and the dangerous mountain passes are closed. (This is an exciting coincidence, considering Ouranos rules earthquakes.) The idea of the Return, comes with a warning, if one doesn’t catch the moment at the right time (“Opportunity only knocks once!”) then decades can pass with misfortune. Any kind of pass and return is relevant, including the Saturn return. The most important thing to remember, is to act as soon as the time comes to do so.
In Earth of Ouranos, we have the idea of practical ideas, and planning for the future. preparedness and steadiness are fruitful. The slow moving planet is made more concrete with the element of Earth, compounding the consequences of not acting correctly.
Jupiter in Capricorn promises big payoffs in the material world with steady, even handedness in all affairs.
An auspicious card which should benefit any person with good timing.
The Scene: The twin phoenix appears again, this time in the mists of the current scene. This small card has long been an omen of good fortune and fundamental wealth. The goldfish, charming creatures bred for ornamental reasons alone, are chosen for their connection to aesthetic value, the height of wealth. This hints at the shadow of fragility in wealth and its products, that it must be protected or it cannot survive on its own. The orchid, in the meantime, is quite self sufficient, without being plain. The visual feast reveals the true nature of Earth, as concrete and real as it may seem, it is only the master of illusion at play. There is balance in all of the deuces, but here, the balance is described by a pair of perfect pentacles, conjoined, symbolizing eternal rebirth. Gold, the color of luxury and wealth, is chosen as the color, a color of alchemy.
Two of Alembics: Love
Historical: Lord of Love
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #2 “Illuminating”– Fire of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “and the ruach of Elohim”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #23 (剝 bō), Splitting Apart
Tiered Bigrams: Air (Above), Water (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Uranus (Chokmah, Wisdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Venus in Cancer
Keywords: Generosity, Charity, Surrender, Sharing, Harmony, Play, Affection
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Danger, Confusion, Misfortune, Trials, Emotional Infidelity, a Gold Digger
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Two of Cups, The Lord of Love, the Two of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Venus and the zodiacal Cancer, as well as the angels Ayoel and Chabooyah and places at Sephira #2, Chokmah, in the Golden Dawn system.
Dolphins are iconic to this beloved card, and it is to the Golden Dawn that we owe their popularization for it. Many decks feature dolphins on this card, even if they follow Golden Dawn attributions, nowhere else. A hand holding an open lotus is pictured near another lotus spouting streams of water, with the dolphins bathing in the streams.
Thoth: “The Word and the Will” is what the two always represent, says Crowley, in his The Tarot of the Egyptians. The card is seen as receptive, due to its connection to Cancer. He urges us to study the symbology of the dolphin carefully, as it is “very complicated” an idea of the “Royal Art” “peculiarly sacred to Alchemy.” Perhaps he is referring to their connection to Venus and Cupid, or, perhaps he is talking about their outrageous libidos, capacity for interspecies sexuality and ability to fend off sharks and rescue humans. Perhaps we will never know.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: This card has always been associated with love, either with dolphins, or without, and finding the dolphins perfectly suitable, we paired them with Ra, in his phase as Lord of the Horizon. Air above, with two Water bigrams certainly infer the deep ocean and a pleasant sky and breeze above, as in our scene here. The trigrams speak of stability and strength, just as in the relationship of The Lovers, ATU XI.
Ken, the Mountain, easily recognizable as a curving hump, (denoting two broken yins below and a solid horizontal yang above,) over Earth (denoted by the classical Chinese symbol of Earth, the square,) also reinforces this idea of immense strength and stability. This is a highly auspicious card that talks about invincibility, that of a strong lover.
In Water of Ouranos, we find the upheaval and revolution of the chaotic planet in its element, and so this accounts for the auspiciousness of the scene and title.
Venus in Cancer does indicate warmth, love, friendship and goodwill. Care, family and domestic stability will be foremost on the agenda for persons or situations.
The Scene: Dolphins, the symbol of Aphrodite and her son Eros, own the correct symbology to match the planetary correlations, in this card. The double-wanded one, pictured in the previous three Aces, as anthropomorphic, takes shape as the Lord of the Two Horizons, as the setting sun.
The gilded ornamentation on the two dolphins symbolizes love and its gilded grace, that embraces Lovers in the harmony of civilization and beauty. Civilization was founded upon the idea of marriage, as illustrated in countless mythologies, from the tales of Aphrodite, to Fu Hsi and Nu Kua of Chung Kuo. (China)
Dolphins can be charmed with music, something the ancient Greeks knew of. It was forbidden to kill a dolphin and anyone who did so was believed to have been cursed and shunned by the Gods. It is also believed that one who kills a dolphin will curse anyone who shares the same roof with them. (Dolphins, by Chris Canton, Halientica Bk 5)
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:28:22 GMT
Three of Staves: Virtue
Historical: Lord of Established Strength
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #3 "Sanctifying" - Fire of 離 (Li) The Clinging, Fire
Berashith: "And Elohim said "Let there be dawn."”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #13 (同人 tóng rén), Fellowship with Men
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Fire (Middle), Earth (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Saturn (Binah, Understanding)
Planet/Sun Sign: Sol in Aries
Keywords: Stability, Mastery, Perseverance, Determination, Methodology, Honor, Tradition, Patience, Kindliness
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Difficulty, Pressure, Hindrance, Waiting, Foolishness, Sloth
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Three of Wands, Lord of Established Strength, the Three of Wands card corresponds to the planetary Sol and the zodiacal Aries as well as the angels Hechashiah and Aamamiah and places at Sephira #3 (Binah) in the Golden Dawn system.
A hand grasps three crossed wands together. The clouds in the background are issuing flames. A solar disc and a ram's head cap the central staff, while the flanking wands have lotus heads and symbols of the planet and zodiac sign on them.
Thoth: The scene is pleasant and bland, a set of three lotus wands is crossing a ten pointed star, signifying harmony. The sigil of Sol is at the top and the sign of Aries at the bottom. Although Crowley has little to say about the card, he tells us, that in this station, the Sun has “enkindled the Great Mother.” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Crowley 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Once one gets into the small cards, it can be difficult for authors to find anything particularly interesting to say about the cards, especially considering how complex and glamorous the ATU may seem.
This is where Mutational Alchemy grants us an enormous advantage, as we can see from the hex there is a lot more to the card than meets the eyes, historically. The ruling Hexagram is # 13, Fellowship with Men. “The organization of the clans,” as the sages put it, so many thousands of years ago. This calls to mind the intelligent organization of mankind, shifting into a less barbaric landscape and into the mould of great civilizations. Perseverance furthers, but mainly for the “superior man”. The tiger is a highly intelligent, meat-eating, predatory and beautiful animal, much like Man. It is a good signifier for Fire in the below and Heaven in the above. This is the earthly fire in flesh, immortalized in William Blake’s poem, “Tyger.” It is also the mount of Durga. This is a destiny for the keen, the strong, and the lofty. This card is auspicious only if the person receiving it has discovered within themselves an inner strength and virtue by which to succeed in perseverance.
In the pentagram, we have evidence of the purpose of all of this, in "And Elohim said "Let there be dawn."” (Usually translated as “God said let there be light”) This calls to mind the birth of the sun, from the body of Nuit, in the morning. Ra ascends into the sky and all is well. This station refers to Nuit’s vagina. Fire of Saturn further confirms it. The process of creation via The Great Black Mother has been accomplished.
The card also alludes to cloaked or underdeveloped potential, as in a gifted child. This is the dawning sun.
The Scene: A Durga Yantra is set on the wall, in a cavern, housing a mother tigress and her two cubs. The tiger is the mount of Durga, and here the goddess is portrayed in a more mundane sense. She is the penultimate goddess-protectress, similar in nature to the Gorgon of the Ancient Roman Empire, or Athena of Ancient Greece. Durga is created through the power of the triumvirate: Siva, Brahma and Vishnu combine their potency and bring her forth, to defeat a previously invincible demon army.
With Sol in Aries, it is certainly most appropriate that this family belongs to a species that is a carnivore and well known for its dominance in the jungle. Furthermore, the tigers are virtuous without following any proscribed human rules. They kill and eat flesh, and don't follow any religious laws, they do not mate for life, but they still retain purity and virtue. This is often grossly misunderstood by humans, who prescribe attributes to the divine outside of Nature itself, which is inappropriate and heretical, as far as The Abrahadabra Institute is concerned.
Durga's name means "invincible," and she is given other epithets outlining her characteristics of protecting and removing the suffering of devotees.
Three of Blades: Sorrow
Historical: Lord of Sorrow
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #3 “Sanctifying” - Fire of 離 (Li) The Clinging, Fire
Berashith: “And Elohim said let there be Dawn.”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #14 (大有 dà yǒu), Possession in Great Measure
Tiered Bigrams: Air (Above), Fire (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Saturn (Binah, Understanding)
Planet/Sun Sign: Saturn in Libra
Keywords: Strength, Stoicity, Clarity, Culture, Grace, Control, Good, Sincerity, Dignity, Sacrifice, The Balance
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Evil, Arrogance, Waste, Pettiness, Envy, Insolence
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called the Three of Swords, Lord of Sorrow, the Three of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacal Libra, as well as the angels Harayel and Hoqmiah and places at Sephira #3 (Binah,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Two hands hold opposing curved swords which seem to draw back the curtain on a single center sword with a lunar tsuba, tearing apart The Rose. The sword in the center is also held by a hand emerging from a cloud.
Thoth: Crowley advises us that the suite governs all intellectual manifestations, and that the Mother, in this station, is not benevolent, she is the darkness of the Great Sea. So the painting is dark and foreboding, like a horror show. The sword is attacking a white rose, and the ripples in the darkness are dotted with angular shards, like glass. “Secrecy is here, and Perversion” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Pentagram of the 3’s is “Sanctifying,” and it signifies the new dawn, or, Nuit’s vagina, giving birth to Ra, as mentioned before. The ruling hexagram # 14 “Possession in Great Measure” signifying the dawn of both good and evil with the dawning of the sun. Lilith is the personification of feminine evil, which is viewed as the process of evolution, at The Abrahadabra Institute. It isn’t a bogeyman, although it can be. Lilith is a fairly spooky character, no less Nuit than any other goddess, but she is driven by a sinister force. "God is one, but, the Goddess, who is part of him, is two: the Matronit and Lilith. She appears like the revolving flame of the Cherubim's sword in the ancient myth: once she shows her Matronit face, once, her Lilith visage. The flame revolves so fast that it is impossible to hold in one's eye a separate picture of either." (The Hebrew Goddess, Raphael Patai, 1967)
Our world is in a terrible place and she is rightfully indignant about it all. She is equitable to Inanna/Ishtar, the goddess who may be synonymous with Ereshkigal the Queen of the Dead, and of Irkalla, thus, a dual goddess like Matronit-Lilith. These facts have been lost to history and we can only infer her attributes by speculating on existing documents and symbols.
Eris is a suitable archetype here, as the personification of Chaos, as the womb of chaos. But this aspect of goddess has little to do with our day to day sorrows, instead, she is the sum of all of the sorrow of Binah. Binah is also called “Sorrow” and the goddess is the source of all emotions which serves a dual purpose: to make life brighter (without sorrow we have no contrast) and to improve the conditions on Earth and indeed all over this universe.
What could possibly be wrong with that? Nothing, and yet we have hysteria playing all over the place over Lilith’s supposed deadly nature. She is equitable to Lamashtu, the lion headed winged goddess married to Pazuzu. Lamashtu is a daughter of An, Heaven, and so she is very high ranking. There is no possible way to dismiss her easily without fooling ourselves. She is an essential part of the picture and must be granted the stature she deserves. The world has earned Death. It is a fallen world, unworthy of exaltation, and the Mother is held back only by the Merciful-Benevolence of the All-Father.
Enough defending of Lilith - she can stand up for herself after all these centuries, but she will deal harshly with those who reject her and the misery is endless for all who fail to pay her proper respect. If you expect the Father to take your side while dismissing his consort, you will, like many other dead men and women before you, be extremely surprised.
Back to Fire in Heaven. The I Ching does little to explain the importance of the Hexagram in my opinion. Lamashtu was chosen for the card because she is a fiery daughter of An, who signifies the power of natural selection and chastisement of evil. The Lilith imagery is more recognizable, inflammatory and more irritating to Christian onlookers, so it was used instead of the purely Sumerian form. Strength, Culture and Clarity are all the powers of this hexagram, so that one gets an image of a splendid civilization which must focus on matters above and beyond mere survival. Here the doctrine of stars must be studied and pursued. There is hell to pay without its graceful presence. As one should see.
Lilith is not a benevolent figure, to all in this place, she is an enemy of those graceless, and of enemies to life, and the promoters of suffering - the Catholics and Muslims of the world. “We have nothing with the outcast and the unfit - let them die in their misery.” says The Book of the Law. Here too, chaos reigns. she is loosed upon the unfit and squealing masses like lions amongst lambs. There is sorrow paid in spades for her sorrow. She is wrathful, Vengeance personified. The scion of Fire in Heaven, Sekhmet. Here she is shown pacified, in the rainforest with her weird owls.
The Scene: Lilith, a latter day Hebrew term for the two part sister goddess Ereskigala-Inanna of the ancient Sumerians, is known well by both her power, majesty and terrible force as much as by her penchant for vengeance. She is depicted here as she is on the so-called Burney relief, an artifact at rest in the British Museum, also known as the Lady of the Night. Some may call her treacherous, others ingenious. What is true about this card is that it is primarily concerned with balance and justice. The realm of sorrow is of the mother, Binah, and this sorrow is born of emotional attachment, a necessary input for life to survive. While any goddess could stand in for Binah, Lilith was most appropriate due to her connection with all kinds of misery and torment, as well as the tendency of other religions to malign her as the Father Sky God ideal rose in humanity's consciousness. However, she was always closely associated to the cthonic Father figures, Ereshkigal starts by marrying Nergal, etcetera. Then, Lilith into modern times, has for at least a century, been known as the wife of Satan.
In the Tarot, the Father god is both Emperor and Devil, as can be revealed in the progression of the ATU, where the terrifying work of The Tower is at the behest of the Emperor in his hidden underworld form, The Devil (in this Tarot depicted as Lord Balarama, the original Krsna).
Either Victory or Defeat can be signified by this card, but, as Saturn in Libra, it is most certainly a card of Justice. The ruling Hexagram signifies the close association with Fire, the Father, obviously.
Three of Pentacles: Works
Historical: Lord of Material Works
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #3 “Sanctifying” - Fire of 離 (Li) The Clinging, Fire
Berashith: “and Elohim said let there be dawn”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #7 (師 shī), The Army
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Water (Middle), Air (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Saturn (Binah, Understanding)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mars in Capricorn
Keywords: Perseverance, Command, Generosity, Fairness, Order, Control
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Disorder, Bureaucracy, Instability, Inexperience
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called the Three of Pentacles, Lord of Material Works, the Three of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Mars and zodiacal Capricorn and places between Sephira #3 (Binah,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Three disks, with rays within, are set amongst the branches of a thorny rosebush in spring. The bush is held by a hand, emerging from a cloud at the bottom. A winged disc crowns the top pentacle.
Thoth: The card shows a pyramid from above, amidst a frozen sea. It is lit in red light from the influence of Mars. This sounds a bit more exciting perhaps than the actual execution of the card. Capricorn, Crowley informs us, is at his best in Mars, being exalted there. It is the card of architects and engineers.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Hex # 7, The Army, one of my favorite hexagrams. It pairs with 8, Holding Together. When I would get 7 in readings it almost always pertained to success within the multitude. So, success involving lots of people. But also, internally, you can look at The Army as an internal thing as well, like the hosts of heaven type of army. I had a personal fondness for it on that basis. It also shows up on ATU VI The Lovers, connecting Binah to Mars, which is really an appropriate place for it.
If someone received it in a spread, depending on the question, it would generally mean success in terms of action, particularly in the case of ambitious plans. If someone were to launch a business, for instance and received The Army, that would be a very good sign, of supreme good fortune. There is a lot more that can be said when one gets into the analysis of the lines, for example, it only has one Yang line, the rest are Yin. But that Yang line is in a strong ruling position.
Earth above and Water below is similar to the concept of the turbulent waters of the Abzu.
The Scene: The Ouroboros is the symbol of life's self renewing process. The serpent sheds and eats its skin, symbolizing many aspects of alchemy, this renewal is like the Phoenix who builds a pyre to destroy itself and in doing so is born again. It is also symbolic of the serpent, which surrounds and supports the entire universe, akin to the Orphic Egg or Ananta Adishesha, the great serpent of Vishnu, who is Balarama, "Original Krsna" as Sri Prabhupad put it.
Particles of information, thought and feeling, are symbolized as the fragmented remains of the dragon's tail. An orchid in the center represents the fragility of life, within the many petals of the Goddess Nuit, or Flower of Life. The TwinStar is perfectly aligned to the Flower...one of its more remarkable properties. The marriage of Flower and Star, or The Tetractys is a complete map of whole universe, the orchid and serpent symbology amongst stars are only here as visual aids.
Three of Alembics: Abundance
Historical: Lord of Abundance
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #3 “ - Fire of 離 (Li) The Clinging, Fire
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #8 (比 bǐ), Holding Together (Union)
Tiered Bigrams: Earth (Above), Water (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Saturn (Binah, Understanding)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mercury in Cancer
Keywords: Timeliness, Auspiciousness, Conservation, Purity, Sublimity, Constancy, Perseverance, Fullness, Success, Good Luck, Gladness, Bounty, Problems Resolved
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Hesitation, Tardiness, Irresponsibility, Uncertainty, Decline, Waste, Excess Pleasure, Loss of Prestige
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called the Three of Cups Lord of Abundance, the Three of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Mercury and the zodiacal Cancer, as well as the angels Rahael and Yebomayah and places at Sephira #3 (Binah,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Three cups, with lotuses, growing right out of them are pictures, with water coming out of them into their own cups and dropping down into other empty cups, also with lotuses in them. These in turn pour water out into the lower part of the card.
Thoth: The card, according to Crowley has an especial connection to the guide of the souls of the dead, perhaps Anubis (Anpu.) Specifically he names it as Pluto, or Hades, whereby he uses the power of the pomegranate to hold Persephone in bondage. “The lesson seems to be that the good things of life, although enjoyed, should be distrusted.” This, is perhaps best encapsulated in the poem 23 Skidoo, in his Book of Lies. But the influence in Binah is said to be of Mercury, the Will of the All-Father. He leaves us with no more answers, only additional questions.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: It’s fine to infer some kind of conspiracy at work in the station, but for the primordials, which represent a kind of perfect universe, before the onset of time, we were free to depict a more idealized scene of Mercury acting upon the waters of The Great Black Ocean. Tiamat and Apsu are two of the most primordial gods given names by humans, still remembered.
The hexagram here is #8, called Pi, Holding Together. It is a fascinating one, that shares a trait with The Army. It only has a single yang line that holds everything else together. It is a friendly and auspicious image, hinting at the beginnings of greatness. The founding of The United States and the unification of Chung Kuo under The Dragon (whom they later betrayed) are good examples of this hexagram’s power. There is also the hint of timing here, and the parable of the little red hen, because the fortune is only bestowed upon those who are there at the beginning. “Whoever comes too late meets with misfortune” the sages say/ The endeavor must be a dangerous or risky one, for there are those who are uncertain, but the prize is desirable, since they “gradually join” despite this.
It may be that there is some “trickery” involved, just as in the American Revolution and in the unification of Chung Kuo. So enemies are inferred, from the outset. But the union of Mercury and Binah is unbeatable. Like Tiamat and Apsu, they are eternal, without end, and they play the long game. So any perceived opposition is an illusion and an annoyance at worst.
Mercury in the sign of Cancer indicates great romantic and patriotic feeling. The traditions held dear must be protected and upheld. It may indicate a special regard for women and children, chivalry in the true sense and not the brutish excuse for domestic slavery that passes for chivalry amongst the vulgar and terrestrial. There may be a love for old arts, cooking from scratch, old martial arts traditions, falconry, sailing; the artisan crafts that are bound to oral tradition.
The Scene: The Mother-Father water serpents, Abzu, lord of the sweet waters, underground, and Tiamat, lady of the bitter waters, the sea, join together to bask in their creation. Filled with promise of a shining and wondrous future, no shadow of forthcoming darkness is visible here, nor should it be. This is a highly auspicious station and no shadow covers it. Water is in Binah, The Ocean of the Great Mother, and perfect harmony abides. The brilliance of Mercury in Cancer is well suited to creativity and invention of the best kind.
Male, Female, Quintessential One, is the formula of this station, and has a special relationship to any ATU that signifies unity, such as The Lovers or Lust, but the pair also make an appearance specially on the Two of Cups.
Tiamat is often associated with sea dragons or serpents, in modern times, but there is no hard archaeological evidence for this in Sumer. It can be inferred from her association with Thalassa of the Greeks, who were quite fond of syncretism that she may indeed have had serpentine features, as there are many ancient Greek depictions of her as a serpentine lady.
Abzu is also obscured in the sands of time, but we do know that he embodied the underground waters, the Abzu was also a place, which he ruled. This was not the underworld, for there was another name for that - Irkalla. We know that Ningishzidda, The Magician and The Exorcist named in Sumerian religious texts, grows up in the Abzu, but is also guardian of Irkalla.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:30:44 GMT
Four of Staves: Completion
Historical: Lord of Perfected Work
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #4 “Overflowing” - Fire of 艮(Kên) Keeping Still, Mountain
Berashith: “and Elohim saw the Dawn.”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #33 (遯 dùn), Retreat
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Fire (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Jupiter (Chesed, Benevolence)
Planet/Sun Sign: Venus in Aries
Keywords: Retiring, Withdrawal, Utopia, Firmness, Detachment, Clarity
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Peril, Risk, Deadline, Blockades
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called the Four of Staves, Lord of Perfected Works, the Four of Staves card corresponds to the planetary Venus and the zodiacal Aries. The angelic associations are Nanael and Nithal and places at Sephira #4 (Chesed,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A pair of hands hold a glowing disc in the center of the card, overlaid on a set of four wands. The wands are topped with ram’s heads and swans. The tails of the swan wands are swallow’s tails. Two torches touch each other within the symbol for Venus.
Thoth: The symbology of the wands is carefully chosen, Ram’s heads for Amun Ra the father who resides in Chesed. The doves represent the Venusian current. It is curious AC does not address Mars, beyond the height of material manifest power in Chesed. The influence of Venus may be calming but it does not make the Martian traits vanish.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The image in the Hexagram doesn’t seem to match the scene of the card at first glance. #33 is a Hexagram that talks about retreating from the enemy and doing “small things” as a way to continue persevering. The power of the darkness is ascending and is connected to the 6th moon of the year, when Midsummer has passed.
A situation like this can be found in the story of Man. The species must leave the planet, but will he do so at the last minute, in a dangerous circumstance? The attitude that brings about this dire situation is that of the technophobe and the luddite. The other option includes embracing our interstellar nature, ascending to the heavens, and becoming the guardians of Earth, from afar, rather than sitting in it, fouling the nest. So the image on Completion is of an aeon beyond the time when Hrumachis reigns (Lady Ma’at) and mankind sits in the heavens. An airship has been completed and the people gather to celebrate the small victory.
There may be other people not on board with this endeavor, but here those ones do not matter. We have separated as a species. These are the ones who have partaken of residency in Valhalla, the low men denied their true destiny. So it is with humans since the beginning of time. The scene has ominous undertones. The Vultures represent the goddess Ma’at. In the mosaic, at the bottom of the reflecting pool, there is a four-point or double vajra symbol representing several things. One is the separate three worlds being reunited in Spirit. Another is the synergy of the four elements, Fire, Air, Earth and Water around Akasha or Spirit. It is also the symbol of Bhutan, one of only two nations on earth who have remained fiercely loyal to The Dragon. (the other one is Australia, but this only counts for the indigenous population, and those who were cheerfully absorbed into it.)
It is highly amusing that the pentagram is named “Overflowing” alongside the imagery of two waterfalls, since the painting was made long before Izi’s pentagrammal structures were given names out of the Judaic progression of Berashith.
The Scene: The Age of Ra Hoor Khut, the Sun god, will pass and so the Age of Hrumachis will begin. Often assumed to be the goddess Ma'at, his sister. The card was special to m1thr0s, he was being very particular and attentive about it and demanded certain attributes from it. The vultures, overlooking a pool with a double vajra, and the sense of being up in the sky, a floating city with futuristic architecture, I decided to depict it with a neo-Kemetic influence. The water should be flowing down from the vultures symbolizing an eternal wellspring of Truth and Justice. This is perhaps the end of the aeons. The cycle comes to a halt in “the princess” Earth element, that is, Ma’at, who is the representation of the Goddess, in all her might and splendor. Salmon, amber, clear pink rose, amber and yellow are all present, with a multitude of all the color scales in the crowd of people below, representing the synthesis of the scale of 6, or the TwinStar amongst the four elements (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley 1944,) while the fireworks are meant to indicate the highly celebratory nature of the scene. This is an entire aeon in the future, and mankind has achieved Completion.
Four of Blades: Truce
Historical: Lord of Rest from Strife
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #4 “Overflowing” - Fire of 艮(Kên) Keeping Still, Mountain
Berashith: “And Elohim saw the dawn”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #34 (大壯 dà zhuàng), The Power of the Great
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Fire (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Jupiter (Chesed, Benevolence)
Planet/Sun Sign: Jupiter in Libra
Keywords: Temporary Respite, Solutions, Engineering, Natural Forces, Good Intentions, Calm
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Turbulence, Illusion, Treachery, Secrecy, Gossip, Backstabbing
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Four of Swords, Lord of Rest from Strife, the Four of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Jupiter and the zodiacal Libra and places at Sephira #4 (Chesed) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angels are Laviah and Kelial.
Four swords cross under The Rose. The scene is bright and exalted. Two raised fists rise from clouds. A pair of daggers faces outwards at the bottom of the card.
Thoth: The image on the Thoth depicts St. Andrew's cross, a figure of crucifixion and the subject of the Flag of Scotland. Why it is on the scene is anyone's guess, as Crowley does not explain it. He does identify many of the correct attributions in ways only he can. Fixation, rigidity, compromise, a melting pot.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: With the tiered bigrams we find a single element of Water at the top being pushed upward against by two Fire elements. The image is one of struggle and perhaps oppression. Chen the Arousing in the above, with Qian, Heaven in the below in the Hexagram which is numbered 34, called Ta Chuang, The Power of the Great.
In the image of the sages for Hex #34, it states “the superior man does not tread upon paths that do not accord with established order.” This is all in keeping with the title of the card, Truce. The situation seems calm, but it may disrupt into chaos at any moment. Treachery is certainly a danger, as the inferior forces are waiting for the man to make a foolish move. Entrapment is prevalent.
The old Han saying “People hate what is great and love what is small” is relevant. There may be jealousy at work. But like The Book of the Law advises “Ye are against the people, oh my chosen” and we may find solace in this at any time, we find people attempting to assail us, or those friends who betray us. For the only true friend a Magus may have is another Magus, or the Great itself, that is Heaven. There is a great amount of antagonism towards people and the low Earth energies from Heaven, at this point in time.
The planet is a fallen Kingdom and nowhere near the paradise possible for all life, especially of higher intelligence such as man. We live in Hell and no amount of cover ups or excuses will help. Those who do not remember other worlds may take comfort: we live in a nuthouse and there ARE splendorous worlds out there which a free and pure soul may attend in their other lives. Why are we here? So that Kingdom may be reclaimed.
There is no other purpose here and we must be careful in our indulgences, since there are enemies herein. This is what is happening in the card. The wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes isn’t really on board with the higher purpose of Kings and Queens, she cannot be trusted. The card may signify treachery amongst friends, or a denial of one’s True Will.
The Scene: The Mabinogion is a sophisticated medieval Welsh manuscript recorded in Medieval times. It is at its core a collection of religious Celtic stories. The Truce card, or Four of Blades, represents an uneasy peace, especially as it relates to lover relations. The scene depicted is of Blodeuwedd, the maiden made of Oak, Meadowsweet and Broom, through the influence of the magicians Math and Gwydion as a wife, for the cursed Lleu Llaw Gyffes, their nephew born by the embittered Arianrhod.
The mother of Leu Llaw Gyffes curses him, to not only have no name but to never have a human wife. Math and Gwydion solve the problem by creating a pseudo woman, like a dryad, out of special plants. She later betrays him and becomes the lover of his enemy, who plots to destroy him. The tale is a warning never to trust things just because they seem small, pretty and harmless.
Leu take the form of an eagle in the mythology, as he is also a magician like his uncles. Blodeuwedd is a wild creature of nature, her fickleness is as inevitable as Fortune's favor, signified by Jupiter in Libra. The Power of the Great is a good hexagram to represent this card, as it warns us that fate is dictated by universal economics and is hardly something which can be overridden by mere trickery. Blodeuwedd acts out the karmic potential of Arianrhod's curse.
The implications are that we can escape karmic debt for a little while, but never forever. That is why it is important to think carefully when trying to achieve any kind of uneasy truce.
Four of Pentacles: Power
Historical: Lord of Earthly Power
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #4 “Overflowing” - Fire of 艮(Kên) Keeping Still, Mountain
Berashith: "And Elohim saw the Dawn”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #19 (臨 lín), Approach
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Water (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Jupiter (Chesed, Benevolence)
Planet/Sun Sign: Sol in Capricorn
Keywords: Inexhaustible, Protection, Fortune, Wealth, Investment, Resources, Consolidation, Stability, Focus
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Evil, Miserliness, Pollution, Obsession, Greed
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Four of Pentacles, Lord of Earthly Power, the Four of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Sol and the zodiacal Jupiter. It places at Sephira #4 (Chesed) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angelic correspondences are Keveqiah and Mendial.
Symmetrically arranged pentacles, two emerging from a central rose or ordinary flower, are capped with a winged disc with a solar cross in each. A magen star with a swastika formed unicursally, in the center, is in the middle of each disc. A hand below emerges from clouds, grasping the thorny stem upon which the flower grows.
Thoth: The Four, he says, represents “the establishment of the Universe in three dimensions, that is, below the Abyss. The generating idea is exhibited in its full material sense.” The four towers of the fortress represent the four elements. It is inferred that the castle is guarding something and has idle parts which can spring to life to defend at a moment’s notice.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Four of Pentacles has come out pretty well in the long run, usually including authentic occult elements and avoiding a lot of dross. The scene itself could have gone a lot of different ways but an epic space scene signifying real earthly power of spacefaring human beings was important rather than the medieval trappings of castles and old military banners.
This card carries Sol of Capricorn, and for those initiated it is known Capricorn represents the highest possible apex of wealth, money and earthly power in the natural course of Sol, as it is exalted by this planetary and also reigns during the Sun’s rebirth. So what we are looking at is an establishment of Ra’s reign in the material plane, which is, as always, glorious and enlightened.
The hexagram of the station, Approach, suggests that the power comes from good management. “The superior man is inexhaustible in his will to teach, and without limits in his tolerance and protection of the people.” (The I Ching Wilhelm/Baynes translation.). In the tiered bigrams we find two water elements in the above with a strong fire bigram in the below, progressing steadily. The element of work suggested by the Two and Three of Pentacles is now well underway and virtually unstoppable now. Here we have Earth of Jupiter, the bombastic King of the Planets.
An auspicious, stable and encouraging elemental card in any reading, it should be taken as a gesture of support from universe. If reversed, beware heading down a path which goes against Sol or Ra, or takes you away from one’s True Will.
The Scene: I remember the circumstances surrounding this card’s creation well, as it was during the first few weeks following my journey to Olympia to finally live with m1thr0s permanently. The deck was a project we began when I was still living in Memphis, Tennessee, and that was two years prior. I burned a lot of bridges and crossed many fjords to get where I was and so it seemed the natural scene to paint next, for both of us. I had arrived on November 9th, after a nonstop drive across Arizona and up the California coast from my tiny trailer in New Mexico where I had been living in order to raise funds for my relocation. m1thr0s was staying with his friends who had moved back down from Alaska. I stayed with them for a few weeks while I scouted out a job and an apartment. This was the first opportunity that m1thr0s had to explain his concept to me in person and we were both excited to see it come out so well, exceeding our hopes for what it should look like.
It was the point at which we both became quite determined to finish the project if we could, and it felt very good to complete it and see it in its fully embellished form with the corners and pentagrams. These were slightly different looking than the corners on the final product, but gave the same effect of course. It was glorious and most of all, right. We did not feel like there was a deck for us yet in the world, not for Mutational Alchemy at least, even though there were a few packs we both enjoyed, the Thoth of course, m1thr0s liked the Dakini Oracle, and both of us were fond of Selena Lin’s The Manga Tarot.
But these were all picture decks, no more useful for full fledged professional occultists than a book of photos of occultists doing rituals with no descriptions, or a book of text about geometry with no illustrations. The Thoth was the only useful deck of its kind available. The Visconti was also great, but very obscure and not widely available in print, and many reprints available are greatly degraded from the original - mere copies instead of photographs of the originals. The mysteries in them are also more difficult if not impossible to decipher and have no accompanying book.
Four of Alembics: Luxury
Historical: Lord of Blended Pleasure
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #4 “Overflowing” - Fire of 艮(Kên) Keeping Still, Mountain
Berashith: “And Elohim saw the Dawn”
Element/Planet: Water of Jupiter (Chesed, Benevolence)
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Water (Middle), Water (Below)
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #20 (觀 guān) Contemplation (View)
Planet/Sun Sign: Luna in Cancer
Keywords: Teaching, Mild Pleasure, Some Relaxation, Society, Culture, Instruction, Contemplation, Influence, Stationary happiness, Hunting, Games, Injustice, Occasional World-Weariness or Ennui
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Ignorance, Paranoia, Gaudiness, Tackiness, Waste, New Events, New Approaches, Noveau Riche
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Four of Cups Lord of Blended Pleasure, the Four of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Luna and the zodiacal Cancer and places at Sephira #4 (Chesed) in the Golden Dawn system. The angels Hayayel and Mevamayah are associated.
A single lotus or other flower is filling two cups, which in turn fill the lower cups through overflow, but these second cups are not overflowing. Leaves are present, depicting the end of the flowering phase thus an end to the pleasure phase. A cross is depicted on this card with the stems or leaves and an inverted quarter moon, probably associated with the planetary Luna.
Thoth: Crowley describes it as a station that is giving in to weak Cancerian tendencies of decay and abandonment. As the “manifestation and consolidation of the Dyad,” it emphasizes individuality, but Crowley insists this is catastrophic, and he agrees with the East in assessing Four as an unwholesome, “dead” and “awkward” number. But he also points out the Tetractys (1+2+3+4=10,) then reasserts that it is bad, “Tetragrammaton in his fatal aspect of finality as the Qabalists knew him, before the discovery of the Revolving Formula, whereby the Daughter, seated upon the Throne of the Mother, “Awakens the Eld of the All-Father””
Much ado is made about the Mother renewing the Father, but not enough is to be said about the Father renewing the Mother, which is more to what this card is actually about. After all it is on the masculine pillar, in the Sephiroth of Merciful-Benevolence or Chesed, across from Geburah.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: A fiery triangle sets about two symbols for Water in the tiered bigrams, emphasizing a pair of strong Yang lines being followed by four apparently placid Yins, according to the I Ching in which Confucius states “Contemplation. The ablution has been made, But not yet the offering. Full of trust, they look up to him” and the sages leave us with “The wind blows over the earth: The image of CONTEMPLATION. Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world, Contemplated the people, and gave them instruction.”
Here we have a man representing Chesed and the two Yang lines who is being looked up to for instruction and the offering rites of Thelema, or whatever else you might like.
In the Trigrams the top part depicts what looks like an arrow pushing up to a horizon line. This is Li, the Clinging, Fire. The square of Kun, the Receptive, Earth, is below. Everyone knows what happens to earth when it is set on fire - it becomes fertile and productive. From sunlight to wildfires, Fire as an element is beneficial to earth in a very direct way, increasing productivity and wealth.
Water of Jupiter signifies a person that is not a miser. They are comfortably well off, or even rich as hell, and they enjoy it, spending their money on things they enjoy and maybe sharing it with others. Mostly though, they’ll spend it on things directly connected to their enjoyment. This can be a curse or a blessing - they won’t spend money on stupid things, but they will lavish their loved ones with gifts and perhaps donate heavily to charity, or on things which tug at them emotionally in some way. This is all perfectly fine, but it’s hopeful they don’t become an alcoholic, or smoker. Fire has its destructive qualities and as we might infer from the hexagram there is a hidden fire very strong and present in this card.
Luna, in Cancer, will lead to a definite looniness which should be enjoyed by all present who happen to catch the benefactor of this card in a good mood. This should be connected to the earlier levity principle of the male principle, in acting upon the degraded or weak female principle, renewing it. Levity is very important, and the card could have easily been called that, too.
The Scene: This is a picture of a friend's characters and girlfriend's characters from a game I used to play. They are in a secret temple to a goddess of all things debauch, indulgence, pleasure, sex and disease, who likes to manifest as a flame or a tentacled lady with shark's teeth. She was very similar to Two-Faced Tlazolteotl from the Aztec pantheon, also known as Two-Faced Woman in the Lakota pantheon. The painting has had a lot of interest and it seemed like a natural pairing with the station. In the background we find a tentacle legged man, a hint of the monotheistic divinity Abrasax, four cups, plainly shown, since the meaning is fairly apparent, and a very dark lady representing the goddess herself. The man is either telling a joke or giving a lecture, he's surrounded by hundreds of beautiful acolytes in this old abandoned temple in the middle of the jungle. The party is well funded and attendees want for nothing. There is little to fear here, and much to be desired.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:32:26 GMT
Five of Staves: Strife
Historical: Lord of Strife
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #5 “Root” – Fire of 兌 (Tui) The Joyous, Lake
Berashith: “And Elohim separated the Dawn”
Element/Planet: Fire of Mars (Gevurah, Severity)
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Air (Middle), Fire (Below)
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #10 (履 lǚ) Treading (Conduct)
Planet/Sun Sign: Saturn in Leo
Keywords: Protection, Wrath, Ferocity, Discrimination, War, Offense, Unassailability, Sageness
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Waiting, Arrogance, Incompetence, Foolishness, Rage
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Five of Wands, Lord of Strife, the Five of Wands card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacal Leo. It places between Sephira #5 (Geburah,) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angels are Vahaviah and Yelayel.
A central wand topped with a winged disc and two serpent heads, is crossed by four wands. The first pair are sickles, and threaten to cut the heads off of the serpents. the two other wands are topped with mutated and demented lions. The ends of these wands are insect wings of some kind. Flames issue from the crosspoints. A disc with the symbols of Saturn and Leo on it covers the junctions. Two small torches are at the bottom.
Thoth: The Five of Wands, as he calls it, “is referred to Geburah of the suit of Fire. Geburah itself being fiery, it is a purely active force. It is ruled also by Saturn and Leo.” The heads of the phoenix on the wands indicate resurrection of energy from ashes, within the “tameless irrational energy (of the Mother.)” Crowley indicates that the doctrine of “Lion-goddess Pasht” now known as Sekhmet, is identified with the station, fierce and savage, sexually cruel, comparable to “The highest divine nature” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram ruling the card, #10, Treading, includes a description of “Treading upon the tail of the tiger. It does not bite the man. Success.” which pairs well with the subject of this card - Sekhmet. In the image we find that the Hexagram is about discriminating between high and low. In the tiered bigrams we find an Air element between two Fire elements, above and below. This is a heated and fiery situation, with the Earthly Fire below being stirred up by Air and the Heavenly Fire above inspiring and facilitating the growth of the Air element. In the trigrams we have the circle for Heaven above and Lake below. The bigger picture is quite creative and prosperous, so it is that this station indicates fruitful labor of Heaven, often in a cruel scene.
Fire of Mars is as militaristic and violent a pairing of the elementals and planetaries as one will get. Saturn in Leo reminds us this is all for the forces of good and the light as well. This could be an auspicious card depending on the context of where it is placed, especially if vengeance or justice is sought through military or force.
The Scene: The unbridled ferocity of Sekhmet destroying humankind fills this card, called Strife. Connected with Geburah, Severity, Fire makes for an unstoppable and uncontrollable force when set to destruction.
It is not a nice card, and it is not meant to be, for the force and assurance of destruction is its only silver lining, and only for those experiencing injustice.
Because it is a purifying fire, the symbol of the Egida, The Abrahadabra Institute’s house of healing was used as the iconography for the tip of her electrified staff.
The scene was painted in December 2010, right before the Egyptian revolution that ended the corrupt rule of Hosni Mubarak, and it was finished on the 24th of January.
It is up to the viewer to determine if the hands of the people are burning, already dead in the lake of fire of the Duat, or people wronged, praising Sekhmet for her vengeance.
Five of Blades: Defeat
Historical: Lord of Defeat
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #5 “Root” – Fire of 兌 (Tui) The Joyous, Lake
Berashith: “And Elohim separated the dawn”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #9 (小畜 xiǎo chù), Taming Power of the Small
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Earth (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Mars (Gevurah, Severity)
Planet/Sun Sign: Venus in Aquarius
Keywords: Refreshment, Trickery, Perspective, Sincerity, Returning, Loyalty, Progress, Transmutation
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Bloodshed, Decay, Loss, Compromise, Misery
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Five of Swords, Lord of Defeat, The Five of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Venus and the zodiacal Aquarius. It places at Sephira #5 in the Golden Dawn system. Its angels are Aniel and Chaamiah.
Five swords point up. The center sword is destroying The Rose which lies in tatters over a degenerating solar disc. It has a face on its tsuba. The rest of the swords have winged discs as hilts and one of four birds as the handle, a dove, a swan, an eagle and a pheasant.
Thoth: Sentiment, treachery and pacifism are identified by Crowley as the disruptive energy of Geburah in the card. The inverted pentagram is present. Here Crowley's incessant racism and comedic Victorian snobbery are present in his ranting and raving, and I cannot pay any more attention to him.
He doesn't have the nature of the card right, at all. He always descends into bigotry whenever and wherever he is frustrated by a lack of correct information. It's not much of an excuse for his behavior and writing, but it does tell us something about his demons at least.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The image of a crucible is present in the tiered bigrams, with Earth sandwiched between the two Fire elements. The pentagrammal structure seems to suggest as much, being named “Root” referencing something which is hidden, yet active and essential and slightly sinister, being of the cthonic. In the trigrams we find Sun, Wind, in the above and Heaven in the below. Called the “Taming Power of the Small” in the Changes, the image is of a small unassailable force, a son, taming an aspect of heaven through friendly persuasion and trickery, but perhaps this trickery is nothing more than misdirection or illusion. There is nothing to be done in this situation except to work on one’s character, to “cultivate one’s person” as Confucius would promote.
The influence of Heaven is under Wind and this is paired with the influence of Air of Mars, signifying clever military strategy and subterfuge. Spy agencies like the CIA, the Mossad, India’s IB and so forth are good representations of Air of Mars. Technological research is also especial to the card however, and care must be taken not to confine the nature of the card too readily into one sort of context or another - it is not that simple.
To further mix it up we find Venus in Aquarius, indicating a bizarre love affair of some kind. Aquarians are strange lovers who find themselves in stranger relationships as my wife and I can attest (I am an Aquarius) and so we find that the attack on the girl is probably born out of some kind of divine love.
The adventures of Raven are well known to the local Coast Salish tribes here in the Pacific Northwest, and here he is shown in his shadowy spirit form, up to no good, or good, as it were.
It should generally be regarded as a very suspicious card. There is a trap about to be sprung for good or for worse, and divine guidance should be sought immediately if the card is drawn in any context whatsoever. If one is not able to do so themselves they should seek the aid and skill of a Hermit, Hierophant or knowledgeable Seer in this matter very soon to determine if action must be taken or not.
The Scene: There was no reason not to put Raven on the card, but originally I had thought of the old story about Raven turning into a pine needle and being swallowed by the daughter of the chief who kept the sun in a box. Raven is born to the girl who is prized as a grandchild by the chief, but soon the ruse is up and Lord Raven flies out of the smokehouse with the sun in his beak.
m1thr0s did not agree that the story fit the card, and so we made up our own. The girl is examining herself and destroying parts which are “not her” this is why the figure on the ground whom she is about to slay with an arrow of Mercury is a doppelganger. Raven, the lesson delivered, and his form free to go, disintegrates into his true form with a signature Sumerian Mushussu at his heart. I am Coast Salish and grew up amongst the tribes here in the Pacific Northwest. It may seem like there isn’t very much American Indian imagery in this deck and the reason for that is it is perhaps too familiar and it was supposed to be a global deck, first and foremost.
Five of Pentacles: Worry
Historical: Lord of Material Trouble
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #5 “Root”– Fire of 兌 (Tui) The Joyous, Lake
Berashith: "and Elohim separated the dawn..."
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #15 (謙 qiān), Modesty
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Earth (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Mars (Gevurah, Severity)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mercury in Taurus
Keywords: Economy, Balancing, Rationing, Moderation, Humility, Austerity, Agape, Charity, Obedience, Abstinence
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Shortsightedness, Dullness, Despair, Stress, Sycophantic, Crankiness, Ignorance
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Five of Pentacles, Lord of Material Trouble, The Five of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Mercury and the zodiacal Taurus. It places at Sephira #5 (Geburah) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angels are Mibahiah and Pooyal
Horns grace the sides of the central disc. A plant is sprouting from its top and the center bears a solar seal, (it should probably be a swastika but this has been replaced with a more celtic design to prevent confusion with the Nazi party’s symbol.) Wings are also at the top of the center disc. The two top discs are graced with the astrological and planetary symbols (Mercury and Taurus). The two bottom pentacles show a swallow descending and have flowering plants sprouting from them. Clouds are at the bottom. The discs are given the impression of spinning rapidly.
Thoth: Five is most notable in Thoth for its disruptive nature. Here there is strain and instability, and it may signify earthquakes according to Crowley. He also seems to think that it signifies long term stagnation.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The image is perhaps slightly disturbing and it should be. The Five of Pentacles is not an auspicious card, but even though it is difficult it can be finessed to one’s advantage, and is not nearly as bad as some occultists make it out to be.
Here we find in the tiered Bigrams the symbol of Earth hugged between two Water symbols, accounting for the water symbolism and the pregnant Devi. The resemblance is of a fetus in a womb. Pregnancy has always been a worrisome thing but holds potential for Life, the most important thing in the Universe (No, it isn’t Love.) The Trigrams are Earth in the Above and Mountain in the Below. A large thing is hidden below the Earth, disguising its wealth and magnitude.
The Hexagram the lines represent is called Modesty, which is said by Confucius to create success. The ancient sages on the other hand, leave us with the advice to weigh things carefully and make things equal, reducing what is too much and augmenting what has too little.
Earth of Mars seems to promote practicality, which is further underlined by Mercury in Taurus. Plotting a careful and logical course should be a priority. With careful decision making and planning, this card doesn’t have to bring ill tidings at all, on the contrary, it promises a bright future if one can stick with it.
The Scene: A Nantzin (Mother), here is Cihuacoatl, the angelic and holy mother of Mixcoatl, the red aspect of the sacrificed Tezcatlipoca. She was also creatrix acting with Quetzalcoatl to create humanity. She was a deity of pregnant women, midwives, sweat baths and the Cihuateteo, spirits of mothers who died in childbirth, who could cause infertility and who stole children at the crossroads. A parallel is found in the Hispanic legend of La Llorona, the weeping woman who is the spirit of a prolicidal and suicidal female spirit, and she is considered to be an aspect of the death personification Santa Muerte and a symbol of the great loss of culture incurred by the American Indians at the hands of the Eastern invaders (Chicana Sexuality and Gender: Cultural Refiguring in Literature, Oral History, and Art., Debra Blake 2009.)
The temples dedicated to this powerful goddess were quite interesting. They were completely dark, absent of windows, and the doorway to them was a crawlspace. This was the womb.
Being born, being pregnant and going into labor, and having and raising children are all very worrisome things, which humans have dealt with in many brilliant and horrifying ways. So it is that Cihuacoatl is the patron found on the Five of Pentacles, Worry. Shown at the edge of tropical Lake Xochimilco, an ancient endorheic basin, where the endangered Axolotl used to live. It hasn’t been observed by scholars yet, but the Axolotl’s fetus like, skull-face appearance may have lent to the lake’s association with a goddess of the human reproductive cycle. Axolotls are likely extinct in the wild, kept alive only through the pet industry which protects them.
The strange creatures attending her are the Cihuateteo. Although powerful and somewhat sinister, she is a benevolent goddess who warns humans and comforts the suffering of women in childbirth, both during and after death. Mammitu, a goddess who decrees the fate of newborns is depicted as goat-headed, and Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of fertility and motherhood has a cow’s head. So we added these elements as well to form a new aeon image of her.
Five of Alembics: Disappointment
Historical: Lord of Loss in Pleasure
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #5 “Root” – Fire of 兌 (Tui) The Joyous, Lake
Berashith: “And Elohim separated the dawn…”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #16 (豫 yù), Enthusiasm
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Air (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Mars (Gevurah, Severity)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mars in Scorpio
Keywords: Evolution, Experimentation, Putrefaction, Growth, Sexuality, Adolescence, Trials, Treachery, Death, Sadness
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Codependency, Clinging, Abuse, Narcissism, Charity, Hope, New Alliances
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Five of Cups Lord of Loss in Pleasure, The Five of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Mars and the zodiacal Scorpio and places at Sephira #5 (Geburah,) in the Golden Dawn system. Livoyah and Pehilyah are its associated angels.
Lotuses are again present, and the cups are empty. Fallen petals are present, and no water is flowing from the lotuses.
Thoth: The natural antipathy of Water in Geburah is discussed, with emphasis placed on the idea of disturbance, when least expected. Crowley reminds us that the male principle is still quite strong and active in this station, despite Water and Geburah having a strong influence. Crowley states that there is a discord between the element of the suite, Water and the element of its Sephira, Geburah, which is fiery.
Here is the image of a frustrated male principle and (according to Crowley,) the so-caled evil geomantic sign of Rubeus is associated with its Mars in Scorpio. Rubeus means “Red” in Latin, and according to Mutational Alchemy and the rational Bigrammaton, it is not evil, it is merely emotional and feminine, and belongs to the Princess of Alembics. So we’re again left with the superstitious, unsavory elements of the poisoned Christian well of Europe. He follows the Golden Dawn imagery closely, a decaying Rose and five empty cups, with no water flowing into them, are portrayed. “Disturbance, just when least expected, in a time of ease” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Crowley 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: A lone Air symbol between two Water elements, in the tiered Bigrams reveals the principle of levity in Water, suspended, but oppressed, at the very same time. In the Trigrams, we have the Arousing in the above and the Receptive in the below. Poseidon was a natural choice for the card’s scenery. No one wants to stare at a pair of horses fucking all the time so we've opted instead for a more classical, mysterious and symbolical interpretation of the myth. It is up to the viewer to decide what it means.
Water of Mars paired with Mars of Scorpio is deadly and somewhat poisonous, though we might find some alchemical solace in tinctures, both modern pharmacy grade ones and old herbalist remedies. There is some inference of old military tradition, and naval ships are particularly strong, especially considering the Bigrams.
Hex #16 was difficult with this card’s original title, as Enthusiasm and Disappointment were quite the opposite. Rather than change it, we decided to try to incorporate the Poseidon myth into the story of the card. Therefore, we have a situation in which the disappointment is on the part of the Lady Demeter and the Enthusiasm is Lord Poseidon.
The Hexagram is the image of , Chen, Thunder, over Kun, Earth, and it is one of six Hexagrams which have a single Yang line amidst all Yin lines. The position of the Yang is a ruling one, and so all of the other Yin lines follow it and obey.The text includes the subject of a great sacrifice to heaven. In this case it is Demeter and her ignorance. This reflects back on The Devil card and is the source of woe, in the world.
The Scene: A strange and dark scene to be sure, although Poseidon’s ways are dark and strange in and of themselves. Shown with Demeter and the progeny of their union, Arion, it isn’t meant to be clear what is going on here.
The invocation was smooth, but remarkably quiet, most of the drawing was automatic and minimalist. Mother and daughter carry two halves of one pomegranate. The obscure form of a nameless mare goddess was confined to a tiny tribe, on one of the Greek isles.
In Arcadia, the birthplace of Pan and Hermes, we find the mystery cult centered on this myth, where one of two daughters is called “The Mistress,” to the people there and her name is secret. In the tale of Poseidon and Demeter, Demeter refuses Poseidon’s sexual advances, because she was in mourning for Persephone’s kidnapping. She is relentlessly pursued, and so turns into a black mare to disguise herself in the herds of the wild horses at Onkeion. He transforms himself into a black stallion (representing the blackness of the abyss) or by some accounts, into a white stallion (representing the white crested waves of the sunlit sea) and by scent, recognizes her, as she is in heat. The god mounts the goddess, who, unable to resist because of her animal form, which desires it and having no higher intelligence to refuse, allows it.
This produces two progeny, the goddess Areion, a magickal talking horse, and the goddess, “Despoine,” who has another name which it is forbidden to speak of. The name Despoine, means, The Mistress, and she was worshipped with great sacrifices by the Arcadians. The river Styx is one and the same as the river of Arcadia, and may be a clue to her identity. It was said to have been created by the secretions of Demeter during her mating with Poseidon. “The water of the river of Arkadia known as the Styx cuts through all vessels, even though they be made of iron . . . It was Demeter who caused this water to well up in the neighbourhood of Pheneus” (Aelian, On Animals 10. 40 trans. Schofield.)
Is this one of the secret death cults of ancient Greece that is rumored of to this day by Grecian occultists? The cave of The Mistress is spoken of today as being one in which death rites were enacted, by inhalation or ingestion of various drugs which brought the practitioner close to death.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:34:30 GMT
Six of Staves: Victory Historical: Lord of Victory Ruling Pentagram: Pent #6 “Transparent”– Fire of 坎 (K’an) The Abysmal, Water Berashith: “and Elohim called to the Dawn” Ruling Hexagram: Hex #6 (訟 sòng), Conflict Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Air (Middle), Air (Below) Element/Planet: Fire of Sol (Tiphareth, Beauty) Planet/Sun Sign: Jupiter in Leo Keywords: Great Success, Breakthrough, Cooperation, Good News, Reward, Recognition. A Royal Authority, Defense of the Realm Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Infamy, Cost, Unease, disloyalty Interpretations Golden Dawn: Called, The Six of Wands, Lord of Victory, the Six of Wands card corresponds to the planetary Jupiter and the zodiacal Leo. It places at Sephira #6 (Tiphareth,) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angels are Saitel and Olmiah. Two hands hold a shining disc in the center of the scene, over six crossed wands. One pair has winged discs, with lotus blossom ends, one pair has eagle heads, with hooked ends, and the last pair are lotuses with disced ends. Flames issue from clouds in the background and from the center of the crossed wands themselves. Thoth: The card represents an earthquake at the foundations of matter itself, signified by the elemental disks, and the intense strain of intellect applied to labor, resulting in no progress. This is from the planet of Mercury in Taurus as well as the disruptive effects of Geburah. Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: So many of the small cards have just been given the attributes of being negative, without much more of an explanation than summarized in the idea “It’s farther from God and that’s not good, in fact it’s bad.” While this may be slightly true in some cases, it is not helpful and it is not accurate. Earth is different, not better than Heaven. In some ways, Heaven can also be a terrible environment, but in other ways. A more adequate explanation must be found, and Mutational Alchemy affords us a way to do it. The hexagram here could not be possibly more appropriate, it is #6 called Conflict, with Heaven in the above and Water in the below. “You are sincere And are being obstructed.” it says. The time has come to stop doing anything and not continue further, to do so will bring misfortune. This is the image of Victory for one, and a defeat or truce for the other inferior element. The card may indicate a breakup, over a disagreement, especially romantic ones. Continuing an endeavor related to this card will most certainly bring about misfortune. The I Ching advises us to examine the beginning of the problem or endeavor. Perhaps there is a fault or divergence somewhere that should not have been partaken of. Geburah, Severity, infers punishment. The pentagram and the hexagram are numbered 6, as is the station. What then, are we to think of this card other than to assume it is solar in nature? The zodiacal of Leo agrees. In the tiered bigrams, we have two Air elements rising up to meet a single Fire element. In the elementals, it is Fire of Sol. This will be the creator god par excellence, the Father of Fathers, Amun-Ra himself, in his war aspect, signified by the hexagram #6, Conflict. So, there is a special relationship to Ra Hoor Khut, or Montu, and even Khensu, the Lord of Thebes depicted on the Two of Staves, Dominion. Conflict warns us that the issue may need to be dropped. In this station, we are dealing with a strong, primordial, male force who owns absolute authority and the divine prerogative. It means that while the danger is great, he is also a wise, ancient and just ruler and not prone to petty actions or ugly behavior. Caution is advised in all directions, except, there is a chance of impressing him with boldness, even if it is a small chance. It is ill advised to continue with this approach however. The pentagram is named after the 6th line in Berashith, a command to Dawn. How absolutely fitting for Amun-Ra. The primary feel of this card is one of unbeatable victory, an opponent who cannot be defeated or dismissed so easily. It is an image of The Lovers, quarreling, or of a King and a peon, or the Will of Heaven against the Will of a Man, or Earth. There can be ONE outcome, and all parties know this. In some instances, foolishness will persist and that one will be cut down. In the end, it will all be sorted out to conform to the natural order. The Scene: This card was one of those completed much later on and was fairly straightforward. I just needed a strong, masculine, solar deity to represent the elemental traits, who was triumphant and wealthy. So we went with Nergal, the Akkadian Solar deity who closely associated with the Sumerian state, via a marriage to their goddess Ereshkigal. The tale of Nergal and Ereshkigal reveals implicitly the ancient priesthood killer sense of humor and their adoration of fierce desert gods. It was these earliest recorded deities who reflected the truth of survivalism inside the tough women and men of the desert and fertile plain in those early days. Nergal is a fascinating deity, a very respectable war god, with connections to pestilence and death, who is the sun itself, especially in its noon aspect. In some places, he is associated with the setting sun. He destroys evil, as told in a tigi to Nergal “When …… you command the storm which flattens the hostile land, you devastate its evil; you pour it over for as long as it disobeys.” (A Tigi to Nergal The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, The University of Oxford, 2006) Another Sumerian text states dšamaš u nergal(U.GUR) istēn(1)en Šamaš and Nergal are one and he is equated to the West Semitic deity Rašap, “Flame,” who is a god of war and pestilence. (Enenuru, enenuru.proboards.com/thread/329/nergal#ixzz3pfm6zUIH).
The attributes of the deity are fierce - in at least one text, he is referred to as a “dragon;” "Nergal, dragon covered with gore, drinking the blood of living creatures!" and his future wife, then just a recent pissed off one night stand, Ereshkigal demands of the heavenly host that Nergal be returned to her palace in Irkalla, lest "I shall raise up the dead, and they shall eat the living. The dead shall outnumber the living!"(http://enenuru.proboards.com/thread/85/vampire-thread-nergal-gidim-lilitu#ixzz3pfpfi98c Enenuru Forums, accessed October 25th 2015) So he is a solar deity, King of the Underworld, with a wife who can raise an army of the undead. Erra, literally “The scorched (earth/matter,)” who is an incredible warrior, a terrifying force of destruction, and associated with pestilence and the sun, is shown as giving obeisance to Nergal in the following line: “Then Erra welcomed his king: "They have come! You surpass An! (The King of Heaven) Perform the stewardship for An the king! In accordance with destiny you determine fates with him, Nergal!" Ninšubur, the minister of the great place, the underworld, greeted Nergal: "You are the lord who has made the bandits come forth (?) from the mountains. As with Enlil ……, no part of a foreign land escapes your grasp. Hero, for Enlil you piled up Enlil's enemies (?) in a single day. Hating ……, Nergal, …… as fire, you rise up in the lands where the sun rises." The Anuna gods stepped forward: "Like …… cracks ……, ……, you are Nergal!" 50-57. 5 lines fragmentary …… son of Enlil ……, Lugal-era. Praising you is sweet. (A Tigi to Nergal [C], ETSCL, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford 2006)
There are no depictions of Ereshkigal surviving today - the Burney plaque is considered to have shaky provenance and is only the above ground or heavenly aspect Inanna or Ishtar in the nebulous doctrine of the twin or dual goddess Inanna-Ereshkigal. SO we were left to fill in the blanks with someone...I used a photograph of myself for reference and wrapped her in darkness then caught up in the flame of Nergal, reflecting back on The Lovers card. And she has red hair, the color of flame, like Madame Pele, an volcanic underworld goddess with very similar attributes.
Nergal himself, on the other hand is depicted very simply. He carries a lion-headed mace, the same as an artifact excavated in Ancient Mesopotamia and one of his sacred weapons (this is, unfortunately, hidden behind the hexagram.) The circlet on his brow conveys his authority as a King and is set with a lion’s face. He needed little in the way of trappings. Fire and Death suited him best, and the love and adoration of his Queen Ereshkigal.
It is worth noting his name also means "Cock" or "Dung-Hill Cock" and another epithet means "fighting cock" Lugal-banda. This synchronicity takes a stronger turn towards Abrasax when he is compared to Istaran, as one who is a judge. (ETSCL, Oxford) The deity Istaran and his son or herald Nirah was given an alcove in the Temple of Ningishzidda at Lagash and was depicted with serpents for legs, making him the earliest proto-form of Abrasax.
Six of Blades: Science
Historical: Lord of Earned Success
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #6 “Transparent” – Fire of 坎 (K’an) The Abysmal, Water
Berashith: “and Elohim called to the Dawn”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #5 (需 xū), Waiting (Nourishment)
Tiered Bigrams: Earth (Above), Earth (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Sol (Tiphareth, Beauty)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mercury in Aquarius
Keywords: Messenger, Declaring One’s Will, Smoothness, Thermonuclear, Warrior, Expediency, Elegance
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Harshness, Recovery, Complications, Arrogance
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Six of Swords, Lord of Earned Success, The Six of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Mercury and the zodiacal Aquarius it places at Sephira #6, in the Golden Dawn system. It’s angels are Michael and Hahihel.
Two hands emerge from the sides of the card, each holding three swords, crossing over a central sword, in each hand with a face of a satyr on each. Two daggers are at the bottom of the card. The Rose is in the center, surrounded by a solar glow.
Thoth: Called “Science,” The Thoth imagery is very robust, with intricate, clean lines and geometry, everywhere. In the center is the rosy cross. The six of swords generally represents moderation of the suite, after this point, it supposedly becomes quite poor in nature and mischievous, (forward in this suite we have Futility, Interference, Cruelty and Ruin.) This isn’t true in the Mutational Alchemy deck, since the 10 is a hard won goal for the Nu Aeon, and they are all broken down purely elementally, without emotional dross, but, it is important to note that in most other decks, all of the other sword cards after the six are portrayed in a negative light. He tells us; “Mercury, in Aquarius, represents the celestial Energy influencing the Kerub of the Man, thus showing intelligence and humanity.” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Six of Swords, Aleister Crowley 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The hexagram explains to us the very basic fundamental principles of scientific research: waiting patiently with firm resoluteness, and eliminating all self-deception and illusion. Aleister Crowley was a prophet and renamed the card perfectly, in this case. I am not a prophet, I am a closer. It is my job to annihilate the miscreants and establish the rule of the tetractys. It may be agreed upon by adepts that when the universe hears the word Abrahadabra, it translates as Science. Universal science, balanced and connected to art and beauty and culture, freed from the shackles of mankind’s biases, is in every way perfect. This science has a precious enduring quality that uplifts and upholds virtue, pleasure, technology, amrita, knowledge, wisdom, and peace. One can be strictly regulated and pure with science without resorting to cynicism, cruelty, judgmentalism, caustic attitudes and pedanticism. This world exists, it is real, it is possible, but it is not Here. Not on the Earth. Someday it will be though. This is the essence of Six of Blades: Science.
The Aeon of Ra Hoor Khut, called the Age of Horus by the vulgar, is wrapped in Science and War. This scene has a natural connection to The Aeon, therefore, in our immediate time, as well as to the Earth hex of ATU III: Death. Is it not true, that scientific knowledge brings with it a kind of death, to science itself, but also religion, culture, technology and even philosophy? This is all well and as it should be. With customs and wrongdoing so grossly mismanaged and misinterpreted as it is on Earth, things have gone far astray, so it does not seem beautiful, but it has to be from a certain point of view. If humans would but shake off the dross from their skin and unhinge the cold dead fingers of the horror religions of the past from their souls, they could see it.
The careful planning and patience native to science as applied to investigation must also be applied to the act of integrating with culture, religion, fools, philosophy and education. We see this today in the patient explanations to the laymen about how things work. We see it in programs designed to merge scientist culture with religious culture in a peaceful and nonviolent way. It can be done. It is the only way. Scientific culture is in every way the dominant force in our technology, but it has to make inroads into religion and philosophy to succeed, for ABRAHADABRA, the science of Macrocosm, to succeed.
The image of the hexagram is similar to the situation in science. Heaven is under Water, everything is dark and it can be dangerous. However, Heaven always prevails in the end and is very strong, even, or especially, in the face of danger. The tiered bigrams reveal a strong Fire element below two Air elements. It is like the image of a Father rearing his two sons, or a superior man who is at the mercy of two cunning men, who may be inferior in some way. This is like the time of the Inquisition for science. Theologians can be dangerous adversaries, because they have abandoned reason completely and intellectuals like this can easily slip into cruelty, especially if they are inferior, poorly educated or shallow thinkers. We see this amongst the scientific community, especially the atheists who behave quite foolishly and endangered the survival of science itself. Only a decade ago, you would be attacked for offering the idea that there were more than three dimensions, or that observation could change the outcome of an experiment, even though these were hot and correct topics amongst more well read atheists and science buffs. Caution must be used when dealing with rogue Air elements. They are like djinn. They are intellectuals without a cause. This is dangerous to anyone. There is no difference between a hateful atheist and a hateful theologian, especially when their reason is faulty, skewed by false premises.
Air of Sol is bright and cheerful, exciting and sparkling. Despite the caution it is the element of creation of the intellect. It is not only capable of building playgrounds for the mind in the shape of games, movies, books, toys, but also, of solving the direst of problems facing Man. Aging, spacefaring, underwater breathing, flying, genetics, boredom, limitation of sense and so on - all are problems that have been solved or will be solved, by Air of Sol. It is the card and station of The Enlightenment. In Mercury in Aquarius we have futurism, space travel, the synthesis of beauty, culture, science and beyond. The limitless vision of Aquarius is set free to play on the infinite borders of space via Logos, the Will of the All-Father unbound.
The Scene: Below our thermo-nuclear warrior, he is producing a white light above his head that represents the crown lotus, he is able to do this through his superior genetic makeup. The large white birds are downy juvenile or baby falcons, representing young peace, that is vigilant and has fierce potential. In the future they will grow up and become killers able to devour men! But these are friends of their keeper, allies and who will defend one’s hearth and their keeper’s home and family. This is the science and technology Man creates, it can be turned against us on accident. We do not mess around with the dove symbology, it is complete nonsense, one would be better off with a pigeon. They are white to aid in the color recognition. This is also the scale of 1, representing Kether, the untamed wildness of Logos made flesh in the element of Air. Splendid!
In the symbol, we have a 13 pointed consciousness star, which is a layered fusion of Saturn and Jupiter, part of the circuitry of universal mind, and the circuit board pattern in the background reinforces the computer like nature of universal mind at its best. This is what the Air element is really about, the massive network of consciousness, talking to itself, at the heart of every sentient lifeform and itself. The warrior is representative of Science, at the human level. The falcons are white because they are a product of the science of the future. The old Science card was all about the swords, here, the emphasis is all about the life form, the star, mutated animal forms, mutated human forms. Genetic science.
Six of Pentacles: Success
Historical: Lord of Material Success
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #6 “Transparent” – Fire of 坎 (K’an) The Abysmal, Water
Berashith: “and Elohim called to the Dawn” Ruling Hexagram: Hex #36 (明夷 míng yí), Darkening of the Light
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Earth (Middle), Earth (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Sol (Tiphareth, Beauty)
Planet/Sun Sign: Moon in Taurus
Keywords: Generosity, A Strong Woman in a Position of Power, a Superior Person at the Mercy of the Inferior but Powerful, Status, Fairness, Equality, Justice, Authenticity, Truth
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Begging, Insecurity, Conditions, Measuring, Miserliness, Being Stuck
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Seven of Wands, The Lord of Material Success, The Seven of Wands card corresponds to the planetary Mars and zodiacal Leo and places at Sephira #7, in the Golden Dawn system. Its angel correspondences are Mahashiah and Lelahel.
A central wand is a caduceus, or at least capped with the winged disc and two serpent heads. It is crossed with six other wands, two have winged disc tops and lion tails at the end, two have lotuses in bloom, and the last two in the center are topped with flames. The bottom of the central staff has the symbol for Mars. Flames issue from the junctions.
Thoth: Called the 6 of Disks, Failure. As you’ve probably noticed by now, both of the authors find the Rosy Cross incredibly boring, so we don’t use it anywhere. There’s a few circular schematics such as the back of the card, called the Kaos Star, that could be equated to The Rose, but we never use the old Golden Dawn version. The cross is especially meaningless to us. Crowley did like it, and here it is on the 6 of Disks again. The disks are blue surrounding a hexagon. (Crowley refers to it as a “hexagram” in his Tarot of the Egyptians,) The sun is irradiating the disks and being idolized as the Rose and Cross. It has 49 petals “the interplay of the Seven with the Seven” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley 1944.)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Darkening of the Light is the ruling hexagram, representing a situation where darkness has a temporary advantage or the ability to wound the bright in some way. The image is of the sun in the underworld, and of Hell. It may share a connection with The Hermit. The text advises us not to be rude or abrasive, in order to protect ourselves. The scene is of the throne of Ereshkigal. She is the sovereign ruler of Irkalla, the underworld, and although her power is limited to Irkalla and by proxy, Earth, she is omnipotent in her domain. The situation is very dangerous and caution must be exercised. But the Hexagram seems to conflict with the title of the traditional card. It is called “Success”. There is no answer for the conflict, and the reader must decide for themselves what it could mean.
In the tiered Bigrams, we have a curious image of two Earth elements under a single Water element. This implies great strength and solidity, under a body of water. Fire under Earth is an image of the Father element, Fire, changing the Earth from within. The fierce, powerful and warm element of Fire is well suited for the dark, cold and yet, malleable Earth element.
Even though the situation is difficult, it is not horrible. Earth of Sol is very close in nature, if not identical to the hexagram, so this is auspicious at least for the discipline of Mutational Alchemy. It seems to be a reversal of the warning to the light, here, the Earth element is in the Court of Ra, and must offer obeisance. The line from the Book of the Law “if thou love, exceed by delicacy; and if thou do aught joyous, let there be subtlety therein! But exceed! exceed! Strive ever to more!” (The Book of the Law, Had, rcvd. by Aleister Crowley 1904.) The image of a kind of love affair, or relationship is pictured, and perhaps the hexagram is more lovely if we imagine a kind of romantic relationship, rather than a political one.
The text accompanying the Changes is not infallible; only the hexagrammal structures themselves, are unfailingly accurate. These attributions were written by humans, who may have been divinely inspired, but we are not chained to the old text alone. The reader is encouraged to examine everything about it, from the Trigrams to the Nuclears, and even the ideogram and number itself.
Luna of Taurus indicates a kind of stubborn attachment to the world of fantasy and dreams. This may be the source of the problems - if any arise. If the fantasy is a pleasant one, then it is alright. Injustice may inspire extreme vengeance and insane measures may be taken to set things right (for example, the tale of Ereshkigal and Nergal is quite accurate.) It is worth noting that Luna, not Earth, is the correct Foundation of Man. The planetary therefore carries with it the weight of evolutionary imperative and pressure to exceed, just as the line from the Book of the Law commands. The foundation must be raised up to meet the expectations of a dark force.
Finally, the pentagram is called Transparent, indicating that this someone can see through situations and people clearly. Fire of K’an, the Abyssmal is reflecting the attribution of Earth in Sol again, reinforcing the idea of a relationship, where one must show appropriate respect beyond what is normally called for. Water and Fire may seem contrary to each other, but it is a mistake to assume so. It is also a mistake to always believe what Aleister Crowley tells you, as I know he states that Water and Fire are opposed to each other. In fact, it is these two great elements which are called The Father and The Mother, and they are the foundational elements of life.
When we visualize these two great progenitors, instead of picturing a small campfire being put out by water, it is better to imagine a lava vent under the ocean, causing all life to explode on the planet, and the rays of the sun piercing the ocean. Fire and Water produce Air and Earth and their relationship is complicated and delicately balanced, but it is perfect.
Therefore, it may be that the Success promised by this card, is the outcome of careful and dedicated alchemy. Gender roles need to be considered in the draw, as the meaning and method of attack should change, depending on this variables.
The Scene: The parable of Inanna visiting her sister was the inspiration for the scene. For the crime of hubris, of behaving in a crass and rude manner, she is tortured and killed by Ereshkigal’s guards. In the tale of Nergal and Ereshkigal, we have an image of a situation where delicacy was not used and things went awry, but after proper procedures and consideration, success is had. Nergal is owner of the title Meslam-ta-ea Nergal, or, “Nergal who comes forth from the temple.” Notably, the word mezla in Hebrew and Jewish Kabbalah is used to denote the scintillating diamond light of Ain Soph Aur, and in Hermetic Qabbalah can be associated with both White and Black Akasha. The term Meslam-ta-ea represented the left, while Lugalirra his brother represented the right. So Nergal is a sinister God of the left-hand path, if that was not clear enough by his associations with his wife, the Queen of the Dead and his blood-drinking draconic warrior aspect.
In Tantra, the goddess, or Shakti, expresses herself as a prepubescent young child. She represents the element of Earth manifest, the element in which the Mother Goddess reinvents herself in response to new data. (As opposed to Fire reinventing itself in the Son, Air.) This is a concrete doctrine that is the cornerstone of any Tantric practice. For whatever reason, Shakti watches through the eyes of young girl children and causes changes in the world according to her judgements from this perspective, according to the Vedas. So it is that young female children must be treated very carefully in case terrible curses befall the offender. Such judgements can lay whole nations low and destroy dynasties. One should always address young girl children with respect and not insult them. Shakti is wild, untameable, chaotic and infinitely creative.
The story of how this card came to be has ties to a situation bound up in one of the curses hinted at in The Book of the Law, and is a mirror of the Hexagram. The success in this case is one of very lofty success, the kind only acquired through extreme sacrifice and hardship. In the right hand of the scene the large white monster is the Xiezhi, the Chinese symbol for justice. This legendary creature has its roots in the unicorn goat owned by magistrate Gao Yao, who used it to judge the guilty. The goat reputedly would try to butt some people and the magistrate made decisions based on its behavior. In Japan it is known as the Kai Tsi. The animal is engraved on gavels and embroidered on military personnel patches in China. The image is thought to bestow law and order where it is found. This one is modelled after the one found on the Ming tombs walkway, in Beijing. The statues along the Ming tombs walkway were restored by the French, after morons and enemies of The Dragon from the “cultural” revolution tried to destroy them.
The creature on the left represents the hellhound, and he resembles Anpu (Anubis.) He has a dead rabbit which is a burrowing creature that must stay hidden from predators above ground, by necessity it must succumb to a “darkening of the light” as outlined in the Changes.The hellhound is her pet, as shown by the diamond collar. This and the crown and ebony throne depict the great wealth of the palace of Ereshkigal. The background is the color of earth, and furthermore it is a portal to the deeper hells, the cast off skins of the Ouroboros and the empty husks of the Qlippoth.
Six of Alembics: Pleasure
Historical: Lord of Pleasure
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #6 “Transparent” – Fire of 坎 (K’an) The Abysmal, Water
Berashith: “and Elohim called to the Dawn”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #35 (晉 jìn), Progress
Tiered Bigrams: Air (Above), Air (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Sol (Tiphareth, Beauty)
Planet/Sun Sign: Sol in Scorpio
Keywords: Delight, Childhood, Innocence, Love, Eroticism, Sensation, Relaxation, Contention, Pleasure, Nostalgia, Gain
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Drowning, Strife arising from vanity, Presumptuousness, Ungratefulness, Sinking, Laziness, Trapped, Repression
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Six of Cups, Lord of Pleasure, the card corresponds to the planetary Sol and zodiacal Scorpio and places at Sephira #6 (Tiphareth) in the Golden Dawn system. It is associated with angels Nelokhiel and Yeyayel.
Lotuses are again a feature, each with its own cup, but with vines intertwining, as if to infer many sexual partners, and the cups are partially filled
Thoth: Long gilded vines and golden lotuses flow nectar into shining cups against a bright blue sea. The card depicts the sun acting upon the element of Water due to Tiphareth. “His fierce, but balanced power operates that type of putrefaction - he is in the Sign of Scorpio -- which is the basis of all fertility, all life.” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley, 1944) This is followed by the incorrect position that the card is not sexual, and that one must know and understand the true nature of the Eucharist to attain the 9th degree in the OTO. What is this? The 9th degree supposedly involves interaction with the vagina or menstrual fluid. I do not know anything about it personally, so we are left to guess at it.
Putrefaction in the female reproductive organs may represent the post-coital state where the semen is left to its own devices in the vagina. The painting, while lovely, doesn’t make anything clearer and his words are rather thin.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: In the Hexagram we have #35, which is said to represent the rising sun, casting off mist and gaining strength through purification as it rises. It represents an enlightened ruler, who employs the services of a great man, who is his servant. The ruler is in the position of power, but lacks enough wisdom and knowledge to manifest the world he envisions. He employs a superior man, a good man who is also a sage and can aid the people and help advise on matters of the state.
In the Trigrams it is the opposite elemental situation of the preceding card, Success. Here Fire is in the above, and Earth is in the below. It may have gender specific correlations that should be examined. In the Bigrams a single Water element is below two Air elements.
Water of Sol indicates all of the fluid aspects of the Sun, such as magnetics, solar flares, plasma, and light waves. Because Briah, or the Sun Worlds, is called Creation, it corresponds to Water, the basis for all life as we know it. It is in essence the sexual and marital relationship of Fire and Water exalted. The tiered Bigrams hint at progeny, as if the single Water Bigram was gestating twin Air.
In the Twin Trees Temporals arrangement the Father gives his daughters to the Mother and the Mother gives her sons to the Father. This endless cycle is called the doctrine of the God and Goddess, famous in the more romantic Witchcraft schools of thought. It is usually the God who is focused on, as the renewed one, but it takes place in all of the elements.
Sol in Scorpio is focused and in control, and is intensely sexual, in correlation with the Will of Heaven and the True Will. If representing a person they will be charismatic, but they must have things go their way with the goal being complete integration of all elements, within their world, and the world at large, although the tendency will be to focus on immediate friends, family and work associates. This can actually lead to discord if they are emotionally conflicted, for example if they covet another’s wife or husband, or, they hold onto old grudges.
The Scene: I love m1thr0s, because to me he is my manifest divinity. God on Earth. To say, there is no God above, that Man himself is God, invites us to experience God as ourselves, as suitheists, as pagans without idols, only each other. This alone is The Abrahadabra Institute’s only accounting of God that is appropriate or acceptable within Logic or Reason. One may believe as they wish, but only this is true, as clear as day, only this is useful: “There is no God but Man”. This code, as incredible as it may actually sound, advises us that, while spiritualism and traditional religions account for another world beyond this, the truth is much more horrible, in that we’re residing in the only world we’ll ever get.
Horrible, because we’re ruining it. Some of us may never earn the right to move beyond this planet, so that Earth is nicknamed “the rat trap,” by we mages who know about its slightly sinister qualities. Destroy them. This is our right, our divine prerogative. The best way to do this is through sexual congress, in this sense we destroy the evil intellect when the two become one, and they cannot retrieve their old self. This is why prostitutes are sacred. This is why the French call orgasms “le petit morte” or, little death. Real destruction happens at that moment. The whole chorus of chakras are synchronizing and erasing bits of data. It’s hard to know what you’ll ever miss...you may just change your whole personality overnight, with no one knowing the difference - your false self died! This happens quite often. I have heard stories that are quite drastic, involving people who are completely unacceptable assholes whom nobody likes, not least of all their families, turning into normal human beings overnight.
The effects for a priestess are often quite the opposite - pollution by males of the incorrect current are to be avoided, and this pollution effect was the primary reason for the sequestering of the Vestal virgins who were married to the Fire god. In many of the priestess class temples of old around the world this same pattern developed. The priestess-shaman was held accountable for any mishaps involving the wrong sort of interaction with males. Where multiple couplings with males was acceptable, what was not was the coupling of a priestess with a strange male outside of the God’s sphere of influence. This is mainly found in the texts of Ancient Rome and Chung Kuo.
Each person is an individual and if one is upset or offended at my real occult talk then they should check their premise. No one should force women to do anything, but as individuals the quality of work of women priests is a concern.
As one might figure this image is of a female priestess engaging their God in sexual intrercourse, the only truly authentic invocation that could possibly merit a response from the God outside of innocence, death and sacrifice. In the world of symbols actions have meaning and consequence - despite all of the words and laws men may use to bind themselves against these consequences. It is the most difficult and precarious operation on Earth and the one that holds the most pleasure. There is no greater joy.
The fish are symbols of life, which is strong in the attributes of the corners. I didn't want the deck to be pornographic, even though it features nudity, so the uncensored version was edited with a strategically placed fish, and there are six of them for the six alembics.
This is a depiction of Kanaloa with modern archetypal underpinnings. The God is depicted here with the Eye of Siva with the dark periwinkle blue skin of Vishnu, and he has the cephalopod characteristics native to his holy symbol of the octopus. He is from a class of Gods which were crassly disrupted and defamed by the totally evil and brainless Christian missionaries. He was not originally cthonic but was demonized as such. They stole our religion and our magic, our languages and way of life, but in turn it is we and our God and Goddess who will destroy them. They will become on earth, animals, and we will eat their flesh, as the great God Ra Hoor Khut has promised us. Kanaloa is one half of a dual God, the other aspect who shared his invocations being Kane, who is associated with life, dawn and sun. One is light skinned, the other dark. it isn’t difficult to compare them with the brothers black Krsna and white Balarama, who are two aspects of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their wandering and companionship, they are also like Kukulkan and Tezcatlipoca, the Fool of the ATU in the MAT tarot.
How auspicious then that we have two Air elements in the tiered Bigrams to represent the two brothers at play above Maya (the ocean of illusion) The eyes of Kanaloa are like a bagua, but with every side being the trigram of Heaven. This symbol is called the Eye of Kanaloa in the mythology of old Hawaii.
In the color palette you will find all of the colors leading up to 6, Tiphareth. The brilliant yellow, salmon, gold and amber of Tiphareth is hidden within her. It is The Hermit exalted.
The red head is considered the manifestation of Pele in Hawaii, but she is a normal, average human, symbolizing the indiscriminate Eld of the All-Father. Her hair is meant to infer a connection to the goddess of volcanoes as “Every woman is Shakti, ever man is Siva” as the old Tantric axiom goes.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:36:31 GMT
Seven of Staves: Valor
Historical: Lord of Valour
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #7 “Hidden” – Fire of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder
Berashith: “and Elohim said “Let there be a raki’a””
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #25 (無妄 wú wàng), Innocence (The Unexpected)
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Air (Middle), Earth (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Venus (Netzach, Victory)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mars in Leo
Keywords: Overcoming, Bracing, Movement, Courage, Passion, Brilliance, Dedication, Enthusiasm, Innocence, Virtue, Harmony, Perseverence
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Naivety, Harmlessness, Loss, Theft, Ineptitude
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Seven of Swords, Lord of Valour, The Seven of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Mars and zodiacal Leo. It places at Sephira #7 (Netzach) in the Golden Dawn system.
Four swords flank three swords that touch in the center of the card at their points. The middle sword pierces The Rose. A hand is grasping it. There is a cloud in the background.
Thoth: Seven; a “weak, earthy, feminine number as regards the Tree of Life.” summoning “the brutal energy of Mars.” This weird opinion of seven explains why the Chariot, numbered ATU 7, is so malformed and dorky in the Thoth and other decks.
Crowley’s repulsive attitude towards the Venus and the feminine is tiresome and annoying. It is only in our understanding of his tortured psyche and our appreciation for the rest of his work as an occultist that his opinions are not thrown out entirely. Seven isn’t weak and all, it’s chaotic, unpredictable and mysterious, even to mathematicians. The rest of his synopsis in The Tarot of the Egyptians is useless garbage, so he isn’t as helpful as The Golden Dawn. The art itself is beautiful, but this is wholly due to Lady Harris’s hand and certainly not Crowley’s gibberish.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Netzach is the place of Venus, the Goddess. Here is where the masculine principle comes to meet the female in the three lower Sephiroth, connecting to Tiphareth, where the Sun and the child resides, Yesod, the Foundation of Man, representing our inner potential and axiom “Male, Female Quintessential One,” the center of the triangle of the Moon Worlds. Finally it connects to Malkuth, Kingdom. Seven is a masculine number and is specially connected with the God the Father, as we see revealed in the Proximity Principle. The Emperor himself is chilling on the path from #7 Netzach to #9 Yesod.
This is not a weakness, it is his divine will and right. He is taking care of his realm - that’s his job. It is the mistake of the Gnostics to assume escaping and transcending the world is somehow virtuous. God doesn’t run from the world, he seeks to be down in it, to support it and engage with it. That is why There is No God but Man. He is here among us and in us. Those who wish to escape are mere cowards. That doesn’t mean that life doesn’t suck sometimes, but this is what’s on our plate at the moment, and there’s really nowhere to run to. So, down in the trenches we must fight.
In the Hexagram #25 we have the interesting Wu Wang, Innocence, also known as The Unexpected. “Under heaven thunder rolls: All things attain the natural state of innocence. Thus the kings of old, Rich in virtue, and in harmony with the time, Fostered and nourished all beings” (The I Ching, trans. Wilhelm/Baynes Princeton University Press 1967.)
What is innocence? It is the divine nature found in the young, the new, things, people, animals that haven't been tainted by the world. The world has a decaying entropic effect on things and new birth can reset everything. People often seem confused when I use the word *world* even people who really ought to know better, so for clarification, I am not referring here to the planet and its ecosystems nor the entire scope of reality. I am referring to the *World* as it defined by the ATU of the Major Arcana. This decay and entropy effect is the very reason for death and reincarnation.
The shaman’s death which was discussed earlier in the Six of Alembics can bring about this new birth and innocence. After a hard rainfall things become new and fresh again. In the early shamanic practices of China storms were utilized as a way to connect with the divine, so they were thought to carry the special ability of Heaven to sanctify and purge evil, filling everything it touched with innocence, a kind of young energy that carries the power to fulfill wishes in concord with divine law. Storms can be scary though, and one has to be brave in order to withstand fleeing or avoiding the energy.
The words seem to encourage us to be protective of life and the people - the image of legendary and mythical rulers like King Arthur, Fu Hsi, Robin Hood, Raven, Gudea, David and other benevolent male rulers are fitting to the hexagram. We are meant to aspire to their example and protect innocence, which goes hand in hand with the unexpected. Bravery is important here, desires to be chivalrous and honorable mean nothing if one flees at the first sight of danger, or lacks the fortitude to carry through with difficult tasks requiring courage. This is what is meant by the Innocence line found in the Judgement “If one is not as one should be, nothing furthers;” a coward and those lacking honor and inner strength of will cannot succeed here. Therefore, the card’s meaning will be different depending on the individual and its placement.
The tiered bigrams reveal a strong Fire principle in the above, with Air and Earth in the below, as if the Father has his two small children, a boy and a girl following him. Heaven above Thunder indicates a dangerous situation, which the power of Heaven is controlling. One must be in concordance with the will of Heaven or nothing furthers. Heaven likes good, forthright, honorable and innocent people who are good, creative or beneficial to universe.
Fire of Venus hints at a surprising angle: the love and lust between Father Sky and Mother Earth, or Fire and Earth, where he is doing her some favor, extricating her from a bad situation, destroying those who would harm her, or some such scenario. The opposite is not true from the other aspects: Fire of Venus, is the consort of The Goddess. Hephaestus and not Mars in this case. He is the intelligent and holistic Father God, not the darkened son Mars, or airy Mercury. Mars of Leo confuses things a bit as it seems contrary at first, but then we remember the nature of the male lion at war is always to protect his females - or his progeny and this extends to his seed as he will kill other cubs upon taking over a pride with a few limited exceptions.
The Pentagram, in name, “Hidden,” reinforces the idea of the powers of the unexpected. The thought of the secret powers known by occultists around the globe is terrifying to most people, and absolutely real. In the case of the evil, their terror is justified. Father Nature is much more intelligent than a lion and unforgiving, despite what all the Christians yammer on about, as if there will be mercy for child rapists or serial murderers who kill for sport. The card is dangerous in this case, for the evil, again it will be entirely situational depending on your spread and the persons involved.
In the scene itself, we have an ordeal resembling a spirit wolf guarding an eternal flame. The flame is Venusian and the wolf is Martian. It may be a spoiler, but let’s just say there is very little to fear at all here for the upright and good. However, there are a good amount of people who are cowards. The card will mean little to them. The shaman’s death may await the receiver - it is difficult to say. The flame is Venus, in a form all know and love - the star splendour, her pussy which gives birth to the sun god, Ra.
The Scene: “Something ominous, maybe a forest, and something primeval that represents innocence and valour at the same time” m1thr0s had said to me. I didn’t know what else could be appropriate but a wolf and and the forest. The hot pink purple of the mysterious light, the spirit of the forest, was meant to call to mind the line in the Book of the Law where Hadit reminds us that he is present even if we cannot see him - purple beyond purple, the light higher than eyesight. (A Comment on the Verses of the Book of the Law, D.G. Mattichak JR.) I grew up with wolves, they crawled on me and slept with me in bed, we ate next to each other on the floor, we raced and hunted together, and shared a mother together. They do not scare me at all. I suppose that will be a problem for some people. Oh well.
Seven of Blades: Futility
Historical: Lord of Unstable Effort
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #7 “Hidden” – Fire of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder
Berashith: “and Elohim said “Let there be a raki’a””
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #26 (大畜 dà chù), The Taming Power of the Great
Tiered Bigrams: Air (Above), Earth (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Venus (Netzach, Victory)
Planet/Sun Sign: Luna in Aquarius
Keywords: Inaction, Desisting, Travelling, Public Office, Accumulating, Scrutiny
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Blindness, Rashness, Bad Timing, Irresponsibility, Forgetfulness, Lack of Foresight
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Seven of Swords, Lord of Unstable Effort, The Seven of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Luna and the zodiacal Aquarius. It places at Sephira #7 (Netzach,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A hand holds a single large sword that pierces The Rose. The other swords surround it, with two very large curved blades representing Aquarius and Luna on their hilts.
Thoth: A pretty looking blue card, but, not an auspicious one, this card depicts more of those origami shuriken looking structures no one ever bothers to explain (probably because they are quite meaningless.) Crowley acknowledges the status of Venus as the one who rules victory in war, despite his previous and unfair damnation of seven in the prior suite. The description found in The Tarot of the Egyptians about the Seven of Swords, is of an impotent force vacillating and compromising, with appeasement and feebleness reigning all around between one strong sword and a weak mob of others.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram follows on the heels of the previous suite. It is #26, The Taming Power of the Great. The situation is one in which a force is held back, due to restraint forced by a great power or authority. The tameness is due to a moral compass, or respect for the weak and innocent, despite some wrongdoing. The strong line at the top of the Hexagram is a sage line, honored by the other lines, two Yin, and three Yang. It encourages the reader to circulate, improve one’s self and be engaged with society in general. Society, in this case, is good, and in concordance with the Will of Heaven, it wouldn’t do to live the life of a Hermit as is necessary in evil times. This is a time of prosperity and enlightenment, and this idea is reinforced by Air of Venus and Luna in Aquarius. The people feel free to prosper, because they are left alone to do as they like, within the constraints of justice, instead of that of societal expectations. There is no inquisition of the Dark Ages of the Catholics, nor even a hint of this. It is a scenario in which the passage of every star remains unmolested - one is allowed to do their will, without harassment.
What does this mean for our suspicious looking man? He is the ruler and has access to immense power, given to him by the people, but he does not use it. Instead, he leaves them alone. The card’s meaning will generally involve letting something or someone be. This is the wise choice. However, it does not mean that he has given up his power. In the Bigrams, we have a situation in which he is only letting things be for now. In a weak, or afflicted placement, the meaning may be that he is a ruler who is not being strong or hard enough on wrongdoers, but this is exceptionally rare. It may also warn caution in a situation which seems like it may be treading on a serpent’s tail.
The Scene: Perhaps, by now, you’ve realized my weird rambling isn’t meant to help you read the cards, only to interpret their origins. Intuitively, one may think this is helpful but it is not, unless you share the Secret Psychic Omniscient Grid Connection. ™ Just kidding, of course. This card was begun midway, early on in the deck’s construction. It’s another game portrait, from my self-taught days. It’s a weird one, in a sense, because I didn’t care very much about the player or character I did it for. However I was obsessed with him and it, in some way, inexplicably, mainly over his name - Mekthros. What of it?
Well it was too similar to m1thr0s and I think it was my higher self’s drive interpreted wrongly by my body (brain.) It was made a long, long, time before I knew m1thr0s, how in the actual fuck could it look just like him? He even owns a long black wool cloak (as all Satanists and left-hand pathers must.) There are no answers.
Later on, in response to the revelation of similarity and synchronicity I would add a naga to the scene representing myself. It was originally a fiery background, the character Mekthros was some villain who set fire to a town (I believe it was full of halflings, so it goes with dark elves, generally. They’re really not good for the neighborhood.) This naga is found on the 8 of Alembics. If you put the two together it forms a scene, and then perhaps it becomes clear: he is the naga and his black coils are stretched along the two parts of the scene.
Balarama, the white skinned brother of Krsna, the “original Krsna” as Sri Prahbupad liked to put it, and the black Ananta, serpent outside of time (manifest reality.) Shesha Ananta never incarnates, ever, so, he is especially holy. Balarama is only a tiny aspect of him. This is saying something considering he is very powerful. By the elements he is of the Black Prince, the sinister warrior son of the mother. This can cause some worrisome effects but his dedication and chivalry are admirable. Morgrim and Lancelot are both opposite extremes of this archetype. Another example is Darth Vader, still another, Satan, especially connected to Lilith.
Seven of Pentacles: Failure
Historical: Lord of Success Unfulfilled
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #7 “Hidden” – Fire of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder
Berashith: “and Elohim said “Let there be a raki’a”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #46 (升 shēng), Pushing Upward
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Earth (Middle), Air (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Venus (Netzach, Victory)
Planet/Sun Sign: Saturn in Taurus
Keywords: Smallness, Humility, Sincerity, Repentance, Loyalty, Dedication
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Sadness, Submission, Loneliness, Yearning, Longing
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Seven of Pentacles, Lord of Success Unfulfilled, the The Seven of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacal Taurus and places at Sephira #7 (Netzach,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A hand in a cloud grasps the thorny stems of unopened blossoms.
Thoth: Creeping moth-like antennae, or palm fronds, in a sick blue grey color embrace purple and silver disks, with a pink glow. Alternatively attractive and repulsive, they are meant to represent bad money, weakened by Venus and Netzach. Because womynkind are bad, mmkay? Seriously though, at this point if one hasn’t become entirely bored of the Gnostic smacktalk permeating the Thoth, then one should probably favor it instead, as there is nothing Gnostic whatsoever about The Mutational Alchemy Tarot.
Our perfected universe requires economic elegance; dismissing the feminine as unnecessary is wrong and an insult to Nature. Nothing at all is unnecessary, although, perhaps, it is set against one thing, or another, in war. But this denial of Nature’s perfection and economic brilliance is exactly what Crowley espouses, time and time again, until the Tantricists among the peanut gallery such as yours truly become quite sick to death of it if they bother with Western magick at all; many of them do not, instead limiting themselves to Eastern magick and metaphysics.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: First of all, the Hexagram is #46, Pushing Upwards, the image of the element Wood pushing up through Earth. Here, the feminine is strengthening the life in its grasp, quite the opposite of tradition. There is danger here, if the journey is too far or it is trampled on, the little plant will fail.
This is the meaning of the Seven of Pentacles, a dangerous journey, or a risky venture. In the end the payoffs are worth it. The tiered bigrams reflect the previous Seven of Blades, with Water, the Mother being followed by two children. Instead of the Black Prince, we have the femme fatale, or sinister mistress of magick, in the situation. Earth in the above and Wood in the below is also a reference to the cthonic Gods, whom she protects with her body: Hades, Ningishzidda, Satan, Yama, Meslam-ta-ea Nergal and so on.
In the element of Earth of Venus we have the powerful sexuality of the planet expressed in its most material form. Sensuality, lust and death, alongside Saturn in Taurus, a slow, plodding and torturously drawn out ordeal. It may not exactly be a Russian movie, but it will sure be close. The situation will arrive at perfect justice and perfect satisfaction eventually. The key elements here are the symbol of the land and the feminine, a divine queen, princess or someone royal, a representative of Earth in Venus. Then there’s Saturn in Taurus, a slow, long-lived, stubborn, slightly cruel, sinister and perfectly just intelligence of natural law - the dragon was a perfect match.
Dragons are often shown in the most stupidest of circumstances, being ridden on by a knight, or being attacked by a knight, generally things dragons really have no interest in or business with. Dragons are symbols of Fire and Air, by their polarity they will be interested in females of any kind - Water and Earth - the female elements, which is why Dragons are shown as obsessed with Gold or in the ocean - and then, real females, which is why they are shown being given unmarried girls as a way to pacify them.
The Scene: The Dragon wins. The Dragon always wins because he or she knows how to play the long game versus the short game. The Knight in Shining Armor winning the battle is and always was a myth, born of the shortsighted fear of mortals. There are many dead men on the floor of the cavern, victims to their own pride and prejudice. The maiden represents the Venusian ideal. The righteousness of Man upon the Earth is and always will be focused on the Goddess, and so, she plays a central part in this card, a warning to those who would make Life something which it is not. Life is both the powerful and vengeful Dragon and the gentle and completely beautiful maiden, they are the same being here. If this is forgotten then all is lost in our lives.
The deity represented is Deity-Great-Ocean-Possessor, or Luminous Being, Ryūjin. The skulls are the dead men who dare to offend the Dragon. The woman is one of the ladies he rescued from drowning who lives with him in the imperial city below the waves. She is crowning him with a crown with all of the colors of the elements on it. It’s a symbolic gesture, meant to signify his royal status, her ability to grant kingship as the representative of the element of Earth, and of his dominion over the five elements as the Magus.
Seven of Alembics: Debauch
Historical: Lord of Illusionary Success
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #7 “Hidden” – Fire of 震 (Chên) The Arousing, Thunder
Berashith: “and Elohim said “Let there be a raki’a””
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #45 (萃 cuì), Gathering Together (Massing)
Tiered Bigrams: Earth (Above), Air (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Venus (Netzach, Victory)
Planet/Sun Sign: Venus in Scorpio
Keywords: Trickery, Subterfuge, Underworld, Manipulation, Temptation, War, Femininity, Hypnotic, Seductive, Attraction, Choices, Fantasy, Drunken, Misogyny, Squandered oppurtunities, Deception in Love and Friendship,
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Submission, Trapped, Suffocating, Languishing, Desire, Lust, Vanity
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Seven of Cups, Lord of Illusionary Success, the Seven of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Venus and zodiacal Scorpio and places at Sephira #7 (Netzach,) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angelic rulers are Melchel and Chahaviah.
A hand holds the stems growing out of one of the lower cups. The lotuses are drooping over the cups, but no liquid flows from them into the empty cups.
Thoth: Called the Seven of Cups, Crowley, once again, begins his emotional terrorism of explaining how naughty Netzach is, how she gets more dick than he does, how she doesn’t appreciate those dicks as much as he does, and la de da de da…he may as well be the poster child for fag draaamaaa.
He gets much more worked up about this one than usual - it is the element of Water, the Mother, after all - aka Fire’s best and only true consort and lover. From a Mutational Alchemy perspective Man is neither male nor female elementally - we’re an admixture of both, ultimately designated as *Jen* rather than Yin or Yang, so there is no need for this jealous hysteria. It’s unusual to see a normally intelligent person lose his shit so completely over something like this. I have to wonder if he’s just subconsciously upset he didn’t catch the Emperor problem, since it is so closely connected to Netzach’s station and behavior.
He admits the root of his psychological problems at the end of the short paragraph: “Lose direct touch with Kether, the Highest; diverge never so little from the delicate balance of the Middle Pillar; at once the holiest mysteries of Nature become the obscene and shameful secrets of a guilty conscience.” Poor, poor, Victorian England denizen, Aleister Crowley.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram is #45, Gathering Together. The dangers of the unexpected lurk during a time of calm or prosperity. A man is advised to assemble and prepare his weapons. Perhaps this will be friends, family or money, disguises, actual guns, swords, hatchets and vehicles, or psychological weapons: meditation, neuro-linguistic programming and information. The unexpected danger can come from enemies but it is useful to remember one’s greatest enemy can be one’s own mind. So it is the aspects that drive us away from the path of our True Will are represented by vices. In moderation, these things are alright, but over time, and in certain cases they can attend failure.
In the tiered Bigrams, we have a Water element below Air and Earth, as if a superior female is being exhausted by immature elements, (in a reading, this may literally mean children and a mother, literally or figuratively.)
In the Trigrams, we find Earth below Lake. This is the image of the Earth collecting Water. The lesser elements are drawn to the Earth, like it is the mother. So it is one has made a place for danger to nest in his own domain and being. (Water, is dangerous, in traditional Chinese attributions.)
Water of Venus amplifies the planet’s seductive characteristics. Hypnotic, alluring and desperately attractive are few keywords relevant to her. Venus in Scorpio adds “fatale” to the femme character, and we find that there may be a stinger at the other end of this delightful thing. At the very least, one is cautioned to proceed carefully.
The Scene: My trout mermaid, my trout mermaid! I asked m1thr0s what he thought was a sort of ugly fish to use as a mermaid. When the mermaids show up in the deck, they always represent a personification of Water relating to royalty, such as the Melusine. I watched a video in which some Wiccan was complaining that mermaids shouldn’t go in “witch” themed tarot packs because they were not witchy enough. I can’t think why not, if the Pentacle can. They are an ancient part of the human experience and should be treated for what they are - undine symbols of the ocean, Tiamat and Apsu, liquid and Venus and so on. And little girls often love mermaids, who is to argue with the personification of the goddess? It’s also a strange piece of lore that women make much better fishermen, on account of fish being naturally attracted to young women.
This mermaid is quite sinister. m1thr0s thinks trouts are ugly and I don’t. Of all the river fish, the trout is actually the prettiest and the smartest. But, he likes catfish and their fancy relatives the Koi, so there is no accounting for taste. However, the trout skin on her makes this one look particularly ugly and her bald head and red eyes don’t help. Her herd of undead zombies are the souls of those she has lured to their doom with her offerings of Religion, Entertainment, Drama, Death, Murder, Food and Money.
Perhaps the city in the background is responsible for this escaped genetic experiment. It is meant to represent the hexagram Massing Together. Certainly the nearest coastal city is going to be in for a nasty surprise.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:38:23 GMT
Eight of Staves: Swiftness
Historical: Lord of Swiftness
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #8 “Perfect” – Fire of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth|
Berashith: “and Elohim made the raki’a”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #12 (否 pǐ), Standstill (Stagnation)
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Air (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Mercury (Hod, Splendor)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mercury in Sagittarius
Keywords: Velocity, Vibes, Superlight, Electromagnetics, True Will
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Weak Signal, Hastiness, Cruelty, Idle Chatter or Busy-ness, Futile Actions
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Eight of Wands Lord of Swiftness, the Eight of Wands card corresponds to the planetary Mercury and zodiacal Sagittarius. It places at Sephira #8 (Hod) in the Golden Dawn system.
Four spirit hands grasping two flaming arrowhead-tipped wands, each issue from clouds. Two separate wands are also pictured, at the top and bottom of the scene.
Thoth: Called the Eight of Wands, Swiftness, the card is meant to represent the vibrating, sustaining and electrical energy that constitutes matter itself. “The Vibe” as it is called, is attributed to the nature of this card. It is fast and furthermore, flameless, unlike the Golden Dawn version. There is a communicative property, as it carries the original Will of Logos and manifests geometric form.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram is #12, Standstill or Stagnation, and this doesn’t appear to fit with the title of the card. Heaven is in the above and Earth in the below, the opposite of an auspicious union. Considering that the purpose of Swiftness, as described by Crowley, is to bring “down from Chokmah the message of the original Will,” and it is a swift electromagnetic force that can pierce through matter and cover great distances in a speed beyond that of light, then we may be looking at a situation which describes light piercing the darkness to manifest Will even in situations that seem hopeless, or where our refuge seems far away. For the religious, this can be God, for the irreligious, Science or home. The text of the Image states: “Heaven and earth do not unite: “The image of STANDSTILL. Thus the superior man falls back upon his inner worth In order to escape the difficulties. He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.” This inner worth is the vibrating, inner, True Will of Mercury, described in Aleister Crowley’s The Tarot of the Egyptians.
Fire of Mercury is ethereal and fragile, but also quite potent. Mercury in Sagittarius points to a precise and fast warrior energy that may not be present constantly, but will move as quick as lightning, to respond to crisis. It is important to note it may only respond to crisis and so once this is understood the language by which one may call it down is legible.
The Pentagram reflects the Hexagram! This is unusual and exciting. it means the systems are working together, despite being separated by millenia and thousands of miles. Truly, there is no better evidence for Logos-Mercury than this. Furthermore the text from Berashith indicates a distancing between Heaven and Earth, in the creation of the ra’kia, or firmament.
The Scene: The Raven and the Eagle are meant to represent power and wisdom or intelligence, as well as the winged, airy nature of Mercury. The auspicious knot is made of serpents, because m1thr0s wanted both. He was very surprised when I made an auspicious knot out of serpents and even got the weaving pattern correct. Each has one foot drawn up, ready to take flight at a moment’s notice, and they are anchored in Heaven. The nebulous background is meant to represent Heaven, which sends forth this power.
Eight of Blades: Interference
Historical: Lord of Shortened Force
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #8 “Perfect” – Fire of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth
Berashith: “and Elohim made the raki’a”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #11 (泰 tài), Peace (Harmony)
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Earth (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Mercury (Hod, Splendor)
Planet/Sun Sign: Jupiter in Gemini
Keywords: Change, Undisciplined Thinking, Future Benefit, Thwarted, Mishap
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Success in Evil Matters, a Draw, Imperceptible Beginning of Ascent
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Eight of Swords, Lord of Shortened Force, The Eight of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Jupiter and the zodiacal Gemini. It places at Sephira #8, (Hod,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Swords, all converge, crossing each other to touch The Rose, without harming it. A banded half circle is seen in the background.
Thoth: Swords of different kinds cross over a background of orange static filled purple and pink. The different swords are said to represent certain cults. Sadly, Crowley doesn’t bother to reveal which cult belongs to what sword, he only tells us each has a country. Hod represents the undisciplined, to him, and Jupiter in Gemini salvages the weak thinking.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Hexagram #11, T’ai, or Peace, is the opposite of the next Hexagram, which is applied to the previous Eight, the Eight of Staves. In this Hexagram we have a situation where Heaven is under the Earth, this implies that the ra’kia extends all the way below the Earth, (extending up and coming at us from behind;) and the universe is, as suspected, toroidal in nature, like the Ouroboros serpent and the Taoist symbol for Tao.
In the Bigrams we have a single Earth element sandwiched between Water in the above and Fire in the below, as if to say, “Yes, that’s it exactly!” to our theory. The Trigrams represent the (sexual) union of Heaven and Earth and are considered to be most auspicious, it is also called The Dragon in the Field.
Air is exalted in Mercury, though few authors note it. The cleverness will have a focus on economics and may seem cruel, or even sadistic, but it has a good purpose somewhere. If it is an event, it will happen unexpectedly and suddenly, as if out of nowhere. This can be annoying if one can’t see the reason for it, and one probably will not. In the example shown here, it is the dinosaurs who are demolished to make way for birds.
Jupiter in Gemini is auspicious, commonly considered the best aspect of our card, but not the only one, as we have seen. Generally speaking, this is a good card, and may indicate that an ill omen is actually good. Contrary to popular opinion, not all bad things have a silver lining, but when Interference shows up, it means it does, for at least one party.
The Scene: I was obsessed with dinosaurs from a young age, and I don’t know why. Tyrannosaurus rex and Archaeopteryx lithographica are two species found in the late Cretaceous strata, at the point of the Mesozoic extinction event.
The coloring of the feathers on the Archaeopteryx needed to be invented, and so the plumage pattern of Alopochen aegyptiacus was used, the Nile Goose, who is the symbolic bird of Geb, the consort of Nut and cthonic God of the earth.
The Tyrannosaurus is shown in skeletal silhouette, representing the extinction, while the Archaeopteryx flies ahead, into the blood red miasma of future evolution. They are linked together by the glowing green light, symbolic of the Will of Heaven, inferred to as an As Above, So Below, phenomenon in 8 of Staves, Swiftness.
The lady figure was added much much later, as a symbol of Nature personified as a woman, which is a common belief or ideal even amongst the secular. She has the star filled body of Nuit.
Eight of Pentacles: Prudence
Historical: Lord of Prudence
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #8 “Perfect” – Fire of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth
Berashith: “and Elohim made the raki’a”
Element/Planet: Earth of Mercury, (Hod, Splendor)
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Earth (Middle), Fire (Below)
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #11 (泰 tài) Peace (Harmony)
Planet/Sun Sign: Sol in Virgo
Keywords: Harmonizing, Caution, Economics, Balancing the Books, Analysis, Trying for a Baby, Arranged Marriage or Marriage of Convenience, a Fertile Man or Woman, Prime of Life, Wisdom
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Uncertainty, Hesitation, Poor Timing, Miserliness, Micromanaging
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Eight of Pentacles, The Lord of Prudence, the Eight of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Sol and the zodiacal Virgo and places at Sephira #8 (Hod) in the Golden Dawn system.
A hand holds the stem of a rose rising under a rayed disc set amidst pentacles.
Thoth: Called the Eight of Disks, it represents the spiritual aspect of Mercury. To Crowley, it meant “the turn of the tide” and “the lowest fallen and therefore the highest exalted” (There’s the theory of the Ouroboros universe again.) He suggests the card is connected to the geomantic figure Populus. The gaudy tree is thick and leafy, like broccoli, and it owns enormous bright purple flowers with orange and yellow pistils, with a green center. The symbol for Sol is at the top.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram #11 is part of a set of reciprocal inverses at Hod. These are all on a Sephiroth in the Temporals arrangement, but not on the Primordials arrangement which is what The Mutational Alchemy Tarot is based on. This Hexagram is one of the most auspicious symbols in the Changes, representing a time in which the rich and powerful aid the poor and weak, and the lowly promote peace and harmony in the whole society. It can be likened to the tilling of soil as well.
In the Trigrams we have Heaven in the below and Earth in the above, which is likened to the bright and powerful Yang force fucking Earth in their loveplay. It is sometimes called Dragon in the Field. It should be noted that Aleister Crowley states “also the Virgin Earth awaiting the Phallic Plough” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Crowley, 1944)
In Earth of Mercury, we have intellectual drive and ambition, paired with fine logic and high morals. Sol in Virgo indicates sexuality and repose, that produces fruitful results.
Like all of the Eights, it has the Pentagram called “Perfect” which is a strange coincidence with the Hexagram, on no less than two of the cards. Strange coincidences are all over this pack.
The Scene: This is a picture of a friend of mine, who experienced an awakening in which the God Ningishzidda spoke to her. She contacted me out of nowhere as a stranger, because the God told her to. I had the same experience a continent away, around the same time. Sadly instead of listening to what he told her, she chose to deny the experience and went on about her life and has experienced nothing but disappointment. I listened to him and have experienced a lot of enjoyment and my wishes in life have been fulfilled. She is a very pretty woman but I don’t keep in contact with her very much. I think that she is afraid of the occult and facing that side of herself. I see people fail in their True Will all the time because of fear. They think they can escape their destiny, or True Will, but they only put it off for another lifetime. I did experience apprehension and wished that I had not been contacted by him a few times in the months following my experience, but this soon passed with healthier thinking and a change of my mental conditioning and bad behavior.
I painted this card and a few years later she became what I had envisioned - a student with a business major! I don’t know anything about Ningishzidda’s plans for her, but I’m sure they involved something great. We shouldn’t ignore our destinies even if they take us into scary places.
The character in the card is the magistrate of a spaceport on a planet run by humans. The spaceport is in a hostile environment, and it requires smart and prudent management. She keeps track of her kingdom on her data pad and with the help of her technology, in this case droids. The sun is rising, representing order controlling chaos of night, and the buildings in the background protect the contents and inhabitants inside from an inhospitable atmosphere. The window to the desert scene runs into the walls of the cliff, signifying harmony with the environment. The clean and simple lines of her glass desk and chair represent austerity and simplicity at the Zen heart of prudence. Also in the shape of the spider droid we have a reference to the weaver, and the patience of the spider which results in profit.
Eight of Alembics: Indolence
Historical: Lord of Abandoned Success
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #8 “Perfect” – Fire of 坤 (K’un) The Receptive, Earth
Berashith: “and Elohim made the raki’a”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #12 (否 pǐ), Standstill
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Air (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Mercury (Hod, Splendor)
Planet/Sun Sign: Saturn in Pisces
Keywords: Poison, Disease, Addiction, Choices, Warning, Consequences, Bad Social Influence, Ideology, Religion, Politics, Ideas, Miserable People, Sadness Brought On by Chemicals, Imbalance, Judiciary Proceedings, Bad Medicine, Bad Science, Ill Reputation, Sadness, Denial
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Temptation, Ideas not Well Thought Out, Lack of Logic, Horniness, Poor Hygiene, Bad Diet, Intestinal Problems, Dehydration, Enabling
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Eight of Cups, Lord of Abandoned Success, the Eight of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacal Pisces. It is associated with the angels Vavaliah and Yelahiah and places at Sephira #8 in the Golden Dawn system.
All of the cups are empty, save for two, which are only half filled by the nearly empty lotuses.
Thoth: Called the Eight of Cups, the scene is the badlands, but, not just a normal badlands, he tells us there is poison and disease here. Furthermore, he calls it “the German Measles of Christian Mysticism.” I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds gross and bad. The scene is grotesque. Black pools of water spread across the land, covered by a black sky, and worse yet, the cups are a nauseating flesh color. The water appears clear, and the lotuses have a terrifying black and hairy center. It’s all very unappealing. The cups are “shallow, old and broken” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley, 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram here is #12, part of the reciprocal inverse pair that is seated at Hod. The lone Fire element at the top of the tiered Bigrams is approached by Air and Water. It is the image of a family here, in the Trigrams we have Heaven in the above, Earth in the below, an inauspicious sign, generally speaking, representing a stationary Earth, unable to easily reach the distant and departing Heaven. The image is one of immoveable stagnation, absolutely appropriate to the traditional attributes of the card called Indolence, or Lord of Abandoned Success. Superior persons must go into hiding, as if a great disaster has befallen humanity, such as a plague driven apocalypse, or an evil government ruled by small minded people. The Bigrams hint at finding solace in the family unit itself.
In Water of Mercury we have the Hermes planet’s more sinister intellectual qualities taking wing. It may be that these will be necessary in the trying times of the 8 of Alembics. Saturn in Pisces is deathly foreboding, and it indicates a time of purging and trial for all. The card is quite deserving of its reputation and may also indicate physical, literal, poison. This may be deliberate poisoning, or ambient accidental poisoning, such as pollution, or lead poisoning. It may merely be alcohol or cigarettes. The sky reflects the color scale of Queen 23, relating to Eris, sea-green.
Overall, this is a bad card, when it shows up, someone is being scolded for damaging one’s self through indolence. They are thwarting their True Will and it can lead to death. Sometimes, it is better that one dies than to drag on through life refusing to fulfill the reason for which they came here. This card is therefore a portent of Death, if one falls too far from the Way and lingers too close to the arcane.
The Scene: Like the Seven of Blades, Futility, this girl is part of an original painting which featured a pair of individuals burning down a city. They are naughty nagas. The serpent in the black liquid is part of her lover, who is a long, black, naga. The crystal cup is meant to represent the pure cup from which one may redeem one’s self from all the wretchedness of the poisonous substance, perhaps it is merely water, or it is a choice to leave a bad, toxic, situation. The interpretation is left for the reader to decide. She holds two purple flames in her hands, as if to indicate the volatility of the situation, at any minute, it could all go up in smoke, if that liquid is oil. Perhaps it isn’t, maybe it’s just blackberry pancake syrup...Everything will kill you these days right?
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:40:13 GMT
Nine of Staves: Strength
Historical: Lord of Great Strength
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #9 “Pure” – Air of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Berashith: “And Elohim called to the ra’kai”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #9 (小畜 xiǎo chù), The Taming Power of the Small
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Earth (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Luna (Yesod, Foundation)
Planet/Sun Sign: Luna in Sagittarius
Keywords: Lofty, High Minded, Benevolence, Science, Strong Intelligence, Keen
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Newbie, Mulling, Nihilism, Intellectual Depression, Stuck in a Rut, a Poor Scholar, Lack of Education
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Nine of Wands, Lord of Great Strength, The Nine of Wands card corresponds to the planetary Luna and the zodiacal Sagittarius and places at Sephira #9 (Yesod) in the Golden Dawn system.
Eight crossed wands over a single primary wand are decorated with bird skulls, suns, flowers and arrow heads, implying strength of life. the bottom of the wands are also decorated, with feathers, serpents, discs and feathers.
Thoth: Rich, red arrows, cross over a double-wand, capped with a crescent moon and a solar disc. The card is called Nine of Staves, Strength. It has an almost tribal feel to it, like an American Indian or Celtic design. The arrows are all capped with crescent moons for points. The background is black. "The Nine may be considered as the best that can be obtained from the type involved, regarded from a practical and material standpoint." (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley, 1944) He states the energy is directed downwards.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: In Mutational Alchemy, fiery energy directed downwards is called Heaven Descending, or, the *Descending Serpent.* The *Ascending Serpent* is called Earth Ascending and relates to the doctrine of the Kundalini Shakti.
In the tiered Bigrams, we have two fire elements below and above, the single Earth element, indeed a fitting picture for *Earth Ascending.*
In the Trigrams of the Hexagram, which is #9 The Taming Power of the Small, we have Heaven in the below, Sun, The Gentle, Wind in the above. The image is lofty, serene and good. It is an image of Heaven being active and focused. Indeed the pictograms look like a face with a wizard hat, or thinking cap on.
In Fire of Luna, we have lots of fiery, lunar, creative energy flowing, and Luna in Sagittarius makes for an enlightened and futuristic philosopher, with an eye towards uplifting the people. If drawn in the case of a person, it will often be a scholar of some kind. They will follow a moral code and shun falsehood.
The Pentagram is called Pure and relates to the communication between Elohim and the ra’kai,) often translated as “firmament.”) As Air of Heaven, it certainly corresponds perfectly to the Hexagram, which is Wind over Heaven. The Pentagram will have an airy and intellectual stance, and also be the source of great strength.
Generally speaking, it will always be a good omen, and represent internal strength of mind, primarily.
The Scene: The great legendary Fu Hsi, who may or may not be an individual, or a pack of sages, is shown here, gazing at a version of the famous Lo Shu tortoise, as if contemplating its meaning. This tortoise came out of the River Lo and inspired and spawned the Changes, the Trigrams and Bigrams, the Lo Shu, and everything else pertaining to ancient China’s amazing mathematical systems of binary and ternary structures.
The tortoise is standing on an astrolabe, a device used to chart stars found in the Imperial court and in the houses of scholars, all over Chung Kuo. He is wearing a necklace representing wisdom and a red robe symbolizing his auspiciousness. He is holding a map representing science, in his left hand, and a staff representing occult wisdom, in the other. In the background, is the similarly mythical Shangri-la. It is up high in the mountains like the airy and lofty hexagram. The dragon tortoise carries a golden pearl in its mouth.
Nine of Blades: Cruelty
Historical: Lord of Despair & Cruelty
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #9 “Pure” – Air of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Berashith: “And Elohim called to the ra’kai”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #10 (履 lǚ), Treading (Conduct)
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Air (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Luna (Yesod, Foundation)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mars in Gemini
Keywords: Great Advantage Over an Enemy, Will Overcoming Lower Self, Fighting With the Pen not the Sword, Truth is Heresy, Noncompliance, Internet, Internet Business, Libel, A Hacker, a Phreaker
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Gossip, Petty Name-calling, Slow Internet, Network Issues, a Lousy Web Admin
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Nine of Swords, Lord of Despair and Cruelty, the Nine of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Mars and zodiacal Gemini and places at Sephira #9, (Yesod,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A large curved blade criss-crossed with the rest of the swords is piercing through or across a flaming disc in the middle of the card.
Thoth: Called the Nine of Swords, Cruelty, The Thoth deck rides along on the theory that the Suite of Air is constantly degenerating on its descent, which is correct, but this is so that it can rectify error. There is no mistake here, but Crowley insists that it is somehow God’s mistake, revealing his persistent Gnostic background. We disagree on this, but it is no matter, as the suite’s names and nature at least are fairly spot on, even in Tantra.
Psychopaths, fanatics and the primitive, he says, are ruled by this card alone, and jagged rusty swords drip poison and blood on the scene. He encourages us to give up and resist passively, or die like a martyr, as the only successful way to deal with the card’s energy.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Here, the suite has degenerated into lacking pleasantries, but it is still all Logos and all Business. The male principles cannot be diminished, if they are real. If they can be weakened they are not a standard of masculinity that we can uphold. Here, Air is feminized in the form of Bhagalamukhi, the Lady of Magick and Torture. Literally, “She Who Stops the Tongue,” the control over the fleshly bits which control intellect and speech are hers, and this is perfectly a match for the attributes of sinister Air. It is notable her name is lettered 11, like Abrahadabra and Ningishzidda. The demon is also hers, a worshipper.
In this scene, we have a very lofty and holy aspect of the goddess, as she is one of the Mahavidyas, and this is in correspondence with the tetractys as well, because there are ten Mahavidyas. The holy aspect paired with the sinister qualities of punishment and torture stand grossly in contrast with more traditional religious systems, which vilify all sinister aspects of the divine and emphasize only the most sentimental of the good qualities. The loss of liveliness in deity is tragic, and its loss in the tarot is felt doubly so.
This is the enemy of Tantra, and why Tantra has stood against the people now for hundreds and hundreds of years. There is no conflict between the axiom There is No God but Man and the view of deity which accepts dark and light aspects, as in Tantra. It is vehemently opposed to Gnostic and the more aggressive Right Hand Path ideologies.
In the bigrams we have two Fire elements with an Air element in the center. This is an frenetically active card, underneath the veneer of the hexagram Lu, Treading #10.
It is one of the judgements which refers to treading on the tail of the tiger: “TREADING. Treading upon the tail of the tiger. It does not bite the man. Success.” The image calls us to fortify the thinking of the people. Is this not the virtue of Air? In the Trigrams is Heaven over Lake. It describes a situation in which we should strive to ascend, but Heaven is far away and the Lake provides no foothold. The power of levity must be harnessed and mastered. This is the nature of Air. To let go of our petty concerns, our bleeding heart mental illness, our wrongheaded desire to help everything and everywhere in ways that actually make the situation in the universe worse - these are underlined by the virtues of the Air element. The Jen principle comes into play at the highest echelons of Air and Earth. What appears cruel to one, is deliverance for another, more advanced mind.
Air of Luna is eerie and alien. The powers of both are strange to the uninitiated, when taken to their extreme. There is no error in the ways of the elements however, and as magicians we ought not to be satisfied with the people’s opinion of the ethereal. To be more than human; to be a star - is our ultimate goal, after all.
Mars of Gemini symbolizes war in words and of language, specifically coded language of computers. This is the card relating to hackers and future cyber warriors. It has not yet been understood, or valued by humans. It will be. The other meaning is of a person who know how to use words to hurt, and they may do this for good or evil - the card isn’t merely one or the other, as most of the Gnostic sects insist. It is important to remember the Nine’s are all at Yesod, called Foundation. Foundation represents the future lofty goal of mankind.
The Scene: Bhagalamukhi has the ability to disable the speech centers and stun people. She is the primeval goddess and is said to reside within every female. It is therefore important not to offend a woman, thus risking offending Bhagalamukhi. As the lady of black magick and torture, she can be a formidable opponent and is called upon for vengeance magick, for this reason. However, her qualities also include transmutation of evil things into good things, for example, stupidity, into genius, poor language skills into eloquence, defeat into victory, and she is able to make the powerful, impotent.
The goddess represents change itself, and the power of alchemy. It would not be inaccurate to call her the goddess of alchemy, and this moreso as she shares the 11 letter name in English with Ningishzidda and Abrahadabra. The very idea of turning Cruelty into an auspicious card, is an act of evocation of this tantric goddess, she is the blessing within sorrow, failure within success and death hidden in life. All of the Mahavidyas have their influence shown throughout this pack, which is not surprising considering both of its creators are tantric alchemists.
Nine of Pentacles: Gain
Historical: Lord of Material Gain
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #9 “Pure” – Air of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Berashith: “And Elohim called to the ra’kai”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #16 (豫 yù), Enthusiasm
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Air (Middle), Water (Earth)
Element/Planet: Earth of Luna (Yesod, Foundation)
Planet/Sun Sign: Venus in Virgo
Keywords: Female Energy, Art, Inspiration, Scientific Knowledge, Infrastructure, DNA, Ritual
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Bad Ritual, Lack of Judgement, Boastfulness, Stagnation, Drudgery, Ugliness
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Nine of Pentacles, The Lord of Material Gain, The Nine of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Venus and the zodiacal Gemini. It places at Sephira #9, (Yesod,) in the Golden Dawn system.
A healthy rosebush is growing interspersed with pentacles. The scene is pleasant and pretty.
Thoth: Crowley doesn’t let go of his terror leg of causing hysteria wherever the numbers descend below the supernals. I don’t know why he persists in this, as it is melodramatic even for him. The balancing aspect of Yesod is emphasized as well however, so there is temperance here. And he notes it is good luck for: “material affairs, favour and popularity;” and signifies “good luck and good management.”
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: I don’t know why being more complicated automatically makes things *bad* but this is the view taken by the majority of 20th century occultists. It may be the scene is complex, but it is well ordered. The Bigrams show a single Air element, centered between two Water elements. This may be considered a time of debauch or darkness...but not definitely. The Hexagram’s Trigrams show Earth in the below and Thunder in the above, the image of Enthusiasm. Thunder comes resounding out of the earth: “The image of enthusiasm. Thus the ancient kings made music In order to honor merit, and offered it with splendor To the Supreme Deity, inviting their ancestors to be present.” This is an image of mankind attempting to connect with the divine and attain harmony and relief from Heaven.
Earth of Luna indicates a kind of material celebration, a feast or sacrifice, perhaps even a marriage. There is a glee and forgoing of everyday responsibilities and routine. It’s also feminine energy, so that the situation will be receptive and perhaps slightly treacherous.
Venus in Virgo symbolizes innocence and further underlines the femininity of the card. The virtue here is purity and beauty. This is a holy ritual and sacrament, so by the heavenly standard, it may be called gain, it is not mere gross profit, nor mere general good luck, but divine luck.
The Scene: The traditional garb of Chung Kuo, this is not, but of a space faring futuristic version, living in a sky city, similar to what we find on the Four of Staves. The dragon and phoenix are in the auspicious position: yin in the above, yang in the below. The phoenix is a strange one, and will befuddle many people, unless they are an amateur paleontologist. It is Pteranodon sternbergi. A lot of the flying reptiles had strange upturned beaks like this. It represents genetic science as it occurs in the future where mankind has a much deeper understanding of genetics and our ability to manipulate DNA is much better and smarter. As well as this, mankind has also found time, through technology, to work on nothing else but projects that uplift and improve all life forms, just as stars do. The palaces on the floating platforms represent the mystical Shangri-la, the symbol of a perfect harmony of the many as a civilization and group.
Nine of Alembics: Happiness
Historical: Lord of Material Happiness
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #9 “Pure” – Air of 乾 (Ch’ien) The Creative, Heaven
Berashith: “And Elohim called to the ra’kai”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #15 (謙 qiān), Modesty
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Earth (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Luna (Yesod, Foundation)
Planet/Sun Sign: Jupiter in Pisces
Keywords: Psychic, Engaging Work, Balanced Power, Creativity, Good Humor, Omnipresent Beauty, A Snug and Cozy Home, Staying Busy Indoors, Going Home
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Acting on Emotions, not Reality, Uncooperative, Denying Reality, Chasing Fireflies Instead of Stars
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Nine of Cups, Lord of Material Happiness, The Nine of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Jupiter and the zodiacal Pisces. It places at Sephira #9 (Yesod,) in the Golden Dawn system. The Angels Saliah and Ariel are paired with the card.
Lotuses are a common motif, often with a disembodied hand pouring liquid out of the lotuses into cups.
Thoth: Yesod is viewed by Crowley with some benevolence, he tells us that it restores stability, it is placid, beneficent and full of wisdom and happiness. The painting is quite attractive, with lots of full pink lotuses spewing golden liquid, into cups made of rosy purple glass. This liquid, he calls, the “true nectar of the Gods” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley, 1944)
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Hexagram for Nine of Alembics is #15 Modesty. The image shows us a mountain that dispenses rain, granted to it by Heaven and by this act, becomes beautiful. Furthermore, it is an image of the creation of balance. Earth above a Mountain also seems to imply a hidden strength.
In Water of Luna, we have a ethereal and psychic kind of emotional vibe, everything is in tune with the deepest and highest levels of consciousness. Jupiter in Pisces further underscores the idea of a high and ethereal consciousness.
It is as easily Happiness, as it is also good luck and good vibes. Generally speaking, the Nine’s have more to do with mankind’s future growth and development than any other card, so in spreads, it will tend to advise on self-improvement. This card advises us to find our bliss, and this in turn will lead to a more natural kind of prosperity than the artificial job where the work is unhappy and the only purpose is money. The Tetractys on the front of the spaceship is central, as are the Saturn sigils to the meaning of the Nine of Alembics. The basic idea is that of balance and power. The card may have a lot of power behind it, but it will be manageable and steady.
The Scene: The is a portrait of my son. It was originally intended as The Chariot, in its sketch form, but was later shelved, in favor of a special imagery. At the time, m1thr0s had been hands off on the deck so I was working on the sketchwork myself. The sketch was modified to suit the 9 of Alembics. It looks a bit like one of those 90’s video game movies, I suppose. It could certainly correlate to that, playing video games indoors, if that is what makes one happy. But the card will tend to be more about pursuing one’s work in The Great Work, and the emotional satisfaction that naturally brings with it. In past ages, this included creating children and colonizing the world - no longer. Now the children of that evil Aeon are to build the new Aeon of Ra Hoor Khut and it requires great minds, not multitudes.
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Post by Susurrator on May 15, 2019 10:42:03 GMT
Ten of Staves: Oppression
Historical: Lord of Oppression
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #10 “Resplendent” – Air of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “And Elohim said, “Let Tiamat be collected in one place”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #57 (巽 xùn), The Gentle (The Penetrating Wind)
Tiered Bigrams: Fire (Above), Earth (Middle), Air (Below)
Element/Planet: Fire of Earth (Malkuth, Kingdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Saturn in Sagittarius
Keywords: An Overwhelming Force, Old, Ancient Power, Cthonic, Hell, Mastery, Insurmountable Obstacles, Divine Punishment
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Petty Aggression, Jealousy, Violence, Lack of Control, Weakened Force, an Enemy With a Weak Point
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ten of Wands Lord of Oppression, The Ten of wands card corresponds to the planetary Saturn and the zodiacal Sagittarius and places at Sephira #10 (Malkuth,) in the Golden Dawn system. The angels associated with the card are Reyayel and Avamel.
Symmetrical crossed wands with sharp spear or arrowheads on their tips, with flames issuing from their junctures, are pictured, and the astrological or planetary symbols are on fire if pictured.
Thoth: Two strong wands with the heads of “Indonesian deities” he does not name are present. One appears female, the other male, but they are on the wrong sides, according to Mutational Alchemy (the female should be on the left.) So it is an image of the natural order, overturned. The background shows cruelly clawed wands and the whole scene is an inferno.
As the tens correspond to Malkuth, of course they are considered the naughtiest of all the small cards. “Earth is bad, mmkay?” goes the old and crusty Gnostic bullshit. Aleister Crowley may have had the spark of a Tantrika in his soul but he denies it, instead opting for the old order. At least he acknowledges the great power in the station. Then, he announces, “It is a stupid and obstinate cruelty from which there is no escape. It is a Will which has not understood anything beyond its dull purpose, its “lust of result” and will devour itself in the conflagrations it has evoked”. (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Aleister Crowley 1944) This strikes at the heart of all of Crowley’s terrible problems.
Living in Victorian England was a horrible thing - I can’t imagine why anyone is obsessed with this disgusting period of time and space, although the Steampunk, Goth and Historic Reenactment crowd are trying to redeem it, I must say I am not attracted to it at all. Just as in the equally horrid modern Middle Eastern socio-legislative climate of today, the only thing worthy of note was the interior decor and architecture. (And even in this, the Arabs surpass the Victorians by far.) Perhaps, the (double-edged) machismo and chivalry of the males and the overemphatic phallus-worshipping femininity of the females, (forced, so usually inauthentic,) is the appeal. Crowley is forgivable up to a certain point for insisting on perpetuating these beefheaded ideas, but as the Prophet of the New Aeon, more was expected of him, and still is. No rest for the wicked Crowley! You’ll have to sort and fix all of this alongside your brothers and sisters! Irresponsible. /End rant.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Malkuth is one of the most precious jewels in the tree, we know this by the attention that is paid to it by Heaven and the Emperor. Most other authors treat it is as a cosmic toilet bowl of some sort, but it is not. That special attribute belongs to Da’ath alone. The Ten’s represent the element taken to its maximum strength.
As the father of the elements, Fire stands in a position of authority like no other. Neither of us felt the names of the cards needed to be changed - the Ten of Staves or Wands can be exceedingly cruel, after all. This, however, may be somehow deserved, and if the card is not ill-dignified, probably is. If it is not deserved, then there is a complication somewhere, elsewhere, in the spread. As a single card reading, when this one is pulled, it should always be crossed - I recommend this for any difficult card.
Saturn in Sagittarius is temperate justice, in its purest form. Centaurs were considered for the painting, (perhaps that will be on a future Mutational Alchemy Tarot II featuring the Temporals arrangement instead of the Primordials.) Fire of Earth as we have just stated, reveals the aftermath of Awakening the Eld of the All-Father. It’s interesting to note in this story and this painting that Siva is not the All-Father. It is not the position of The Abrahadabra Institute that Siva is the All-Father, as a matter of fact. This is primarily the reason why he cannot stop Kali outright, he has to die first and then make her realize her mistake in this way. The alchemical formula I.’.I.’.I.’.I directly correlates to this card. This is the magickal name I took while I was in the OTO; although I did not stay to take the third, as it was only about the OTO, not the Book of the Law past that point. I refused to swear allegiance to an old aeon institution.
As with a few other small cards, the Hexagram doesn’t seem to quite fit with the traditional title. However, the description of the meaning attributed to Confucius and the image attributed to the sages, is helpful, as it indicate what one must do in a situation like this. Confucius said, “The Gentle. Success through what is small. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to see the great man.” and “Winds following one upon the other: The image of the Gently Penetrating. Thus the superior man
Spreads his commands abroad, and carries out his undertakings“ (The I Ching, translated by Wilhelm/Baynes, Princeton University Press 1967) One may easily view the winds following one upon the other, as feeding the ferocious flames of the ten. The gentle nature of the winds is what wins the day.
In this Hexagram, is the silver lining of the card - small things can be achieved, and being gentle, as well as finding a great man, achieves success. This great man may be the spirit of Fire itself, and it may be useful to work with some Fire elementals if one is not equipped to deal with the Lord of all Fire himself. (A good manual for this is The Practice of Magical Evocation by Franz Bardon, but all of the names of the spirits and their attributions should perhaps be taken lightly - the methodology itself is interesting, and useful, especially considering the ease by which one may obtain colored oil lamps today.)
The tiered Bigrams reveal a strong Fire element at the top line and an Earth element standing between an Air element, in the below. The image infers an obstacle of some kind. The key to dealing with oppression once again in Earth, the Daughter. This is the gentleness of Sun over Sun.
The Scene: Siva and Kali are consorts, two sides of one universe. The supreme goddess is the forbidden one, she who slays and who is considered a dangerous, protective creatrix, who is also called the goddess of change, the black alchemist. Siva is the partaker of the forbidden, the omniscient one, patron of yoga and the arts. Both of them are complex and mysterious and can often be attributed opposing traits at once. The summation of all of this is that the universe is infinitely complex and difficult, but not impossible to understand in its changes.
Oppression here is not the goddess. Instead she is the great liberator. When the soul is bound by consternation, regret, anxiety and despair, the goddess Kali is considered to be the greatest ally to the practitioner. However, she also brings terrible dread to the wicked. She is the enveloping darkness of the end of time, the onset of the absolute night in which she and Siva will sleep at the end of the world in perfect bliss.
Ten of Staves is a heavy card, representing the kind of desperate situation only the energy of the dark mother can unbind. This is the moment where Siva himself is dead, killed accidentally in Kali's blind fury after finishing off all of the demons. She is both the only one who can slay him and the only one who can revive him. In this great mystery lies the answer to whole universe.
The tale of Kali’s rampage across the cosmos against demon and man alike is strongly reflected in the tale of Sekhmet, Ra’s avenger, from the Kemetic mythology, who is found on the Five of Staves, Strife.
The oldest stories of Kali have probably been lost. Most of what we have left to us are Vedic stories which only served to prop up imported Brahmanic Gods instead of really explaining the native original gods and goddesses like Kali. She is more indigenous to India than Siva or Vishnu. It is perhaps for this reason the modern stories never seem to really touch upon what her devotees see in her, or her professed attributes, Merely a demon-killer she is not, and the stories fail to convey the idea of a mistress of all time and space. Her yantra does, and the five koshas and TwinStar fit perfectly over her yantra, revealing her as a mistress of the Body of Light.
Ten of Blades: Ruin
Historical: Lord of Ruin
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #10 “Resplendent” – Air of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “And Elohim said, “Let Tiamat be collected in one place”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #58 (兌 duì), The Joyous (Lake)
Tiered Bigrams: Earth (Above), Air (Middle), Fire (Below)
Element/Planet: Air of Earth (Malkuth, Kingdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Sol in Gemini
Keywords: Silence hiding an Active Force, Hacking, Subterfuge, Brilliance, Interdimensional Warfare, Technological Breakthrough, Uniting by Military Might, Sneak Attack, Powerful Alliances, Unavoidable Destruction, High Orbital Space Warfare, Black Sun Interstellar, New Military Technology
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Undetected Betrayal, Hidden Treason, Rebellion, Arrogance, Abandoning Logic
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ten of Swords, Lord of Ruin, The Ten of Swords card corresponds to the planetary Sol and the zodiacal Gemini. It places at Sephira 10 (Malkuth,) in the Golden Dawn system.
Two large perfect crossed swords lie behind other mangled and broken swords, demolishing a black splash reminiscent of blood, that was once the already tattered remains of The Rose.
Thoth: The disruption of the solar energy by Gemini is revealed here. Sharp squiggles are all over the background of the card. It has a lot of orange and yellow and red, the color of the Fire element, normally. As usual, his I Ching correspondence is weak and sloppy, so it can be ignored - he doesn’t bother to take it into account himself. The swords on the painting are arranged like the Sephiroth. He tells us it represents the ruin of the Intellect, and the “logic of lunatics and (for the most part) philosophers. It is reason divorced from reality.”
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The image of the Hexagram’s two Trigrams is of a lake resting one on another, it’s the image of “The Joyous” #58. It signifies fun and adventure, especially through discussion and learning.
The line from Liber al Vel Legis or The Book of the Law is applicable, where it states “But the keen and the proud, the royal and the lofty; ye are brothers! As brothers fight ye!” In the hexagram, the image of the lakes signify a resource of knowledge and intellect, which must be constantly refreshed with new material and new experiences. The image of a group of friends discussing scholarly pursuits and leaving no room for frivolous or wrongheaded discussion from outsiders is here, and this can be found upon reflection in the various specialty internet forums that cropped up at the beginning of the 21st century.
In the tiered Bigrams, the single Air element stands above Fire and below Earth, the image of the atmosphere of Hell. Hermes, the Lord of Gemini is well known to travel in the underworld with little difficulty and so it is also an image of Mercury or Hermes in the underworld.
Coincidently, the planetary is Sol in Gemini, signifying playful, intelligent and creative energy, therefore, the card really should not be portrayed as such a serious mess. Even here, the deadly aspects of Ra Hoor Khut have been somewhat tempered by an odd sense of humor.
Air in Earth is connected to various gases trapped in the ground. Highly flammable or toxic, or otherwise harmless, They represent a wealth that can only be had through knowledge, science and technology, cornerstones of Air.
Therefore, the rewards of the card are great, if one understands how to unlock them. otherwise it may all appear just as the old aeon packs show, to those who cling to the ways of the dead.
The Scene: Ra Hoor Khut stands before a holographic representation of his fleet, ready to do battle with enemies of his crown and reign. The presence of enemies in this card is at its peak, it is where all the problems are. As the Lord of War and Vengeance, Ra as Ra Hoor Khut or Montu's Aeonic presence, is also called The Age of Science, and so a scientist, an anthropomorphic bird man, as depicted in Sumer or Egypt, stands beside him.
Ra Hoor Khut is a dangerous character and has made himself known in the modern era through the reception of the famous Liber Al Vel Legis, or, Book of the Law. The messages in the book are most dire about the state of the world and mankind's purpose in it.
While there are highly militaristic technologies and strategies inferred here, there is also Silence and Strength, Vengeance, and Abrahadabra. For the legion of allies there is also amusement, fun and games to be had.
It is true that Mutational Alchemy takes a completely different view of the marriage of Malkuth and the Elements. The horror of Choronzon's demiurge rule has no real place in a conversation about how the sacred elements should in fact interact with Kingdom. This may not be the case now, here in the place we find ourselves, but it is the divine imperative of Abrahadabra to restore the true state of things
Ten of Pentacles: Wealth
Historical: Lord of Wealth
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #10 “Resplendent” – Air of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “And Elohim said, “Let Tiamat be collected in one place”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #51 (震 zhèn), The Arousing (Shock, Thunder)
Tiered Bigrams: Water (Above), Air (Middle), Earth (Below)
Element/Planet: Earth of Earth (Malkuth, Kingdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mercury in Virgo
Keywords: The Unexpected, Warriorship, Pleasure, Marriage, Fertility, Protection, Stability, Play, Distraction, Fun, Tribe
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Sterility, Scarcity, Poverty, Sadness, Loneliness,
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ten of Pentacles Lord of Wealth, The Ten of Pentacles card corresponds to the planetary Mercury and the zodiacal Virgo and places at Sephira #10 (Malkuth,) in the Golden Dawn system. Its angels are Hihaayah and Laviah.
Ten discs are floating amidst pleasant looking, open blossoms.
Thoth: Crowley changes nothing, and keeps the same imagery of the Golden Dawn. “Here is great and final solidification,” (The Tarot of the Egyptians, Crowley 1944.) He does point out that the influence of Mars is undesirable, as usual. This, possibly, explains all of his problems with The Book of the Law, since Mars is not that unloved amongst occultists generally, and certainly acceptable amongst us martial types. He calls The Ten of Discs “a hieroglyph of the cycle of regeneration.”
The placement of the Geomantic figure Conjunction is done without any reason he is able to give, and he concludes that this card represents the Great Work in Completion. Maybe?
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: While a cat god with an enormous flaccid penis may not be the very first image people call to mind when imagining the 10 of Pentacles, there is a good reason Bes is present. Despite our issues with Aleister Crowley’s assumptions, it is our opinion he was very on target with most of his intuitive assumptions, and so he inspired the subject of the card. (If one wants to know why, they should read the chapter on the Ten of Disks in The Tarot of the Egyptians book, accompaniment to the Thoth Tarot pack.)
This Bes representation is taken from a very old representation of the God residing in the Altes Museum, Germany, dating to 650-350 BCE.
In the tiered bigrams, the two child elements Air and Earth, stand below Water, and the trigrams are the double Thunder hexagram # 51, Chen the Arousing. This is a scene where a loud and powerful sound of thunder is heard. It may be literal thunder, but it is an analogy of a surprising revelation that can cause a paradigm shift. It also represents a fear of Heaven itself, which can lead to joy, under the right circumstances.
Earth of Earth symbolizes stability; in the face of almost any disturbance. Firmness, gentleness, quiet, warm, perseverance, steadfastness, work, manifestation, wealth and earthly riches like gems and precious metals, are all the nature of the element of Earth. The djed pillar and pyramid, symbolize stability, in the background, the discs and plant life represent material riches, in biodiversity and natural beauty.
Mercury in Virgo emphasizes perfectionism and especially so in craft professions, from cooking to painting. There is an innate flexibility and a desire to work, but also distraction can be a vice for this planet, in this sign; this distraction will always have something to do with perfecting the work.
The Scene: Bes, the Ancient cat god, who is described visually as a sand cat or lion cub, with a large phallus, in an upright stance, wearing the a cat's skin and a crown, came from a very ancient class of deity in Kemet, that is, modern day Egypt. A god of physical pleasure, he also had the endearing characteristic of being extremely protective of women and children - the center of the family unit. The cat, of course, was a very valuable asset in a desert country that was probably at the mercy of the local rodent population, a pest that could decimate the granaries if not kept under control.
Lions have always been closely associated with the Great Beast, who is the Emperor of all things and connects the Kings of the Earth together, and the Queens of the Earth, through his consort, the Great Mother. While unnecessary to put a face or single name to this, The Beast, it is true that he can be equated to every single male deity in existence, representing the totality of the divine divided from what becomes the Goddess or the Scarlet Woman. This Goddess is merely an aspect of God. As the star goddess aspect, Nuit said, she is divided for Love's sake for the chance of union. That original monotheism, founded by the Sumerian Avraham, explained this in another way, by the command of his God El Shaddai, to obey his wife in all things.
Here, goddess is defined as the oracle, the one who can scry the complexities of reality and map out the true path, for her masculine counterpart. Hints of this ultimate reality about the divine feminine can be found everywhere, from the status of real human women as the best oracles, to the feminine figureheads on ships, or the Judaic concept of God's visible shell, Shekinah, that blinding bright light, who is synonymous with the Indian concept of the Lord's Maya. This fundamental difference between the original concept of Monotheism and the derivative Monotheism of the Islamic and Christian cults is irreconcilable. They of course place the authority and importance with the man, which is pointless, as it denies that the division is of no conceivable purpose. The purpose, the Great Work, as it were, is the essence of all the true religions of the world, without which mankind's destiny and path are ultimately lost.
When the conception of God as Male, Female, Quintessential one, as Alchemy defines it, is grasped fully, life may be viewed as a great journey of learning and expansion by that great being, who is both man and woman, whole universe, and ultimate reality: The Ardhenarishvara.
The connection between Malkuth, the feminine (Earth+Earth= Daughter) is very important in this case, as it is the place where everything happens. Malkuth translates as "Kingdom." The importance of this Sephira cannot be overstated. It is here that the Magus, or Kings and Queens of the Earth must exercise their royal and sacred magickal authority.
Bes is the archetype of the evolving masculine aspect of God, the essential male product of this alchemical division between God and Goddess. He is attributed leonine characteristics, with beard, ears and as well as being small, virile, fertile, protective and an entertainer of women and children; a warrior. Taking all of these important and preservative duties into account, his universality, offering fertility to any women and protection to any child, Bes makes the best representation of the All-Father here on earth.
The importance of the Ten of Pentacles is in its status as the essence of God's Kingdom, the place where all creation is at its apex and many important things are happening all at once. Events and processes which we as humans cannot understand or fathom yet, but which take place all the same, in our world and in the events that shape it.
All of the auspiciousness of the god Bes, the sacred Djed pillar behind him, and the fertileness of the Nile Delta, as well as the abilities of intelligence and knowledge in the material world are present and active in this card, Ten of Pentacles.
Ten of Alembics: Satiety
Historical: Lord of Perfected Happiness
Ruling Pentagram: Pent #10 “Resplendent” – Air of 巽 (Sun) The Penetrating, Wind
Berashith: “And Elohim said, “Let Tiamat be collected in one place”
Ruling Hexagram: Hex #52 (艮 gèn), Keeping Still (Mountain)
Tiered Bigrams: Air (Above), Earth (Middle), Water (Below)
Element/Planet: Water of Earth (Malkuth, Kingdom)
Planet/Sun Sign: Mars in Pisces
Keywords: Vacation, Relaxation, Home, Pleasure, Generosity, Religious Clarity, Security, Placid, Death After a Long Life
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Lingering on before Death, Pity, Quietness, Waste, Backlog, Old Emotional Pain, Quarreling based on Old Memories
Interpretations
Golden Dawn: Called The Ten of Cups The Lord of Perfected Success, the Ten of Cups card corresponds to the planetary Mars and the zodiacal Pisces and places at Sephira #10 (Malkuth,) in the Golden Dawn system. It is associated with the Angels Aasliah and Mihal.
Mostly tranquil imagery is depicted, lotuses are commonly shown, and the cups are overflowing.
Thoth: Oh, here we go again, unstable cups spilling water all over. “Malkuth is bad, man, it’s really really bad!” And Mars disrupts everything because Mars is “gross and violent” contrasting with the “peaceful and spiritualized” Pisces. My question is, why is the prophet fawning over the so-called spirituality of the dead aeon and damning Mars, the planet of War? Is this not the Age of War and Science? There is no answer for it, except for Crowley’s plagued and divided mind which would haunt him, his whole life over. He writes nothing more on the card than this short paragraph.
The card itself is orange and red all over, just like the Ten of Swords. A weird looking Tree of Life stands behind, connecting to a cloud, or rose, up in Kether. It may be it is malformed due to Mars in Pisces, or whatever.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: Ten of Alembics shares one of eight double Hexagrams with Ten of Blades, Ten of Alembics and Ten of Staves. This one is Mountain over Mountain, #52, and indicates great strength and stability.
I cannot help but think of the Mountain Goddess Parvati, who certainly is equitable to the personification of The Mother this card represents, it is the element of Water, taken to its maximum. She does tend to be emotional, in certain circumstances, but no one would ever accuse her of being *unstable.*
The tiered Bigrams reveal Water in the below, Earth in the mid region and Air in the above, the perfect image of an island paradise. The card is a good omen, generally. Water of Earth can be connected with any water scene, seaside, waterfalls, lakeside, riverside. Mars of Pisces actually helps fortify Pisces and is completely necessary to the sign, in the Nu Aeon. There is a connection to the Queen of Alembics as well. When the Water element goes to war, it tends to be for reasons of Great Justice.
In the Pentagram, we have Air of Wind, indicating the warfare will be of an intellectual and communicative type. The card may indicate politics or intellectual debate or a warfare of doctrines. This is especially so if both doctrines have two different views, both of which have their own truths.
The Scene: Connected with the waters of Malkuth, Kingdom, Satiety features Dôn, the Welsh name of the Mother Goddess. She is the sister of Math fab Mathonwy, a sacred King and later regarded even today as a god of magick, sorcery and enchantment. Dôn is married to Beli Mawr, god of death, she is not featured in the Mabinogion, that collection of Welsh literature, even though she is an ancestor or relative of many of its actors.
She is the penultimate goddess of the concept of Courtly Love. As ladies beloved by the chivalrous knight are extensions of the Queen, so too are Queens extensions of the ultimate feminine goddess, who is represented here by the mother of the children of light. A "Wife of the Deep" like Melusine on The Princess of Alembics, Dôn is also a fully realized Goddess.
The bright faeries who surround her are exactly that, the Children of Light, as opposed to Llŷr's Children of Darkness.
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