Every Hebrew Letter has layers of meaning and implications. I love how this one ties into the Magician Tarot Card.
The two most important aspects of the Letter Beit is that it starts the word for Blessing and it is associated with the House. The latter is very interesting as Laird Scranton had demonstrated that the world over treated the organization of a house in the form of a woman. The Hearth being the heart for example. Edward Hoffman explains that Beit represents the Primal receptive Feminine energy and that the universal home is the infinite womb of fertility from which everything is born and is nourished. The Hebrew words for the temple, places of study, social gathering and the word for prayer all start with the letter Beit. Prayer is like a Seed that we plant, it is the setting and sharing of an intention...a desire...with the Divine. A womb, when you think on it, is like a Garden. A seed, just like in a field, is planted in the womb where it grows. The mind is also like a garden...but here we associate the womb/field like nature to the part of the mind known as the Subconscious. In Psychology the power of intention and the Subconscious is embodied on the proven existence of the Self-fulfilling Prophecy. When we take a belief deep within us we subconsciously act in a way that makes the belief our reality- it's not outer reality that is making a Self-fulfilling Prophecy true for us...it's our every day actions (most of which people under go like zombies never weighing or measuring the meaning of their actions- this is why an average persons day to day activities tells you a lot about their state of mind). The Magician Lotterhand describes the Magician as, "Standing in a house of his desires." The Magician, in the Waite and Case versions of the card, is literally standing in the Womb. The red flowers that surround him- on the Arbor above and the garden below represents Desire...this is the Masculine Principal standing in the Womb of Desire. Lotterhand explains that there is no magic higher then the will and behind will stands Desire (symbolized by the Fool setting out to have experiences). The Magician, Beit And Mercury Here is where things become a bit more interesting and fascinating. Case explains that Mercury/Hermes is associated with the House because he is Hiram the Builder from Free Masonry. The information about building houses (again the ancient practice was to build homes in the form of a Sleeping Goddess- by far the most prevalent archetype around the world) came from Mercury. Of course, the most basic meaning that the planet Mercury represents is the Mind. Knowing that Mercury is a Builder...reminds me of what Edgar Cacye said often, "Mind is the Builder." Case explains, "Mercury...only the messenger of a Divinity higher then himself...the channel not the source." Pg 39 This is in accordance with the fact that when you start to meditate you quickly realize that your thoughts- which Mercury represent- are not you. They are the 'messenger' of the self but not the actual self. Some people think in words, some people think in pictures and some people think in both (I'm in the latter category). Even more interesting is when Case comments, "The horizontal eight is an ancient symbol for Hermes." Hermes, of course, along with Thought is the same God as Mercury. Now in the blog I wrote about the Magician Waite notes that this ancient symbol was also used to represent Christ. Keep in mind Christ is a title, not an actual name, which means anointed. If we combine both Mercury and Christ it would mean Anointed Consciousness. The title of anointed goes back to the process of Kings being anointed on the head in expensive oil that smelled good by priests as a sign of royalty. If you take this visual/smell based symbol it represents the thoughts being pleasantly fragrant. A ruler, hopefully, is inspired and has thoughts that benefit all of his people. Anointing is also a form of Blessing which brings us back to the Hebrew Letter Beit/Beth that starts the word for Blessing. In the classic story for why Beit and not Alef started the Hebrew bible is because it starts the world Blessing. Finally, Case explains that Mercury is concerned with making a house that is not built with physical hands or on the physical plane of existence. Lotterhand explains that the House being built is Personality. As a Mother I can say for certain babies have their own quirks from day one. They don't come out a blank slate. They have very clear preferences. Yet, the first few years of our lives we are building the foundation for our sense of self or the personality. Then we really make huge choices regarding ourselves in our teens and very inflexible people never change them (the people really stuck in their High School years are those who were most succesful/popular then). Of course, this goes to the quote from Jesus that warns against building a house on sand bI ecause it will inevitably fall. The idea of a strong Foundation and Foundation Stone is very important when building. There are often public Freemason rituals of laying Foundation Stones for an important project. I worked with the concept when I built 'walls' of boxes when working at UPS. We had a foundation package for the wall. If you chose a weak box- one that gave too much- the entire wall would fall...not to mention the box itself would be absolutely destroyed. When creating a 'personality' or sense of self it's important to have a strong foundation. Without it, should (and when it comes to the Path of the Seeker it does happen) if that sense of self is challenged it will inevitably fall apart...which can lead to suicide if it goes really wrong. If we build our sense of self on false concepts- for example that there is no Creator, life is pointless, life is chaos and belonging to a Group/Label/Profession makes us safe- they will fall apart when we encounter the inevitable challenges of life- death of a loved one, loss of a job, failed marriage, etc. When we build our sense of self on good concepts- such as we are Spiritual Beings having a Human Experience or that there is a Divine Natural Order...we have something to fall back upon when we lose everything else which is not only inevitable but a natural and beautiful part of life. Final Thoughts Beth/Beit represents House but is also associated with the Womb. That really surprised me because of the association by Case and Waite to Hermes or Christ- both being male figures. Then I realized that the Magician was standing in the Womb of Desire. While the Magician is shown in association with the symbol associated with Beit/Beth it is not the thoughts that Mercury represents on a personal level. Instead, Beit/Beth is represented by the Rose Arbor and garden. Again, the Magician is ignorant, symbolized by his black hair. Here he is shown in a rudimentary shelter- the most basic form of shelter that exists, Case points out. Later, this Arbor of Roses will turn into the Tower who's destruction is a vital part of the Parh of the Seeker. Here, after setting off to have experiences (The Fool Card) the Magician immediatly starts to build according to his desires. This parallels the idea that by having the *desire* to enter physical material reality (PMR, a Thomas Campbell term) we *chose* to be within the Illusion of Seperation so we could have the privacy to develop our individuality- to build our sense of self through having experiences of PMR. We start off in Spirit as the Fool with the desire to experience PMR and Individuality. Then we enter into the experience of PMR, through the womb of our mothers (tying in with Beit/Beth) and create our personal perspective of the world. In Lifestyle Development classes they teach that by the age of eight most kids had figured out how the world worked. They have a vague sense of self that solidifies in their teens. In the ancient tradition of Kabbalah those who wanted to walk the path started when they were older- after they had a family and an established foundation of support- because without that depth of experience the existential crisis and stripping away of that "self" that was created through identifications with things in PMR would kill them. The Path of the Seeker isn't one for people who are unprepared or don't have a strong sense of self that goes beyond superficial PMR identification. I also thought it interesting that the Fool and Magician are associated with the element of Air but both of these concepts exist on the level of the insubstantial space of ideas. Our sense of self is just an idea- often associated with labels that society gives us- until we undertake meditation and realize we are none of those things...that even our thoughts aren't the essence of our being and that we can observe them and our behavior form a distance. In some ways, when you realize that your a Soul having a Human Experience- and that is the essence of your sense of self instead of a consciousness that arises from the interaction of random electrical neurons firing and chemicals in the brain- you have a far firmer sense of self that is unshakeable. Spiritual practices, particularly ritual- which can be as simple as offering flowers on an Altar at home or for the religious going to a 'House of God'- give us a firm foundation that will remain strong despite whatever challenges occur in our lives. Sources Case, Paul Foster. (2006). The Tarot. Penguin Group, New York. Hoffman, Edward. (1998) The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey. Chronical Books LLC San Franciscon, California. Lotterhand, Jason (1989). The Thursday Night Tarot. New Castle Publishing. North Hollywood Ca. Waite, A.E. (2018) The Pictorial Key To The Tarot. Dover Publications, New York.
0 Comments
While it is lengthy this blog is more of an aside then a stand alone blog. This is tied closely to the Magician Card. I've decided to put it on the end of that blog and as a stand alone blog because I cover some important topics and had a bit of an epiphany about this when working with the Magician Card. The Third blog that I wrote in response to studying the Magician Card- on the how the Magician Card and the Hebrew letter Beth are related will be published next week.
When reading about the Magician Card I came across a fascinating statement. First he quotes Waite saying that what is on the table are the "implements of the four Tarot suits"... "The Magician's problem is to arrange them in proper order." Wands symbolize Air, Swords represent Fire, Cups symbolize Water and the Coins or Pentacles represent Earth. By studying the Tarot Suites clearly we can learn more about the complicated aspects of these Elements. Case's description of these are fascinating, "In ceremonial magic, these implements are the staff, the cup of libations and divination, the Magic sword, and the Pentacle or talisman. On the Pentacle are written engraved words, numbers, geometrical figures, and sigil. These are determined by the magical operation...In this instance, the sigil..is the pentalpha..." The fact that both Waite and Case attempt to confuse this topic shows that it's a highly coveted secret in the Esoteric Circles to which they belonged. The Correct Order The fascinating thing is that we know the order of the elements. The Inidgenous Medicene Wheel of North America is what Laird Scranton would call a "highly cultivated" symbol. I've covered in my blog (and it will be the first thing I cover when I return to vlogging one day) the four directions and elements of the Medicene Wheel. The medicene wheel is the wheel of life with each direction assigned a stage of life, a season and the elements. Now, not all tribes agree on how to work the circle...clockwise or counter clockwise. To create something we need to work it clockwise which corresponds with Yet we know the order is Air, Fire, Water and Earth. We get the urge or idea in the realm or "world" (as Paul Foster Case would describe it) of Air, then we take action on it in the realm of Fire, then we create it in the realm of Water and finally we have the finished product in the realm of Earth. I've been working with this wisdom teaching for years now. I just realized when formulating this blog in my mind (I literally envision it in my head before transcribing it on my phone) the role of the Water phase of the process. Bashar describes our level of reality, some call it 3D, as being Ice- like in nature. I was always curious why the color symbol for water was White and not Blue. I realized it's because this is the stage of Crystalization. This is the stage where things take form. Take for example you want a coffee from Starbucks. First, it comes to you as an urge or idea within your mind. That's the realm of Air. Then you take action by getting into the car, driving to Starbucks and ordering the drink. That's the realm of Fire. Third, your name is called and your drink (previously only a concept in your mind) is sitting on the counter. Fourth, is the realm of Earth where you pick up and drink the coffee. Involution and Evolution Michelle like the "Mystery of the Goddess" that has hundreds of stories about the Sleeping Goddess around the world and even contained in a Bible story...the Four Elements and Directions should be common knowledge. Plus, on one symbolic level it explains the descent of souls into matter. Bashar describes Physical Material Reality as far in the Darkness, very slow compared to the rest of Creation and Ice Like in nature. We have slowed the process of Creation (the weaving of the Four Elements together) way down to master it and become individualized. The Medicene Wheel shows that first urge of souls to become a part of PMR, the action they took (pushing into Matter as Edgar Cacye called it), the physical result being human bodies, and then the Earth being the finite experiences we have here. That is the process of spiritual involution. If we want to end the cycle of reincarnation we have to go counter clockwise on the Medicene Wheel. Whether you call this the Ascension or Awakening or Enlightenment it is the same thing. We start with our solid state of mind- what Buddhists call a rock- that is full of conditioning from this and past lives. Then we make our mind fluid once again...flexible and open minded by challenging those preconceived "solid" truths. Using the process of discernment we discard those that have lead to our disempowerment and unhappiness. Third, when the mind is no longer iced over by a bunch of limiting ideas we can start to take actions in our lives that go with the flow...much more like Fire then the Ice of the Water stage. We have an inspired life. Fourth, finally we find joy in ambiguity. There is a joy in uncertainty...a joy from not having the need or desire to be constantly creating but just BE...being totally present in the moment without the desire to be in a different state of being by harnessing the force of Creation. That's why working the Medicene Wheel clockwise and counter-clockwise are both correct perspectives. They simply serve different purposes...one to create and in a way be bond to Physical Material Reality and the second to discover Liberation. The Order Case Gives Knowing the Medicene Wheel it is funny that Case tries to obstificate the Order of the elements. He explains them as, "As elements of natural life they refer to fire (wand), water (cup), air (sword) and Earth (coin or Pentacle)...they correspond to the letters IHVH." The latter part of that is the Hebrew name for God. Also considered the "hidden" name. Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh. That could be it's own meditation but I wanted to mention it here. He also gives the order wrong again when he shares this insight: "...the four implements correspond to four ancient esoteric admonitions, which sum up the whole practical application of occult law. These admonitions are: (1) To Will (wand), (2) To Know (cup), (3) To Dare (sword) and (4) To Be Silent (pentacle)." Pg 44 Again, he lists the elements out of Order. Wand- Fire, Cup- Water, Sword-Air and Pentacle- Earth. Yet, when he quotes Eliphas Levi we find that the elements are in orrect order in the quote... "The Pentagram expresses the minds domination over the elements, and it is by this sign that we bind the demons of the air, the spirits of fire, the specters of water, and the ghosts of the Earth...it's complete comprehension is the key of the two worlds- it is absolute natural philosophy and natural science. "pg 44 The demons of Air our are erratic Thoughts (monkey mind as some call it), the spirits of Fire are untamed Desire, the specters of Water are irrational Emotions, and the ghosts of Earth are irrational Fear. Fear based people would take this other directions (which is why a Good Tarot had to be created- people are scared of spirits and demons) but all of it boils down to practical and perhaps even boring (in some circles) explaination. The act of meditation is the method to tame all of the undesirable aspects of the elements. When we realize there isn't a big baddie out there to overcome but the Work is to turn within and tame these elements within ourselves...well that's Work. People are naturally suspicious and jealous of those who do the Work. The reason is people who use this approach to life are naturally happier and more prosperous then others. Most people feel as though they have to bust their butts to achieve anything ...that life is an uphill climb filled with hard work with little reward. Spirit, or the Natural Order, effortlessly rewards those who are in the flow and in alignment with the Divine Will. When we are not in the flow of the Divine Will we feel as though we are banging our heads against the wall. We try to force our will and desires on the Natural Order that is completely unohased and unaware of the fsct we are trying to use it to solely benefit ourselves and remake the world in our own image (an act of futility). We feel out of control as our erratic thoughts, raging desires, irrational emotions and fear for our safety. Now that iveI've explained thay...Eliphas Levi lists the elements in the proper order! So those admonitions should be: 1) To Dare 2.) To Will 3.) To Know 4.) To Be Silent What is very entertaining is that if we view the Tarot as embodying the involution or descent into matter...these admonitions correlate with the Tarot Carss. 0 The Fool - To Dare 1 The Magician- To Will 2. The High Priestess- To Know 3. The Emperor- To Be Silent This application does work with the meanings behind the cards. The Ogdoad- The Eight I want to touch on this here. Now, the Ogdoad, the Ennead or Eight Ancestors of the Dogon connect with the Four Elements. Each Pair of these primordial beings corrsapond to a Female and Masculine representation of the Four Elements. In the Ennead, for example, the first two were Shu (Air) and TefNut (Moisture). Both involve air. Now, the interesting thing is that the highly cultivated (referencing Laird Scranton again) Dogon religion says that those eight ancestors "descended out of order" when the eighth ancestor descended out of order leading to Chaos (which is interesting because the 7th ancestor to descend- if your looking at the Ennead- is Set God of Chaos). What is said is that hte 8th ancestor killed the 7th ancestor and descended first. Next to nothing is known about the Eight member of the Ennead- Nephthys. In the Kabbalah when Malkuth "fell" or, in truth, "fell asleep/appeared to die," it created chaos in the "heavens" and Malkuth to be "cut off" (seperated) for fear that the Multiplicity of Malkuth would overwhelm the other Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Hidden deeply in esoteric traditions is the concept that an error in the descent of the Male and Female pairs of the Elements is what caused the Illusion of Seperation. Some think that the correction for this is the Awakening of the Goddesss and that somehow the speration between the world of Spirit where we act as a sort of Hive Mind and physical life will cease to exist. Some believe that death will cease on Earth...which doesn't work either. I am more of a person that believes that the souls that were working to individualize will be released from Samsara and be allowed to visit other realms or return home to the Creator to help perform the Divine Will at a higher level then the Angels...and to be, as Edgar Cacye says, a companion to the Creator. Just as a Robot is a sub-par companion to a human so an Angel that just carries out it's programming or performs the task exactly as assigned- is not an adequate companion to the Creator. Even Bashar says of all the Cosmos only humans do not feel and know their connection to what he calls All-That-Is. Again, I personally believe that the Earth is a place, a school, where souls gain individuation. This is a school where we've slowed the process of Creation down so we can safely learn about it in a sort of independent simulation but think of it as real so that we have really stand to lose something when we die. Take for example, when you're playing a video game, yes you can get upset when you die because of the time you've invested in trying to beat a level...yet, the game contain some pretty wild stuff and you're not totally freaked out because you know it's not real. However, I must note and return to something that I already covered in my Magician Tarot Card post: Waite explains, "Christian Gnosticisim speak of Rebirth in Christ as a change "unto the Ogdoad." The Resurrection of Christ (which is not a person but an abstract concept- Christ Consciousness) is said to have 'fixed' the mistaken descent of the first eight ancestors. He does not explain how that works or what is changed. Anyways, this was more of an aside and an elaboration of the idea of the Order of the Four Elements that the Magician- assigned to the element of Air but wearing the red Robe of Desire/Fire- is trying to master. The Ogdoad and trying to figure out where the exact mistake was made in the order of the Masculine and Feminine elements is a monumental task. Every time I attempt to look into that I have a break down so I figure that's above my pay grade spiritually. The symbology of Waite and Case's version of these cards is so deep and profound that I was inspired to write two additional blogs...I will tack one of those onto this one but publish seperately too.
I think it's significant that A.E. Waite's Book Cover is of the Magician. I'm not entirely sure that it was that way in the original printing but it is that way in the version I own. Here, is the comparison and explanation of the symbols on the cards and the primary difference in philosophy between the older/original sets versus the new ones. In a seperate blog I will cover how Case connects the Hebrew letter Beth to this card and dive a bit into the meaning of the Hebrew letter Beth. I didn't originally intend to cover the Hebrew letters. Yet, I think this is approriate now because I find, as Case did, that the Tarot Cards illuminate and expand on concepts that are connected with the Hebrew Letters. Finally, and I'm tagging onto the end of this blog a discussion of the Four Elements that Case refers to as "worlds." The latter may not seem as though it belongs but it is an important aspect of the card that ties in deeply to the Minor Arcana. Yet, it is such a deep concept that it really had to be discussed seprately because I felt it took away from the main concepts behind the Magician Card. So, let us begin with, the basic dive into the symbols and meanings of this Tarot in the original and modern cards. The Magician Card proved to be a fascinating journey. For the new versions of the Tarot it means so little...basically it boils down to Will. The cheap Chinese knock off version of the Rider Waite Tarot lists Will as one of the meaning (also queareant and skill). The Light Seer Tarot lists Skill as the first descriptor word and then goes on to say, "The Magician brings forth a powerful message of creation and potential...Find your spark. Find your why. With everything you need sitting in front of you like a giant cauldron, what is it that you desire to bring to life...Motto: I can manifest what I desire through energy and action." Pg 21 Collette Baron Reid also describes this as primarily dealing with will... "...When I see this card, I'm reminded that my will and skill alone will yield limited results..." and then she goes on to explain that we have a partnership with Spirit to co-create. The term "Will To Power" originated from Nietzche and I've heard it quite often recently. The Merrin-Webster website defines it as: " 1...the drive of the superman...to perfect and transcend the self through the possession and exercise of creative power. 2. A Conscious or Unconscious desire to exercise authority over others." In the Rider Waite and Paul Foster Case Tarot Decks the Magicians hair is black representing ignorance. I'm assuming that in the Light Seers Tarot the hair is black for the same reason. We are starting with someone who doesn't know everything. They're inexperienced. That's why the Good Tarot, that depicts an Old Man, is very much out of place symbolically. The Gray hair and old age suggests wisdom instead of ignorance. Perhaps it is the change that Collete placed here- the knowledge of co-creating with Spirit that changes the meaning and purpose of this card completely. The Magician's Robe All four cards depict the Magician's robe although there are major differences. The Rider-Waite and Paul Foster Case Cards depict the robe as red and unadorned. Red represents Desire Nature and the cut of the Robe makes it easy to take on and off...meaning that the Magician can direct their desire instead of being controlled by it. In the Light Seer Tarot the Magician's Robe is Black and goes over their head. I'm not sure if they were aware that represents ignorance. Further, it has the Infinity sign- a sideways eight sewn into the hood. He does wear a red bracelet, that might represent desire nature with three yellow beads on it that may represent air and the trinity, on his right hand that is associated with the Masculine/Giving energy. In the Good Tarot the Magician also has a Black Robe. Again, I'm uncertain the artist realized in classic Tarot symbology that represents ignorance. There is the image of the Sun on the robe and gold embroidery. Now Waite does say that the Magician in his card has the "Visage of Apollo" which is a Sun God. So there is a distant connection of the Sun to his symbology. The Sun is often associated with "consciousness." The Gold Embroidery, however, is a bit more difficult to explain regarding the classic symbology. Perhaps it represents the element of Air that is associated with this Card. I'm really not sure what the artist was trying to symbolize in their card because it is so different from traidtion. Yellow The background of the Rider-Waite and Paul Fostee Card set is Yellow. This relates it, both note, to the Element of Air. Similar to the Fool Card this archetype relates to the realm (or what Paul Foste Case called a "world") of Air. Air, we know from other research, belongs to the Eastern direction. This is the plane upon which ideas are created or plans made. One could even say it's the "world" of imagination. This is also the first phase in the process of Creation- a concept that we will revisit at the end. The Infinity Symbol Depicted above the head of the Magician in the Rider-Waite set where the Star Chakra (a newer term and idea) is located and on the hood of the Light Seers Tarot this is a very potent symbol. Waite explains, "Christian Gnosticisim speak of Rebirth in Christ as a change "unto the Ogdoad"....Eight is the number of Christ." The Ogdoad turns out to be a reference to the eight primordial pairs of gods and Goddesses. Case explains it this way, "The horizontal figure 8 over the Magicians head is the ancient occult number assigned to Hermes...is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit." Pg 41 The Light Seer Tarot doesn't offer an explanation for the Infinity Symbol. This symbol, apparently esoteric in Waite and Case's day is now Common Knowledge. The Google definition of the Infinity Symbol is, "The concept of something that is unlimited, unbound." The Garden In the Rider Waite and Paul Foster Case cards the Magician stands in a garden of roses of lilies because their Subconscious is fertile and had grown so they are not as barren, mentally, as the Fool Card who stands on that cliff. The flowers are Roses and Lilies. Red Roses symbolizing desire, Venus, the pentagram and the five senses because there are five. The White Lilies are abstract thought, have six petals, representing the hexagram and the Microcosom. The four Lilies represent the four "worlds" (the four elements). However, in the Light Seers Tarot the Magician is sitting on green grass overlooking what looks like a swirling Galaxy. This invokes fertility in a way but not in the same way as a garden of flowers. The Magician of the Good Tarot only has his face visible as he hold a chi-ball with an abstract background of spirals. The Spiral is related to the Path of The Seeker as we always revisit the same lessons in a new form. Again, the symbolisim of the Good Tarot diverges completely from the rest...nothing in the card suggests a fertile subconscious. The Ouroboros I almost didn't cover this symbol because it is such a small one. Yet, I do believe that it is important. Similar to the Infinity Symbol Case and Waite do not name this symbol. They both simply comment that about the Magician's waste is a Blug Green snake biting it's own tail. Now, perhaps, when these books were first written- Waite in the last days of the 1800's and Case's in the opening years of the 1900's- this wasn't a commonly known symbol. Even in the early 'aughts' as they call the first years of the 2000's I don't think it was as commonly known as it is now and there was a great deal of supersitition around it (as there is around Snakes in genral since they are associated with the Devil- a being I do not beleive in but I believe to be a perversion of a depiction of the Divine Feminine). Either way, the Ouroboros conveys an important part of Physical Material Reality- of how 'life eats itself' in a seemingly endless cycle. The Ouroboros, I've also heard, represents Samsara and that seemingly endless cycle of reincarnation. Nothing exists beside All-That-Is which incompasses everything- so whether we eat meat or vegetables- we are recycling the same energy of All-That-Is that is, was and always will be. The form transmutes and the mode changes but it is all the same energy. Also, note that the Ouroboros is at the waste- right about the Sacral Chakra which is our spiritual center that is all about Creation and Fertility. In the very process of Creation we recycle energy that was once in another form. A piece of wood is fashioned and transformed into a part of chair. While it was a branch or trunk of a tree that form of energy is transumted into a chair by the process of human creation. The nature of the enregy does not change, it is the same atoms, neutrons and protons, but it has a different form after our manipulation of the matter. The Gesture In the Waite and Case card the gesture that the Magician uses is: "In the right hand is a Wand raised toward heaven, while the left hand points down to the Earth, this sign is known in very high grades of the Instituted Mysteries, it shows the descent of grace, virtue, and Light, drawn from things above and derived to things below." Pg 36 The wand that the Magician holds is different from the ones in the Tarot Suite. This one looks like it has a flame at the top and bottom...and it is also meant to look phallic. The Wands in geneneral are thought of as phallic in nature. The candle like nature of this wand, however, with a flame going up and down is significant...as it is connected to the Hebrew Yod which is depicted as a flame when upper case and a seed when lower case...and which I have connected with the Divine Masculine Yod (upright flame) and the Divine Femine yod (downard seed). This, with my interpertation means that this Wand represents a balance of Masculine and Feminine. The principal the classic depictions represent is the Hermetic phrase, "As above, so below." I think it's important to note that Case's Magician is looking down (as does the Light Seers Tarot) and Waite's Magician is looking at us (as is the Good Tarot). In the Light Seers Tarot the approach appears to be more Reiki or Chi based interpertation. From the Magician's right dominant/Masculine hand flows down energy into what looks like a Galaxy. Then energy flows upward from the galaxy into the Magician's right receptive/Feminine hand. The Galaxy is probably meant to represent the Cosmos or Creation in general. In the Good Tarot the Magician is holding a Chi Ball- a form of energy that is made of the Spiritual energy that forms the basis of Chinese Chi-Gong Medicene. Out of that energy emanates crescent moons and suns. In both cases the Light Seers Tarot and the Good Tarot also include a balance of the masculine and feminine in the Magician's Work. The Table The table is completley completely missing from the Good Tarot and Light Seer Table. There are major differences between Waite's and Case's depiction of the Table. Case explains that the Table is the "Field of Awareness." He explains that the table is square because it corresponds to Material Reality. The Earth or our every day Waking reality is represented by the square with the four corners of the square representing the four elements. Case's table is on the left and has Ionic Pillars that, "require the compass to make," and is to the left of the Magician. Case, as you will seen when we investigate further into the correlation of the Hebrew letter Beth with the Magician card, associates the Magician card with the Freemasons practice that so revere the compass. The compass of the Free Masons is the 'moral compass' that so many seem to associate with religion but as that fraternity clearly indicates can exist outside of any established religion. Waite's table is on the left and it has normal table legs but it has "magical glyp hs" along the edge. One symbol is the dove, another looks like a snake and finally what looks like the Zodiac Sign of Aquarius- two wiggly lines above one another. No explaination for these symbols nor attention is given to these details in Waite's book. I would hazard the guess that the Snake and the Dove are similar to the Hawk and Scorpion of the sign of Scorpio. The snake, as the Bible even notes in Genesis, is considered a lowly being because it wiggles along the ground unable to see very far. The Dove, on the other hand is often used as symbol of the Holy Spirit and, as such, as a Holisitic perspective that all Birds have of the world...it's a higher more inclusive perspective. The snake can only see the Trees but the Dove sees the Forest. The two wiggly lines of Aquarius also hints at that Hermetic maxim of , "As Above So Below," the Above, when you dig deep into Esoteric information is inevitably the Divine Masculine and the Below is inevitably the Divine Feminine. The Symbols Of The Four Elements I will dive into the meaning of the Four Elements a bit deeper after I cover a couple more areas of the basic study of the Magician Card. Now, the elements are completely missing from the Good Tarot and the Light Seers Tarot. However, I want to point out that Case's Wand that is on the table looks more like worked wood with a gold diamond at the top where as Waites look more like a branch with leaves that are still alive invoking the Staff of Aaron in the Bible. Case's cup looks more crystalline (not gold) and the Pentacle coin in Case's looks brown (not gold) with magical symbols on it. The swords look similar save that Case's hilt is brown instead of gold. What I also want to point out here is that the Magician Card connects the Minor Arcana to the Major Arcana. I believe this is the only card to do so...and that the Good Tarot and Light Seer's Tarot left the four elements out is very significant. Thursday Night Tarot Lotterhand went into much of what Case covered in his book. What he says explicitly is that the Magician is: "The Magician...is your self-consciousness." Pg 18 Case does mention this in his chapter on the Magician but Lotterhand dwells ont his concept far more. Now, in Lotterhand's work (which I am most familiar with) aspects of Jungian theory are applied to different aspects in the Tarot. Men represent the conscious, the women the subconsicous and angels the superconscious. Lotterhand also talks about the Magicians ability to take off the red magician robe at will but he must wear it to do magic because, "it activates his particular universe, represented by the implements on the table." Pg 18 The "above" that the Magician is channeling is the Superconscious and the "below" is the Subconscious. The Magician, the self-conscious, is in the middle. The Huge Difference In Philosophy Case makes it clear in his system, and Waite via "the gesture", that the Magician in their system is a Channel of the Divine. I remember when I first read a book (one on the chakras) that finished off that by having all of them open I was now a "channel of the divine," and how I totally rejected that and was ill at ease with the thought. A channel, I felt, was a tool used by the Divine and not something capable of autonomy- of being set a task and able to go about pursuing a Creative solution. On the other end of the Spectrum from a Channel is the philosophy of Collette Baron Reid of being a Co-Creator with the Divine instead of being a channel. While I liked this idea and sorta adhered to it upon reflection and meditation I believe that it is a bit different then what I practice. Instead, it is elevating the Will and Desires of the individual to the same level as Divine Will. There is a huge difference between these two concepts and as I said at the start of this blog this is a topic worthy of exploring in depth on it's own. I'm just going to put my toe into the water here. I absolutely believe that Jesus was a Channel for Divinity. The stories about him that are non-canonical seem to confirm it. Christ Consciousness is alluded to by Waite and Case regarding the Magician Card. Case flat out says that the Magician: "Affords a free channel of communication, which permits the free passage downward and outward of the superconscious light which is above and within." Pg 40 This is in complete agreement with Hermetic principals. When we go into the examination of the Hebrew letter Beth in another blog Hermes will pop up again...but this indicates that this card is attempting to convey a Hermetic principal. Therefore, what the Magician is doing is expressing the Will of the Divine from above to the Subconscious below. The Co-Creator perspective is very different from a Channel. In the Good Tarot and The Light Seer Tarot they are summoning energy instead of channeling. In the Light Seer Tarot the energy does seem to emanate from within...reflecting part of the Hermetic teaching (as within so without) and that energy is channeled downward into creation which could, through a stretch of imagination, be the Subconscious similar to Case's Tarot. Yet, in the Good Tarot the distinction between different levels of consciousness is not there. This shift from Channel working purely on behalf of the Divine Will To being a partner to that Divine Will but retaining a Will of our own is significant. In some circles there is a belief we can impose our will onto the Divine Will...even superseding it or manipulating it to gain money or whatever we want to 'manifest.' Having been a student of both modes of thinking and not perceiving the conflict before I had to think about my personal concept of this which falls in between the two. I have surrendered my "will" to the Divine Will in recognition that it is superior to my own. In a way, it is a sort of 'marriage' where I accept what is instead of changing it to what I think I prefer, need or want. I see the Divine simplicity in the idea that the Earth is where people earn their individuality through the Illusion of Seperation. Knowing that purporse I don't see any reason for it to change and I don't see the need for a plane of experience where that isn't needed because there is a long line of souls who want to become individualized. I don't see the line of those souls running out any time soon. I find it very interesting that the concept of a Channel is associated with one of the first phases/aspects of personal development and Ignorance. Lotterhand refers to the Work as 'Know Thyself' and what this suggests is that the Magician does not know himself. As we will see when we look at the World Card there is a significant shift from the stage of self development/creation/individuation that is the Magician to the World Card. I have never seen my perspective reflected in any literature. While derived from what I have learned from others my approach is primarily based on my experiences and logic (that, being that I know that I'm less then all knowing- I dont even know the Divine Plan but can only react to it-I clearly don't have the ability to assert my Will in place of or alongside the Divine Will...yet I would not describe myself as opaque because there is still a lot of depth to my being). At the same time I believe setting intentions is worthwhile during the Moon cycle. Through knowing the general energy of the Moon Cycle I can go about planning my life in a way that coincides with the Divine Will and Divine Timing (this has led to a far smoother life experience!). Lotterhand explains, "This person is the master of what we call matter. He learns how to manipulate matter by practicing on himself. Once he learns how to handle himself he can manipulate all matter because matter is plastic, not fixed. Then he's a real master." Pg 19 The Hebrew Letter Beth I am not going to go into this too deeply because I've decided that I will devote an entire Blog to examining the connection between the Tarot Cards and the Hebrew Letters. First, Case explains that Beth is a "House." Second, he connects that concept to Hermes/Mercury. Third, Case accurately (Laird Scranton has proven this) points out that houses were originally made in the image of a sleeping Goddess. Case explains that Mercury is, "...only the messenger of a Divinity higher then himself...the channel not the source." Pg 39 Finally, he explains Life and Death is attached to Beth and this Card because it has the power to do both. Final Thoughts I want to look at the Tarot from the perspective that it describes both the process of Creation, the aspects of the Creator and aspects of each person's Psyche. Just as each of us have a "Mercury" or, "Venus" that corresponds to us in our Zodiac chart the Tarot is the same. All of us have an Inner Fool and an Inner Magician. The Magician also corresponds to that first act of "will" where the first soul group forced their way into matter. Of course, that was a mis-use of Will Power. Now it is interesting that Mars, often associated with the Will and the Solar Plexus Chakra, is not associated with this Card....instead it's Mercury but we will go into an entire examination of what Mercury has to do with the Magician cardr when we explore the Hebrew Letter Beth in more detail. Conclusion Will power...such a powerful force. Clearly, the meaning of the Magician is more then just that urge...in fact it encourages us to be a better person through "practicing magic" on ourselves through that beautiful concept of "Know Thyself." When our Will is in Alignment with the Divine we are, as Francesca Simon so accurately desceibes, a boat on the Sea. We adjust our sail to conditions outside our control that exist as dictated by the Divine Will- the ocean and wind- but with a bit of knowledge we can have a more pleasent experience when adpating to the whims of the ocean and wind. The Light Seer and the Good Tarot don't do this card justice with their symbology. By not recognizing a higher power they make it seem as though the forces the Magician Harnesses comes from them and this is a major error. The focus on the individual as a force that should manipulate matter for personal gain is the opposite of all traditional esoteric spiritual teachings. The issue I have with this is the same that I have on those who focus so much on manifesting. I've been following Athena on Sage Goddess, a Master Manifester, long enough to know that no matter what the aspects of Taurus season currently are in a given year- she associates it with making money and she pushes items and methods of manifesting that money. That relentless knee jerk never changing approach and focus is an error. There are times and years where working to attract money during Taurus season makes sense but there are years (like this one- 2022) where that may backfire. Bonus Thoughts On The Elements While it is lengthy this blog is more of an aside then a stand alone blog. This is tied closely to the Magician Card. I've decided to put it on the end of that blog and as a stand alone blog because I cover some important topics and had a bit of an epiphany about this when working with the Magician Card. When reading about the Magician Card I came across a fascinating statement. First he quotes Waite saying that what is on the table are the "implements of the four Tarot suits"... "The Magician's problem is to arrange them in proper order." Wands symbolize Air, Swords represent Fire, Cups symbolize Water and the Coins or Pentacles represent Earth. Case's description of these are fascinating, "In ceremonial magic, these implements are the staff, the cup of libations and divination, the Magic sword, and the Pentacle or talisman. On the Pentacle are written engraved words, numbers, geometrical figures, and sigil. These are determined by the magical operation...In this instance, the sigil..is the pentalpha..." The fact that both Waite and Case attempt to confuse this topic shows that it's a highly coveted secret in the Esoteric Circles to which they belonged. The Correct Order The fascinating thing is that we know the order of the elements. The Inidgenous Medicene Wheel of North America is what Laird Scranton would call a "highly cultivated" symbol. I've covered in my blog (and it will be the first thing I cover when I return to vlogging one day) the four directions and elements of the Medicene Wheel. The medicene wheel is the wheel of life with each direction assigned a stage of life, a season and the elements. Now, not all tribes agree on how to work the circle...clockwise or counter clockwise. To create something we need to work it clockwise which corresponds with Yet we know the order is Air, Fire, Water and Earth. We get the urge or idea in the realm or "world" (as Paul Foster Case would describe it) of Air, then we take action on it in the realm of Fire, then we create it in the realm of Water and finally we have the finished product in the realm of Earth. I've been working with this wisdom teaching for years now. I just realized when formulating this blog in my mind (I literally envision it in my head before transcribing it on my phone) the role of the Water phase of the process. Bashar describes our level of reality, some call it 3D, as being Ice- like in nature. I was always curious why the color symbol for water was White and not Blue. I realized it's because this is the stage of Crystalization. This is the stage where things take form. Take for example you want a coffee from Starbucks. First, it comes to you as an urge or idea within your mind. That's the realm of Air. Then you take action by getting into the car, driving to Starbucks and ordering the drink. That's the realm of Fire. Third, your name is called and your drink (previously only a concept in your mind) is sitting on the counter. Fourth, is the realm of Earth where you pick up and drink the coffee. Involution and Evolution Michelle like the "Mystery of the Goddess" that has hundreds of stories about the Sleeping Goddess around the world and even contained in a Bible story...the Four Elements and Directions should be common knowledge. Plus, on one symbolic level it explains the descent of souls into matter. Bashar describes Physical Material Reality as far in the Darkness, very slow compared to the rest of Creation and Ice Like in nature. We have slowed the process of Creation (the weaving of the Four Elements together) way down to master it and become individualized. The Medicene Wheel shows that first urge of souls to become a part of PMR, the action they took (pushing into Matter as Edgar Cacye called it), the physical result being human bodies, and then the Earth being the finite experiences we have here. That is the process of spiritual involution. If we want to end the cycle of reincarnation we have to go counter clockwise on the Medicene Wheel. Whether you call this the Ascension or Awakening or Enlightenment it is the same thing. We start with our solid state of mind- what Buddhists call a rock- that is full of conditioning from this and past lives. Then we make our mind fluid once again...flexible and open minded by challenging those preconceived "solid" truths. Using the process of discernment we discard those that have lead to our disempowerment and unhappiness. Third, when the mind is no longer iced over by a bunch of limiting ideas we can start to take actions in our lives that go with the flow...much more like Fire then the Ice of the Water stage. We have an inspired life. Fourth, finally we find joy in ambiguity. There is a joy in uncertainty...a joy from not having the need or desire to be constantly creating but just BE...being totally present in the moment without the desire to be in a different state of being by harnessing the force of Creation. That's why working the Medicene Wheel clockwise and counter-clockwise are both correct perspectives. They simply serve different purposes...one to create and in a way be bond to Physical Material Reality and the second to discover Liberation. The Order Case Gives Knowing the Medicene Wheel it is funny that Case tries to obstificate the Order of the elements. He explains them as, "As elements of natural life they refer to fire (wand), water (cup), air (sword) and Earth (coin or Pentacle)...they correspond to the letters IHVH." The latter part of that is the Hebrew name for God. Also considered the "hidden" name. Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh. That could be it's own meditation but I wanted to mention it here. He also gives the order wrong again when he shares this insight: "...the four implements correspond to four ancient esoteric admonitions, which sum up the whole practical application of occult law. These admonitions are: (1) To Will (wand), (2) To Know (cup), (3) To Dare (sword) and (4) To Be Silent (pentacle)." Pg 44 Again, he lists the elements out of Order. Wand- Fire, Cup- Water, Sword-Air and Pentacle- Earth. Yet, when he quotes Eliphas Levi we find that the elements are in orrect order in the quote... "The Pentagram expresses the minds domination over the elements, and it is by this sign that we bind the demons of the air, the spirits of fire, the specters of water, and the ghosts of the Earth...it's complete comprehension is the key of the two worlds- it is absolute natural philosophy and natural science. "pg 44 The demons of Air our are erratic Thoughts (monkey mind as some call it), the spirits of Fire are untamed Desire, the specters of Water are irrational Emotions, and the ghosts of Earth are irrational Fear. Fear based people would take this other directions (which is why a Good Tarot had to be created- people are scared of spirits and demons) but all of it boils down to practical and perhaps even boring (in some circles) explaination. The act of meditation is the method to tame all of the undesirable aspects of the elements. When we realize there isn't a big baddie out there to overcome but the Work is to turn within and tame these elements within ourselves...well that's Work. People are naturally suspicious and jealous of those who do the Work. The reason is people who use this approach to life are naturally happier and more prosperous then others. Most people feel as though they have to bust their butts to achieve anything ...that life is an uphill climb filled with hard work with little reward. Spirit, or the Natural Order, effortlessly rewards those who are in the flow and in alignment with the Divine Will. When we are not in the flow of the Divine Will we feel as though we are banging our heads against the wall. We try to force our will and desires on the Natural Order that is completely unohased and unaware of the fsct we are trying to use it to solely benefit ourselves and remake the world in our own image (an act of futility). We feel out of control as our erratic thoughts, raging desires, irrational emotions and fear for our safety. Now that iveI've explained thay...Eliphas Levi lists the elements in the proper order! So those admonitions should be: 1) To Dare 2.) To Will 3.) To Know 4.) To Be Silent What is very entertaining is that if we view the Tarot as embodying the involution or descent into matter...these admonitions correlate with the Tarot Carss. 0 The Fool - To Dare 1 The Magician- To Will 2. The High Priestess- To Know 3. The Emperor- To Be Silent This application does work with the meanings behind the cards. The Ogdoad- The Eight I want to touch on this here. Now, the Ogdoad, the Ennead or Eight Ancestors of the Dogon connect with the Four Elements. Each Pair of these primordial beings corrsapond to a Female and Masculine representation of the Four Elements. In the Ennead, for example, the first two were Shu (Air) and TefNut (Moisture). Both involve air. Now, the interesting thing is that the highly cultivated (referencing Laird Scranton again) Dogon religion says that those eight ancestors "descended out of order" when the eighth ancestor descended out of order leading to Chaos (which is interesting because the 7th ancestor to descend- if your looking at the Ennead- is Set God of Chaos). What is said is that hte 8th ancestor killed the 7th ancestor and descended first. Next to nothing is known about the Eight member of the Ennead- Nephthys. In the Kabbalah when Malkuth "fell" or, in truth, "fell asleep/appeared to die," it created chaos in the "heavens" and Malkuth to be "cut off" (seperated) for fear that the Multiplicity of Malkuth would overwhelm the other Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Hidden deeply in esoteric traditions is the concept that an error in the descent of the Male and Female pairs of the Elements is what caused the Illusion of Seperation. Some think that the correction for this is the Awakening of the Goddesss and that somehow the speration between the world of Spirit where we act as a sort of Hive Mind and physical life will cease to exist. Some believe that death will cease on Earth...which doesn't work either. I am more of a person that believes that the souls that were working to individualize will be released from Samsara and be allowed to visit other realms or return home to the Creator to help perform the Divine Will at a higher level then the Angels...and to be, as Edgar Cacye says, a companion to the Creator. Just as a Robot is a sub-par companion to a human so an Angel that just carries out it's programming or performs the task exactly as assigned- is not an adequate companion to the Creator. Even Bashar says of all the Cosmos only humans do not feel and know their connection to what he calls All-That-Is. Again, I personally believe that the Earth is a place, a school, where souls gain individuation. This is a school where we've slowed the process of Creation down so we can safely learn about it in a sort of independent simulation but think of it as real so that we have really stand to lose something when we die. Take for example, when you're playing a video game, yes you can get upset when you die because of the time you've invested in trying to beat a level...yet, the game contain some pretty wild stuff and you're not totally freaked out because you know it's not real. However, I must note and return to something that I already covered in my Magician Tarot Card post: Waite explains, "Christian Gnosticisim speak of Rebirth in Christ as a change "unto the Ogdoad." The Resurrection of Christ (which is not a person but an abstract concept- Christ Consciousness) is said to have 'fixed' the mistaken descent of the first eight ancestors. He does not explain how that works or what is changed. Anyways, this was more of an aside and an elaboration of the idea of the Order of the Four Elements that the Magician- assigned to the element of Air but wearing the red Robe of Desire/Fire- is trying to master. The Ogdoad and trying to figure out where the exact mistake was made in the order of the Masculine and Feminine elements is a monumental task. Every time I attempt to look into that I have a break down so I figure that's above my pay grade spiritually. |
Author:
Thank You For Visiting
Brave Soul! May Your Journey On The Path Of The Seeker Bring You Joy and Peace! I'm currently posting every Saturday. With a new addition the family I have pre-scheduled most posts through December 2022. Full Moon Posts will contain up-to-date content when I can get to them. Thank you so much for your support and understanding! This is a place where you can encounter new spiritual ideas that have helped me develop as an Individual On The Path of the Seeker. Take or Leave this information as you see fit. Archives
April 2024
|