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Page 1 of 41944 · PDF PAGE 183
…ies behind the card; it is the inner meaning of the card. There is another view to consider, that this is the last of all the cards, and therefore represents the sum total of all the work that has been done from the beginning. Therefore, in it is drawn the very figure of the Tree of Life itself. This card, to the other thirty‐five small cards, is what the twenty‐first Trump, The Universe, is to the rest of the Trumps.
1944 · PDF PAGE 47
…ulphur, Salt, Mercury; Rajas, Sattvas and Tamas. The really important feature of this card is that its number should be 0. It represents therefore the Negative above the Tree of Life, the source of all things. It is the Qabalistic Zero. It is the equation of the Universe, the initial and final balance of the opposites; Air, in this card, therefore quintessentially means a vacuum. In the medieval pack, the title of the card is Le Mat, adapted from the Italian Matto, madman or fool; the propriety of this title will be considered later. But there …
1944 · PDF PAGE 110
XXI. THE UNIVERSE The first and most obvious characteristic of this card is that it comes at the end of all, and is therefore the complement of the Fool. It is attributed to the letter Tau. The two cards together accordingly spell the word Ath, which means Essence. Mi reality is consequently compromised in the series of which these two letters form the beginning and the end. This beginning was Nothing; the end must therefore be also Nothing, but Nothing in its complete expansion, as previously explained. The number 4, rather than the number 2, …
1944 · PDF PAGE 133
…mystery. 1From The Vision and the Voice, 5th Aethyr. And thou shalt summon the Scribe, and that which shall be written shall be written. Therefore I withdraw myself, as I am commanded. The Desert between Benshrur and Tolga. December 12, 1909. 7‐8. 12 midnight. Now then art thou approached unto an august Arcanum; verily thou art come unto the ancient Marvel, the winged light, the Fountains of Fire, the Mystery of the Wedge. But it is not I that can reveal it, for I have never been permitted to behold it, who am but the watcher upon the threshold…
1944 · PDF PAGE 77
VIII. ADJUSTMENT This card in the old pack was called Justice. This word has none but a purely human and therefore relative sense; so it is not to be considered as one of the facts of Nature. Nature is not just, according to any theological or ethical idea; but Nature is exact. This card represents the sign of Libra, ruled by Venus; in it Saturn is exalted. The equi‐ librium of all things is hereby symbolized. It is the final adjustment in the formula of Tetra‐ grammaton, when the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, is thereby set …
1944 · PDF PAGE 60
…se he is duality, he represents both trnth and falsehood, wisdom and folly. Being the unexpected, he unsettles any established idea, and therefore appears tricky. He has no conscience, being creative. If he cannot attain his ends by fair means, he does it by foul. The legends of the youthful Mercury are therefore legends of cunning. He cannot be understood, because he is the Unconscious Will. His position on the Tree of Life shows the third Sephira, Binah, Understanding, as not yet formulated; still less the false Sephira, Da’ath, knowledge. Fr…
1944 · PDF PAGE 78
… must go more deeply into philosophy; the Trump represents The Woman Satisfied. Equilibrium stands apart from any individual prejudices; therefore the title, in France, should rather be Justesse. In this sense, Nature is scrupulously just. It is impossible to drop a pin without exciting a corresponding reaction in every Star. The action has disturbed the balance of the Universe. This woman‐goddess is Harlequin; she is the partner and fulfilment of The Fool. She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many‐coloured, ma…
1944 · PDF PAGE 130
… up herself to everything that liveth, and hath become a partaker in its mystery. And because she hath made herself the servant of each, therefore is she become the mistress of all. Not as yet canst thou comprehend her glory. “Beautiful art thou, O Babylon, and desirable, for thou hast given thyself to everything that liveth, and thy weakness hath subdued their strength. For in that union thou didst under stand. Therefore art thou called Understanding, O Babylon, Lady of the Night! “This is that which is written: ‘O my God, in one last rapture…
1944 · PDF PAGE 23
… can he go; and he suffers the lapse of memory which he has during these incarnations, because he knows he will come through unchanged. “Therefore you can have an infinite number of gods, individual and equal though diverse, each one supreme and utterly indestructible. This is also the only explanation of how a Being could create a world in which War, Evil, etc., exist. Evil is only an appearance, because (like “Good”) it cannot affect the substance itself, but only multiply its combinations. This is something the same as Mystic Monotheism; but…
1944 · PDF PAGE 49
…hich most strongly characterizes him. It will be seen later how important is this feature of the story. To ensure the succession, it was therefore devised: firstly, that the blood royal should really be the royal blood, and secondly, that this strain should be fortified by the introduction of the conquering stranger, instead of being attenuated by continual in‐breeding. In certain cases this theory was pushed very far; there was probably a great deal of chicanery about this disguised prince. It may well have been that the king, his father, fur‐…
1944 · PDF PAGE 229
…nt of the idea of the Universe, the determination of its basic form. It is ruled by Mars in Capricornus; he is exalted in that Sign, and therefore at his best. His energy is constructive, like that of the builder or engineer. The card represents a pyramid viewed from above the apex. The base is formed by three wheels‐Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt; Sattvas, Rajas, and Tamas in the Hindu system; Aleph, Shin, and Mem‐Air, Fire, and Water‐the three Mother letters of the Hebrew al‐ phabet. This pyramid is situated in the great Sea of Binah in the Night…
1944 · PDF PAGE 233
…Element. The Moon in Taurus rules the card; and this, while increasing the approach to perfection (for the Moon is exalted in Taurus and therefore in her highest form) marks that the condition is transient. The disks are arranged in the form of the Hexagram, which is shown in skeleton. In the centre blushes and glows the light rose‐ madder of dawn, and without are three concentric circles, golden yellow, salmon‐pink, and amber. These colours show Tiphareth fully realized on Earth; it reaffirms in form what was mathematically set forth in descri…
1944 · PDF PAGE 194
…sion of pure light, which deals with maxima, into the seven colours of the spectrum, which exhibit interplay and correlation. This card, therefore, represents energy of high velocity, such as furnishes the master‐ key to modern mathematical physics. It will be noted that there are no flames; they have all been taken up into the wands to turn them into rays. On the other hand, the electric energy has created intelligible geometrical form.
1944 · PDF PAGE 22
… only property of any given point is its position in relation to certain other points; no change is possible; nothing can happen. One is therefore compelled, in the analysis of known Reality, to postulate a fifth positive idea, which is that of Motion. This implies the idea of Time, for only through Motion, and in Time, can any event hap‐ pen. Without this change and sequence, nothing can be the object of sense. (It is to be noticed that this No.5 is the number of the letter Hé in the Hebrew alphabet. This is the letter tradi‐ tionally consecra…
1944 · PDF PAGE 220
…e suit of Swords, does not represent such catastrophe as in the other suits, for Netzach, the Sephira of Venus, means victory. There is, therefore, a modifying influ‐ ence; and this is accentuated by the celestial rule of the Moon in Aquarius. The intellectual wreckage of the card is thus not so vehement as in the Five. There is vacillation, a wish to compromise, a certain toleration. But, in certain circumstances, the re‐ sults may be more disastrous than ever. This naturally depends upon the success of the policy. This is always in doubt as l…
1944 · PDF PAGE 109
…it; and his passive or introverted form Hoor‐pa kraat. (See above, the Formula of Tetragrammaton). He is also solar in character, and is therefore shown coming forth in golden light. The whole of this symbolism is thoroughly explained in the Book of the Law. It should, by the way, be noted that the name Heru is identical with Hru, who is the great Angel set over the Tarot. This new Tarot may therefore be regarded as a series of illus‐ trations to the Book of the Law; the doctrine of that Book is everywhere implicit. At the bottom of the card we…
1944 · PDF PAGE 61
…m very early times that the use of speech, or writing, meant the introduction of ambiguity at the best, and falsehood at the worst; they therefore represented Thoth as followed by an ape, the cynocephalus, whose business was to distort the Word of the god; to mock, to simu‐ late and to deceive. In philosophical language one may say: Manifestation implies illusion. This doctrine is found in Hindu philosophy, where the aspect of Tahuti of which we are speak‐ ing is called Mayan. This doctrine is also found in the central and typical image of the …
1944 · PDF PAGE 135
… prayed unto the Lords of Vision, saying: O my Lords,, take not away this wonder from my sight. And they said: It must needs be. Rejoice therefore if thou hast been permitted to be‐ hold, even for a moment, this Arrow, the austere, the august. But the vision is accomplished, and we have sent forth a great wind against thee. For thou canst not penetrate by force, who hast refused it; nor by authority, for thou hast trampled it under foot. Thou art bereft of all but understanding, O thou that art no more than a little pile of dust! And the images…
1944 · PDF PAGE 216
…re manifested in the realm of the Intellect. Chesed re‐ fers to Jupiter who rules in Libra in this decanate. The sum of these symbols is therefore with‐ out opposition; hence the card proclaims the idea of authority in the intellectual world. It is the establishment of dogma, and law concerning it. It represents a refuge from mental chaos, chosen in an arbitrary manner. It argues for convention. The hilts of the four Swords are at the corner of a St. Andrew’s cross. Their shape sug‐ gests fixation and rigidity. Their points are sheathed—in a ra…
1944 · PDF PAGE 186
…y be regarded as the first step in the creative process. The virgin ovum must be broken in order to fertilize it. Fear and repulsion are therefore the primary reaction to the assault. Then, with understand‐ ing of the complete plan, willing surrender rejoices to co‐operate. Six flames issue from the centre. This indicates the influence of the Sun, who is exalted in Ar‐ ies. This is the creative Will. Mars in Aries is the attribution of the Geomantic Figure Puer. p