#supernal triad

[brother-hermes]

AWAKENING: DRUNKARDS & EMPTINESS

Before we approach the esoteric meaning behind the Wedding At Cana we need to look at the concept of drunkenness. To be full is to be content. Without thirst there would be no need for living water right. Let’s dive into why one must be empty of all understanding to receive. Rock with me as we take the journey within.

[santoschristos]

The Tree of Life - Binah - Kabbalah and the Sephirot

Binah is the womb from which all souls are born, Chokmah the energy that the soul is made of, and Kether the idea of the soul within the Monad itself. In fact at the level of the Supernal Triad, Kether is the self-realization of the Supreme Being that emanates from En Sof, Chokmah is its Living Spirit and Creational Force, and Binah is its Supernal Soul Body through which the Spirit may interact with the lower realms of creation. The soul has always been associated with a feminine energy by Kabbalists as well as many other traditions. Similarly Binah is the Supreme Feminine Archetype, while the Spirit, Chokmah, is the Supreme Masculine Archetype and Kether, the Supreme Union Archetype. Chokmah and Binah are El and Eloha, the creator God and Goddess of this system, together in Divine Union and balance they are Elohim. Kether, however, is neither masculine nor feminine, it just is. The god name associated with Kether is EHEI (Eheyeh), which means “I Am” or “To Be”.

The supernals are the “3 mothers” associated with the Hebrew Letters Shin (spirit/fire), Aleph (air), and Mem (water), which are also the 3 mother rays of Amon Ra: numbers, letters, and sounds that are used to write the name of God, from which all creation comes. The third ray, Binah (Mem), being the one from which all other rays and creational energies are birthed or emanated out from. We see this in the Kabbalah by the path that the lightning bolt or ‘flaming sword’ takes as it carries the creational energies down from source to Malkuth. Binah is the last of the supernals that it enters before coming into the lower realms. Thus, Binah is the closest of the supernals to the world of form, hence it is the original archetypal form, whereas Chokmah is the original archetypal force. These roles of form and force can also be explained through the beginning stages of creation.

Before the beginning of creation there was only En Sof. En Sof was everything, yet no-thing, everywhere and nowhere, all potential but nothing manifest… At this stage En Sof does not even know it exists and has no concept of creation. And then a contraction occurs. En Sof contracted within its own being and from this withdrew from an infinitesimal point. This point became the center and it was a void. But even in its state of void, it still contained the memory of the essence of En Sof that previously was there. This center point of all existence is called the Shekinah by some Kabbalists – the feminine aspect of En Sof. In the very instant that En Sof contracted and this void was formed, so too did the infinite capacity of En Sof move to fill the void, for there can be no place that is not one with En Sof. As the energy of En Sof moved into this infinitesimal point it became a concentrated and intensified spark of light. This spark of light is Kether (the Center Point of the Universe). In the same instant, the intensity filling this point became so great that there was an outward explosion of light and energy moving in all directions. This dynamic expansion is Chokmah (the Big Bang and the photons/energy of light). But the influence of the feminine aspect to define the space and allow for creation was still present as a reflection of the Shekinah, and this influence served as a vessel for the energy to pour into and then subsequently be channeled through towards manifestation. This vessel or womb that channels and directs the light is Binah (Primordial Matter, which leads to Gravity, which is an attractive force that draws things into form). Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 can be related to the supernal triad, where E is Energy, whose essence is derived from Kether; c is the speed at which light travels outward from its source, which is Chokmah; and m is the mass of matter, which can be likened to Binah. The union of matter and the speed of light (mc2), Binah and Chokmah, releases an extraordinary amount of energy (sourced from Kether) that can be used for creation below the Abyss.

Thus the light flows on across the Abyss, through Daath, and on to Chesed then down the rest of the Tree until it finally reaches Malkuth. But it is Chokmah that generates the life force energy that enlivens the process of creation, while Binah is the womb that holds the egg that, once impregnated by Chokmah’s life-giving seed, becomes the vessel that gives birth to the other 7 sephiroth.

Geometrically, these initial stages of creation are represented by nothing (En Sof), the empty/black point (Shekinah), the full/white point (Kether), the line (Chokmah), and the triangle (Binah). Thus Binah is also the foundation of the entire Supernal Triad, whereas Kether is its root/source, and Chokmah its life force, and En Sof is the unseen/unknowable essence that flows through all of it. The triangle is the first form created and thus it is the primary key to the powers of heaven (the square and circle being the other two keys).

The supernals are in a realm that is beyond the human mind, thus any discussion of them can only be limited to metaphors and symbolic language. And because they are all just three aspects of a unity, it is difficult to say anything about any one of them alone. To say anything at all is to define, separate, and limit, thus not a true representation of the supernals. And yet, often in books these are the three parts of the Tree that are given the most attention – perhaps because they are the furthest from what we are acquainted with and hence the most mysterious and alluring. But truly, the only way to come to know and understand the supernal realm is through direct experience, which is the purpose of the ascension up the Tree of Life, which culminates in the crossing of the Abyss. This ascension brings one the vision of seeing God “face-to-face” – the inner and outer God. This experience may only be a momentary glimpse, but even that is enough to change your life, and it will give you the experience through which wisdom and divine light may illuminate your entire being.

[talonabraxas]

Atu II - The High Priestess Talon Abraxas

The card refers to the Moon. The Moon (being the general feminine symbol, the symbol of the second order corresponding to the Sun as the Yoni does to the Lingam) is universal, and goes from the highest to the lowest. It is a symbol which will recur frequently in these hieroglyphs. But in the earlier Trumps the concern is with Nature above the Abyss; the High Priestess is the first card which connects the Supernal Triad with the Hexad; and her path, as shown in the diagram, makes a direct connection between the Father in his highest aspect, and the Son in his most perfect manifestation. This path is in exact balance in the middle pillar. There is here, therefore, the purest and most exalted conception of the Moon. (At the other end of the scale is Atu XVIII, q.v.)

The card represents the most spiritual form of Isis the Eternal Virgin; the Artemis of the Greeks. She is clothed only in the luminous veil of light. It is important for high initiation to regard Light not as the perfect manifestation of the Eternal Spirit, but rather as the veil which hides that Spirit It does so all the more effectively because of its incomparably dazzling brilliance.

[The tradition of the best schools of Hindu mysticism has a precise parallelism. The final obstacle to full Enlightenment is exactly this Vision of Formless Effulgence].

Thus she is light and the body of light. She is the truth behind the veil of light. She is the soul of light. Upon her knees is the bow of Artemis, which is also a musical instrument, for she is huntress, and hunts by enchantment.

Now, regard this idea as from behind the Veil of Light, the third Veil of the original Nothing. This light is the menstruum of manifestation, the goddess Nuith, the possibility of Form. This first and most spiritual manifestation of the feminine takes to itself a masculine correlative, by formulating in itself any geometrical point from which to contemplate possibility. This virginal goddess is then potentially the goddess of fertility. She is the idea behind all form; as soon as the influence of the triad descends below the Abyss, there is the completion of concrete idea.

The following chapter of the Book of Lies (falsely so-called), may assist the student to understand this doctrine by dint of meditation:

DUST DEVILS

In the Wind of the mind arises the turbulence called I.

It breaks; down shower the barren thoughts.

All life is choked.

This desert is the Abyss wherein is the Universe.

The Stars are but thistles in that waste.

Yet this desert is but one spot accurséd in a world of bliss. Now and again Travellers cross the desert; they come from the Great Sea, and to the Great Sea they go.

And as they go they spill water; one day they will irrigate the desert, till it flower.

See! Five footprints of a Camel! V.V.V.V.V.

[hybridmindthoughtsreloaded]

The Psychology of the Trinity (Why "3" Shows Up Everywhere in Religion)

The number 3 shows up in every religion. Often, it is associated with one of - if not THE - highest deity in each religion (Christian Trinity, Egyptian Trinity, Supernal Triad in Kabbalah, etc). Is there a reason for this? Or is it a coincidence? The psychoanalyst tradition has some things to say about this occurrence, and their discoveries might not only blow your mind, but disturb you.

[theedgeofspirit]

THE SUPERNAL TRIAD (Qabalah) 'is a most pure sweet virgin, for nothing as yet hath been generated out of her... She yields to nothing but love, for her end is generation and that was never yet performed by violence. He that knows how to wanton and toy with her, the same shall receive all her treasures. First, she sheds at her nipples a thick, heavy water, but white as any snow: the philosophers call it Virgin's Milk. Secondly, she gives him blood from her very heart: it is a quick, heavenly fire; some improperly call it their sulphur. Thirdly and lastly, she presents him with a secret crystal, of more worth and lustre than the white rock and all her rosials. This is she, and these are her favours.'

Thomas Vaughan

[illusionoftheabyss]

Started studying ceremonial magic rituals from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley’s Astrum Argentum and Ordo Templi Orientis . Although I have my feelings about Crowley as a person, He no doubt created brilliant and illuminating occult literature that teaches the Qabalah so well that I must separate the Art from the Artist. Began to record my Gnosis for thy own Order called “ The Qabalistic Templum Atra Flamma “ = The Qabalistic Temple ov the Black Flame. The Black Flame refers to the Qabalah and the Ain Soph Aur : The Limitless Light ov God, Infinite Creative Potential that Exists above Kether And is the internal invisible Etheric flame of light/energy that exists within us all. Also the Torah was allegedly written with black fire. The limitless Light ov God brought into manifestation through Kether That gives Chokmah The Wisdom of Everything and Holds the Science of the Holy Tarot and the Zodiac with all Stars and All Divine Light, blasting into Binah, which gives Form, Time, and Space for the lower 7 Sephiroth to form emanations and Our Multiverse and reality is created. I am becoming a Wizard. 🤣

The Black Flame corresponds the Supernal Triad of Kether-Chokmah-Binah also, with emphasis on Chokmah: Infinite Potential and Super-Consciousness This is my book of shadows that I have titled “ Libre Umbrarum “ In the photographs, I have presented the formulae for the Qabalistic Cross, The Lesser Banishing Ov The Pentagram Ritual, The Lesser Invocation Ov The Hexagram and The Lesser Banishing Ov The Hexagram along with detailed explanation of the Rite Ov The Analysis Ov The Keyword:

Part i: The rest will be in next post🌓⚡️🪐🕍

May The Light Be Extended To You Upon The Path ~ In L. V. X. < Fratre J.A.H. ☿ 93 65 78 22 33 609 17 ☥ ❤️‍🔥♒️🔯☸️✝️☯️🕉💟🔮

[melias-cimitiere]

Regarding the Key of Solomon, the whole king Solomon and his magic ring thing is bullshit right ? My question is why did the author of the book chose the specific members of the Goetia aka the 72 Pillars ?

The majority of the story is made up. It's used by medieval author(s) as a platform to present these demons; remember though that most of these authors are also twisted in that they employ a right-hand-path mentality; they didn't like the demons, nor did they represent them accurately most times. They greatly feared them and in their exorcisms and aphorisms they show an almost christian fear of them. Their reliance on the Kabbalistic system tries to find analogies between the supernal and the infernal worlds, as it's based on the Shem-Ha-Mephorash, the 72 triads of letters name of God, taken from a cryptic excerpt from the Exodus. So they got names for the 72 angels (guardian angels) and 72 demons or infernal principalities. But once again, this account is biased because it is derived from one particular culture. There are many more demons, and also the names and representations are not always the right ones. Over time, the demons have accepted these names as "working names", so part of this is a convention.

[baroquespiral]

Capitalism and the Abyss

Ominously, it was on New Year’s Day 2020 that I found out what was the deal with Nick Land’s Twitter avatar. I had already been dealing with an escalating psychosis around repeating numbers for the past ~month.  Now, thanks to being asked its meaning by someone themselves pretty deep into investigating the links between the far right and the occult, I learned that the 3:33 represented in Land’s avatar was an occult reference to the Demon of Dispersion, Choronzon.

Actually, according to Land’s own post on Xenosystems, it was the gematria for Dark Enlightenment.  333 is also gematria for Choronzon, the connection suspected by the person who contacted me searching for this information, and made by one or two people in his comments - though Land genuinely seems not to know when he picked it, or chose the fateful words for his movement.  Which is a little frightening when you realize Land’s been talking about nothing but dispersion for the past several years - or arguably his entire career, going back to the essay on “stellar dispersion” in Trakl.  “The best current cosmology is accelerationist or disintegrationist”, he writes in Jacobite, proposing the Dark Energy driving the unexplained expansion of observed space as a cosmic principle underlying the inevitable separation into isolated “light-cones” of nations, sovereign corporations and informational nodes. Choronzon in Thelema is not such a universal principle: it has a very specific role.  The “Abyss” it occupies is the realm separating the rest of the sephirot from the “Supernal Triad”, the highest level of reality in the Kabbalah (the highest three sephira - Binah, Hokhmah and Keter).  To achieve knowledge of and oneness with this Supernal Triad, the maximum of one’s human, spiritual and magical potential, an aspiring magus must “cross the Abyss”, a mysterious ordeal understood as entailing a complete dissolution of one’s ego and identification with the pure spirit of love under will.  Choronzon is the principle of dispersion that makes this dissolution possible, but also the last roadblock to Enlightenment; if the initiate fails to give up everything they are, not only their ego but their higher self will be dispersed throughout the Abyss instead of crossing; more prosaically, by most accounts, they will go insane, becoming perhaps permanently incapable of correlating the contents of their prematurely expanded mind. The standard procedure for initiating the crossing involves taking the “oath of the Abyss”. The principal, most unique point of this oath is that "I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul”.  It’s fairly easy to imagine how one would either go insane or become enlightened from doing this. But as someone who was more or less unconsciously holding myself to this epistemology for years, and then did a chaos magick ritual for invoking the Holy Guardian Angel under the mistaken impression (fuck you Peter Carroll) that it required taking this oath (Crowley does not recommend it until after you have attained the Knowledge & Conversation of your Holy Guardian Angel), I can specify the immediate nature of the crisis it forces on you: a dizzying overload of information.  Information onto which it’s possible to project absolutely any pattern you might consciously or unconsciously be looking for: “any unnecessary or imbalanced scraps of ego” that “bloat.... into grotesque monsters known variously as the demon Choronzon”. Sound familiar? I can’t find it any more but there’s already an article - it might have been an Erik Davis? you can find more of him saying this - arguing that the online world of information overload, accelerated by the isolation of the pandemic, is a social-cultural form of Robert Anton Wilson’s “Chapel Perilous”. Robert Anton Wilson doesn’t share Crowley’s exact ontology but was familiar and conversant with him, and Chapel Perilous seems to have been deliberately his equivalent to the Abyss (which he even describes himself as crossing in one chapter of Cosmic Trigger): the apparent choice it poses to “become stone paranoid or agnostic.... there is no third way” is certainly parallel. (Crowley I doubt would describe the state of being reborn in the womb of Babalon in terms as mundane as agnosticism, so feel free to argue about which of them actually made it across, if either.)  But digital media psychosis is only an aspect of the broader pairing of “capitalism and schizophrenia”, the disintegrative force of modernity that Marx summed up in “all that is solid melts into air”; a dynamic that isn’t even purely psychological, at least as pertains to the psychology of individuals, but relates in the exact same way to the psychology of individuals and the distributed psychology of the civilization producing them. I have increasingly come to think that mapping those phenomena to the Abyss clarifies a great deal about where we stand, what our current epistemic-societal breakdown actually is, and what its stakes are.  Nick Land seems to have figured this out, consciously or unconsciously, and decided there is nothing beyond the Abyss, that Choronzon-Capital-Information, arbitrary power asserting itself contingently over disintegrating abstract units, is the only possible reality; and the future he imagines in which this principle becomes universally dominant is the civilizational equivalent to becoming a Black Brother.  If Crowley is right, there is an alternative, one whose benefits are more than proportionate to the risks, and one that’s surprisingly formally similar to the relation of dispersion to reintegration in Marx.  (Well, look at dialectics and Kabbalah.)  And as the early accelerationists argued the only way out is through.  But that way is supposed to be a) almost unthinkably hard and b) not really even describable from the other side.  To this point the crossing of the Abyss has only been attempted, much less succeeded, by rare individuals, but now whatever our level of attainment or realization as individuals, we are part of a planetary civilization that has been dissolved in it.  And may have done so before it was ready - I have no idea what “ready” would mean on a trans-individual scale, but my tweets about science and alchemy are a half-joking speculation on where we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.  More plausibly, going into the dissolution of everything into abstract exchange, mathematical science and digital information with fixed concentrations of capital stored up from slavery and enclosure might be the equivalent of going into the Abyss with unresolved psychological complexes, which is exactly what you’re not supposed to do - but by all accounts, once you do, there’s no turning back. The very principle of dissolution of the ego that the Abyss represents would suggest that this is possible, that there is no difference between an individual ego and a functional social aggregate in relation to the scaleless underlying principles of reality, the sephirot.  This may not imply much different from being in the Abyss personally to an individual; it probably makes the practices of attainment prerequisite for entering the Abyss, like knowledge & conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel (or whatever you personally believe in as analogous to that), indispensable to hoping to make sense of the world you’re participating in, let alone changing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hdiNCte3a4  so yeah this is basically where I’ve been the past year or so

[seexseexseex]

kaos

In Greek Mythology, Chaos was perceived as the void from which all things sprang, or a mass of unordered things. Chaos existed from the beginning alongside Nyx (Night), Erberus and Tartarus. Gaia, Tartarus and Eros were sometimes considered progeny of Chaos.

Chaos is described as the "All-Father", "One Father of Life", "the Dyad", and the "Father of thought". The Mystery of Chaos also includes "at once the Formula of the Feminine Trinity."

On the Tree of Life, Chaos is identified with the Sephira Chokmah or Wisdom (whose traditional title is 'Ab', 'Abba' or Father), and is in turn attributed to the 'part of the soul' called Chiah (the "Life-force"), and Yod (seed) of Tetragrammaton; all of these associations are attributed to the element of fire.

Within the Thelemic Canon, Chaos is oftentimes paired or passionately united with either Babalon (Binah, Neschamah, Aima, Isis, "Mater" and He of Tetragrammaton) through the path of Love (Daleth; see the magick circle), or with the "purified" Virgin Daughter of Babalon (Earth, Malkuth, Nephesch, Persephone, "Filiae" and He final of Tetragrammaton; see The Vision and the Voice, 4th AEthyr)- who awakens "the eld of the all-Father". This uniting of the "Great Father" with the Mother and Daughter completes the Christian conception described in An Essay Upon Number, part II. In chapter 11 of The Book of Lies and The Vision and the Voice the unity of Chaos and Babalon as the Supernal Triad is "insisted upon." As a Tetragrammaton or four-fold word, Chaos "is equal to her seven-fold word" by gematria (Kaph + Ayin + Vau + Samech = 156) which suggests the 4=7 and 7=4 Grades of the A.'.A.'. Furthermore, the Mystery of Chaos is "beyond the comprehension of any but Masters of the Temple" (a Grade in the A.'.A.'. associated with Babalon).

Chaos is also "thought of" "by men" as the Beast.

As both the "Word" or "Logos" of the Gnostics, and the Wisdom of the Kabbalists, Chaos pertains specifically to the 9=2 Grade of Magus (the 11th progressive Grade in the A.'.A.'.), which it conceals.

In a note to The Abul-diz Working, Chaos is identified with Aleph (large=1000) Tau (ATh or Essence; "the") in Hebrew with a numeration of 1400 ("Tria Capita" or "the Three Heads" - TLT RYShYN); with a regular aleph, 401 (ARR - "cursing"). In An Essay Upon Number, Aleister Crowley draws a connection between ATh and the Word Azoth - "the sum and essence of all, conceived as One". Furthermore, Chaos is identified as "the Unknown God of Chokmah in Liber 418." In Greek (applying isopsephy) Chaos adds to 871, which is identical with the words "Pain, Sorrow", "Secret, dark", Web; cloak", "To purify", and "Against one's will."

The primary source concerning Chaos within the Thelemic canon is The Vision and the Voice. Chaos is also mentioned in the Class A documents Liber I and Liber CLVI. Rituals that include Chaos are the first version of Liber XXV ( from The Book of Lies), and Liber XV.

From the Escalier des sages (1689 e.v.) Chaos as an alchemical formula has the following Notariqon: Caliditas Humiditas Alger Occulta Siuitas.

From The Vision and the Voice, 4th AEthyr:

"This is the meaning of that passage; they are attempts to interpret Chaos, but Chaos is Peace... Blackness, blackness intolerable, before the beginning of the light. This is the first verse of Genesis. Holy art thou, Chaos, Chaos, Eternity, all contradictions in terms!... But when the balances are equal, scale matched with scale, then will Chaos return."

[forbidden-sorcery]

Technically the Clan is monolatrous, which maintains the elevation and focus of a Tutelary deitiy, while not denying the existence of other deific forms. 'Tubal Cain' as an avatar of Lucifer, is seen by some as the supreme deity of the Craft. Tracing the chronology and history of the 'Devil' traditional Witch Master and 'Prince of this World' has revealed many various esoteric Mysteries regarding his origin and variant roles. Amazingly, one of these places him as a legendary member of the Higher Council of Seven (the Anannage/Anunnaki or teachers) and son of Anu, the 'Most High,' a role and position without precedent. It is clear from early descriptions translated from cuneiform clay tablets of Sumer, that Enki, like Hermes, articulates the qualities of an avatar of the Promethean Lucifer, Lux Mundi - light of the World. Nonetheless, Robert Cochrane named three deities known for their requisite magical qualities as "close approximations," whose roles within the Mysteries were indicative of and synonymous with those of the Clan - a Supernal Triad, of Father, Son and Supreme Mother of All.        Hermes: Lord of Magic and Wisdom. Luxi Mundi. Domain: (between) Heaven and Earth. Sacred number: 40 (the perfect prayer). Symbol: Serpentine Caduceus. Animal: Goat (and fish is a sacred taboo creature). Role: Patron of Artists, jewellers and Smiths, and all crafts of the wise. Patron and Creator of Mankind. Master Adept of Sorcery, Enchantment and Seduction. Solar: Young Horn King (Hermes) - the Solar Child of Truth and Beauty. Lux = Light within the Dark, born of Nox.        Saturn: Old Horn King (Pan/Anu), the Father of Time and Death and their cycles. The Egyptian god KhephRe, depicted as the Scarab, esoterically symbolises the backside of the Sun (the lesser light), which is the Moon.        Hekate: Goddess of Psycho/sexual magic, The Mighty One of Enchantments. Anima Mundi. Domain: Ubiquitous. Sacred number: 100 - the reproductive and creative force. Symbol: Frog. Transformation from aquatic to terrestrial life, i.e. the waters of the primal abyss to the sacred mound. The 'leaper' between certain pathways, mystically and sexually. Symbol of the Qliphoth and Witchcraft. Animal: Dog. Role: Mistress of Trivia, she is the power and force behind transformation. Mentioned in the Egyptian 'Book of the Dead' (Coming Forth by Day). Transformer of the dead into the ever living in the otherworld. Controller and Mistress of Time and Mother of Fate. The Creative productive force in gematria. Lunar - Feminine Mysteries of Hekate... Nox.

Shani Oates - Tubelo’s Green Fire

[tarotlogy]

FOURS INTRO

THE KABBALISTIC TREE OF LIFE

On the Kabbalistic Tree of Life the Four Fours of The Minor Arcana reside in the – Fourth Sephira, Chesed (Mercy/Kindness/Love).  Energy moves away from its abstract state, becoming productive and enlivening. Chesed is the first of the lower seven Spehiroth. Its energy is regulating and stabilising, giving form and order. Chesed represents the organised action that takes all universal creation a step closer to manifestation. The previous three Sephiroth; Kether, Chokmah and Binah are connected to the Intellect; Conscious and Subconscious. Chesed contains the outpouring of energy from the supernal triad, assimilating its combined knowledge, providing the governing stability for God’s emanation as it comes into being.

CORRESPONDING MAJOR ARCANA

Corresponding Major Arcana –  The Emperor (IV).  The Emperor of The Major Arcana is the Masculine Counterpart to The Empress.  He is the Archetypal Father of the Tarot.  He provides the masculine balance to The Empress’ femininity. He brings with him order, control, stability, rules, discipline, strength, security and protection.  Considered oppressive and restrictive at times, he runs a tight ship and applies reason and logic to everything in life.

Death (XIII). The Death card of the Major Arcana may seem a strange correspondence but what links it to Four is its association with transition. Death moves us from one level to another and marks a rite of passage. It is a card of progress, ascension and destination. On the horizon two pillars mark the gateway from one life to another. In The Four of Wands, we find the structure of pillars in the garlanded entrance. It too suggests transition on many levels. This is the order of the universe. The Emperor and Death ensure its orderly continuity.

FOUR IN TAROT

Fours in the Minor Arcana generally refer to stability, security, consolidation and order. Four is a balancing number. Unlike Two that struggled with its polarity, Four is rock solid, has found its feet and has them firmly planted. There is a confidence about Four. Four is a hard-worker, applying great effort and dedication in achieving its goals, then protecting them. Being quite cautious and guarded, it is not as ambitious as Three, it’s aspirations become more realistic and practical. Four can be relied upon to stand firm and resist stress and pressure from external forces. It is committed to its path. Four brings a settling of energy after initiation and action. It brings the energy released in the Ace to its first major milestone, allowing it take form and structure.

Four does not represent a time for taking great action, but rather a time for building upon what you already have, strengthening your resources and laying down solid foundations for the future. Four is all about feeling stable and secure, both within and without.  Energy has reached a stage in its journey where it can take a break from striving and aspiring. It has achieved initial results in Three but now must safeguard them before seeking further glory. Four must check its progress so far and have something to show for it. Four grounds energy, allowing it to make contact with earth where it takes form and substance. Four brings a growing maturity and a developing sense of responsibility.

Four can represent the family unit. The masculine/feminine parents plus masculine/feminine offspring. There is now something tangible to work for.

Four is a practical and rational number. By adding another digit, it has forced the triangle out of its ever-climbing ascent, not forever, but for the moment. It provides the last cornerstone that is required for containing the energy released in the Ace, Two and Three. Energy has been ripping forward in the Three, without check or analysis. Four seeks to apply the brakes, to harnesses energy by reining in or corralling it. With a leash or tether, it seeks to bring energy under control where it can be observed and modified if necessary. Four applies a steadying force where energy becomes less dissipated as it solidifies and takes form. Energy stills for a while, allowing us to observe the beauty of its formation.

In numerology, Four is associated Earth.  With the energy of Four we can feel safe and secure.  Fours brings protection and defense into our life.  We build structures with four walls that provide shelter and security. Four is enduring and built to last. Four has a grounding effect which is extremely beneficial when life has been hectic or stressful.  Four helps us touch base.

REVERSED FOUR

The down side of Four is its restricting and limiting tendencies. Four walls can provide stability and security, but four walls can also create a prison-like environment where energy is not encouraged to move beyond.  Four in its negative aspect can be so grounding and safe, it leads to inaction, passivity and stagnation. Four prides itself on its lack of superficiality, but it can lack spontaneity and fun. Four can be downright boring after a while if it doesn’t lighten up. After the soaring energy of the Three, a negative Four may seek to clip its wings to bring it under control. Negative Four can get hung up on rules, regulations, endless planning, boundaries and parameters. Four walls are built to be strong to withstand much force, but in its negative state, such four walls may be rigid, unyielding and hard to scale.

Reversed Four can also weaken and lose its stability. Its walls lie in rubble on the ground, offering neither protection nor security. Four splits and becomes two two’s unsure of which one to work with, or which way to go. Its energy becomes chaotic and unreliable.

After the initial spark of inspiration in the Ace, decisions arrived at in the Two and action taken in the Three they must now begin to understand the meaning of their journey and be able to see patterns forming in their behaviour and actions.  They must check in to see how far they have progressed, and if they are happy with what they have achieved to date.  Order and structure must now be applied to any areas that appear chaotic or out of control.  They need to stabilise and re-group before any further action is taken.

The Four Suits set about this in their own way.  The Wands need to stop running around and settle into their new home or work environment, the Cups need to find emotional stability after all the celebrations and socialising,  the Swords, stressed and upset, take time out to let their mind settle and calm and the Pentacles with their first taste of success in the Three, turn as always to solidify their financial position by saving and investing.

They are not even half-way through their journey in the Minor Arcana at this stage and the road ahead will have many obstacles and upsets to throw at them.  Times will get tough and some may feel broken by their experiences or want to give up.  Therefore, time spent now in preparation for the journey ahead while recharging the batteries and stabilising should help them through any difficulties.

MULTIPLE FOURS

***If a large number of Fours fall close to each other in a reading, this may indicate life has become particularly stagnant, or choosing the safe and secure over risk and progress.  Personal growth and development will have ceased. Listlessness and boredom may set in.  Several Fours may find you taking a break for too long. You may become too settled. Moving forward could suggest a lot of work that may be off putting. However, lots of Four can suggest being very content with your lot with no need to seek more.  

A total absence of Fours in a reading can suggest a lack of balance and stability. Life may be chaotic or transient. It suggests loss of control, order and discipline. The ongoing absence of Fours in your readings could imply incomplete work or procrastination. You may not feel fulfilled or whole. You may be continually striving, but with zero results.

The presence of any Reversed Four will draw attention to the area of life represented by the governing Element and needs to be examined to determine whether it’s exerting a positive or negative effect. One Reversed Four may have little impact, but Two will likely imply underlying destabilising issues, or the need to get out of a rut.  Three or more Reversed Fours in a reading would suggest a period of instability and insecurity.  This may be welcome or not depending on circumstances involved. There may be a desire to escape from a situation that has become too stable and secure. You might want to reshuffle your life, experience further challenge, try out new things and push the boundaries. You could feel blocked, hemmed in by circumstances. You could feel claustrophobic, the four walls closing in on you. Reversed Fours tend to suggest upheaval in the area governing Elements present. If they are well spaced out, the situation is probably manageable, but if clustered together, instability may be quite upsetting, and sudden. You could lose your internal compass. The lack of stability may be caused by just one incident, but is having far-reaching consequences in all areas of life.

Now Click onto The Four (IV) of Wands, The Four (IV) of Cups, The Four (IV) of Swords and The Four (IV) of Pentacles in the Sub Menu where you will find their Descriptions, Meanings both Upright and Reversed along with all their relevant Keywords.

[brother-hermes]

WHAT ARE THE THREE ESSENTIALS?

Some of us are vaguely familiar with the idea of triangles as mystic symbols. However, not many of us know how alchemists used the triangle to understand our existence in relation to the cosmos. Salt, sulfur, and mercury are so much more than mere concepts of elements. Let’s get into the details and journey within.

[hollowones]

A^A Magnum Ab Oriente Heremeticam Filios Seth A^A

The Sword of Horus

Kenneth Grant: Part 1 "There is great danger in me; for who doth not understand these runes shall make a great miss. He shall fall down into the pit called Because, and there he shall perish with the dogs of Reason." - Liber AL vel Legis Sub Figura CCXX, II.27 "But ye, o my people, rise up & awake!" - CCXX II.34 "There is division hither homeward; there is a word not known. Spelling is defunct; all is not aught. Beware! Hold! Raise the spell of Ra-Hoor-Khuit!" - CCXX III.2 "Now let it be first understood that I am a god of War and of Vengeance. I shall deal hardly with them." - CCXX III.3 Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. For years I have watched Mr. Kenneth Grant, Aossic Aiwass, 718, O.H.O. of the O.T.O., as he styles himself, both in ways exoteric and esoteric, and I think that now is the time to Adjust the Scales of Balance by taking a look at this chap from an altogether, hitherto ignored, perspective. In Magick Without Tears, the Beast 666 tells us (by way of a letter to an often confused sister of the Order) that the ultimate secret of the Ordo Templi Orientis could be used by the Black Brothers but that they would only succeed in destroying themselves with it. According to Grant, Crowley had regretted that Austin Osman Spare had become a Black Brother by "'shutting himself up in a tower and immersing himself in the Pool of Narcissus', by which Crowley meant that Spare had resorted almost exclusively to the use of the magical formula known in the O.T.O. as the VIII°." That is to say, somewhat crudely, magical masturbation. It should here be noted that one of the greatest influences upon Grant, aside from voodoo, the Black Snake Cult, and other things which we will not go into here, has been the work of Austin Osman Spare. It should also be noted, and I refer the reader to pages 109 through 117 of Magick Without Tears (Llewellyn Publications, 1973 E.V., Letter No. 12), that a Black Magician and a Black Brother are not the same thing and should not be confused. Crowley compares them to the sneak thief and a Hitler, respectively. He tells us that one who is about to become a Black Brother constantly restricts himself, satisfied with very limited ideas and is afraid of losing his precious individuality. He goes on to say that the Black Brother probably deserts his Angel when he realizes just what must be done, i.e. the destruction of the ego and all that pertains to it, and that, perhaps, from the very beginning, it is actually his Evil Genius which he has evoked. When this is done the man breaks off all relations with the Supernal Triad and attempts to replace it by inventing a False Crown of Daäth, as it is called in Qabalistic literature. To such men as these, that is, Black Brothers, Knowledge is everything and A.C. reminds us that this Knowledge is nothing but the very soul of Illusion. These adepts-gone-wrong, as it were, abstaining from the true nourishment of the Supernal Triad, lose their structual unity and must then be fed by continual doses of dope in miserable self-preservation. They declare Choronzon to be the child of Understanding and Wisdom, when in fact "he" is the shell or excrement of the Supernal Triad, and the bastard of the Svastika. What A.C. then tells us is most important for he says that Daäth and Choronzon are the Whirlpool and the Leviathan which is written of in the Holy Qabalah. Consider all of this as a prologue from the highest possible authority of Thelema and the 93 Current once incarnate upon this plane. Now let us examine Mr. Kenneth Grant through three of his books. In The Magical Revival (Samuel Weiser, Inc., N.Y., 1973 E.V.), on page 2, Grant writes, "Although having drawn upon these and other obscure sources [A.O.S., the Vama Marg, i.e. the Left Hand Path, etc. - M.E.D.], I have not overstepped the limits beyond which the occultist trespasses on grounds as unsafe to himself as to others." A very nice way to open a very informative book, but it seems to me that perhaps Grant has taken but one step too many and had indeed overstepped those limits. As I have said, this book, as all of Mr. Grant's books, is very informative. Kenneth Grant is undeniably a very Knowledgeable man - and I stress that word and point out its root: KNOWLEDGE. This book is very good, certainly one of the best (if one of the few) Thelemic works ever published since the death of Aleister Crowley, although considering others this is not necessarily saying much, but in it certain odd things will be seen to emerge. One such thing is his growing obsession with the Dog Star, Sothis or Sirius. In a footnote on page 8, for example, he writes: "The initials A.·.A.·. stand for Argenteum Astrum (the Silver Star). This is the Star of Set or Sothis (Sirius) ..." On page 52 he says that "Crowley unequivocally [i.e. clearly - M.E.D.] identifies his Holy Guardian Angel with Sothis ... or Set-Isis: 'Aiwaz is not a mere formula,'" he continues, quoting A.C., "'like many Angelic names, but it is the true, most ancient name of the God of the Yezidi, and thus returns to the highest antiquity. Our work therefore is historically authentic; the rediscovery of the Sumerian tradition.'" Now I won't contest that A.C. actually said that, though I am sure he was thinking in ever ascending spiral cycles instead of flat circular cycles, but exactly how such a statement as this can Unequivocally identify Aiwaz with Sothis is beyond me. You may note that in this book Grant loves to use the word "unequivocally" often, especially when in connection with something A.C. is supposed to have, and may have, said, in order to prove one of Grant's hazy points. You will also note that what is clear to him is not quite so clear to anyone who is capable of clear thinking and who possesses an inquiring mind. On page 55, speaking again of this star, Sothis, he says that "This is the One Star in Sight which forms the title of Crowley's Manifesto of the A.·.A.·. ..." It is quite possible that A.C. did consider a special relationship between Aiwass and the Dog Star, but one thing is certain, the One Star in Sight is not any "thing" such as a star in the physical universe. The One Star in Sight is One's own Holy Guardian Angel, True Self, Genius. "Every man and every woman is a star." (CCXX I.3) Union with this "Star" is the only true goal in magick and once one has attained to that union the aspirant becomes one with the Order of the A.·.A.·., i.e. the aspirant becomes the Argenteum Astrum. One would almost think that with these ideas and many others, sometimes cleverly stated, Mr. Grant is actually trying to mislead the aspirant away from his Angel. Is this not exactly what we would expect from a Black Brother, who himself has abandoned his Angel and evoked his Evil Genius in its stead? On page 78 Grant tells us that "The thyroid gland, in the region of the larynx, is backed by the Visudha Chakra [which is attributed to Daäth - M.E.D.]. This gland, in its active state, enhances sensitivity and renders the individual hypersensitive to all kinds of physical, astral and mental sensation. If this gland is over stimulated there is danger of megalomania ..." Remember who it is who is telling you this, the one and only Outer Head of the Order, that Order being the One True Order, the Ordo Templi Orientis, or so Grant claims. Throughout the book it is obvious that Grant is very interested in the reversal ideas of C. S. Jones (please see Liber Casus Astrum vel XCVIII of TNN I.2), the back turning of A.O.S., and the inbetweeness of fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. From this debris Grant is destined to develope his Otherside of the Tree, but more of that later. As I have said, we will examine Spare's Zos Kia Cultus and the others at another time as we are here limited in space. Grant constantly misunderstands many things. To clear one such misunderstanding up: A.C. did not believe that he was the only "Beast". The term itself merely implies that one is a priest of Thelema in the New Æon of Horus. However, he was the only "Beast 666", that is the First Beast spoken of in Apocalypse and the first priest of the present æon. Grant also misunderstands such things as the nature of an Ipsissimus, and what else can we expect - for he had already overstepped the limits of safety and thus we might expect him to be easily beguiled, subtly at first, by those forces which he was dealing with, i.e. the qliphothic forces. On page 210, for instance, he tells us that the Great Work "will be achieved by a willed congress with extra-terrestrial entities of which, in a sense, Aiwaz is the immediate messenger to humanity." Can Aiwaz (or Aiwass) be rightly called "extra-terrestrial"? Or would "he" best be described as "suprahuman" or perhaps "preterhuman"? Is Grant confusing (note: confusing) beings such as Aiwass, whose abode, so to speak, is the Supernal Triad, with those non-beings, those shells, that excreta whose abode is in the qliphothic realms, the entrance to which is through the whirlpool of Daäth? Of the qliphoth Grant says in his glossary: "...[it is] the name given to a world or plane of soulless entities that, as such, are not truly living, but merely lingering shells of once conscious persons ... the magician is warned against trafficking with them in any way. Also of the Qliphoth are the more dangerous remnants of once highly organized elementals that drag out a twilight existence by vampirizing the living." It seems that this particular magician, Grant, ignored the warning. Before this in his glossary, Grant wrote: "... Crossing the Abyss is the most critical stage upon the Spiritual Path. If the crossing is not achieved cleanly, insanity - temporary or permanent - results. A person can spend the best part of an incarnation being torn to pieces by the unresolved and irrational elements of his nature ..." I further refer the reader to several pages concerning the Abyss, Daäth and the Black Brothers, in Magick in Theory and Practice, indexed in the Samuel Weiser edition. I stress the importance of the study of such passages and others in the hope that the aspirants heed the warning and step carefully upon the Path of the Wise. In these pages Crowley tells us that in the Abyss all impressions are disconnected; that Reason is ultimately identified with the Abyss; that it is the crown of the mind, wherein all purely intellectual faculties are obtained; that it has no number because all is confusion. The Master Therion, not only from his vast intellectual attainments, but mostly from his personal experience, tells us that from the Abyss Nemo (No Man) comes forth for he has destroyed all that he is and all that he had been upon crossing (note: crossing) the Abyss and that a star is cast forth to enlighten the Earth. On the other hand, they who fail to cross the Abyss, and that implies to cross over the whirlpool called Daäth, make for themselves a false crown of the abominable horror of the Abyss and set the Dispersion of Choronzon upon their brows; they clothe themselves in form; shut themselves off to "external" influences, both above and beneath the Abyss. He also goes on to say, in many places, that though these Black Brothers may gain much, they will eventually topple like the rotting towers that they are and that their shreds, all that is left of them, will be strewn in the Abyss and lost forever. In Liber VII it is said that the aspirant must await the sword of the Beloved (i.e. the H.G.A.) and submit himself to the final stroke. It is this final destruction of Knowledge (Knowledge = Daäth = the throat centre) that opens the gate to the City of Pyramids, the next Grade of 8°=3°, Master of the Temple, and allows the aspirant to cross the Abyss and truly Become an Adept of the A.·.A.·.. But let us pass on from the words of A.C. as well as The Magical Revival and move forward in the stream of time to Cults of the Shadow (Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1976 E.V.) Here Grant is beginning to show even more fascination with the Vama Marg, La Couleuvre Noire, and the Zos Kia Cultus. Again he begins a book with a prophetic saying: "But if the sexual energies are not properly controlled and polarized, destruction awaits the practitioner who uses them without fully understanding the formula of the Left Hand Path which is, of all paths, the swiftest and the most dangerous." It should also be noted that his style of writing begins to change, to become more complex. His thoughts and ideas start to show a greater amount of Knowledge, but a good bit of confusion of expression creeps in as well. His footnotes are also increasing in size and number. Still, the book is quite valuable and should be studied with care by Thelemic students. In Cults it seems that he began, in earnest, to play etymological and numerological games with words to prove his point. His sentences often convey the truth, but in such a way that the truth is obscured and the student is misled. For example, he tells us that "The Great Mother" was "degraded" to "The Great Whore". Actually this is not so. The ideal of "Whore" was degraded. According to the Rev. Walter W. Skeat's A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, the "w" in "whore" is unoriginal and that it was originally "hore"; "hora", an adultress, feminine; "horr", an adulterer, masculine, and related in meaning to such words as the Latin "carus": loving, to love, I love, etc. (and Skeat goes on to say that it is certainly not allied to "hire"!). The point is that, though in a minor way, Grant has misled the unwary reader. On pages 109 - 110, Aossic (which is, by the way, also the name of the entity that he claims is the source of much of his Knowledge) writes: "The unenlightened are incapable of controlling their sense when swamped by the sudden access of power that freedom bestows. This is patent in mundane situations involving money, fame, authority, etc. How much more devastating is the result in cases of unbalanced spiritual illumination will be appreciated by those who have successfully performed even the simplest magical exercise. Success inflates the ego, the ego seizes more than it can properly assimilate, and the resulting implosion is correspondingly catastrophic." Unfortunately for Mr. Grant, his books have become quite successful and he is well known for his editing and assistance in the publication of many works by Aleister Crowley. Has success gone to Kenneth Grant's head? Page 113: "the ultimate goal ... requires the total abolition of personality and egoidal consciousness." I ask, has Mr. Grant accomplished this? I believe that the last book here to be discussed proves that he has not. But let us continue for a while with this book. Grant loves to prove his point - no matter what he has to do to prove it. To do this in several instances he spells Od in Hebrew, Aleph, Vau, Daleth (AVD), which comes to the numeration of eleven (1 + 6 + 4 = 11), and Ob, Aleph, Vau, Beth (AVB), which equals 9 (1 + 6 + 2). It would seem that the "O" would be better represented by the Hebrew A'ain (or Ayin), giving the numerations of 74 (OD) and 72 (OB), and it should be noted that in Sepher Sephiroth Grant's AVB is spelled OB (A'ain, Beth) and equals 72, and it should also be noted that 74 + 72 = 146, which is the numeration of SVPh, or Soph, Limit, End; Boundless, as in Ain SOPH Aur. Throughout Cults it can also be seen that Grant makes reference to the "Inner" O.T.O. and similar subtle references, meaning, naturally, that he is of and head of the Inner Order of the O.T.O.. To me this seems like Mr. Grant has failed to enter the A.·.A.·. and, as a Black Brother, dons the False Crown of Daäth. He has created a false Inner Order, a false A.·.A.·. out of that which he calls the O.T.O.. On page 140, unable to answer the Riddle of AL, Chapter II, Verse 76, he frustratingly begins to make himself look important (much in the tradition of A. E. Waite) by jumping into all kinds of Qabalistic and pseudo-qabalistic figuring that eventually comes to nothing. Consider this: II x 76 = 152 = HMVTzIA, The Bringing-forth One; or this: II + 76 = 78 = AIVAS, Aiwass, MZLA, Mezla, the Influence from Kether ... and so on. He is intrigued with Jones' idea concerning the meaning of the word "manifestation" in The Book of the Law, i.e. that it refers to "Ma-Ion". (Personally I think this goes to show just how much of a dunderhead Jones was. It would seem more natural to separate the word by its syllables, thus, if anything, obtaining "Man-Tion", whatever that is supposed to imply.) Anyway, Grant thinks that the word "Secret" and "Secretion" (Secret-ion) may have some importance, and there is little doubt that he is correct. But again his basic obsessiveness takes charge and he sees too much of one thing at the expense of other things. On page 166 Grant actually compares Krishnamurti and Crowley. Can you imagine how A.C. would have felt about that! While page 169 of this book says: "Daäth ... sometimes called the 'false Sephira'...is the gateway of egress to the outerspaces beyond, or behind, the Tree itself." Here is where Mr. Grant truly becomes a 'false prophet' as envisioned by John in Revelation. "The use of the backward paths of the Tree and the evocation of the Shadows are fraught with danger because, as noted, the qliphoth haunt those paths, many of which are dead-ends and without egress. To be trapped in any of them is to surrender one's consciousness to the most baleful influences that a magician is ever likely to encounter. Madness and death claim those who stray into them. Also, being without outlet, if force is directed along these paths it recoils inevitably upon the magician like a boomerang charged with the additional force of the evil influences which it has gathered in its flight." I really do not intend to go any further with this book here. If you have not already studied it, do so. It is a very "knowledgeable" book. If you have read it, read it again with the ideas I am conveying to you kept in mind. You will, I am sure, find many other examples that fit in well with the ideas here relayed. Finally, let us move on to Kenneth Grant's third book. I have been told, by the way, by one of Grant's followers, that he is at present working on another book. However, after reading this third volume I doubt very much if I want to see another book by him. Could we beg that he only publish as much of the Crowley material that he possesses that has not yet been published, and spare us any further personal revelations? Nightside of Eden - I keep thinking Nightshade, you know, the poison - (Frederick Muller Limited, London, 1977 E.V.) quite frankly gave me a splitting headache. But I am a diehard and studied through this book, very carefully, to the bitter end. What I found was this: the book does indeed contain a handful of gems, which are, unfortunately, immersed in tons upon tons of qliphothic sewage. His information on the qliphothic forces is very informative, however, it should be remembered that, as he stated on page 152, "My sources of information are the Qliphoth, the names and sigils of which are given in Crowley's Liber CCXXXI." Do you really think that his sources, especially those sources, would actually be unbiased? The major problem with this book is one of being able to distinguish between fact and fancy, truth and deception. These ingredients are mixed, I must say, expertly. And there the danger lies for the student! It is true that the aspirant should contact the qliphothic elements within himself and deal with them, one by one, until he has purified, so to speak, his vehicle for higher advancement beyond the need for the vehicle. However, Grant has madly leaped within the very centre of Daäth and has naturally been sucked down through that whirlpool and into the qliphothic world of shells. In my humble opinion, he has not mastered the qliphothic elements within himself, but rather has he given himself over to them, allowing himself to be the slave of slaves while thinking, no doubt, that he is the king of kings. I am sure that he is convinced of his motives, that in his eyes they are just and righteous, but he has been beguiled into believing just that. He has, again in my opinion, become the puppet of the qliphothic forces, a Black Brother, and a source of nourishment for the soulless shells. This is all fine and good. If this be his Will, or if he believes that this is his Will, then so be it. We are informed by the Beast 666 himself that self-destruction is the final outcome. But it is not only his life, his Self, his will that motivates me to write such an article as this. What of those students out there, still young and immature, still innocent and easily beguiled, who will be irresistibly drawn forth by his words towards the brink of the Abyss? They may well come to realize what is happening to them, but they may also be unable to halt their movement towards the Abyss, due to momentum, their ignorance in technical matters, and the unbelievable strength of attraction of that whirlpool called Daäth. Why do I write this article? To save souls? Nay! If an aspirant falls he falls. But if a word by one man can cause him to fall, to keep things perfectly Balanced, perhaps a word from another man can prevent the aspirant from falling. Let us return to The Nightside of Eden. Grant's obsessions are becoming stronger and more apparent in this book. His style has become so unbelievably confusing that he is nearly unreadable. His footnotes have gotten way out of hand, and only serve to mislead the reader more and more. His word and number games have become so ridiculous that some people have actually become disgusted with gematria and etymology, thinking that Grant represents the tower of authority on these subjects. Some examples (and there are better, or worse, as the case may be): Page 10, "The name of this god (Thoth) is equivalent to Doth (Daäth) ..." And I suppose that Thoth is an old dust rag because it is equivalent to Cloth, which actually makes more sense than his supposition. He also constantly twists the reader's head about with such things as: "Furthermore, 393 + 666 = 1059, which is one less than MShKN (Meshken), 'the Tabernacle', and two less than 1061, 'Sunset'." - page 73; "122 is one more than SATAN." - page 74; and on Page 86, "Noh, 125, is one more than ODN, Eden ..." This one-more-one-less thing is NOT gematria. It is not qabalah. It is the product of a mind so loaded with Knowledge that it is tripping over itself in its mad flight to prove that it is the supreme mind of the universe. On page 8 Grant warns us that "To go astray in this Desert of Set [i.e. the Abyss - M.E.D.] is to become what is known as a Black Brother." Mr. Grant said that, and it is exactly what he has done. He has not crossed the Abyss, but wandered into the Abyss until he was finally sucked down to the qliphothic realms (his "otherside of the Tree") through the vortex called Daäth. Again, let me say that it is not his life that I care about in the least. Let him do as he pleases with his own life. The Rights of Man give him the right to live as he will and die as he will. But he exceeds those rights when he actually attempts to lure the innocent into his new world, the World of Shells. (Frater M.E.D.)

[talonabraxas]

Atu II - The High Priestess Talon Abraxas

The card refers to the Moon. The Moon (being the general feminine symbol, the symbol of the second order corresponding to the Sun as the Yoni does to the Lingam) is universal, and goes from the highest to the lowest. It is a symbol which will recur frequently in these hieroglyphs. But in the earlier Trumps the concern is with Nature above the Abyss; the High Priestess is the first card which connects the Supernal Triad with the Hexad; and her path, as shown in the diagram, makes a direct connection between the Father in his highest aspect, and the Son in his most perfect manifestation. This path is in exact balance in the middle pillar. There is here, therefore, the purest and most exalted conception of the Moon. (At the other end of the scale is Atu XVIII, q.v.)

The card represents the most spiritual form of Isis the Eternal Virgin; the Artemis of the Greeks. She is clothed only in the luminous veil of light. It is important for high initiation to regard Light not as the perfect manifestation of the Eternal Spirit, but rather as the veil which hides that Spirit It does so all the more effectively because of its incomparably dazzling brilliance.

[The tradition of the best schools of Hindu mysticism has a precise parallelism. The final obstacle to full Enlightenment is exactly this Vision of Formless Effulgence].

Thus she is light and the body of light. She is the truth behind the veil of light. She is the soul of light. Upon her knees is the bow of Artemis, which is also a musical instrument, for she is huntress, and hunts by enchantment.

Now, regard this idea as from behind the Veil of Light, the third Veil of the original Nothing. This light is the menstruum of manifestation, the goddess Nuith, the possibility of Form. This first and most spiritual manifestation of the feminine takes to itself a masculine correlative, by formulating in itself any geometrical point from which to contemplate possibility. This virginal goddess is then potentially the goddess of fertility. She is the idea behind all form; as soon as the influence of the triad descends below the Abyss, there is the completion of concrete idea.

The following chapter of the Book of Lies (falsely so-called), may assist the student to understand this doctrine by dint of meditation:

DUST DEVILS

In the Wind of the mind arises the turbulence called I. It breaks; down shower the barren thoughts. All life is choked. This desert is the Abyss wherein is the Universe. The Stars are but thistles in that waste.

Yet this desert is but one spot accurséd in a world of bliss. Now and again Travellers cross the desert; they come from the Great Sea, and to the Great Sea they go.

And as they go they spill water; one day they will irrigate the desert, till it flower.

See! Five footprints of a Camel! V.V.V.V.V.

[talonabraxas]

Kabbalah: The Three Triads Talon Abraxas

The Ethical triad

Among the Tree's many divisions are three triads, each composed of three Sephiroth. These triads interweave with the various worlds, and map to five "souls".

The second of these triads is the top triad of Yetzirah: Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphareth, referred to as the "Ethical" or "Moral" triad. This group is what we think of as our active consciousness.

This is also the "fire" Triad, whose ruling influence is the Sun. (A Triad's "ruler", its governing influence, is the Sephirah in the middle pillar.) It is an active Triad, being both a builder (Chesed, Jupiter) and a destroyer (Geburah, Mars) plus the apprehension of the Divine (Tiphareth, Sun). About this Triad, we are told:

The union of the three primary emotions of the heart, chesed (72) gevurah (216) and tiferet (1081) equals 1369. 1369 is a square number (the square of 37), a sign of perfect "interinclusion" in Kabbalah (where every part of an object reflects all of its parts, as in a hologram).

The Triads are divided from one another by veils. Above this Triad sits the Abyss, separating it from the Supernals; and below it sits Paroketh, holding it apart from its lower subconscious.

Some teach that this Triad is the Superconscious, which I assign to the Supernals. That assignation doesn't make sense to me, so I don't use it. You should bear in mind, however, that much of what I say about the Triads is my own thinking, and not something you will generally find other systems agreeing with.

You can think of this triad as the active principles — apt, since we already noted that this is the "conscious", separate from the "subconscious". This being so, it relates in some way to the right pillar, Mercy. Its base is Tiphareth, the Sun. Of the four elements, it aligns with fire (will) and air (intellect).

There is some confusion here if you follow the Jewish method of assigning letters to paths. There, the mother letters bind the left and right pillars together. There are only three traditional Hebrew elements, and they associate with the mother letters in their capacity as the principles of thesis (fire), antithesis (water), and synthesis (air). In that system, this middle Triad associates with Alef (א), air — which, while consistent with the Soul Ruach (whose name means "breath" or "spirit"), is rather at odds with our view of this Triad's attribution as fire principles.

Those of you familiar with Robert Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality might think of this Triad as "social" patterns. These are the rules we construct for the purpose of dealing with others, and the stories we tell ourselves that let us make sense of and choose how to investigate the universe we inhabit.

The Formation of the Tree of Life:

[talonabraxas]

Atu II - The High Priestess Talon Abraxas

The card refers to the Moon. The Moon (being the general feminine symbol, the symbol of the second order corresponding to the Sun as the Yoni does to the Lingam) is universal, and goes from the highest to the lowest. It is a symbol which will recur frequently in these hieroglyphs. But in the earlier Trumps the concern is with Nature above the Abyss; the High Priestess is the first card which connects the Supernal Triad with the Hexad; and her path, as shown in the diagram, makes a direct connection between the Father in his highest aspect, and the Son in his most perfect manifestation. This path is in exact balance in the middle pillar. There is here, therefore, the purest and most exalted conception of the Moon. (At the other end of the scale is Atu XVIII, q.v.)

The card represents the most spiritual form of Isis the Eternal Virgin; the Artemis of the Greeks. She is clothed only in the luminous veil of light. It is important for high initiation to regard Light not as the perfect manifestation of the Eternal Spirit, but rather as the veil which hides that Spirit It does so all the more effectively because of its incomparably dazzling brilliance.

[The tradition of the best schools of Hindu mysticism has a precise parallelism. The final obstacle to full Enlightenment is exactly this Vision of Formless Effulgence].

Thus she is light and the body of light. She is the truth behind the veil of light. She is the soul of light. Upon her knees is the bow of Artemis, which is also a musical instrument, for she is huntress, and hunts by enchantment.

Now, regard this idea as from behind the Veil of Light, the third Veil of the original Nothing. This light is the menstruum of manifestation, the goddess Nuith, the possibility of Form. This first and most spiritual manifestation of the feminine takes to itself a masculine correlative, by formulating in itself any geometrical point from which to contemplate possibility. This virginal goddess is then potentially the goddess of fertility. She is the idea behind all form; as soon as the influence of the triad descends below the Abyss, there is the completion of concrete idea.

The following chapter of the Book of Lies (falsely so-called), may assist the student to understand this doctrine by dint of meditation:

DUST DEVILS In the Wind of the mind arises the turbulence called I. It breaks; down shower the barren thoughts. All life is choked. This desert is the Abyss wherein is the Universe. The Stars are but thistles in that waste. Yet this desert is but one spot accurséd in a world of bliss. Now and again Travellers cross the desert; they come from the Great Sea, and to the Great Sea they go. And as they go they spill water; one day they will irrigate the desert, till it flower. See! Five footprints of a Camel! V.V.V.V.V.