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The Egyptian Revival, or The Ever-Coming Son in the
Light of the Tarot
By Frater Achad
Transcriber's notes:
The text of this electronic edition is taken from
the Samuel Weiser printing of 1974. The work is not
copyrighted.
Due to the limitations of the medium, certain
changes have been made from the printed edition:
Text shown here in ALL CAPITALS was printed with
an initial capital and small caps in place of
lowercase. The remainder of Achad's highly
idiosyncratic capitalization is shown as in the
original.
Text shown here _surrounded by underline
characters_ was shown in italics in the Weiser edition.
The diagram of Frater Achad's "Restored" Tree of
Life is in an accompanying file titled ACHDTREE.GIF.
Benjamin Rowe
August 1992
Preface
This little book has been written in the spirit of
Suggestive Inquiry, and the writing of it has led to
many illuminating ideas in regard to the Universal
Tradition as disclosed by the Tarot Trumps.
Some months ago, I prepared a treatise entitled
"Q. B. L. or The Bride's Reception," purporting to be a
simple exposition of the Qabalistic Process and an
explanation of "The Tree of Life" with its
Correspondences according to the system I had studied
and practiced for a number of years.
While writing it I obtained some "New" ideas which
seemed to indicate the possibility of the Restoration
of the Order of the "Paths" to their Original form.
These ideas I put down as they came to me, and included
them as an Appendix to the main body of the book.
Briefly, the nature of the suggested change was as
follows: The Qabalistic Tradition of the last few
centuries is that the "Ten Sephiroth", or "Numerical
Emanations", were formed by the "Lightning Flash" of
Creation, while the "Twenty-two Paths" were produced by
the Ascent of the "Serpent of Wisdom" from Malkuth to
Kether.
The recognized Numeration of these Paths was from
Number Eleven, transmitting the Influence from Kether
to Chokmah, to Number Thirty-two, transmitting it from
Yesod to Malkuth the Tenth and last Sephira.
I questioned this, since the Serpent is said to
have _Ascended_, and suggested that the Eleventh Path
should be from Malkuth to Yesod, and so on up the Tree
in exactly the reverse Order.
Upon experimenting with this arrangement I
discovered that although there seemed to be a decided
improvement as regards the Paths below the Abyss, above
it, all the symbolism became reversed and confused.
Even so, there were some interesting combinations.
The main point was, however, that the new
arrangement of the lower Paths suggested the
possibility of a wonderful Astrological Harmony, since
many of them were now united with their Planetary
Rulers, etc., in the Sephiroth.
The next step was the discovery of the Symbolism
of the Middle Pillar, when the Three Mother Letters of
the Elements were attributed to the Three Paths which
unite the Four Sephiroth which are in equilibrium.
These, when placed in position, showed the Symbolism of
the Universal Mercury under the form of a Caduceus and
Winged Globe.
I decided, therefore, to adopt this arrangement of
the Three Elements, and to try to place the Planetary
and Zodiacal Signs in such positions on the Tree that
the Astrological Symbolism would be perfect.
I discovered that this was possible. There was one
variation, which, if adopted, disclosed some other
valuable Qabalistic Symbolism in regard to "The
Beginning". I explained this fully in the Appendix to
Q.B.L. With my original notes left in their rough form,
I published the complete book in a limited edition for
Students of the Qabalah. This has met with a very good
reception in all parts of the globe. I have received
many encouraging letters, all of which express interest
in the revised arrangement. The press reports have been
favourable, and a conservative Magazine "The Occult
Review" admits the importance of the discovery.
One great Authority, however, while admitting that
many of the ideas are brilliant, says that he cannot
accept this Reformed Order in the face of several
hundred years of the old tradition, and maintains that
the previous arrangement is the correct one.
While I realize that great changes in the
recognized Systems of Initiation in certain Orders
might be necessary if the Reformed Order of the Paths
were adopted, and while recognizing the importance of
the opinion of the Authority mentioned above, I still
maintain that this New Arrangement is worthy of the
most careful consideration and study. One would expect
to find some reason for the arrangement of the Paths,
and this present plan seems to me the most reasonable;
in fact it suggests that there was an Absolute Reason
in the Primitive Universal Tradition, though this
became lost to view as time went on.
My aim is to discover the Truth insofar as that is
possible to man, and to uphold what seems to me most
true, until I am convinced of error; but, to change my
viewpoint, if necessary, as soon as more Light is given
me. If this "New" arrangement is correct, it will prove
itself to be so in the minds of those who study it in
an unbiased manner. In any case it is of interest as
one aspect of truth, and its right place may be found
in due course. It may lead the Student to other
important discoveries as it has in my own case. I am
convinced that the enquiry is by no means exhausted.
The Tarot Trumps, being a sort of Universal
Alphabet, may of course be interpreted in a variety of
ways, but I shall discuss their Symbolism when arranged
upon the Paths of the Tree of Life according to the
Reformed Astrological Order given in the Appendix to Q.
B. L.
If by this means we obtain "More Light on the
Tarot Trumps" and the Universal Tradition, which
transcends what we call Light and Darkness, becomes
plainer to my readers, the book will not have been
written in vain.
Before discussing the matter in detail, I am
giving a brief summary dealing with the earliest
traditions of Mankind and their effect upon the present
day, or the New Aeon, the Cycle of Aquarius, in which
we are not living.
I trust that this book will lead to further Light
on the very vital issues of this present Age, and
perhaps to a solution of some of the most perplexing
problems.
At least, I hope so.
Frater Achad
Chapter I
Light on the Egyptian Revival
The more than ordinary interest displayed by all
classes of people in the recent discoveries connected
with the opening of the Tomb of King Tutankhamen,
indicates, what may be termed, an Egyptian Revival.
This, to some, may appear quite unaccountable; in
fact one of the popular writers in the daily papers has
questioned just why the public should suddenly show
such great interest in this particular discovery, while
many similar ones have created little or no stir at
all.
There may be a very deep underlying reason for
this, and in order, if possible, to discover the hidden
causes it will be necessary for us to make a brief
survey of the Egyptian Current of Thought from the
earliest times to the present day.
Again, we do not find the public interest centered
alone in the treasures found in the tomb of
Tutankhamen, but in nearly every instance reference is
made to his immediate predecessor King Amenhatep IV, or
to use his more familiar title King Khu-en-Aten.
King Khu-en-Aten is reported to have been the
first King to attempt the establishment of a
Monotheistic Religion in Egypt, and the Worship of the
Aten or Solar Disk; whereas, after his death,
Tutankhamen is said to have re-established the old
order and the worship of Amen-Ra in place of that of
Aten, or perhaps more properly Atum.
What was the cause of this controversy, and what
is its bearing on the thought of the present day?
One of the immediate effects of the public
interest in these matters has been the production of a
charming little book by Robert Silliman Hillyer
entitled "The Coming Forth By Day". This consists in a
number of Hymns translated from the Egyptian "Book of
the Dead", as it was erroneously called. But the chief
item of interest is the introduction, giving a brief
but sympathetic outline of The Egyptian Religion, which
ends as follows: "For the mystics of the world have
always, under all systems, escaped beyond the externals
of faith, and held close to the Presence enthroned in
the inner court of the temple; the same Presence in how
many different sorts of temple! The God who walked by
the Nile walks also among men today; whether we call
him Christ or Osiris, whether we see him betrayed by
Set or Judas, he is always here, he is always betrayed.
Osiris was not the shadow cast before by the coming of
Christ, nor Christ a remembrance of Osiris; they are
the same, the same significance in different syllables
over the earth. The machinery of religion changes, but
whatever the modern man finds in his heart, that the
Egyptian found also; for that is not the Christian
Religion or the Egyptian religion; it is Religion, and
the rest is merely an attempt to name that which is
nameless."
We can hardly imagine a statement of this sort
being made in a small, popular book a few years ago. It
is surely a sign of the times and of the Influence of
the Ever-coming Son, the Crowned Child, Lord of the New
Aeon.
But Mr. Hillyer does not go back far enough into
the past to throw the most truly significant light on
the present and future. In order that we may properly
understand the matter, we must delve deeply into the
remotest times; somewhat in the way Gerald Massey did
in the "Book of Beginnings." In fact his research work
is invaluable, but unfortunately far too lengthy and
recondite for the popular taste.
Let us then endeavor to piece together a few of
the most vital and interesting fragments, so as to
obtain, if possible, a bird's-eye view of the whole
matter.
The beginning of mythology with the mother and boy
is universal, and still survives in the Virgin and
Child of Rome. The sonship preceding the fatherhood
represents the most ancient form of belief, and when
recognized in that light, is found to explain many of
the early mysteries.
The first boy and his mother were called Sut-
Typhon.
Sut means "The Opener", and this may be taken in
the physiological as well as the astrological sense.
The Child was the opener in the sense of being born of
the un-mated Mother. The Sun is the Opener of the Day,
while Sut as the Star-god was considered the Opener of
the Year with the rising of Sothis, and on his rising
was the Great Bear cycle founded.
The earliest conception of the great Mother was
under the form of the Hippopotamus, the Devourer of the
Waters. This led to that of the Water-Dragon, Typhon.
But the Great Mother was She who brought forth the
Starts, thus we find Her assuming the form of the Star-
Goddess, Nuit of the Heavens, who is represented by a
beautiful human form arched over the earth. Her change
to this human form was portrayed as "Beauty and the
Beast in one Image", and from this was the ancient
fable derived.
We find the Child described from the very earliest
times, as of dual type, so that he became known as Sut-
Har or Sut-Horus. Later the idea of twins arose, and
these became the Gods of the Two Horizons. Sut the
Opener and Horus the one who Shuts or Closes. The
earliest phenomenal form of these twins was as darkness
(Sut) and light (Horus).
Har or Horus as the Sun was an earlier type than
Ra who later became the principal Sun-god. Har, as the
son of Typhon the Great Mother, became known as the
earliest of the Pharaohs and rulers of Egypt.
Primarily the word Pharaoh is derived from Har-Iu,
which means the Coming Son of a two-fold nature, and of
the two (Iu) houses. This, again, was Har of the Shus-
en-Har or the Bar or Baal of the Heksus.
Now the rulers of the Shus were called Heks, and
thus we may trace the early name of the God Hak which
is a form of Harpocrates, the God of Silence, the Babe
upon the Lotus; who is sometimes considered to be the
twin of Horus, and concealed within him.
Har-Makhu was the Star-God of both Horizons. Sut-
Har developed into the Solar Deity afterwards called
Aten, or Atum. Thus we begin to see the Typhonian
origin of the God Aten, and we shall learn from this
something of the nature of the revival of Aten-worship
under King Khu-en-Aten, the father-in-law of
Tutankhamen.
But we first need some further links in our chain,
and these may be supplied as follows:
As time went on there was mention of Four Suts,
and the worship of the Mother Typhon and her son Sut
began to fall into disrepute. A father was needed to
account for the generation of all things, and gradually
the idea of Tum the Old God of the Setting Sun arose,
and he was said to be the Father of the Four Suts.
(Thus the four Quarters were established, or perhaps
the Equinoctial points and the Solstices). Tum then
became known as Atum, and the Solar Fatherhood was
established. Also the twin Lion-Gods assumed the type
of Sut-Horus in Atum-Ra.
The quarrel which rent the monuments arose on
account of Sut-Horus (Sut as brother of the Sun) and
the Egyptian Amen-Ra who was identified with the Greek
Jupiter-Amen. An alliance was made between the
Ammonians and the Osirians against the followers of
Sut-Har, or Sutekh or Sebek, and the ancient genetrix
Typhon.
The taunt flung by the Osirians at the Sut-
Typhonians was "Orphan", intending to brand them as
Fatherless in a religious sense because they worshipped
only the Mother and the Child, who became looked upon
as the Harlot and the Bastard.
This led to many unpleasant things being said on
both sides, and we find a period when the followers of
both forms or worship accused the others of every form
of immoral practice.
We should now take up a slightly different angle
of the situation. Atum was the same as the first Adam
of the Hebrews. The Rabbins taught rightly that their
typical Adam, of the same name as the monkey Udumu, had
carnal knowledge of every tame and wild beast that he
could dominate, and was not satisfied until Eve was
made for him.
Atum as the Second Adam represented the first
purely Human Deity without any animal admixture. We now
get a glimpse of one of the reasons for the strange
half-animal half-human types found in the ancient
doctrines. There is another explanation of this,
however, which will be discussed later. At the same
time we begin to see how it was that King Khu-en-Aten,
who revived the early traditions, had many purely human
figures made, quite unlike the other Egyptian Images,
and that these came to light in the recent discovery of
the Tomb of Tutankhamen, who preserved them.
We have made mention before of IU, which means
Twin, or Dual being, male and female in one. As in the
case of Pharaoh or Har-Iu, we again find IU as the root
of the word Jew.
So, too, we find in Iu-Sif the origin of Joseph,
of whom more anon.
We find in Unicorn, Sut the Sun and Typhon the
genetrix, and how this type preceded the Bullock or
Osiris.
Sebek (The Crocodile) was a form of IU-Sif, as
well as Har-Makhu and Aten of the Disk, who were each
the Iu of the two horizons, as Son of the Mother.
After the reign of King Apehpeh in Egypt, the
religion again changed hands and there arose a "King
who know not Joseph" i.e. who did not worship IU-Sif or
the Coming Son.
IU, as the Genetrix, became IU-Pater or Jupiter;
and IU the Son who Comes, became IU-Sus, or Jesus. The
Ever Coming Son was the prototype of the Wandering Jew,
originally a symbol of Eternal Youth.
If there is any historical Joseph to be found in
the monuments he is Aiu. He was a prot?g? of Amenhetep
III.
This King was of the Black Aethiopian type, son of
a black mother, but he married a fair wife. He was the
father of Amenhatep IV, who changed his name of Khu-en-
Aten, or the Adorer of Aten. Amenhatep the IV's nurse
was the wife of Joseph. On account of his parentage,
Amenhatep IV was probably of a Reddish type, and the
Aten whose worship he adopted was the Red Disk of the
Sun. He may, however, have obtained a glimpse of the
Concealed Father or Sun behind the Sun, and thus
recognized that in one sense the old Sut-Typhonian
tradition was nearer the truth than the prevalent
worship of Atum Ra, or Amen Ra. He was of course
misunderstood, most people thinking he had gone back to
a dark and despised tradition. I shall endeavor to
show, later on, how this confusion arose. We must
remember that Atum was born as Horus or IU, child of
the Mother and afterwards developed into Atum-Ra as God
the Father. Hence he became the make of the Gods and
men, the Begetter who succeeded his father Ptah. Atum
means "Created Man" or Adam.
When the human soul had come to be considered as
derived from the Essence of the Male instead of the
Blood of the Female, the woman was naturally said to be
derived from the man, as she is in the second of the
Hebrew Creations described in Genesis. A soul derived
from Atum was dual in sex. The soul was divided into
Adam and Eve, the typical two sexes of the Hebrew
legend.
Again it is recorded "When Horus had fulfilled the
period of 2155 years with the Easter Equinox in the
Sign of Aries, the birthplace passed into the Sign of
Pisces, when the Ever-Coming One, the Renewer as the
Eternal Child who had been brought forth as a Lion in
Leo, a Beetle in Cancer, as one of the Twins in Gemini,
as a calf in the Sign of the Bull, and a Lamb in the
Sign of the Ram, was destined to manifest as the Fish,
in the Sign of the Fishes. The rebirth of Atum-Horus,
or Jesus, as the Fish Iusaas, and the Bread of
Nephthys, was astronomically dated to occur in Beth-
Lechem -- the House of Bread -- about 255 B.C., at the
time the Easter Equinox entered the Sign of Pisces, the
house of Corn and Bread."
There had been a time when the two birthdays
assigned to Horus of the Double Horizon, were allotted
to the Child Horus in the Autumn, and to the Adult
Horus at the Vernal Equinox; but when the Solstices
were added to the Equinoxes, in the new creation of the
Four Quarters established by Ptah for his Son Atum-Ra,
there was a further change. The place of Birth for the
Elder, the mortal Horus who was born of the Virgin
Mother, now occurred in the Winter Solstice, and the
place of Birth for Horus the Eternal Son was celebrated
at the Vernal Equinox, with only three months between
the two instead of six.
As above stated, the Entry of Horus into the Sign
of Pisces occurred 255 B.C., and another period 2155
years added to this, brings us down to the year 1900
E.V. at which time Horus should astronomically be
expected to appear in Aquarius. This is a purely Human
Sign, the Sign of MAN, the Water-bearer or Bearer of
the Waters of Life in his own person.
In the year 1904 the Law for the New Aeon was
received by one of the Adepts, and the reign of Horus
duly proclaimed as Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
Since then many changes have occurred on the
earth, and few can fail to recognize the coming of
Horus in one of his aspects as the Avenger of his
Father Osiris, so plainly manifested in the great World
War, and in other ways. But Harpocrates, his twin, is
hidden within Him, and we may look for the Crowned
Child to be born in every Heart, during the Coming
Period.
I have given this brief sketch, which is not by
any manner of means complete, in order to prepare the
mind of the reader for the explanation of the Universal
Alphabet of the Book of Thoth, or the Tarot Trumps, in
relation to their proper Paths on "The Tree of Life" of
the Ancient Qabalah, as reformulated in my book Q. B.
L.
I shall hope to show by this means that there is a
still deeper meaning under all these things, that the
Universal Tradition, long lost, may be revived to our
great advantage in understanding not alone the Past,
but the Present Period of the History of Mankind on
this Planet.
But I shall first supply those who are unfamiliar
with these ideas, with "The Essence of the Practical
Qabalah," and even those who have read "Q. B. L." will
do well to refresh their memories by a study of the
brief outline which follows.
Chapter II
The Essence of the Practical Qabalah
It is not our intention that this chapter should
represent a complete exposition of the Mysteries of the
Holy Qabalah, but rather to give a brief outline of
some of the principal doctrines which may lead the
Student to a clearer conception of the value of the
Qabalistic System as a method of drawing the Infinite
within.
The Plan of the Ten Sephiroth, or Numerical
Emanations, forms the basis of the Work, for, by
erecting upon this foundation the scaffolding of our
Temple, we may learn to restore our lost Equilibrium,
thus canceling out the "Pairs of Opposites" which
ordinarily obsess us.
Briefly, this process may be described as follows:
Prior to any manifestation, the Supreme was NOT. This
being inconceivable, may yet be slightly apprehended if
we consider the Air Suph or Infinite Space, followed by
the potential existence of Infinite Light.
Only when we conceive this Infinite Light as
concentrated upon a Central Point, does the first
positive Idea arise. This Concentrated Light is called
Kether -- The Crown -- the First Sephira. From this all
else proceeds very much in the same way that Light may
be broken up into the Colors of the Spectrum.
The next highest Idea is that of Wisdom,
represented by Chokmah, the Second Sephira or
Emanation. This is equivalent to the idea of the Logos,
the Word of Creation which was in the Beginning with
God and which was God. This is the great Creative Word
-- the Divine Fiat -- and represents the Highest
Intelligence of the Archetypal World.
Next, co-equal with Wisdom, is Understanding,
Binah the Third Sephira, the Highest Intuition which is
capable of interpreting the Word correctly and of
transmitting It to the lower Spheres. This is the
Creative World of the Qabalah, the Great Mother
Substance, energized by the Divine Will and Life.
These Three -- Light, Life, and Substance -- are
the Supernal Triad, One and Indivisible. For Life is
the substance of Light and the Second and Third
Sephiroth are but aspects of the Living Substance which
is Light Itself.
Next we come to the Formative World, composed of
the following Six Emanations:
Chesed or Mercy, balanced by Geburah or Severity
and forming thus Two Great Pillars which support the
Arch of the Trinity. These balanced Ideas are
harmonized in a third, the Sixth Sephira -- Tiphereth -
- which equilibrates them and is Itself called Beauty
or Harmony. Following this we find the triad of
Victory, Netzach, the Seventh Sephira; balanced by
Splendor, Hod, the Eighth Sephira; and equilibrated by
the Foundation, Yesod, the Ninth Sephira.
All the above are summed up in the Material World,
the Tenth Sephira which is called Malkuth or The
Kingdom. This sphere is pendant to the others; it is in
reality One with Kether for all proceedeth from the One
and is within the One. Yet in order that we may learn
to comprehend the Nature of Unity, we must first
contemplate the diverse and apparently complex. The
limitations of Time, Space and Circumstance make this
necessary to us at our present state of development.
But the ideal before us is to return to the Pure
Conception of Unity, thus ridding ourselves of the
Illusion of duality and accomplishing what is called
The Great Work.
Had the Qabalistic Plan ended with the production
of Malkuth the Kingdom or Material Universe, we should
have been forced to admit that the creative process was
one of degeneration. And so it Must appear to us from
our limited viewpoint, until we have learned the Plan
of Redemption and profited by it.
Chokmah, Wisdom or the Higher Will, is called The
Father; Binah, Understanding or Intuition, represents
the Great Mother; the next Six Sephiroth are centered
in Tiphereth, The Son, and represent the Intellect;
while Malkuth, The Kingdom or Animal Soul which
perceives and feels, is called The Daughter.
The Daughter must marry the Son and so become the
Mother, true mate of the Father, before all is re-
absorbed into the Crown of Light. In other words, by
means of Intellect we may control our animal nature and
eventually Understand through Intuition, which in turn
is capable of receiving the Wisdom of the Father and
thus making us true representatives of God upon Earth
capable of doing His Will as it is done in Heaven.
The Qabalists further postulate a series of Graded
Intelligences higher than Man. These are the Celestial
Intelligences, the rulers of the Sephiroth. They
reflect and re-produce the Divine Ideas, and also
actively transmit them for the illumination of man and
the control of Nature. Thus each is in itself both
active and passive.
The Human reason is also active and passive. The
reason proper is the active aspect, the passive side is
usually termed intuition. This intuition is capable of
absorbing truth from above and below. The active reason
is capable of forming a thesis, antithesis, or
synthesis in regard to the truths presented to it by
the intuition.
The Nature-reason is to be found in the
intelligibility and order of all natural things,
according to their form and the material of which they
are composed.
All corporeal things may be said to have a three-
fold existence. They exist as Ideas in the Mind of the
Logos. Materially they exist in themselves, and
Spiritually in the minds of Created Intelligences. It
is important that we should grasp this three-fold idea
of existence, as it makes many things clear that would
otherwise be obscure to us.
If, for instance, we perceive a table, we should
remember that since we are of the Order of Created
Intelligences, the table exists Spiritually in us. What
a table is in itself we do not know. Nor are we able to
comprehend with certainty its Nature as an Idea in the
Mind of the Logos.
Thus things may appear imperfect to us, while in
truth they are perfect but for our limited idea of
their nature.
The Great Work consists in correcting our
distorted vision, thus making us capable of perceiving
all things in the White Light of Truth, unrestricted by
the limitations of our narrow outlook.
This may only be accomplished by our obtaining
what may be termed a world-view or vision, free from
distortion. The aim of all the Great Teachings is to
give us such a view of the whole Creation, so that we
shall be enabled to cooperate consciously in the
fulfillment of the Divine Purpose.
Every Celestial Intelligence is said to be
interiorly united with all things and to contain them
in a spiritual manner. Thus the Great Work is to unite
the Microcosm with the Macrocosm.
It is also said that every mundane intelligence is
capable of taking all things into itself in a spiritual
manner, and that in proportion to the extent to which
this is accomplished does it become one with them. Here
we have the key to the use of "The Tree of Life" or
Qabalistic Plan of the Sephiroth and Celestial
Intelligences. As we travel up the "Paths" of this
"Tree" we must gradually absorb and so become One with
all things in the universe in a spiritual manner. This
must be accomplished by gradual steps, represented by
the Grades of the Great Order. Each step taken must be
fully mastered, ere we proceed to the next.
We must learn to balance and equilibrate all
things as we go, for there may be no false summits in
our Mystic Pyramid, nor missing spokes in the Great
Wheel.
The Daughter, the nature-will, must be united to
the Son, the personal-will which makes man more than
mere animal, and gives him the power of choice. What is
more, the Intellect -- or Son -- is naturally above
Time and Space and is capable of containing time and
space and all that is within time and space.
Thus, by means of Dhyana, does the Mystic
transcend these limitations and becoming one with them
absorbs them into himself. But the little "self" is no
more, for he comprehends the nature of the Higher Self
or Holy Guardian Angel. This is what is meant by the
destruction of the ego; not a lessening of the
conception of self but a recognition of the Nature of
Self in its wider aspect.
The little self sees Nature as extremely complex;
there are so many things to know that the task seems
endless and impossible. The Qabalah teaches us to group
all ideas according to their fundamental nature and
correspondences, thus as we proceed, we are able to
know a greater and greater number of things in the
light of a smaller and smaller number of ultimate
ideas. The thirty-two Paths of Wisdom enable us to
classify all things in the universe in terms of thirty-
two; from that we go on reducing our ultimate ideas and
increasing the field they cover, until Unity is
reached.
The formula of 5 = 6 (that of the Adeptus Minor in
Tiphereth) is represented by the Pentagram and the
Hexagram. Man, the Microcosm is symbolized by the
Pentagram composed of the Four Elements Crowned by
Spirit. The Solar System is summed up in the Hexagram
with its Planetary Correspondences, and this represents
the Macrocosm.
Man must learn to draw the Macrocosm into himself,
to absorb spiritually the Ideas represented by the
Planetary and Solar Intelligences; thus may this part
of the Work be accomplished. He obtains the Knowledge
and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel or Higher
Self. Beyond this, again, is the great Star Universe,
wherein every man and every woman is a Star. He must
absorb the Ideas of this Sphere, and at the same time
recognize that every atom is a star in his own being.
Thus at last will he come to Understanding, the Throne
of the Great Mother.
Then will he, who is called Nemo, absorb the
Wisdom of the Father, the Logos, so that in turn he may
not only Understand but Will and Create according to
the Divine Plan. He will then become Illumined by the
One Light of the Crown upon his head; yet this, too, he
must absorb so that Selflessness becometh Self and the
Final stage of the Solve formula of the Great Work is
accomplished. This Light must then penetrate deeper and
deeper into Matter till the Plan of Creation is
fulfilled.
Remember these words: Things exist because God
knows them. Man knows things because they exist.
And again: Man ascends from things to ideas; God
descends from Ideas to things.
Thus ye have the keys of the Great Gateway in your
hands.
Now it is well that we should consider once again
the very essence of the Qabalistic Process and the
nature of its mystery of Number as the basis of all
ideas.
If we can succeed in reducing our ideas to a
numerical basis, we are better able to deal with them
and to bring them back to Unity.
The Ten Sephiroth give us a basis of the decimal
scale for all our main Ideas, which must be grouped
accordingly. The Twenty-two connecting Paths, based on
the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which is itself
numerical, enable us to link these ideas and to travel
from one set to another with perfect ease and
certainty. The Plan of the Four Worlds, The Archetypal,
The Creative, The Formative, and The Material, enables
us to increase the number of things known by
considering the Sephiroth and Paths as existing in all
of these simultaneously, yet at the same time to
classify all Elemental ideas in terms of Four. These,
crowned by Spirit, make the true Microcosm, Man the
Pentagram. Our main Universal Ideas are to be summed up
in the Hexagram as before said. Unite the Pentagram
and Hexagram and an Eleven-pointed Star give us the Key
of the Aeon with its Word Abrahadabra as our Magick
Formula. Thus we unite with the Word, the Logos, and
finally with the Divine Breath which produced It.
Remember again the Qabalistic means of reducing
all Words to their Numerical basis. For in Hebrew every
word is also a number. Thus we may discover the Word
and Number of our own being, and our place in the
Creative Scheme. The correspondences between words of a
similar numerical value will help us to form Galaxies
of Stars, which are men and women, traveling in groups
in a common direction, without friction, each in his
proper orbit. Thus shall we come to comprehend the
Mystery of the Starry Heaven, the Body of Our Lady
Nuit. For as every atom in our bodies is itself a
little solar system, so are we in the Body of the
Mother of Heaven, and She is energized by the Invisible
Point which is Not, yet which is the Life of All.
Remember too: The more universal ideas and reasons
to which we attain, the nearer we approach to thinking
the God Thought, which is the universe itself. There is
but One true Thought, the ultimate Thought which is All
Things. Normally, that which can be thought is not
true, as the Hindus tell us, for until we reach the
Smooth Point all things are but relative, and so is
truth.
But: The Highest Reason, which is in God and which
is God, is absolutely ONE. God knows all things by One
Idea, which is identical with His Being.
Chapter III
More Light on the Tarot Trumps
In the Appendix to "Q. B. L. or The Bride's
Reception" I have shown the possibility of arranging
the Twenty-two Trumps of the Tarot on the Paths of the
Tree of Life so that the Astrological Attributions are
in perfect order, and I shall now trace out the
Symbolism of the Cards themselves, and attempt to show
that this arrangement is the Original one, long lost in
the mists of antiquity.
The Diagram of the Tree of Life, with its
attributions according to this re-arrangement, forms
the basis of our present study.
Kether, The Crown of Light, is called AHIH or
Eheieh which means Pure Being, that which Is, prior to
"existence" or the "standing out" or "coming forth" of
the manifested Universe. It is also call The Concealed
of the Concealed, and the Supreme and Concealed One
which is therefore Amoun. In Egyptian the hieroglyphic
is two feathers, which represent AA. From this we
obtain the idea of The One First and the One Last,
similar to Alpha and Omega. This sign also represents
the inherent idea of possible duality, or the apparent
duplication of the One. But again it may be translated
IU and is therefore the Root of "The Ever Coming One"
of a dual nature. From this idea sprang that of IU-
Pater or Jupiter as the Father, and Io, the root of
Jove or Jehovah, which also symbolizes the Number Ten,
or the Ten Sephiroth inherent in the Being of the One.
Kether is also called the Sphere of the Primum
Mobile, the First Whirling Motion. It represents the
Living Substance; being potentially both Life and
Substance in the Pure form of Light.
From Kether proceed the Ideas of the Father,
Mother, and Holy Spirit or Son.
The First ray produced Yod, in Chokmah, the next
He in Binah, and the third Vau in Tiphereth, and from
this proceeded the final He, the Daughter, in Malkuth.
On the Path from Kether to Chokmah is the Tarot
Trump called "The Wheel of Fortune," the Key of Destiny
which is one with the True Will, and also, some say,
with Chance. This is the Card of Iu-Pater, Jupiter the
Father, and it symbolizes the Great Wheel of Life; the
Whirling Forces of the Primum Mobile, which resulted in
a System of Revolving Orbs, the Star Universe or Sphere
of the Zodiac, in Chokmah.
This Card depicts the Three Principles of Alchemy,
Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt; the Three Gunas, Satva,
Rajas and Tamas; the three forms of Force, Radiation,
Conduction and Convection; the States of Peace,
Activity, and Sloth. These are symbolized by the
Sphinx, Hermanubis and Typhon upon the rim of the
Wheel; while the "Centrum in Centri Trigono" is
concealed within.
This Life Force is active in the One Substance,
which becomes differentiated into the Four Elements as
symbolized by the Four Cherubic Beasts at the Corners
or the Card. Also this is the birth of Tetragrammaton,
the Word of the Elements, coming into Existence, or
Becoming, as shown by the Letters Yod, He, Vau, He on
the Wheel. On this we also find the letters Taro or
Rota and the suggestion of the Beginning of Law as
Thora.
This Ray of Light is the Essence of Wisdom, the
Higher Will or Purpose of the Universe, and as the Star
Universe this becomes apparent in Chokmah, the Sphere
of the Zodiac, the Second Sephira. It is the root of
the Jupiter-Amoun Tradition of the Fatherhood of God as
a Supreme and Concealed Force, which on that account
was little comprehended by those who accepted the
Tradition of a Mother and Son, with the Son preceding
the Father.
This Ray is the Essence of Light, but it becomes
represented in Chokmah as Grey, a mixture of colors
which partially concealed the Supreme Essence, thus
causing the Root of Duality. From this Path cometh the
Tradition of the Light as the Word or Logos, who was in
the Beginning with God and who was God.
The Path from Kether to Binah is attributed to the
Trump called "The Universe" corresponding to Saturn,
Kronus, or Time. This represents the early tradition of
SUT, who later became identified with Set or Satan.
Here we have the beginning of the Tradition of the
Fatherless Child and the Mother, the Sut-Typhonian
Mystery, as we shall see more clearly later on.
The Card shows a Female Figure as the Mother of
All Things, but this conceals a figure of Dual-Sex, or
the Idea of the Two-Sexed Son, which afterwards became
the Twin Horus, and later the Two figures Sut-Horus, as
Darkness and Light, and the Two Horizons. The Ellipse
shows the beginning of the Time Cycle, for Saturn or
Kronus was the Devourer of his Children, the Hours. It
also indicates how the Gods, the Tellers of Time, were
to be born from the Elementaries or Elements, under
which form the earliest ideas of the gods existed. The
Card indicates the essential natures of the Four
Elements in the Undifferentiated Substance from which
they proceeded; or in the Womb of Time. The Four Beasts
at the corners again show this clearly, and the Card
itself is called "The Great One of the Night of Time."
In this Path "The Light shineth in Darkness but the
Darkness comprehendeth it not," for the Children of
Time know not the mystery of the Here and Now.
This Card is the synthesis of the Elemental
Forces; the Figure in the center directs the Positive
and Negative Currents. It is attributed to Saturn and
symbolizes the Influence from the Crown which resulted
in the formation of the Sphere of Saturn or the Sephira
Binah, the Great Mother. The early tradition connected
the idea of the Great Mother with Typhon the Mother of
Sut.
Binah is the Sphere of the Substance of all
things, and it balances that of Chokmah wherein is
concentrated the Life Force. Together they represent
Living-Substance, the Father-Mother from which all
proceeds.
Binah is also called The Great Sea. All is said to
have been produced from Water brooded over by Spirit.
Uniting Chokmah and Binah we find the Path
attributed to "The Star" and the Sign Aquarius. This
Sign is Ruled by Saturn, and it will be noticed that it
is connected with that Sphere. But it also represents
the mystery of the Star Universe, which symbolism is
derived from Chokmah.
The old G.D. Ritual (although attributing this
card to the wrong Path, as in the old order) states:
"This Key represents a Star with seven principal and
fourteen secondary rays, altogether twenty-one, the
number of the Divine Name AHIH. (Notice AHIH is the
Divine Name of Kether immediately above.) In the
Egyptian sense it is Sirius, the Dog-Star, the Star of
Isis-Sothis. Around it are the seven planets. The nude
figure is the symbol of Isis, Nepthys, and Hathoor. She
is Aima, Binah, and Tebunah, the Great Supernal Mother
Aima Elohim pouring upon Earth the Waters of Creation.
In this Key she is completely unveiled. The two urns
contain the influence of Chokmah and Binah. On the
Right springs the Tree of Life, on the Left the
Knowledge of Good and Evil, whereon the bird of Hermes
alights, therefore the Key represents the restored
world."
This symbolism is so clear according to the
Restored World Plan of the Paths that it would seem to
need little comment. But there is much more that might
be said.
The earliest calculation of Time centered in the
revolution of the Serpent round the Dog Star. The First
Mother is said to have given birth to the Seven
Elementaries, who became the Seven Gods or Planetary
Intelligences, the tellers of Time. I may go into this
aspect more fully later on.
I have purposely made no mention of the Path from
Kether to Tiphereth, as this will be better understood
if we first deal with those from Chokmah to Tiphereth,
and from Binah to Tiphereth.
According to the Tarot Keys these are "The Sun"
and "The Devil"; the twins of Light and Darkness.
The Card of "The Sun" represents the Influence of
Chokmah or the Star Universe upon Tiphereth. The old
G.D. description may again be quoted, but how different
it appears when the card is in its proper place. "The
Sun has twelve principal rays which represent the
Zodiac (Chokmah), these are divided into 36 Decanates,
and again into seventy-two Quinaries. Thus the Sun
itself embraces the whole Creation in its rays. The
Seven Hebrew Yods falling through the Air refer to the
Solar Influence descending. The Two Children, standing
respectively upon Water and Earth, represent the
Generating influence of both, brought into action by
the Rays of the Sun. They are the two inferior and
passive elements, as the Sun and Air above them are the
superior and active elements of Fire and Air.
Furthermore these two Children resemble the Sign of
Gemini."
Now, if we place the "Key" in position on its
proper Path, glancing for a moment at the complete
diagram of the Paths, we shall be able to draw some
further conclusions.
The Sun, as a Star from the Sphere of Chokmah, is
seen descending to take up his Office in Tiphereth, as
the Son of the Father. The symbolism of the Sun shows
the corrected division of Time according to the
Precession of the Equinoxes, viz.: the Osirian
calculation of the 365 1/4 days in the Year, instead of
365 according to the Sut-Typhonians whose calculations
were made by the Dog-Star. Gerald Massey states "There
is an Egyptian legend which relates how Osiris in the
365th year of his reign came from Nubia accompanied by
Horus to chase the Sut-Typhonians out of Egypt. By this
we may understand that the perfect Solar Year of 365
1/4 days was made to supersede the Sun and Sirius Year
of 365 days. In the battle for supremacy Horus was
aided by Taht, the Lord of the luni-solar reckonings."
The two Children, or Twins, represent the twin
theories, and also the Horus Twins, and the Two
Traditions, which resolve themselves in Tiphereth.
Also the Wall of Red with its Blue Top represents
the Barrier and the Waters of Death. The Path
attributed to the Key "Death" is that from Chesed to
Geburah, and it crosses this Path of "The Sun." Again
the Twins appear on the Path of Gemini, which runs from
Tiphereth to Hod.
Rider's Pack shows a different symbolism. The Sun
and Wall appear as before, but the Twins are replaced
by a Child on a White Horse. This is the Crowned Child,
the Son of the Sun, who has overcome Death and is the
ruler of this Aeon.
Chokmah is the Root of Fire and this Card is
called "The Lord of the Fire of the World" showing the
Sun as representative of the Star Universe while ruling
the World or Malkuth the Tenth Sephira.
This is the Path of the Tradition of Light.
We may now examine the Path from Binah to
Tiphereth which is represented by "The Devil" and the
Sign of Capricorn which is ruled by Saturn from whose
Sphere it springs.
This Key is called "The Lord of the Gates of
Matter, the Child of the Forces of Time," and it
represents the Birth of Matter from the Great Sea, or
Mother, the One Substance. This is the Way of the
Children of Time, Saturn or Kronus. It is the Path of
the Tradition of Darkness, the twin-brother of Light,
of Lucifer, the Satanic Saviour who Fell from Heaven.
This gave birth to the idea of the Sun as the Devil or
Satan, for it represents the Sun in his material
aspect, the Red Disk of Atum.
The Key shows the Twins chained by Time, while
those of the "Sun" Card are Free, since they receive
the influence of the Divine Will from Chokmah. The
Italian Pack clearly shows The Devil standing upon the
Sun, and so does Levi. This is the Card of Ayin, the
Eye. It represents the Eye doctrine rather than that of
the Head or Heart. The Sut-Typhonian calculation of
Time was incorrect in representing the Year by 365
days.
Notice in this card there is also a Wall, but the
color symbolism is reversed. This again indicates the
Wall of "Death" whose path this one crosses in the same
manner as that of the Sun on the opposite side of the
Tree.
This Path of "The Devil" represents the Sut-
Typhonian tradition of Set or Satan, as its ruler was
afterwards called. The Path of "The Sun" represents the
tradition of the Jupiter-Ammonians with Horus as its
ruler. Horus of the Star is the reconciler between
them.
Both the traditions of Light and Darkness as
opposed to each other sprang from the Primal Idea of
the Pure Spiritual Light of The Ever Coming Son, IU,
the Holy Child of Kether. So we may now examine the
Path from Kether to Tiphereth, that of the Influence of
the Supreme and Concealed Father of All becoming
Manifested in the Son in whom Glory and Suffering are
identical.
This, by Tarot, is the Card called "Judgment"
attributed to the Letter Shin, the true Fire of the
Spirit, and the progenitor of the Sun behind the Sun.
This is the equilibrated Triple Flame of the Supreme
Godhead, the Winged Globe of the Three Supernals, the
Head of the Staff of the Universal Mercury, the
Absolute Reason of All Things.
The Influence of this Path causes the Dead to rise
from their tombs in the Resurrection of the pure Spirit
and the Regeneration of Matter. It passes through the
Path of "The Star" as the Child of Chokmah and Binah
which overcomes Death. It is the Path of the Ever-
living One coming into Manifestation, it represents the
Absolute and Universal Tradition of the Golden Age. "It
is called the Card of Perpetual Intelligence because it
_regulateth_ the motions of the Sun and Moon (Tiphereth
and Yesod) in their proper Order, each in an orbit
convenient to it" (Sepher Yetzirah).
The Paths of "The Sun" and "Devil" merely suggest
man's attempts to discover the true Motions and Order
of the Universe, and to translate them into Time. This
Path _actually regulates these motions_, therefore
suggests, perhaps, the true calculation of the Course
of the whole Solar System round the invisible Center of
All.
It is said in the Old G.D. Ritual: "This card is a
glyph of the powers of fire. The Angel crowned with the
Sun is Michael, the Ruler of the Solar Fire. The
Serpents which leap in the Rainbow are symbols of the
Fiery Seraphim. The Trumpet represents the influence of
the Spirit descending upon Binah (this according to my
opinion should be Tiphereth), the Banner and Cross
refer to the rivers of Paradise."
But in this Card we are able to trace the
symbolism of the Divine Breath of Kether, not
whispering the Work in Chokmah, but coming to us
through the Trumpet of the Sun, ever proclaiming the
Brightness of the Lord and Giver of Life to all men.
And this Trumpet is the Horn that is exhalted for
ever. The Path combines the Mysteries of the Death and
Resurrection as shown in "The Sun"; and the Erection
and Re-erection of "The Devil" with the Generation and
Regeneration of the Spirit.
As shown in "Q. B. L.," Shin represents the Roots
of the Elements, the essences of Kether, Chokmah and
Binah, concentrated in Tiphereth. It also represents
"Number," the first of the Three Creative Sepharim of
the Sepher Yetzirah.
Having dealt with the most direct influences
descending upon Tiphereth, and we must next consider
the supporting Pillars and the indirect influences
through Chesed and Geburah.
Let us take the Path from Chokmah to Chesed, and
then follow the one from Chesed to Tiphereth, thus
completing the Right side first.
The Key to the Influence between Chokmah and
Chesed is called "Temperance" and is attributed to the
Sign Sagittarius. A Figure is seen pouring fluid from
one urn to another. It represents "Preservation," as
opposed to the "Destruction" of the Path of the
"Blasted Tower" on the opposite side, while the
equilibrated Path in the Center is that of "Creation"
and "Regeneration" as before noticed.
Sagittarius is the Sign symbolized by the Archer
who is half man, half horse. The Horse is said to be
the gift to man of the Goddess of Wisdom, viz.:
Chokmah. This Sign is Ruled by Jupiter and it receives
the Influence of the Path of IU-Pater through Chokmah.
It is also connected directly with the Sphere of
Jupiter or Chesed. This gives us some indication of the
dual-symbolism of the Forces of Life in the two Urns
held by the figure on the Card. We may also glimpse
some idea of the Ascending and Descending Arrows of the
AA or IU. Again we have the ascent and descent of the
Wheel of Life or Zodiac which revolves, so to speak, as
Chokmah, between the two Jupiterial influences.
The Figure is clothed in Red and Blue, for Chokmah
is the "Root of Fire" and Chesed the "Sphere of Water."
It stands on Water, or Chesed, but the Robe immediately
above the Water is Red, for Sagittarius is a Fiery
Sign.
In Rider's Pack we actually see a "Path and a Sun"
to the left of the Figure, just where the Path of the
Sun comes in this arrangement. The Sign of Fire is on
the Breast of the Figure, above which is faintly seen
the Hebrew IHVH, the Word of the Father, Chokmah.
Chesed is the Sephira of Mercy (opposed to that of
Severity, Geburah) and also that of Authority for it
Transmits or reflects the Word of the Father or Logos.
The Path from Chesed to Tiphereth is that of "The
Moon" by Tarot and is attributed to the Sign of Pisces,
which in turn is Ruled by Jupiter. Through this Path
came the Piscean Tradition of the Fish-God, another
aspect of Horus as the Solar Deity or Son.
The Card itself is described in the old G.D.
Ritual as follows (we should place the card in position
on the Tree and study the symbolism carefully):
"It represents the Moon in its increase in the
side of Gedulah (Chesed), it has sixteen principal and
sixteen secondary rays. Four Hebrew Yods fall from it
(4 = Chesed the representative of the Law of the
Father). There are two Watchtowers, Two Dogs and a
Crayfish. The Four Yods represent the letters of the
Holy Name (transmitted from the breast of the Figure of
Temperance). The Crayfish is emblem of the Sun
(Tiphereth) below the horizon, as he ever is when the
Moon is increasing above."
As we shall see later the Path of the "Sun" is
that of the Setting Sun. The Moon God was known as
"Sin" whose word is restriction, and this has been
characteristic of the Piscean Age just passed. The true
tradition of the Sun became clouded in that age.
The Moon transmits some Light even if it is but a
reflector of the Sun. The Word of Sin being
Restriction, we may notice how the influence of
"Preservation" became that of "Repression" which is but
a partial understanding of the idea.
On the other hand, we should next study the Path
from Binah to Geburah and then the one from Geburah to
Tiphereth. These represent the opposite tradition of
Over Indulgence, or "Destruction" through Waste of
Life.
The Path from Binah, the Primal Mother, to Geburah
the Sphere of Mars, is by Tarot "The Blasted Tower" and
it is attributed to the Planet Mars. Here we see
another aspect of Horus as the God of War and
Vengeance.
The G.D. Ritual says: "It represents a Tower
struck by a lightning flash proceeding from a rayed
circle and terminating in a triangle. It is the Tower
of Babel. The flash exactly forms the Astronomical
Symbol of Mars. It is the power of the Triad
(concentrated in Binah, 3) rushing down and destroying
the Column of Darkness (the Pillar of Severity, also
the Dark Tradition). The men falling from the Tower
represent the fall of the Kings of Edom."
"On the Right Hand side of the Tower is Light and
the representation of the Tree of Life by Ten Circles,
on the Left Hand is Darkness, and eleven Circles
symbolizing the Qliphoth."
Here the tradition of Light and Darkness is
clearly indicated. The fall of the Tower of Babel
resulted in the loss of the Universal Language, since
when confusion has prevailed. The Sons of Darkness for
a time retrogressed, while the followers of the
Tradition of Light were advancing. This is the result
of the Positive and Negative Currents from the "Path of
Saturn" through Binah the Dark Sphere.
The influence of Mars, passing through Geburah,
the Sphere of Mars and of Severity, is transmitted to
Tiphereth by the Path of Aries, or "The Emperor." Aries
is Ruled by Mars and is the House of the Exaltation of
the Sun. The Ram or Lamb was sacrificed as a
_substitute_ for Man, so this path represents
"Substitution" as that of Pisces, on the opposite side,
represents "Reflection." Both are partial truths. This
Path also transmits the "Personal Will" of Geburah to
Tiphereth. When the Personal Will is substituted for
the Divine or True Will trouble arises. In Tiphereth,
The Heart, both the Personal and True Wills are
harmonized, or apparently so.
Aries and Pisces are seen with the Sun, or
Tiphereth, as reconciler between them, as in the
beginning of the Great Cycle, with the Sun in His
Natural place, unaffected by the Precession of the
Equinoxes. In this position the Jupiter-Ammonian, and
the Sut-Typhonian controversy is temporarily
harmonized.
The Reciprocal Path from Chesed, Mercy, to
Geburah, Severity, is that of "Death" the Great
Transformer. The Sign Scorpio is its Yetziratic
attribution, and this is Ruled by Mars the Destroyer.
Death is both the enemy and the friend in one, for in
truth there is no "death," but only a "Change of Life."
The Card shows a Skeleton with a scythe, he is cutting
down heads (one of which is crowned) but the "rise
again" as soon as he passes over them, for the
Influences of the Paths of "Resurrection,"
"Regeneration," and "Re-erection" all play upon this
one. The Path of Shin, equilibrating Light and
Darkness, rules over all, for this Path is that of the
Influence of IU the Ever-coming Son, the true Horus
whose appearance in Aries is as the Lamb, in Pisces as
the Fish, or in the earlier Signs as The Lion, The
Beetle, The Twins, or the Bull.
We have seen how the Influence of the Tradition of
Light flows down into Tiphereth through two channels.
The Paths of IU-Pater, Chokmah, and The Sun, and those
of IU-Pater, Chokmah, Sagittarius, Chesed, and Pisces.
We have likewise traced the Tradition of Darkness
through the Paths of Saturn, Binah and Capricorn, to
Tiphereth; and also through Saturn, Binah, Mars,
Geburah, and Aries, to the same Sphere.
The Universal Tradition which transcends both the
Light and the Darkness, descends from Kether-Pure
Being, by the Path of Shin or Spirit, through the Path
of Aquarius, The Star of Hope, and that of Scorpio,
Death and Despair, directly upon Tiphereth. This is the
Line of Equilibrium between the Balanced Ideas of Good
and Evil; Light and Darkness; Preservation and
Destruction, etc. This is the Path of the Doctrine of
the Heart, which unites with those of the Eye and the
Head (Ayin and Resh) in Tiphereth the Sphere of the
Heart, or the Son, wherein all things are Beautified
and Harmonized.
It should be noticed that the Direct Influence of
the Supernals upon Tiphereth comes from the Paths of
Resh and Ayin uniting with those of Shin and Tzaddi.
The Numerical Value of these Letters added to Tiphereth
is 200 + 70 + 300 + 90 + 6 = 666, the Grand Scale
Number of The Sun, and of the Beast or Man. Again, the
Descending Triad of the Sephiroth Binah, Chokmah,
Tiphereth is 326 [i.e. by concatenating the numbers of
those Sephiroth. -- B.R.] the Numeration of IHShVH the
Redeemer, the formula of the Descent of Shin into IHVH
or of Spirit into Matter. 326 is also the Numeration of
PARChVAL in the oldest form, which became PARZIVAL who
is 418 in the New Aeon; thus connecting him with
ABRAHADABRA, the Word of the Aeon, and the Reward of
Ra-Hoor-Khuit; as will be more fully discussed later
on. For the moment we should notice that The Beast, The
Word of the Aeon, and Parzival are Harmonized in
Tiphereth, as are all aspects of the Sun and the Son,
although there may appear to be "division hither
homeward."
The Sephiroth and Paths so far taken into
consideration, form the great Heavenly Hexagram, the
Center of which is Spirit, although this central point
is not indicated by any Sephira, but only by the Path
of Shin. In the Tarot Key "The Judgment" this Invisible
Breath of Spirit proceeds from the Mouth of the Trumpet
in the Center of the Card.
If we examine this Hexagram, we notice that the
Hebrew Letters on the Paths forming the Hexagon, are as
follows: Kaph, Samek, Qoph, He, Pe, Tau: or
20+60+100+5+80+400 = 665 which is the number of BITh
HRChM, meaning The Womb. This does represent The Womb
of Creation, for these paths outline the Circle of the
"Key of Life" or Ankh, upon which the Tree of Life is
built.
We should notice also the peculiar arrangement of
the Hexagram. There are four interior Paths, forming
the bases of four similar Triangles. These Paths are
those of "The Star," "The Sun," "Death" and "The
Devil". They may be said to symbolically represent the
Sun in the Four Quarters. Thus, "The Devil," although
the basis of the Tradition of Darkness, represents the
Rising Sun of the Eastern Horizon; for SUT is the
"Opener" of the Day. This Dark Tradition gradually
resulted in a Lurid Dawn. The Path of "The Sun"
represents the Setting Sun, since the tradition of
Light tended to become "Twilight." This is the Path of
Horus, Lord of the Western Horizon, who closed the Day.
Together they are Sut-Horus the Twin Lion Gods. The
Path of "The Star" represents the Sun of Midday, at its
height; thus "The One Star in Sight" during the Day.
This position of the Sun has been called AHAThOOR, and
in the Tarot Card we see that Goddess. But AHA is also
a title of Horus, as is HAR and HAR-MAKHU, which means
Horus of the Star. This is his Name as Opener of the
Year, and it is His Influence which descends through
the Path of Shin, as the Sun behind the Sun.
The Path of "Death" represents the Sun of
Midnight, in the Underworld.
There came a period in Egyptian tradition when
Four Suts were recognized as those of the Four
Quarters, these were then called the Children of Tum,
the Setting Sun, who became Atum, and afterwards Atum-
Ra, the Solar Deity as Father of All Things. This was
the period when the Supreme and Concealed Father had
been entirely lost to the followers of the Tradition of
Light, while the Doctrine of the Mother and Child as
First Cause had fallen into disrepute as representing
the Tradition of Darkness. The Influence of the Supreme
still descended upon Tiphereth, the Sun, through IU,
but was only recognized by the few followers of the
Universal Tradition of the Golden Age. All these
traditions became merged in Tiphereth and there
Harmonized, though the result was not an absolutely
true one. An attempt to establish the truth was made by
Amenhatep IV, or King Khu-en-Aten, who revived Aten
Worship in place of that of Atum Ra, or Amen Ra; but he
was ahead of his time, and it remained for the Present
Aeon to re-establish the truth, as we shall endeavour
to show more clearly further on.
We may remark, however, that the Universal Mercury
is said to be "All present in Heaven and in Hell" so
that we find the Ideas of Lucifer or Satan as the Sun,
blended with those of the Sun of Light, and the Sun of
the Universe, in the Heart of Man. Also we may notice
how the Higher Will comes down to Tiphereth from
Chokmah, and the lower or personal will through
Geburah. These are both blended in Tiphereth, the
Heart.
The "Circle" of the "Key of Life" having been
formed; now follows the "Cross" which completes the
Ankh. But at this point we shall notice a "Passover" or
Crossing over of the dual Currents, for the "Middle
Pillar" is the Caduceus, and the twin-serpents, while
knotted together in Tiphereth, cross and re-unite lower
down. This is symbolized clearly by the Three Mother
Letters of the Elements, or the Three Sepharim of
Number, Writing, and Speech; as explained in Q. B. L.
These are Shin above Mem, above Aleph. We have already
dealt with Shin as IU, which it symbolizes perfectly,
since if we place the "I" inside the "U," the letter
Shin is formed. These are the letters of the Father
and Son, who are united in Tiphereth.
Let us now trace the Currents as they "cross-
over". The Influence from the Path of Aries, joining
Geburah and Tiphereth, passes through the latter and
emerges as a channel from Tiphereth to Netzach. This in
the Tarot is the Key called "Strength" and it is
attributed to the Sign Leo which is Ruled by the Sun.
The Card shows a Woman closing (or opening) the
mouth of a Lion. This is clearly the Woman of Venus, or
Netzach, united with the Lion of the Sun or Tiphereth.
The Ram, or Lamb (another form of Horus) has been
sacrificed as a substitute, and passes through the
Solar Fire at the "Passover." In the City of the Sun it
may truly be said that "The Lion lies down with the
Lamb"; both are aspects of Horus, their paths are seen
united in Tiphereth.
This Lion may be called "The Green Lion" where the
Path meets Netzach (Emerald Green), and "The Red Lion"
as he approaches the Sun. Again we find symbolism of
the Twin Lions of Horus (as later they appear as the
twin Sphinxes of the Charioteer). We see the "Strength"
of Geburah, transmitted through the Ram and the Sun, to
this Path, where its Animal Nature becomes subdued by
the Pure Love of the Woman of Netzach. Thus the Dark
tradition becomes purified through this process.
On the other hand, the Path from Chesed to
Tiphereth ("The Moon" by Tarot, or Sign of Pisces)
emerges from its Solar Bath, as the Path of "The
Lovers" or Gemini, which unites Tiphereth with Hod.
Gemini is Ruled by Mercury whose sphere is Hod. We may
then trace the "Wisdom" from Chokmah, through paths of
Light, as it flows into this reservoir of pure Reason,
carrying with it the ideas of the "Pairs of Opposites"
from "Temperance", "The Moon" (with its twin towers),
and "The Lovers" or Gemini.
This Key, "The Lovers", depicts the Symbolism
perfectly. The Card shows the Sun above the heads of
the Figures, just as they are relatively to Tiphereth.
Beneath it are the Twins, the same Children we saw in
the path of "The Sun" transmitting the Tradition from
Chokmah. They have overcome the illusion of the "Moon"
with its restrictions. Cupid is seen with his Bow and
Arrow (perhaps the Bow of the Moon and the Arrow of
Sagittarius). Sometimes this card is shown as
symbolizing a Man between two Women representing Virtue
and Vice (so-called). He must learn to treat them both
alike, and harmonize these ideas in the Light of
Tiphereth, the Heart. This was a very necessary lesson
for the followers of the White Tradition to learn, for
the twilight had made their view narrow and restricted,
therefore an elements of Sin (the Moon God) had
entered, and the earlier Wisdom had been lost.
We may now consider the Influence of the Side
Pillars. On the one hand we find "Justice" or Libra
which is Ruled by Venus, bringing down the Mercy of
Chesed to Netzach the Sphere of Venus. Here we see the
Law of Love coming into operation under the Will of
Chokmah, as it is written, "Love is the law, love under
will". Love needs to be Balanced in Netzach, thus
avoiding extremes. Opposite to this Path is that which
transmits the Strength of Geburah to the Sphere of
Mercury or Hod. The Influence herein operative is that
of "The Hermit" or Virgo, which is Ruled by Mercury.
One must be reasonable in regard to one's Virginity,
but the Power of the Virgin is great.
Herein we find the Dark Tradition transformed into
a wise Reserve or Secrecy. The Hermit merely conceals
the Light in his Cloak, while he carries his Staff in
his hand. This represents a better adjustment of the
Life, which is the Substance of Light; the excess of
the Path of the "Tower" is tempered down to a wise
control. This refers also to the Control of Speech; the
Tower was that of Babel, and its destruction caused the
confusion of tongues, while here we see a re-adjustment
as this path enters the Domain of Mercury, which
contains the influence from Chokmah, the "Word" lost to
the Dark Brothers for a time.
Few realize the secrets of the Tradition of the
Widow's son, and the Substitute, and the Lost Word, as
depicted in this Left Hand side of the Tree.
Uniting the Sephiroth Netzach and Hod is the Path
of "The Hierophant", the Initiator into the Mysteries
of Osiris the Bull. This Path is attributed to the Sign
Taurus which is Ruled by Venus or Netzach. Venus and
Mercury are herein united in a Wise and Initiated Love
of a reciprocal nature. We see two Figures in this
card, presided over by the Hierophant who is blessing
them in the Sign of the Trinity.
There is yet another Path from Tiphereth to Yesod
which crosses this one and influences it. This is the
Path of "The Hanged Man" attributed to the Letter Mem,
and the Element Water. It refers to "Writing" as the
second Sepharim, and by means of Written Tradition have
the true mysteries been transmitted, even thought the
"writer" may never have been recognized or known to
men.
Here we see a figure of a Man suspended by one
foot from a gallows, his head and arms forming a
triangle, above which his legs form a cross. He is the
Sun of the Sun, bringing down the Light as far as
Yesod, the Subconscious Mind of Humanity. His body is
reversed, as if reflected in the Waters, his Head is
surrounded by Glory, the reflection of Tiphereth and
Kether. His Head is thus in Yesod, the Sphere of the
Moon which reflects the Sun upon the Earth, or Malkuth.
The shape of the Figure in Rider's Pack perfectly
symbolizes this position on the Tree.
His is the power of the Redeeming Love, usually
considered as self-sacrifice, but more truly
representing the Justified One, who says: "This is my
body which I destroy, in order that it may be renewed."
The Mysteries of the Rose Cross are transmitted through
this Channel, the Initiation being attended to by "The
Hierophant". Two other Paths exert their influence
directly on Yesod, the Foundation, or Sphere of the
Moon; one leading from Netzach, and the other from Hod.
The Coils of the Twin Serpents fold back again here,
the Current having absorbed the influences of the Paths
of the Side Pillars through these two Sephiroth.
The Path from Netzach to Yesod continues the
Influence from the Path of Leo united with that of
Libra. By Tarot it is "The Chariot" which is attributed
to the Sign Cancer, ruled by the Moon (Yesod). This is
a very important card indeed. The Hebrew letter
attributed to it is "Cheth" which is 418 the number of
the Word of the Aeon ABRAHADABRA. The Charioteer is one
aspect of the Lord of the Aeon, and he is in a certain
sense the Initiator, for in this age the Influence of
the Constellation of Taurus comes to use through the
Sign Cancer according to the Precessional. He has
harnessed the Black and White Sphinxes, the Traditions
of Darkness and Light, and he uses them to draw his
Chariot. He is under the Starry Canopy of Love. He is
the Child of the Powers of the Waters, for he has
descended by devious channels from the Great Sea; he is
also the Lord of the Triumph of Light in its higher
sense. He has the Strength of the "Lion" and the
balance of "Justice" combined with the Power of Love.
Dual Moons are shown on his shoulders, for, as
Cancer, he is closely connected with The Moon. The
Lingam-Yoni and Winged Globe appear on his cubical
Chariot which represents "The Foundation" or Yesod.
Opposite to him on the Tree is the Path from Hod
to Yesod, that of "The High Priestess" or "Priestess of
the Silver Star". This is attributed to "The Moon" with
which Sphere it unites. This is the Channel of the
Serpent of Light winding back from Hod and bringing
with it the Influence of the Paths of Gemini and Virgo.
The High Priestess knows the secret powers of the
"Lovers" and of the "Virgin". These she has under
control in the same sense that the Charioteer controls
the Sphinxes. She is truly his Counterpart. On her Lap
is The book of the Law, the lost Thora of the Wheel of
the Tarot, transmitted so wonderfully from the Path of
IU-Pater through Chokmah, "The Sun", Tiphereth, "The
Lovers", and Hod. Note that the Descent of this Law
upon Tiphereth through Chokmah, was by the Paths of
Kaph (20) and Resh (200) and that Liber CCXX is the
Book of the Law; also that from Tiphereth, which is 6;
representative of the Father 10 and the Mother 5 (as
Wisdom and Understanding or IH) which make 15 and again
through addition 6; it passed into the path of Zain
(The Sword) 7 and to Hod 8, thus 15 = 6 and through
Gimel 3 (6 + 3 = 9) to Yesod 9, where it entered the
Subconscious Mind of Humanity as a seed of the Aeon.
The "Priestess of the Silver Star" is the Pure
Influence of the Higher Self on the Subconscious Mind,
transmitting the secret of the Star Universe and of the
Silver Star. She is the Initiator into the Mysteries of
Nuit, as "The Charioteer" indicates those of Hadit.
Our work, so far, has led us to an understanding
of how the Universal Tradition has been imbedded in the
Subconscious Mind of Humanity; built into its very
Foundation and Substance. It is our Great and Glorious
Heritage from the Past, made up from the Universal
experience of the Race. But all men are not yet aware
of this. It is still "Unconscious" in most.
Now we come to the final stages of our Journey,
wherein these ideas are Manifested on the Material
Plane. Malkuth, The Kingdom, is the Sphere of the
Elements, and is saturated with the subtle influences,
whereby the Fallen Daughter may become the Mother and
bring forth Man as the Crowned Child of the Aeon.
The Path from Hod to Malkuth is by Tarot "The
Magician" attributed to Mercury. This is the Wisdom and
Will of the Father in Heaven brought down to the
Kingdom of Earth. (Have we not prayed "Thy Will be done
on Earth as it is done in Heaven" and has it not been
answered "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the
Law"). The Magician controls the Elements by means of
his Four Elementary Weapons under the Direction of the
Higher Will, as shown in the Card by the Wand, the Cup,
the Sword, and the Pantacle. His is the Path of the
Magic of Light and of Occultism. He is then the
representative of the Great Father upon Earth, and his
influence is within every father who realizes that he
is a star.
The Path from Netzach to Malkuth is that of the
"Empress" and of Venus. She represents the Love which
regenerates the Kingdom when properly understood. The
key shows her crowned with the Diadem of Stars. She
Transmits the Understanding of the Great Mother. (So
long misunderstood and thought of as the unmated and
despised Woman of the Dark Sphere). Hers is the Path of
Mysticism and Devotion, and of those who would be
absorbed in the Absolute. She Represents the Great
Mother upon Earth and is the Influence within every
mother who knows Herself to be a Star.
Thus is this Kingdom supplied with Wisdom and
Love, and lastly with Power, for we must finally
consider the Path from Yesod to Malkuth, that of the
"Pure Fool", and the All-Wandering Air, the Reconciler
in all things. This is the Path of the Crowned Child of
the Spirit who is in the Heart of all Humanity when he
is brought to birth upon the Earth. This is the Path of
those who follow neither the way of Magick nor of
Mysticism, but the "Way of the Tao". These are the
Masters of both Will and Love for they UNCONSCIOUSLY do
the Work of the Father. Just as a Child naturally rules
over his parents and is able to obtain his slightest
desire, without effort, so must all Serve the Crowned
Child the Lord of the Aeon.
This Path transmits the Universal Tradition of the
Central Pillar -- the Pillar of Mildness and Peace.
This is the Pathway of the Light to be discovered amid
the contending forces and the darkness of matter. This
Path of the Holy Spirit of the Sun behind the Sun is
that of the Letter Aleph. In it the two A's of the
Beginning have become One. It is the Path of Air, the
third Sepharim, or of Speech. But this is the Power of
Speech in the Silence, of Harpocrates hidden within
Horus. It is also the true Power, as it is written;
Unity uttermost showed,
I adore the Might of Thy Breath,
Supreme and Terrible God
Who makest the Gods and Death
To tremble before Thee,
I, I adore Thee.
This is the Path of IU, Horus-Harpocrates, the
Ever Coming One, and of Har-Machis, Horus of the Star,
the Opener of the Ways of Eternity. This is the Path of
the Here and Now, transcending those of Time and Space.
This is the Path of Truth, which Is Now, as It Was in
the Beginning, and Ever Shall Be, Malkuth without End.
Aumn.
Chapter IV
The Sun, The Devil, and the Redeemer
One of my aims in the foregoing chapter has been
to show that this is the Aeon of the Foundation of the
Kingdom upon Earth, characterized by the Incarnation of
God in the Heart of every Man, Woman, and Child.
It is not so much a question of "Climbing the Tree
of Life" as of recognizing how all things have been
working together for good so that the Source of All
might become manifest in Matter, here on Earth, and the
Kingdom of Ra-Hoor-Khuit be established.
We have seen in tracing out the Traditions that
there have been two Wills at work, the Divine and the
Personal, and that through the Ages these have appeared
in conflict. One is the Bright Star or Pentagram of
Unconquered Will, the other the Dark Star of the
Reversed Pentagram. These two Starts are symbolized by
the hands of Man, or the Magician, one raised to Heaven
in the Sign of Solve, the other directed downwards in
the Sign of Coagula. When united they form a Ten-fold
Star, just as the hand of the man who has fallen may be
grasped by the one who Raises him in the Grip of the
Lion, which exactly symbolizes this uniting of the
Rising and Setting Sun, or the Twins Sut-Har. For the
Two Wills are Harmonized in Tiphereth.
But when we consider Malkuth, it is a question of
Raising the Fallen Daughter, the Animal Soul, or
Matter, to the Throne of the Mother, Understanding.
That is a more difficult task, but we now have the Keys
in our hands.
The Union of the two Stars as a Tenfold-Star in
Malkuth is the Work before us, for this represents the
Covenant God made with Abraham, as promised by the
Rainbow of the old order. Having apparently lost this
Symbol of the Rainbow through the alteration of the
Paths, we may hope to find instead the Fulfillment of
the Promise of the Covenant.
In the old order of the Paths we found Q, Sh, Th
as the three influences descending upon Malkuth. QShTh
is the Hebrew word for the Rainbow of Promise.
The Authority on the Qabalah, referred to in our
Preface, rejected the reformulation of the paths of the
Tree, partly on account of the fact of this symbolism
being lost in the new arrangement. But what have we in
its place? Wisdom, Love, and Power directly descending
upon the Earth; the Paths of Magick and Mysticism,
united by the "Way of the Tao". More than this, we have
the direct influence of the Three Supernals upon the
Kingdom. Kether, the Crown of Light, is upon the Head
of the Crowned Child of the Path of Aleph, who wields
the true Power of the Breath; the Wisdom of Chokmah is
seen in the Path of Beth or Mercury, the Great Magician
who represents the Father on Earth; while the Great
Mother, Binah the Third Sephira, is translated into the
Path of the Empress, the Woman of Venus, on the Path of
the Mystic. So we find Father, Mother and Holy Spirit
or Son, all prepared to raise the Fallen Daughter. Yod,
He, and Vau once more symbolically united with the
final He. Thus the Missing members of the Body of
Osiris are all brought together again; the Lost Word is
recovered; the Rulers of the Four Elements of Malkuth
are shown in their respective offices; and in the midst
is the concealed Power of the Spirit of Shin, IU, or
Io, which is 10, the number of Malkuth, as well as
Kether.
The same Authority objected the some of the
Alchemical Symbolism was destroyed. The Alchemists tell
us that in order to make Gold, we must have Gold; and
this the Gold of the Sun. What now makes Gold in our
Revised arrangement? The influences descending upon
Tiphereth, the Sun. We have shown how the principal
Paths of Influence, which are all Solar in nature, give
us 666 the Grand Number of the Sun in Tiphereth. The
secondary influences are from Aries of the Golden
Fleece, Scorpio the Path of "Death", or the Sun at the
Dark Stage, and from Pisces which is by Tarot the
"Moon". These together make the True Gold of the Sun.
Again they tell us that the First Matter is the Soul of
Man, and we have shown how the dual soul became divided
as Adam and Eve, etc., so that you may work out this
Alchemical Symbolism on other planes. But there is an
even more important aspect, which this study may lead
us to understand; the Inner Mystery of the Sun, the
Heart of the Beast 666 which is Man. Herein we may
discover the answer to the riddle of the Sphinx, who
with fixed gaze of impenetrable Mystery looks on at all
the Changes of Life. Here, too, we may learn something
of the Concealed Mystery of the Strange Baphomet of the
ancient Templars, for all is made clear in the Reformed
Order. If this is the Age of Horus the Revealer and
Opener, there is nothing hid that shall not be
revealed.
Let us turn our attention for a little while to
what, to some, may appear the absurd idea of The Devil.
Eliphas Levi, wisely states: He who affirms the devil,
creates or makes the devil. But it has elsewhere been
written: Since every idea, theory or doctrine must, in
the very nature of things, have some truth as its
basis, it happens that the more difficult,
unreasonable, or even absurd, any idea seems to be, the
more illuminative does it become when thoroughly
understood; for only some very important truth could
have availed to give currency to a teaching of extreme
incredibleness and difficulty.
Thus it is with doctrine of the devil, which, in
one form or another, is found in almost every religion
of the world.
The chief snare of the Devil is the Illusion of
Time. Man is limited by the ideas of Time and Space,
which are but modes of the human mind, as is now
becoming scientifically recognized. The Black Tradition
is based on Time. Saturn, the God of Time, and the
Progenitor of the Devil, or Serpent of Time, is shown
on the Path leading from Kether to Binah. This
influence is further transmitted from Binah to
Tiphereth by the Path of "The Devil" as explained
before. The Hebrew letters of these Paths are Tau and
Ayin, whose numerical value is 400 and 70. Ayin, Tau,
or OTh is the Hebrew word for Time, or a period of
Time, 470 is also the numeration of other Hebrew words
meaning Eternity, or literally, a cycle of cycles. This
should be sufficient evidence that the Paths are
rightly placed. Taking into account the other two Paths
influencing Tiphereth on this side of the Tree, which
are Pe and He, or 80 and 5; we obtain 400 + 70 + 80 + 5
= 555 which is the Numeration of the Hebrew word for
Obscurity. This certainly proves that the Dark
Tradition is operative in this part of the Tree, and it
accounts for much of the confusion of the "Tower" of
Babel.
We have shown how the Sut-Typhonian tradition
arose, so that the Son was thought to have preceded the
Father, and the Mother to have been the First Cause by
means of Blood. One should note in passing, that the
Reciprocal Path of "The Star" is that of Aquarius which
Sign governs the Blood Stream.
This tradition as far as Time is concerned led to
the calculation of the Year as 365 Days, based on the
Sun and Sirius Cycle. We may also notice that the
Sephiroth Numbered 3, 6, and 5, are those whose
influence is here depicted. They form a Triad, linked
by the paths we have been discussing, and the base of
this Triad is the path of "The Devil", and of the
Rising Sun.
We shall have more to say in regard to the Devil,
but for the moment let us turn to the other side of the
Tree, and examine the Channels of the Light Tradition.
We might have done well to call these the Traditions of
Black and White, for Black is that which absorbs all
colors, and White that which reflects them all. The
True Light is Equilibrated and Concealed in that
Darkness which is higher than eyesight.
The Force of the Primum Mobile of Kether produced
the Whirling motions of the "Wheel of Life" resulting
in the Star Universe and Sphere of the Zodiac. Thus
originated the illusion of Space, the other great
limitation of the mind of man.
This Space became narrowed down till the idea of a
Straight and Narrow Way limited all the conceptions of
the followers of these Paths. The Light became but a
Twilight, and a reflection of the primal Truth, as
indicated by the Path of Pisces, and the Tarot Key "The
Moon". The Primal idea of the Supreme as the Concealed
Life of All was soon lost. Infinite Space, filled with
the Infinite but Invisible Life, became 3rd dimensional
space in the minds of men. The Paths of Influence are
of interest; Kaph 20, and Resh 200, give us 220, the
numeration of the Book of the Law of Thelema (Will),
which will eventually redeem this narrowed conception
and bring back the Truth. Will is Chokmah the Sphere of
Wisdom and of the Word or Logos, which was not
comprehended by the Children of Darkness. This being
the 2nd Sephira, makes the complete Channel from Kether
to Tiphereth 222, which is the Hebrew numeration of the
word for "Whiteness", thus proving our earlier
speculations Qabalistically.
Taking the Sephirotic Triad as before, we find the
Base is the Path of "The Sun". This in the Twilight of
the Setting Sun of the White tradition, they mistook
for the Lost Father of the Gods. The Sun is, of course,
the center of the Solar System and Ruler of the
Planets; He is truly the Father of this Earth, but He
is NOT THE FATHER OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE. That is where
the followers of the White Tradition made an even
greater mistake than those of the Black.
The Sephiroth Tiphereth, Chokmah and Chesed, as 6,
2, 4 or 624 give us a number equivalent to the Hebrew
Word for "His Covenant". The Arrow of Sagittarius
(which in the old arrangement of the Paths was said to
be the Arrow that pierced the Rainbow, on account of
its position below Tiphereth) is seen on one of the
other Paths of influence connecting this triad, and
the "Moon" or "Bow" on the other. If we take these
Sephiroth in the order of 264 we get the numeration of
Hebrew Words for "Footprints" literally "Foot's
Breadth", and "A Straight Row" indicating the "Narrow"
Way referred to before. Or as 246, we obtain "Vision"
or "Aspect" denoting Space, as before indicated. This
also seems good enough Qabalistic proof.
We may now better understand how the True Sun of a
Bi-une Nature, became looked upon as Sut-Har, and how
the Traditions of the Sut-Typhonians and those of the
Jupiter-Ammonians, were blended in Tiphereth.
The Influence of Har-Machis, Horus of the Star,
was little understood owing to the limitations of Time
and Space, though it descended as the Mediating
Influence upon Tiphereth, and Welded the Twin
conflicting Ideas together. The Osirians of the Right
Hand Path, examining Space with great care, discovered
the more correct calculation of the Year as 365 1/4
days. The Four Quarters were established, the Four Suts
arose, and these were accepted as the Children of the
Father Atum-Ra. Ra became the great Sun God, and the IU
was lost to view in such an apparently Harmonious
arrangement. So he who was the Son, became looked upon
as The Father, and the Supernal Triad was no longer
taken into consideration. The Pillars of the Temple of
the Sun were set up. Boaz and Jachin were established
in strength, as Geburah and Chesed, Severity and Mercy,
and the Sun was seen between them as the Sole Lord of
Light.
Followers of the old Sut-Typhonian Tradition might
still secretly Symbolize Him as The Devil; followers of
the Osirian Cult, as The Sun of Heaven.
Let us now return to our discussion of the Devil,
or Baphomet fairly depicted, but the Symbolism of
Rider's Pack is wrong. Eliphas Levi drew him correctly,
and also described him perfectly. Let me quote: "The
name of the Templar Baphomet, which should be spelt
Qabalistically backwards, is composed of three
abbreviations: Tem., Ohp., Ab., "Templi ominium hominum
pacis abbas", "the father of the temple of universal
peace among men." According to some, the Baphomet was a
monstrous head; (Resh, the head, is the Sun); according
to others, a demon in the form of a goat. (Capricorn is
the Goat). A sculptured coffer was disinterred recently
in the ruins of an old commandery of the temple, and
antiquaries observed upon it a baphometic figure,
corresponding in its attributes to the Goat of Mendes
(Osiris) and the androgyne (two-sexed Horus) of
Khunrath. It was a bearded figure with a female body,
holding the sun in one hand and the moon in the other,
attached to chains. Now this virile head is a beautiful
allegory which attributes to thought alone the
initiating and creating principle. Here the head
represents spirit and the body matter. The orbs
enchained to the human form, and directed by that
nature of which intelligence is the head, are also
magnificently allegorical. The sign, all the same, was
discovered to be obscene and diabolical by the learned
men who examined it. Can we be surprised after this at
the spread of medieval superstition in our own day! One
thing only surprises me, that, believing in the devil
and his agents, men do not re-kindle the faggots."
The was written by Levi in 1855; even today there
are many people who refuse to see the light of truth;
but we are progressing.
The Figure of Baphomet, or the XVth Key of the
Tarot, depicts the Symbolism of Tiphereth perfectly,
from the point of view of the combined Traditions of
Sut-Har, as shown on the Revised Tree.
The Flaming Torch between the Horns is the Holy
Spirit of the Path of Shin, his Horns are the Paths of
Sut-Har or of Capricorn and the Sun. The female body
shows the Tradition of the Mother, while the Legs of
the Goat are crossed to indicate the Passover or
Crossing of the Ways after this point, as explained
before. His head is that of an Ass, showing that the
followers of the "Head" Doctrine of the acceptance of
the Sun as the Supreme Father were foolish, but that in
Tiphereth, the Heart, all things might be Harmonized.
He makes the sign of Solve and Coagula, thus indicating
"That which is above is like unto that which is below,
and that which is below is like unto that which is
above, for the performance of the Miracle of the One
Substance". This is the sole Hermetic Dogma of the
Microcosm and the Macrocosm; their Equivalence is found
in Tiphereth. This sign also indicates the two Currents
of "Will" and "will", harmonized in the Heart. This
Figure should be studied with care, and it will reveal
many other truths. The Caduceus in his lap, for
instance, clearly shows that the Central Pillar of the
Tree of Life is the Staff whereon the Twin Serpents of
Time and Space are Twined.
We have explained how the Sut-Typhonians first
looked upon the Great Mother as of Animal Nature,
afterwards assuming her into the Heaven as the Star
Goddess, Mother of the Sun. In this latter assumption
they were absolutely correct, but the Worship of Nuit
is practically pre-Dynastic, as is Her Symbol the
Crossed Arrows. In the Darkness the idea arose of half-
human, half-animal beings as representing the earliest
types. The Hebrew Tradition of the First Adam
corresponds to this. The Universal Tradition of the
Sons of God on Earth, was lost. Man, today, is the
highest of the Animals, but the lowest of the Spiritual
Beings. It is the personal will and power of choice,
which makes him more than animal, for he has within him
a spark of the Divine Intelligence which makes it
possible for him to direct his own actions, though
until he discovers the Divine Will in the darkness of
his own being, and aligns the personal will with It, he
cannot progress. The personal will transmitted to the
Heart of man from the Sphere of Geburah, is harmonized
with the Divine Will of Chokmah, to the extent to which
the Channels of Light are Open. But Har, the Sun of the
White Tradition, was "Closer" and the True Will was
little realized and understood.
We can now see that Tiphereth is a perfect Image
of The Beast, 666, as Man. This aspect combines in
itself all that is Animal with all that is Human and
all that is Spiritual and God-Like. This is the Great
Solar Image which all men have worshipped and all men
will worship for a long time to come. Yet it is not the
Highest Truth in itself, it is a Harmonious Combination
and Synthesis of Light and Darkness. Only through this
Synthesis may the Truth be arrived at, however, as the
Son of Man, Who was also the Son of God, has before
remarked "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me". For
the Son is always the visible Aspect of the Invisible
and Concealed Father, who may never be known because He
Is the very Essence of our Being.
The most truly representative Man of his time is
always The Beast, for he displays all the qualities of
the Race of the Period in which he lives. We look at
such a Man and see in him Ourselves, for we can only
see what is within us. To some he appears an Angel of
Light, to others the grinning Devil of Darkness. Thus
is Genius always misunderstood and blasphemed by some,
while recognized and praised by others. He is the Son,
wherein Glory and Suffering are identical. He is always
betrayed, always Crucified, as we see in the Path of
"The Hanged Man" immediately below Tiphereth. This is
the Path attributed to Water, and Water was the enemy
of Horus. Why? Because his Mother was the Great Deep,
and She was misunderstood and reviled as the Harlot
because the true Father was invisible. Thus are Man's
greatest enemies those of his own household. The Son
must suffer on account of the fact that he is born of
Matter, and the Soul within him is crucified, by those
who see naught but Darkness, while that same Darkness
conceals a Higher Light than their own.
See the proud followers of the White Tradition,
whose Sun has the Head of an Ass. For Intelligence
cometh from Binah the Great Mother of Understanding,
and without Understanding the Way of Holiness is indeed
Narrow. These are the people who are always Right,
while the others are always Wrong in their sight. Their
1/4 day additional in the Year makes them too proud to
perceive Wider and Grander Spaces and Cycles.
But, as I hope to show, the age of narrowness is
passing, and for the first time in 25,000 years, Man
has the opportunity of coming into his own.
Chapter V
The Mystery of Babalon and the Beast
The Beast, or Man of the Sun, represents, as I
understand it, the Soul of Humanity, or of Man, between
Spirit and Matter, ashamed of neither since both are
essential to His existence. The Substance of the Sun
descends upon Tiphereth from Binah through the Path of
"The Devil"; its Life is transmitted from Chokmah
through the Path of "The Sun"; it exists as a Spiritual
Idea through the Channel of "Shin" which descends from
Kether. Kether is its Final and Efficient Cause,
Chokmah its Formal Cause and Binah its Material Cause.
"ON" is the Ancient Egyptian Word for the Sun; as
long as we are prepared to go ON, all is well since we
are in line with the natural urge of Evolution. But we
may rise above the ordinary idea of Evolution into a
consciously free co-operation with the Divine Purpose.
The numerical value of ON is 120. This is said to
have been the Age of Christian Rosencreutz at the time
he passed ON.
Those who try to reverse the process of evolution,
to retreat or retrogress, saying "NO" in their hearts,
fall into Sin which is restriction, and therefore get
themselves into trouble.
ON is formed of the Hebrew Letters Ayin and Nun,
thus this idea arises at the junction of the Paths of
"The Devil" and "Death".
People of the "NO" type arose on the other side of
the Tree, on the Path of the Setting Sun. NO may be
spelled Nun, Vau, or NU, who was called the Father of
the Waters, the reflector of Nuit.
However, we may look for a reconciliation of these
ideas in the Path of "The Star" which represents the
Sun at High NOON.
It was at High NOON that Parzival wrought the
Miracle of Redemption, when the Spear and Cup were re-
united. This Path unites the Spear of Will and Wisdom,
Chokmah, with the Cup of Understanding and Intuition,
Binah. The Father and Mother being thus united, the
"One Star in Sight", Har-Makhu, or Horus of the Star,
is recognized in His True nature as the Spirit of the
Concealed Light of Kether.
The Truth was never lost to the Supernal Triad,
but the Supernals were lost to the sight of man. We may
wonder how this could be, and the time is now ripe for
its revelation. But before an attempt is made to
explain this, it is best that we should glance at the
remaining Paths of the Tree, below Tiphereth.
Let us consider the Path of "The Hanged Man",
sometimes called the Redeemer. Exoterically this Tarot
Key is said to signify: "Enforced and not voluntary
suffering"; while Esoterically it means "Self-
sacrifice", but not as usually understood.
ATUM or ADAM, as the first purely Human type or
Soul, is said to have been Two-sexed until he became as
Adam and Eve. Tiphereth is the True Son but the false
Father.
When the representative Son at this stage became
mistaken for the Father, many women followed Him,
seeking redemption. Thus an embarrassing situation of
"enforced and not voluntary suffering" might be
supposed to have arisen. The only reasonable course of
action would be a concealment of the facts and a
teaching which might be inferred to imply "Chastity",
Celibacy, and other doctrines of repression. This is
merely the exoteric view, but it accounts for the
mistaken zeal of some who failed to understand the true
teaching.
The Physical Sun is just as impotent to fertilize
the whole Universe, although He may be entirely capable
of attending to His own Solar System. He is all right
in His place in the Order of the Universe; only when we
misunderstand that place, do we fall into error.
The same trouble might arise in the case of a man
who preached a doctrine of promiscuous sexual
intercourse to a following of women; even were he a
regular Lion he would be unable to supply the needs of
an unlimited number and therefore be liable to attempt
to retract his teaching.
The above instances could only arise on account of
the lack of a true interpretation of the Words of the
Justified One, Osiris arisen from Ammenti. Destruction
is essential or there can be no renewal, and IU the
twin-sexed supplies the answer if interpreted by means
of "The Hierophant" whose Path crosses that of "The
Hanged Man" and shows a reciprocal current between the
Spheres of Venus and Mercury.
We have noticed how the twin-serpents "crossed
over" below Tiphereth, and have studied the Symbolism
rather fully. Having separated they must again re-unite
in Yesod -- The Foundation -- and continue as One to
Malkuth by the Path of Aleph, the Pure Fool.
We may now consider Malkuth, the Fallen Daughter,
who, according to the Qabalah, in order to be redeemed
must Unite with the Son, be raised to the Throne of the
Mother, re-awaken the Father so that all things are re-
absorbed into the Crown.
This process has been much misunderstood, it has
bee thought to imply a return to the Crown. The Mystics
have all wanted to be re-absorbed into the Absolute.
The Magicians, on the other hand, have tended to keep
going ON, and to attempt to usurp the Throne of God,
which rightfully belongs to the Mother.
Both met with a terrible Abyss, while working on
the old methods.
The Magician traveled up the "Tree" till he came
to Chesed as an Exempt Adept who had built up a
wonderful system of knowledge, only to find the whole
structure must be broken in pieces in the Abyss, if he
hoped to Attain to true Understanding and Wisdom. Few
passed this Ordeal.
The Mystics, on the other hand, being of the
negative type, opened their minds and souls to the
"light" and often mistook false lights for the True
One. Having a very limited basis of experience as a
foundation of their Pyramid, the Apex was
proportionately low, and the Light they saw at that
point, they attributed to their own pet divinity as
their savior and redeemer. The Dawning of Solar
Consciousness (Dhyana) tended to come as such a shock
that most of these Mystics lost their balance for a
time, if not for the remainder of their incarnation. If
they went further, they were literally flooded with the
Dark Forces of the Abyss. Some of these truly saw the
Devil, and believed in him, and preached his existence
to their followers. They certainly never say God.
Many of these people lived a very holy and chaste
life, according to the standards of their time, before
reaching this stage. Afterwards, the ignorant believed
in them as men of good reputation, and were even
content to "believe" without further desire for actual
experience.
So we find a line of "Theorists" arose, under the
guidance of "Partly Disillusioned" people who feared to
go further and so taught a doctrine of Fear which is
the forerunner of Failure, a doctrine of implicit
belief in the leader of the movement, amounting in some
cases to a "blind faith" in Substitutes, Reflections,
Vicarious Atonement, and anything else but the
necessity of working out their own Salvation. Yet there
is an element of truth even in such apparently absurd
notions as Vicarious Atonement; just as we found an
element of truth in the doctrine of the Devil. Every
man and every woman who Attains, make it just that much
easier for the rest of Humanity to reach perfection.
The whole Race must eventually Attain, for it is bound
together by the closest ties, so that the process
cannot be finally complete in the individual until the
Last has become as the First in the Kingdom of Heaven
upon Earth.
We seem far from that issue, but the Way is now
OPEN, as before it was Closed, for Horus the Opener has
taken his Seat in the East at the Equinox of the Gods.
But, to return to Earth, or Malkuth, as the Fallen
Daughter. The true teaching, as I see it, is this.
Malkuth, the Sphere of the Elements, or Matter, has
been mistaken for the Planet Earth in place of _All the
Material Substance of the Universe in manifested form_.
Matter, as we should know, is _continuous_.
The Sun is the God of this world, its Physical
Father, and as such he is worthy of our utmost respect
and reverence. We do well to salute and recognize Him
as Ra in the four Quarters. We "see" Him in the Rising,
the Midday, and the Setting Sun; we "believe" in Him as
the Sun of Midnight, our "heads" tell us that He is
Osiris of the Underworld.
These are the old doctrines of the "Eye" and the
"Head" transmitted to our subconscious minds from the
Paths of "Ayin" and "Resh". "Seeing is believing", is a
saying that held sway until the Scientists showed us we
could not believe in the testimony of our senses. But
the whole doctrine of the Birth, Death and Resurrection
of the Sun or Son, was based on this dogma.
Also, just as of old the Sut-Typhonians tradition
became despised, so Woman has been despised and held
down by Man, by the son who had usurped the place of
the Father. In this Man is truly a beast, and it
required a Greater Beast, a practical living example,
to show him his error, folly and wrong-doing. But man
misunderstands and fears the Beast, who after all
offers him the Secret of the Solar Pathway to the
Stars. Why does he fear? The old Dark Tradition in his
subconscious mind, holds him back. He fears to enter
the Darkness of Night, lest he lose what little light
he has therein. But this is the result of his limited
earth-bound conception, which is quite un-scientific
and gross.
If we truly believe in Osiris (or Christ) why
should we fear to descend with Him into the Underworld?
Jesus is said to have done so, before he rose again in
Spirit to His Father in Heaven, thus uniting His True
Self with the Invisible Central Star of the Universe.
Day and Night only exist for us on this Planet;
the Sun does not travel round the Earth for our
convenience. We, on this Planet, travel round the Sun,
revolving as we go. Thus his Light only reaches certain
parts of the Earth at any one time, and the rest of the
Planet is in darkness. The Sun is always Shining, and
if we come to consider things from the point of view of
the Sun, we shall begin to shine too.
But the Sun, although Father of this Planet, is
but the Son of the Great Mother, the Star Universe.
Where then is the True Father? This is the question
that puzzled the old Sut-Typhonians in the earliest
times. The difficulty arose through the original
Illusions of Time and Space, which have kept the World
in ignorance since the last Golden Age. The Universe is
Infinite in the Here, but men have tried to
circumscribe it. The Infinite is ever present in the
Now, but Men have looked backwards and forwards as if
time were a line. There are Two Infinites, or
conceptions of the Infinite, the Infinitely Great and
the Infinitely Small. The extent of the One escapes us,
the Present Moment of Pure Being escapes us. The
Infinitely Great, is Nuit, Continuous Matter, Mother of
the Stars. The Infinitely Small and un-extended point,
is Hadit, the Inmost Essential Self of All, the Flame
that burns in every heart of man and in the core of
every Star. Both these are invisible to our Senses and
Minds.
Since these are the Infinite, the Center is
Everywhere and the Circumference Nowhere. Every point
in Space is equally the Center of the Whole, there
being no Limit. The True Father is Invisible, but the
Center of all. Men called him "Father Time" but he is
Father "Now." The Now became extended as the Serpent of
Time, Saturn, who tempted Eve, Matter, and caused the
Fall but Now is the accepted Time, Now is the Day of
Salvation. The Illusion of Space, on the other hand,
made it difficult to imagine or find the Center; study
the Stars as we would. Imagining a possible Limit, men
failed to perceive how that Center could be everywhere
present at the same moment of Time.
The Long Lost Father, Hadit, is the true Life of
All, and the Eternal Energy of All. Matter and Energy
can never be separated, one always merges into the
other in a continuous and continual Marriage Union. The
Universe, as we know it, or may come to know it through
Spiritual Perception, is the Result of that Union, the
Crowned Child in the fullest sense.
Men and women of this Planet may think of the
Secret Father as the Sun, till they draw that Sun
within the Heart, and look at things from His
viewpoint. This is the Balanced and Harmonious
conception of the Great Beast which is MAN. Then we
realize that the whole Solar System revolves around Its
Central Sun, and so on to Infinity. There is No Limit
to the Expansion of Consciousness in the Here and Now,
for Hadit, the true Father is Now in each one of us,
veiled by the Light of the Sun of our being, His
Manifest Son of Light. Truly the Kingdom of Heaven is
within us, it will never be found outside amid the
illusions of space and time. Those who have sought the
Kingdom of Heaven within, have rejoiced therein; but
that is an experience each must Attain for himself by
Work. Let us then return to the general discussion of
the subject.
We have said that Malkuth was mistaken for the
Planet Earth, which she only is in a narrow sense. If
united with the Son, or Sun, she begins to view the
universe from His standpoint. Around her revolve the
planets of the Solar System, of which Earth is one of
the smallest. But it is said she must be raised to the
Throne of the Mother from which she fell. She must be
understood as the Original Substance, or pre-elemental
matter. Also her throne is the Sphere of Saturn, the
outermost of the (then known) planets. On reaching
Solar Consciousness she must not imagine that she has
arrived at the Goal. This is the mistake made by those
who are obsessed by the results of Dhyana, the earliest
Illumination. She must _expand_ to the Rim of the
Wheel, the Orbit of Saturn. She will gaze at the Great
Zodiac, the Star Universe in Chokmah. She will seek to
absorb this as the Father, her True Mate, and in so
doing will Expand to Infinity as Nuit, The Ain, finding
Kether, the True Father of Her Being, or Hadit, at Her
Center, made Visible by the Extended Light of the Ain
Soph Aur, which is Ra-Hoor-Khuit, the Lord of the Aeon.
Having been assumed unto Heaven her effort will be to
Contract upon the Center, and to Bring forth the Child.
But she is Virgin, and the child is not born but "Ever
Coming." The Force and Fire of the Universe ever
Expands within Her. Thus we may conceive of the Two
Infinites multiplied in the Crowned Child.
All these Mysteries may be discerned Spiritually
by the Children of Earth who have within them the Light
of the Crown. Man, the Microcosm, the Little Universe,
is like unto God the Macrocosm. This is the great
Mystery. The Soul, Malkuth, is capable of taking into
itself, Spiritually, all that is in the Macrocosm,
until able to think the One Thought of God, which is
the Universe itself.
The Animal Soul is that which perceives and feels,
without it we may not perceive or feel the Joys of the
Universe. Despised as the Fallen Daughter, it is our
greatest Treasure, for it is The Kingdom of Heaven upon
Earth. We may now understand the Mystery of Revelation,
of the Woman Clothed with the Sun, becoming great with
Child. How the Beast, tried to Devour the Child, and
stop further progress, in order that he might continue
to be Worshipped as the Lord of Heaven. How the Woman
escaped into Egypt, or expanded to the limits of the
Mother of Sut, the Orbit of Saturn and so on till the
True Child was brought to Light within Her and the
light of the Sun and Moon were no longer needed, for
there was the Crowned Child in the Midst of the Holy
City.
So we may learn, through the expansion of our
consciousness to the conception of Babalon and the
Beast, to pass ON to the Greater Conception of Nuit and
Hadit, and obtain our heritage of Cosmic Consciousness,
as the Crowned Children of the New Aeon. This was
prophesied by the Beast Himself, who made it his life
work to teach; "First obtain the Knowledge and
Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, the Higher
Self, in Tiphereth the Kingdom of God in the Heart, and
all things shall be added unto you."
Is it not written in the Qabalah: "Kether is in
Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether, but after another
manner"? This statement has been misunderstood owing to
the limitations of our minds. Malkuth is NUIT, and
Kether is HADIT, and when united RA-HOOR-KHUIT, their
Son is in Tiphereth. Also Nuit has said "My number is
Eleven, as are all their numbers who are of us." Kether
is 1, Malkuth is 10, together Eleven, which is the Lost
Sphere of DAATH, the Child of Chokmah and Binah. This
is the Mystery of the Path of Aquarius, The Star, the
Eleventh Sign of the Zodiac, brought to Earth at the
Eleventh Hour, before Time had swallowed the Last of
His Children, which shall be as The First in the
Kingdom of the Here and Now.
Chapter VI
Further Light on the Tree of Life
We should now try to understand the Mystery of
"The Tree of Life which is one with the Tree of
Knowledge." It is written: "The letter killeth and the
Spirit giveth life."
The Structure of the Tree of Life as represented
in our diagram is evidently a Divinely given Plan of
the Multi-dimensional Sphere of the Universe, in Two-
Dimensions. When we examine it superficially it means
little or nothing; gradually, as we absorb the Divine
Ideas reflected through its medium, our minds take on
the Image and Likeness of God, and we are enabled to
comprehend all in Spherical form.
The Qabalah teaches us to think of a greater and
greater number of things, in the light of fewer and
fewer Ultimate Ideas, as has been shown in the chapter
on "The Essence of the Practical Qabalah." The highest
Reason which is in God and which is God, is absolutely
One. God knows all things by One Idea, which is
identical with His Being.
The limitations of Time and Circumstance obsess
us, and we are at first unable to grasp the Divine
Plan. Tradition is the result of the Thought of
Humanity in the "past" focused in the Present, the Here
and Now. So it is in regard to what we term the
"future." The Plan of the Tree of Life gives us an idea
of the Unchanging Basis of the Here and Now, in time
and space.
The Reformulation of the Paths has made this
clear; we have seen how the past leads to the Present,
and glimpsed a Vision of the Great Light of the
Beginning, which will Dawn on Humanity in the "future."
Those who are able to comprehend may obtain this Reward
Now. Nuit has said: "I give unimaginable joys on earth,
certainty, not faith, while in life upon death, peace
unalterable, rest, ecstasy, nor do I demand aught in
sacrifice." Or as Christ said to one of the two thieves
(Time and Space), "This Day shalt thou be with me in
Paradise"; and on another occasion; "Now is the
Accepted Time, Now is the Day of Salvation."
Let us examine the Tree of Life again in order
that we may further grasp its mystery, and how it comes
about that the New Aeon is possible in Human
Consciousness. We must use the language of time and
space, but we shall be informed of the Spirit if our
minds are open to the Truth.
Horus, the Ever-Coming Son, is said to have
appeared under many forms, as the Great Cycle of the
Precession of the Equinoxes progressed. The Complete
Cycle is said to be 25868 years; though in more ancient
reckoning it was 26000 years, when the year was taken
to represent 360 days. 2155 Years represents one Sign
on the Grand Zodiac, and every 2155 years Horus appears
in a new guise. About 11,030 B.C. He would have
appeared in the Sign of Leo, as the Lion God. If we
examine the position of this Path on the Tree, we find
it unites Tiphereth and Netzach. It is my opinion that
the consciousness of Humanity during that period would
be particularly influenced by that Path, and that the
flower of the race could not have held conceptions
above Tiphereth. They may have obtained a glimpse of
the Sun as Ruler of the Elements. About 8875 B.C.,
Horus would be manifest through Cancer, as the Beetle,
and the summit of Human consciousness would be lowered.
Thus the age would seem one of retrogression, until
Horus, dipping down into Yesod, re-ascended under the
Moon's Influence thus entering Gemini. This seems
indicated in the Tarot Trump "The Moon" where we notice
the Beetle coming up from the Pool beneath the Moon.
About 6720 B.C. He entered Gemini and appeared as one
of the Twins. Consciousness would balance that of the
Leo period, and tend to ascend to Tiphereth. In 4565
B.C. Horus entered Taurus, appearing as a Calf. Moses
seemed to consider the worship of the Calf a
retrogression, and we see that the Path of Taurus is
again below Tiphereth. In 2410 B.C. we find Him
appearing in Aries, as the Lamb. This represented a
distinct rise in the Race Consciousness, which however
took on the Strong but Severe aspect of Geburah. This
period was a Natural One, for the Constellation Aries,
would coincide with the Sign of Aries in the Earth's
Aura or Elliptic. This conflicting Time Cycles would be
reconciled. Then, in 255 B.C. we find him as the Fish,
the Path balancing that of Aries, and having the
Influence of Mercy predominating. Thus it was till 1900
A.D. when He appeared to enter Aquarius. But what a
startling change. Suddenly we find Him on a Path
uniting the Supernals of Wisdom and Understanding, and
Their direct Influence made possible in the Minds of
the Race. Not since the previous Golden Age 25000 years
ago had the Influence of this Path been felt. No wonder
men looked to the Sun as the Father, and even in the
Pisces period only understood the lower Aspect of
Jupiter. Once again in this Aeon we are able to
recognize the Great Mother of the Stars, and to
discover the Secret of the Lost Father.
There is also a Trinitarian Cycle of Father,
Mother, Child, running parallel, so to speak, with this
Tradition of the Evercoming Horus. It is the Natural
Formula of Isis, Osiris, Horus, and is of Solar Origin.
From 2419 B.C. to 255 B.C. Isis the Mother was said to
be the Predominant Aspect of the Trinity. Hers was the
Office of Nature, She presided over the Natural opening
of the Great and Little Years which both coincided.
Then Osiris, Dead and Re-Arisen, was the predominant
object of Worship till 1900 A.D., and self-sacrifice
and Renunciation were the principal exoteric formulae.
In this present Cycle Horus is doubly pre-dominant, so
we see Him in his Dual Nature as Horus-Harpocrates.
It is also interesting to note the character of
Horus as Apophis the Avenger. The Isis, Osiris, Horus
arrangement is quite the natural one for the course of
events. Isis (The Moon) having taken the place of the
Great Mother Nuit. But what of the Formula IAO, as
Isis, Apophis, Osiris? If we make a list of several
repetitions of the series thus:
Isis
Osiris
Horus
Isis
Osiris
Horus
Isis etc.
and trace them back, we find the order Isis, Horus,
Osiris, etc.; or Isis, Apophis, Osiris. Horus appears
as the avenger Apophis to those who try to GO BACK, or
retrogress. He has to destroy them in order that they
may be renewed. But as long as we go forward, we travel
with the Ever Coming Son, who is after all our Destiny,
since He is within each of us as the True Urge of our
Being. This, then, is the secret of the Way of the TAO;
step boldly out on the Path of Destiny, having aligned
the personal with the Divine Will, and thus prepared
oneselves for the acceptance of that Destiny. Keep
ahead of the urge from behind, and it will not fret us.
Then we become Free, Goers, Doing the Will of God
upon Earth, Ever-Coming Sons of God.
But if we attempt to lag behind to carry out some
personal whims and wishes, Destiny catches up with us
and forces us on. To those who willfully turn back and
seek to avoid cooperating with the Divine Plan, Horus
is the Great Avenger. Has he not said "I am a God of
War and of Vengeance. I will deal hardly with them."
Thus at his Coming in 1904 he found the Race in a state
of definite retrogression. "Civilization" met him as he
advanced in triumph, and millions fell, without
understanding what was happening. He still drives ahead
in His Chariot, and millions more will feel his Force
and Fire, until the Race recognizes that it must right
about face, and cheer the Conquering Hero on. Then we
shall have Peace and Rejoicing, and the Stern Warrior
will seem as the Gentlest Child.
Chapter VII
The Law of Thelema
To some, this book will come in the nature of a
challenge, to others as the fulfillment of the Covenant
symbolized by the Rainbow of Hope. Some will understand
readily, some will desire to understand and seek
further enlightenment, others will partly understand
and try to forget what they have read, some may
definitely disagree. But one thing is certain "The sin
which is unpardonable is knowingly and willfully to
reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge
pander not to thy prejudices."
I have tried to avoid the unpardonable sin by
keeping an open mind for all that seemed to express an
aspect of truth, even where I failed to understand the
full significance of the teaching.
Take, for instance, the statement of the Master
Therion "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the
Law," which has been much misunderstood by some people.
When I first heard this statement, many years ago, it
shocked and surprised me; it did not seem possible that
such a doctrine could be of universal application. But
I did not reject it on that account.
When I read the "Message of the Master Therion," I
found it clearly stated and explained that "Do what
thou wilt" does not mean "Do what you like." What then
does it mean? That I have tried to discover, by means
of experiment, and I have found, as stated by Therion,
that far from leading to "license" it becomes the
"strictest possible bond."
One can hardly fail to realize that we have been
living in an age of "restriction" which has led to most
direful results. But the solution of the difficulty is
evidently not to be found in a mad breaking away from
all authority and order, a running wild with cries of
"freedom" and "liberty" only to find ourselves more
enslaved than before. What then is the solution of the
difficulty? I will endeavor to tell you how this
teaching has worked out in practice in my life and
consciousness.
I considered the matter seriously and said "If do
what thou wilt shall be the _whole_ of the Law" it
evidently applies to all mankind. In that case my own
personal will is but a little part of the will of
Humanity, and in doing it I must learn first of all to
consider other people's wills more than anything else.
If all the people come to do their wills, what is left
to be done must be my will, and my course become clear.
Therefore let me learn to mind my own business, cease
to make any attempt to interfere with the will of
another, and see what results.
I found, as soon as I was less anxious to tell
everyone else just what, in my opinion, they should do,
I gained many true and devoted friends, who have never
since deserted me, except through the change called
death. People seemed to feel that I had no personal axe
to grind, and gave me their brotherly and sisterly
confidence. I, at the same time, found there was a
great deal it was my will to do, which no one else
seemed interest in undertaking, so that I continued
very happily doing what I felt to be right, without
coming into serious conflict with anyone. I did not
feel that my will was in opposition to the laws of the
Country, or the City, and so these in no way restricted
me in a personal sense. I began to feel this was one of
the chief rules of life, a good common-sense business
proposition. It seemed so plain that I almost wondered
why people had not adopted it before. Then I began to
notice its effects on others who were also endeavoring
to live it. In some cases their interpretation at first
seemed to be "Do your will regardless of the other
fellow," but they very soon found this did not work at
all in their dealings with me, at any rate. If such
came along and made a rough demand, or a stupid
statement of what he would, or would not do to me, I
simply said "Go ahead and do it but don't expect me to
help you." The result was in every instance, since
there was no opposition and I didn't really care one
bit, that his ardor cooled and he changed his mind;
some better way having occurred to him at once.
Opposition and resistance in such cases would have been
just the same as helping the other person to fulfill
what was quite evidently a hasty choice of action, and
had I followed that course, I should not alone have
done something I did not feel to be right, but have
aided him to do something he would afterwards have
found to be wrong, and we might both have bitterly
regretted the transaction.
I began to realize that the True Will of Humanity
as a Whole was the same as the Will of God for Humanity
at this particular stage of their development.
Therefore by trying to help Humanity as a Whole,
without distinction, as far as in me lay, I could learn
to do the Will of God, or the True Will. I found this
entirely satisfied my "personal will" for I realized
that I was living for a greater purpose than I could
personally formulate as a plan of action by means of
the little "will." Herein then lay the secret of "Do
what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," it was a
divinely sent promise to encourage Humanity in its Hour
of Darkness.
The more I endeavored to live up to this Law, the
easier I found it became. It is very nearly the same as
the Law of least resistance, for one takes advantage of
the Inertia of the Universe.
There could be no turning aside, it became a
Conscious and Free fulfillment of Destiny, a co-
operation in the plan of the Great Architect. This Plan
became clearer and clearer. Problems that had perplexed
me for years, gradually solved themselves, without
effort on my part. Things I had tried hard to do, by
means of the personal will alone, became easy. I
obtained all the personal pleasure of the fulfillment,
without the effort to attain them. I learned to tackle
each problem at the time it arose, and to clear it up
while it was small. My "duty" became plain, and it was
my Will to do it while I had the opportunity. I found I
had just enough work to do properly, without time to
spare to do anything for others they could better do
for themselves; but there was always enough time to
help another on a point I could obviously clear up, and
on which he really needed my help.
I began to notice calls on my attention from
"outside" and to give them prior consideration. That is
to say, if something "came to me to do" I tried to do
it with my might; but I curbed, as far as possible the
tendency to "look for trouble" that would not otherwise
come my way. Thus I am finding "Do what thou wilt" is
helping me to find _my particular place_ in the scheme
of things. I am beginning to like all I do, which is
much more satisfactory that trying to "do what I like."
This book is one of the results of my course of
action. I spent many years as an Accountant, which work
I did without it being particularly congenial to me. I
found it became possible for me to make a living in
more congenial ways, so that I became happier, if not
so well off financially, than I had been. At the same
time I feel that the result of my researches, which
have given me great pleasure and keen enjoyment, may be
of real service to those whose work does not permit
them to apply the same amount of time to preparation
and study that I have been able to devote to it. More
of my brothers and sisters may therefore profit by my
work, than would have been the case had I continued
with my profession as an accountant.
In the light of this book, in which, I hope,
shines a glimmering of the Universal Tradition, the
statement "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the
Law" will be even plainer to humanity. It is literally
the TOUCHSTONE of our lives. This one thing which makes
Man more than animal is the power of will or choices of
action; the power of Intelligent Purpose. The Black
Tradition interpreted this power wrongly, and thought
by "personal will" to usurp the Power of God. God was
Invisible to them, they could see no reason why they
should not do anything they liked, regardless of the
other fellow, so long as they had the power or the
money to carry out their ambition. The White
Brotherhood, while receiving the Will of God, allowed
their Interpretation of that Will to become so narrow,
that they felt themselves alone to be Right and all
others Wrong. Such are the reformers, however well-
meaning. But the Universe is the Perfect Work of a
Perfect Being. If we see wrong in it, it is owning to
our own limited outlook.
THELEMA, or "Do what thou wilt," is a TOUCHSTONE
in this respect. If we accept it and interpret it to
mean the doing of the "personal will" only, we find
Destiny steps in and stops us. If we still persist,
willfully going against the Divine Will, against what
is for the Good of Humanity as a Whole, against the
Natural Urge of Evolution; trying to interfere with the
will of others, and to usurp the Divine Right of every
man and every woman to be THEMSELVES; we meet Horus the
Avenger, and are deservedly smashed out of all
recognition, ready to be made over again some other
time when Nature has nothing better to do.
If we grudgingly submit to Fate and allow
ourselves to be slowly pushed along by the Evolutionary
process, we cannot expect much comfort or success. We
are practically slaves, little better than animals.
If, on the other hand, we accept Divine Law,
search our Hearts in the effort at all times to
discover the Will of God within us, and to put our
personal will in line with the Divine; we shall become
Men and Women with a True Purpose. We shall step on the
Road of Destiny, which is one with Free-will so long as
it be God's Will, with a certainty and Courage which
will be a living example and help to all around us. We
cannot teach better than by example. Let us then seek
constantly to do the Will of God which is our own True
will, and we shall soon realize "There is no law
beyond: Do what thou wilt!"
Chapter VIII
The Tradition of the Golden Age
A great deal more might be said on this subject,
in fact it is truly inexhaustible, for fresh Light is
Ever Coming.
There are one or two points which seem of
particular interest and importance, and these I should
Like to mention in the present treatise, so as to make
is as complete and comprehensive as possible, as far as
it goes.
I feel I have submitted fairly substantial
evidence in justification of the Reformulation of the
Order of the Paths, but I may point to some other
interesting facts.
Firstly, the Path from Malkuth to Yesod is Aleph.
Above Yesod and below Tiphereth we find the Paths of
Vau and Mem, forming a Cross. These together are AUM,
the word whereby we may prolong Dhyana, etc. But since
M, the last letter is a closed sound and represents
Death, we have been using the Word AUMN for some time,
as this prolongs the Breath through the nasal sound of
N, thus showing that Death may be overcome. We find the
Path of Nun, N, or "Death" immediately above Tiphereth;
so by this means we may be said to pass ON. This
formula brings us directly in contact with the Channel
of the Holy Spirit, or Shin.
I may say a new Ritual was revealed to us early
this Year. I do not intend to describe it on account of
its great Power. It might be a hindrance rather than a
help to those unprepared for it. All I shall say is,
that what we may term the 1923 Qabalistic Cross has the
effect of Enlightening the Subconscious Mind by means
of Wisdom and Understanding, thus enabling us, while on
Earth, to ascend through the Power of the Breath,
overcoming Water and Fire in the Light of the Spirit.
Those who are ready will understand without further
explanation. The Ascending Sign is that of Apophis as
the Triple Flame.
While mentioning formulae we might also point out
an exact correspondence to that of the Ritual of
Mercury as indicated in the present arrangement of
Paths. Taht, or Mercury, assisted Horus, be it
remembered, in his struggle against the Powers of the
Waters, by means of his Knowledge of the luni-solar
reckonings. The Ritual states "The Sun is thy Father,
thy Mother the Moon, the Wind hath borne thee in its
bosom, and Earth hath ever nourished the changeless
Godhead of thy Youth." In other words: The Sun
(Tiphereth) is thy Father; thy Mother (Mem) the Moon
(Yesod); the Wind (Aleph) hath borne thee in its bosom;
and Earth (Malkuth) hath ever nourished the Changeless
Godhead (Hadit) of the Youth (IU).
Now let us discuss a slightly different aspect.
The Root of the word Qabalah is QBL, meaning "to
receive." The Numeration of QBL is 132 which suggests
the Supernal Triad. The word Qabalah is in Hebrew QBLH.
The Final He suggests the Daughter, Malkuth. Kether,
Chokmah, Binah, are the Sephirotic Roots of the
Elements Air, Fire, and Water. Malkuth alone is
attributed to Earth which is a compound of the other
three. Therefore QBLH implies that Malkuth is "To
Receive" the "Roots" of the Primordial Elements
directly from the Supernals, and is composed thereof.
It has been shown how the Path of "The Magician"
is directly representative of the Will and Wisdom of
the Father in Chokmah, or of Yod of Tetragrammaton.
Also how the Path of "The Empress" is directly
representative of the Understanding of the Great Mother
Binah, or of the He of IHVH. Again how the Path of "The
Fool" transmits the Power of Vau, the Son, and of the
Spirit or Shin. We find all these within the Daughter
or final He, which becomes one with IHShVH, which, as
326, has also been shown to be the numeration of
PARChVAL the earliest spelling of the Fool which is
Aleph, the One who is in All. 326 is also indicated in
the Descending Triad of Binah, Chokmah, Tiphereth;
symbolizing that Tiphereth is also within Malkuth in
the Complete Sphere, of which Malkuth or Nuit is the
Infinite Circumference, Kether the Invisible and
Infinitely Small Center, or Hadit; while Tiphereth, as
Ra-Hoor-Khuit, is the Finite Universe, capable of being
absorbed into the Heart or Soul of Man, half-way, so to
speak, between the Infinites. The Sphere of the Moon,
Yesod, is the Subconscious Mind of Humanity which
absorbs the Solar Seed of Truth, and reflects it to the
Individual Soul.
This can be shown in another manner. If we take
Malkuth as the Planet Earth, the Air (Aleph) circles
round it. Then comes the Orbit of the Moon. We may
imagine Yesod circling round Malkuth with her
reflecting surface always toward it. This orbit of the
Moon may be fittingly taken for the Aura of the Earth,
capable of receiving every impression and transmitting
it to the Subconscious.
Malkuth and its Moon travel round the Sun,
Tiphereth, and the elliptic is the Aura of the Earth in
a larger sense; since the Signs of the Zodiac retain a
fixed relation to the Earth as imaginary divisions of
this elliptic, even though the actual constellations
have changed their positions owing to the precession of
the Equinoxes. This causes the actual Constellation to
extend its influence through a different Sign. For
instance, at present (since 1900), the Constellation of
Aquarius exerts its influence upon the Sun, through the
Sign of Aries, and this influence is transmitted to the
Earth.
This Orbit of the Earth, is however a part of the
Aura of the Sun, which may be said to extend to the
Orbit of Saturn. (More properly Neptune in the light of
modern discovery.)
Between the Earth and the Sun, as we look to Him
as a Center, revolve the Planets Mercury and Venus. If,
therefore, we Worshipped the Sun as our main objective,
we should find ourselves traveling to a false Center.
So we must turn our backs to the Sun, looking at things
from His point of view, while still on the Earth, and
around us will appear the Orbits of Mars, then Jupiter
and then of Saturn, outside which are the
Constellations of the Zodiac, and so on. From this
symbolical viewpoint we may begin to absorb all these
within us, as before stated in a slightly different
way.
Now the Sun is ever the Son of the Star Mother,
but as Father of Earth He transmits the prevailing
influence of the Starts to the Earth through the medium
of the Moon's orbit. If, from Earth, we look up at the
Sun at the Vernal Equinox, which opens the Year, we
should see him with the first Degrees of the
Constellation Aquarius as a background. The Sun's Aura
is particularly affected by the Influence of this
Constellation, during the 2155 Years it appears back of
the Zodiacal Sign of Aries in the Earth elliptic. The
Life-force from the Sun is therefore charged with this
influence, and all on Earth are accordingly affected.
The Breath, or Prana, of the Sun is transmuted in the
Body of Man, and he tends to become the Type of the
Aquarian Age. This is a purely Human Sign, of the
Water-bearer who carries the Waters of Life fearlessly.
Horus has overcome the terror of the Waters, his
ancient enemy, and to him that overcometh shall be
given of the Waters of Life freely.
One could draw many parallels from the Scriptures
to show that this is the Age of Fulfillment; even the
FULL-FILLING of MAN with the Water of Life. Readers
may, however, be interested in tracing some of these
for themselves in "Revelations" and elsewhere.
We should remember, however, that Horus is the
Ever-coming Son. This is not merely His second coming,
any more than the last manifestation was His first.
At the risk of repeating myself I want to point
out once again, from the Tree of Life, what a very
important Age we have entered. In the last period, the
influence of the Path of Pisces being predominant, it
was next to impossible to rise above the Sphere of
Chesed. Jupiter was the Highest conception of the
Father known to man. It was an age of Mercy,
unbalanced, and tending to aid and abet evil, just as
the period before that was Over-severe and cruel.
Without tracing all these paths again, let me once more
say that the Path of Aquarius (if our plan is accepted
as the correct one) is the ONLY Path of a Reciprocal
nature among the Supernals, and the only Zodiacal Path
above the Abyss. Therefore the coming period of 2132
years, is the ONLY period in the Cycle of 25000 years,
when Humanity has the advantage of the True Light of
Wisdom and Understanding. At the end of this period, we
may expect another FALL, just as Lucifer Fell at one
period, and Eve at another. Then the Influence will be
in the Path of Capricorn, or "The Devil," and the Light
will decline towards Tiphereth as the principal
manifestation of God according to the "Eye" Doctrine.
We may now understand why it was that the Ancient
Brethren of the previous Golden Ages, seeing all things
clearly, and realizing the future as well as the past,
made very effort to leave PERMANENT MEMORIALS and
LANDMARKS for the guidance of Humanity who would arise
during the twilight and dark periods that must
inevitably follow HIGH NOON. Our endeavor during this
cycle should be to leave just such a permanent record,
in Living form if possible. The formation of the Twelve
Tribes as Living representations of the Signs of the
Zodiac was just such an attempt in the past. The Jews
were the IUs, representatives of the Ever-coming Son,
the Wanderer, and thus they were called the chosen
people. They were the people to which IUsaas came,
hoping to find they still had a recollection of the
Universal Tradition. But they had lost it, and did not
understand. So He had to be content with promising the
Gentiles that He would Come Again, and that next time
it would be at the Eleventh Hours, in the Sign of
Aquarius, and that the Golden Age would be renewed for
a period. "In my Father's House are many mansions," He
said, "I go to prepare a place for you." In other
words, "This limited and restricted Sign of Pisces is
which I am now appearing, leaves much to be desired."
He knew He must be misunderstood, that the IUs having
failed Him there was no chance of reviving the Lost
Tradition, that the World would have to fulfill its
destiny. He tried to explain to a few disciples, making
each of the represent one of the Signs, so as to form a
new Circle corresponding to the Tribes. Most of these
have misunderstood, as time has shown.
Now He comes as a Conqueror, not as a Slave; but
his chief weapon will be His Childlike Simplicity and
His failure to perceive anything but good in all around
him. For He knows that the Universe is the Perfect Work
of a Perfect Being, that Existence is pure Joy, that
the sorrows are but shadows, they pass and are done,
but there is that which remains.
Now, in conclusion, let us say a few words in
regard to Hermes, He who has given us His Book, the
Tarot, as a true token of remembrance, of Whom we have
one indisputably authentic record in the famous Emerald
Tablet; all that is left of the Wisdom of Hermetic
Philosophy of Ancient Egypt. Hermes prophesied that
Egypt would fall, and so She did. He say there would
come an end to the Golden Age in which He lived.
What says the Emerald Tablet. "True, without
error, certain and most true; that which is above is as
that which is below, and that which is below is as that
which is above, for the performing of the miracle of
the One Thing (or One Substance); and as all things
were from one, by the mediation of one, so all things
arose from this one thing by adaptation; the father of
it is the Sun, the mother of it is the Moon; the wind
carries it in its belly; the nurse thereof is the
Earth. This is the father of all perfection, or
consummation of the whole world. The power of it is
integral, if it be turned into earth. Thou shalt
separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the
gross, gently with much sagacity; it ascends from the
earth to heaven, and again descends to earth; and
receives the strength of the superiors and of the
inferiors -- so thou hast the glory of the whole world;
therefore let all obscurity flee before thee. This is
the strong fortitude of all fortitudes, overcoming
every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. So the
world was created. Hence were all wonderful adaptations
of which this is the manner. Therefore am I called
Thrice Great Hermes, having the Three Parts of the
philosophy of the whole world. That which I have
written is consummated concerning the operation of the
Sun."
May Hermes, Thrice Greatest, guide the earnest
seeker in his study of this book. May He enlighten the
minds of those who study the Emerald Tablet, comparing
it with the teaching herein set forth, the Keys of the
Tarot, and the Reformulation of the Paths. It is enough
if I add that the Three Parts of the philosophy of the
whole world, the Three Supernals, now directly exert
their Influence upon the Earth, through the Channels of
Wisdom, Love and Power, and that in very Truth "That
which is above is as that which is below, and that
which is below is as that which is above, for the
performing of the miracle of the One Thing" which One
Thing is the One Thought of the Supreme and Concealed
Father, as Manifested in the Ever-Coming Son.
IU
The Student will find a folding plate at the end of this volume, which should be opened out and
used for reference while studying this and the ensuing chapters. All correspondences should be
carefully traced while reading, if the best results are expected.
I knew a similar case in recent years. The man was a weakling sexually and preached a
doctrine of repression to his regular followers, while paying attention to one or two. All went
well till the other women followers, who had repressed themselves to the point of serious
neurosis, found him out, and he had to leave that part of the world.