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  #141  
Old 14-02-2021, 12:24 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 80: Path between Tiphareth and Geburah in Briah

In the Thoth tarot cards VIII and XI have different Names and the places of there has been changed in the Tree.

“It is impossible to drop a pin without exciting a corresponding reaction in every Star.”

Path between Raphael and Samael

Color of the path: Blue

Letter: Lamed

VIII – Adjustement:
“This card in the old pack was called Justice. This word has none but a purely human and therefore relative sense; so it is not to be considered as one of the facts of Nature. Nature is not just, according to any theological or ethical idea; but Nature is exact.

This card represents the sign of Libra, ruled by Venus; in it Saturn is exalted. The equilibrium of all things is hereby symbolized. It is the final adjustment in the formula of Tetragrammaton, when the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, is thereby set up on the throne of the mother; thus, finally, she "awakens the Eld of the All-Father."

In the greatest symbolism of all, however, the symbolism beyond all planetary and Zodiacal considerations, this card is the feminine complement of the Fool, for the letters Aleph Lamed constitute the secret key of the Book of the Law, and this is the basis of a complete qabalistic system of greater depth and sublimity than any other. The details of this system have not yet been revealed. It has been thought right, nevertheless, to hint at its existence by equating the designs of these two cards. Not only therefore, because Libra is a sign of Venus, but because she is the partner of the Fool, is the Goddess represented as dancing, with the suggestion of Harlequin.
The figure is that of a young and slender woman poised exactly upon toe tip. She is crowned with the ostrich plumes of Maat, the Egyptian goddess of Justice, and on her forehead is the Uraeus serpent, Lord of Life and Death. She is masked, and her expression shows her secret intimate satisfaction in her domination of every element of dis-equilibrium in the Universe. This condition is symbolized by the Magic Sword which she holds in both hands, and the balances or spheres in which she weighs the Universe, Alpha the First balanced exactly against Omega the Last. These are the Judex and Testes of Final Judgment; the Testes, in particular, are symbolic of the secret course of judgment whereby all current experience is absorbed, transmuted, and ultimately passed on, by virtue of the operation of the Sword, to further manifestation. This all takes place within the diamond formed by the figure which is the concealed Vesica Piscis through which this sublimated and adjusted experience passes to its next manifestation.

She poises herself before a throne composed of spheres and pyramids (four in number, signifying Law and Limitation) which themselves maintain the same equity that she herself manifests, though on a completely impersonal plane, in the framework within which all operations take place. Outside this again, at the corner of the card, are indicated balanced spheres of light and darkness, and constantly equilibrated rays from these spheres form a curtain, the interplay of all those forces which she sums up and adjudicates.

One must go more deeply into philosophy; the Trump represents The Woman Satisfied. Equilibrium stands apart from any individual prejudices; therefore the title, in France, should rather be Justesse. In this sense, Nature is scrupulously just. It is impossible to drop a pin without exciting a corresponding reaction in every Star. The action has disturbed the balance of the Universe.

This woman-goddess is Harlequin; she is the partner and fulfilment of The Fool. She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many-coloured, many-wiled, of Life itself. Constantly whirling, all possibilities are enjoyed, under the phantom show of Space and Time: all things are real, the soul is the surface, precisely because they are instantly compensated by this Adjustment. All things are harmony and beauty; all things are Truth: because they cancel out.

She is the goddess Maat; she bears upon her nemyss the ostrich feathers of the Twofold Truth.
From this Crown, so delicate that the most faintest breath of thought must stir it, depend, by chains of Cause, the Scales wherein Alpha, the first, is poised in perfect equilibrium with Omega, the last. The scales of the balance are the Two Witnesses in whom shall every word be established. She is therefore to be understood as assessing the virtue of every act and demanding exact and precise satisfaction.

More than this, she is the complete formula of the Dyad; the word AL is the title of the Book of the Law, whose number is 31, the most secret of the numerical keys of that Book. She represents Manifestation, which may always be cancelled out by equilibration of opposites.
She is wrapped in a cloak of mystery, the more mysterious because diaphanous; she is the sphinx without a secret, because she is purely a matter of calculation. In Eastern philosophy she is Karma.

Her attributions develop this thesis. Venus rules the sign of the Balance; and that is to show the formula: "Love is the law, love under will". But Saturn represents above all the element of Time, without which adjustment cannot take place, for all action and re action take place in time, and therefore, time being itself merely a condition of phenomena, all phenomena are invalid because uncompensated.

The Woman Satisfied. From the cloak of the vivid wantonness of her dancing wings issue her hands; they hold the hilt of the Phallic sword of the magician. She holds the blade between her thighs.

This is again a hieroglyph of "Love is the law, love under will". Every form of energy must be directed, must be applied with integrity, to the full satisfaction of its destiny.”
(The Book of Thoth)

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  #142  
Old 21-02-2021, 12:27 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 81: Geburah in Briah and the 5 of Cups

General Symbolic of Geburah:

Geburah (force) occupies the central position on the Pillar of Severity. A destructive aspect of strength, it counterbalances the protective and conservative aspect of Chesed.

Wherever there is a form that survives its own usefulness, Geburah must intervene. "Geburah the Destroyer" is as necessary to the balance of the Tree as Chesed, who watches and protects. Inaction should not be confused with balance. In our changing world, the real stability is that of the rider on his bicycle, which results from a conglomerate of forces. Here, any immobility is synonymous with a fall.

With a swift gesture, Geburah tears the object of desire out of our hands. It is this courage and spirit of resolution that destroys any false indulgence.

Some people swear by the strength of Geburah. Others never intervene other than by being passive in the face of conflict. Everyone here is unbalanced.

Geburah in Briah: Samael

Color of the Sephirath: Scarlet Red


Jacob wrestling with Samael by Gustave Doré (1855):

‘’And Jacob was left alone: and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day… And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face…’’ (Genesis 32: 24.30)

Samael, the angel of death, is the opposite of Tsadkiel. He governs the left side of the universe, the impure side, the cosmic hell, and the legions of fallen angels.

The 5 of Cups - Disappointment:

“This card is ruled by Geburah in the suit of Water. Geburah being fiery, there is a natural antipathy. Hence arises the idea of disturbance, just when least expected, in a time of ease.

The attribution is also to Mars in Scorpio, which is his own house; and Mars is the manifestation on the lowest plane of Geburah, while Scorpio, in its worst aspect, suggests the putrefying power of Water. Yet the powerful male influences do not show actual decay, only the beginning of destruction; hence, the anticipated pleasure is frustrated. The Lotuses have their petals torn by fiery winds; the sea is arid and stagnant, a dead sea, like a "chott" in North Africa. No water flows into the cups.

Moreover, these cups are arranged in the form of an inverted pentagram, symbolizing the triumph of matter over spirit.

Mars in Scorpio, moreover, is the attribution of the Geomantic figure Rubeus. This is of such evil omen that certain schools of Geomancy destroy the Map, and postpone the question for two hours or more, when Rubeus appears in the Ascendant. Its meaning is to be studied in the "Handbook of Geomancy"”
(The Book of Thoth)

Picture of the card:

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  #143  
Old 28-02-2021, 01:39 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 82: Path between Netzah and Chesed in Briah

In time there is an eternal moment where the circle may become just a point and from there stop rotating.

Path between Haniel and Zadkiel

Color of the path: Blue


Letter: Kaph

X – Fortune:
“This card is attributed to the planet Jupiter, "the Greater Fortune" in astrology. It corresponds to the letter Kaph, which means the palm of the hand, in whose lines, according to another tradition, the fortune of the owner may be read. It would be narrow to think of Jupiter as good fortune; he represents the element of luck. The incalculable factor.
This card thus represents the Universe in its aspect as a continual change of state. Above, the firmament of stars. These appear distorted in shape, although they are balanced, some being brilliant and some dark. From them, through the firmament, issue lightnings; they churn it into a mass of blue and violet plumes. In the midst of all this is suspended a wheel of ten spokes, according to the number of the Sephiroth, and of the sphere of Malkuth, indicating governance of physical affairs.

On this wheel are three figures, the Sworded Sphinx, Hermanubis, and Typhon; they symbolize the three forms of energy which govern the movement of phenomena.
The nature of these qualities requires careful description. In the Hindu system are three Gunas-Sattvas, Rajas and Tamas. The word "Guna" is untranslatable. It is not quite an element, a quality, a form of energy, a phase, or a potential; all of these ideas enter into it. All the qualities that can be predicated of anything may be ascribed to one or more of these Gunas: Tamas is darkness, inertia, sloth, ignorance, death and the like; Rajas is energy, excitement, fire, brilliance, restlessness; Sattvas is calm, intelligence, lucidity and balance. They correspond to the three principal Hindu castes.

One of the most important aphorisms of Hindu philosophy is: "the Gunas revolve". This means that, according to the doctrine of continual change, nothing can remain in any phase where one of these Gunas is predominant; however dense and dull that thing may be, a time will come when it begins to stir. The end and reward of the effort is a state of lucid quietude, which, however, tends ultimately to sink into the original inertia.

The Gunas are represented in European philosophy by the three qualities, sulphur, mercury and salt, already pictured in Atu I, III and IV. But in this card the attribution is somewhat different. The Sphinx is composed of the four Kerubs, shown in Atu V, the bull, the lion, the eagle and the man. These correspond, furthermore, to the four magical virtues, to Know, to Will, to Dare, and to Keep Silence. [These are the four elements, summed in a fifth, Spirit, to form the Pentagram; and the Magical Virtue corresponding is Ire, to go. "To go" is the token of Godhead, as explained in reference to the sandal-strap or Ankh, the Crux Ansata, which in its turn is identical with the astrological symbol of Venus, comprising the 10 Sephiroth.(See diagram)]. This Sphinx represents the element of sulphur, and is exalted, temporarily, upon the summit of the wheel. She is armed with a sword of the short Roman pattern, held upright between the paws of the lion.

Climbing up the left-hand side of the wheel is Hermanubis, who represents the alchemical Mercury. He is a composite god; but in him the simian element predominates.

On the right hand side, precipitating himself downward, is Typhon, who represents the element of salt. Yet in these figures there is also a certain degree of complexity, for Typhon was a monster of the primitive world, personifying the destructive power and fury of volcanos and typhoons. In the legend, he attempted to obtain supreme authority over both gods and men; but Zeus blasted him with a thunderbolt. He is said to be the father of stormy, hot and poisonous winds; also of the Harpies. But this card, like Atu XVI, may also be interpreted as a Unity of supreme attainment and delight. The lightnings which destroy, also beget; and the wheel may be regarded as the Eye of Shiva, whose opening annihilates the Universe, or as a wheel upon the Car of Jaganath, whose devotees attain perfection at the moment that it crushes them.

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  #144  
Old 07-03-2021, 12:52 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 83: Path between Tiphareth and Chesed in Briah

Is there a moment in Time when the Hermit realize that there is no longer need to hold the light to show the path for others and that All is well already?

Path between Raphael and Zadkiel

Color of the Path: State Grey

Letter: Yod

IX – Hermit:
“This card is attributed to the letter Yod, which means the Hand. Hence, the hand, which is the tool or instrument par excellence, is in the centre of the picture. The letter Yod is the foundation of all the other letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which are merely combinations of it in various ways.

The letter Yod is the first letter of the name Tetragrammaton, and this symbolizes the Father, who is Wisdom; he is the highest form of Mercury, and the Logos, the Creator of all worlds. Accordingly, his representative in physical life is the spermatozoon; this is why the card is called The Hermit.

The figure of the Hermit himself recalls the shape of the letter Yod, and the colour of his cloak is the colour of Binah, in whom he gestates. In his hand he holds a Lamp whose centre is the Sun, portrayed in the likeness of the Sigil of the great King of Fire (Yod is the secret Fire). It seems that he is contemplating---in a certain sense, adoring---the Orphic egg (greenish in colour) because it is conterminous with the Universe, while the snake which surrounds it is many-coloured to signify the iridescence of Mercury. For he is not only creative, but is the fluidic essence of Light, which is the life of the Universe.

The highest symbolism of this card is, therefore, Fertility in its most exalted sense, and this is reflected in the attribution of the card to the sign of Virgo, which is another aspect of the same quality. Virgo is an earthy sign, and is referred especially to Corn, so that the background of the card is a field of wheat.

Virgo represents the lowest, most receptive, most feminine form of earth, and forms the crust over Hades. Yet not only is Virgo ruled by Mercury, but Mercury is exalted therein. Compare the Ten of Disks, and the general doctrine that the climax of the Descent into Matter is the signal for the reintegration by Spirit. It is the Formula of the Princess, the mode of fulfilment of the Great Work.

This card recalls the Legend of Persephone, and herein is a dogma. Concealed within Mercury is a light which pervades all parts of the Universe equally; one of his titles is Psychopompos, the guide of the soul through the lower regions. These symbols are indicated by his Serpent Wand, which is actually growing out of the Abyss, and is the spermatozoon developed as a poison, and manifesting the foetus. Following him is Cerberus, the three-headed Hound of Hell whom he has tamed. In this Trump is shewn the entire mystery of Life in its most secret workings. Yod Phallus Spermatozoon Hand Logos Virgin. There is perfect Identity, not merely Equivalence, of the Extremes, the Manifestation, and the Method.”
(Book of Thoth)

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  #145  
Old 14-03-2021, 12:38 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 84: Path between Geburah and Chesed in Briah


The nectar in the Holy Grail that the woman is holding in the card Lust from the Thoth Tarot changes texture depending on the World that one identifies to when drinking it.

In the lowest World of the Tree, Assiah/Disk/Earth, the elementary World of action this nectar will bring life force. A lot of work is needed to bring the nectar from the most subtle level to this lower level of manifestation.

In the World of Yetzirah/Swords/Air, the angelical World of formation, it will bring ecstasy and a deep inner joy.

In this World of Briah/Cups/Water, the archangelical World of Creation it brings bliss or clarity.


This is the second horizontal path out of three on the Tree. Going up, it comes after passing the second veil. We meet this point of resistance, after passing through Hod and Netzach, we progress towards Tiphareth, the heart of the tree. In the outside world, a powerful test is coming. It is up to each one to decide whether or not he accepts to identify with the divine parcel that is within him and to allow his self to be the vehicle for it. A lot of people stop here on their path.

Aleister Crowley was quite visionary for his time by changing the name of this card from Strength to Lust. It reflects the Peace and Love movement from the Hippy starting in the 1960 up to a few sectarian movements all the way in the 1990, where sexual liberation was explored. Since the 1990s, I would rather call this card Ecstasy instead of lust, as this movement represent by this path has changed again.

If we are to project the Tree of Life on the Body. This horizontal path between Geburah and Chokmah is at shoulder level. It crosses the central vertical path between Kether and Tiphereth, between the crown and the hearth. The cup that the woman is holding up in the card Lust in the Thoth Tarot, is nothing else than the ambrosia or soma that she is receiving from Kether in her cup the Holy Grail. Drinking this divine liquid those bring one in the state of Ecstasy, a state before feeling the total Bliss when going up the Tree.

But before drinking the Holy Grail, the lion (the beast) within must be tamed.

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1652):


Path between Samael and Zadkiel

Color of the Path: Dark Purple

Letter: Teth

XI – Lust:
“This Trump was formerly called Strength. But it implies far more than strength in the ordinary sense of the word.”

Picture of the card Strength:


It is easy to make an analogy between the woman and her lion in the card as represented in the Force or in the card Lust with some representations of Inanna-Ishtar as we can see in the following picture:


“Technical analysis shows that the Path corresponding to the card is not the Strength of Geburah, but the influence from Chesed upon Geburah, the Path balanced both vertically and horizontally on the Tree of Life. For this reason it has been thought better to change the traditional title. Lust implies not only strength, but the joy of strength exercised. It is vigour, and the rapture of vigour.

The main subject of the card refers to the most ancient collection of legends or fables. It is necessary here to go a little into the magical doctrine of the succession of the Aeons, which is connected with the procession of the Zodiac. Thus, the last Aeon, that of Osiris, is referred to Aries and Libra, as the previous Aeon, that of Isis, was especially connected with the signs of Pisces and Virgo, while the present, that of Horus, is linked with Aquarius and Leo. The central mystery in that past Aeon was that of Incarnation; all the legends of god-men were founded upon some symbolic story of that kind. The essential of all such stories was to deny human fatherhood to the hero or god-man. In most cases, the father is stated to be a god in some animal form, the animal being chosen in accordance with the qualities that the authors of the cult wished to see reproduced in the child.

Thus, Romulus and Remus were twins begotten upon a virgin by the god Mars, and they were suckled by a wolf. On this the whole magical formula of the city Rome was founded.
Reference has already been made in this essay to the legends of Hermes and Dionysus.

The father of Gautama Buddha was said to be an elephant with six tusks, appearing to his mother in a dream.

There is also the legend of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove, impregnating the Virgin Mary. There is here a reference to the dove of Noah's Ark, bringing glad tidings of the salvation of the world from the waters. (The dwellers in the Ark are the foetus, the waters the amniotic fluid.)
Similar fables are to be found in every religion of the Aeon of Osiris: it is the typical formula of the Dying God.

In this card, therefore, appears the legend of the woman and the lion, or rather lion-serpent. (This card is attributed to the letter Teth, which means a serpent.)

The seers in the early days of the Aeon of Osiris foresaw the Manifestation of this coming Aeon in which we now live, and they regarded it with intense horror and fear, not understanding the precession of the Aeons, and regarding every change as catastrophe. This is the real interpretation of, and the reason for, the diatribes against the Beast and the Scarlet Woman in the XIII, XVII and XVIII-the chapters of the Apocalypse; but on the Tree of Life, the path of Gimel, the Moon, descending from the highest, cuts the path of Teth, Leo, the house of the Sun, so that the Woman in the card may be regarded as a form of the Moon, very fully illuminated by the Sun, and intimately united with him in such wise as to produce, incarnate in human form, the representative or representatives of the Lord of the Aeon.

She rides astride the Beast; in her left hand she holds the reins, representing the passion which unites them. In her right she holds aloft the cup, the Holy Grail aflame with love and death. In this cup are mingled the elements of the sacrament of the Aeon.’’
The Book of Thoth

Picture of the card Lust:
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  #146  
Old 18-03-2021, 03:13 AM
utopiandreamchild utopiandreamchild is offline
Master
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Auckland New Zealand
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Looks like you really know your stuff. Amen
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  #147  
Old 18-03-2021, 09:57 AM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Tank you UtopianDreamChild,

Like you say it is just stuff. It is what is behind and can be felt that counts.

Regards
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  #148  
Old 21-03-2021, 12:18 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 85: Chesed in Briah and the 4 of Cups

General Symbolic of Chesed:


With Chesed (grace), also called Gebulah (mercy) by the Zohar, we reach, going down the Tree, a stage of Life accessible to the human consciousness. Although Chesed is the fourth sephirah, it is the first one that is on the side of the abyss, and we can look upon it as the fountain from which the blessings of Creation flow. It symbolizes the highest level of perceptible manifestation.

As the fourth sephirah, Chesed is seen as the summary of the supernals that preceded it, whose qualities it retains. Going up the Tree, she is the seventh count of Malkuth. It contains all that has been acquired during the ascent. When this point is reached, man must have accumulated enough to spill the surplus to less advanced beings. This is similar to the acquisition of a fortune built up during existence, which one redistributes before crossing the abyss of death where the acquired currency is not current.

In descending the Tree, Chesed's position reminds us that the manifestation of the divine in the form of mercy must precede severity.

By going up the Tree, we learn that we can benefit from the clemency of Providence before we are confronted with divine justice. But no matter how severe our trials and experiences may be, mercy and benevolence await us in the last place.

Geburah is the stick and Chesed the carrot, the oldest tricks that can make us do something.

From Chesed's position on the Clemency pillar, we can see that this sephirah is Chokmah repeated at a lower level. Chesed is the father in his benevolent aspect, the one who protects, generates, preserves. He continues the work of Binah, organizing and preserving what the Universal Father engendered. Chesed is therefore goodness, unlimited benevolence. He compensates by his clemency for the severity of Geburah. He is a cohesive force, if we compare it to the destructive power of Geburah.

Metabolism, a vital process of assimilation, is a perpetual alternation of construction and destruction, and a good image of the Chesed-Geburah alternation necessary for the life of the organism.

The images attributed to Chesed and Geburah are respectively a benevolent king sitting on his throne and a warrior-king standing on his chariot.

Chesed is the compassion of age resulting from experience. The smile of a baby, the sunset over the ocean, the pressure of a beloved hand, are all words in Chesed's language that we must learn to listen to.

The virtue assigned to this sphere is obedience. We must sacrifice much of our independence and selfishness if we are to enjoy the benefits of a complex social life.

Chesed in Briah: Zadkiel

Color of Chesed in Briah: Blue


Zadkiel prevented Abraham from sacrificing his son by Pieter Lastman (1616):


Zadkiel (Justice of God) is the angel of divine justice. He manifests the kingdom of the cosmic God. A tradition tells that Zadkiel helps the archangel Michael to carry the holy banner in these battles against evil. He is the archangel who prevented Abraham from sacrificing his son. As such, he is associated with the notion of clemency.

Zadkiel by Ros


The 4 of Cups - Luxury:

“This card refers to Chesed in the sphere of Water. Here, below the Abyss, the energy of this element, although ordered, balanced and (for the moment) stabilized, has lost the original purity of the conception.

The card refers to the Moon in Cancer, which is her own house; but Cancer itself is so placed that this implies a certain weakness, an abandonment to desire. This tends to introduce the seeds of decay into the fruit of pleasure.

The sea is still shown, but its surface is ruffled, and the four Cups which stand upon it are no longer so stable. The Lotus from which the water Springs has a multiple stem, as if to show that the influence of the Dyad has gathered strength. For although the number Four is the manifestation and consolidation of the dyad, it is also secretly preparing catastrophe by emphasizing individuality.

There is a certain parallelism between this card and the Geomantic figures Via and Populus, which are attributed to the Moon in her decrease and increase respectively. The link is primarily the "Change=Stability" equation, already familiar to readers of this essay. Four is an "awkward" number; alone among the natural numbers, it is impossible to construct a "Magic Square" of four cells. Even in the Naples Arrangement, Four is a dead stop, a blind alley. An idea of a totally different Order is necessary to carry on the series. Note also the refolding-in-upon-itself suggested by the "Magic Number" of Four 1+2+3+4 which is Ten. Four is the number of the Curse of Limitation, of Restriction. It is the blind and barren Cross of equal arms, Tetragrammaton in his fatal aspect of finality, as the Qabalists knew him before the discovery of the Revolving Formula whereby the Daughter, seated upon the Throne of the Mother, "awakens the Eld of the All-Father".
(The Book of Thoth)

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  #149  
Old 26-03-2021, 11:20 PM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Sigh,

What can I say...

I really love the energy or consciousness, as one may like to call it, behind the archetype of Chesed in Briah.
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  #150  
Old 28-03-2021, 11:34 AM
Legrand
Posts: n/a
 
Week 86: Path between Geburah and Binah in Briah

Color of the path: Purple Brown

Path between Samael and Zaphkiel

Letter: Cheth

The Chariot – Mesquite Tarot:


VII – The Chariot:
“Atu VII refers to the zodiacal sign of Cancer, the sign into which the Sun moves at the Summer Solstice.

Cancer is the cardinal sign of the element of Water, [Hence St. John Baptist's Day, and the various ceremonials connected with water.] and represents the first keen onrush of that element. Cancer also represents the path which leads from the great Mother Binah to Geburah, and is thus the influence of the Supernals descending through the Veil of Water (which is blood) upon the energy of man, and so inspires it. It corresponds, in this way, to The Hierophant, which, on the other side of the Tree of Life, brings down the fire of Chokmah.

The design of this present card has been much influenced by the Trump portrayed by Eliphaz Levi.

The canopy of the Chariot is the night-sky-blue of Binah. The pillars are the four pillars of the Universe, the regimen of Tetragrammaton. The scarlet wheels represent the original energy of Geburah which causes the revolving motion.

This chariot is drawn by four sphinxes composed of the four Kerubs, the Bull, the Lion, the Eagle and the Man. In each sphinx these elements are counter-changed; thus the whole represents the sixteen sub-elements.

The Charioteer is clothed in the amber-coloured armour appropriate to the sign. He is throned in the chariot rather than conducting it, because the whole system of progression is perfectly balanced. His only function is to bear the Holy Grail.

Upon his armour are ten Stars of Assiah, the inheritance of celestial dew from his mother.

He bears as a crest the Crab appropriate to the sign. The vizor of his helmet is lowered, for no man may look upon his face and live. For the same reason, no part of his body is exposed.

Cancer is the house of the Moon; there are thus certain analogies between this card and that of the High Priestess. But, also, Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, and here one recalls the card called Fortune (Atu X) attributed to Jupiter.

The central and most important feature of the card is its centre - the Holy Grail. It is of pure amethyst, of the colour of Jupiter, but its shape suggests the full moon and the Great Sea of Binah.

In the centre is radiant blood; the spiritual life is inferred; light in the darkness. These rays, moreover, revolve, emphasizing the Jupiterian element in the symbol.”
(The Book of Thoth)

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