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Jupiter
Tarot Card: Major Arcana Number: Sephirah: Sephirah Number:
(The Wheel of) Fortune 10 Chesed/Mercy 4
Jupiter signifies the area of a chart where a person can really go large, dream big, and use particular talents to aid one in those "large" dreams of making one's mark in the world. The Jupiter position also indicates an area or areas that may need expansion. Remember that Jupiter is connected numerologically to Mercury and the Sun, so there is some amount of blending between their meanings. Jupiter does indeed represent particular talents and gifts. It is also a planet of study, learning, philosophy, and of the preservation of knowledge through time. With the Jupiter placement, there is always an element of luck, where things just "happen" that make expansion easier. Of course, there is also need of actual work. It will not expand all by itself. The nature of travel, long distance relationships and friendships of all kinds are also indicated by the placement of Jupiter. The different layers of Jupiter symbolize how each individual is a part of the whole, and also a whole in themselves. It could be said that the archetype of Jupiter is where the "many selves" (holons) meet and share a common space through a kind of Vesica Piscean shared reality, the "common ground" of the two "Horuses" coming together as depicted on the Dendera zodiac of Egypt (discussed on the Cross of Elements page). Jupiter has a certain spark within the social sphere, pulling from its close association with the Sun and Mercury.
The Wheel of Fortune, the card of Jupiter, has the roman numeral equivalent of X. The symbol of the Cross is closely tied to the archetype of Jupiter in many ways as we'll see. When thinking of the Wheel of Fortune simply think of the wheel of the Zodiac itself and also the Sun moving through the Zodiac; the seasons and signs. This simple observation gives us two things; the first is the cross (the four seasons delineated by the Solstice and Equinox points) and a wheel (the year itself).
The Wheel of Fortune, the card of Jupiter, has the roman numeral equivalent of X. The symbol of the Cross is closely tied to the archetype of Jupiter in many ways as we'll see. When thinking of the Wheel of Fortune simply think of the wheel of the Zodiac itself and also the Sun moving through the Zodiac; the seasons and signs. This simple observation gives us two things; the first is the cross (the four seasons delineated by the Solstice and Equinox points) and a wheel (the year itself).
Just as there are many different humans, each whole unto themselves with different experiences, gifts, and perspectives, so too the planet Jupiter has many different seemingly chaotic layers spinning in different directions but that do manage to agree on at least one thing; to be a planet. The veneration of the human spirit and all the different compendiums of human experience as it is saved within books, libraries, art and even the zodiac itself, is essentially the same as the layers of Jupiter venerating the accumulated pearl of their own shared existence; their agreement to be a planet, which is a perfect metaphor for our agreement to serve the human spirit. This is the actual core of philosophy, that is to enhance individuality while simultaneously bringing greater integration and harmony to the whole.
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This is a picture of Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland. In looking for a good picture of books, I came across a great quote:
I know a little about a varied lot; I know a lot about very little.
Jupiter shows the specific area or areas where one can have great amounts of knowledge and not simply be a jack of all trades where one only "knows a little about a varied lot." It is not so much about which subjects one excels in but the dynamics of learning, expansion and the accumulation of experience itself. Jupiter may indicate the shape of ones morals, philosophies, and understanding, though not necessarily the morals and philosophies themselves. It is about the preservation and expansion of knowledge and philosophies, and this can only occur through the application of a steady, consistent "pressure," i.e., study and observation;
Watching the wheels turn.
In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the grade system is based on the Tree of Life schemata. When an individual reaches the grade of the 4th sphere of Chesed, Jupiter, they have reached a grade of philosophy, of mixing worldly knowledge with divine wisdom. In this grade the aspirant is expected to start a school of philosophy or learning which is expansive, individual and unique unto itself. They may not need to start an actual school with faculty and cafeterias, etc., but they are expected to usher in a new train of thought, give it a name, and to teach it. The only requirement is that it's sound and grounded. For some this may even take the form of a philosophy which is actually against teaching philosophy in the normal sense. An individual does not need to be a member of a particular order or society to usher in new ideas, philosophies or ways of thinking. Within each individual exists his or her own Tree of Life, and through life we may experience different degrees or "grades" spontaneously.
I know a little about a varied lot; I know a lot about very little.
Jupiter shows the specific area or areas where one can have great amounts of knowledge and not simply be a jack of all trades where one only "knows a little about a varied lot." It is not so much about which subjects one excels in but the dynamics of learning, expansion and the accumulation of experience itself. Jupiter may indicate the shape of ones morals, philosophies, and understanding, though not necessarily the morals and philosophies themselves. It is about the preservation and expansion of knowledge and philosophies, and this can only occur through the application of a steady, consistent "pressure," i.e., study and observation;
Watching the wheels turn.
In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the grade system is based on the Tree of Life schemata. When an individual reaches the grade of the 4th sphere of Chesed, Jupiter, they have reached a grade of philosophy, of mixing worldly knowledge with divine wisdom. In this grade the aspirant is expected to start a school of philosophy or learning which is expansive, individual and unique unto itself. They may not need to start an actual school with faculty and cafeterias, etc., but they are expected to usher in a new train of thought, give it a name, and to teach it. The only requirement is that it's sound and grounded. For some this may even take the form of a philosophy which is actually against teaching philosophy in the normal sense. An individual does not need to be a member of a particular order or society to usher in new ideas, philosophies or ways of thinking. Within each individual exists his or her own Tree of Life, and through life we may experience different degrees or "grades" spontaneously.
Zeus' Escape from Cronus
The archetype of Jupiter came from the Greek Zeus, and the myth of Zeus really begins with his escape from the jaws of Father Time, Cronus. After Zeus was born, Cronus wanted to eat him just as he had eaten all the other children who came before him. This is a story illustrating how Knowledge (Jupiter/Zeus) is preserved through Time (Saturn/Cronus, where we get 'chronology'). The harsh tests of time destroy much in its wake, but timeless wisdom always survives the onslaught and is even refined by the action of Time, much like grinding wheat in a mill for bread flour. From the wikipedia entry on the birth of Zeus, we read:
Cronus sired several children by Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon, but swallowed them all as soon as they were born, since he had learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own son as he had overthrown his own father - an oracle that Zeus was to hear and avert. But when Zeus was about to be born, Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save him, so that Cronus would get his retribution for his acts against Uranus and his own children. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, handing Cronus a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed.
The varying stories of how Zeus was raised are very telling as well:
1. He was then raised by Gaia
2. He was raised by a goat named Amalthea, while a company of Kouretes - soldiers, or smaller gods - danced, shouted and clashed their spears against their shields so that Cronus would not hear the baby's cry.
3. He was raised by a nymph named Adamanthea. Since Cronus ruled over the Earth, the heavens and the sea, she hid him by dangling him on a rope from a tree so he was suspended between earth, sea and sky and thus, invisible to his father.
4. He was raised by a nymph named Cynosura. In gratitude, Zeus placed her among the stars.
5. He was raised by Melissa, who nursed him with goat's-milk and honey.
6. He was raised by a shepherd family under the promise that their sheep would be saved from wolves.
All of these versions are important as they serve to explain the function of Zeus. In version 2 and 5, we see a connection to goat symbology. The goat is horned and is hence a Mercurial symbol. In version 5 we read that Zeus was nursed with goat's-milk (Mercury) and honey (The Sun. In Egypt, bees were said to be born from the tears of Ra, one of the personifications of the Sun). In version 3 we see an illustration of Zeus (knowledge) escaping the jaws of Cronos (time) by being hung from a rope between the heavens, the sea and the earth. This is again symbolic of preservation.
Cronus is identified with Saturn, the planet of time, imposition, restriction, and discipline. When looking at the Tree of Life, we see an interesting story unfold between Cronus and Zeus, or Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn corresponds to the 3rd sphere, Binah, whereas Jupiter corresponds to the 4th sphere, Chesed. So, within the very unfolding of the Tree of Life, we see that Jupiter has indeed escaped the clutches of Saturn who bore him. Note that in the myth of the birth of Zeus, Rhea gave Cronus a stone wrapped in clothing which he thought was Zeus and then swallowed it. This stone may be considered the Philosophers Stone, or the Stone of the Wise. The placement of Jupiter in one's chart shows where they are lucky and protected karmically. There is an element of the timeless within the Jupiter placement, or, rather, an element of the "incalculable." Concerning Jupiter and the Wheel of Fortune card in the Book of Thoth we read:
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. [Kaph 20 Peh 80 = 100, Qoph, Pisces. The initials K Ph are those of kteiV and falloV] 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.
Cronus sired several children by Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon, but swallowed them all as soon as they were born, since he had learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own son as he had overthrown his own father - an oracle that Zeus was to hear and avert. But when Zeus was about to be born, Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save him, so that Cronus would get his retribution for his acts against Uranus and his own children. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, handing Cronus a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed.
The varying stories of how Zeus was raised are very telling as well:
1. He was then raised by Gaia
2. He was raised by a goat named Amalthea, while a company of Kouretes - soldiers, or smaller gods - danced, shouted and clashed their spears against their shields so that Cronus would not hear the baby's cry.
3. He was raised by a nymph named Adamanthea. Since Cronus ruled over the Earth, the heavens and the sea, she hid him by dangling him on a rope from a tree so he was suspended between earth, sea and sky and thus, invisible to his father.
4. He was raised by a nymph named Cynosura. In gratitude, Zeus placed her among the stars.
5. He was raised by Melissa, who nursed him with goat's-milk and honey.
6. He was raised by a shepherd family under the promise that their sheep would be saved from wolves.
All of these versions are important as they serve to explain the function of Zeus. In version 2 and 5, we see a connection to goat symbology. The goat is horned and is hence a Mercurial symbol. In version 5 we read that Zeus was nursed with goat's-milk (Mercury) and honey (The Sun. In Egypt, bees were said to be born from the tears of Ra, one of the personifications of the Sun). In version 3 we see an illustration of Zeus (knowledge) escaping the jaws of Cronos (time) by being hung from a rope between the heavens, the sea and the earth. This is again symbolic of preservation.
Cronus is identified with Saturn, the planet of time, imposition, restriction, and discipline. When looking at the Tree of Life, we see an interesting story unfold between Cronus and Zeus, or Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn corresponds to the 3rd sphere, Binah, whereas Jupiter corresponds to the 4th sphere, Chesed. So, within the very unfolding of the Tree of Life, we see that Jupiter has indeed escaped the clutches of Saturn who bore him. Note that in the myth of the birth of Zeus, Rhea gave Cronus a stone wrapped in clothing which he thought was Zeus and then swallowed it. This stone may be considered the Philosophers Stone, or the Stone of the Wise. The placement of Jupiter in one's chart shows where they are lucky and protected karmically. There is an element of the timeless within the Jupiter placement, or, rather, an element of the "incalculable." Concerning Jupiter and the Wheel of Fortune card in the Book of Thoth we read:
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. [Kaph 20 Peh 80 = 100, Qoph, Pisces. The initials K Ph are those of kteiV and falloV] 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.
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Fortune ~ Jupiter - 10
In the Wheel of Fortune card we see much overlapping symbolism, some of which has to do with Jupiter being "suspended" between the heavens and the Earth. Above the ten-spoked wheel we see stars, a firmament, behind which can be seen a great circle, signifying the 'Great Womb', the 3rd sphere Binah, from hence the 4th sphere of Jupiter was born. Below and also hanging from the wheel is Typhon, the Greek parallel to the Egyptian Set, symbolic of the Underworld and also the darkness which every night overtakes the Earth. We also see connections to the Sun and Mercury. On the left side of the wheel is Hermanubis, an amalgamation of Hermes and Anubis, who corresponds to Mercury. Behind the wheel itself we see the upright triangle of Fire with Sun rays issuing from its baseline. Perched on top of the wheel is the Sphinx, which is a combination of the four elements, or the four Fixed signs of astrology, into a single entity, making the 5th element. The four Fixed signs are Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, and Taurus, symbolized by a Lion, an Eagle, a Man and a Bull. Some have speculated, like Tony Bushby in his book Secret in the Bible, that the Sphinx may have originally had wings, making it a combination of the four Fixed signs. The head of a Man, the body of a Lion and Bull, the wings of an Eagle. (see also The Dragon as the 5th Element on the Cross of Elements page). The Wheel of Fortune card itself can be thought of as both the Sun, the Zodiac, and the Sun moving through the Zodiac. It is symbolic of "all in one, and one in all." This saying could also be rendered "10 in 1, and 1 in 10." See the IO, ION and the Number 10 section below.
We notice also that there is a little fist at the bottom portion of the wheel. It is from this hand that the sun's rays seem to issue from as well, representing the fortune of the individual who is imbued with the abilities of their own particular Zodiac configuration that are totally unique, mainly with the planets of "talent" being the Sun, Jupiter and Mercury placements. This is the fist that will "make its mark" or "make its presence felt" within the world, and in ways that could very well withstand, or escape, time, just as Zeus escaped Cronus.
We notice also that there is a little fist at the bottom portion of the wheel. It is from this hand that the sun's rays seem to issue from as well, representing the fortune of the individual who is imbued with the abilities of their own particular Zodiac configuration that are totally unique, mainly with the planets of "talent" being the Sun, Jupiter and Mercury placements. This is the fist that will "make its mark" or "make its presence felt" within the world, and in ways that could very well withstand, or escape, time, just as Zeus escaped Cronus.
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Further in the myth of Zeus, after he becomes an adult, he retrieves the stone from the stomach of Cronus, and also everyone else that he swallowed. This is more symbology of preservation, of saving or retrieving knowledge and wisdom from the belly of Time and Space. Within the Gene Keys knowledge, Jupiter indicates the Pearl, that precious "stone" worth preserving and cradling. One could say, though, that there is no escaping Cronus in the end. Cronus, Saturn, is lead, blackness, fixed, unmoving, time, age, and eventually death. The symbol of Saturn is the Scythe, used to reap that which has grown (Jupiter). But, the last laugh of Jupiter is that all true wisdom is indeed timeless and passes down the human fractal to further generations. Time cannot touch the timeless, and death cannot brush against the deathless. The lightning bolt of Zeus is the Olympic Torch that is carried by each being in life, and that is passed from one to the next unendingly. Note that outside of many colleges and Universities, a torch or torches are kept forever lit, symbolizing this passing on of knowledge and wisdom from ages past, and the preservation of it for the future. This is further symbolized in the Wheel of Fortune card itself by the upright triangle of Fire in the background. This upright triangle signifies the Hebrew letter Shin, the immortal spirit.
Zeus ruled from Mount Olympus. This is where we get the Olympics and the Olympic Torch from (As an aside, people who are born within the Decans of the 4th sphere of Chesed, Jupiter, often have quite an athletic side to them, or at least a great reserve of energy to work with.) The accumulation of knowledge and experience over time by all the different people in the world leads to a very large body of knowledge for one to draw upon. Jupiter represents points of reference throughout history, which alone allows one to study such things, and also the point of reference for certain individuals within historical time periods. All of this begins to add up, leading to many different sedimentary layers of human experience that are compiled, filed, stacked, stored and expanded upon within our libraries, colleges, books, stories, languages, myths and archetypes.
Zeus ruled from Mount Olympus. This is where we get the Olympics and the Olympic Torch from (As an aside, people who are born within the Decans of the 4th sphere of Chesed, Jupiter, often have quite an athletic side to them, or at least a great reserve of energy to work with.) The accumulation of knowledge and experience over time by all the different people in the world leads to a very large body of knowledge for one to draw upon. Jupiter represents points of reference throughout history, which alone allows one to study such things, and also the point of reference for certain individuals within historical time periods. All of this begins to add up, leading to many different sedimentary layers of human experience that are compiled, filed, stacked, stored and expanded upon within our libraries, colleges, books, stories, languages, myths and archetypes.
The Axis of the Wheel
IO, I-Other, ION & the Number 10
The most fundamental of creative properties, the "positive" and "negative" charges, are symbolized by the feminine circle (the number 0 and the letter O) and the masculine straight line (the number 1 and the letter I) joined together in an eternal dance of continuous creation. This is symbolized by Mount Olympus (a phallic "I" stretching upward and downward) situated in the center of a great circle being the wheel in the sky (the O of the zodiac wheel, the round of the hours, days and years; "eternal recurrence").
Jupiter, Zeus and the symbolism of the Fortune card are very much alike in function and meaning to the Egyptian Horus, who was himself a sky-god like Jupiter and Zeus. Horus is where we obtain words like "hours," "horizon" and "horoscope." This important Hawk headed god Horus obviously symbolized something that is "flying" or having to do with the sky. As we will see, the swastika symbolizes precisely this, that is, the Sun "walking across the sky."
From Alvin Boyd Kuhn's book The Esoteric Structure of the Alphabet, beginning on page 6, we read:
It is possibly true that literation started with the utilization of the two simplest elements of written symbolism,the vertical line I and the circle O. At any rate it is to be shown here that nearly all divine names in antiquity were built up from and upon these two. For the Egyptians of remote past time had combined the two in the form of what is almost certain the most ancient of cross symbols, the crux ansata, ansated cross, called by them the ANKH (more recently spelled ENKH), an O topping an I with a horizontal line at the point of contact. It represents by the O above, the endless existence of that which is the indestructible primordial matter, the eternal Mother of all things; and by the I below, it indicates the emanation of creative mind, or spirit power, from the heart of the great sea of first matter plunging downward. The horizontal bar shows both their conjunction and their separation, as does any boundary line between two areas. But the median line is important also because it marks the meeting point between the two poles of spirit and matter, since it is at this point that all reality is brought out to manifestation through the union of the two. The ANKH is the astrological symbol - ♀
The two symbols with which literate symbolism begins are thus the I and the O. The item of their gender comes first to notice. The I is masculine, as standing for the Father's power of generation, which is spirit; the O is the eternal feminine, matter, the universal Mother, personalized in ancient religions by such goddesses as Isis, Cybele, Mylitta, Aditi, Venus, Juno and others. The appropriateness of this symbolism from the subsidiary phallic side needs accentuation, nevertheless is very important and indeed very wonderful. (The author has fully dealt with it in his larger work, SEX AS SYMBOL.) As all progenation of life can come only through the union of male and female elements of the cosmic duality, a symbol that would dramatize life would have to combine both the I and the O...
Rendered in one sentence the symbol means life because life can exist only where two things, spirit (I), and matter (O), are tied together by a sufficiently cohesive power, love. Love ties the two together to procreate life. The ANKH is therefore the first and greatest symbol in the world, which should make us aware that the cross is the first and greatest symbol because it is the symbol of life and not of death...
Detaching the two emblems from each other as they are united in the ANKH symbol, and combining them in lateral juxtaposition, we have the first divine word and name in all literature, IO. That it figures with equally fundamental significance in ancient typological numerology is evident fromt he fact that the two, now converted into numbers, constitute the cardinal base of all mathematics, the number 10.
Just as the IO is a separation of symbols, being one arm of the Cross from the Circle and placing them side by side, so too the word ION symbolizes this, except that the N placed at the end of IO represents the arching attraction between the two arms of the Cross, giving us a formula of the Swastika in a word. The letter N in essence symbolizes "opposing" forces attracted to one another. When looking at the letter N, think of two magnets placed side by side. The north pole of the magnet on the left is attracted to the south pole of the magnet on the right, creating a kind of twisting or torque dynamic. We find this exact same dynamic within the symbol of the Swastika itself which is composed of a Cross, a Circle, and the attraction between the opposites spinning to meet one another. One might consider this dynamic a great generator of creation. The I and the O are not themselves stand alone concepts, they each need and define the other. Bringing them together unites the masculine and feminine principles in a "grand scheme" of incredible motion. This scheme unites opposites, though paradoxically one could say they never truly "meet." They only brush along side one another, and it is this attraction between them that creates. Indeed this is all quite sexual in nature. Here is how this works.
I O N
What we want to do is take the separate symbols (letters) of this word and combine them into a whole. The I represents the first conscious "I;" the identity. Interestingly, this is what the word "I" literally means in English. It identifies oneself as a separate entity with a specific point of view (see the 9th card of the Major Arcana, the Hermit, and note that I is itself the 9th letter of the English alphabet and is equivalent to the Hebrew letter Yod, the letter corresponding to the Hermit). The O is where the I begins to experience the Other. In other words, the I is the first, conscious arm of the Cross. If an individual were born in 1 degree of Capricorn, then opposite of that sign is 1 degree of Cancer. These two points represent a single line, the Sun and the Earth of the individual. But, there are also two other points, represented by the 'O'ther arm of the Cross. One could see the difference between these arms as being conscious and unconscious, mind and body, or spirit and soul, depending on how one wants to interpret them. (This is the basis of calculation in the Human Design System which also interprets one arm as conscious personality and the other arm as unconscious body).
Jupiter, Zeus and the symbolism of the Fortune card are very much alike in function and meaning to the Egyptian Horus, who was himself a sky-god like Jupiter and Zeus. Horus is where we obtain words like "hours," "horizon" and "horoscope." This important Hawk headed god Horus obviously symbolized something that is "flying" or having to do with the sky. As we will see, the swastika symbolizes precisely this, that is, the Sun "walking across the sky."
From Alvin Boyd Kuhn's book The Esoteric Structure of the Alphabet, beginning on page 6, we read:
It is possibly true that literation started with the utilization of the two simplest elements of written symbolism,the vertical line I and the circle O. At any rate it is to be shown here that nearly all divine names in antiquity were built up from and upon these two. For the Egyptians of remote past time had combined the two in the form of what is almost certain the most ancient of cross symbols, the crux ansata, ansated cross, called by them the ANKH (more recently spelled ENKH), an O topping an I with a horizontal line at the point of contact. It represents by the O above, the endless existence of that which is the indestructible primordial matter, the eternal Mother of all things; and by the I below, it indicates the emanation of creative mind, or spirit power, from the heart of the great sea of first matter plunging downward. The horizontal bar shows both their conjunction and their separation, as does any boundary line between two areas. But the median line is important also because it marks the meeting point between the two poles of spirit and matter, since it is at this point that all reality is brought out to manifestation through the union of the two. The ANKH is the astrological symbol - ♀
The two symbols with which literate symbolism begins are thus the I and the O. The item of their gender comes first to notice. The I is masculine, as standing for the Father's power of generation, which is spirit; the O is the eternal feminine, matter, the universal Mother, personalized in ancient religions by such goddesses as Isis, Cybele, Mylitta, Aditi, Venus, Juno and others. The appropriateness of this symbolism from the subsidiary phallic side needs accentuation, nevertheless is very important and indeed very wonderful. (The author has fully dealt with it in his larger work, SEX AS SYMBOL.) As all progenation of life can come only through the union of male and female elements of the cosmic duality, a symbol that would dramatize life would have to combine both the I and the O...
Rendered in one sentence the symbol means life because life can exist only where two things, spirit (I), and matter (O), are tied together by a sufficiently cohesive power, love. Love ties the two together to procreate life. The ANKH is therefore the first and greatest symbol in the world, which should make us aware that the cross is the first and greatest symbol because it is the symbol of life and not of death...
Detaching the two emblems from each other as they are united in the ANKH symbol, and combining them in lateral juxtaposition, we have the first divine word and name in all literature, IO. That it figures with equally fundamental significance in ancient typological numerology is evident fromt he fact that the two, now converted into numbers, constitute the cardinal base of all mathematics, the number 10.
Just as the IO is a separation of symbols, being one arm of the Cross from the Circle and placing them side by side, so too the word ION symbolizes this, except that the N placed at the end of IO represents the arching attraction between the two arms of the Cross, giving us a formula of the Swastika in a word. The letter N in essence symbolizes "opposing" forces attracted to one another. When looking at the letter N, think of two magnets placed side by side. The north pole of the magnet on the left is attracted to the south pole of the magnet on the right, creating a kind of twisting or torque dynamic. We find this exact same dynamic within the symbol of the Swastika itself which is composed of a Cross, a Circle, and the attraction between the opposites spinning to meet one another. One might consider this dynamic a great generator of creation. The I and the O are not themselves stand alone concepts, they each need and define the other. Bringing them together unites the masculine and feminine principles in a "grand scheme" of incredible motion. This scheme unites opposites, though paradoxically one could say they never truly "meet." They only brush along side one another, and it is this attraction between them that creates. Indeed this is all quite sexual in nature. Here is how this works.
I O N
What we want to do is take the separate symbols (letters) of this word and combine them into a whole. The I represents the first conscious "I;" the identity. Interestingly, this is what the word "I" literally means in English. It identifies oneself as a separate entity with a specific point of view (see the 9th card of the Major Arcana, the Hermit, and note that I is itself the 9th letter of the English alphabet and is equivalent to the Hebrew letter Yod, the letter corresponding to the Hermit). The O is where the I begins to experience the Other. In other words, the I is the first, conscious arm of the Cross. If an individual were born in 1 degree of Capricorn, then opposite of that sign is 1 degree of Cancer. These two points represent a single line, the Sun and the Earth of the individual. But, there are also two other points, represented by the 'O'ther arm of the Cross. One could see the difference between these arms as being conscious and unconscious, mind and body, or spirit and soul, depending on how one wants to interpret them. (This is the basis of calculation in the Human Design System which also interprets one arm as conscious personality and the other arm as unconscious body).
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So we have a conscious "I" and an unconscious "I," both imbedded within an "O." The O represents the entire Zodiac wheel and may be considered as representing "Other people" and the general otherness that a differentiated "I" will experience in the world. Different people have different Cross configurations, and there are many different expressions of "I" in the world. What is important here is your "I." So, we have I-dentity and O-ther people. From Alvin Boyd Kuhn's The Ultimate Canon of Knowledge on page 100 we read:
If the circle zero represents the unconsciousness of non-being the vertical line, I, represents the conscious creative spirit. It is therefore the symbol of the individual ego consciousness, as the first personal pronoun, the egoic I. As the wedding of the universal unconscious with the spirit consciousness generates all existent being, the union of the I and the O, generating all things, becomes the unity number of all counting - 10.
This goes to say that O-therness (other people, other objects, other worlds, nature, animals, etc.) is unconscious of itself as a whole. What is conscious, though, is you, the I. From page 95 we read:
The two polarized forces, locked in tensional stress and strain with each other from the beginning, as they swing apart like two dancers who whirl out from a first embrace yet keep hand-hold, begin to interrelate their influence mutually. So the human individual has his psychosomatic ground problem. As Browning puts it,
"Nor soul helps flesh now
Than flesh helps soul,"
So the universe has its basic conflict between world-soul and world-body. As seed and soil in the garden exchange influences and thereby grow, so consciousness, germinal at first, and matter interact to their reciprocal benefit. Occult mystery though it be, it is the indefeasible reality of living fact. And it is one of the primal archai of being, as nature instructs.
Where does the N shape factor in to this?
When looking at these pictures above of the I and the Cross, they both seem quite stationary. There is no implied motion, but there is in fact much movement in our journey around the Sun and through the seasons. The ancients symbolized this great movement by the Swastika, which takes the Cross and adds "legs" to it, implying motion. The Swastika is said to symbolize the sun "walking across the sky."
If the circle zero represents the unconsciousness of non-being the vertical line, I, represents the conscious creative spirit. It is therefore the symbol of the individual ego consciousness, as the first personal pronoun, the egoic I. As the wedding of the universal unconscious with the spirit consciousness generates all existent being, the union of the I and the O, generating all things, becomes the unity number of all counting - 10.
This goes to say that O-therness (other people, other objects, other worlds, nature, animals, etc.) is unconscious of itself as a whole. What is conscious, though, is you, the I. From page 95 we read:
The two polarized forces, locked in tensional stress and strain with each other from the beginning, as they swing apart like two dancers who whirl out from a first embrace yet keep hand-hold, begin to interrelate their influence mutually. So the human individual has his psychosomatic ground problem. As Browning puts it,
"Nor soul helps flesh now
Than flesh helps soul,"
So the universe has its basic conflict between world-soul and world-body. As seed and soil in the garden exchange influences and thereby grow, so consciousness, germinal at first, and matter interact to their reciprocal benefit. Occult mystery though it be, it is the indefeasible reality of living fact. And it is one of the primal archai of being, as nature instructs.
Where does the N shape factor in to this?
When looking at these pictures above of the I and the Cross, they both seem quite stationary. There is no implied motion, but there is in fact much movement in our journey around the Sun and through the seasons. The ancients symbolized this great movement by the Swastika, which takes the Cross and adds "legs" to it, implying motion. The Swastika is said to symbolize the sun "walking across the sky."
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There are actually a couple ways of viewing the N. As stated, one is that it represents both "I" arms of the cross being attracted to one another, north pole to south pole. The other way of viewing the N is as a single "I" slanted, but with two legs that are arching in attraction toward the next arm of the Cross. Both views have in common the theme of bridging duality and the great transformative process inherent in this bridging. This duality is also found in the symbol for Gemini - ♊. If we were to take the double I of the Gemini symbol and attach the "north pole" of the left I to the "south pole" of the right I, then we would have an N shape again. The same applies to the number 11, which is one up from the number 10, our original template; the "original duality." Different cultures have displayed this interplay of dualities in different ways, though the fundamental design is always more or less the same.
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The Celt version of this symbol isn't being cryptic at all as it actually has legs and feet attached to the Sun making motion most certainly implied.
Perhaps the most telling story we have from the ancient world concerning ION and what it symbolizes is found in the Visions of Zozimos. Zozimos was an alchemist of either Greek or Egyptian origin and is thought to have written the oldest surviving books on alchemy. In the Visions of Zozimos, ION is given a very important and descriptive role. We also find that in Greek, ION means "going" or "to go" which is quite fitting considering its connection to the Swastika. From the wiki entry on the Visions of Zozimos:
One of Zosimos' texts is about a sequence of dreams related to Alchemy, and presents the proto-science as a much more religious experience. In his dream he first comes to an altar and meets Ion (the Sabians consider him the founder of their religion), who calls himself "the priest of inner sanctuaries, and I submit myself to an unendurable torment." Ion then fights and impales Zosimos with a sword, dismembering him "in accordance with the rule of harmony" (referring to the division into four bodies, natures, or elements), and then pulls the skin off Zosimos' head (a reference to the Apocalypse of Elijah which mentions those who are cast "into eternal punishment": "their eyes are mixed with blood"; and of the saints who were persecuted by the Anti-Messiah: "he will draw off their skins from their heads"). He takes the pieces of Zosimos to the altar, and "burned (them) upon the fire of the art, till I perceived by the transformation of the body that I had become spirit." From there, Ion cries blood, and horribly melts into "the opposite of himself, into a mutilated anthroparion"—which Carl Jung perceived as the first concept of the homunculus in alchemical literature.
Zosimos wakes up, asks himself, "[i]s not this the composition of the waters?" and returns to sleep, beginning the visions again—he constantly wakes up, ponders to himself and returns to sleep during these visions. Returning to the same altar, Zosimos finds a man being boiled alive, yet still alive, who says to him, "[t]he sight that you see is the entrance, and the exit, and the transformation ... Those who seek to obtain the art (or moral perfection) enter here, and become spirits by escaping from the body"—which can be regarded as human distillation; just as how distilled water purifies it, distilling the body purifies it as well. He then sees a Brazen Man (another homunculus, as Jung believed any man described as being metal is perceived as being a homunculus), a Leaden Man (named Agathodaimon and also a homunculus). Zosimos also dreams of a "place of punishments" where all who enter immediately burst into flames and "submit theirself to an unendourable torment."
Jung believed these visions to be a sort of Alchemical allegory, with the tormented homunculi personifying transmutations—burning or boiling themselves to become something else. The central image of the visions are the Sacrificial Act, which each Homunculus endures. In alchemy the dyophysite nature is constantly emphasized, two principles balancing one another, active and passive, masculine and feminine, which constitute the eternal cycle of birth and death. In ancient alchemy this cycle was represented by the symbol of the uroboros, the dragon that bites its own tail. Self-devouring is the same as self-destruction, but the unison of the dragon's tail and mouth was also thought of as self-fertilization. Hence the text of "Tractatus Avicennae" mentions "the dragon slays itself, weds itself, impregnates itself." In the visions, circular thinking appears in the sacrificial priest's identity with his victim and in the idea that the homunculus into whom Ion is changed devours himself—he spews fourth his own flesh and rends himself with his own teeth. The homunculus therefore stands for the uroboros, which devours itself and gives birth to self. Since the homonculus represents the transformation of Ion, it follows that Ion, the uroboros, and the sacrificer are essentially the same.
These torturous visions of painful separation and distillation are in accordance with the meaning of the the generation of creation as it is imbedded in the multifaceted symbology of the Swastika, in how the four elements are eternally attracted and twisting their way around and toward one another. The four elements of Zozimos' being are "cut" from him and burnt upon the altar of the "Art." These four elements correspond to the four elements in astrology, the four suits of tarot, and the four hemispheres of consciousness being the spiritual (fire), emotional (water), mental (air) and physical (earth). When ION then "cries blood" and "melts into the opposite of himself" we may take this to mean one arm of the Cross arching to meet its opposite, the personality or ego melting into the subconscious and vice versa. This is experienced as a death, and ultimately a rebirth of different "homunculi."
In Hebrew, the letter NUN is the equivalent of N. NUN means "fish" and is attributed to the Death card of Tarot and also to Scorpio, the "most mysterious" of the signs. Even here we see the letter N as symbolic of transformation, transmutation and alchemical processes. The Scorpion is where the "kiss of death" and "back-biter" phrases arose, and interestingly in occult writings the orgasm was called a "little death" or a "sacrifice." This is where the more or less notorious sexual and "penetrating" nature of Scorpio is featured in the human story. The sign itself also rules the sexual organs. In the Bible, the character Judas is symbolic of Scorpio who brings the "Fall" of Jesus. Scorpio indeed exists within the dead center of the Fall season, and Judas identified Jesus (the Son/Sun) by kissing him. The season of Scorpio is when the sting of winter is beginning to be felt with the Sun symbolically dying and eventually becoming "entombed" for 3 days at the Winter Solstice before rising again in its trek back northward.
In Egypt, the Sun also had the title "ON," which may remind one of "turning the lights on." When we think of ION, we may also look at it as the "I", the first person pronoun and the conscious expressive, coming through the Sun and into an experience of duality within the seasons. It is about coming full circle within oneself, making one a holon, that is, to simultaneously be both whole and also a part.
Perhaps the most telling story we have from the ancient world concerning ION and what it symbolizes is found in the Visions of Zozimos. Zozimos was an alchemist of either Greek or Egyptian origin and is thought to have written the oldest surviving books on alchemy. In the Visions of Zozimos, ION is given a very important and descriptive role. We also find that in Greek, ION means "going" or "to go" which is quite fitting considering its connection to the Swastika. From the wiki entry on the Visions of Zozimos:
One of Zosimos' texts is about a sequence of dreams related to Alchemy, and presents the proto-science as a much more religious experience. In his dream he first comes to an altar and meets Ion (the Sabians consider him the founder of their religion), who calls himself "the priest of inner sanctuaries, and I submit myself to an unendurable torment." Ion then fights and impales Zosimos with a sword, dismembering him "in accordance with the rule of harmony" (referring to the division into four bodies, natures, or elements), and then pulls the skin off Zosimos' head (a reference to the Apocalypse of Elijah which mentions those who are cast "into eternal punishment": "their eyes are mixed with blood"; and of the saints who were persecuted by the Anti-Messiah: "he will draw off their skins from their heads"). He takes the pieces of Zosimos to the altar, and "burned (them) upon the fire of the art, till I perceived by the transformation of the body that I had become spirit." From there, Ion cries blood, and horribly melts into "the opposite of himself, into a mutilated anthroparion"—which Carl Jung perceived as the first concept of the homunculus in alchemical literature.
Zosimos wakes up, asks himself, "[i]s not this the composition of the waters?" and returns to sleep, beginning the visions again—he constantly wakes up, ponders to himself and returns to sleep during these visions. Returning to the same altar, Zosimos finds a man being boiled alive, yet still alive, who says to him, "[t]he sight that you see is the entrance, and the exit, and the transformation ... Those who seek to obtain the art (or moral perfection) enter here, and become spirits by escaping from the body"—which can be regarded as human distillation; just as how distilled water purifies it, distilling the body purifies it as well. He then sees a Brazen Man (another homunculus, as Jung believed any man described as being metal is perceived as being a homunculus), a Leaden Man (named Agathodaimon and also a homunculus). Zosimos also dreams of a "place of punishments" where all who enter immediately burst into flames and "submit theirself to an unendourable torment."
Jung believed these visions to be a sort of Alchemical allegory, with the tormented homunculi personifying transmutations—burning or boiling themselves to become something else. The central image of the visions are the Sacrificial Act, which each Homunculus endures. In alchemy the dyophysite nature is constantly emphasized, two principles balancing one another, active and passive, masculine and feminine, which constitute the eternal cycle of birth and death. In ancient alchemy this cycle was represented by the symbol of the uroboros, the dragon that bites its own tail. Self-devouring is the same as self-destruction, but the unison of the dragon's tail and mouth was also thought of as self-fertilization. Hence the text of "Tractatus Avicennae" mentions "the dragon slays itself, weds itself, impregnates itself." In the visions, circular thinking appears in the sacrificial priest's identity with his victim and in the idea that the homunculus into whom Ion is changed devours himself—he spews fourth his own flesh and rends himself with his own teeth. The homunculus therefore stands for the uroboros, which devours itself and gives birth to self. Since the homonculus represents the transformation of Ion, it follows that Ion, the uroboros, and the sacrificer are essentially the same.
These torturous visions of painful separation and distillation are in accordance with the meaning of the the generation of creation as it is imbedded in the multifaceted symbology of the Swastika, in how the four elements are eternally attracted and twisting their way around and toward one another. The four elements of Zozimos' being are "cut" from him and burnt upon the altar of the "Art." These four elements correspond to the four elements in astrology, the four suits of tarot, and the four hemispheres of consciousness being the spiritual (fire), emotional (water), mental (air) and physical (earth). When ION then "cries blood" and "melts into the opposite of himself" we may take this to mean one arm of the Cross arching to meet its opposite, the personality or ego melting into the subconscious and vice versa. This is experienced as a death, and ultimately a rebirth of different "homunculi."
In Hebrew, the letter NUN is the equivalent of N. NUN means "fish" and is attributed to the Death card of Tarot and also to Scorpio, the "most mysterious" of the signs. Even here we see the letter N as symbolic of transformation, transmutation and alchemical processes. The Scorpion is where the "kiss of death" and "back-biter" phrases arose, and interestingly in occult writings the orgasm was called a "little death" or a "sacrifice." This is where the more or less notorious sexual and "penetrating" nature of Scorpio is featured in the human story. The sign itself also rules the sexual organs. In the Bible, the character Judas is symbolic of Scorpio who brings the "Fall" of Jesus. Scorpio indeed exists within the dead center of the Fall season, and Judas identified Jesus (the Son/Sun) by kissing him. The season of Scorpio is when the sting of winter is beginning to be felt with the Sun symbolically dying and eventually becoming "entombed" for 3 days at the Winter Solstice before rising again in its trek back northward.
In Egypt, the Sun also had the title "ON," which may remind one of "turning the lights on." When we think of ION, we may also look at it as the "I", the first person pronoun and the conscious expressive, coming through the Sun and into an experience of duality within the seasons. It is about coming full circle within oneself, making one a holon, that is, to simultaneously be both whole and also a part.
More on this may be read on the Sun page and also on the Modality and Trines page, particularly the sections on the Swastika symbol and also the 'Ego, I-King, Thinking & the I-Ching" section.