|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neptune
Tarot Card: Major Arcana Number: Sephirah: Sephirah Number:
The Moon 18 Yesod/The Foundation 9 iiiiiiiiii
Neptune represents the deep subconscious, the psyche, dreams, "past lives," illusions, delusions, soul loss, soul retrieval and also soul development. When looking at the Neptune placement in a chart, you are also looking at possible psychic complexes and ways in which a person may sabotage himself. It represents what is hidden, the shadow, and also spiritual lessons. There is great power in this archetype in that whatever face one shows to their subconscious, the subconscious will reflect back. One can think of it as like a mirror that does not lie, ever. The only difficulty one may have is how one either reacts or responds to the many reflections of those deep waters.
One might say that the true measure of a person is found in the level of fearlessness they have while traversing these oceanic depths of being, even while they're afraid. As Alan Watts discusses in this talk called the "Quaking Mess," the act of simply observing what one is feeling without judging it or reacting even while one is still judging and reacting is a very important concept to grasp. Just as in the story of Buddha sitting under the tree, many forces may show themselves one after another. Some may seem threatening, some pleasant, some dark, some light, but they are all reflections of one's Self, and the Self is quite large. One might even say it's the Universe, ultimately, there being no difference between you and "it." Piece by piece and layer by layer, the Buddha or person meditating peels away many images and illusions by not reacting in ways that feed them. This conscious act of non reaction, even while experiencing unconscious reactionary patterns, of course coincides with walking directly into one's feelings and experiencing them honestly, by "going directly to the bottom of the fire" and realizing that you are not one thing in the egoic sense. Each individual is in fact a multiplicity, with the heroic Apollonic ego being just a part. And even the ego itself doesn't have merely one desire, one goal or one way of identifying itself.
Far more important than oversimplified and blatant self-recognitions by means of myths is the experiencing of their working intraphysically within our fantasies, and then through them into our ideas, systems of ideas, feeling-values, moralities, and basic styles of consciousness. There they are least apparent, for they characterize the notion of consciousness itself according to archetypal perspectives; it is virtually impossible to see the instrument by which we are seeing. Yet our notion of consciousness may derive from the light and form of Apollo, the will and intention of Hercules, the ordering unity of the senex, the communal flow of Dionysus. When any one of these is assumed by the ego as its identity and declared to be the defining characteristic of consciousness, then the other archetypal styles tend to be called psychopathological. - James Hillman ~ Re-visioning Psychology
In understanding this, it is important not to identify too much with the contents of the subconscious and grapple at them unendingly with the mind as they pop up, but let them flow. As Michael Tsarion discusses in his talk Disciples of the Mysterium, the river of Being knows where it is going and it requires no conscious effort or paddling against the current. It only requires a trust in the current itself. He also discusses how one's conscious use of "I," or ego, itself functions like a lighthouse at the edge of an ocean. As we will see, one's soul is meant to be retrieved and developed. We must look at the entire mansion of being, not simply the janitors closet. Even though the surface mind, the persona or ego consciousness, is very useful in its process of identification, reasoning, and in judging what's what in the world, me/not me, mine/not mine, this/that etc., it is extremely important to understand what consequences this kind of labeling, if taken to extremes, may have for the expression of Soul itself.
One might say that the true measure of a person is found in the level of fearlessness they have while traversing these oceanic depths of being, even while they're afraid. As Alan Watts discusses in this talk called the "Quaking Mess," the act of simply observing what one is feeling without judging it or reacting even while one is still judging and reacting is a very important concept to grasp. Just as in the story of Buddha sitting under the tree, many forces may show themselves one after another. Some may seem threatening, some pleasant, some dark, some light, but they are all reflections of one's Self, and the Self is quite large. One might even say it's the Universe, ultimately, there being no difference between you and "it." Piece by piece and layer by layer, the Buddha or person meditating peels away many images and illusions by not reacting in ways that feed them. This conscious act of non reaction, even while experiencing unconscious reactionary patterns, of course coincides with walking directly into one's feelings and experiencing them honestly, by "going directly to the bottom of the fire" and realizing that you are not one thing in the egoic sense. Each individual is in fact a multiplicity, with the heroic Apollonic ego being just a part. And even the ego itself doesn't have merely one desire, one goal or one way of identifying itself.
Far more important than oversimplified and blatant self-recognitions by means of myths is the experiencing of their working intraphysically within our fantasies, and then through them into our ideas, systems of ideas, feeling-values, moralities, and basic styles of consciousness. There they are least apparent, for they characterize the notion of consciousness itself according to archetypal perspectives; it is virtually impossible to see the instrument by which we are seeing. Yet our notion of consciousness may derive from the light and form of Apollo, the will and intention of Hercules, the ordering unity of the senex, the communal flow of Dionysus. When any one of these is assumed by the ego as its identity and declared to be the defining characteristic of consciousness, then the other archetypal styles tend to be called psychopathological. - James Hillman ~ Re-visioning Psychology
In understanding this, it is important not to identify too much with the contents of the subconscious and grapple at them unendingly with the mind as they pop up, but let them flow. As Michael Tsarion discusses in his talk Disciples of the Mysterium, the river of Being knows where it is going and it requires no conscious effort or paddling against the current. It only requires a trust in the current itself. He also discusses how one's conscious use of "I," or ego, itself functions like a lighthouse at the edge of an ocean. As we will see, one's soul is meant to be retrieved and developed. We must look at the entire mansion of being, not simply the janitors closet. Even though the surface mind, the persona or ego consciousness, is very useful in its process of identification, reasoning, and in judging what's what in the world, me/not me, mine/not mine, this/that etc., it is extremely important to understand what consequences this kind of labeling, if taken to extremes, may have for the expression of Soul itself.
Poseidon, the Psyche and the Soul
Poseidon by H. Koppdelaney
Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea and was the precursor to the Roman Neptune. It seems that of all the gods of Greek mythology, Poseidon may have had the most consorts and children (Have not gone through and counted them all in order to compare. Greek gods were fairly promiscuous and the lists are quite large. But at a glance, Poseidon seems to have had the most). Neptune, being the planet of the deep subconscious and unconscious drives, therefore represents reproduction. There is a connection here between the myths of Poseidon, Neptune, and the Indo-European root word nepot which then became "nepotism, "nephew," and also "Neptune." Poseidon does indeed show great nepotism toward his 'Children of the Deep.'
The Trident of Poseidon is interesting in that it is the symbol for the planet Neptune and also is derived from the Greek letter psi from which we get "psyche," "psychology" and also "soul." The Greek word for "soul" or "spirit" was actually psuche, a word beginning with the letter psi. It is very interesting that our word "psyche" is derived from the Greek word for "soul." Sort of puts a new spin on psychology doesn't it? The letter psi and the word psuche are also found in the naming of sacred trees, like the Sycamore tree. From Alvin Boyd Khun's The Tree of Knowledge we read:
...There is deep relevance in this tree name "sycamore." The syc-root is most interesting. According to Massey it is derived from the same Greek root which gives the Greek word for "soul" - psuche (psyche). It is therefore the tree of soul, the tree which incarnates and typifies the life of soul.
The trident shaped letter psi (also note the sai, a Japanese martial arts weapon shaped like a trident) is used as a symbol for psychology, psychiatry, pharmacology, stream function in fluid dynamics, and of course is the symbol for Neptune, a very fluid and psychological planet, indicating the "deep waters of the soul." Due to the depth inherent in the Neptune placement, it may at times feel at odds with the ego floating on the surface. Neptune may show where one has been injured emotionally and where deep healing may need to occur. The Neptune placement is also very sensitive and can give either great artistic potency and insight, or show where one does not like to have his or her "boat" rocked around. The trident can certainly sting. One may feel as if they are always being poked by it in various ways, so a person's hang ups may be indicated by the Neptune placement as well if one has not done any amount of soul retrieval or shadow work.
Poseidon seems to be the only Greek god who could really rival the power of Zeus himself. Water is very beautiful, but can also become wrathful, just like a human being can be poetic, deep and creative, but also wracked with psychic complexes. We see this kind of thing with many creative geniuses who, while creating great soulful works of art, may also feel tortured by how it is their subconscious generally operates, trying to live with reflections that are so "different" from those of others. The trident of Poseidon is also, funnily enough, where we get the devil's three pronged pitchfork symbolism, but the last thing we want to do is demonize this archetype, let alone that of the horned devil, in any way as it would behoove one to rather go "directly to the bottom of the fire."
The Trident of Poseidon is interesting in that it is the symbol for the planet Neptune and also is derived from the Greek letter psi from which we get "psyche," "psychology" and also "soul." The Greek word for "soul" or "spirit" was actually psuche, a word beginning with the letter psi. It is very interesting that our word "psyche" is derived from the Greek word for "soul." Sort of puts a new spin on psychology doesn't it? The letter psi and the word psuche are also found in the naming of sacred trees, like the Sycamore tree. From Alvin Boyd Khun's The Tree of Knowledge we read:
...There is deep relevance in this tree name "sycamore." The syc-root is most interesting. According to Massey it is derived from the same Greek root which gives the Greek word for "soul" - psuche (psyche). It is therefore the tree of soul, the tree which incarnates and typifies the life of soul.
The trident shaped letter psi (also note the sai, a Japanese martial arts weapon shaped like a trident) is used as a symbol for psychology, psychiatry, pharmacology, stream function in fluid dynamics, and of course is the symbol for Neptune, a very fluid and psychological planet, indicating the "deep waters of the soul." Due to the depth inherent in the Neptune placement, it may at times feel at odds with the ego floating on the surface. Neptune may show where one has been injured emotionally and where deep healing may need to occur. The Neptune placement is also very sensitive and can give either great artistic potency and insight, or show where one does not like to have his or her "boat" rocked around. The trident can certainly sting. One may feel as if they are always being poked by it in various ways, so a person's hang ups may be indicated by the Neptune placement as well if one has not done any amount of soul retrieval or shadow work.
Poseidon seems to be the only Greek god who could really rival the power of Zeus himself. Water is very beautiful, but can also become wrathful, just like a human being can be poetic, deep and creative, but also wracked with psychic complexes. We see this kind of thing with many creative geniuses who, while creating great soulful works of art, may also feel tortured by how it is their subconscious generally operates, trying to live with reflections that are so "different" from those of others. The trident of Poseidon is also, funnily enough, where we get the devil's three pronged pitchfork symbolism, but the last thing we want to do is demonize this archetype, let alone that of the horned devil, in any way as it would behoove one to rather go "directly to the bottom of the fire."
The Moon & The Sun
The Moon ~ Pisces - 18
The card most representative of Neptune is The Moon, 18, to which the sign of Pisces is attributed. Within this card we see two towers guarded by Anubis, Egyptian god of the Underworld and the Afterlife, and also the scarab Kephra holding the Sun Disk. The depiction of the Sun here is a foreshadowing of the card immediately following The Moon, The Sun, whose number is 19. Symbolically this shows how "it is always darkest just before the dawn" and how this process is a necessary prerequisite for an authentic "dawning" to occur. The only reason it may seem scary at first is that the ego sees it as foreboding, being as it is on the surface of life. The ego feels generally threatened and is afraid it might self destruct or implode or lose its identity in such depths. Such is not the case. The subconscious does not want to "overtake" the ego's boat with crashing waves, but to simply merge with the ego and embrace it naturally so there can be an integration with one's whole being. Different people will move through this process in vastly different ways, but by far the most potent experiential methods are found in observing nature and through producing art, music and/or poetry. Poetry, art and all things generally considered "mystical" or "deep" are indeed represented by Pisces and also the House of Pisces, the 12th house.
Acting a bit like a tape recorder, the subconscious is the great observer. It stores all behaviors, attitudes and sense perceptions in near perfect holographic representations and reflects them back to the conscious mind that one could say floats on top of these deep waters. The conscious mind may feel threatened, but only to the extent in which it does not realize its own power over, or rather power with, these turbulent states. This is exactly how and why attitude and behavior is such a potent tool to understand. Despair and even fear are completely fine, but it is despair of despair, and fear of fear which needs to be addressed. Adding further despair and fear to this natural process locks it into a seemingly vicious, repeating pattern that never ends. This behavior of fearing fear or fearing suffering actually feeds the subconscious with that same information, and like programming a computer it is then reflected back to the conscious mind that then becomes more fearful and round and round the cycle goes until a great conscious change is made about what one thinks is really happening.
Acting a bit like a tape recorder, the subconscious is the great observer. It stores all behaviors, attitudes and sense perceptions in near perfect holographic representations and reflects them back to the conscious mind that one could say floats on top of these deep waters. The conscious mind may feel threatened, but only to the extent in which it does not realize its own power over, or rather power with, these turbulent states. This is exactly how and why attitude and behavior is such a potent tool to understand. Despair and even fear are completely fine, but it is despair of despair, and fear of fear which needs to be addressed. Adding further despair and fear to this natural process locks it into a seemingly vicious, repeating pattern that never ends. This behavior of fearing fear or fearing suffering actually feeds the subconscious with that same information, and like programming a computer it is then reflected back to the conscious mind that then becomes more fearful and round and round the cycle goes until a great conscious change is made about what one thinks is really happening.
Simple acts of observing nature and being in nature can greatly help one navigate these states. But even a simple conscious change in attitude can disarm phantoms and chronic fears that may have begun to build up in this cycling feedback system between one's conscious reactions and the unconscious remembering and imbedding of those conscious reactionary behaviors. Remember that the scarab is holding the Sun. It knows consciousness will naturally rejoice in the glory of daylight following these deeper states soon enough and at the right time if one is surrendered entirely to the natural flow of events. From the Book of Thoth on The Moon card we read:
Poseidon by AZRainman.com
One is reminded of the mental echo of subconscious realization, of that supreme iniquity which mystics have constantly celebrated in their accounts of the Dark Night of the Soul... Whatever horrors may afflict the soul, whatever abominations may excite the loathing of the heart, whatever terrors may assail the mind, the answer is the same at every stage: "How splendid is the Adventure!"
Two useful parallels of all this within the Gene Keys interpretation of the I Ching hexagrams are the 36th hexagram and the 11th hexagram. Interestingly, the 36th hexagram, the 'Darkening of the Light,' represents the last full hexagram in Pisces and is indicative of the Piscean "Dark Night of the Soul." The 11th hexagram is instructive on how to safely process a seemingly chaotic flood of archetypes and eventually release the light "hiding" within them and also within physical matter. This is an important theme in the 'Alpha and Omega of Soul Development' section below. It truly is darkest just before the dawn, and it is all predicated on how one responds to their internal, and external, environment. Letting everything flow through informed conscious response and through understanding this conscious/subconscious dynamic is the key, as opposed to the learned and self entrained unconscious reactions to the barrage of thoughts, images, sensations, etc., patterns that may leave one feeling hopelessly locked within them. The more you fight them, the worse they get. Within the archetypal structuring of the Moon card, and also with Neptune, we find that nothing ever happens to you. Only you are happening to you. Darker emotions, thoughts and sensations are indicative of something. But, if one behaves fearful while in the midst of fear itself, then Poseidon will unleash his wrath and crash wave after wave upon the boat of consciousness. Images like this of Poseidon attacking defenseless ships full of frightened people are symbolic of the subconscious' attempt to merge with a reluctant consciousness.
Note Lieutenant Dan's surrender to Poseidon in this scene from Forest Gump. Remember the famous line "But you aint got no legs Lieutenant Dan." We can understand this line as meaning "But you aint got no Pisces Lieutenant Dan." Forest is telling him that he has no soul, or that he lost it. In this storm scene he is symbolically getting his legs back by facing down his own soul and surrendering to it. On the human body, Pisces is attributed to the feet (this may be where we get the soles of the feet. A wise man once said that the most important thing to care for in life is the feet, i.e., the soul). Whenever one gets "cold feet" they have "cold Pisces," that is, an unwillingness to "walk down the isle" symbolized by the narrow path between the Two Towers. These towers may be considered our experience of dualism with the left and right hemispheres of the brain, or the left and right sides of our bodies. The central sun cradled by the scarab between the towers may be considered those parts of ourselves that bridge the halves allowing for singular experience, like the corpus callosum, the pineal gland, the heart, the spinal column, and the sexual organs. Every decision made on the path creates the path, and if that thought is scary then the path will be that also. After the storm, Lieutenant Dan goes through a dramatic change in character from despair and depression to peace and joy. Forest says "Even though Lieutenant Dan never said so, I think he found his peace with god."
The Hebrew letter attributed to The Moon card in Tarot is Qoph, which means "ear" or "back of the head." This is an allusion to the subconscious. The letter immediately following Qoph is Resh meaning "head," which is attributed to The Sun card. Resh represents fully conscious ego awareness that is an outgrowth of the subconscious. It is also symbolic of the sun dawning as awareness through the heart, the "inner sun." To refresh from the Moses of Michelangelo section under Mercury, let's look at the Hebrew word "karan," which means either "radiating light," "grew horns" or simply "horn." This word, karan, is spelled QOPH RESH NUN, showing that the act of growing or radiating light has its definite beginnings in the subconscious or soul. In other words this is how to obtain one's radiant halo. Here we see how The Watchmen is truly putting the cart before the horse. If it were spelled backwards, NUN RESH QOPH, we could take it to mean "extinguishing light," being essentially what happens in the movie. The spelling of karan is indicative of the aphorism "die daily," or the sufi saying "die before you die." Karan is very close to the Sanskrit word "antahkarana" both phonetically and also in their meaning. From the wikipedia entry on antahkarana we read:
...the antahkarana is described as the reincarnating part of the mind, so it has a special link with the soul.
We have The Moon card, The Sun card, and the Death card, QOPH RESH NUN, or MOON SUN DEATH as the letter Nun is attributed to the Death card. We "grow" out of the subconscious by waking up, experience daylight and become energized, then die, that is, just let go and melt back into the subconscious again at night where more "soul material" presents itself in sleep. Tomorrow's a brand new day, a new Sun, and so the cycle continues. This simple "phoenix" sequence allows for metamorphosis, transformation, and for the heart and soul to remain the guiding light that they are. This sequence is not relegated only to the patterns of sleeping and waking either. These "horns" or "karan" are what become "plugged" into a higher awareness through this sequence. The karan is many times symbolized by two fingers, and in many pictures of Christ you will notice that he often displays two fingers held upright. This is symbolic of his karan or "radiating light," his spiritual connection with a higher power, and this is also why Michaelangelo chose to put horns on his famous statue of Moses. One can imagine how difficult it would have been to sculpt a radiant halo around the head of Moses, but the horns convey the exact same message albeit cryptically. The two towers of the Moon card may also be interpreted as "horns" of duality. These same "horns" are shown both within the juxtaposed arms of the cross itself as it's often depicted behind the head of Christ, and also within the geometrical symbol of the vesica piscis which is also closely connected to Pisces and the Christ myth (more on this below).
Conscious access to the subconscious through things like talking and direct commands many times have little effect unless the words are perfectly crafted in a specific way with things like Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a perfectly worded story, or even with things like the I Ching. Even then it may take some "massaging" for the conscious mind to become aware of subconscious treasures. Music, art, poetry, philosophy, interior design and architecture are great ways to speak to, or merge with, the subconscious. Whenever one becomes deeply moved by a piece of music, or by a painting, and senses a great depth of soul being communicated to them or through them, it is not because of one's intellectual grasp of the art or music. Such things are beyond words. The swirling colors and layered sounds unlock areas of the psyche and subconscious, or soul, that are normally off limits to conscious chatter and logical processes. This is not to minimize left brained logical processes or conscious awareness though - not at all. We need to use technology to make the music and paint the pictures, and we need logical processes to arrange the words of poetry. But, the end result is of unlocking the subconscious and giving expression to what seems expressionless, giving voice to what seems voiceless, and making visible the invisible.
Two useful parallels of all this within the Gene Keys interpretation of the I Ching hexagrams are the 36th hexagram and the 11th hexagram. Interestingly, the 36th hexagram, the 'Darkening of the Light,' represents the last full hexagram in Pisces and is indicative of the Piscean "Dark Night of the Soul." The 11th hexagram is instructive on how to safely process a seemingly chaotic flood of archetypes and eventually release the light "hiding" within them and also within physical matter. This is an important theme in the 'Alpha and Omega of Soul Development' section below. It truly is darkest just before the dawn, and it is all predicated on how one responds to their internal, and external, environment. Letting everything flow through informed conscious response and through understanding this conscious/subconscious dynamic is the key, as opposed to the learned and self entrained unconscious reactions to the barrage of thoughts, images, sensations, etc., patterns that may leave one feeling hopelessly locked within them. The more you fight them, the worse they get. Within the archetypal structuring of the Moon card, and also with Neptune, we find that nothing ever happens to you. Only you are happening to you. Darker emotions, thoughts and sensations are indicative of something. But, if one behaves fearful while in the midst of fear itself, then Poseidon will unleash his wrath and crash wave after wave upon the boat of consciousness. Images like this of Poseidon attacking defenseless ships full of frightened people are symbolic of the subconscious' attempt to merge with a reluctant consciousness.
Note Lieutenant Dan's surrender to Poseidon in this scene from Forest Gump. Remember the famous line "But you aint got no legs Lieutenant Dan." We can understand this line as meaning "But you aint got no Pisces Lieutenant Dan." Forest is telling him that he has no soul, or that he lost it. In this storm scene he is symbolically getting his legs back by facing down his own soul and surrendering to it. On the human body, Pisces is attributed to the feet (this may be where we get the soles of the feet. A wise man once said that the most important thing to care for in life is the feet, i.e., the soul). Whenever one gets "cold feet" they have "cold Pisces," that is, an unwillingness to "walk down the isle" symbolized by the narrow path between the Two Towers. These towers may be considered our experience of dualism with the left and right hemispheres of the brain, or the left and right sides of our bodies. The central sun cradled by the scarab between the towers may be considered those parts of ourselves that bridge the halves allowing for singular experience, like the corpus callosum, the pineal gland, the heart, the spinal column, and the sexual organs. Every decision made on the path creates the path, and if that thought is scary then the path will be that also. After the storm, Lieutenant Dan goes through a dramatic change in character from despair and depression to peace and joy. Forest says "Even though Lieutenant Dan never said so, I think he found his peace with god."
The Hebrew letter attributed to The Moon card in Tarot is Qoph, which means "ear" or "back of the head." This is an allusion to the subconscious. The letter immediately following Qoph is Resh meaning "head," which is attributed to The Sun card. Resh represents fully conscious ego awareness that is an outgrowth of the subconscious. It is also symbolic of the sun dawning as awareness through the heart, the "inner sun." To refresh from the Moses of Michelangelo section under Mercury, let's look at the Hebrew word "karan," which means either "radiating light," "grew horns" or simply "horn." This word, karan, is spelled QOPH RESH NUN, showing that the act of growing or radiating light has its definite beginnings in the subconscious or soul. In other words this is how to obtain one's radiant halo. Here we see how The Watchmen is truly putting the cart before the horse. If it were spelled backwards, NUN RESH QOPH, we could take it to mean "extinguishing light," being essentially what happens in the movie. The spelling of karan is indicative of the aphorism "die daily," or the sufi saying "die before you die." Karan is very close to the Sanskrit word "antahkarana" both phonetically and also in their meaning. From the wikipedia entry on antahkarana we read:
...the antahkarana is described as the reincarnating part of the mind, so it has a special link with the soul.
We have The Moon card, The Sun card, and the Death card, QOPH RESH NUN, or MOON SUN DEATH as the letter Nun is attributed to the Death card. We "grow" out of the subconscious by waking up, experience daylight and become energized, then die, that is, just let go and melt back into the subconscious again at night where more "soul material" presents itself in sleep. Tomorrow's a brand new day, a new Sun, and so the cycle continues. This simple "phoenix" sequence allows for metamorphosis, transformation, and for the heart and soul to remain the guiding light that they are. This sequence is not relegated only to the patterns of sleeping and waking either. These "horns" or "karan" are what become "plugged" into a higher awareness through this sequence. The karan is many times symbolized by two fingers, and in many pictures of Christ you will notice that he often displays two fingers held upright. This is symbolic of his karan or "radiating light," his spiritual connection with a higher power, and this is also why Michaelangelo chose to put horns on his famous statue of Moses. One can imagine how difficult it would have been to sculpt a radiant halo around the head of Moses, but the horns convey the exact same message albeit cryptically. The two towers of the Moon card may also be interpreted as "horns" of duality. These same "horns" are shown both within the juxtaposed arms of the cross itself as it's often depicted behind the head of Christ, and also within the geometrical symbol of the vesica piscis which is also closely connected to Pisces and the Christ myth (more on this below).
Conscious access to the subconscious through things like talking and direct commands many times have little effect unless the words are perfectly crafted in a specific way with things like Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a perfectly worded story, or even with things like the I Ching. Even then it may take some "massaging" for the conscious mind to become aware of subconscious treasures. Music, art, poetry, philosophy, interior design and architecture are great ways to speak to, or merge with, the subconscious. Whenever one becomes deeply moved by a piece of music, or by a painting, and senses a great depth of soul being communicated to them or through them, it is not because of one's intellectual grasp of the art or music. Such things are beyond words. The swirling colors and layered sounds unlock areas of the psyche and subconscious, or soul, that are normally off limits to conscious chatter and logical processes. This is not to minimize left brained logical processes or conscious awareness though - not at all. We need to use technology to make the music and paint the pictures, and we need logical processes to arrange the words of poetry. But, the end result is of unlocking the subconscious and giving expression to what seems expressionless, giving voice to what seems voiceless, and making visible the invisible.
The Alpha and Omega of Soul Development
Here we see the symbol of the Greek letters Chi Rho, an early pagan and christian symbol which has come to mean many things. We can safely understand the Greek Chi Rho in the same way we understand the Hebrew Qoph Resh in the word "karan" as discussed in the Moses section of Mercury. Just as the Greek letter Psi is a symbol for psychology, psychiatry and pharmacology, so the stylized Chi Rho, or Rx, has become a symbol for the alchemy of medicine. In many ancient depictions of Chi Rho, we also see an Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Here we will see that there is an alchemy of the soul, or a formula for well being and wholeness which has little to do with taking prescription drugs, and everything to do with understanding the interplay between the conscious and subconscious, life and death, entropy and syntropy, summer and winter, night and day, etc. We will discover a connection to the Egyptian gods Horus and Set, the four seasons, the light of LVX, and also the 9th, 10th, 18th and 19th cards of Tarot. These are, The Hermit, Fortune (Jupiter/Zeus), The Moon, and The Sun.
The Greek letter Rho (P) is the equivalent of the English R and Hebrew Resh, meaning "head." Resh is the letter attributed to the Sun card in Tarot whose number is 19. In Plato's Timaeus, the Letter Chi (X) is described as the "two bands" which form the soul of the world crossing each other like the letter X. It's where we get crux, "a vital, basic, decisive or pivotal point," and is closely related the esoteric Cross of the Elements. The Chi Rho symbol is also where we get the symbol of the Skull and Crossbones, with a head (Resh/Rho) and a cross (Qoph/Chi). Seen in this way, it may be considered another symbol for the Rose Cross (Rx) as discussed on the Cross of Elements page. Life and Death, duality and unity, are in a very close embrace literally and symbolically, and the Chi Rho is symbolic of this Universal balance between day and night, inhalation and exhalation, growth and decay, expansion and contraction, Yin and Yang, etc. The symbol of the Head and Cross itself is actually very ancient.
The Greek letter Rho (P) is the equivalent of the English R and Hebrew Resh, meaning "head." Resh is the letter attributed to the Sun card in Tarot whose number is 19. In Plato's Timaeus, the Letter Chi (X) is described as the "two bands" which form the soul of the world crossing each other like the letter X. It's where we get crux, "a vital, basic, decisive or pivotal point," and is closely related the esoteric Cross of the Elements. The Chi Rho symbol is also where we get the symbol of the Skull and Crossbones, with a head (Resh/Rho) and a cross (Qoph/Chi). Seen in this way, it may be considered another symbol for the Rose Cross (Rx) as discussed on the Cross of Elements page. Life and Death, duality and unity, are in a very close embrace literally and symbolically, and the Chi Rho is symbolic of this Universal balance between day and night, inhalation and exhalation, growth and decay, expansion and contraction, Yin and Yang, etc. The symbol of the Head and Cross itself is actually very ancient.
On Boa Island off the coast of Ireland, we find intriguing figures that have been dated to the early or pre-Christian period of Ireland, around 400-800 AD. The figures themselves are considered Celtic or Druidic in origin.
These figures are back to back with one facing East and the other facing West. It is said that a male figure is the one facing East, with a female facing West. This is symbolic of the embrace of duality in that they are connected, being part of the same statue, but facing opposite directions. (this also symbolizes the 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 "divine mathematics" which will be discussed later) One looks toward the Rising Sun which gives life, and the other looks toward the Setting Sun, which does not necessarily "bring death," but is symbolic of the death experience. In ancient Egypt, there was no word like "death" or "dying" as we use it. They used a word translated as "Westing," making the passing of life equivalent to the setting of the Sun (As a bit of an aside, there is striking evidence of a deep connection between ancient Egypt and Ireland. I would direct one to the Irish Origins of Civilization book and website, and also the works of Comyns Beaumont, Conor Macdari, Anna Wilkes, and Ignatious Donnelly).
At the Shrine of Saint Joseph in St. Louis Missouri, we see a skull and crossbones with the Chi Rho symbol underneath it and also the butterfly, which was a symbol for the soul in ancient Greece. Butterflies were even given the same name as soul in Greek, psyche.
Jesus was said to have been crucified at Golgotha (spelled Gimel, Lamed, Gimel, Lamed, Tau, Aleph) which means "the place of a skull." The very similar hebrew word "galgal" (spelled Gimel, Lamed, Gimel, Lamed) most interestingly means "heaven," "rolling thing," "wheel" or "axis of the wheel." Galgal was used in the famous vision of Ezekiel for example in which he saw "wheels within wheels." These two words, and the stories surrounding them, are likely astrological references. In Ezekiel's vision he also saw the "Cherubim" who travelled on this "wheel within a wheel." The Cherubim represent the four Fixed signs of astrology being the Lion (Leo), the Man (Aquarius), the Bull (Taurus), and the Eagle (Scorpio) who are pictured very often in religious iconography. The Cherubim, Galgal and Golgotha have a special relationship with the Cross, the Seasons, Horus, Jupiter and the Wheel of Fortune card as will be seen.
These figures are back to back with one facing East and the other facing West. It is said that a male figure is the one facing East, with a female facing West. This is symbolic of the embrace of duality in that they are connected, being part of the same statue, but facing opposite directions. (this also symbolizes the 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 "divine mathematics" which will be discussed later) One looks toward the Rising Sun which gives life, and the other looks toward the Setting Sun, which does not necessarily "bring death," but is symbolic of the death experience. In ancient Egypt, there was no word like "death" or "dying" as we use it. They used a word translated as "Westing," making the passing of life equivalent to the setting of the Sun (As a bit of an aside, there is striking evidence of a deep connection between ancient Egypt and Ireland. I would direct one to the Irish Origins of Civilization book and website, and also the works of Comyns Beaumont, Conor Macdari, Anna Wilkes, and Ignatious Donnelly).
At the Shrine of Saint Joseph in St. Louis Missouri, we see a skull and crossbones with the Chi Rho symbol underneath it and also the butterfly, which was a symbol for the soul in ancient Greece. Butterflies were even given the same name as soul in Greek, psyche.
Jesus was said to have been crucified at Golgotha (spelled Gimel, Lamed, Gimel, Lamed, Tau, Aleph) which means "the place of a skull." The very similar hebrew word "galgal" (spelled Gimel, Lamed, Gimel, Lamed) most interestingly means "heaven," "rolling thing," "wheel" or "axis of the wheel." Galgal was used in the famous vision of Ezekiel for example in which he saw "wheels within wheels." These two words, and the stories surrounding them, are likely astrological references. In Ezekiel's vision he also saw the "Cherubim" who travelled on this "wheel within a wheel." The Cherubim represent the four Fixed signs of astrology being the Lion (Leo), the Man (Aquarius), the Bull (Taurus), and the Eagle (Scorpio) who are pictured very often in religious iconography. The Cherubim, Galgal and Golgotha have a special relationship with the Cross, the Seasons, Horus, Jupiter and the Wheel of Fortune card as will be seen.
We also see a resemblance between the Skull and Crossbones and the Egyptian Hook & Flail. Again, in considering the Boa Island statues and also the the works of Michael Tsarion, Comyns Beaumont, Conor Macdari, Anna Wilkes, and Ignatious Donnelly, this is definitely not just an inconsequential resemblance. The Hook is the shepherd's staff that shows the way forward into the future, whereas the Flail symbolizes a learning from the past through hindsight and also a connection to ancestors. The past and the future are the "two bands" that form the "soul of the world" that Plato described.
Future and Past, Wisdom and Experience, Logic and Abstract, work together. Alone they are nothing without the Individual to apprehend and utilize them both through Knowledge. The two ways converge leading to this powerful singular experience that utilizes both, symbolized by their crossing over the chest. The stronger the balance between the two, the greater the Wisdom (that is active Wisdom that is integrated with the movement of life itself, not passive wisdom that's often equated with knowledge).
Future and Past, Wisdom and Experience, Logic and Abstract, work together. Alone they are nothing without the Individual to apprehend and utilize them both through Knowledge. The two ways converge leading to this powerful singular experience that utilizes both, symbolized by their crossing over the chest. The stronger the balance between the two, the greater the Wisdom (that is active Wisdom that is integrated with the movement of life itself, not passive wisdom that's often equated with knowledge).
Many are familiar with, or at least aware of, the Yale University Skull and Bones society that both George Bush Jr. and Sr., and also presidential candidate John Kerry, were members of. The number 322 is always associated with this society as well. We come to find out that this number alludes to the first degree of Aries (Arise) in which the Sun is exalted astrologically. March 22nd or 3/22 represents the 1st full degree of Aries after the Spring Equinox. On the human body, Aries (the first month of Spring) corresponds to the Head, whereas Pisces (the last month of Winter) is attributed to the Feet. So, out of the cold and "dead" winter arises the head of Aries. This is where the beginning and the end meet and pass the baton. It is a symbol of the Alpha and Omega, entropy and syntropy, life and death, night and day, etc. One may also look at 3:22 in the bible:
Genesis 3:22 - And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever
Collossians 3:22 - Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Very interesting contrast of meaning with these two passages. Of course one can argue that societies such as this represent a certain degradation of sacred symbolism and philosophy. But, the wellspring from which this symbolism came is what we want to focus on here. If one looks closely enough, they will find that modern government and law societies are replete with ancient Druidic and Egyptian symbolism. But, instead of those with "all the secrets" directing humanity from the top down, it is now time for humanity to govern themselves from the bottom up, where instead of artificial impositions from outside, one can understand the validity of the philosophies and symbolism from inside and organically grow into wholeness without needing an outside agency, whether governmental or religious, to tell them who they are (R) or what their place is (X) in the social or cosmic order. Interestingly, the word Rex, with an obvious connection to the Rx and Chi Rho, is Latin for "King" or "Lord." The recovery, reclamation and rectification of this knowledge is meant for the empowerment of each individual. It is not meant to be hidden, cryptic, evil or scary, even though some that use this symbolism may be of that particular bent. This knowledge was originally meant to uplift mankind spiritually, not to confuse or degrade his or her rightful place among the cosmos. Those who have co-opted this knowledge and kept it hidden truly do not deserve it. You do.
In light of all this, one should not be too gloomy or despair, and this falls perfectly in line with what is actually being discussed. It truly is darkest just before the dawn, and it is up to each individual to reclaim his or her spiritual heritage that has been hidden and encrypted, to save it from the clutches of those less deserving who only reveal these secrets on an extremely rigid and hierarchical need to know basis. Exactly who are they to treat it in such ways? Are they Elites? No. Are they control freaks afraid of a truly awakened and self-empowered humanity? Yes.
Genesis 3:22 - And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever
Collossians 3:22 - Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Very interesting contrast of meaning with these two passages. Of course one can argue that societies such as this represent a certain degradation of sacred symbolism and philosophy. But, the wellspring from which this symbolism came is what we want to focus on here. If one looks closely enough, they will find that modern government and law societies are replete with ancient Druidic and Egyptian symbolism. But, instead of those with "all the secrets" directing humanity from the top down, it is now time for humanity to govern themselves from the bottom up, where instead of artificial impositions from outside, one can understand the validity of the philosophies and symbolism from inside and organically grow into wholeness without needing an outside agency, whether governmental or religious, to tell them who they are (R) or what their place is (X) in the social or cosmic order. Interestingly, the word Rex, with an obvious connection to the Rx and Chi Rho, is Latin for "King" or "Lord." The recovery, reclamation and rectification of this knowledge is meant for the empowerment of each individual. It is not meant to be hidden, cryptic, evil or scary, even though some that use this symbolism may be of that particular bent. This knowledge was originally meant to uplift mankind spiritually, not to confuse or degrade his or her rightful place among the cosmos. Those who have co-opted this knowledge and kept it hidden truly do not deserve it. You do.
In light of all this, one should not be too gloomy or despair, and this falls perfectly in line with what is actually being discussed. It truly is darkest just before the dawn, and it is up to each individual to reclaim his or her spiritual heritage that has been hidden and encrypted, to save it from the clutches of those less deserving who only reveal these secrets on an extremely rigid and hierarchical need to know basis. Exactly who are they to treat it in such ways? Are they Elites? No. Are they control freaks afraid of a truly awakened and self-empowered humanity? Yes.
The Chi Rho is also closely connected to the Eye of Horus and Jupiter. Keep in mind the symbolism of Pisces moving into Aries, the Sun (Head) rising out of the Darkness of Winter. Horus is a god of the sky and the Sun, and as the story goes the god Set, god of Darkness, Chaos and Evil, stole one of Horus' eyes. Horus had two eyes, one being the Sun and the other being the Moon (note the relationship to The Sun and The Moon in Tarot, and also the importance of Sun and Moon symbolism in religion generally) The deity Thoth attempted to bring an end to the conflict, but Set continued to make attempts at tearing off Horus' Moon eye, which Thoth then renewed each month (explaining lunar phases). The story states that after Set had stolen the Sun eye (where we get sunSET) from the Head of this Sun/sky god Horus (winter months), Thoth then miraculously renewed Horus' Sun eye (spring after winter, sunrise after night, waking after sleeping, etc), and this magickally restored eye symbol came to be known as "Wadjet" (meaning "whole" or "healthy"), the Eye of Horus pictured above. This was the ancient Egyptians own Rx symbol and process of wholeness and healing which is very different from the modern taking of prozac, xanax, or valium to artificially abate the feelings of anxiety and depression. By combining the Sun and Moon, light and dark, night and day, summer and winter, soul and matter, life and death, depression and joy, etc., within oneself, reconciling the duality, one then becomes whole and healthy. For all intents and purposes, Horus was the slain and resurrected Jesus of Egypt.
Note the interplay of the Sun and Moon (light and dark) in this blog entry about the Aztec myth of Tetzcatlipoca and Quetzacoatl. The myth is quite similar to Horus and Set, the Chi and Rho, the Head and the Cross. Many know that the skull and crossbones is symbolic of pirates as it was flown on the flags of their ships, and probably the most popular image of a pirate is a man with one eye and a Peg Leg who says "ARRRR" a lot. (Pirates are also obviously connected to Pisces, Neptune and Poseidon in terms of the ocean, water, possible danger and adventure motifs). The importance of the peg leg may be read about in the above blog entry about the Aztec myth which has many more links within it to other writings of import about symbolism. One can also view this talk which gets further into the importance of pirate symbolism starting at 3:20 into the video. Pirate is also similar to the words "pyre ate." There doesn't seem to be an official connection as the roots of the words pyre and pirate are different, but when looking the imagery connected to the two words symbolically, an interesting parallel story unfolds. Pyres are ritual fires that consume bodies. "Pyramid" itself actually means "a measure of fire." As pirates are so closely connected to things like galactic center (see this blog), the Skull and Crossbones, and also the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Rho and English R (ARRRR!) being Resh-the Sun, the crucial element of the Rx formula that brings one out of dead Winter and dark night (X), it's obvious there's an important connection between the words.
There is a correlation here to the planet Jupiter and its card, The Wheel of Fortune (10), and also the Sun and its card (19). Besides being the card of Jupiter, The Wheel of Fortune card represents the Sun, the Zodiac, and the Sun moving through the zodiac in a great wheel (Galgal). Zeus, or Jupiter, was also a "sky god" like Horus, though instead of escaping Set, he escaped the jaws of Cronus or chronology, time. Zues and Cronus, Jupiter and Saturn, Horus and Set, and Tetzcatlipoca and Quetzacoatl seem to be telling the same story, more or less, about the interplay and the embrace of dualities of our world. Horus is where we get the words "horizon," "horoscope," and "hours," as in the round of hours in a day. Behind the stars at the top of the Fortune card, we see a giant Ring. This represents time and also the Zodiac, the sky, and the "Horus-scope." Some of the stars within the Fortune card are "dark" and some of them are "bright."
The symbol for Jupiter itself looks very much like the numbers 2 and 4 brought together into one symbol. Indeed there are 24 hours or "Horuses" in a day. There is a reason why Jupiter and all symbols, myths and gods surrounding Jupiter indicate "good luck," including the Fortune card in Tarot. This blog provides great information on Jupiter symbolism. To bring the point home, the Sun is closely related to Jupiter as well in meaning and function as we shall see. In looking at the blog just mentioned, Jupiter has a connection to "galactic center" whereas the Sun is one's own center and the center of our solar system. Ultimately though, as we will see, everywhere and everything may be considered the center. This realization is found through understanding the inseparability and marriage of these very dualities being discussed. The existence of one always implies the other, and to repress one in favor of the other leads to great imbalances that will require a deep process of integration and evening out.
Note the interplay of the Sun and Moon (light and dark) in this blog entry about the Aztec myth of Tetzcatlipoca and Quetzacoatl. The myth is quite similar to Horus and Set, the Chi and Rho, the Head and the Cross. Many know that the skull and crossbones is symbolic of pirates as it was flown on the flags of their ships, and probably the most popular image of a pirate is a man with one eye and a Peg Leg who says "ARRRR" a lot. (Pirates are also obviously connected to Pisces, Neptune and Poseidon in terms of the ocean, water, possible danger and adventure motifs). The importance of the peg leg may be read about in the above blog entry about the Aztec myth which has many more links within it to other writings of import about symbolism. One can also view this talk which gets further into the importance of pirate symbolism starting at 3:20 into the video. Pirate is also similar to the words "pyre ate." There doesn't seem to be an official connection as the roots of the words pyre and pirate are different, but when looking the imagery connected to the two words symbolically, an interesting parallel story unfolds. Pyres are ritual fires that consume bodies. "Pyramid" itself actually means "a measure of fire." As pirates are so closely connected to things like galactic center (see this blog), the Skull and Crossbones, and also the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Rho and English R (ARRRR!) being Resh-the Sun, the crucial element of the Rx formula that brings one out of dead Winter and dark night (X), it's obvious there's an important connection between the words.
There is a correlation here to the planet Jupiter and its card, The Wheel of Fortune (10), and also the Sun and its card (19). Besides being the card of Jupiter, The Wheel of Fortune card represents the Sun, the Zodiac, and the Sun moving through the zodiac in a great wheel (Galgal). Zeus, or Jupiter, was also a "sky god" like Horus, though instead of escaping Set, he escaped the jaws of Cronus or chronology, time. Zues and Cronus, Jupiter and Saturn, Horus and Set, and Tetzcatlipoca and Quetzacoatl seem to be telling the same story, more or less, about the interplay and the embrace of dualities of our world. Horus is where we get the words "horizon," "horoscope," and "hours," as in the round of hours in a day. Behind the stars at the top of the Fortune card, we see a giant Ring. This represents time and also the Zodiac, the sky, and the "Horus-scope." Some of the stars within the Fortune card are "dark" and some of them are "bright."
The symbol for Jupiter itself looks very much like the numbers 2 and 4 brought together into one symbol. Indeed there are 24 hours or "Horuses" in a day. There is a reason why Jupiter and all symbols, myths and gods surrounding Jupiter indicate "good luck," including the Fortune card in Tarot. This blog provides great information on Jupiter symbolism. To bring the point home, the Sun is closely related to Jupiter as well in meaning and function as we shall see. In looking at the blog just mentioned, Jupiter has a connection to "galactic center" whereas the Sun is one's own center and the center of our solar system. Ultimately though, as we will see, everywhere and everything may be considered the center. This realization is found through understanding the inseparability and marriage of these very dualities being discussed. The existence of one always implies the other, and to repress one in favor of the other leads to great imbalances that will require a deep process of integration and evening out.
Sead/Egg
The Hermit ~ Virgo - 9
|
Fertilization
Fortune ~ Jupiter - 10
|
Seed/Egg
The Moon ~ Pisces - 18
|
Fertilization
The Sun ~ 19
|
The Hermit, 9, holds onto the Light in the same way that the scarab in The Moon, 18, holds onto the Light. Both The Hermit and The Moon are related numerologically since 18 = 1+8 = 9. In the same way, Fortune and The Sun are related. But, for now let's focus on these "seed/egg" cards of The Hermit and The Moon, which lay the "foundation" if you like of the cards sequentially following them. Both of these cards indicate that within darkness is a light to recognize and tend to. The Moon card itself may indicate the very beginnings of gestation and the uncertainties inherent in this stage of life. There may be miscarriages, illnesses or deaths during this delicate "cradling" stage, but when the child is eventually born and the Sun/Son is beheld, the heart and light of parents usually expand beyond what words alone could possibly convey. This process of the generation of life is again symbolized by the Rx symbol with the crux or crucial period of conception/gestation (X) being followed by full realization/actualization (R). Within the Hermit card one sees the sperm and the egg, the potentiality or potency of life, and within the Moon card we see them symbolized as well, though more cryptically with the feminine blood and masculine semen mixing together in "waves of potentialities." These "potentials" are very potent and sacred. Both the Hermit and the Moon call for stillness, quietude, solitude, and an aloneness in which to contemplate and uncover the inner light. Kabbalists call this the light of LVX, or Luce (latin for "light"), which is where we get "lucius," "luscious," "lucid," and "Lucifer," the light bearer. Before one thinks this is "evil," it must be stated that, yes, there are Luciferians on earth who are quite unsavory and use this light rather like a weapon in order to blind. This is done mainly through movies, media, television, advertising, buzzing super-lit cities that "never sleep," etc., and is even shown in stories like the Lord of the Rings and the "unblinking eye of Sauron" that is "wreathed in flame" and "never sleeps." But, just like with the symbolism of the skull and crossbones, we are in a process of reclaiming and recovering the sacred from the muck into which it has fallen.
Many have probably seen the famous "jesus fish." This fish is extracted from the geometrical shape of the Vesica Piscis and is directly related to the sign of Pisces itself. The word Piscis is Latin for "fish." In the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Britain and Ireland, there is a fish called "lucius," which is a kind of pike (Reminding one of Albert Pike, a famous freemason and Luciferian who is actually supposedly buried underneath a Vesica Pisces "eye," a Scottish Rite hall, in Washington DC. See Secrets in Plain Sight). Theosophist Alice Bailey started something called the "Lucifer Trust," but the name was subsequently changed to "Lucis Trust." The logo of the Lucis Trust is a stylized Vesica Piscis "eye" with bright beams of white light emitting from within it (It's actually one of the most abrasive and annoying logos I've ever seen). The Vesica Piscis, and the fish symbol extracted from it, is a symbol of feminine generative power and is seen in religious artwork, the architecture of many churches, and is even used in the Washington Monument in Washington DC. It is also a symbol of sharply directed Light which is hidden or ensconced in feminine "darkness" or matter, just like how the light is being "cradled" in the Hermit and the Moon cards. Jesus was called the light of the world and was often pictured in the center of a Vesica Pisces, and as eluded to before, when parents first behold their children they are indeed the "light of the world" in their eyes, and the fullness or "wholeness" of the human process is awakened within consciousness (Carefully centering oneself within an expansion of heart awareness and "uncovering the inner light" is a process that can be initiated without the necessity of child birth, though that is certainly one way to do it. Other ways may involve creations of art, working with symbols or whole hearted communion with Nature). Another interesting figure to be aware of are the Sheela na gig.
The cross behind the head of Jesus is another way of symbolizing the skull and crossbones, being the Chi Rho, Rx, Rose Cross or Qoph Resh. Here we also see him giving the karan symbol of the two horns, which may be considered the Two Towers duality of The Moon card being "plugged" into The Sun card following it indicating union with a sacred "higher power" that transcends the dualities themselves. Through the inseparable duality is found a unity, which in itself forms a trinity, just as it is symbolized in the Boa Island statues. The two fingers or horns have also been symbolized by rabbits and rabbit ears, giving us another, clearer understanding of the easter bunny and Christ's resurrection.
Christ performed 37 miracles in the Bible with the resurrection being the 37th and last miracle. Keeping in mind the movement from Pisces into Aries, and the movement from the 18th card of the Major Arcana, the Moon, to the 19th, the Sun, a fascinating correlation is made here concerning the celebration of Easter. First of all, 18 + 19 = 37, and secondly Easter is celebrated on the first sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, again symbolically moving from the Moon into the Sun, and from Pisces into Aries. Also, remember that the 36th hexagram is the last full hexagram in Pisces, and that its traditional meaning is "The Darkening of the Light." Within the Gene Keys, the story of the suffering of Christ is an important theme of that particular hexagram. So it's interesting that we have a sort of cross pollination of symbolism and meaning here between different systems and archetypes from different parts of the world where the number 36 represents Christ's suffering, and 37 represents his resurrection.
From Alvin Boyd Khun's book The Ultimate Canon of Knowledge on page 31 there is a quote worth reproducing:
Christ performed 37 miracles in the Bible with the resurrection being the 37th and last miracle. Keeping in mind the movement from Pisces into Aries, and the movement from the 18th card of the Major Arcana, the Moon, to the 19th, the Sun, a fascinating correlation is made here concerning the celebration of Easter. First of all, 18 + 19 = 37, and secondly Easter is celebrated on the first sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, again symbolically moving from the Moon into the Sun, and from Pisces into Aries. Also, remember that the 36th hexagram is the last full hexagram in Pisces, and that its traditional meaning is "The Darkening of the Light." Within the Gene Keys, the story of the suffering of Christ is an important theme of that particular hexagram. So it's interesting that we have a sort of cross pollination of symbolism and meaning here between different systems and archetypes from different parts of the world where the number 36 represents Christ's suffering, and 37 represents his resurrection.
From Alvin Boyd Khun's book The Ultimate Canon of Knowledge on page 31 there is a quote worth reproducing:
If we turn to ancient egypt, we learn, most authoritatively through the luminous revelations of Gerald Massey's scholarship, that the religious consciousness of early Egyptian civilization was saturated by the aura and influence of nature. The Egyptian people, says James H. Breasted in his history of the Nile country, lived in close and intimate association with nature. The religious literature of the land abounds in nature symbolism. Spiritual conceptualism was profusely adumbrated by natural phenomena. The very gods were figuratively charactered by animal symbols, the figure of Horus, the Christ, having the head of a hawk, indicative of a heavenly keenness of sight that sees all earthly things clearly. With prodigious virtuosity, Massey traces the endless symbol-structures of religious truth to their archaic source in some natural fact or phenomenon. All spiritual conceptuality, he sensed, stalked through the mental world as if it were the shade or ghost of some natural object. The wraiths of divine ideas moved about in the shadowy robes of earthly things. One must read Massey's colossal elucidations to catch the full cogency of this apprehension. Alleging that "metaphysical explanations" have misconceived and distorted the true sense of mythology, he says that "all interpretation is finally futile that is not founded on the primary physical phenomena." He remarks that it is fortunate that we still have left the aboriginal symbols, and we can abstract from them some measure of their semantic message and purport, as best we may. He thinks that early civilization lived through a stage in which it dwelt in closer contact with nature and had developed a deeper sense of nature's "meaning," and that later tendency weakened this rapport, so that we still cling to the symbol only blindly and uncomprehendingly.
He asserts that the great ancient Mystery brotherhoods grounded their rituals on symbols from nature, and that the whole structure of ancient esotericism and occult wisdom, such as the symbols of Gnosis, Hermeticism, the Kabalah and the religious arcana everywhere, rested on natural foundations. In fact he sees it underlying the religious and humanistic literature of all the world. Symbols at any rate preserved the tenebrous shadows of truth, which thus haunted the consciousness of mankind as memories preserved in the unconscious. Symbolism constitutes a language extending beyond the written or spoken idioms. It was when ignorance and grossly material misconception distorted the transparent imagery of symbols into caricature and falsity that the interior import of mythology and archetypal concepts faded out and left intelligence holding the husks and empty shells of truth. As the outward and visible form of an idea, a symbol is still the magic wand to awaken intelligence. Outwardly foreshadowing an inner abstraction, it is the most helpful of servants; obscurely or mistakenly envisioned, it becomes the most deceptive and tyrannous of masters. But it remains the one inerrant language of truth.
A great correlation of the Vesica Piscis symbol as found within the Chinese I Ching is the 2nd hexagram, 'The Receptive - Field.' Within this hexagram, a concept of "Divine Mathematics" is symbolically represented. Within the all encapsulating feminine principle of the 2nd hexagram, if there is 1, then there is automatically 3, making the number 2 or duality itself a bit of an "illusion." In geometry, the Vesica Piscis shows how this works. Two circles enter each others space creating a third shape. The number 3 is very important here (One may make a study of all cards that reduce to 3 numerologically in Tarot. These are, The Empress, The Hanged Man, and The Universe).
The mathematical ratio of the width across the center of the vesica piscis to its height is the square root of 3... ~ wikipedia
Every single human being, or 1, automatically has 2 parents, which makes 3. If you look at a magnet, you have the duality of north and south poles, 2, but you also have the magnet itself, making 3. You cannot isolate the north from the south, and if you cut it in half there will still be north and south magnetic poles; they are always combined which in itself makes a 3rd thing, the magnet. And, of course, the "programming partner" or mirror image of the feminine 2nd hexagram of the I Ching is the masculine 1st hexagram, 'The Creative - Force,' which expresses the freshness of a highly creative and concentrated aspect of individuated Light being released within the encapsulating feminine. One might say that if this light is not perfectly directed and oriented by the feminine, and if it has not been given sufficient time to gestate, there there may be an entropic and diffuse expression of that same light.
Rupert Sheldrake's morphogenetic field theory correlates very nicely here. It is interesting to note that the 2nd hexagram of the I Ching, representing the guiding feminine principle of the 'Creative' 1st hexagram pole, was actually called the "Field" by the ancient Chinese. The feminine principle here isn't necessarily a "pole" though, as there is really no-thing opposite of an all encompassing nature. If anything we could call it a trinity. We could look at the 3rd card of the Major Arcana, the Empress, or the 3rd sphere of Binah, the Great Mother, or even the two other cards that reduce to 3 being the Hanged Man (12=1+2=3) and the Universe (21=2+1=3). As discussed on the Venus page, the Empress is the path at the opening of the Grail as outlined on the Tree of Life. One could say she represents the lip of up the cup into which all phenomena pours. We even see pictures of Babylon holding this cup while seated upon a 7 headed beast which symbolizes the "immortal" supernal triad, the 3 sephiroth at the top of the Tree of Life, as they sit atop the "mortal" worlds of Yetzirah and Assiah, being the 7 sephiroth below the abyss of Daath. (see Babylon and the Beast page in the Movie Room).
If one looks at the Hanged Man we see this bowl or cup at the bottom of the card. The Hanged Man archetype has much to do with the "magnetic monopole" or morphogenetic field symbolized by the 2nd hexagram, both of which are also connected to the Sacral chakra. The word "sacral" is of course connected to the words "sacred," "sacrament" and also "sacrifice". Sacrifice is one superficial meaning of the Hanged Man card, that is until we look at the hidden meanings of the sacred sacral. The letter attributed to the Hanged Man card is Mem, meaning Water, and is closely tied phonetically our words Mom and also mum as in "mums the word," implying silence and secrets. You may notice the word "secret" is closely tied to "secrete" as well. If one were to string all these intimations together in a way to sum up the Hanged Man, it might be "secret secretions of sacred sacral sacrifices." Sexual magick was often veiled in cryptic language that implied death, dying and sacrifices. Many have misinterpreted these kinds of writings which is understandable, for example in the now fairly infamous chapter in Crowley's Book 4 where he mentions the "sacrifice." All he was alluding to was sex magick, but why all the secrecy and veiled language? It is a sacred subject that has to do with the silent understanding of one's seeming sufferings leading to enlightenment as one's "spilt blood" is caught by the cup, being itself symbolic the morphogenetic universe, the "Cup of Our Lady", or rather the feminine principle. Sexual magick or Tantra is simply a gateway into a higher understanding of the fields in which we are imbedded. There is great trust involved in this process as it is mirrored in other stories of the hanged man archetype like Odin hanging the Yggdrasil tree and becoming pierced and then subsequently enlightened by the "overall plan" of existence, or of Jesus being pierced with the spear while hanging on the cross, coming into acceptance of a "bigger plan" or "God's plan," etc. The Hanged Man symbolizes a great trust in, and love for, the Divine Order, being the interconnectedness of all things, and also the worthy sacrifices one must make in sacred earthly works in order to celebrate and pay homage to it in whatever way one is able or inclined. This reverence for 'Divine Order,' the feminine principle, or whatever one wishes to call it, can even be expressed in machinery if built correctly using "sympathetic vibratory physics" as Dale Pond has proven in his attempts to recreate and understand the mechanisms of the genius machinist John Worrell Keely (Note that the principles behind this technology are based on "scalar forces," and if we rearrange the word "scalar" we actually get "sacral").
The two cards of The Hermit (9) and The Moon (18) also show a very feminine process in which one slows down and allows something to gestate within without interfering with the process. The more one interferes with the mind (one may think of the mind as Aquarius, 17, which may be read about in the Uranus section or the Watchmen page), the more the subconscious will throw up seeming "threatening waves" that assail one's consciousness. In certain Tarot decks the Hermit is seen with his finger pressed to his lips implying silence or a secret. These cards instruct one to do as nature does, to put great trust in the natural processes of the hermetically sealed Universe of which one is a part. If understood, respected and passed through successfully, one reaches a fertilized and "rapidly dividing" state in which creativity, life and light is unleashed in all directions simultaneously, bringing much joy as pictured in The Fortune card (10) and The Sun card (19) which immediately follow the Hermit and Moon. The Hermit, for example, has only a specific and "specialized" view of the light from its own perspective, much like how rainbows move as one moves, or how the reflection of a mirror moves as one moves in relation to it. But light stretches in all directions. Someone standing in a different area will see a different reflection or a different rainbow. To reach a broader perspective, the Hermit, 9, passes into Fortune, 10, the card of Jupiter. The "philosophy," if we can call it that, behind the cards of The Moon and The Hermit is to get in touch with what seems to be "dead," "dark" or "hidden" outside of one's perspective. In the case of The Hermit (Virgo), this is to appreciate the "inanimate" as being animate and intelligent, to see all matter and light as being alive, conscious and speaking in some way. In the case of The Moon (Pisces), this is to see how the "dark" content of the subconscious is made up of soul material to be cultivated and retrieved, not repressed and forgotten. Quantum Mechanics is telling us that the most fundamental level all of what we call "physical" behaves more like the mind, psyche or "soul." This is the world our Piscean soles walk upon, and it is important to take great care of the feet while in it lest we leave soulless footprints.
In a funny twist of soul physics, things become alive and radiant if one sees and experiences them as such. But the expressions of soul have many shades, moods and colors. Genuine, contemplative trust, especially when moving through darkened states in which one feels intimidated by the seeming dualism we're embedded in, leads to great breakthroughs in one's state of Unified Being. Through the "phoenix sequence" symbolized by the karan, QOPH RESH NUN, older versions of "I" may very well die. This makes room for the awareness of a more Universal Self, a Self of which the "I" is still definitely a part, only one could say it is progressively modified in order to accommodate this great Self. Life takes on progressive hues of sacredness when understood and approached in this way, until within the Great Womb we call the Universe, every point may be experienced as the absolute, radiant center in which life and death, and indeed all dualities, coexist, forming the singular experience of rapturous harmony within the heart. The pains of division are made up for by the joys of reunification.
When looking at the 17-18-19 sequence in Tarot, the story is of the mind itself surrendering, in a sense, and finding trust in and love for the the "world soul" out there and also the soul within (Chi/Qoph), which then becomes expressed through the heart that is identified with both the Sun out there and also the sun within (Rho/Resh). The reversed or negative meanings of the The Hermit and The Moon include being overly proud of talents or 'spiritual attainment,' needing validation from others and a fear of being alone and quiet with oneself (The Hermit reversed), or refusal to acknowledge the hidden aspects of oneself, drug addiction and/or feeling hopelessly at the mercy of psychological phantoms while chronically projecting one's "hurt" onto others (The Moon reversed). These reversed meanings almost invariably are caused by an individual's chiefly mental over-concern with a co-dependant persona needing superficial validations for its own existence from outside itself through other people.
As the busy scarab rolls the Sun unflinchingly between the foreboding shadows of the Two Towers of The Moon card, and as the Hermit stands alone in silence atop a darkened mountain while admiring the light of a single lantern, they are within them building a specific kind of momentum that will eventually break the surface. It takes time. The individual ego is meant to dance in the sunlight, experience great fortune, enjoy the persona and partake of communion with others. There is a process in which this may unfold without the backwash of an unworked Soul infecting or tainting the ego experience.
The super-lit, persona driven and extremely hyperactive world of media, movies, popular politics, television, ads, etc., serves to lock individuals within an ego world of flashing lights where superficial image and social approval is most important, acting as an abrasive surrogate to the authentic dawning that occurs through soul work. This surface world of light manipulation, through sending constant messages of escapism, gives children and adults alike quite aberrant ideas of what it is to be human, making them in essence afraid of their own psyche, and indeed their own souls, which then ultimately becomes a vicious cycling through a pointless fear of fear itself. I highly recommend Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore as he eloquently deals with this subject in compassionate and understanding language, puts the archetypes in perfect order, and gives very practical and down to earth perspectives and methods on how to cultivate and care for the Soul in daily life.
Moore's treatment of narcissism, and the Greek myth of Narcissus after which it was named, is particularly enlightening and quite relevant to the subject presented here. If you read closely, you will see a precise description of the 17-18-19 sequence of Tarot. Starting from page 60 onward, here are some selected quotes from Care of the Soul dealing with narcissism and Narcissus:
The image in which narcissism is fulfilled is not a literal one. It is not the image one sees in a mirror, not the "image," as they would say on Madison Avenue, that you want to project, not the self-concept, not the way you see yourself. The image Narcissus sees is a new one, something he had never seen before, something "other," and he is mesmerized by it, charmed. Ovid says, "the image you seek is nowhere." It cannot be found intentionally. One comes upon it unexpectedly in a pool in a woods where the sun doesn't shine brightly and where human touch is absent. What the narcissist does not understand is that the self-acceptance he craves can't be forced or manufactured. It has to be discovered, in a place more introverted than the usual haunts of the narcissist. There has to be some inner questioning, and maybe even confusion. He may have to come to the point where he asks, "What is going on here?"
...Is there something in me that is like this pool? Do I have depth? Do my feelings and thoughts pool somewhere so off the beaten path that it is utterly still and untouched? Is there someplace wet in me, not the place of dry intellectualism but rather of moist feeling and green, fertile, shady imagination, far from human influence? Do I find myself in rare moments caught in a place of reflection where I have to take a break for reverie and wonder and there catch a glimpse of some unfamiliar face that is mine? If so, then the myth of Narcissus, the cure for narcissism, may be stirring in me.
The story then tells how Narcissus feels the longing to be united with the image he has found. Now like the lovers he spurned, he pines and suffers... He talks to the trees, saying, "Has anyone ever had as much longing as I have?" Talking to nature shows that his grief is giving him a new connection to the soul. When the soul is present, nature is alive.
I suspect this is a very concrete part of curing narcissism-talking to trees. By engaging the so-called "inanimate" world in dialogue, we are acknowledging its soul. Not all consciousness is human. That in itself is a narcissistic belief... If all we are doing is bumping into ourself in a house of mirrors, then there is no soul, only "me" and "me-products"-projections. Then our longings are not articulated but only acted out in endless, fruitless satisfying of desire...
That which is young in us pines and yearns. It feels separations keenly and painfully desires attachment. So, the myth suggests that we are on our way toward healing narcissism when we feel an overwhelming desire to be the person we newly imagine ourselves to be.
The way through a symptom is never easy. Narcissus lies at the edge of the pool tormented by the realization that this boy in the water is separated from him by the thinnest membrane. The face is so close and yet impossible to reach. He is in the midst of these thoughts when a realization strikes him suddenly. "It's me!" he says in profound surprise. Up to this point he did not know that the face he loved so much was his own.
This is a key point in the story. Narcissus falls in love with a person in a watery mirror who he thinks is someone else, even though it is himself. Narcissism gets stuck on certain familiar images of self. We love the surface image we identify as ourselves, but Narcissus discovers by accident that there are other images just as lovable. They are in the pool, at the very source of identity. The cure for narcissism, certainly a way of caring for the soul, is to be open to these other images. Narcissism, like the neurotic Narcissus, is hard and impenetrable. But Narcissus at the pool recovers his natural moisture. As with the flower, he has become flexible, beautiful, planted...
Narcissus becomes able to love himself only when he learns to love that self as an object. He now has a view of himself as someone else. This is not ego loving ego; this is ego loving the soul, loving a face the soul presents. We might say that the cure for narcissism is to move from love of self, which always has a hint of narcissism in it, to love of one's deep soul. Or, to put it in another way, narcissism breaking up invites us to expand the boundaries of who we think we are. Discovering that the face in the pool is his own, Narcissus exclaims, "What I long for I have." Love of a new image of self leads to new knowledge about oneself and one's potential.
Then, in another subtle development in a story filled with significant details, Narcissus beings to entertain thoughts of death. "Now grief is sapping my strength," he says, "and only a brief space of life remains for me. I am cut off in life's prime." We are led to a mystery that is embedded in all initiations and in every rite of passage: the end of a previous form of existence is felt as a real death.
Images of dying may attend movements in our own narcissism: that hard shelled boy has to surrender his existence. The only way through our narcissism is to feel the mortal wound, an end to the I-project we have set up and maintained with such attention. Narcissism is not going to be cured by literal fulfillment of the grandiose expectations for oneself entertained in fantasy. That has to fail so that an "other" may appear...
[The imagery then shifts] to the element of fire. First Narcissus strikes his chest in grief, and his skin "takes on a delicate glow," like the flush of an apple. But then, like wax melting in the morning sun, Narcissus is consumed by the hidden fire of love. Love's fire chases the chill that had been characteristic of the old Narcissus. Theological commentaries on this tale used it as moral evidence against self-love, but in fact, the story shows that love is the transforming factor. Warming love creates soul...
The story begins with rigid self-containment and ends with the flowering of a personality. Care of the soul requires us to see the myth in the symptom, to know that there is a flower waiting to break through the hard surface of narcissism. Knowing the mythology, we are able to embrace the symptom, glimpsing something of the mysterious rule by which a disease of the psyche can be its own cure...
The Story of Narcissus makes it clear that one of the dangers of narcissism is its inflexibility and rigidity. Suppleness is an extremely important quality of soul. In Greek mythology, the flexibility of the gods and goddesses is one of their primary traits. They may fight each other, but they recognize each other's validity...
Polytheism understood as a psychological model rather than a religious belief is easily misunderstood. Stated simply, it means that psychologically we have many different claims made on us from a deep place. It is not possible, nor is it desirable, to get all of these impulses together under a single focus. Rather than strive for unity of personality, the idea of polytheism suggests living within multiplicity. Some, without investigating the idea deeply enough, have assumed that this means that morally anything goes, that there is no code of ethics, and that whatever happens happens; but, poly means "several, not "any." In a polytheistic morality we allow ourselves to experience the tensions that arise from different moral claims...
The soul is fostered in tangles of polytheism just as it is in the many turns of the labyrinth. The most rewarding quality of polytheism is the intimacy it can make possible with one's own heart. When we try to keep life in order with a monotheistic attitude-do the right thing, keep up the traditions, and be sure that life makes sense-our moralism against ourselves can keep certain parts of our nature at a distance and little known...
An attitude of polytheism permits a degree of acceptance of human nature and of one's own nature that is otherwise blocked by single-mindedness. A neurotic narcissism won't allow the time needed to stop, reflect, and see the many emotions, memories, wishes, fantasies, desires, and fears that make up the materials of the soul. As a result, the narcissistic person becomes fixed on a single idea of who he is, and other possibilities are automatically rejected. We can read the myth, especially the discovery of the "other" face in the pool, as a lesson in polytheism...
...If narcissism is treated carefully and positively, it can find its flowering in ordinary life. Some psychologists argue that the soaring, idealistic puer cries out for grounding. He needs to experience life and tether his fanciful thoughts to a humbler life. He needs to be pulled down to where the rest of us live. But I have doubts about such a compensatory move into an opposite attitude. It could maintain the split and completely confuse the individual so caught up in flights of fantasy. We could take a more homeopathic approach, accepting what is given in the symptom while at the same time deepening it.
In the myth, Narcissus's own nature flowers, literally. He doesn't become a mature adult full of remorse for his adolescent foolishness. In fact, the motif of the boy in the underworld eternally meditating on his image suggests that narcissism is healed when it is invited into the very essence of the personality and when that youthful spirit becomes lodged eternally in the soul. In general, behavior is symptomatic when it is not brought home and honored as a legitimate part of our nature...
Often we are blocked from seeing a possible positive outcome in narcissism because it generates such strong shadow feelings. It goes against one of the professed virtues of American culture: humility. We are supposed to be humble and unassuming. Narcissism is the shadow of that humility, and so we try to pull it down to an acceptable level. But, narcissism, even at a social level, suggests that what we need is not humility, especially the false kind that arises from the repression of ambition, but great dreams, high ideals, and pleasure in our own talent and abilities...
....The solution to narcissism is to give the myth as much realization as possible, to the point where a tiny bud appears indicating the flowering of a personality through it.
Some people think they avoid narcissism by constantly judging and berating themselves. Even though this may look like the opposite of self-love, it is still narcissism: a focus, albeit negative, not on life and objects, but on self. The masochism may appear as a habit of self criticism...
Putting oneself down is narcissism in reverse...Soul always includes an element of attachment, but narcissism, as we have seen from the myth, is the failure to make oneself available for attachment. In our narcissism, we are as if made of ivory - beautiful, but also cold and hard...
The secret in healing narcissism is not to heal it at all, but to listen to it. Narcissism is a signal that the soul is not being loved sufficiently. The greater the narcissism, the less love is being given. This myth is extraordinarily subtle. Narcissus falls in love with his image, but he doesn't know it is he that is loved. He discovers by his own experience that he is lovable. Further, he loves himself as an object. In our age of personalism and subjectivity it is considered a sin to make a person into an object. Yet that is the only way to see ourselves objectively. We can examine the stuff of our lives and personalities as material separate from the "I." I am stuff. I am made up of things and qualities, and in loving these things I love myself...
When we recognize the objective nature of the soul, so that we may love it without becoming caught in solipsistic self-absorption, we can love ourselves as Narcissus did, as Other. Even the ego can be experienced in this way. We know our habits, our weaknesses, our strengths, our quirks. Looking at them with interest and love does not have to be narcissistic. In fact, an awareness of the qualities of the soul may help transform narcissism into genuine love of self.
The myth also teaches us something else: the narcissism is a piece in a larger scheme of transformation. In the story, the scene shifts from woods to underworld, the character from human to flower, that is, from person to object. I see in this a movement away from human subjectivity and into nature. Narcissism heals itself away from loneliness into creation: in our narcissism we wound nature and make things that cannot be loved, but when our narcissism is transformed, the result is the love of self that engenders a sense of union with all nature and things.
He asserts that the great ancient Mystery brotherhoods grounded their rituals on symbols from nature, and that the whole structure of ancient esotericism and occult wisdom, such as the symbols of Gnosis, Hermeticism, the Kabalah and the religious arcana everywhere, rested on natural foundations. In fact he sees it underlying the religious and humanistic literature of all the world. Symbols at any rate preserved the tenebrous shadows of truth, which thus haunted the consciousness of mankind as memories preserved in the unconscious. Symbolism constitutes a language extending beyond the written or spoken idioms. It was when ignorance and grossly material misconception distorted the transparent imagery of symbols into caricature and falsity that the interior import of mythology and archetypal concepts faded out and left intelligence holding the husks and empty shells of truth. As the outward and visible form of an idea, a symbol is still the magic wand to awaken intelligence. Outwardly foreshadowing an inner abstraction, it is the most helpful of servants; obscurely or mistakenly envisioned, it becomes the most deceptive and tyrannous of masters. But it remains the one inerrant language of truth.
A great correlation of the Vesica Piscis symbol as found within the Chinese I Ching is the 2nd hexagram, 'The Receptive - Field.' Within this hexagram, a concept of "Divine Mathematics" is symbolically represented. Within the all encapsulating feminine principle of the 2nd hexagram, if there is 1, then there is automatically 3, making the number 2 or duality itself a bit of an "illusion." In geometry, the Vesica Piscis shows how this works. Two circles enter each others space creating a third shape. The number 3 is very important here (One may make a study of all cards that reduce to 3 numerologically in Tarot. These are, The Empress, The Hanged Man, and The Universe).
The mathematical ratio of the width across the center of the vesica piscis to its height is the square root of 3... ~ wikipedia
Every single human being, or 1, automatically has 2 parents, which makes 3. If you look at a magnet, you have the duality of north and south poles, 2, but you also have the magnet itself, making 3. You cannot isolate the north from the south, and if you cut it in half there will still be north and south magnetic poles; they are always combined which in itself makes a 3rd thing, the magnet. And, of course, the "programming partner" or mirror image of the feminine 2nd hexagram of the I Ching is the masculine 1st hexagram, 'The Creative - Force,' which expresses the freshness of a highly creative and concentrated aspect of individuated Light being released within the encapsulating feminine. One might say that if this light is not perfectly directed and oriented by the feminine, and if it has not been given sufficient time to gestate, there there may be an entropic and diffuse expression of that same light.
Rupert Sheldrake's morphogenetic field theory correlates very nicely here. It is interesting to note that the 2nd hexagram of the I Ching, representing the guiding feminine principle of the 'Creative' 1st hexagram pole, was actually called the "Field" by the ancient Chinese. The feminine principle here isn't necessarily a "pole" though, as there is really no-thing opposite of an all encompassing nature. If anything we could call it a trinity. We could look at the 3rd card of the Major Arcana, the Empress, or the 3rd sphere of Binah, the Great Mother, or even the two other cards that reduce to 3 being the Hanged Man (12=1+2=3) and the Universe (21=2+1=3). As discussed on the Venus page, the Empress is the path at the opening of the Grail as outlined on the Tree of Life. One could say she represents the lip of up the cup into which all phenomena pours. We even see pictures of Babylon holding this cup while seated upon a 7 headed beast which symbolizes the "immortal" supernal triad, the 3 sephiroth at the top of the Tree of Life, as they sit atop the "mortal" worlds of Yetzirah and Assiah, being the 7 sephiroth below the abyss of Daath. (see Babylon and the Beast page in the Movie Room).
If one looks at the Hanged Man we see this bowl or cup at the bottom of the card. The Hanged Man archetype has much to do with the "magnetic monopole" or morphogenetic field symbolized by the 2nd hexagram, both of which are also connected to the Sacral chakra. The word "sacral" is of course connected to the words "sacred," "sacrament" and also "sacrifice". Sacrifice is one superficial meaning of the Hanged Man card, that is until we look at the hidden meanings of the sacred sacral. The letter attributed to the Hanged Man card is Mem, meaning Water, and is closely tied phonetically our words Mom and also mum as in "mums the word," implying silence and secrets. You may notice the word "secret" is closely tied to "secrete" as well. If one were to string all these intimations together in a way to sum up the Hanged Man, it might be "secret secretions of sacred sacral sacrifices." Sexual magick was often veiled in cryptic language that implied death, dying and sacrifices. Many have misinterpreted these kinds of writings which is understandable, for example in the now fairly infamous chapter in Crowley's Book 4 where he mentions the "sacrifice." All he was alluding to was sex magick, but why all the secrecy and veiled language? It is a sacred subject that has to do with the silent understanding of one's seeming sufferings leading to enlightenment as one's "spilt blood" is caught by the cup, being itself symbolic the morphogenetic universe, the "Cup of Our Lady", or rather the feminine principle. Sexual magick or Tantra is simply a gateway into a higher understanding of the fields in which we are imbedded. There is great trust involved in this process as it is mirrored in other stories of the hanged man archetype like Odin hanging the Yggdrasil tree and becoming pierced and then subsequently enlightened by the "overall plan" of existence, or of Jesus being pierced with the spear while hanging on the cross, coming into acceptance of a "bigger plan" or "God's plan," etc. The Hanged Man symbolizes a great trust in, and love for, the Divine Order, being the interconnectedness of all things, and also the worthy sacrifices one must make in sacred earthly works in order to celebrate and pay homage to it in whatever way one is able or inclined. This reverence for 'Divine Order,' the feminine principle, or whatever one wishes to call it, can even be expressed in machinery if built correctly using "sympathetic vibratory physics" as Dale Pond has proven in his attempts to recreate and understand the mechanisms of the genius machinist John Worrell Keely (Note that the principles behind this technology are based on "scalar forces," and if we rearrange the word "scalar" we actually get "sacral").
The two cards of The Hermit (9) and The Moon (18) also show a very feminine process in which one slows down and allows something to gestate within without interfering with the process. The more one interferes with the mind (one may think of the mind as Aquarius, 17, which may be read about in the Uranus section or the Watchmen page), the more the subconscious will throw up seeming "threatening waves" that assail one's consciousness. In certain Tarot decks the Hermit is seen with his finger pressed to his lips implying silence or a secret. These cards instruct one to do as nature does, to put great trust in the natural processes of the hermetically sealed Universe of which one is a part. If understood, respected and passed through successfully, one reaches a fertilized and "rapidly dividing" state in which creativity, life and light is unleashed in all directions simultaneously, bringing much joy as pictured in The Fortune card (10) and The Sun card (19) which immediately follow the Hermit and Moon. The Hermit, for example, has only a specific and "specialized" view of the light from its own perspective, much like how rainbows move as one moves, or how the reflection of a mirror moves as one moves in relation to it. But light stretches in all directions. Someone standing in a different area will see a different reflection or a different rainbow. To reach a broader perspective, the Hermit, 9, passes into Fortune, 10, the card of Jupiter. The "philosophy," if we can call it that, behind the cards of The Moon and The Hermit is to get in touch with what seems to be "dead," "dark" or "hidden" outside of one's perspective. In the case of The Hermit (Virgo), this is to appreciate the "inanimate" as being animate and intelligent, to see all matter and light as being alive, conscious and speaking in some way. In the case of The Moon (Pisces), this is to see how the "dark" content of the subconscious is made up of soul material to be cultivated and retrieved, not repressed and forgotten. Quantum Mechanics is telling us that the most fundamental level all of what we call "physical" behaves more like the mind, psyche or "soul." This is the world our Piscean soles walk upon, and it is important to take great care of the feet while in it lest we leave soulless footprints.
In a funny twist of soul physics, things become alive and radiant if one sees and experiences them as such. But the expressions of soul have many shades, moods and colors. Genuine, contemplative trust, especially when moving through darkened states in which one feels intimidated by the seeming dualism we're embedded in, leads to great breakthroughs in one's state of Unified Being. Through the "phoenix sequence" symbolized by the karan, QOPH RESH NUN, older versions of "I" may very well die. This makes room for the awareness of a more Universal Self, a Self of which the "I" is still definitely a part, only one could say it is progressively modified in order to accommodate this great Self. Life takes on progressive hues of sacredness when understood and approached in this way, until within the Great Womb we call the Universe, every point may be experienced as the absolute, radiant center in which life and death, and indeed all dualities, coexist, forming the singular experience of rapturous harmony within the heart. The pains of division are made up for by the joys of reunification.
When looking at the 17-18-19 sequence in Tarot, the story is of the mind itself surrendering, in a sense, and finding trust in and love for the the "world soul" out there and also the soul within (Chi/Qoph), which then becomes expressed through the heart that is identified with both the Sun out there and also the sun within (Rho/Resh). The reversed or negative meanings of the The Hermit and The Moon include being overly proud of talents or 'spiritual attainment,' needing validation from others and a fear of being alone and quiet with oneself (The Hermit reversed), or refusal to acknowledge the hidden aspects of oneself, drug addiction and/or feeling hopelessly at the mercy of psychological phantoms while chronically projecting one's "hurt" onto others (The Moon reversed). These reversed meanings almost invariably are caused by an individual's chiefly mental over-concern with a co-dependant persona needing superficial validations for its own existence from outside itself through other people.
As the busy scarab rolls the Sun unflinchingly between the foreboding shadows of the Two Towers of The Moon card, and as the Hermit stands alone in silence atop a darkened mountain while admiring the light of a single lantern, they are within them building a specific kind of momentum that will eventually break the surface. It takes time. The individual ego is meant to dance in the sunlight, experience great fortune, enjoy the persona and partake of communion with others. There is a process in which this may unfold without the backwash of an unworked Soul infecting or tainting the ego experience.
The super-lit, persona driven and extremely hyperactive world of media, movies, popular politics, television, ads, etc., serves to lock individuals within an ego world of flashing lights where superficial image and social approval is most important, acting as an abrasive surrogate to the authentic dawning that occurs through soul work. This surface world of light manipulation, through sending constant messages of escapism, gives children and adults alike quite aberrant ideas of what it is to be human, making them in essence afraid of their own psyche, and indeed their own souls, which then ultimately becomes a vicious cycling through a pointless fear of fear itself. I highly recommend Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore as he eloquently deals with this subject in compassionate and understanding language, puts the archetypes in perfect order, and gives very practical and down to earth perspectives and methods on how to cultivate and care for the Soul in daily life.
Moore's treatment of narcissism, and the Greek myth of Narcissus after which it was named, is particularly enlightening and quite relevant to the subject presented here. If you read closely, you will see a precise description of the 17-18-19 sequence of Tarot. Starting from page 60 onward, here are some selected quotes from Care of the Soul dealing with narcissism and Narcissus:
The image in which narcissism is fulfilled is not a literal one. It is not the image one sees in a mirror, not the "image," as they would say on Madison Avenue, that you want to project, not the self-concept, not the way you see yourself. The image Narcissus sees is a new one, something he had never seen before, something "other," and he is mesmerized by it, charmed. Ovid says, "the image you seek is nowhere." It cannot be found intentionally. One comes upon it unexpectedly in a pool in a woods where the sun doesn't shine brightly and where human touch is absent. What the narcissist does not understand is that the self-acceptance he craves can't be forced or manufactured. It has to be discovered, in a place more introverted than the usual haunts of the narcissist. There has to be some inner questioning, and maybe even confusion. He may have to come to the point where he asks, "What is going on here?"
...Is there something in me that is like this pool? Do I have depth? Do my feelings and thoughts pool somewhere so off the beaten path that it is utterly still and untouched? Is there someplace wet in me, not the place of dry intellectualism but rather of moist feeling and green, fertile, shady imagination, far from human influence? Do I find myself in rare moments caught in a place of reflection where I have to take a break for reverie and wonder and there catch a glimpse of some unfamiliar face that is mine? If so, then the myth of Narcissus, the cure for narcissism, may be stirring in me.
The story then tells how Narcissus feels the longing to be united with the image he has found. Now like the lovers he spurned, he pines and suffers... He talks to the trees, saying, "Has anyone ever had as much longing as I have?" Talking to nature shows that his grief is giving him a new connection to the soul. When the soul is present, nature is alive.
I suspect this is a very concrete part of curing narcissism-talking to trees. By engaging the so-called "inanimate" world in dialogue, we are acknowledging its soul. Not all consciousness is human. That in itself is a narcissistic belief... If all we are doing is bumping into ourself in a house of mirrors, then there is no soul, only "me" and "me-products"-projections. Then our longings are not articulated but only acted out in endless, fruitless satisfying of desire...
That which is young in us pines and yearns. It feels separations keenly and painfully desires attachment. So, the myth suggests that we are on our way toward healing narcissism when we feel an overwhelming desire to be the person we newly imagine ourselves to be.
The way through a symptom is never easy. Narcissus lies at the edge of the pool tormented by the realization that this boy in the water is separated from him by the thinnest membrane. The face is so close and yet impossible to reach. He is in the midst of these thoughts when a realization strikes him suddenly. "It's me!" he says in profound surprise. Up to this point he did not know that the face he loved so much was his own.
This is a key point in the story. Narcissus falls in love with a person in a watery mirror who he thinks is someone else, even though it is himself. Narcissism gets stuck on certain familiar images of self. We love the surface image we identify as ourselves, but Narcissus discovers by accident that there are other images just as lovable. They are in the pool, at the very source of identity. The cure for narcissism, certainly a way of caring for the soul, is to be open to these other images. Narcissism, like the neurotic Narcissus, is hard and impenetrable. But Narcissus at the pool recovers his natural moisture. As with the flower, he has become flexible, beautiful, planted...
Narcissus becomes able to love himself only when he learns to love that self as an object. He now has a view of himself as someone else. This is not ego loving ego; this is ego loving the soul, loving a face the soul presents. We might say that the cure for narcissism is to move from love of self, which always has a hint of narcissism in it, to love of one's deep soul. Or, to put it in another way, narcissism breaking up invites us to expand the boundaries of who we think we are. Discovering that the face in the pool is his own, Narcissus exclaims, "What I long for I have." Love of a new image of self leads to new knowledge about oneself and one's potential.
Then, in another subtle development in a story filled with significant details, Narcissus beings to entertain thoughts of death. "Now grief is sapping my strength," he says, "and only a brief space of life remains for me. I am cut off in life's prime." We are led to a mystery that is embedded in all initiations and in every rite of passage: the end of a previous form of existence is felt as a real death.
Images of dying may attend movements in our own narcissism: that hard shelled boy has to surrender his existence. The only way through our narcissism is to feel the mortal wound, an end to the I-project we have set up and maintained with such attention. Narcissism is not going to be cured by literal fulfillment of the grandiose expectations for oneself entertained in fantasy. That has to fail so that an "other" may appear...
[The imagery then shifts] to the element of fire. First Narcissus strikes his chest in grief, and his skin "takes on a delicate glow," like the flush of an apple. But then, like wax melting in the morning sun, Narcissus is consumed by the hidden fire of love. Love's fire chases the chill that had been characteristic of the old Narcissus. Theological commentaries on this tale used it as moral evidence against self-love, but in fact, the story shows that love is the transforming factor. Warming love creates soul...
The story begins with rigid self-containment and ends with the flowering of a personality. Care of the soul requires us to see the myth in the symptom, to know that there is a flower waiting to break through the hard surface of narcissism. Knowing the mythology, we are able to embrace the symptom, glimpsing something of the mysterious rule by which a disease of the psyche can be its own cure...
The Story of Narcissus makes it clear that one of the dangers of narcissism is its inflexibility and rigidity. Suppleness is an extremely important quality of soul. In Greek mythology, the flexibility of the gods and goddesses is one of their primary traits. They may fight each other, but they recognize each other's validity...
Polytheism understood as a psychological model rather than a religious belief is easily misunderstood. Stated simply, it means that psychologically we have many different claims made on us from a deep place. It is not possible, nor is it desirable, to get all of these impulses together under a single focus. Rather than strive for unity of personality, the idea of polytheism suggests living within multiplicity. Some, without investigating the idea deeply enough, have assumed that this means that morally anything goes, that there is no code of ethics, and that whatever happens happens; but, poly means "several, not "any." In a polytheistic morality we allow ourselves to experience the tensions that arise from different moral claims...
The soul is fostered in tangles of polytheism just as it is in the many turns of the labyrinth. The most rewarding quality of polytheism is the intimacy it can make possible with one's own heart. When we try to keep life in order with a monotheistic attitude-do the right thing, keep up the traditions, and be sure that life makes sense-our moralism against ourselves can keep certain parts of our nature at a distance and little known...
An attitude of polytheism permits a degree of acceptance of human nature and of one's own nature that is otherwise blocked by single-mindedness. A neurotic narcissism won't allow the time needed to stop, reflect, and see the many emotions, memories, wishes, fantasies, desires, and fears that make up the materials of the soul. As a result, the narcissistic person becomes fixed on a single idea of who he is, and other possibilities are automatically rejected. We can read the myth, especially the discovery of the "other" face in the pool, as a lesson in polytheism...
...If narcissism is treated carefully and positively, it can find its flowering in ordinary life. Some psychologists argue that the soaring, idealistic puer cries out for grounding. He needs to experience life and tether his fanciful thoughts to a humbler life. He needs to be pulled down to where the rest of us live. But I have doubts about such a compensatory move into an opposite attitude. It could maintain the split and completely confuse the individual so caught up in flights of fantasy. We could take a more homeopathic approach, accepting what is given in the symptom while at the same time deepening it.
In the myth, Narcissus's own nature flowers, literally. He doesn't become a mature adult full of remorse for his adolescent foolishness. In fact, the motif of the boy in the underworld eternally meditating on his image suggests that narcissism is healed when it is invited into the very essence of the personality and when that youthful spirit becomes lodged eternally in the soul. In general, behavior is symptomatic when it is not brought home and honored as a legitimate part of our nature...
Often we are blocked from seeing a possible positive outcome in narcissism because it generates such strong shadow feelings. It goes against one of the professed virtues of American culture: humility. We are supposed to be humble and unassuming. Narcissism is the shadow of that humility, and so we try to pull it down to an acceptable level. But, narcissism, even at a social level, suggests that what we need is not humility, especially the false kind that arises from the repression of ambition, but great dreams, high ideals, and pleasure in our own talent and abilities...
....The solution to narcissism is to give the myth as much realization as possible, to the point where a tiny bud appears indicating the flowering of a personality through it.
Some people think they avoid narcissism by constantly judging and berating themselves. Even though this may look like the opposite of self-love, it is still narcissism: a focus, albeit negative, not on life and objects, but on self. The masochism may appear as a habit of self criticism...
Putting oneself down is narcissism in reverse...Soul always includes an element of attachment, but narcissism, as we have seen from the myth, is the failure to make oneself available for attachment. In our narcissism, we are as if made of ivory - beautiful, but also cold and hard...
The secret in healing narcissism is not to heal it at all, but to listen to it. Narcissism is a signal that the soul is not being loved sufficiently. The greater the narcissism, the less love is being given. This myth is extraordinarily subtle. Narcissus falls in love with his image, but he doesn't know it is he that is loved. He discovers by his own experience that he is lovable. Further, he loves himself as an object. In our age of personalism and subjectivity it is considered a sin to make a person into an object. Yet that is the only way to see ourselves objectively. We can examine the stuff of our lives and personalities as material separate from the "I." I am stuff. I am made up of things and qualities, and in loving these things I love myself...
When we recognize the objective nature of the soul, so that we may love it without becoming caught in solipsistic self-absorption, we can love ourselves as Narcissus did, as Other. Even the ego can be experienced in this way. We know our habits, our weaknesses, our strengths, our quirks. Looking at them with interest and love does not have to be narcissistic. In fact, an awareness of the qualities of the soul may help transform narcissism into genuine love of self.
The myth also teaches us something else: the narcissism is a piece in a larger scheme of transformation. In the story, the scene shifts from woods to underworld, the character from human to flower, that is, from person to object. I see in this a movement away from human subjectivity and into nature. Narcissism heals itself away from loneliness into creation: in our narcissism we wound nature and make things that cannot be loved, but when our narcissism is transformed, the result is the love of self that engenders a sense of union with all nature and things.