The Egyptian Revival
, or The Ever-Coming Son in the Light of the Tarot By Frater
Achad Transcriber's notes: The text of this electronic edition
is taken from the Samuel Weiser printing of 1974. The work is
not copyrighted. Due to the limitations of the medium, certain
changes have been made from the printed edition: Text shown here
in ALL CAPITALS was printed with an initial capital and small
caps in place of lowercase. The remainder of Achad's highly idiosyncratic
capitalization is shown as in the original. Text shown here _surrounded
by underline characters_ was shown in italics in the Weiser edition.
The diagram of Frater Achad's "Restored" Tree of Life
is in an accompanying file titled ACHDTREE.GIF. Benjamin Rowe
August 1992 Preface This little book has been written in the
spirit of Suggestive Inquiry, and the writing of it has led to
many illuminating ideas in regard to the Universal Tradition
as disclosed by the Tarot Trumps. Some months ago, I prepared
a treatise entitled "Q. B. L. or The Bride's Reception,"
purporting to be a simple exposition of the Qabalistic Process
and an explanation of "The Tree of Life" with its Correspondences
according to the system I had studied and practiced for a number
of years. While writing it I obtained some "New" ideas
which seemed to indicate the possibility of the Restoration of
the Order of the "Paths" to their Original form. These
ideas I put down as they came to me, and included them as an
Appendix to the main body of the book. Briefly, the nature of
the suggested change was as follows: The Qabalistic Tradition
of the last few centuries is that the "Ten Sephiroth",
or "Numerical Emanations", were formed by the "Lightning
Flash" of Creation, while the "Twenty-two Paths"
were produced by the Ascent of the "Serpent of Wisdom"
from Malkuth to Kether. The recognized Numeration of these Paths
was from Number Eleven, transmitting the Influence from Kether
to Chokmah, to Number Thirty-two, transmitting it from Yesod
to Malkuth the Tenth and last Sephira. I questioned this, since
the Serpent is said to have _Ascended_, and suggested that the
Eleventh Path should be from Malkuth to Yesod, and so on up the
Tree in exactly the reverse Order. Upon experimenting with this
arrangement I discovered that although there seemed to be a decided
improvement as regards the Paths below the Abyss, above it, all
the symbolism became reversed and confused. Even so, there were
some interesting combinations. The main point was, however, that
the new arrangement of the lower Paths suggested the possibility
of a wonderful Astrological Harmony, since many of them were
now united with their Planetary Rulers, etc., in the Sephiroth.
The next step was the discovery of the Symbolism of the Middle
Pillar, when the Three Mother Letters of the Elements were attributed
to the Three Paths which unite the Four Sephiroth which are in
equilibrium. These, when placed in position, showed the Symbolism
of the Universal Mercury under the form of a Caduceus and Winged
Globe. I decided, therefore, to adopt this arrangement of the
Three Elements, and to try to place the Planetary and Zodiacal
Signs in such positions on the Tree that the Astrological Symbolism
would be perfect. I discovered that this was possible. There
was one variation, which, if adopted, disclosed some other valuable
Qabalistic Symbolism in regard to "The Beginning".
I explained this fully in the Appendix to Q.B.L. With my original
notes left in their rough form, I published the complete book
in a limited edition for Students of the Qabalah. This has met
with a very good reception in all parts of the globe. I have
received many encouraging letters, all of which express interest
in the revised arrangement. The press reports have been favourable,
and a conservative Magazine "The Occult Review" admits
the importance of the discovery. One great Authority, however,
while admitting that many of the ideas are brilliant, says that
he cannot accept this Reformed Order in the face of several hundred
years of the old tradition, and maintains that the previous arrangement
is the correct one. While I realize that great changes in the
recognized Systems of Initiation in certain Orders might be necessary
if the Reformed Order of the Paths were adopted, and while recognizing
the importance of the opinion of the Authority mentioned above,
I still maintain that this New Arrangement is worthy of the most
careful consideration and study. One would expect to find some
reason for the arrangement of the Paths, and this present plan
seems to me the most reasonable; in fact it suggests that there
was an Absolute Reason in the Primitive Universal Tradition,
though this became lost to view as time went on. My aim is to
discover the Truth insofar as that is possible to man, and to
uphold what seems to me most true, until I am convinced of error;
but, to change my viewpoint, if necessary, as soon as more Light
is given me. If this "New" arrangement is correct,
it will prove itself to be so in the minds of those who study
it in an unbiased manner. In any case it is of interest as one
aspect of truth, and its right place may be found in due course.
It may lead the Student to other important discoveries as it
has in my own case. I am convinced that the enquiry is by no
means exhausted. The Tarot Trumps, being a sort of Universal
Alphabet, may of course be interpreted in a variety of ways,
but I shall discuss their Symbolism when arranged upon the Paths
of the Tree of Life according to the Reformed Astrological Order
given in the Appendix to Q. B. L. If by this means we obtain
"More Light on the Tarot Trumps" and the Universal
Tradition, which transcends what we call Light and Darkness,
becomes plainer to my readers, the book will not have been written
in vain. Before discussing the matter in detail, I am giving
a brief summary dealing with the earliest traditions of Mankind
and their effect upon the present day, or the New Aeon, the Cycle
of Aquarius, in which we are not living. I trust that this book
will lead to further Light on the very vital issues of this present
Age, and perhaps to a solution of some of the most perplexing
problems. At least, I hope so. Frater Achad Chapter I Light on
the Egyptian Revival The more than ordinary interest displayed
by all classes of people in the recent discoveries connected
with the opening of the Tomb of King Tutankhamen, indicates,
what may be termed, an Egyptian Revival. This, to some, may appear
quite unaccountable; in fact one of the popular writers in the
daily papers has questioned just why the public should suddenly
show such great interest in this particular discovery, while
many similar ones have created little or no stir at all. There
may be a very eep underlying reason for this, and in order, if
possible, to discover the hidden causes it will be necessary
for us to make a brief survey of the Egyptian Current of Thought
from the earliest times to the present day. Again, we do not
find the public interest centered alone in the treasures found
in the tomb of Tutankhamen, but in nearly every instance reference
is made to his immediate predecessor King Amenhatep IV, or to
use his more familiar title King Khu-en-Aten. King Khu-en-Aten
is reported to have been the first King to attempt the establishment
of a Monotheistic Religion in Egypt, and the Worship of the Aten
or Solar Disk; whereas, after his death, Tutankhamen is said
to have re-established the old order and the worship of Amen-Ra
in place of that of Aten, or perhaps more properly Atum. What
was the cause of this controversy, and what is its bearing on
the thought of the present day? One of the immediate effects
of the public interest in these matters has been the production
of a charming little book by Robert Silliman Hillyer entitled
"The Coming Forth By Day". This consists in a number
of Hymns translated from the Egyptian "Book of the Dead",
as it was erroneously called. But the chief item of interest
is the introduction, giving a brief but sympathetic outline of
The Egyptian Religion, which ends as follows: "For the mystics
of the world have always, under all systems, escaped beyond the
externals of faith, and held close to the Presence enthroned
in the inner court of the temple; the same Presence in how many
different sorts of temple! The God who walked by the Nile walks
also among men today; whether we call him Christ or Osiris, whether
we see him betrayed by Set or Judas, he is always here, he is
always betrayed. Osiris was not the shadow cast before by the
coming of Christ, nor Christ a remembrance of Osiris; they are
the same, the same significance in different syllables over the
earth. The machinery of religion changes, but whatever the modern
man finds in his heart, that the Egyptian found also; for that
is not the Christian Religion or the Egyptian religion; it is
Religion, and the rest is merely an attempt to name that which
is nameless." We can hardly imagine a statement of this
sort being made in a small, popular book a few years ago. It
is surely a sign of the times and of the Influence of the Ever-coming
Son, the Crowned Child, Lord of the New Aeon. But Mr. Hillyer
does not go back far enough into the past to throw the most truly
significant light on the present and future. In order that we
may properly understand the matter, we must delve deeply into
the remotest times; somewhat in the way Gerald Massey did in
the "Book of Beginnings." In fact his research work
is invaluable, but unfortunately far too lengthy and recondite
for the popular taste. Let us then endeavor to piece together
a few of the most vital and interesting fragments, so as to obtain,
if possible, a bird's-eye view of the whole matter. The beginning
of mythology with the mother and boy is universal, and still
survives in the Virgin and Child of Rome. The sonship preceding
the fatherhood represents the most ancient form of belief, and
when recognized in that light, is found to explain many of the
early mysteries. The first boy and his mother were called Sut-
Typhon. Sut means "The Opener", and this may be taken
in the physiological as well as the astrological sense. The Child
was the opener in the sense of being born of the un-mated Mother.
The Sun is the Opener of the Day, while Sut as the Star-god was
considered the Opener of the Year with the rising of Sothis,
and on his rising was the Great Bear cycle founded. The earliest
conception of the great Mother was under the form of the Hippopotamus,
the Devourer of the Waters. This led to that of the Water-Dragon,
Typhon. But the Great Mother was She who brought forth the Starts,
thus we find Her assuming the form of the Star- Goddess, Nuit
of the Heavens, who is represented by a beautiful human form
arched over the earth. Her change to this human form was portrayed
as "Beauty and the Beast in one Image", and from this
was the ancient fable derived. We find the Child described from
the very earliest times, as of dual type, so that he became known
as Sut- Har or Sut-Horus. Later the idea of twins arose, and
these became the Gods of the Two Horizons. Sut the Opener and
Horus the one who Shuts or Closes. The earliest phenomenal form
of these twins was as darkness (Sut) and light (Horus). Har or
Horus as the Sun was an earlier type than Ra who later became
the principal Sun-god. Har, as the son of Typhon the Great Mother,
became known as the earliest of the Pharaohs and rulers of Egypt.
Primarily the word Pharaoh is derived from Har-Iu, which means
the Coming Son of a two-fold nature, and of the two (Iu) houses.
This, again, was Har of the Shus- en-Har or the Bar or Baal of
the Heksus. Now the rulers of the Shus were called Heks, and
thus we may trace the early name of the God Hak which is a form
of Harpocrates, the God of Silence, the Babe upon the Lotus;
who is sometimes considered to be the twin of Horus, and concealed
within him. Har-Makhu was the Star-God of both Horizons. Sut-
Har developed into the Solar Deity afterwards called Aten, or
Atum. Thus we begin to see the Typhonian origin of the God Aten,
and we shall learn from this something of the nature of the revival
of Aten-worship under King Khu-en-Aten, the father-in-law of
Tutankhamen. But we first need some further links in our chain,
and these may be supplied as follows: As time went on there was
mention of Four Suts, and the worship of the Mother Typhon and
her son Sut began to fall into disrepute. A father was needed
to account for the generation of all things, and gradually the
idea of Tum the Old God of the Setting Sun arose, and he was
said to be the Father of the Four Suts. (Thus the four Quarters
were established, or perhaps the Equinoctial points and the Solstices).
Tum then became known as Atum, and the Solar Fatherhood was established.
Also the twin Lion-Gods assumed the type of Sut-Horus in Atum-Ra.
The quarrel which rent the monuments arose on account of Sut-Horus
(Sut as brother of the Sun) and the Egyptian Amen-Ra who was
identified with the Greek Jupiter-Amen. An alliance was made
between the Ammonians and the Osirians against the followers
of Sut-Har, or Sutekh or Sebek, and the ancient genetrix Typhon.
The taunt flung by the Osirians at the Sut- Typhonians was "Orphan",
intending to brand them as Fatherless in a religious sense because
they worshipped only the Mother and the Child, who became looked
upon as the Harlot and the Bastard. This led to many unpleasant
things being said on both sides, and we find a period when the
followers of both forms or worship accused the others of every
form of immoral practice. We should now take up a slightly different
angle of the situation. Atum was the same as the first Adam of
the Hebrews. The Rabbins taught rightly that their typical Adam,
of the same name as the monkey Udumu, had carnal knowledge of
every tame and wild beast that he could dominate, and was not
satisfied until Eve was made for him. Atum as the Second Adam
represented the first purely Human Deity without any animal admixture.
We now get a glimpse of one of the reasons for the strange half-animal
half-human types found in the ancient doctrines. There is another
explanation of this, however, which will be discussed later.
At the same time we begin to see how it was that King Khu-en-Aten,
who revived the early traditions, had many purely human figures
made, quite unlike the other Egyptian Images, and that these
came to light in the recent discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen,
who preserved them. We have made mention before of IU, which
means Twin, or Dual being, male and female in one. As in the
case of Pharaoh or Har-Iu, we again find IU as the root of the
word Jew. So, too, we find in Iu-Sif the origin of Joseph, of
whom more anon. We find in Unicorn, Sut the Sun and Typhon the
genetrix, and how this type preceded the Bullock or Osiris. Sebek
(The Crocodile) was a form of IU-Sif, as well as Har-Makhu and
Aten of the Disk, who were each the Iu of the two horizons, as
Son of the Mother. After the reign of King Apehpeh in Egypt,
the religion again changed hands and there arose a "King
who know not Joseph" i.e. who did not worship IU-Sif or
the Coming Son. IU, as the Genetrix, became IU-Pater or Jupiter;
and IU the Son who Comes, became IU-Sus, or Jesus. The Ever Coming
Son was the prototype of the Wandering Jew, originally a symbol
of Eternal Youth. If there is any historical Joseph to be found
in the monuments he is Aiu. He was a protigi of Amenhetep III.
This King was of the Black Aethiopian type, son of a black mother,
but he married a fair wife. He was the father of Amenhatep IV,
who changed his name of Khu-en- Aten, or the Adorer of Aten.
Amenhatep the IV's nurse was the wife of Joseph. On account of
his parentage, Amenhatep IV was probably of a Reddish type, and
the Aten whose worship he adopted was the Red Disk of the Sun.
He may, however, have obtained a glimpse of the Concealed Father
or Sun behind the Sun, and thus recognized that in one sense
the old Sut-Typhonian tradition was nearer the truth than the
prevalent worship of Atum Ra, or Amen Ra. He was of course misunderstood,
most people thinking he had gone back to a dark and despised
tradition. I shall endeavor to show, later on, how this confusion
arose. We must remember that Atum was born as Horus or IU, child
of the Mother and afterwards developed into Atum-Ra as God the
Father. Hence he became the make of the Gods and men, the Begetter
who succeeded his father Ptah. Atum means "Created Man"
or Adam. When the human soul had come to be considered as derived
from the Essence of the Male instead of the Blood of the Female,
the woman was naturally said to be derived from the man, as she
is in the second of the Hebrew Creations described in Genesis.
A soul derived from Atum was dual in sex. The soul was divided
into Adam and Eve, the typical two sexes of the Hebrew legend.
Again it is recorded "When Horus had fulfilled the period
of 2155 years with the Easter Equinox in the Sign of Aries, the
birthplace passed into the Sign of Pisces, when the Ever-Coming
One, the Renewer as the Eternal Child who had been brought forth
as a Lion in Leo, a Beetle in Cancer, as one of the Twins in
Gemini, as a calf in the Sign of the Bull, and a Lamb in the
Sign of the Ram, was destined to manifest as the Fish, in the
Sign of the Fishes. The rebirth of Atum-Horus, or Jesus, as the
Fish Iusaas, and the Bread of Nephthys, was astronomically dated
to occur in Beth- Lechem -- the House of Bread -- about 255 B.C.,
at the time the Easter Equinox entered the Sign of Pisces, the
house of Corn and Bread." There had been a time when the
two birthdays assigned to Horus of the Double Horizon, were allotted
to the Child Horus in the Autumn, and to the Adult Horus at the
Vernal Equinox; but when the Solstices were added to the Equinoxes,
in the new creation of the Four Quarters established by Ptah
for his Son Atum-Ra, there was a further change. The place of
Birth for the Elder, the mortal Horus who was born of the Virgin
Mother, now occurred in the Winter Solstice, and the place of
Birth for Horus the Eternal Son was celebrated at the Vernal
Equinox, with only three months between the two instead of six.
As above stated, the Entry of Horus into the Sign of Pisces occurred
255 B.C., and another period 2155 years added to this, brings
us down to the year 1900 E.V. at which time Horus should astronomically
be expected to appear in Aquarius. This is a purely Human Sign,
the Sign of MAN, the Water-bearer or Bearer of the Waters of
Life in his own person. In the year 1904 the Law for the New
Aeon was received by one of the Adepts, and the reign of Horus
duly proclaimed as Ra-Hoor-Khuit. Since then many changes have
occurred on the earth, and few can fail to recognize the coming
of Horus in one of his aspects as the Avenger of his Father Osiris,
so plainly manifested in the great World War, and in other ways.
But Harpocrates, his twin, is hidden within Him, and we may look
for the Crowned Child to be born in every Heart, during the Coming
Period. I have given this brief sketch, which is not by any manner
of means complete, in order to prepare the mind of the reader
for the explanation of the Universal Alphabet of the Book of
Thoth, or the Tarot Trumps, in relation to their proper Paths
on "The Tree of Life" of the Ancient Qabalah, as reformulated
in my book Q. B. L. I shall hope to show by this means that there
is a still deeper meaning under all these things, that the Universal
Tradition, long lost, may be revived to our great advantage in
understanding not alone the Past, but the Present Period of the
History of Mankind on this Planet. But I shall first supply those
who are unfamiliar with these ideas, with "The Essence of
the Practical Qabalah," and even those who have read "Q.
B. L." will do well to refresh their memories by a study
of the brief outline which follows. Chapter II The Essence of
the Practical Qabalah It is not our intention that this chapter
should represent a complete exposition of the Mysteries of the
Holy Qabalah, but rather to give a brief outline of some of the
principal doctrines which may lead the Student to a clearer conception
of the value of the Qabalistic System as a method of drawing
the Infinite within. The Plan of the Ten Sephiroth, or Numerical
Emanations, forms the basis of the Work, for, by erecting upon
this foundation the scaffolding of our Temple, we may learn to
restore our lost Equilibrium, thus canceling out the "Pairs
of Opposites" which ordinarily obsess us. Briefly, this
process may be described as follows: Prior to any manifestation,
the Supreme was NOT. This being inconceivable, may yet be slightly
apprehended if we consider the Air Suph or Infinite Space, followed
by the potential existence of Infinite Light. Only when we conceive
this Infinite Light as concentrated upon a Central Point, does
the first positive Idea arise. This Concentrated Light is called
Kether -- The Crown -- the First Sephira. From this all else
proceeds very much in the same way that Light may be broken up
into the Colors of the Spectrum. The next highest Idea is that
of Wisdom, represented by Chokmah, the Second Sephira or Emanation.
This is equivalent to the idea of the Logos, the Word of Creation
which was in the Beginning with God and which was God. This is
the great Creative Word -- the Divine Fiat -- and represents
the Highest Intelligence of the Archetypal World. Next, co-equal
with Wisdom, is Understanding, Binah the Third Sephira, the Highest
Intuition which is capable of interpreting the Word correctly
and of transmitting It to the lower Spheres. This is the Creative
World of the Qabalah, the Great Mother Substance, energized by
the Divine Will and Life. These Three -- Light, Life, and Substance
-- are the Supernal Triad, One and Indivisible. For Life is the
substance of Light and the Second and Third Sephiroth are but
aspects of the Living Substance which is Light Itself. Next we
come to the Formative World, composed of the following Six Emanations:
Chesed or Mercy, balanced by Geburah or Severity and forming
thus Two Great Pillars which support the Arch of the Trinity.
These balanced Ideas are harmonized in a third, the Sixth Sephira
-- Tiphereth - - which equilibrates them and is Itself called
Beauty or Harmony. Following this we find the triad of Victory,
Netzach, the Seventh Sephira; balanced by Splendor, Hod, the
Eighth Sephira; and equilibrated by the Foundation, Yesod, the
Ninth Sephira. All the above are summed up in the Material World,
the Tenth Sephira which is called Malkuth or The Kingdom. This
sphere is pendant to the others; it is in reality One with Kether
for all proceedeth from the One and is within the One. Yet in
order that we may learn to comprehend the Nature of Unity, we
must first contemplate the diverse and apparently complex. The
limitations of Time, Space and Circumstance make this necessary
to us at our present state of development. But the ideal before
us is to return to the Pure Conception of Unity, thus ridding
ourselves of the Illusion of duality and accomplishing what is
called The Great Work. Had the Qabalistic Plan ended with the
production of Malkuth the Kingdom or Material Universe, we should
have been forced to admit that the creative process was one of
degeneration. And so it Must appear to us from our limited viewpoint,
until we have learned the Plan of Redemption and profited by
it. Chokmah, Wisdom or the Higher Will, is called The Father;
Binah, Understanding or Intuition, represents the Great Mother;
the next Six Sephiroth are centered in Tiphereth, The Son, and
represent the Intellect; while Malkuth, The Kingdom or Animal
Soul which perceives and feels, is called The Daughter. The Daughter
must marry the Son and so become the Mother, true mate of the
Father, before all is re- absorbed into the Crown of Light. In
other words, by means of Intellect we may control our animal
nature and eventually Understand through Intuition, which in
turn is capable of receiving the Wisdom of the Father and thus
making us true representatives of God upon Earth capable of doing
His Will as it is done in Heaven. The Qabalists further postulate
a series of Graded Intelligences higher than Man. These are the
Celestial Intelligences, the rulers of the Sephiroth. They reflect
and re-produce the Divine Ideas, and also actively transmit them
for the illumination of man and the control of Nature. Thus each
is in itself both active and passive. The Human reason is also
active and passive. The reason proper is the active aspect, the
passive side is usually termed intuition. This intuition is capable
of absorbing truth from above and below. The active reason is
capable of forming a thesis, antithesis, or synthesis in regard
to the truths presented to it by the intuition. The Nature-reason
is to be found in the intelligibility and order of all natural
things, according to their form and the material of which they
are composed. All corporeal things may be said to have a three-
fold existence. They exist as Ideas in the Mind of the Logos.
Materially they exist in themselves, and Spiritually in the minds
of Created Intelligences. It is important that we should grasp
this three-fold idea of existence, as it makes many things clear
that would otherwise be obscure to us. If, for instance, we perceive
a table, we should remember that since we are of the Order of
Created Intelligences, the table exists Spiritually in us. What
a table is in itself we do not know. Nor are we able to comprehend
with certainty its Nature as an Idea in the Mind of the Logos.
Thus things may appear imperfect to us, while in truth they are
perfect but for our limited idea of their nature. The Great Work
consists in correcting our distorted vision, thus making us capable
of perceiving all things in the White Light of Truth, unrestricted
by the limitations of our narrow outlook. This may only be accomplished
by our obtaining what may be termed a world-view or vision, free
from distortion. The aim of all the Great Teachings is to give
us such a view of the whole Creation, so that we shall be enabled
to cooperate consciously in the fulfillment of the Divine Purpose.
Every Celestial Intelligence is said to be interiorly united
with all things and to contain them in a spiritual manner. Thus
the Great Work is to unite the Microcosm with the Macrocosm.
It is also said that every mundane intelligence is capable of
taking all things into itself in a spiritual manner, and that
in proportion to the extent to which this is accomplished does
it become one with them. Here we have the key to the use of "The
Tree of Life" or Qabalistic Plan of the Sephiroth and Celestial
Intelligences. As we travel up the "Paths" of this
"Tree" we must gradually absorb and so become One with
all things in the universe in a spiritual manner. This must be
accomplished by gradual steps, represented by the Grades of the
Great Order. Each step taken must be fully mastered, ere we proceed
to the next. We must learn to balance and equilibrate all things
as we go, for there may be no false summits in our Mystic Pyramid,
nor missing spokes in the Great Wheel. The Daughter, the nature-will,
must be united to the Son, the personal-will which makes man
more than mere animal, and gives him the power of choice. What
is more, the Intellect -- or Son -- is naturally above Time and
Space and is capable of containing time and space and all that
is within time and space. Thus, by means of Dhyana, does the
Mystic transcend these limitations and becoming one with them
absorbs them into himself. But the little "self" is
no more, for he comprehends the nature of the Higher Self or
Holy Guardian Angel. This is what is meant by the destruction
of the ego; not a lessening of the conception of self but a recognition
of the Nature of Self in its wider aspect. The little self sees
Nature as extremely complex; there are so many things to know
that the task seems endless and impossible. The Qabalah teaches
us to group all ideas according to their fundamental nature and
correspondences, thus as we proceed, we are able to know a greater
and greater number of things in the light of a smaller and smaller
number of ultimate ideas. The thirty-two Paths of Wisdom enable
us to classify all things in the universe in terms of thirty-
two; from that we go on reducing our ultimate ideas and increasing
the field they cover, until Unity is reached. The formula of
5 = 6 (that of the Adeptus Minor in Tiphereth) is represented
by the Pentagram and the Hexagram. Man, the Microcosm is symbolized
by the Pentagram composed of the Four Elements Crowned by Spirit.
The Solar System is summed up in the Hexagram with its Planetary
Correspondences, and this represents the Macrocosm. Man must
learn to draw the Macrocosm into himself, to absorb spiritually
the Ideas represented by the Planetary and Solar Intelligences;
thus may this part of the Work be accomplished. He obtains the
Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel or Higher
Self. Beyond this, again, is the great Star Universe, wherein
every man and every woman is a Star. He must absorb the Ideas
of this Sphere, and at the same time recognize that every atom
is a star in his own being. Thus at last will he come to Understanding,
the Throne of the Great Mother. Then will he, who is called Nemo,
absorb the Wisdom of the Father, the Logos, so that in turn he
may not only Understand but Will and Create according to the
Divine Plan. He will then become Illumined by the One Light of
the Crown upon his head; yet this, too, he must absorb so that
Selflessness becometh Self and the Final stage of the Solve formula
of the Great Work is accomplished. This Light must then penetrate
deeper and deeper into Matter till the Plan of Creation is fulfilled.
Remember these words: Things exist because God knows them. Man
knows things because they exist. And again: Man ascends from
things to ideas; God descends from Ideas to things. Thus ye have
the keys of the Great Gateway in your hands. Now it is well that
we should consider once again the very essence of the Qabalistic
Process and the nature of its mystery of Number as the basis
of all ideas. If we can succeed in reducing our ideas to a numerical
basis, we are better able to deal with them and to bring them
back to Unity. The Ten Sephiroth give us a basis of the decimal
scale for all our main Ideas, which must be grouped accordingly.
The Twenty-two connecting Paths, based on the letters of the
Hebrew alphabet, which is itself numerical, enable us to link
these ideas and to travel from one set to another with perfect
ease and certainty. The Plan of the Four Worlds, The Archetypal,
The Creative, The Formative, and The Material, enables us to
increase the number of things known by considering the Sephiroth
and Paths as existing in all of these simultaneously, yet at
the same time to classify all Elemental ideas in terms of Four.
These, crowned by Spirit, make the true Microcosm, Man the Pentagram.
Our main Universal Ideas are to be summed up in the Hexagram
as before said. Unite the Pentagram and Hexagram and an Eleven-pointed
Star give us the Key of the Aeon with its Word Abrahadabra as
our Magick Formula. Thus we unite with the Word, the Logos, and
finally with the Divine Breath which produced It. Remember again
the Qabalistic means of reducing all Words to their Numerical
basis. For in Hebrew every word is also a number. Thus we may
discover the Word and Number of our own being, and our place
in the Creative Scheme. The correspondences between words of
a similar numerical value will help us to form Galaxies of Stars,
which are men and women, traveling in groups in a common direction,
without friction, each in his proper orbit. Thus shall we come
to comprehend the Mystery of the Starry Heaven, the Body of Our
Lady Nuit. For as every atom in our bodies is itself a little
solar system, so are we in the Body of the Mother of Heaven,
and She is energized by the Invisible Point which is Not, yet
which is the Life of All. Remember too: The more universal ideas
and reasons to which we attain, the nearer we approach to thinking
the God Thought, which is the universe itself. There is but One
true Thought, the ultimate Thought which is All Things. Normally,
that which can be thought is not true, as the Hindus tell us,
for until we reach the Smooth Point all things are but relative,
and so is truth. But: The Highest Reason, which is in God and
which is God, is absolutely ONE. God knows all things by One
Idea, which is identical with His Being. Chapter III More Light
on the Tarot Trumps In the Appendix to "Q. B. L. or The
Bride's Reception" I have shown the possibility of arranging
the Twenty-two Trumps of the Tarot on the Paths of the Tree of
Life so that the Astrological Attributions are in perfect order,
and I shall now trace out the Symbolism of the Cards themselves,
and attempt to show that this arrangement is the Original one,
long lost in the mists of antiquity. The Diagram of the Tree
of Life, with its attributions according to this re-arrangement,
forms the basis of our present study. Kether, The Crown of Light,
is called AHIH or Eheieh which means Pure Being, that which Is,
prior to "existence" or the "standing out"
or "coming forth" of the manifested Universe. It is
also call The Concealed of the Concealed, and the Supreme and
Concealed One which is therefore Amoun. In Egyptian the hieroglyphic
is two feathers, which represent AA. From this we obtain the
idea of The One First and the One Last, similar to Alpha and
Omega. This sign also represents the inherent idea of possible
duality, or the apparent duplication of the One. But again it
may be translated IU and is therefore the Root of "The Ever
Coming One" of a dual nature. From this idea sprang that
of IU- Pater or Jupiter as the Father, and Io, the root of Jove
or Jehovah, which also symbolizes the Number Ten, or the Ten
Sephiroth inherent in the Being of the One. Kether is also called
the Sphere of the Primum Mobile, the First Whirling Motion. It
represents the Living Substance; being potentially both Life
and Substance in the Pure form of Light. >From Kether proceed
the Ideas of the Father, Mother, and Holy Spirit or Son. The
First ray produced Yod, in Chokmah, the next He in Binah, and
the third Vau in Tiphereth, and from this proceeded the final
He, the Daughter, in Malkuth. On the Path from Kether to Chokmah
is the Tarot Trump called "The Wheel of Fortune," the
Key of Destiny which is one with the True Will, and also, some
say, with Chance. This is the Card of Iu-Pater, Jupiter the Father,
and it symbolizes the Great Wheel of Life; the Whirling Forces
of the Primum Mobile, which resulted in a System of Revolving
Orbs, the Star Universe or Sphere of the Zodiac, in Chokmah.
This Card depicts the Three Principles of Alchemy, Mercury, Sulphur,
and Salt; the Three Gunas, Satva, Rajas and Tamas; the three
forms of Force, Radiation, Conduction and Convection; the States
of Peace, Activity, and Sloth. These are symbolized by the Sphinx,
Hermanubis and Typhon upon the rim of the Wheel; while the "Centrum
in Centri Trigono" is concealed within. This Life Force
is active in the One Substance, which becomes differentiated
into the Four Elements as symbolized by the Four Cherubic Beasts
at the Corners or the Card. Also this is the birth of Tetragrammaton,
the Word of the Elements, coming into Existence, or Becoming,
as shown by the Letters Yod, He, Vau, He on the Wheel. On this
we also find the letters Taro or Rota and the suggestion of the
Beginning of Law as Thora. This Ray of Light is the Essence of
Wisdom, the Higher Will or Purpose of the Universe, and as the
Star Universe this becomes apparent in Chokmah, the Sphere of
the Zodiac, the Second Sephira. It is the root of the Jupiter-Amoun
Tradition of the Fatherhood of God as a Supreme and Concealed
Force, which on that account was little comprehended by those
who accepted the Tradition of a Mother and Son, with the Son
preceding the Father. This Ray is the Essence of Light, but it
becomes represented in Chokmah as Grey, a mixture of colors which
partially concealed the Supreme Essence, thus causing the Root
of Duality. From this Path cometh the Tradition of the Light
as the Word or Logos, who was in the Beginning with God and who
was God. The Path from Kether to Binah is attributed to the Trump
called "The Universe" corresponding to Saturn, Kronus,
or Time. This represents the early tradition of SUT, who later
became identified with Set or Satan. Here we have the beginning
of the Tradition of the Fatherless Child and the Mother, the
Sut-Typhonian Mystery, as we shall see more clearly later on.
The Card shows a Female Figure as the Mother of All Things, but
this conceals a figure of Dual-Sex, or the Idea of the Two-Sexed
Son, which afterwards became the Twin Horus, and later the Two
figures Sut-Horus, as Darkness and Light, and the Two Horizons.
The Ellipse shows the beginning of the Time Cycle, for Saturn
or Kronus was the Devourer of his Children, the Hours. It also
indicates how the Gods, the Tellers of Time, were to be born
from the Elementaries or Elements, under which form the earliest
ideas of the gods existed. The Card indicates the essential natures
of the Four Elements in the Undifferentiated Substance from which
they proceeded; or in the Womb of Time. The Four Beasts at the
corners again show this clearly, and the Card itself is called
"The Great One of the Night of Time." In this Path
"The Light shineth in Darkness but the Darkness comprehendeth
it not," for the Children of Time know not the mystery of
the Here and Now. This Card is the synthesis of the Elemental
Forces; the Figure in the center directs the Positive and Negative
Currents. It is attributed to Saturn and symbolizes the Influence
from the Crown which resulted in the formation of the Sphere
of Saturn or the Sephira Binah, the Great Mother. The early tradition
connected the idea of the Great Mother with Typhon the Mother
of Sut. Binah is the Sphere of the Substance of all things, and
it balances that of Chokmah wherein is concentrated the Life
Force. Together they represent Living-Substance, the Father-Mother
from which all proceeds. Binah is also called The Great Sea.
All is said to have been produced from Water brooded over by
Spirit. Uniting Chokmah and Binah we find the Path attributed
to "The Star" and the Sign Aquarius. This Sign is Ruled
by Saturn, and it will be noticed that it is connected with that
Sphere. But it also represents the mystery of the Star Universe,
which symbolism is derived from Chokmah. The old G.D. Ritual
(although attributing this card to the wrong Path, as in the
old order) states: "This Key represents a Star with seven
principal and fourteen secondary rays, altogether twenty-one,
the number of the Divine Name AHIH. (Notice AHIH is the Divine
Name of Kether immediately above.) In the Egyptian sense it is
Sirius, the Dog-Star, the Star of Isis-Sothis. Around it are
the seven planets. The nude figure is the symbol of Isis, Nepthys,
and Hathoor. She is Aima, Binah, and Tebunah, the Great Supernal
Mother Aima Elohim pouring upon Earth the Waters of Creation.
In this Key she is completely unveiled. The two urns contain
the influence of Chokmah and Binah. On the Right springs the
Tree of Life, on the Left the Knowledge of Good and Evil, whereon
the bird of Hermes alights, therefore the Key represents the
restored world." This symbolism is so clear according to
the Restored World Plan of the Paths that it would seem to need
little comment. But there is much more that might be said. The
earliest calculation of Time centered in the revolution of the
Serpent round the Dog Star. The First Mother is said to have
given birth to the Seven Elementaries, who became the Seven Gods
or Planetary Intelligences, the tellers of Time. I may go into
this aspect more fully later on. I have purposely made no mention
of the Path from Kether to Tiphereth, as this will be better
understood if we first deal with those from Chokmah to Tiphereth,
and from Binah to Tiphereth. According to the Tarot Keys these
are "The Sun" and "The Devil"; the twins
of Light and Darkness. The Card of "The Sun" represents
the Influence of Chokmah or the Star Universe upon Tiphereth.
The old G.D. description may again be quoted, but how different
it appears when the card is in its proper place. "The Sun
has twelve principal rays which represent the Zodiac (Chokmah),
these are divided into 36 Decanates, and again into seventy-two
Quinaries. Thus the Sun itself embraces the whole Creation in
its rays. The Seven Hebrew Yods falling through the Air refer
to the Solar Influence descending. The Two Children, standing
respectively upon Water and Earth, represent the Generating influence
of both, brought into action by the Rays of the Sun. They are
the two inferior and passive elements, as the Sun and Air above
them are the superior and active elements of Fire and Air. Furthermore
these two Children resemble the Sign of Gemini." Now, if
we place the "Key" in position on its proper Path,
glancing for a moment at the complete diagram of the Paths, we
shall be able to draw some further conclusions. The Sun, as a
Star from the Sphere of Chokmah, is seen descending to take up
his Office in Tiphereth, as the Son of the Father. The symbolism
of the Sun shows the corrected division of Time according to
the Precession of the Equinoxes, viz.: the Osirian calculation
of the 365 1/4 days in the Year, instead of 365 according to
the Sut-Typhonians whose calculations were made by the Dog-Star.
Gerald Massey states "There is an Egyptian legend which
relates how Osiris in the 365th year of his reign came from Nubia
accompanied by Horus to chase the Sut-Typhonians out of Egypt.
By this we may understand that the perfect Solar Year of 365
1/4 days was made to supersede the Sun and Sirius Year of 365
days. In the battle for supremacy Horus was aided by Taht, the
Lord of the luni-solar reckonings." The two Children, or
Twins, represent the twin theories, and also the Horus Twins,
and the Two Traditions, which resolve themselves in Tiphereth.
Also the Wall of Red with its Blue Top represents the Barrier
and the Waters of Death. The Path attributed to the Key "Death"
is that from Chesed to Geburah, and it crosses this Path of "The
Sun." Again the Twins appear on the Path of Gemini, which
runs from Tiphereth to Hod. Rider's Pack shows a different symbolism.
The Sun and Wall appear as before, but the Twins are replaced
by a Child on a White Horse. This is the Crowned Child, the Son
of the Sun, who has overcome Death and is the ruler of this Aeon.
Chokmah is the Root of Fire and this Card is called "The
Lord of the Fire of the World" showing the Sun as representative
of the Star Universe while ruling the World or Malkuth the Tenth
Sephira. This is the Path of the Tradition of Light. We may now
examine the Path from Binah to Tiphereth which is represented
by "The Devil" and the Sign of Capricorn which is ruled
by Saturn from whose Sphere it springs. This Key is called "The
Lord of the Gates of Matter, the Child of the Forces of Time,"
and it represents the Birth of Matter from the Great Sea, or
Mother, the One Substance. This is the Way of the Children of
Time, Saturn or Kronus. It is the Path of the Tradition of Darkness,
the twin-brother of Light, of Lucifer, the Satanic Saviour who
Fell from Heaven. This gave birth to the idea of the Sun as the
Devil or Satan, for it represents the Sun in his material aspect,
the Red Disk of Atum. The Key shows the Twins chained by Time,
while those of the "Sun" Card are Free, since they
receive the influence of the Divine Will from Chokmah. The Italian
Pack clearly shows The Devil standing upon the Sun, and so does
Levi. This is the Card of Ayin, the Eye. It represents the Eye
doctrine rather than that of the Head or Heart. The Sut-Typhonian
calculation of Time was incorrect in representing the Year by
365 days. Notice in this card there is also a Wall, but the color
symbolism is reversed. This again indicates the Wall of "Death"
whose path this one crosses in the same manner as that of the
Sun on the opposite side of the Tree. This Path of "The
Devil" represents the Sut- Typhonian tradition of Set or
Satan, as its ruler was afterwards called. The Path of "The
Sun" represents the tradition of the Jupiter-Ammonians with
Horus as its ruler. Horus of the Star is the reconciler between
them. Both the traditions of Light and Darkness as opposed to
each other sprang from the Primal Idea of the Pure Spiritual
Light of The Ever Coming Son, IU, the Holy Child of Kether. So
we may now examine the Path from Kether to Tiphereth, that of
the Influence of the Supreme and Concealed Father of All becoming
Manifested in the Son in whom Glory and Suffering are identical.
This, by Tarot, is the Card called "Judgment" attributed
to the Letter Shin, the true Fire of the Spirit, and the progenitor
of the Sun behind the Sun. This is the equilibrated Triple Flame
of the Supreme Godhead, the Winged Globe of the Three Supernals,
the Head of the Staff of the Universal Mercury, the Absolute
Reason of All Things. The Influence of this Path causes the Dead
to rise from their tombs in the Resurrection of the pure Spirit
and the Regeneration of Matter. It passes through the Path of
"The Star" as the Child of Chokmah and Binah which
overcomes Death. It is the Path of the Ever- living One coming
into Manifestation, it represents the Absolute and Universal
Tradition of the Golden Age. "It is called the Card of Perpetual
Intelligence because it _regulateth_ the motions of the Sun and
Moon (Tiphereth and Yesod) in their proper Order, each in an
orbit convenient to it" (Sepher Yetzirah). The Paths of
"The Sun" and "Devil" merely suggest man's
attempts to discover the true Motions and Order of the Universe,
and to translate them into Time. This Path _actually regulates
these motions_, therefore suggests, perhaps, the true calculation
of the Course of the whole Solar System round the invisible Center
of All. It is said in the Old G.D. Ritual: "This card is
a glyph of the powers of fire. The Angel crowned with the Sun
is Michael, the Ruler of the Solar Fire. The Serpents which leap
in the Rainbow are symbols of the Fiery Seraphim. The Trumpet
represents the influence of the Spirit descending upon Binah
(this according to my opinion should be Tiphereth), the Banner
and Cross refer to the rivers of Paradise." But in this
Card we are able to trace the symbolism of the Divine Breath
of Kether, not whispering the Work in Chokmah, but coming to
us through the Trumpet of the Sun, ever proclaiming the Brightness
of the Lord and Giver of Life to all men. And this Trumpet is
the Horn that is exhalted for ever. The Path combines the Mysteries
of the Death and Resurrection as shown in "The Sun";
and the Erection and Re-erection of "The Devil" with
the Generation and Regeneration of the Spirit. As shown in "Q.
B. L.," Shin represents the Roots of the Elements, the essences
of Kether, Chokmah and Binah, concentrated in Tiphereth. It also
represents "Number," the first of the Three Creative
Sepharim of the Sepher Yetzirah. Having dealt with the most direct
influences descending upon Tiphereth, and we must next consider
the supporting Pillars and the indirect influences through Chesed
and Geburah. Let us take the Path from Chokmah to Chesed, and
then follow the one from Chesed to Tiphereth, thus completing
the Right side first. The Key to the Influence between Chokmah
and Chesed is called "Temperance" and is attributed
to the Sign Sagittarius. A Figure is seen pouring fluid from
one urn to another. It represents "Preservation," as
opposed to the "Destruction" of the Path of the "Blasted
Tower" on the opposite side, while the equilibrated Path
in the Center is that of "Creation" and "Regeneration"
as before noticed. Sagittarius is the Sign symbolized by the
Archer who is half man, half horse. The Horse is said to be the
gift to man of the Goddess of Wisdom, viz.: Chokmah. This Sign
is Ruled by Jupiter and it receives the Influence of the Path
of IU-Pater through Chokmah. It is also connected directly with
the Sphere of Jupiter or Chesed. This gives us some indication
of the dual-symolism of the Forces of Life in the two Urns held
by the figure on the Card. We may also glimpse some idea of the
Ascending and Descending Arrows of the AA or IU. Again we have
the ascent and descent of the Wheel of Life or Zodiac which revolves,
so to speak, as Chokmah, between the two Jupiterial influences.
The Figure is clothed in Red and Blue, for Chokmah is the "Root
of Fire" and Chesed the "Sphere of Water." It
stands on Water, or Chesed, but the Robe immediately above the
Water is Red, for Sagittarius is a Fiery Sign. In Rider's Pack
we actually see a "Path and a Sun" to the left of the
Figure, just where the Path of the Sun comes in this arrangement.
The Sign of Fire is on the Breast of the Figure, above which
is faintly seen the Hebrew IHVH, the Word of the Father, Chokmah.
Chesed is the Sephira of Mercy (opposed to that of Severity,
Geburah) and also that of Authority for it Transmits or reflects
the Word of the Father or Logos. The Path from Chesed to Tiphereth
is that of "The Moon" by Tarot and is attributed to
the Sign of Pisces, which in turn is Ruled by Jupiter. Through
this Path came the Piscean Tradition of the Fish-God, another
aspect of Horus as the Solar Deity or Son. The Card itself is
described in the old G.D. Ritual as follows (we should place
the card in position on the Tree and study the symbolism carefully):
"It represents the Moon in its increase in the side of Gedulah
(Chesed), it has sixteen principal and sixteen secondary rays.
Four Hebrew Yods fall from it (4 = Chesed the representative
of the Law of the Father). There are two Watchtowers, Two Dogs
and a Crayfish. The Four Yods represent the letters of the Holy
Name (transmitted from the breast of the Figure of Temperance).
The Crayfish is emblem of the Sun (Tiphereth) below the horizon,
as he ever is when the Moon is increasing above." As we
shall see later the Path of the "Sun" is that of the
Setting Sun. The Moon God was known as "Sin" whose
word is restriction, and this has been characteristic of the
Piscean Age just passed. The true tradition of the Sun became
clouded in that age. The Moon transmits some Light even if it
is but a reflector of the Sun. The Word of Sin being Restriction,
we may notice how the influence of "Preservation" became
that of "Repression" which is but a partial understanding
of the idea. On the other hand, we should next study the Path
from Binah to Geburah and then the one from Geburah to Tiphereth.
These represent the opposite tradition of Over Indulgence, or
"Destruction" through Waste of Life. The Path from
Binah, the Primal Mother, to Geburah the Sphere of Mars, is by
Tarot "The Blasted Tower" and it is attributed to the
Planet Mars. Here we see another aspect of Horus as the God of
War and Vengeance. The G.D. Ritual says: "It represents
a Tower struck by a lightning flash proceeding from a rayed circle
and terminating in a triangle. It is the Tower of Babel. The
flash exactly forms the Astronomical Symbol of Mars. It is th
power of the Triad (concentrated in Binah, 3) rushing down and
destroying the Column of Darkness (the Pillar of Severity, also
the Dark Tradition). The men falling from the Tower represent
the fall of the Kings of Edom." "On the Right Hand
side of the Tower is Light and the representation of the Tree
of Life by Ten Circles, on the Left Hand is Darkness, and eleven
Circles symbolizing the Qliphoth." Here the tradition of
Light and Darkness is clearly indicated. The fall of the Tower
of Babel resulted in the loss of the Universal Language, since
when confusion has prevailed. The Sons of Darkness for a time
retrogressed, while the followers of the Tradition of Light were
advancing. This is the result of the Positive and Negative Currents
from the "Path of Saturn" through Binah the Dark Sphere.
The influence of Mars, passing through Geburah, the Sphere of
Mars and of Severity, is transmitted to Tiphereth by the Path
of Aries, or "The Emperor." Aries is Ruled by Mars
and is the House of the Exaltation of the Sun. The Ram or Lamb
was sacrificed as a _substitute_ for Man, so this path represents
"Substitution" as that of Pisces, on the opposite side,
represents "Reflection." Both are partial truths. This
Path also transmits the "Personal Will" of Geburah
to Tiphereth. When the Personal Will is substituted for the Divine
or True Will trouble arises. In Tiphereth, The Heart, both the
Personal and True Wills are harmonized, or apparently so. Aries
and Pisces are seen with the Sun, or Tiphereth, as reconciler
between them, as in the beginning of the Great Cycle, with the
Sun in His Natural place, unaffected by the Precession of the
Equinoxes. In this position the Jupiter-Ammonian, and the Sut-Typhonian
controversy is temporarily harmonized. The Reciprocal Path from
Chesed, Mercy, to Geburah, Severity, is that of "Death"
the Great Transformer. The Sign Scorpio is its Yetziratic attribution,
and this is Ruled by Mars the Destroyer. Death is both the enemy
and the friend in one, for in truth there is no "death,"
but only a "Change of Life." The Card shows a Skeleton
with a scythe, he is cutting down heads (one of which is crowned)
but the "rise again" as soon as he passes over them,
for the Influences of the Paths of "Resurrection,"
"Regeneration," and "Re-erection" all play
upon this one. The Path of Shin, equilibrating Light and Darkness,
rules over all, for this Path is that of the Influence of IU
the Ever-coming Son, the true Horus whose appearance in Aries
is as the Lamb, in Pisces as the Fish, or in the earlier Signs
as The Lion, The Beetle, The Twins, or the Bull. We have seen
how the Influence of the Tradition of Light flows down into Tiphereth
through two channels. The Paths of IU-Pater, Chokmah, and The
Sun, and those of IU-Pater, Chokmah, Sagittarius, Chesed, and
Pisces. We have likewise traced the Tradition of Darkness through
the Paths of Saturn, Binah and Capricorn, to Tiphereth; and also
through Saturn, Binah, Mars, Geburah, and Aries, to the same
Sphere. The Universal Tradition which transcends both the Light
and the Darkness, descends from Kether-Pure Being, by the Path
of Shin or Spirit, through the Path of Aquarius, The Star of
Hope, and that of Scorpio, Death and Despair, directly upon Tiphereth.
This is the Line of Equilibrium between the Balanced Ideas of
Good and Evil; Light and Darkness; Preservation and Destruction,
etc. This is the Path of the Doctrine of the Heart, which unites
with those of the Eye and the Head (Ayin and Resh) in Tiphereth
the Sphere of the Heart, or the Son, wherein all things are Beautified
and Harmonized. It should be noticed that the Direct Influence
of the Supernals upon Tiphereth comes from the Paths of Resh
and Ayin uniting with those of Shin and Tzaddi. The Numerical
Value of these Letters added to Tiphereth is 200 + 70 + 300 +
90 + 6 = 666, the Grand Scale Number of The Sun, and of the Beast
or Man. Again, the Descending Triad of the Sephiroth Binah, Chokmah,
Tiphereth is 326 [i.e. by concatenating the numbers of those
Sephiroth. -- B.R.] the Numeration of IHShVH the Redeemer, the
formula of the Descent of Shin into IHVH or of Spirit into Matter.
326 is also the Numeration of PARChVAL in the oldest form, which
became PARZIVAL who is 418 in the New Aeon; thus connecting him
with ABRAHADABRA, the Word of the Aeon, and the Reward of Ra-Hoor-Khuit;
as will be more fully discussed later on. For the moment we should
notice that The Beast, The Word of the Aeon, and Parzival are
Harmonized in Tiphereth, as are all aspects of the Sun and the
Son, although there may appear to be "division hither homeward."
The Sephiroth and Paths so far taken into consideration, form
the great Heavenly Hexagram, the Center of which is Spirit, although
this central point is not indicated by any Sephira, but only
by the Path of Shin. In the Tarot Key "The Judgment"
this Invisible Breath of Spirit proceeds from the Mouth of the
Trumpet in the Center of the Card. If we examine this Hexagram,
we notice that the Hebrew Letters on the Paths forming the Hexagon,
are as follows: Kaph, Samek, Qoph, He, Pe, Tau: or 20+60+100+5+80+400
= 665 which is the number of BITh HRChM, meaning The Womb. This
does represent The Womb of Creation, for these paths outline
the Circle of the "Key of Life" or Ankh, upon which
the Tree of Life is built. We should notice also the peculiar
arrangement of the Hexagram. There are four interior Paths, forming
the bases of four similar Triangles. These Paths are those of
"The Star," "The Sun," "Death"
and "The Devil". They may be said to symbolically represent
the Sun in the Four Quarters. Thus, "The Devil," although
the basis of the Tradition of Darkness, represents the Rising
Sun of the Eastern Horizon; for SUT is the "Opener"
of the Day. This Dark Tradition gradually resulted in a Lurid
Dawn. The Path of "The Sun" represents the Setting
Sun, since the tradition of Light tended to become "Twilight."
This is the Path of Horus, Lord of the Western Horizon, who closed
the Day. Together they are Sut-Horus the Twin Lion Gods. The
Path of "The Star" represents the Sun of Midday, at
its height; thus "The One Star in Sight" during the
Day. This position of the Sun has been called AHAThOOR, and in
the Tarot Card we see that Goddess. But AHA is also a title of
Horus, as is HAR and HAR-MAKHU, which means Horus of the Star.
This is his Name as Opener of the Year, and it is His Influence
which descends through the Path of Shin, as the Sun behind the
Sun. The Path of "Death" represents the Sun of Midnight,
in the Underworld. There came a period in Egyptian tradition
when Four Suts were recognized as those of the Four Quarters,
these were then called the Children of Tum, the Setting Sun,
who became Atum, and afterwards Atum- Ra, the Solar Deity as
Father of All Things. This was the period when the Supreme and
Concealed Father had been entirely lost to the followers of the
Tradition of Light, while the Doctrine of the Mother and Child
as First Cause had fallen into disrepute as representing the
Tradition of Darkness. The Influence of the Supreme still descended
upon Tiphereth, the Sun, through IU, but was only recognized
by the few followers of the Universal Tradition of the Golden
Age. All these traditions became merged in Tiphereth and there
Harmonized, though the result was not an absolutely true one.
An attempt to establish the truth was made by Amenhatep IV, or
King Khu-en-Aten, who revived Aten Worship in place of that of
Atum Ra, or Amen Ra; but he was ahead of his time, and it remained
for the Present Aeon to re-establish the truth, as we shall endeavour
to show more clearly further on. We may remark, however, that
the Universal Mercury is said to be "All present in Heaven
and in Hell" so that we find the Ideas of Lucifer or Satan
as the Sun, blended with those of the Sun of Light, and the Sun
of the Universe, in the Heart of Man. Also we may notice how
the Higher Will comes down to Tiphereth from Chokmah, and the
lower or personal will through Geburah. These are both blended
in Tiphereth, the Heart. The "Circle" of the "Key
of Life" having been formed; now follows the "Cross"
which completes the Ankh. But at this point we shall notice a
"Passover" or Crossing over of the dual Currents, for
the "Middle Pillar" is the Caduceus, and the twin-serpents,
while knotted together in Tiphereth, cross and re-unite lower
down. This is symbolized clearly by the Three Mother Letters
of the Elements, or the Three Sepharim of Number, Writing, and
Speech; as explained in Q. B. L. These are Shin above Mem, above
Aleph. We have already dealt with Shin as IU, which it symbolizes
perfectly, since if we place the "I" inside the "U,"
the letter Shin is formed. These are the letters of the Father
and Son, who are united in Tiphereth. Let us now trace the Currents
as they "cross- over". The Influence from the Path
of Aries, joining Geburah and Tiphereth, passes through the latter
and emerges as a channel from Tiphereth to Netzach. This in the
Tarot is the Key called "Strength" and it is attributed
to the Sign Leo which is Ruled by the Sun. The Card shows a Woman
closing (or opening) the mouth of a Lion. This is clearly the
Woman of Venus, or Netzach, united with the Lion of the Sun or
Tiphereth. The Ram, or Lamb (another form of Horus) has been
sacrificed as a substitute, and passes through the Solar Fire
at the "Passover." In the City of the Sun it may truly
be said that "The Lion lies down with the Lamb"; both
are aspects of Horus, their paths are seen united in Tiphereth.
This Lion may be called "The Green Lion" where the
Path meets Netzach (Emerald Green), and "The Red Lion"
as he approaches the Sun. Again we find symbolism of the Twin
Lions of Horus (as later they appear as the twin Sphinxes of
the Charioteer). We see the "Strength" of Geburah,
transmitted through the Ram and the Sun, to this Path, where
its Animal Nature becomes subdued by the Pure Love of the Woman
of Netzach. Thus the Dark tradition becomes purified through
this process. On the other hand, the Path from Chesed to Tiphereth
("The Moon" by Tarot, or Sign of Pisces) emerges from
its Solar Bath, as the Path of "The Lovers" or Gemini,
which unites Tiphereth with Hod. Gemini is Ruled by Mercury whose
sphere is Hod. We may then trace the "Wisdom" from
Chokmah, through paths of Light, as it flows into this reservoir
of pure Reason, carrying with it the ideas of the "Pairs
of Opposites" from "Temperance", "The Moon"
(with its twin towers), and "The Lovers" or Gemini.
This Key, "The Lovers", depicts the Symbolism perfectly.
The Card shows the Sun above the heads of the Figures, just as
they are relatively to Tiphereth. Beneath it are the Twins, the
same Children we saw in the path of "The Sun" transmitting
the Tradition from Chokmah. They have overcome the illusion of
the "Moon" with its restrictions. Cupid is seen with
his Bow and Arrow (perhaps the Bow of the Moon and the Arrow
of Sagittarius). Sometimes this card is shown as symbolizing
a Man between two Women representing Virtue and Vice (so-called).
He must learn to treat them both alike, and harmonize these ideas
in the Light of Tiphereth, the Heart. This was a very necessary
lesson for the followers of the White Tradition to learn, for
the twilight had made their view narrow and restricted, therefore
an elements of Sin (the Moon God) had entered, and the earlier
Wisdom had been lost. We may now consider the Influence of the
Side Pillars. On the one hand we find "Justice" or
Libra which is Ruled by Venus, bringing down the Mercy of Chesed
to Netzach the Sphere of Venus. Here we see the Law of Love coming
into operation under the Will of Chokmah, as it is written, "Love
is the law, love under will". Love needs to be Balanced
in Netzach, thus avoiding extremes. Opposite to this Path is
that which transmits the Strength of Geburah to the Sphere of
Mercury or Hod. The Influence herein operative is that of "The
Hermit" or Virgo, which is Ruled by Mercury. One must be
reasonable in regard to one's Virginity, but the Power of the
Virgin is great. Herein we find the Dark Tradition transformed
into a wise Reserve or Secrecy. The Hermit merely conceals the
Light in his Cloak, while he carries his Staff in his hand. This
represents a better adjustment of the Life, which is the Substance
of Light; the excess of the Path of the "Tower" is
tempered down to a wise control. This refers also to the Control
of Speech; the Tower was that of Babel, and its destruction caused
the confusion of tongues, while here we see a re-adjustment as
this path enters the Domain of Mercury, which contains the influence
from Chokmah, the "Word" lost to the Dark Brothers
for a time. Few realize the secrets of the Tradition of the Widow's
son, and the Substitute, and the Lost Word, as depicted in this
Left Hand side of the Tree. Uniting the Sephiroth Netzach and
Hod is the Path of "The Hierophant", the Initiator
into the Mysteries of Osiris the Bull. This Path is attributed
to the Sign Taurus which is Ruled by Venus or Netzach. Venus
and Mercury are herein united in a Wise and Initiated Love of
a reciprocal nature. We see two Figures in this card, presided
over by the Hierophant who is blessing them in the Sign of the
Trinity. There is yet another Path from Tiphereth to Yesod which
crosses this one and influences it. This is the Path of "The
Hanged Man" attributed to the Letter Mem, and the Element
Water. It refers to "Writing" as the second Sepharim,
and by means of Written Tradition have the true mysteries been
transmitted, even thought the "writer" may never have
been recognized or known to men. Here we see a figure of a Man
suspended by one foot from a gallows, his head and arms forming
a triangle, above which his legs form a cross. He is the Sun
of the Sun, bringing down the Light as far as Yesod, the Subconscious
Mind of Humanity. His body is reversed, as if reflected in the
Waters, his Head is surrounded by Glory, the reflection of Tiphereth
and Kether. His Head is thus in Yesod, the Sphere of the Moon
which reflects the Sun upon the Earth, or Malkuth. The shape
of the Figure in Rider's Pack perfectly symbolizes this position
on the Tree. His is the power of the Redeeming Love, usually
considered as self-sacrifice, but more truly representing the
Justified One, who says: "This is my body which I destroy,
in order that it may be renewed." The Mysteries of the Rose
Cross are transmitted through this Channel, the Initiation being
attended to by "The Hierophant". Two other Paths exert
their influence directly on Yesod, the Foundation, or Sphere
of the Moon; one leading from Netzach, and the other from Hod.
The Coils of the Twin Serpents fold back again here, the Current
having absorbed the influences of the Paths of the Side Pillars
through these two Sephiroth. The Path from Netzach to Yesod continues
the Influence from the Path of Leo united with that of Libra.
By Tarot it is "The Chariot" which is attributed to
the Sign Cancer, ruled by the Moon (Yesod). This is a very important
card indeed. The Hebrew letter attributed to it is "Cheth"
which is 418 the number of the Word of the Aeon ABRAHADABRA.
The Charioteer is one aspect of the Lord of the Aeon, and he
is in a certain sense the Initiator, for in this age the Influence
of the Constellation of Taurus comes to use through the Sign
Cancer according to the Precessional. He has harnessed the Black
and White Sphinxes, the Traditions of Darkness and Light, and
he uses them to draw his Chariot. He is under the Starry Canopy
of Love. He is the Child of the Powers of the Waters, for he
has descended by devious channels from the Great Sea; he is also
the Lord of the Triumph of Light in its higher sense. He has
the Strength of the "Lion" and the balance of "Justice"
combined with the Power of Love. Dual Moons are shown on his
shoulders, for, as Cancer, he is closely connected with The Moon.
The Lingam-Yoni and Winged Globe appear on his cubical Chariot
which represents "The Foundation" or Yesod. Opposite
to him on the Tree is the Path from Hod to Yesod, that of "The
High Priestess" or "Priestess of the Silver Star".
This is attributed to "The Moon" with which Sphere
it unites. This is the Channel of the Serpent of Light winding
back from Hod and bringing with it the Influence of the Paths
of Gemini and Virgo. The High Priestess knows the secret powers
of the "Lovers" and of the "Virgin". These
she has under control in the same sense that the Charioteer controls
the Sphinxes. She is truly his Counterpart. On her Lap is The
book of the Law, the lost Thora of the Wheel of the Tarot, transmitted
so wonderfully from the Path of IU-Pater through Chokmah, "The
Sun", Tiphereth, "The Lovers", and Hod. Note that
the Descent of this Law upon Tiphereth through Chokmah, was by
the Paths of Kaph (20) and Resh (200) and that Liber CCXX is
the Book of the Law; also that from Tiphereth, which is 6; representative
of the Father 10 and the Mother 5 (as Wisdom and Understanding
or IH) which make 15 and again through addition 6; it passed
into the path of Zain (The Sword) 7 and to Hod 8, thus 15 = 6
and through Gimel 3 (6 + 3 = 9) to Yesod 9, where it entered
the Subconscious Mind of Humanity as a seed of the Aeon. The
"Priestess of the Silver Star" is the Pure Influence
of the Higher Self on the Subconscious Mind, transmitting the
secret of the Star Universe and of the Silver Star. She is the
Initiator into the Mysteries of Nuit, as "The Charioteer"
indicates those of Hadit. Our work, so far, has led us to an
understanding of how the Universal Tradition has been imbedded
in the Subconscious Mind of Humanity; built into its very Foundation
and Substance. It is our Great and Glorious Heritage from the
Past, made up from the Universal experience of the Race. But
all men are not yet aware of this. It is still "Unconscious"
in most. Now we come to the final stages of our Journey, wherein
these ideas are Manifested on the Material Plane. Malkuth, The
Kingdom, is the Sphere of the Elements, and is saturated with
the subtle influences, whereby the Fallen Daughter may become
the Mother and bring forth Man as the Crowned Child of the Aeon.
The Path from Hod to Malkuth is by Tarot "The Magician"
attributed to Mercury. This is the Wisdom and Will of the Father
in Heaven brought down to the Kingdom of Earth. (Have we not
prayed "Thy Will be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven"
and has it not been answered "Do what thou wilt shall be
the whole of the Law"). The Magician controls the Elements
by means of his Four Elementary Weapons under the Direction of
the Higher Will, as shown in the Card by the Wand, the Cup, the
Sword, and the Pantacle. His is the Path of the Magic of Light
and of Occultism. He is then the representative of the Great
Father upon Earth, and his influence is within every father who
realizes that he is a star. The Path from Netzach to Malkuth
is that of the "Empress" and of Venus. She represents
the Love which regenerates the Kingdom when properly understood.
The key shows her crowned with the Diadem of Stars. She Transmits
the Understanding of the Great Mother. (So long misunderstood
and thought of as the unmated and despised Woman of the Dark
Sphere). Hers is the Path of Mysticism and Devotion, and of those
who would be absorbed in the Absolute. She Represents the Great
Mother upon Earth and is the Influence within every mother who
knows Herself to be a Star. Thus is this Kingdom supplied with
Wisdom and Love, and lastly with Power, for we must finally consider
the Path from Yesod to Malkuth, that of the "Pure Fool",
and the All-Wandering Air, the Reconciler in all things. This
is the Path of the Crowned Child of the Spirit who is in the
Heart of all Humanity when he is brought to birth upon the Earth.
This is the Path of those who follow neither the way of Magick
nor of Mysticism, but the "Way of the Tao". These are
the Masters of both Will and Love for they UNCONSCIOUSLY do the
Work of the Father. Just as a Child naturally rules over his
parents and is able to obtain his slightest desire, without effort,
so must all Serve the Crowned Child the Lord of the Aeon. This
Path transmits the Universal Tradition of the Central Pillar
-- the Pillar of Mildness and Peace. This is the Pathway of the
Light to be discovered amid the contending forces and the darkness
of matter. This Path of the Holy Spirit of the Sun behind the
Sun is that of the Letter Aleph. In it the two A's of the Beginning
have become One. It is the Path of Air, the third Sepharim, or
of Speech. But this is the Power of Speech in the Silence, of
Harpocrates hidden within Horus. It is also the true Power, as
it is written; Unity uttermost showed, I adore the Might of Thy
Breath, Supreme and Terrible God Who makest the Gods and Death
To tremble before Thee, I, I adore Thee. This is the Path of
IU, Horus-Harpocrates, the Ever Coming One, and of Har-Machis,
Horus of the Star, the Opener of the Ways of Eternity. This is
the Path of the Here and Now, transcending those of Time and
Space. This is the Path of Truth, which Is Now, as It Was in
the Beginning, and Ever Shall Be, Malkuth without End. Aumn.
Chapter IV The Sun, The Devil, and the Redeemer One of my aims
in the foregoing chapter has been to show that this is the Aeon
of the Foundation of the Kingdom upon Earth, characterized by
the Incarnation of God in the Heart of every Man, Woman, and
Child. It is not so much a question of "Climbing the Tree
of Life" as of recognizing how all things have been working
together for good so that the Source of All might become manifest
in Matter, here on Earth, and the Kingdom of Ra-Hoor-Khuit be
established. We have seen in tracing out the Traditions that
there have been two Wills at work, the Divine and the Personal,
and that through the Ages these have appeared in conflict. One
is the Bright Star or Pentagram of Unconquered Will, the other
the Dark Star of the Reversed Pentagram. These two Starts are
symbolized by the hands of Man, or the Magician, one raised to
Heaven in the Sign of Solve, the other directed downwards in
the Sign of Coagula. When united they form a Ten-fold Star, just
as the hand of the man who has fallen may be grasped by the one
who Raises him in the Grip of the Lion, which exactly symbolizes
this uniting of the Rising and Setting Sun, or the Twins Sut-Har.
For the Two Wills are Harmonized in Tiphereth. But when we consider
Malkuth, it is a question of Raising the Fallen Daughter, the
Animal Soul, or Matter, to the Throne of the Mother, Understanding.
That is a more difficult task, but we now have the Keys in our
hands. The Union of the two@S^XUk+EI%951-UQ!%MQ!]=I- =IUM=iuhis
represents the Covenant God made with Abraham, as promised by
the Rainbow of the old order. Having apparently lost this Symbol
of the Rainbow through the alteration of the Paths, we may hope
to find instead the Fulfillment of the Promise of the Covenant.
In the old order of the Paths we found Q, Sh, Th as the three
influences descending upon Malkuth. QShTh is the Hebrew word
for the Rainbow of Promise. The Authority on the Qabalah, referred
to in our Preface, rejected the reformulation of the paths of
the Tree, partly on account of the fact of this symbolism being
lost in the new arrangement. But what have we in its place? Wisdom,
Love, and Power directly descending upon the Earth; the Paths
of Magick and Mysticism, united by the "Way of the Tao".
More than this, we have the direct influence of the Three Supernals
upon the Kingdom. Kether, the Crown of Light, is upon the Head
of the Crowned Child of the Path of Aleph, who wields the true
Power of the Breath; the Wisdom of Chokmah is seen in the Path
of Beth or Mercury, the Great Magician who represents the Father
on Earth; while the Great Mother, Binah the Third Sephira, is
translated into the Path of the Empress, the Woman of Venus,
on the Path of the Mystic. So we find Father, Mother and Holy
Spirit or Son, all prepared to raise the Fallen Daughter. Yod,
He, and Vau once more symbolically united with the final He.
Thus the Missing members of the Body of Osiris are all brought
together again; the Lost Word is recovered; the Rulers of the
Four Elements of Malkuth are shown in their respective offices;
and in the midst is the concealed Power of the Spirit of Shin,
IU, or Io, which is 10, the number of Malkuth, as well as Kether.
The same Authority objected the some of the Alchemical Symbolism
was destroyed. The Alchemists tell us that in order to make Gold,
we must have Gold; and this the Gold of the Sun. What now makes
Gold in our Revised arrangement? The influences descending upon
Tiphereth, the Sun. We have shown how the principal Paths of
Influence, which are all Solar in nature, give us 666 the Grand
Number of the Sun in Tiphereth. The secondary influences are
from Aries of the Golden Fleece, Scorpio the Path of "Death",
or the Sun at the Dark Stage, and from Pisces which is by Tarot
the "Moon". These together make the True Gold of the
Sun. Again they tell us that the First Matter is the Soul of
Man, and we have shown how the dual soul became divided as Adam
and Eve, etc., so that you may work out this Alchemical Symbolism
on other planes. But there is an even more important aspect,
which this study may lead us to understand; the Inner Mystery
of the Sun, the Heart of the Beast 666 which is Man. Herein we
may discover the answer to the riddle of the Sphinx, who with
fixed gaze of impenetrable Mystery looks on at all the Changes
of Life. Here, too, we may learn something of the Concealed Mystery
of the Strange Baphomet of the ancient Templars, for all is made
clear in the Reformed Order. If this is the Age of Horus the
Revealer and Opener, there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed.
Let us turn our attention for a little while to what, to some,
may appear the absurd idea of The Devil. Eliphas Levi, wisely
states: He who affirms the devil, creates or makes the devil.
But it has elsewhere been written: Since every idea, theory or
doctrine must, in the very nature of things, have some truth
as its basis, it happens that the more difficult, unreasonable,
or even absurd, any idea seems to be, the more illuminative does
it become when thoroughly understood; for only some very important
truth could have availed to give currency to a teaching of extreme
incredibleness and difficulty. Thus it is with doctrine of the
devil, which, in one form or another, is found in almost every
religion of the world. The chief snare of the Devil is the Illusion
of Time. Man is limited by the ideas of Time and Space, which
are but modes of the human mind, as is now becoming scientifically
recognized. The Black Tradition is based on Time. Saturn, the
God of Time, and the Progenitor of the Devil, or Serpent of Time,
is shown on the Path leading from Kether to Binah. This influence
is further transmitted from Binah to Tiphereth by the Path of
"The Devil" as explained before. The Hebrew letters
of these Paths are Tau and Ayin, whose numerical value is 400
and 70. Ayin, Tau, or OTh is the Hebrew word for Time, or a period
of Time, 470 is also the numeration of other Hebrew words meaning
Eternity, or literally, a cycle of cycles. This should be sufficient
evidence that the Paths are rightly placed. Taking into account
the other two Paths influencing Tiphereth on this side of the
Tree, which are Pe and He, or 80 and 5; we obtain 400 + 70 +
80 + 5 = 555 which is the Numeration of the Hebrew word for Obscurity.
This certainly proves that the Dark Tradition is operative in
this part of the Tree, and it accounts for much of the confusion
of the "Tower" of Babel. We have shown how the Sut-Typhonian
tradition arose, so that the Son was thought to have preceded
the Father, and the Mother to have been the First Cause by means
of Blood. One should note in passing, that the Reciprocal Path
of "The Star" is that of Aquarius which Sign governs
the Blood Stream. This tradition as far as Time is concerned
led to the calculation of the Year as 365 Days, based on the
Sun and Sirius Cycle. We may also notice that the Sephiroth Numbered
3, 6, and 5, are those whose influence is here depicted. They
form a Triad, linked by the paths we have been discussing, and
the base of this Triad is the path of "The Devil",
and of the Rising Sun. We shall have more to say in regard to
the Devil, but for the moment let us turn to the other side of
the Tree, and examine the Channels of the Light Tradition. We
might have done well to call these the Traditions of Black and
White, for Black is that which absorbs all colors, and White
that which reflects them all. The True Light is Equilibrated
and Concealed in that Darkness which is higher than eyesight.
The Force of the Primum Mobile of Kether produced the Whirling
motions of the "Wheel of Life" resulting in the Star
Universe and Sphere of the Zodiac. Thus originated the illusion
of Space, the other great limitation of the mind of man. This
Space became narrowed down till the idea of a Straight and Narrow
Way limited all the conceptions of the followers of these Paths.
The Light became but a Twilight, and a reflection of the primal
Truth, as indicated by the Path of Pisces, and the Tarot Key
"The Moon". The Primal idea of the Supreme as the Concealed
Life of All was soon lost. Infinite Space, filled with the Infinite
but Invisible Life, became 3rd dimensional space in the minds
of men. The Paths of Influence are of interest; Kaph 20, and
Resh 200, give us 220, the numeration of the Book of the Law
of Thelema (Will), which will eventually redeem this narrowed
conception and bring back the Truth. Will is Chokmah the Sphere
of Wisdom and of the Word or Logos, which was not comprehended
by the Children of Darkness. This being the 2nd Sephira, makes
the complete Channel from Kether to Tiphereth 222, which is the
Hebrew numeration of the word for "Whiteness", thus
proving our earlier speculations Qabalistically. Taking the Sephirotic
Triad as before, we find the Base is the Path of "The Sun".
This in the Twilight of the Setting Sun of the White tradition,
they mistook for the Lost Father of the Gods. The Sun is, of
course, the center of the Solar System and Ruler of the Planets;
He is truly the Father of this Earth, but He is NOT THE FATHER
OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE. That is where the followers of the White
Tradition made an even greater mistake than those of the Black.
The Sephiroth Tiphereth, Chokmah and Chesed, as 6, 2, 4 or 624
give us a number equivalent to the Hebrew Word for "His
Covenant". The Arrow of Sagittarius (which in the old arrangement
of the Paths was said to be the Arrow that pierced the Rainbow,
on account of its position below Tiphereth) is seen on one of
the other Paths of influence connecting this triad, and the "Moon"
or "Bow" on the other. If we take these Sephiroth in
the order of 264 we get the numeration of Hebrew Words for "Footprints"
literally "Foot's Breadth", and "A Straight Row"
indicating the "Narrow" Way referred to before. Or
as 246, we obtain "Vision" or "Aspect" denoting
Space, as before indicated. This also seems good enough Qabalistic
proof. We may now better understand how the True Sun of a Bi-une
Nature, became looked upon as Sut-Har, and how the Traditions
of the Sut-Typhonians and those of the Jupiter-Ammonians, were
blended in Tiphereth. The Influence of Har-Machis, Horus of the
Star, was little understood owing to the limitations of Time
and Space, though it descended as the Mediating Influence upon
Tiphereth, and Welded the Twin conflicting Ideas together. The
Osirians of the Right Hand Path, examining Space with great care,
discovered the more correct calculation of the Year as 365 1/4
days. The Four Quarters were established, the Four Suts arose,
and these were accepted as the Children of the Father Atum-Ra.
Ra became the great Sun God, and the IU was lost to view in such
an apparently Harmonious arrangement. So he who was the Son,
became looked upon as The Father, and the Supernal Triad was
no longer taken into consideration. The Pillars of the Temple
of the Sun were set up. Boaz and Jachin were established in strength,
as Geburah and Chesed, Severity and Mercy, and the Sun was seen
between them as the Sole Lord of Light. Followers of the old
Sut-Typhonian Tradition might still secretly Symbolize Him as
The Devil; followers of the Osirian Cult, as The Sun of Heaven.
Let us now return to our discussion of the Devil, or Baphomet
fairly depicted, but the Symbolism of Rider's Pack is wrong.
Eliphas Levi drew him correctly, and also described him perfectly.
Let me quote: "The name of the Templar Baphomet, which should
be spelt Qabalistically backwards, is composed of three abbreviations:
Tem., Ohp., Ab., "Templi ominium hominum pacis abbas",
"the father of the temple of universal peace among men."
According to some, the Baphomet was a monstrous head; (Resh,
the head, is the Sun); according to others, a demon in the form
of a goat. (Capricorn is the Goat). A sculptured coffer was disinterred
recently in the ruins of an old commandery of the temple, and
antiquaries observed upon it a baphometic figure, corresponding
in its attributes to the Goat of Mendes (Osiris) and the androgyne
(two-sexed Horus) of Khunrath. It was a bearded figure with a
female body, holding the sun in one hand and the moon in the
other, attached to chains. Now this virile head is a beautiful
allegory which attributes to thought alone the initiating and
creating principle. Here the head represents spirit and the body
matter. The orbs enchained to the human form, and directed by
that nature of which intelligence is the head, are also magnificently
allegorical. The sign, all the same, was discovered to be obscene
and diabolical by the learned men who examined it. Can we be
surprised after this at the spread of medieval superstition in
our own day! One thing only surprises me, that, believing in
the devil and his agents, men do not re-kindle the faggots."
The was written by Levi in 1855; even today there are many people
who refuse to see the light of truth; but we are progressing.
The Figure of Baphomet, or the XVth Key of the Tarot, depicts
the Symbolism of Tiphereth perfectly, from the point of view
of the combined Traditions of Sut-Har, as shown on the Revised
Tree. The Flaming Torch between the Horns is the Holy Spirit
of the Path of Shin, his Horns are the Paths of Sut-Har or of
Capricorn and the Sun. The female body shows the Tradition of
the Mother, while the Legs of the Goat are crossed to indicate
the Passover or Crossing of the Ways after this point, as explained
before. His head is that of an Ass, showing that the followers
of the "Head" Doctrine of the acceptance of the Sun
as the Supreme Father were foolish, but that in Tiphereth, the
Heart, all things might be Harmonized. He makes the sign of Solve
and Coagula, thus indicating "That which is above is like
unto that which is below, and that which is below is like unto
that which is above, for the performance of the Miracle of the
One Substance". This is the sole Hermetic Dogma of the Microcosm
and the Macrocosm; their Equivalence is found in Tiphereth. This
sign also indicates the two Currents of "Will" and
"will", harmonized in the Heart. This Figure should
be studied with care, and it will reveal many other truths. The
Caduceus in his lap, for instance, clearly shows that the Central
Pillar of the Tree of Life is the Staff whereon the Twin Serpents
of Time and Space are Twined. We have explained how the Sut-Typhonians
first looked upon the Great Mother as of Animal Nature, afterwards
assuming her into the Heaven as the Star Goddess, Mother of the
Sun. In this latter assumption they were absolutely correct,
but the Worship of Nuit is practically pre-Dynastic, as is Her
Symbol the Crossed Arrows. In the Darkness the idea arose of
half- human, half-animal beings as representing the earliest
types. The Hebrew Tradition of the First Adam corresponds to
this. The Universal Tradition of the Sons of God on Earth, was
lost. Man, today, is the highest of the Animals, but the lowest
of the Spiritual Beings. It is the personal will and power of
choice, which makes him more than animal, for he has within him
a spark of the Divine Intelligence which makes it possible for
him to direct his own actions, though until he discovers the
Divine Will in the darkness of his own being, and aligns the
personal will with It, he cannot progress. The personal will
transmitted to the Heart of man from the Sphere of Geburah, is
harmonized with the Divine Will of Chokmah, to the extent to
which the Channels of Light are Open. But Har, the Sun of the
White Tradition, was "Closer" and the True Will was
little realized and understood. We can now see that Tiphereth
is a perfect Image of The Beast, 666, as Man. This aspect combines
in itself all that is Animal with all that is Human and all that
is Spiritual and God-Like. This is the Great Solar Image which
all men have worshipped and all men will worship for a long time
to come. Yet it is not the Highest Truth in itself, it is a Harmonious
Combination and Synthesis of Light and Darkness. Only through
this Synthesis may the Truth be arrived at, however, as the Son
of Man, Who was also the Son of God, has before remarked "No
man cometh unto the Father but by Me". For the Son is always
the visible Aspect of the Invisible and Concealed Father, who
may never be known because He Is the very Essence of our Being.
The most truly representative Man of his time is always The Beast,
for he displays all the qualities of the Race of the Period in
which he lives. We look at such a Man and see in him Ourselves,
for we can only see what is within us. To some he appears an
Angel of Light, to others the grinning Devil of Darkness. Thus
is Genius always misunderstood and blasphemed by some, while
recognized and praised by others. He is the Son, wherein Glory
and Suffering are identical. He is always betrayed, always Crucified,
as we see in the Path of "The Hanged Man" immediately
below Tiphereth. This is the Path attributed to Water, and Water
was the enemy of Horus. Why? Because his Mother was the Great
Deep, and She was misunderstood and reviled as the Harlot because
the true Father was invisible. Thus are Man's greatest enemies
those of his own household. The Son must suffer on account of
the fact that he is born of Matter, and the Soul within him is
crucified, by those who see naught but Darkness, while that same
Darkness conceals a Higher Light than their own. See the proud
followers of the White Tradition, whose Sun has the Head of an
Ass. For Intelligence cometh from Binah the Great Mother of Understanding,
and without Understanding the Way of Holiness is indeed Narrow.
These are the people who are always Right, while the others are
always Wrong in their sight. Their 1/4 day additional in the
Year makes them too proud to perceive Wider and Grander Spaces
and Cycles. But, as I hope to show, the age of narrowness is
passing, and for the first time in 25,000 years, Man has the
opportunity of coming into his own. Chapter V The Mystery of
Babalon and the Beast The Beast, or Man of the Sun, represents,
as I understand it, the Soul of Humanity, or of Man, between
Spirit and Matter, ashamed of neither since both are essential
to His existence. The Substance of the Sun descends upon Tiphereth
from Binah through the Path of "The Devil"; its Life
is transmitted from Chokmah through the Path of "The Sun";
it exists as a Spiritual Idea through the Channel of "Shin"
which descends from Kether. Kether is its Final and Efficient
Cause, Chokmah its Formal Cause and Binah its Material Cause.
"ON" is the Ancient Egyptian Word for the Sun; as long
as we are prepared to go ON, all is well since we are in line
with the natural urge of Evolution. But we may rise above the
ordinary idea of Evolution into a consciously free co-operation
with the Divine Purpose. The numerical value of ON is 120. This
is said o have been the Age of Christian Rosencreutz at the time
he passed ON. Those who try to reverse the process of evolution,
to retreat or retrogress, saying "NO" in their hearts,
fall into Sin which is restriction, and therefore get themselves
into trouble. ON is formed of the Hebrew Letters Ayin and Nun,
thus this idea arises at the junction of the Paths of "The
Devil" and "Death". People of the "NO"
type arose on the other side of the Tree, on the Path of the
Setting Sun. NO may be spelled Nun, Vau, or NU, who was called
the Father of the Waters, the reflector of Nuit. However, we
may look for a reconciliation of these ideas in the Path of "The
Star" which represents the Sun at High NOON. It was at High
NOON that Parzival wrought the Miracle of Redemption, when the
Spear and Cup were re- united. This Path unites the Spear of
Will and Wisdom, Chokmah, with the Cup of Understanding and Intuition,
Binah. The Father and Mother being thus united, the "One
Star in Sight", Har-Makhu, or Horus of the Star, is recognized
in His True nature as the Spirit of the Concealed Light of Kether.
The Truth was never lost to the Supernal Triad, but the Supernals
were lost to the sight of man. We may wonder how this could be,
and the time is now ripe for its revelation. But before an attempt
is made to explain this, it is best that we should glance at
the remaining Paths of the Tree, below Tiphereth. Let us consider
the Path of "The Hanged Man", sometimes called the
Redeemer. Exoterically this Tarot Key is said to signify: "Enforced
and not voluntary suffering"; while Esoterically it means
"Self- sacrifice", but not as usually understood. ATUM
or ADAM, as the first purely Human type or Soul, is said to have
been Two-sexed until he became as Adam and Eve. Tiphereth is
the True Son but the false Father. When the representative Son
at this stage became mistaken for the Father, many women followed
Him, seeking redemption. Thus an embarrassing situation of "enforced
and not voluntary suffering" might be supposed to have arisen.
The only reasonable course of action would be a concealment of
the facts and a teaching which might be inferred to imply "Chastity",
Celibacy, and other doctrines of repression. This is merely the
exoteric view, but it accounts for the mistaken zeal of some
who failed to understand the true teaching. The Physical Sun
is just as impotent to fertilize the whole Universe, although
He may be entirely capable of attending to His own Solar System.
He is all right in His place in the Order of the Universe; only
when we misunderstand that place, do we fall into error. The
same trouble might arise in the case of a man who preached a
doctrine of promiscuous sexual intercourse to a following of
women; even were he a regular Lion he would be unable to supply
the needs of an unlimited number and therefore be liable to attempt
to retract his teaching. The above instances could only arise
on account of the lack of a true interpretation of the Word of
the Justified One, Osiris arisen from Ammenti. Destruction is
essential or there can be no renewal, and IU the twin-sexed supplies
the answer if interpreted by means of "The Hierophant"
whose Path crosses that of "The Hanged Man" and shows
a reciprocal current between the Spheres of Venus and Mercury.
We have noticed how the twin-serpents "crossed over"
below Tiphereth, and have studied the Symbolism rather fully.
Having separated they must again re-unite in Yesod -- The Foundation
-- and continue as One to Malkuth by the Path of Aleph, the Pure
Fool. We may now consider Malkuth, the Fallen Daughter, who,
according to the Qabalah, in order to be redeemed must Unite
with the Son, be raised to the Throne of the Mother, re-awaken
the Father so that all things are re- absorbed into the Crown.
This process has been much misunderstood, it has bee thought
to imply a return to the Crown. The Mystics have all wanted to
be re-absorbed into the Absolute. The Magicians, on the other
hand, have tended to keep going ON, and to attempt to usurp the
Throne of God, which rightfully belongs to the Mother. Both met
with a terrible Abyss, while working on the old methods. The
Magician traveled up the "Tree" till he came to Chesed
as an Exempt Adept who had built up a wonderful system of knowledge,
only to find the whole structure must be broken in pieces in
the Abyss, if he hoped to Attain to true Understanding and Wisdom.
Few passed this Ordeal. The Mystics, on the other hand, being
of the negative type, opened their minds and souls to the "light"
and often mistook false lights for the True One. Having a very
limited basis of experience as a foundation of their Pyramid,
the Apex was proportionately low, and the Light they saw at that
point, they attributed to their own pet divinity as their savior
and redeemer. The Dawning of Solar Consciousness (Dhyana) tended
to come as such a shock that most of these Mystics lost their
balance for a time, if not for the remainder of their incarnation.
If they went further, they were literally flooded with the Dark
Forces of the Abyss. Some of these truly saw the Devil, and believed
in him, and preached his existence to their followers. They certainly
never say God. Many of these people lived a very holy and chaste
life, according to the standards of their time, before reaching
this stage. Afterwards, the ignorant believed in them as men
of good reputation, and were even content to "believe"
without further desire for actual experience. So we find a line
of "Theorists" arose, under the guidance of "Partly
Disillusioned" people who feared to go further and so taught
a doctrine of Fear which is the forerunner of Failure, a doctrine
of implicit belief in the leader of the movement, amounting in
some cases to a "blind faith" in Substitutes, Reflections,
Vicarious Atonement, and anything else but the necessity of working
out their own Salvation. Yet there is an element of truth even
in such apparently absurd notions as Vicarious Atonement; just
as we found an element of truth in the doctrine of the Devil.
Every man and every woman who Attains, make it just that much
easier for the rest of Humanity to reach perfection. The whole
Race must eventually Attain, for it is bound together by the
closest ties, so that the process cannot be finally complete
in the individual until the Last has become as the First in the
Kingdom of Heaven upon Earth. We seem far from that issue, but
the Way is now OPEN, as before it was Closed, for Horus the Opener
has taken his Seat in the East at the Equinox of the Gods. But,
to return to Earth, or Malkuth, as the Fallen Daughter. The true
teaching, as I see it, is this. Malkuth, the Sphere of the Elements,
or Matter, has been mistaken for the Planet Earth in place of
_All the Material Substance of the Universe in manifested form_.
Matter, as we should know, is _continuous_. The Sun is the God
of this world, its Physical Father, and as such he is worthy
of our utmost respect and reverence. We do well to salute and
recognize Him as Ra in the four Quarters. We "see"
Him in the Rising, the Midday, and the Setting Sun; we "believe"
in Him as the Sun of Midnight, our "heads" tell us
that He is Osiris of the Underworld. These are the old doctrines
of the "Eye" and the "Head" transmitted to
our subconscious minds from the Paths of "Ayin" and
"Resh". "Seeing is believing", is a saying
that held sway until the Scientists showed us we could not believe
in the testimony of our senses. But the whole doctrine of the
Birth, Death and Resurrection of the Sun or Son, was based on
this dogma. Also, just as of old the Sut-Typhonians tradition
became despised, so Woman has been despised and held down by
Man, by the son who had usurped the place of the Father. In this
Man is truly a beast, and it required a Greater Beast, a practical
living example, to show him his error, folly and wrong-doing.
But man misunderstands and fears the Beast, who after all offers
him the Secret of the Solar Pathway to the Stars. Why does he
fear? The old Dark Tradition in his subconscious mind, holds
him back. He fears to enter the Darkness of Night, lest he lose
what little light he has therein. But this is the result of his
limited earth-bound conception, which is quite un-scientific
and gross. If we truly believe in Osiris (or Christ) why should
we fear to descend with Him into the Underworld? Jesus is said
to have done so, before he rose again in Spirit to His Father
in Heaven, thus uniting His True Self with the Invisible Central
Star of the Universe. Day and Night only exist for us on this
Planet; the Sun does not travel round the Earth for our convenience.
We, on this Planet, travel round the Sun, revolving as we go.
Thus his Light only reaches certain parts of the Earth at any
one time, and the rest of the Planet is in darkness. The Sun
is always Shining, and if we come to consider things from the
point of view of the Sun, we shall begin to shine too. But the
Sun, although Father of this Planet, is but the Son of the Great
Mother, the Star Universe. Where then is the True Father? This
is the question that puzzled the old Sut-Typhonians in the earliest
times. The difficulty arose through the original Illusions of
Time and Space, which have kept the World in ignorance since
the last Golden Age. The Universe is Infinite in the Here, but
men have tried to circumscribe it. The Infinite is ever present
in the Now, but Men have looked backwards and forwards as if
time were a line. There are Two Infinites, or conceptions of
the Infinite, the Infinitely Great and the Infinitely Small.
The extent of the One escapes us, the Present Moment of Pure
Being escapes us. The Infinitely Great, is Nuit, Continuous Matter,
Mother of the Stars. The Infinitely Small and un-extended point,
is Hadit, the Inmost Essential Self of All, the Flame that burns
in every heart of man and in the core of every Star. Both these
are invisible to our Senses and Minds. Since these are the Infinite,
the Center is Everywhere and the Circumference Nowhere. Every
point in Space is equally the Center of the Whole, there being
no Limit. The True Father is Invisible, but the Center of all.
Men called him "Father Time" but he is Father "Now."
The Now became extended as the Serpent of Time, Saturn, who tempted
Eve, Matter, and caused the Fall but Now is the accepted Time,
Now is the Day of Salvation. The Illusion of Space, on the other
hand, made it difficult to imagine or find the Center; study
the Stars as we would. Imagining a possible Limit, men failed
to perceive how that Center could be everywhere present at the
same moment of Time. The Long Lost Father, Hadit, is the true
Life of All, and the Eternal Energy of All. Matter and Energy
can never be separated, one always merges into the other in a
continuous and continual Marriage Union. The Universe, as we
know it, or may come to know it through Spiritual Perception,
is the Result of that Union, the Crowned Child in the fullest
sense. Men and women of this Planet may think of the Secret Father
as the Sun, till they draw that Sun within the Heart, and look
at things from His viewpoint. This is the Balanced and Harmonious
conception of the Great Beast which is MAN. Then we realize that
the whole Solar System revolves around Its Central Sun, and so
on to Infinity. There is No Limit to the Expansion of Consciousness
in the Here and Now, for Hadit, the true Father is Now in each
one of us, veiled by the Light of the Sun of our being, His Manifest
Son of Light. Truly the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, it will
never be found outside amid the illusions of space and time.
Those who have sought the Kingdom of Heaven within, have rejoiced
therein; but that is an experience each must Attain for himself
by Work. Let us then return to the general discussion of the
subject. We have said that Malkuth was mistaken for the Planet
Earth, which she only is in a narrow sense. If united with the
Son, or Sun, she begins to view the universe from His standpoint.
Around her revolve the planets of the Solar System, of which
Earth is one of the smallest. But it is said she must be raised
to the Throne of the Mother from which she fell. She must be
understood as the Original Substance, or pre-elemental matter.
Also her throne is the Sphere of Saturn, the outermost of the
(then known)p4anets. On reaching Solar Consciousness she must
not imagine that she has arrived at the Goal. This is the mistake
made by those who are obsessed by the results of Dhyana, the
earliest Illumination. She must _expand_ to the Rim of the Wheel,
the Orbit of Saturn. She will gaze at the Great Zodiac, the Star
Universe in Chokmah. She will seek to absorb this as the Father,
her True Mate, and in so doing will Expand to Infinity as Nuit,
The Ain, finding Kether, the True Father of Her Being, or Hadit,
at Her Center, made Visible by the Extended Light of the Ain
Soph Aur, which is Ra-Hoor-Khuit, the Lord of the Aeon. Having
been assumed unto Heaven her effort will be to Contract upon
the Center, and to Bring forth the Child. But she is Virgin,
and the child is not born but "Ever Coming." The Force
and Fire of the Universe ever Expands within Her. Thus we may
conceive of the Two Infinites multiplied in the Crowned Child.
All these Mysteries may be discerned Spiritually by the Children
of Earth who have within them the Light of the Crown. Man, the
Microcosm, the Little Universe, is like unto God the Macrocosm.
This is the great Mystery. The Soul, Malkuth, is capable of taking
into itself, Spiritually, all that is in the Macrocosm, until
able to think the One Thought of God, which is the Universe itself.
The Animal Soul is that which perceives and feels, without it
we may not perceive or feel the Joys of the Universe. Despised
as the Fallen Daughter, it is our greatest Treasure, for it is
The Kingdom of Heaven upon Earth. We may now understand the Mystery
of Revelation, of the Woman Clothed with the Sun, becoming great
with Child. How the Beast, tried to Devour the Child, and stop
further progress, in order that he might continue to be Worshipped
as the Lord of Heaven. How the Woman escaped into Egypt, or expanded
to the limits of the Mother of Sut, the Orbit of Saturn and so
on till the True Child was brought to Light within Her and the
light of the Sun and Moon were no longer needed, for there was
the Crowned Child in the Midst of the Holy City. So we may learn,
through the expansion of our consciousness to the conception
of Babalon and the Beast, to pass ON to the Greater Conception
of Nuit and Hadit, and obtain our heritage of Cosmic Consciousness,
as the Crowned Children of the New Aeon. This was prophesied
by the Beast Himself, who made it his life work to teach; "First
obtain the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel,
the Higher Self, in Tiphereth the Kingdom of God in the Heart,
and all things shall be added unto you." Is it not written
in the Qabalah: "Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in
Kether, but after another manner"? This statement has been
misunderstood owing to the limitations of our minds. Malkuth
is NUIT, and Kether is HADIT, and when united RA-HOOR-KHUIT,
their Son is in Tiphereth. Also Nuit has said "My number
is Eleven, as are all their numbers who are of us." Kether
is 1, Malkuth is 10, together Eleven, which is the Lost Sphere
of DAATH, the Child of Chokmah and Binah. This is the Mystery
of the Path of Aquarius, The Star, the Eleventh Sign of the Zodiac,
brought to Earth at the Eleventh Hour, before Time had swallowed
the Last of His Children, which shall be as The First in the
Kingdom of the Here and Now. Chapter VI Further Light on the
Tree of Life We should now try to understand the Mystery of "The
Tree of Life which is one with the Tree of Knowledge." It
is written: "The letter killeth and the Spirit giveth life."
The Structure of the Tree of Life as represented in our diagram
is evidently a Divinely given Plan of the Multi-dimensional Sphere
of the Universe, in Two- Dimensions. When we examine it superficially
it means little or nothing; gradually, as we absorb the Divine
Ideas reflected through its medium, our minds take on the Image
and Likeness of God, and we are enabled to comprehend all in
Spherical form. The Qabalah teaches us to think of a greater
and greater number of things, in the light of fewer and fewer
Ultimate Ideas, as has been shown in the chapter on "The
Essence of the Practical Qabalah." The highest Reason which
is in God and which is God, is absolutely One. God knows all
things by One Idea, which is identical with His Being. The limitations
of Time and Circumstance obsess us, and we are at first unable
to grasp the Divine Plan. Tradition is the result of the Thought
of Humanity in the "past" focused in the Present, the
Here and Now. So it is in regard to what we term the "future."
The Plan of the Tree of Life gives us an idea of the Unchanging
Basis of the Here and Now, in time and space. The Reformulation
of the Paths has made this clear; we have seen how the past leads
to the Present, and glimpsed a Vision of the Great Light of the
Beginning, which will Dawn on Humanity in the "future."
Those who are able to comprehend may obtain this Reward Now.
Nuit has said: "I give unimaginable joys on earth, certainty,
not faith, while in life upon death, peace unalterable, rest,
ecstasy, nor do I demand aught in sacrifice." Or as Christ
said to one of the two thieves (Time and Space), "This Day
shalt thou be with me in Paradise"; and on another occasion;
"Now is the Accepted Time, Now is the Day of Salvation."
Let us examine the Tree of Life again in order that we may further
grasp its mystery, and how it comes about that the New Aeon is
possible in Human Consciousness. We must use the language of
time and space, but we shall be informed of the Spirit if our
minds are open to the Truth. Horus, the Ever-Coming Son, is said
to have appeared under many forms, as the Great Cycle of the
Precession of the Equinoxes progressed. The Complete Cycle is
said to be 25868 years; though in more ancient reckoning it was
26000 years, when the year was taken to represent 360 days. 2155
Years represents one Sign on the Grand Zodiac, and every 2155
years Horus appears in a new guise. About 11,030 B.C. He would
have appeared in the Sign of Leo, as the Lion God. If we examine
the position of this Path on the Tree, we find it unites Tiphereth
and Netzach. It is my opinion that the consciousness of Humanity
during that period would be particularly influenced by that Path,
and that the flower of the race could not have held conceptions
above Tiphereth. They may have obtained a glimpse of the Sun
as Ruler of the Elements. About 8875 B.C., Horus would be manifest
through Cancer, as the Beetle, and the summit of Human consciousness
would be lowered. Thus the age would seem one of retrogression,
until Horus, dipping down into Yesod, re-ascended under the Moon's
Influence thus entering Gemini. This seems indicated in the Tarot
Trump "The Moon" where we notice the Beetle coming
up from the Pool beneath the Moon. About 6720 B.C. He entered
Gemini and appeared as one of the Twins. Consciousness would
balance that of the Leo period, and tend to ascend to Tiphereth.
In 4565 B.C. Horus entered Taurus, appearing as a Calf. Moses
seemed to consider the worship of the Calf a retrogression, and
we see that the Path of Taurus is again below Tiphereth. In 2410
B.C. we find Him appearing in Aries, as the Lamb. This represented
a distinct rise in the Race Consciousness, which however took
on the Strong but Severe aspect of Geburah. This period was a
Natural One, for the Constellation Aries, would coincide with
the Sign of Aries in the Earth's Aura or Elliptic. This conflicting
Time Cycles would be reconciled. Then, in 255 B.C. we find him
as the Fish, the Path balancing that of Aries, and having the
Influence of Mercy predominating. Thus it was till 1900 A.D.
when He appeared to enter Aquarius. But what a startling change.
Suddenly we find Him on a Path uniting the Supernals of Wisdom
and Understanding, and Their direct Influence made possible in
the Minds of the Race. Not since the previous Golden Age 25000
years ago had the Influence of this Path been felt. No wonder
men looked to the Sun as the Father, and even in the Pisces period
only understood the lower Aspect of Jupiter. Once again in this
Aeon we are able to recognize the Great Mother of the Stars,
and to discover the Secret of the Lost Father. There is also
a Trinitarian Cycle of Father, Mother, Child, running parallel,
so to speak, with this Tradition of the Evercoming Horus. It
is the Natural Formula of Isis, Osiris, Horus, and is of Solar
Origin. >From 2419 B.C. to 255 B.C. Isis the Mother was said
to be the Predominant Aspect of the Trinity. Hers was the Office
of Nature, She presided over the Natural opening of the Great
and Little Years which both coincided. Then Osiris, Dead and
Re-Arisen, was the predominant object of Worship till 1900 A.D.,
and self-sacrifice and Renunciation were the principal exoteric
formulae. In this present Cycle Horus is doubly pre-dominant,
so we see Him in his Dual Nature as Horus-Harpocrates. It is
also interesting to note the character of Horus as Apophis the
Avenger. The Isis, Osiris, Horus arrangement is quite the natural
one for the course of events. Isis (The Moon) having taken the
place of the Great Mother Nuit. But what of the Formula IAO,
as Isis, Apophis, Osiris? If we make a list of several repetitions
of the series thus: Isis Osiris Horus Isis Osiris Horus Isis
etc. and trace them back, we find the order Isis, Horus, Osiris,
etc.; or Isis, Apophis, Osiris. Horus appears as the avenger
Apophis to those who try to GO BACK, or retrogress. He has to
destroy them in order that they may be renewed. But as long as
we go forward, we travel with the Ever Coming Son, who is after
all our Destiny, since He is within each of us as the True Urge
of our Being. This, then, is the secret of the Way of the TAO;
step boldly out on the Path of Destiny, having aligned the personal
with the Divine Will, and thus prepared oneselves for the acceptance
of that Destiny. Keep ahead of the urge from behind, and it will
not fret us. Then we become Free, Goers, Doing the Will of God
upon Earth, Ever-Coming Sons of God. But if we attempt to lag
behind to carry out some personal whims and wishes, Destiny catches
up with us and forces us on. To those who willfully turn back
and seek to avoid cooperating with the Divine Plan, Horus is
the Great Avenger. Has he not said "I am a God of War and
of Vengeance. I will deal hardly with them." Thus at his
Coming in 1904 he found the Race in a state of definite retrogression.
"Civilization" met him as he advanced in triumph, and
millions fell, without understanding what was happening. He still
drives ahead in His Chariot, and millions more will feel his
Force and Fire, until the Race recognizes that it must right
about face, and cheer the Conquering Hero on. Then we shall have
Peace and Rejoicing, and the Stern Warrior will seem as the Gentlest
Child. Chapter VII The Law of Thelema To some, this book will
come in the nature of a challenge, to others as the fulfillment
of the Covenant symbolized by the Rainbow of Hope. Some will
understand readily, some will desire to understand and seek further
enlightenment, others will partly understand and try to forget
what they have read, some may definitely disagree. But one thing
is certain "The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and
willfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge
pander not to thy prejudices." I have tried to avoid the
unpardonable sin by keeping an open mind for all that seemed
to express an aspect of truth, even where I failed to understand
the full significance of the teaching. Take, for instance, the
statement of the Master Therion "Do what thou wilt shall
be the whole of the Law," which has been much misunderstood
by some people. When I first heard this statement, many years
ago, it shocked and surprised me; it did not seem possible that
such a doctrine could be of universal application. But I did
not reject it on that account. When I read the "Message
of the Master Therion," I found it clearly stated and explained
that "Do what thou wilt" does not mean "Do what
you like." What then does it mean? That I have tried to
discover, by means of experiment, and I have found, as stated
by Therion, that far from leading to "license" it becomes
the "strictest possible bond." One can hardly fail
to realize that we have been living in an age of "restriction"
which has led to most direful results. But the solution of the
difficulty is evidently not to be found in a mad breaking away
from all authority and order, a running wild with cries of "freedom"
and "liberty" only to find ourselves more enslaved
than before. What then is the solution of the difficulty? I will
endeavor to tell you how this teaching has worked out in practice
in my life and consciousness. I considered the matter seriously
and said "If do what thou wilt shall be the _whole_ of the
Law" it evidently applies to all mankind. In that case my
own personal will is but a little part of the will of Humanity,
and in doing it I must learn first of all to consider other people's
wills more than anything else. If all the people come to do their
wills, what is left to be done must be my will, and my course
become clear. Therefore let me learn to mind my own business,
cease to make any attempt to interfere with the will of another,
and see what results. I found, as soon as I was less anxious
to tell everyone else just what, in my opinion, they should do,
I gained many true and devoted friends, who have never since
deserted me, except through the change called death. People seemed
to feel that I had no personal axe to grind, and gave me their
brotherly and sisterly confidence. I, at the same time, found
there was a great deal it was my will to do, which no one else
seemed interest in undertaking, so that I continued very happily
doing what I felt to be right, without coming into serious conflict
with anyone. I did not feel that my will was in opposition to
the laws of the Country, or the City, and so these in no way
restricted me in a personal sense. I began to feel this was one
of the chief rules of life, a good common-sense business proposition.
It seemed so plain that I almost wondered why people had not
adopted it before. Then I began to notice its effects on others
who were also endeavoring to live it. In some cases their interpretation
at first seemed to be "Do your will regardless of the other
fellow," but they very soon found this did not work at all
in their dealings with me, at any rate. If such came along and
made a rough demand, or a stupid statement of what he would,
or would not do to me, I simply said "Go ahead and do it
but don't expect me to help you." The result was in every
instance, since there was no opposition and I didn't really care
one bit, that his ardor cooled and he changed his mind; some
better way having occurred to him at once. Opposition and resistance
in such cases would have been just the same as helping the other
person to fulfill what was quite evidently a hasty choice of
action, and had I followed that course, I should not alone have
done something I did not feel to be right, but have aided him
to do something he would afterwards have found to be wrong, and
we might both have bitterly regretted the transaction. I began
to realize that the True Will of Humanity as a Whole was the
same as the Will of God for Humanity at this particular stage
of their development. Therefore by trying to help Humanity as
a Whole, without distinction, as far as in me lay, I could learn
to do the Will of God, or the True Will. I found this entirely
satisfied my "personal will" for I realized that I
was living for a greater purpose than I could personally formulate
as a plan of action by means of the little "will."
Herein then lay the secret of "Do what thou wilt shall be
the whole of the Law," it was a divinely sent promise to
encourage Humanity in its Hour of Darkness. The more I endeavored
to live up to this Law, the easier I found it became. It is very
nearly the same as the Law of least resistance, for one takes
advantage of the Inertia of the Universe. There could be no turning
aside, it became a Conscious and Free fulfillment of Destiny,
a co- operation in the plan of the Great Architect. This Plan
became clearer and clearer. Problems that had perplexed me for
years, gradually solved themselves, without effort on my part.
Things I had tried hard to do, by means of the personal will
alone, became easy. I obtained all the personal pleasure of the
fulfillment, without the effort to attain them. I learned to
tackle each problem at the time it arose, and to clear it up
while it was small. My "duty" became plain, and it
was my Will to do it while I had the opportunity. I found I had
just enough work to do properly, without time to spare to do
anything for others they could better do for themselves; but
there was always enough time to help another on a point I could
obviously clear up, and on which he really needed my help. I
began to notice calls on my attention from "outside"
and to give them prior consideration. That is to say, if something
"came to me to do" I tried to do it with my might;
but I curbed, as far as possible the tendency to "look for
trouble" that would not otherwise come my way. Thus I am
finding "Do what thou wilt" is helping me to find _my
particular place_ in the scheme of things. I am beginning to
like all I do, which is much more satisfactory that trying to
"do what I like." This book is one of the results of
my course of action. I spent many years as an Accountant, which
work I did without it being particularly congenial to me. I found
it became possible for me to make a living in more congenial
ways, so that I became happier, if not so well off financially,
than I had been. At the same time I feel that the result of my
researches, which have given me great pleasure and keen enjoyment,
may be of real service to those whose work does not permit them
to apply the same amount of time to preparation and study that
I have been able to devote to it. More of my brothers and sisters
may therefore profit by my work, than would have been the case
had I continued with my profession as an accountant. In the light
of this book, in which, I hope, shines a glimmering of the Universal
Tradition, the statement "Do what thou wilt shall be the
whole of the Law" will be even plainer to humanity. It is
literally the TOUCHSTONE of our lives. This one thing which makes
Man more than animal is the power of will or choices of action;
the power of Intelligent Purpose. The Black Tradition interpreted
this power wrongly, and thought by "personal will"
to usurp the Power of God. God was Invisible to them, they could
see no reason why they should not do anything they liked, regardless
of the other fellow, so long as they had the power or the money
to carry out their ambition. The White Brotherhood, while receiving
the Will of God, allowed their Interpretation of that Will to
become so narrow, that they felt themselves alone to be Right
and all others Wrong. Such are the reformers, however well- meaning.
But the Universe is the Perfect Work of a Perfect Being. If we
see wrong in it, it is owning to our own limited outlook. THELEMA,
or "Do what thou wilt," is a TOUCHSTONE in this respect.
If we accept it and interpret it to mean the doing of the "personal
will" only, we find Destiny steps in and stops us. If we
still persist, willfully going against the Divine Will, against
what is for the Good of Humanity as a Whole, against the Natural
Urge of Evolution; trying to interfere with the will of others,
and to usurp the Divine Right of every man and every woman to
be THEMSELVES; we meet Horus the Avenger, and are deservedly
smashed out of all recognition, ready to be made over again some
other time when Nature has nothing better to do. If we grudgingly
submit to Fate and allow ourselves to be slowly pushed along
by the Evolutionary process, we cannot expect much comfort or
success. We are practically slaves, little better than animals.
If, on the other hand, we accept Divine Law, search our Hearts
in the effort at all times to discover the Will of God within
us, and to put our personal will in line with the Divine; we
shall become Men and Women with a True Purpose. We shall step
on the Road of Destiny, which is one with Free-will so long as
it be God's Will, with a certainty and Courage which will be
a living example and help to all around us. We cannot teach better
than by example. Let us then seek constantly to do the Will of
God which is our own True will, and we shall soon realize "There
is no law beyond: Do what thou wilt!" Chapter VIII The Tradition
of the Golden Age A great deal more might be said on this subject,
in fact it is truly inexhaustible, for fresh Light is Ever Coming.
There are one or two points which seem of particular interest
and importance, and these I should Like to mention in the present
treatise, so as to make is as complete and comprehensive as possible,
as far as it goes. I feel I have submitted fairly substantial
evidence in justification of the Reformulation of the Order of
the Paths, but I may point to some other interesting facts. Firstly,
the Path from Malkuth to Yesod is Aleph. Above Yesod and below
Tiphereth we find the Paths of Vau and Mem, forming a Cross.
These together are AUM, the word whereby we may prolong Dhyana,
etc. But since M, the last letter is a closed sound and represents
Death, we have been using the Word AUMN for some time, as this
prolongs the Breath through the nasal sound of N, thus showing
that Death may be overcome. We find the Path of Nun, N, or "Death"
immediately above Tiphereth; so by this means we may be said
to pass ON. This formula brings us directly in contact with the
Channel of the Holy Spirit, or Shin. I may say a new Ritual was
revealed to us early this Year. I do not intend to describe it
on account of its great Power. It might be a hindrance rather
than a help to those unprepared for it. All I shall say is, that
what we may term the 1923 Qabalistic Cross has the effect of
Enlightening the Subconscious Mind by means of Wisdom and Understanding,
thus enabling us, while on Earth, to ascend through the Power
of the Breath, overcoming Water and Fire in the Light of the
Spirit. Those who are ready will understand without further explanation.
The Ascending Sign is that of Apophis as the Triple Flame. While
mentioning formulae we might also point out an exact correspondence
to that of the Ritual of Mercury as indicated in the present
arrangement of Paths. Taht, or Mercury, assisted Horus, be it
remembered, in his struggle against the Powers of the Waters,
by means of his Knowledge of the luni-solar reckonings. The Ritual
states "The Sun is thy Father, thy Mother the Moon, the
Wind hath borne thee in its bosom, and Earth hath ever nourished
the changeless Godhead of thy Youth." In other words: The
Sun (Tiphereth) is thy Father; thy Mother (Mem) the Moon (Yesod);
the Wind (Aleph) hath borne thee in its bosom; and Earth (Malkuth)
hath ever nourished the Changeless Godhead (Hadit) of the Youth
(IU). Now let us discuss a slightly different aspect. The Root
of the word Qabalah is QBL, meaning "to receive." The
Numeration of QBL is 132 which suggests the Supernal Triad. The
word Qabalah is in Hebrew QBLH. The Final He suggests the Daughter,
Malkuth. Kether, Chokmah, Binah, are the Sephirotic Roots of
the Elements Air, Fire, and Water. Malkuth alone is attributed
to Earth which is a compound of the other three. Therefore QBLH
implies that Malkuth is "To Receive" the "Roots"
of the Primordial Elements directly from the Supernals, and is
composed thereof. It has been shown how the Path of "The
Magician" is directly representative of the Will and Wisdom
of the Father in Chokmah, or of Yod of Tetragrammaton. Also how
the Path of "The Empress" is directly representative
of the Understanding of the Great Mother Binah, or of the He
of IHVH. Again how the Path of "The Fool" transmits
the Power of Vau, the Son, and of the Spirit or Shin. We find
all these within the Daughter or final He, which becomes one
with IHShVH, which, as 326, has also been shown to be the numeration
of PARChVAL the earliest spelling of the Fool which is Aleph,
the One who is in All. 326 is also indicated in the Descending
Triad of Binah, Chokmah, Tiphereth; symbolizing that Tiphereth
is also within Malkuth in the Complete Sphere, of which Malkuth
or Nuit is the Infinite Circumference, Kether the Invisible and
Infinitely Small Center, or Hadit; while Tiphereth, as Ra-Hoor-Khuit,
is the Finite Universe, capable of being absorbed into the Heart
or Soul of Man, half-way, so to speak, between the Infinites.
The Sphere of the Moon, Yesod, is the Subconscious Mind of Humanity
which absorbs the Solar Seed of Truth, and reflects it to the
Individual Soul. This can be shown in another manner. If we take
Malkuth as the Planet Earth, the Air (Aleph) circles round it.
Then comes the Orbit of the Moon. We may imagine Yesod circling
round Malkuth with her reflecting surface always toward it. This
orbit of the Moon may be fittingly taken for the Aura of the
Earth, capable of receiving every impression and transmitting
it to the Subconscious. Malkuth and its Moon travel round the
Sun, Tiphereth, and the elliptic is the Aura of the Earth in
a larger sense; since the Signs of the Zodiac retain a fixed
relation to the Earth as imaginary divisions of this elliptic,
even though the actual constellations have changed their positions
owing to the precession of the Equinoxes. This causes the actual
Constellation to extend its influence through a different Sign.
For instance, at present (since 1900), the Constellation of Aquarius
exerts its influence upon the Sun, through the Sign of Aries,
and this influence is transmitted to the Earth. This Orbit of
the Earth, is however a part of the Aura of the Sun, which may
be said to extend to the Orbit of Saturn. (More properly Neptune
in the light of modern discovery.) Between the Earth and the
Sun, as we look to Him as a Center, revolve the Planets Mercury
and Venus. If, therefore, we Worshipped the Sun as our main objective,
we should find ourselves traveling to a false Center. So we must
turn our backs to the Sun, looking at things from His point of
view, while still on the Earth, and around us will appear the
Orbits of Mars, then Jupiter and then of Saturn, outside which
are the Constellations of the Zodiac, and so on. From this symbolical
viewpoint we may begin to absorb all these within us, as before
stated in a slightly different way. Now the Sun is ever the Son
of the Star Mother, but as Father of Earth He transmits the prevailing
influence of the Starts to the Earth through the medium of the
Moon's orbit. If, from Earth, we look up at the Sun at the Vernal
Equinox, which opens the Year, we should see him with the first
Degrees of the Constellation Aquarius as a background. The Sun's
Aura is particularly affected by the Influence of this Constellation,
during the 2155 Years it appears back of the Zodiacal Sign of
Aries in the Earth elliptic. The Life-force from the Sun is therefore
charged with this influence, and all on Earth are accordingly
affected. The Breath, or Prana, of the Sun is transmuted in the
Body of Man, and he tends to become the Type of the Aquarian
Age. This is a purely Human Sign, of the Water-bearer who carries
the Waters of Life fearlessly. Horus has overcome the terror
of the Waters, his ancient enemy, and to him that overcometh
shall be given of the Waters of Life freely. One could draw many
parallels from the Scriptures to show that this is the Age of
Fulfillment; even the FULL-FILLING of MAN with the Water of Life.
Readers may, however, be interested in tracing some of these
for themselves in "Revelations" and elsewhere. We should
remember, however, that Horus is the Ever-coming Son. This is
not merely His second coming, any more than the last manifestation
was His first. At the risk of repeating myself I want to point
out once again, from the Tree of Life, what a very important
Age we have entered. In the last period, the influence of the
Path of Pisces being predominant, it was next to impossible to
rise above the Sphere of Chesed. Jupiter was the Highest conception
of the Father known to man. It was an age of Mercy, unbalanced,
and tending to aid and abet evil, just as the period before that
was Over-severe and cruel. Without tracing all these paths again,
let me once more say that the Path of Aquarius (if our plan is
accepted as the correct one) is the ONLY Path of a Reciprocal
nature among the Supernals, and the only Zodiacal Path above
the Abyss. Therefore the coming period of 2132 years, is the
ONLY period in the Cycle of 25000 years, when Humanity has the
advantage of the True Light of Wisdom and Understanding. At the
end of this period, we may expect another FALL, just as Lucifer
Fell at one period, and Eve at another. Then the Influence will
be in the Path of Capricorn, or "The Devil," and the
Light will decline towards Tiphereth as the principal manifestation
of God according to the "Eye" Doctrine. We may now
understand why it was that the Ancient Brethren of the previous
Golden Ages, seeing all things clearly, and realizing the future
as well as the past, made very effort to leave PERMANENT MEMORIALS
and LANDMARKS for the guidance of Humanity who would arise during
the twilight and dark periods that must inevitably follow HIGH
NOON. Our endeavor during this cycle should be to leave just
such a permanent record, in Living form if possible. The formation
of the Twelve Tribes as Living representations of the Signs of
the Zodiac was just such an attempt in the past. The Jews were
the IUs, representatives of the Ever-coming Son, the Wanderer,
and thus they were called the chosen people. They were the people
to which IUsaas came, hoping to find they still had a recollection
of the Universal Tradition. But they had lost it, and did not
understand. So He had to be content with promising the Gentiles
that He would Come Again, and that next time it would be at the
Eleventh Hours, in the Sign of Aquarius, and that the Golden
Age would be renewed for a period. "In my Father's House
are many mansions," He said, "I go to prepare a place
for you." In other words, "This limited and restricted
Sign of Pisces is which I am now appearing, leaves much to be
desired." He knew He must be misunderstood, that the IUs
having failed Him there was no chance of reviving the Lost Tradition,
that the World would have to fulfill its destiny. He tried to
explain to a few disciples, making each of the represent one
of the Signs, so as to form a new Circle corresponding to the
Tribes. Most of these have misunderstood, as time has shown.
Now He comes as a Conqueror, not as a Slave; but his chief weapon
will be His Childlike Simplicity and His failure to perceive
anything but good in all around him. For He knows that the Universe
is the Perfect Work of a Perfect Being, that Existence is pure
Joy, that the sorrows are but shadows, they pass and are done,
but there is that which remains. Now, in conclusion, let us say
a few words in regard to Hermes, He who has given us His Book,
the Tarot, as a true token of remembrance, of Whom we have one
indisputably authentic record in the famous Emerald Tablet; all
that is left of the Wisdom of Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient
Egypt. Hermes prophesied that Egypt would fall, and so She did.
He say there would come an end to the Golden Age in which He
lived. What says the Emerald Tablet. "True, without error,
certain and most true; that which is above is as that which is
below, and that which is below is as that which is above, for
the performing of the miracle of the One Thing (or One Substance);
and as all things were from one, by the mediation of one, so
all things arose from this one thing by adaptation; the father
of it is the Sun, the mother of it is the Moon; the wind carries
it in its belly; the nurse thereof is the Earth. This is the
father of all perfection, or consummation of the whole world.
The power of it is integral, if it be turned into earth. Thou
shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross,
gently with much sagacity; it ascends from the earth to heaven,
and again descends to earth; and receives the strength of the
superiors and of the inferiors -- so thou hast the glory of the
whole world; therefore let all obscurity flee before thee. This
is the strong fortitude of all fortitudes, overcoming every subtle
and penetrating every solid thing. So the world was created.
Hence were all wonderful adaptations of which this is the manner.
Therefore am I called Thrice Great Hermes, having the Three Parts
of the philosophy of the whole world. That which I have written
is consummated concerning the operation of the Sun." May
Hermes, Thrice Greatest, guidethe earnest seeker in his study
of this book. May He enlighten the minds of those who study the
Emerald Tablet, comparing it with the teaching herein set forth,
the Keys of the Tarot, and the Reformulation of the Paths. It
is enough if I add that the Three Parts of the philosophy of
the whole world, the Three Supernals, now directly exert their
Influence upon the Earth, through the Channels of Wisdom, Love
and Power, and that in very Truth "That which is above is
as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which
is above, for the performing of the miracle of the One Thing"
which One Thing is the One Thought of the Supreme and Concealed
Father, as Manifested in the Ever-Coming Son. IU The Student
will find a folding plate at the end of this volume, which should
be opened out and used for reference while studying this and
the ensuing chapters. All correspondences should be carefully
traced while reading, if the best results are expected. I knew
a similar case in recent years. The man was a weakling sexually
and preached a doctrine of repression to his regular followers,
while paying attention to one or two. All went well till the
other women followers, who had repressed themselves to the point
of serious neurosis, found him out, and he had to leave that
part of the world. |