The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

Cheth - fence - inner self
7. The Chariot
Sphere 3 - 5 (Binah to Geburah)

Image

Sometimes I really feel like I bite off more than I can chew. This may be one of those times. You see, in my day to day life I generally feel pretty balanced and at ease within myself these days. Only on rare occasions does a deep residue of undealt with emotions and judgements get triggered and rise to the surface. I can almost reach a place of smugness, thinking I'm doing so great. This path, the Hebrew letter Cheth, is depicted as The Chariot in most tarot decks. I feel the name Mastery in the deck I use is most appropriate though. A true warrior must be willing to face any foe, whether from within or without. And this means still doing the work even in times of peace, so as not to become complacent. Sounds a lot easier than it is.

Paul Foster Case, in his book The Tarot: A key to the Wisdom of the Ages says Cheth "means a field, and the fence enclosing it" suggesting a "enclosure, protection, defense, specific location; an area set apart for cultivation. It also implies shielding, safeguard, refuge, safety. Thus it corresponds to the ideas represented by the words carapace and shell."

He goes on to say "the idea of location refers back to house, or Beth, as does that of shelter. A cultivated field is in contrast to the open country pictured in Key 6. Cultivation, again, is suggested by the gardens of the Magician and the Empress. Again, the enclosure of a particular area by a fence is what happens in the mental world when we define anything, so that Cheth is also related to Heh, considered as the definite article." Kind of like putting things in boxes.

"Speech is the human function attributed to Cheth by Qabalists. Speech defines. Words are like fences enclosing particular fields of consciousness." All of this illustrates the idea of thoughts being things, and the importance of paying attention to the energy and choice of words in our speech. It is absolutely fascinating to me that I just realized as I was writing this, I am dealing with a specific location that is THE SAME one I was dealing with on my first go through with the letters. What an odd quirk of fate, or not, LOL. Good that I am starting to see some humor in all of this. Anyway, to continue.....

"The mode of consciousness corresponding to Cheth....is "that which is the abode of inflowing power. It is consciousness of the fact that human personality is like a fenced-in area, wherein universal forces are at work." I find it interesting to ponder on how the Emperor represents the sense of sight and seeing, the High Priest the sense of hearing on multiple levels, the Lovers the sense of smell, also on multiple levels, and finally, the Chariot represents speech, and the concept that words have power. It would seem the less awareness you have outside the purely mental processes, that it would limit all your senses, and thus inhibit the likelihood of balanced navigation through life. It would seem as though forces are always working against you.

So, if I've learned anything through all this, I've learned that it is up to me take responsibility for what I am experiencing, and the more I can get in touch with all my senses, the better will be my navigation skills. My current situation, although seeming to broadside me unawares, must be an opportunity in disguise, to actually aid me in bringing to my conscious awareness deeply subconscious patterns that are now ready to be healed and transmuted. It doesn't mean it's going to be an easy ride though.

I was reading on Wikipedia yesterday about the actor Gerard Butler. His comments about having grown up without his dad because of the parents divorce, and then what happened after they became reconnected and close, and then loosing him to cancer, were a great example of how life can reach out and bite you in the butt when you least expect it. He would say of this period of his life "I had gone from a 16 year old who couldn't wait to grasp life to a 22 year old who didn't care if he died in his sleep." Sometimes you just really don't know what is there lurking under the surface until it's right there in your face. That is when you find out how much you have really grown. Emotions, and the thoughts and experiences that trigger them have no sense of time I have found, as these types of subconscious memories can take even the most strong among us to our knees. I have seen it happen many times.

Some long time ago I began to talk to my inner self, my personality. I actually imagined myself as a ship of sorts, with me in the drivers seat, but cut off from command central. And then I would tell my personality that it was not in charge of my life and expressed my strong intent to reconnect with command central so that I would no longer have to figure out where I came from, where I was, and where I was going, as if without the map in unknown territory. I knew my personality was not my enemy, but I viewed it much like a toddler who just hasn't learned self control yet, and cannot often see the bigger picture. Let's face it, toddlers are pretty self absorbed, and I wouldn't probably give them the helm of the ship without guidance.

Paul says it well when he says "the office of human personality is to serve as a vehicle for cosmic forces," and the more we understand, "the more freely does the Primal Will behind all manifestation find expression through us. To others we may seem to have very strong personal will. We ourselves will learn through our practice that the strength of our volition is measured by the degree of willingness to let life find unobstructed manifestation through us." I think it's another way of saying we get in our own way.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

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Mastery in the Tarot of the Old Path



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The Chariot in the Rider Waite deck
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

Teth - serpent - life force
8. Strength
Sphere 5 - 4 (Geburah to Chesed)

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This pathway, that runs horizontally across the tree, from Geburah, associated with Mars, to Chesed, associated with Jupiter, is called Strength. The Mastery, or lack thereof, obtained in the previous pathway, will make itself apparent. The symbol for the Hebrew letter, Teth, is the serpent, and is connected to the energy of life itself, the animating force, and ones ability to master and ride the currents of life, both during calm waters, and times of sudden storms. Beyond judgement, energy itself is neither good or bad, but is dependent on the intent of the director, both consciously and especially unconsciously, of this energy as it flows through all intelligent life expressed here in form. If one can learn to manage both the flow (how much), as well as the direction (where it goes), life will no longer just happen to you, but you will be able to take charge of directing the outcome so as to be the most favorable for all concerned.

I have found that my level of being able to detach from my emotions long enough to observe with a cool eye what is happening energetically, is related to how well a situation generally resolves itself in the long run. This is often because I can see possibilities with a keener eye, not clouded by errors in judgement that can come from taking things too personal. The aggressive energy of Mars can be ones friend, when applied appropriately, and in the right amount, at the right time. The powerful and expansive energy of Jupiter, when not allowed to overdo, and over extend itself, can likewise be just the energy needed to get a particular job done, to see into the needs of the future.

The serpent has been greatly maligned in many traditions, as well as being revered in others. But we are really talking about an energy here that is dynamic and always in a state of flow. Like electricity, this energy can be used for beneficial purposes, just as well as for those that harm life. It is up to the director of that energy, as to how it is used. But sometimes, that flow of energy can be like rivers and creeks during the spring thaw, with overflowing banks, and powerful and destructive forces can be unleashed in which this energy can feel out of control. As this chaotic energy takes hold of people's emotions, events can transpire that can trigger a wide range of powerfully charged responses that can make one feel as though they are walking through a mine field. In these times there also presents itself the opportunity for what I call the quickening. The opportunity to rise above even your own personality and expected, programmed, responses. A chance to look at the mine field and realize that there is no turning back. No more waiting for fear of making that next step. Much like being pushed off the diving board, it's time to sink or swim. Which will it be? The choice is up to you.

In a way, it's a choice between staying in the safety of the self imposed construct, which is much like the serpent eating its tail. It has to constantly consume itself to continue to exist. As one achieves greater and greater levels of self sovereignty, the opportunity begins to be perceived of opting out, to experiencing life from a limitless perspective. A life where the potential to imagine and create have no need to keep recycling and rearranging what has already been created, but where something truly new, truly not tried before, can be experienced.

Of course, the subconscious construct we have each created isn't going to be that happy when we start to deconstruct it. Most likely, the further you embark on this path, the more of your own subconscious resistance, in the form of outer challenges, will manifest itself for you to overcome, transmute, and transform.

Teth is connected to the sense of taste, and the function of digestion. Taste is interesting to think about, as we all have things we like and dislike eating. But we all know if you give a child unlimited snacks and sweets, which they usually favor, they will ultimately not be able to thrive on such a limited diet. It is even debatable if we really need to eat at all, but that is an entirely different subject. It is generally accepted that the environment can provide for all our needs, but one must cultivate the ability to hear more than just the voice of personality and desire, to hear the voice of nature herself, thereby cultivating the needed discipline to exercise self control. Until this control, much like an acquired taste, has been developed, there may be consequences to experience that demonstrate the outcome of this lack of control.

Until we reach a certain maturity, parental figures often represent external forms of control. I have a grandson who was allowed to eat top ramen and sweets almost exclusively as a toddler. It is not surprising that he is receiving medication for ADHD, and that all his teeth were bad almost before they all came in. This is an example of the consequences that can be experienced when there are no boundaries. But I have also seen parents exert the opposite, too much control, to where the child is not allowed any room to develop its own mechanisms of self control. Balance is the key.

And we can see this on every level of experience, from the individual, to the larger collective. And, sometimes we discover that the parental figures themselves are hopelessly dysfunctional. This makes the challenge of developing healthy self control and personal boundaries even more difficult, but in order to attain any level of true sovereignty and freedom, one must be willing to meet the challenges presented.

Another interesting thing to consider is this; digestion occurs deep in the gut and intestines, a place that we cannot see. It is hidden from view. Also, stomach acid is needed to break down the food that is consumed, so that nutrients are released. This very same stomach acid in any other part of the body would be very detrimental to ones health. So once again, the right amount, in the right place, is what is needed. When there is too much going on in secret, the process of healthy digestion and integration is interrupted. The hidden secret of long term poor choices of food can suddenly become an explosive and destructive illness that appears impossible to remedy. So in taming the lion of subconscious and hidden desires one can learn how to sail one's body ship through any kind of waters, with maximum success. As Paul Foster Case says, in the Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, "when we assimilate the hostile, destructive, dangerous, *wild forces in nature (*our own inner natures) to the uses of mankind, we add to those forces the quality of human consciousness." When you consciously "change the pattern,...you change the result. Make it accurate, profound, courageous, positive. Then you tame the lion, and he becomes your servant." Until then, we often remain the servant of seemingly outside forces.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Naga_Fireball »

Jeez thanks for this.
Last night watching season 6 Sopranos disc, a voiceover talked about the parts or stages of the soul that disengage and depart our earthly form at death.

It is interesting how the Egyptian sounds so similar to the Hebrew--

But most of the characters in that TV show are depicted overeating. Either at a restaurant drinking wine, wolfing down a sandwich, so distracted by the temporal and immediate needs of The War that the soldiers forget their higher purpose and even their higher selves.

"Teth" is an interesting word, is it the root of "tether"? Considering most tethers run horizontally between legs or from the head of a horse to a post -- i guess back in the day it was easier yo observe the forces connecting other forces, lol. No need for LHC etc for obtaining wisdom about relativity.

Spiritwind, I'd love to read more on this subject.
I struggle hugely with weight gain and loss. When I'm skinny its just too hard on my thyroid broken thermostat, but being "a little chubby" is impossible.
Brotherhood falls asunder at the touch of fire!
He finds his fellow guilty of a skin
Not coloured like his own, and having power
To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause
Dooms and devotes him as his lawful prey.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

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Strength in Tarot of the Old Path



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Strength in the Rider Waite Deck
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

Yod - hand - intelligence of will
9. The Hermit
Sphere 4 - 6 (Chesed to Tiphareth)

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"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion" (Dune 1984 Film). The Hermit, called the Wise One in the deck I use, has come to have its own meaning to me, in addition to the usual attributions. For me, it is all about creating your own reality, separate, yet still part of, the consensus reality, to be in this world, but not truly part of it. To unplug from the matrix, one must learn to hear a different voice above the din of mass consciousness. Time alone seems the best way to get in touch with this inner voice, this higher intelligence that seems beyond personality and drives of the ego. It is interesting for me, as I research this Hebrew letter, to see it attributed to both the hand of God in one book, and in another it's attributed to the hand of man. I would imagine, if you attribute the hand of God to being a higher intelligence, that it could be either, depending on your ability to tune in. The hand of man, driven by the negative ego, would produce much different results than those originating from the spark of divine energy that lies within, and is always connected to source. Again, the idea of getting what you cultivate comes to mind. Since most of our drives are coming from the subconscious, one must make a conscious effort to plant the seed thoughts that will most likely produce healthy good tasting food. And, learn to recognize the weeds and pull them out before they take over.

For some reason, I am also drawn to the idea that anyone can take a piece of land, one that is even barren and seemingly lifeless, and with proper use of the intelligent will create a completely different environment. If you know how to listen, the land itself will tell you what it needs. But this ability to hear must be cultivated. There are two sources to draw on, one that has boundaries and limits, and one that is unlimited. As always, it is a matter of choice.

As one progresses on the path of self-realization, at some point it dawns that it is a path of full individuation, but at a level that recognizes self in all things. This process will inevitably lead one away from the consensus view of reality. For to be completely plugged into the consensus reality, one must ignore the voice of ones own inner knowing. This path is one of unquestioning obedience. The true path to enlightenment is one that does not take slaves and followers, nor does it bow down to false gods who demand worship out of fear.

Part of that is because they are totally convinced they need redeeming due to their inherently sinful nature. Problem is, they completely sidestep the issue of their gods and leaders true nature. If our leaders and representatives for the Divine and Loving Source of All That Is are themselves of corrupt nature, then we're all missing the mark by following them. I don't remember ever in my meditative states of receiving spiritual guidance that I have been encouraged to follow blindly without using the very faculties of logic and reason I was born with. Quite the contrary. Truth itself is not afraid of close examination and does not morph into something else upon reflection. One must not be afraid to question everything.

The letter Yod is associated with the sense of touch. As you can see by now, it does not just refer to the physical sense of touch, although it can extend into the physical realm as well. It is not without reason that the intense and ecstatic state that occurs when having a sexual orgasm is likened to the state sought after by mystics who want to feel the blissful and ecstatic embrace of the Divine. In truth, it is a drive to feel whole, to feel totally at one with the Source of All That Is. At-one-ment, where all is contained within the individual as a representative of the Universal Mind.

This path is also associated with Virgo, the Virgin, who represents a state of perfection. But it is also good to remember that this state of perfection is not some outward show of success, but a state of inner glow that must be earned through right thought and action. Thus, there is the connection to digestion, being able to absorb and utilize the nourishment your environment provides. A continuous stream of poor dietary choices will eventually lead to an upset stomach and outright illness, and so it is with life choices. Sometimes one has to change ones environment to one that has better food choices available, or learn to look deeper to find creative solutions to what seems to appear on ones plate.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

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The Wise One in Tarot of the Old Path



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The Hermit in the Rider Waite Deck
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Naga_Fireball »

Thank you for your wisdom and insight; this is a very informative thread one could read many times over and still learn.
Brotherhood falls asunder at the touch of fire!
He finds his fellow guilty of a skin
Not coloured like his own, and having power
To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause
Dooms and devotes him as his lawful prey.
~William Cowper
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

Kaph - palm/grasp - wheel in motion
10. Wheel of Fortune
Sphere 4 - 7 (Chesed to Netzach)

Image

We are now officially half way through the pathways on the tree, with the Hebrew letter Kaph, and the tarot card, The Wheel of Fortune, the 11th card, and key #10. For some reason this card always brings an inner image of game shows I used to watch as a kid, and how life itself can be likened to a game show in many ways. Let's spin the wheel and take a chance. Will it be fame or fortune, or somewhere in between. Plus, the constant pondering about just whose game I'm in.

This path is also represented by a hand, and in this case has to do with the ability of the hand to grasp. For many long years now, in my times of self reflection, I have seen in my mind's eye a merry go-round, and a sense of being on it, and on each turn of the wheel I seem to reach a place of coming into balance, coming into clarity, followed by life events that pull me once again away, and then each time returning just a little bit wiser, and more able to use this clarity and balance, to hold onto that space just a little bit longer. The goal is to achieve a state of inner balance, where the outer life events that seemingly occur out of nowhere cannot knock me off my center. This seems to be never ending, but yet rewarding and overall enhancing of my life experience here. The game seems never to be over, it just takes breaks in between each new match.

It is interesting for me to think about how a human infant, when born, is immediately and instinctively able to grasp. If you put your finger on the palm of their hand, they will automatically grasp it. It seems a natural human instinct to continually try to grasp new things, or learn to master ones environment. Often without our conscious awareness, this process of self mastery goes on. But like an infant without a parent, or guiding force in it's life, the subconscious will draw its own conclusions about what it is experiencing. When this happens independent of the conscious mind, much like the infant who cannot yet take care of the self, the subconscious mind can create a version and understanding of life that does not manifest a reality that serves its best potential.

But life is certain to provide opportunities that will allow us to improve our grasp of reality. The only thing certain here is change. For everything is always in motion, and everything forms relationships with everything else, consciously or unconsciously, in whatever environment we find ourselves in. Even at the tiniest level of existence, beyond our physical ability to perceive, nothing is as it seems, and nothing is really even solid. It is helpful to think of this as our range of ability. We can only hear a certain range of sound, physically survive within a certain range of temperature, and even our ability to see colors falls within a certain range. I even apply this to the particular reality channel we are on. When you learn to tune into the more expanded version of yourself, you can even begin to perceive reality within several spectrums, frequencies, or ranges of experience simultaneously.

You might even say that with diligent practice you can choose a different reality as your dominant channel to experience life on, while still remaining physically present in this one. For the game masters of this reality channel have rigged the game so only a special chosen few ever get to reach that carrot they like to dangle in front of us, that keeps us on the treadmill, charging the battery for a game that always makes them the winner every time. Of course, if we learn how the game is really played, we can then change the rules to suit ourselves. All of these various systems, from Kabbalah, numerology, astrology, to tarot, are all sign posts on how the game was designed. When you study these various systems, especially if you study them all, you will be able to gain the skills you need to eventually quit playing their damn game at all. Then you can throw all of them out and create something truly new, truly unique, and truly you. The creative imagination is where it all starts. The trick is in stopping the wheel that turns incessantly within, always trying to draw your attention to outside matters, long enough to hear the voice of your true self, that in truth never left home. Dreams teach.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Naga_Fireball »

Very beautiful. I tried hard to find the Wheel of Fortune reference for you in Dune but my phone is buggy.


Herbert of course refers to personal trial, for which the desert is a metaphor. Testing ourselves.

He makes the comment that "Arrakis is the center of the Universal Wheel poised to spin", insisting that the ultimate place of power is within.


I really enjoy your work with the tarot and suspect Frank dabbled a Lot.
Brotherhood falls asunder at the touch of fire!
He finds his fellow guilty of a skin
Not coloured like his own, and having power
To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause
Dooms and devotes him as his lawful prey.
~William Cowper
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