Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:33 pm
Cheth - fence - inner self
7. The Chariot
Sphere 3 - 5 (Binah to Geburah)
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.
7. The Chariot
Sphere 3 - 5 (Binah to Geburah)
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.