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 heyokah »

Spiritwind wrote:Image

The Wise One in Tarot of the Old Path



Image

The Hermit in the Rider Waite Deck
Thank you, Spiritwind, for this thread. So much to read and to chew on.

The Hermit is one of my dearest cards, together with The Fool.
I would like to point at Michael Tsarion's master class on Tarot symbolism.

Here's his analysis of THE HERMIT.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/5i1haHafDtA?list=PLR03 ... 5hkXHSTbkk[/youtube]
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

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Wheel of Fortune in Tarot of the Old Path


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

Post by Spiritwind »

Lamed - ox-goad - balance
11. Justice
Sphere 5 - 6 (Geburah to Tiphareth)

Image

It seems as if with each pathway I re-explore, I go deeper into the collective subconscious to retrieve more parts of my larger self. I see things this time around I did not see before. I see the ways in which I have diverged from actuating my own highest good. In the end, it's not so much about black and white, good and bad, as it is about achieving a true state of balance between the inner and the outer. Much that has been submerged in those psychological dungeons of our psyches is actually the truth we could not accept, because it didn't meet our expectations, or because the program we had running at the time simply didn't allow for the truth to be seen. Sometimes, it was even a choice between staying "alive" in the physical body we were currently experiencing. Untold numbers have died, because they could not outwardly submit and accept giving up their sovereignty over self.

But all these things created lines of energy, that can be pulled, pushed, and prodded, by a source unseen in our outer reality. This captures the energy of Lamed, the ox-goad. We get pushed and prodded along our way, being told all the while that some outside source, some god-like being has designed this life experience for our own spiritual evolvement and higher good. In a way, this is a lie. For, yes, we can and do grow spiritually, but not for the reasons we think. In truth, we are our own God, our OWN source. But until we not only intellectually understand this truth, but have also developed the self mastery to actually live it, we will continue to be prodded along, in this seemingly unconscious manner, towards our ultimate doom.

For these outer forces are none other than the lieutenants and servants of this unconscious energy source that has come to be self aware. And it does not want to give up it's current form of existence. It resists being integrated into the larger whole, of which it has always been a part. It makes me think of stomach acid. Stomach acid is a necessary part of our physical bodies ability to digest the food it consumes. But it only belongs in the stomach. If it started to have a mind of its own, separate from the whole, it could damage the body by trying to leave home. But it could have forgotten its purpose when communications were cut off from the rest of the body. The trick is to re-establish open lines of communication. For in truth, stomach acid cannot survive outside the body anyway. All must work together to remain in a state of conscious awareness. That awareness is what is actually being so aggressively fought over.

When one starts to wake up to these more balanced, truthful, and holistic states of experiencing ones own reality, then the inner war starts in earnest. It's almost as if the body is attacking itself. Why would one's friends, neighbors, co-workers, and loved ones actually begin to act hostile upon your sharing of this new, more truthful understanding of reality. One that offers a form of freedom that cannot be taken away, even in the face of your biggest fears, often death itself. One would think the opportunity to move away from this live, struggle, grow old and die, cause, you know, you were born a sinner anyway, mentality would be warmly embraced. But alas, no, quite the opposite is usually the case. My favorite response from people is the blank stare, and the "I don't know what you are talking about" response.

But anyway, I digress, and I apologize. The topic of Justice has been quite prominent in my life lately, and a reminder of just how much people can differ in their view of just what constitutes Justice. The following link might raise an eyebrow or two, as it traces the origin of the word justice itself.

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Mobi ... cleID=9918" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For me, I think the whole problem with getting any justice in today's world is that we have all been educated(programmed) to rely on outside sources to mete out whatever form of Justice the system deems appropriate. Righteousness and lawfulness are not necessarily the same thing at all. This, then, can lead into a whole discussion on ethics and morality, but that would take us too far off course here.

According to Paul Foster Case, in The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, "The general meaning of Key 11 is that education (ox-goad) has equilibrium for it's aim. It requires, therefore, the elimination of useless outworn forms...Education is completed by action and work. Merely hearing the word, or reading it, is not true education. Action is required, and action is motivated by subconscious response to self-conscious observation and concentration." So, amongst the choices engendered by the turn of the wheel of life, we only know the rightness of a particular choice once it has been already made, and action has been taken. And we all know, appearances can be deceiving. My husband always says "you can't make a right a wrong". Maybe that's true, but the system certainly knows how to make you think otherwise.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

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Justice in Tarot of the Old Path

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

Post by Spiritwind »

It seems important that I add this here. From my little booklet, Highlights of the Tarot, it says " Key 11 is the agency through which all of the forces represented by Keys 1 to 10 are transferred to the manifesting powers represented by Keys 12 to 21. This cryptic statement deserves a great deal of thought upon your part." I think this is important, because Key 11, in many ways, represents subconscious energies that serve as the proverbial ox-goad that propels us through life. These energies are accumulative in nature, so that one misstep can lead to another, in regards to errors in thinking.

I can think of several examples to illustrate. Say you think marrying someone who seems to represent financial security is a good idea. I know quite a few people who made this error and ended up paying a higher price than any imagined security. Another example would be taking a job you know you're not really into, but the pay and or benefits are good, over a much riskier job that allows you to do something you are passionate about. I have also heard the sadness and regret in people's voices when describing the outcome of these types of choices.

I'm also not saying it is always appropriate to throw caution to the wind either. But to never risk, is to never push your own limits. And I have personally found, if I don't stretch myself, the ox-goad of life will still propel me along. Knowing this, I sometimes purposefully choose, what at first sight seems to be the worst of all possible choices, just to push the envelope. Not a strategy I would recommend to everyone, but certainly my life has been anything but boring. And I have learned a ton about myself I didn't know before. And, now that I've opened the proverbial "Pandora's Box", there is no going back. I guess in the end, I wouldn't have it any other way. For me, finding out who I really am, and where I really came from, will give me the freedom to choose the future I want to experience, without the past having to repeat itself. The sky's the limit.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

Mem - water - reversal
12. The Hanged Man
Sphere 5 - 8 (Geburah to Hod)

Image

The Hebrew letter Mem, associated with the Hanged Man in the Tarot, is represented by water. And water, all by itself, is a topic I can go on for some time about. Water is either in it's liquid state, where the molecules are always moving chaotically about, or it is in a solid state, known as ice, where the molecules gets pushed apart and become highly organized into a crystalline structure. Water also exists as vapor, which gives it a third dimension. This vapor can then appear as clouds, rain, snow, and hail. So water represents a state of constant flux, moving from one state to the other, or somewhere in between.

Realization begins to dawn that to attain the balance needed for stability within a constantly changing system, one must withdraw from being in a state of reaction to the pressures applied through the ox-goad of life circumstances. One must begin to listen and feel into a different rhythm, one that tends to go against the grain of the outer world. This different rhythm is akin to rejecting the man made structures for time delineation, and adopting one that follows the rhythms of nature, and the natural self. It is a form of turning the world upside down.

For from day one we are programmed how to respond to time. Time to eat, time to work, time to sleep, and so on. These arbitrary and unnatural ways of segmenting time are not the way nature works. And time is related to memory. With a little bit of effort, anyone can begin to intuit what life was like before these artificial boundaries were imposed. But to do this, one must re-learn how to remain conscious, while still maintaining the ability to flow and be in a constant state of movement. It is also being in a state of infinite potential, but also on the edge of manifestation into form; a balanced state between ebb and flow.

It is truly about learning to forge your own path, just as each river winds it's way to the ocean, each unique, yet all reaching the same destination. Like drops of liquid light, all part of the sea of infinite potential. Almost too much to grasp, especially when the ox-goad of life has created circumstances in which there seems no escape. But our imaginations, armed with adaptability, and creativity, accompanied with the trust of the Fool, can achieve anything. Such is the dawning realization that comes with Mem. For in many ways, The Hanged Man represents movement away from the programmed, binary experience of reality in the matrix, to a trinary awareness of self. This added dimension creates the potential for a whole new way of experiencing life. One that is not always at the mercy of the artificial ox-goad of the matrix, and it's accompanying array of false authority figures.

But with this new insight comes also the realization of all the many ways in which one has been deceived through unnoticed errors in perception. The path of self responsibility requires developing the ability to observe, in a detached manor, these errors in perception, so as to allow the immune system of the body wisdom to make a correction. Learning to do this with loving, but truthful, awareness becomes part of the tool kit for life.

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The Organizing Principle of the Universe is Love

Appropriately then, this water that Mem refers to is considered to be "the mother, seed, and root of all minerals" and "the Geat Womb of cosmic substance." (The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages) It is also the second of three mother letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and represents "the first mirror" as it "reflects images upside-down." It also represents the idea of the mind in suspension, a pause between activities, balanced movement. Since most people are focused solely on their outer reality, Mem then refers to looking into the deep mirror of self, to find the source of ones outer reflection of reality.

And lastly, I want to mention that key #12 is actually the 13th card, which is another hint to the old ways that predate our current system of regulating time, that of the feminine cycle of the thirteen moons. Man erects dams to control the flow of water, but in reality, that control is an illusion. When one begins to feel the cracks in the dam of self delusion, then the life giving waters of truth may once again begin to flow. Water will have it's way.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

Image

The Lone Man in Tarot of the Old Path



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

Post by Spiritwind »

Nun - fish - motion/change
13. Death
Sphere 6 - 7 (Tiphareth to Netzach)

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Everything changes, that's the one guarantee. I learned in a college chemistry class that the amount of energy in the universe is constant. There is never more or less of it, it simply changes form. That idea alone cooked my noodle back then, and still does. As well as the idea that nothing is really solid, but actually made up of atoms that agree to hang out together and form bonds, and are actually vibrating and moving at different rates of speed, depending on their relationships with the elements around them.

Interestingly, as indicated in the previous key, Mem, things are now moving in reverse, and so what appears to be the Grim Reaper at sunset, is actually sunrise, and indicates the motion that occurs when one is appearing to move in a retrograde, or backwards fashion. That's probably because, by this stage in the game, one is generally not moving in the same direction as the masses. Quite the contrary. By this stage in the game, one would appear to be moving into the storm, rather than away. Or, upstream, rather than going with the consensus flow, towards your own inner knowing, rather than relying on any outside source. I would say this process is definitely not static, but it's also not a straight line. Nowadays, we know, there are many dams to cross. But when the instinct becomes strong enough, there will be no turning back, regardless of the challenges encountered. For this is where you encounter unfamiliar terrain. The dance of carefully making your way upstream becomes all encompassing, often blocking out the din of the outer world. The going actually gets easier, even though the challenges seem to become more difficult to navigate. Confidence begins to inform your journey in a way not experienced when going with the flow. Unshakable trust in yourself is the reward.

So, for me, this part of the journey is where I fully understood the paradox of getting more out of less, and realizing the programming that had subtly schooled me in the belief there is never enough. Kind of like musical chairs, where someone is always left sitting on the floor and being pushed out of the game. You can either swim with the school of subconscious fish, unaware of where the currents are taking you, or strike out on your own. Either choice involves movement, of one kind or another. And there are certainly risks involved, with either choice.

The tarot key Death has a wealth of ideas to follow, for the observation that the life force that inhabits various life forms, and is no longer present upon physical death, does not necessarily mean that the life force that resided there actually ceases to exist when it departs. But that is the big unknown for so many, and very fear engendering on so many levels. And this, despite all the religious beliefs associated with what happens when this occurs. If you look at the cycles of nature, it is easy to see that life is constantly renewing itself and surprisingly resilient, despite the growing array of forces that seems to be engaging in an anti-life agenda. But what if death itself, as it has been programmed into our subconscious, is actually a lie of epic proportions?

Change is often fraught with many forms of death. Death of relationships, death of a job, death of a cherished home or possession, and so on. When one can begin to see that which is constant amongst all this change, then one can begin to be free of the fear of death in any form, for in reality it is fear of change, fear of the unknown, that stops us in our tracks.

I have been on this planet long enough to have lost several loved ones, relatives, people I have taken care of during their last months in the physical. It is a very humbling experience. That's why I think it is a good idea to learn more about leaving the body at will, before physical death occurs, and that is indeed next on my list of things to focus more attention on. I already know I can travel anywhere, anytime, with my consciousness alone. But severing that connection to the physical seems to be traumatic for many, and I know it has been for me in the past. Thus you see the dismembered body parts in the image for the Death key. We literally leave parts of ourselves behind.

The skeleton suggests a framework, that exists independent from the flesh that surrounds it when "alive". Without the skeleton, the body would have nothing to cling to. Astronomy, and since ancient times, astrology, shows us the framework of the cosmos, from the individual, to the changing characteristics of the ages. It is interesting to note that we are moving out of the age of Pisces, where we were programmed to base our view of reality on the belief systems handed down to us without question. It was also the age of sacrifice, punctuated by a savior figure who died for our sins. This age was also represented by the symbol of the fish. This key in the tree has an association with all three water signs, Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio, but especially Scorpio with its direct association with birth and death.

According to this framework, we are now moving into the age of Aquarius, where we emerge from an era of unquestioned beliefs, into an age defined by knowing through experience and first hand knowledge. This is often represented by a human figure, sometimes male, sometimes female, pouring water out of an urn. The Aquarian age is all about people learning to work as a team, while maintaining their autonomy, for the betterment of the whole. To go beyond the beliefs that have separated us for so long.

The down side is the difficulty most of us have, in allowing the possibility that what we previously believed may prove to be almost all incorrect. It is like dismantling one framework and replacing it with a new one that is more accurate. Sometimes you have to tear down before you can rebuild, but starting over is hardly ever welcomed. Best to keep the new framework adaptable and able to change as new understanding is reached, instead of clinging to something that crumbles in a storm.
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Re: The Hebrew Alphabet and it's Occult Meanings and Symbolism

Post by Spiritwind »

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The Close in Tarot of the Old Path


I'm taking a departure here because when I went through the major arcana as a course of study I used the blank deck from Builder's of the Adytum, and colored each card myself. So this version, which is quite different than the other two, is the one I am most familiar with and have worked with the most.


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From the Builders of the Adytum Deck



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

Post by Spiritwind »

Samech - support - moderation
14. The Guide/Temperance
Sphere 6 - 9 (Tiphareth to Yesod)

Image

I seem to always draw this key when I am under duress. When I was younger I didn't feel the weight of responsibility as much. Now that I am older I more fully realize how my actions affect others, and am more acutely aware of how risky life can be. Now when difficult people or difficult situations come in to my life I feel a heaviness about just how precarious picking my way can be, since I can't look to others anymore to take the lead. I have to move into the conflict, and I know I am powerless to control the responses of those around me.

Especially precarious are our emotional triggers, mine included. Self responsibility means not blaming others for my own inner challenge of maintaining balance and loving detachment. Because we are all human, and humanity is like a newborn baby when it comes to accepting responsibility. No one wants to admit they've made mistakes in judgement. But it is at that very moment, when you do take responsibility, that the inner shaman can be heard, and then magic can happen. The support of the universe can open up for you.

It's all about learning, through trial and error, to travel the middle path between two opposing ideologies, in various ways pitted against one another. No matter what your senses tell you, there is always a way out, a way to move back into the state of grace. But getting to this place of demonstrated skill is unlikely to be a breeze for most of us. It will be hard won. Sometimes, it will seem, as if you had to face the possibility of your own death, in some way that has the silver lining of extinguishing your fear of leaving the physical. An inner knowing that all that stands on a firm foundation will remain, and all else will fall away.

But to get to this inner knowing, one must have learned through ones own experience to trust something that eclipses our little attachment to the here and now, something transcendent. The little self must learn to submit to the truth revealed by the teacher within. To ignore it is to do so at ones own peril, for there is no greater task master than the truth hidden in the depths of ones own being. No place to hide.

When I think of tempering in sword making, the ultimate goal is to make a flexible blade that will not fracture or break. To come up with the right amount of resilience and strength, while remaining flexible. Part of that tempering process often involves having taken a different look at the powers that actually sustain this universe. According to The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey, by Edward Hoffman, "Samech symbolizes divine support and protection: a higher power aids our mission on earth.....everything we experience is illumined by the Samech's radiant presence." And it also "connotes the hidden realms around us." I, personally, have taken this to mean that I am immersed in a spiritually radiant field of knowing that has the potential to inform all life, and is actually available to all. Maybe it hasn't always been so, but I would also venture to say that in this world one must ferret out these truths, these secrets, only when one has sufficiently lifted the rug of deceit, the overlay, that has infiltrated probably every movement since the dawn of man, and maybe beyond.

From what I have seen, you will not find these truths in the structures created by man. For honor has been forgotten for the very life force that makes all life in the physical even possible. There is a divine temple within each one of us, regardless of whether we acknowledge that or not. When ones tent is really secure, the winds of life will be faced with the assurance that one will find the necessary resources to handle any situation with grace and integrity. There is always a third way. The way that moves from the heart after all has been considered.
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