Centre Point of the Death of the Cross

Under Arcanum IV,  Mouni Sadhu discusses the four Virtues of Hermetism which are to Dare, to Know, to Keep Silent, and to Will.  These four virtues he assigns to the pattern of a Greek Cross, which has equal length arms.  He explains that the cross  is an example of man’s active and passive manifestations on the astral plane. On such a cross, to Dare would be represented by a black horizontal bar, with the vertical colored white.  To Know is a black cross. To Keep Silent is represented by a cross with a black vertical bar, with the horizontal white.  To Will is a white cross.

Greek Cross representing “To Know” the light within which is Darkness

The vertical arm of the cross has Yod at the top and Vau at the bottom; the upper,as more active, is assigned the sphere of Good.  The lower is assigned the realm of Evil.  The horizontal arm of the cross has the first, or passive, He’ at the left, as the receiver of Evil influences; the second He’, as active, is at the right and the receiver of good influences.  Mouni Sadhu says, “An Initiate must, in every moment of his life discriminate well between both realms, and always to hold himself in the middle, in the neutral point of the centre of the cross.”  He adds that this is knowledge of good and evil in deeds.

“Man, who has reached the wisdom of the arcanum of authority (that is the Fourth of the Tarot) should not only understand  how to discriminate between good and evil, in his own deeds, but also to realize how to use good and evil influences alike.” That is how Mouni Sadhu explains the meaning of the cross.

He overlooks the biblical references to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the fact that a man judged worthy of death and  hung on a tree is accursed of God.  He ignores the historical narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who as a sinless man, and unworthy of death, was hung on a cross and overcame the wrath of God against mankind’s sin which began in the garden of Eden and ended with us receiving  Death as the wages of our sin.

Mouni Sadhu continues, “The mystical authority of Man is based on the fact, that he should stand in the centre of the Hermetic Cross, then being present in all its elements, and so become the master of them, as is the case with the central point which belongs to all of the cross.”  Now at this point he assigns various elements of the metaphysical, physical and astral planes to his Hermetic Cross, and creates some common arrangements such as the circle of Ezekiel.

I think that Job must have felt that he was caught in the rotating circle of the Hermetic Cross.  For Job 23:8-9 says, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him:  he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.  But he knoweth the way that I take:  when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job came forth as gold in part because he understood the importance of the blood sacrifice and his need for a redeemer. In addition he learned that man cannot at will enter into the hidden realm of God’s will.

It is apparent from the lesson that Mouni Sadhu has given on the centre point of the cross, and the idea of rotation, that vortices of power can be created.  I can see that a simple cross can be developed into a more complicated form such as the sixteen pointed cross or star of the Central Intelligence Agency.

16 pointed cross shown as a star

While he does not go beyond the basic cross in Arcanum Four, I can see that the centre point of a swastika is similar to the Polaris star around which Ursa Major and Ursa Minor revolves.  The Big Dipper, also called the Great Bear or the Plough, symbolizes the high priesthood of Lucifer.  To this Proverbs 21:4 says, “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”  I can see no way that Mouni Sadhu can escape his own iniquity when he desires to neutralize all binaries that cannot be neutralized.

In his final lesson on Arcanum IV, we learn of The Great Arcanum, which is not to be confused with the Arcanum of the Tarot.  Mouni Sadhu says, “In magic, this unitary connection between the metaphysical axiom, astral tourbillon, and physical method is called the Great Arcanum”.  He notes that this final mystery of the maximum of human power is never communicated by a Master to his pupil directly.  If the student is in fact ready for this understanding, he will reach it on his own.  The driving aim behind these magical operations is “the perennial search by Man for his eternal HOME, that forgotten and lost spiritual fatherland to which leads the Great Arcanum of the Hermetic Tradition.”

The Great Arcanum is the realization of Man’s true being or ultimate SELF.  I understand this to mean that it is a search for the powers given to Adam before he disobeyed God and was cast out of the Garden of Eden.  It is also seen as a means of overcoming  the Cherubims and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.  These magicians initiated into each Arcanum of the Tarot display an increasing pride of heart.

Three symbols are shown by Mouni Sadhu to represent The Great Arcanum of Magic.  The top and first is a triangle (a ternary) with Yod and He’.  The middle is a hexagram with Vau , and the third lower symbol is a quaternary, a square with He’ enclosed in a circle with a cross.  I am not going to go into the details of such magic, except to note that INRI and IGNE NATURA RENOVATUR INTEGRA are brought into this lesson.  INRI, Mouni Sadhu notes, was the symbol of the Rosicrucians.  And we see this symbol on the 33d degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. Thus in addition to misusing the name of God, Jehovah as the Tetragrammaton, we also see the blasphemous use of the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.  And these magicians really think that they can live on a neutral point on the Cross and escape the executioner of Death?

INRI 33 Degree Freemasons

Sovereign over Creation

We now come to Arcanum IV, the number 4, and the Hebrew letter Daleth; the Emperor holding a scepter and a globe seated on a cubic throne.  His legs are positioned awkwardly forming the symbol of Jupiter,and his arms form the lower part of a triangle with the upper point designated by a triple crown on his head.

Jupiter

Triple Crown of Constantine

 

Mouni Sadhu points out that the hieroglyph of this card is the “breast” with the idea of feeding and of the accompanying authority.  Since this is a male figure, my first impression is that this represents God as provider of mankind in the world of his creation. But I am soon to have second thoughts as to who is sitting on this throne.

The triple crown as well as  the seat of authority displaying the sign of the Cross of the Great Hierophant on the breast of the eagle, are important symbols.  According to our author,  “he who wants to be an authority in a certain realm, must be acquainted with all three planes of that realm.” He notes that the “perpendicular stem of the Cross means the channel through which flows the current, passing through the three lower worlds, symbolized by the horizontal arms of the Cross”.  

This arcana is also referred to as the “cubic stone”, and so this emperor sits on a throne symbolizing the quaternary, the Tetragrammaton, or the whole of Hermetic philosophy.  Mouni Sadhu comments, “It is the general formula of each performed dynamic process in the universe.  In the language of the Gnostics we read:  The ACTIVE (male, expansive) principle (Yod) fecundates (vivifies) the PASSIVE (female, attractive) one, the He’.  From this union arises, or rather is born, the third element (Vau) which is androgynous.  NEUTRAL, borrowing, and transmitting that which is borrowed, down to the next cycle.  When this pattern is fulfilled, the conception of the First Family appears, as a finished cycle of manifestation.  Then we use the fourth letter, the second, active He’ as a recognition of the perfected creation, the created family, and from this comes the symbolization of the essentially passive He'(something made,  or arisen), which immediately becomes active because it begins  the new cycle, as Yod did in the first one.  This tetragrammaton is known as the Third Great Name of Almighty God. To this name the Kabbalah ascribes miraculous power, under the condition that it be rightly pronounced, which gives it the force of REALIZATION.”

I would like to draw a connection between this Third Great Name and the reference in Daniel 5 to the Third Ruler in the Kingdom of Babylon.  This chapter tells the story of the judgment of Babylon, that great city which was once ruled over by King Nebuchadnezzar, and later was ruled by his descendant Belshazzar. This historical account begins with a great feast given by Belshazzar where he and his lords were drinking from the golden and silver vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of Jerusalem.

Verse 5 says, “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” The Bible here makes much of the observation that this “emperor” lost his composure and his knees began shaking.  The symbolism of the legs being crossed over in the sign of Jupiter quickly disappeared, and there arose a sign of great fear and loss of authority.  Of course the king cried to his astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers and wise men for an interpretation of the four part message written on the wall.  He promised that whoever could interpret the writing would be made the third ruler in the kingdom.

Now enters the queen who reassures the king that he need not fear, for Daniel, whom king Nebuchadnezzar named Belteshazzar, can show the interpretation. Daniel rejects the honors the king has promised, but says he will give the interpretation of the four elements of the writing: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.  What is important to this present discourse is the reason God is judging this king and his kingdom.

Daniel says to Belshazzar in Chapter 5:18-23, “O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: and for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.  But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:  and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses:  they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.”

“And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”  Verse 30 declares, “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain”. In addition, the kingdom which he ruled over was conquered by another Emperor, the ruler over the Persian empire.

Arcanum IV is tied to the number four, that of creation.  It is considered a stable number, and we see that the Great Pyramid has a square foundation.  Of interest to me is that when speaking of the Cherubim, four faces are mentioned, plus there four in number presently at the throne of God.  However, in referencing these four as representing Creation, most commentators fail to mention that there was a fifth cherub who represented the reptilian, amphibian class of creation.  That anointed cherub is Lucifer, who fell from heaven, when iniquity was found in him.

I would venture to say that Arcanum IV represents Lucifer, the god of this present world.  As the devil, he came as the Tempter of Jesus, who had just undergone a forty day fast in the wilderness.  Luke 4:4 shows Jesus answering the devil on his first challenge, “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”  In all modern English translations of the Bible, “by every word of God” has been omitted.  Who would do that?

Verse 5 continues, “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said unto him, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”  And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Get thee behind me, Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Tarot Card 4 represents the breast, as provider of food.  We also see in the book of Revelation, that the world will be forced to worship the Antichrist upon penalty of death, in the form of beheading.  Believers in God, the true ruler over creation, will not take the mark of the beast, and therefore they are forbidden to buy or sell.  The food which God freely gives to all of creation will be restricted by the Antichrist.  Indeed it is already being restricted when the major seed companies only sell hybrid seeds which cannot reproduce themselves. The free seed given by the Creator is being controlled by Satan, and altered.  The Emperor of this Arcanum is an usurper sovereign over all creation.  Or is he? He may control much of the bread by which man lives, but he does not control every word of God.

 

 

Fruit of Seduction

Arcanum III is called The Empress. Ghimel is the Hebrew letter and the hieroglyph of this card is “a hand with fist folded so that it forms a narrow tunnel, which can contain something”.  Mouni Sadhu says that this Arcanum deals with the problem of birth and the fact that “nothing is created, but everything is born”.  Therefore the folded fist represents the Womb of the woman and as Yod impregnates He’ to give birth to Vau, we see the universal law of the ternary displayed.

This empress is Venus, the goddess of love and sexual desire, or the principle of attraction. Mouni Sadhu makes only a brief reference to the association of  Revelation 12 to the picture displayed in Arcanum III, that of a woman with a crown of twelve stars. What is interesting about his teaching on this Arcanum is what he does not reveal.

The Empress

So, what does he not reveal? Let us examine Revelation 12 and see what it describes, for the totality of its seventeen verses gives us the Number of  the Master of the Order of the Leopard, Supreme Mother Council of the World (33 degree), the pyramid shown on the American dollar bill, the ruler of thy people.

Verse 1-2 says, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” The Bible relates the story of Mary, who as a virgin, was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and she gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We also know that the Old Testament speaks of a goddess worshipped as the Queen of Heaven by the Israelites, who was and is in opposition to the Holy God of Heaven. This theme plays itself out throughout history; for example as Ninus, Semiramis, Tammuz or the Catholic adoration of Mary, as Madonna and child. But the Mary in the Bible was an Israelite, and is portrayed as such in Revelation 12.

This Tarot card, as Empress, represents the Queen of Heaven whose hand (which represents the Womb) holds a scepter of authority. What Mouni Sadhu does not tell us is that Revelation 12 reveals that the true “woman with the crown of twelve stars” has a persecutor.  Perhaps Mouni Sadhu is hiding the fact that he sides with the Persecutor.  Verses 3-5 say this:  “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth; and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with  a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”

Verse 6-11 continue, “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Revelation 12 reveals past history and future history, for as yet Lucifer (Venus) has not yet been cast down from heaven permanently.  For as we see in the book of Job, which means “persecuted”, Satan still is able to come before the throne of God as accuser of the saints.

We see a portrayal of the false queen of heaven in Revelation 17, with the name on her forehead, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”  John says that he “saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” (Rev.17.6)  It is interesting to note that this woman holds in her hand “a cup full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.”  This cup has many interpretations including a cup holding the blood of Jesus Christ, or the Holy Grail.  This cup can be seen as a Womb.  This woman is known as a goddess of love in the sense of sexual desire and illicit relationships.

Revelation 12:12-14 says, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.  Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!  for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.  And when the dragon saw that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”  Arcanum III pictures the Empress as holding a shield of protection with an eagle on it.  According to Mouni Sadhu this eagle represents the idea of creation extending itself over the highest regions. As I said earlier  in this Arcanum, what is interesting is what Mouni Sadhu does not say.

The final verses in Revelation 12 end by saying, “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Mouni Sadhu spends much of his time on this Arcanum giving detailed instructions on how to make a Trident of Paracelsus sword, for a magician must have the means to kill off all those evil larvas he continually creates or attracts.  After all, Arcanum III is all about attraction.  Let me make one historical observation here.  There are many things written on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the occult ritual of the killing of the King. It has been observed that the road running under the triple underpass is shaped as a Trident of Paracelsus sword.  Just something to wonder about.

 

Oppositions of Science Falsely So Called

The title of this post is extracted from a phrase used in I Timothy 6:20.  The word science used here is translated from the Greek word gnosis, which characterizes Arcanum II. There is a science which is in accord with the creation of God; and there is a science of the manipulation of creation which is devilish.

Wikipedia makes the interesting statement that the High Priestess, is the Shekhinah, or “the female indwelling presence of the divine”.  This intrusion into the godhead is blasphemous.  We noted in the previous post that whatever the Knowledge referred to in Arcanum II represents, it is in opposition to the knowledge of God in the Bible.  Proverbs 5:6 describes the Guardian of these veiled mysteries perfectly when it says, “Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.”

Hebrew letter Beth

Mouni Sadhu says that we need knowledge of the astral plane, and Arcanum II provides us answers. He says that the shape of the Hebrew letter Beth reveals that the analysis will be based on an analogy between things similar but not equal.  The number 2 of this Arcanum also is found in the horns and the two columns, pointing to the law of binaries.  The woman seated between two binaries is passive and a balancer of forces. She represents the contemplative, sensitive learner.  Her throat symbolizes a shelter or temple where one can hide oneself, and she holds a book of the great law partly seen, partly hidden. The Priestess is wearing the solar cross, intersecting yet joining of the male and the female in intimacy.  She is the Universal Mother and is honored in the 33d degree of the Freemasons when they speak of the Supreme Mother Council of the World.

The problem that occultists face in their desiring the knowledge of the hidden realms, is that once they rebel against the words of God, and continue down their path, Isaiah 29:10-12 descends like a black mist over them.  This passage of scripture says, “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.  And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:  and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, I am not learned.”

Mouni Sadhu then proceeds to discuss the astral plane.  He explains that the binary of dynamic and static, action and counteraction, will result in a rotary motion when unbalanced, which is called a tourbillon or vortex.  Astral waves are stirred by the effects of imagination and animated by willpower. On page 47, he comments, “When realized in the physical world, actions and phenomena are reflected in the astral plane, through the intermediary of higher, or more subtle sub-planes of the physical, as in a mirror.”

“By means of this process they establish themselves exactly in the astral, thereby forming the astral clichés of happenings in the physical world.” He also seems to imply that the astral plane is eternal, and not like the physical which has the element of time.  The ability to concentrate is the key to becoming the true spiritual master.  However, there is a cautionary note given here.  The example given by Mouni Sadhu is of a man with evil desires who does not make an attempt to realize his imaginations in the physical world. By only drawing his desires on the astral plane he creates some kind of an entity because of his intentions.  The word given to describe this entity is larva, which can fasten itself on the man’s aura or perhaps on another person because of  likeminded desires.

In this regard it would be wise to consider that Jesus Christ warned that such a focus of the heart and imagination on hatred of another person is equivalent to murder; or lusting after a woman is the same as adultery. No doubt all humans have had imaginations in their heart which they thought were harmless, because of none effect; yet in truth, God saw that these thoughts did in fact affect others. This is the basis of black magic and the use of invisible weapons aimed at another person intentionally.  I suppose that such weapons are at times formed ignorantly, and without the intent of their actual materialization on the physical plane. So all persons need to be aware of the effect of their inner thoughts and motives.

In this regard, John 8:40-44 has Jesus accusing the Jews of seeking to kill him for telling them the truth, and says that they do the deeds of their father the devil.  Mouni Sadhu refers to the man in his example of being the father of that astral entity called a larva. Perhaps the Devil’s thoughts indeed create larvas which attach themselves to likeminded persons.  He gives three examples of ways of eliminating these unwanted larvas.  One is to concentrate with the will against them.  Two, concentrate mentally on another object, as one would do in prayer.  Three involves the power of realization based on the physical plane.  This involves using an actual sharpened sword to  destroy larvas attached to our aura.

Mouni Sadhu discusses several other miscellaneous points, which I believe are covered in depth later in his book.  So we will end our general examination of Arcanum II, with a quote from II Corinthians 10:5, which discusses the fact that the weapons of warfare of the Christian are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”.

The Gnosis of a Strange Woman

Mouni Sadhu begins his look at Arcanum II,”The  Priestess”, noting that this card is associated with the Hebrew letter Beth, the numerical sign of 2,and the human throat as its hieroglyph.  This card represents Gnosis, or Knowledge; occultists also term it “The Door of the Sanctuary.”  He observes, “In the background of the picture on the card, there are two columns. The right one is RED, and crowned with the sign of the sun.  It is called ‘Jakin’.  The left is BLUE (sometimes also BLACK).  It is crowned with the moon and is called “Bohaz’.  In masonic language, the space between the columns is known as the ‘middle’ space.”  ( Note that the tarot card shown at the right does not match the details of  Mouni Sadhu’s tarot illustration. In fact on his card, the columns are reversed, and he does not refer to the woman as the High priestess, but simply as the Priestess).

My comment at this point is to quote William J. Schnoebelen and James R. Spencer in their booklet, Whited Sepulchres: The Hidden Language of the Mormon Temple, on page 23, “The moon and the sun are the two principle deities of most pagan religions, including witchcraft.  The phases of the moon are scrupulously observed by modern astrologers, witches and magicians for the proper execution of their rites and devotions.  The moon is the symbol of the Queen of Heaven (Jer.7.18), the supreme deity of witchcraft known as Isis, Ishtar, Astarte, or Diana.  The sun is a symbol of the sun god Baal (I( Kings 18 and elsewhere) also known among witches as Lucifer, Cernunnos, Herne or Pan.  These deities were the chief rivals of the true God of the Bible for the attention of the children of Israel.”

Mouni Sadhu continues, “In the foreground a woman is sitting on a cube-shaped seat.  On her head we do not see the sign of infinity, as was the case in the First Arcanum, but the horns of Isis, with a full moon between them.  Her face is covered with a half-transparent veil, while her figure is clothed in a flowing gown, of her dress, and her bosom hangs a square cross.  The three names of the Second Arcanum on the planes of the Archetype, Man and Nature are: DIVINA SUBSTANTIA, FEMINA, NATURA NATURATA.”

When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, “he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.” (II Chronicles 3:17) We cannot find in the Bible anywhere that “the Priestess” pictured sitting between these two pillars is sanctioned.  In fact, Proverbs 9:13-18 warns, “A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.  For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, to call passengers who go right on their ways:  Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:  and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.  But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.”

In I Kings 11:1-10, we read, “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh,, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods:  Solomon clave unto these in love.  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD ,as did David his father.  Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.  And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.”

Mouni Sadhu does not warn the unwary soul of the spiritual dangers of the Tarot in its most simple manifestations.  Now later in his discourse, he does state that he does not give exact instructions of certain practices in writing, nor face to face, to his students unless he is assured that they are sufficiently mature to handle certain dangerous paths.  But clearly, the Bible gives warning after warning against following the Gnosis of strange gods and goddesses.  Mouni Sadhu again tells us that “the Tarot is an extremely exact and logical machine”, yet it does not include Spirit in its arcana, for this is beyond its practical reach.  He adds, “I believe the Tarot to be a preparatory school for the realization of the Spirit in man, that is for his ultimate and highest aim.”  So what Spirit is he referring to?  It cannot be the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit condemns the Tarot as unholy. The spirit of man is fallen, so does our Tarot Master think that we can raise ourselves to a higher level on our own?

We leave this post by asking the question posed in Isaiah 28:9a, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?…”

Manifest Folly

I am still considering Arcanum I, and am focusing briefly on the table before the Magician.  On the table are four items, related to the Minor Arcana, a wand, or baton; a sword, a coin which appears to be a pentacle, but in Mouni Sadhu’s illustration has a symbol of the cross; and a cup. Although there are four objects, the author only briefly mentions three and excludes the wand.  It is not apparent why, but perhaps he discusses these things later in his book.

I Corinthians 10:21-22, says, “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.  Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?” The context of this scripture has to do with the communion of bread and wine, and here in Arcanum I we find only the cup. But we may ask, is this the table of devils?  Who is this Magician communing with? Is it accurate to say that the powers which magicians desire only involve impersonal, elemental forces, or are false or strange gods involved?

We have already brought up a story involving a coin, wherein Jesus refused to be ensnared in a binary type question. His answer telling us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and render unto God the things that are God’s undermines the entire foundation of the Tarot.

The subject of the use of a sword is extensive in the Bible.  But since  we are concerned here with the blasphemous use of the Name of God, Jehovah, and the overturning of his power and words for selfish purposes, we need to be reminded of Hebrews 4:12-13. It says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

In my dealings with sorcerers, I have often been astonished at their lack of the fear of God. Isaiah 29:13 warns, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:  therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of the wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.  Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?  Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay; for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?”

There are several groupings of magicians in the Bible.  In Exodus, Moses and Aaron are pitted against the magicians of Egypt.  At first they are equal, but opposing forces, which results in the hardening of Pharoah’s heart.  When the magician’s could no longer duplicate Moses, they told Pharaoh that “this is the finger of God”. The New Testament names these magicians in 2 Timothy 3:8, commenting, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.  But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs was also.”

The book of Daniel also speaks of magicians, but since that book is mainly about visions and dreams and their interpretation, I believe that Arcanum II is a better place to discuss this subject. The book of Acts highlights two sorcerers.  In chapter 8:9-24 we find Simon who was known as a great one.  Verse 11 says, “And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them in sorceries. And in verse 18-21, “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostle’s hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.”  Hence we have an English word used today called “simony”.

Peter rebukes Simon saying, “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God; if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”

In Acts 13 we find Elymas the sorcerer who withstood Barnabas and Saul, “seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.” Verses 9-11 says, “Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?  And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.  And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.”

With these pictures of magicians in mind, let us continue on with Mouni Sadhu’s commentary on Arcanum I.  On page 38 he asks with regard to the binary of Man, “what is it that could bind together Spirit and matter, to offer a transition from the plane of ideas to that of manifested, material objects?  The answer is:  A PLANE IN WHICH ENERGY DEFINES THE FORMS.”  Three ternaries are offered: Spirit-Energy-Matter; Ideas-Forms-Material Objects; and Mental-Astral-Physical.

On page 39 Mouni Sadhu makes this comment, “By making the effort with your imaginative powers, that is condensing the astral, you may reach the fulfillment of your aim, which belongs to the physical plane.  He gives an alchemical aphorism as an illustration of “the law which works with the majority of processes for the realization of things”.  It is:  “IN ORDER TO CREATE GOLD, ONE MUST HAVE GOLD.”  He adds, “The overwhelming majority of magic operations possess such a characteristically wise chosen starting point.”

It is common knowledge that if a magician desires to curse a person, that they ask for a signature, hair or other DNA, or a personal object as a starting point.  One time I loaned one of my books to a former “Christian” pastor’s wife, who seemed to be also an occultist.  She had the book for almost a year, and I desired it back.  She refused.  I told her that it was my property, and I desired her to return it.  When she refused a second time, I told her that I had certain persons cursing me, and that their curses would also flow through my property, including that book.  Fifteen minutes later, a car pulled up in front of my house, and when I opened the door, this lady had jumped back into her car.  My book was laying on my front step. And this woman had  manifested her folly of cooperating with black magicians.

 

A Proud Look

In the Introduction to Mouni Sadhu’s The Tarot, he gives us a brief look at the Minor Arcana; however, since his book concerns only the Major Arcana, I will not reference his comments, unless it becomes necessary as we progress through his work. One reader of this book has accused our author of plagiarizing wholesale from Gregory Ossipowitch Mebes.  This may be, but I am unable to personally verify this claim.  Also in the Introduction are given us detailed meanings of certain words; as I run across them later, I will quote these definitions.

Mouni Sadhu presents himself throughout his book as being a White Magician, and not a Black Magician. The difference between the two is motive and application of occult principles for good or evil purposes. On page 24, he says, “There is one thing against which every black magician will always fight:  it is his unmasking.  He will use everything he can in order to avenge this, and to render harmless to him, the person who reveals his true quality.”

All magicians are involved in witchcraft.  In the Bible,  I Samuel 15:23, we read, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”  And Galatians 5:19-21 warns, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;  Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,  hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  So while Mouni Sadhu makes a distinction between white and black magic, the Bible views it all as rebellion against God.

In this posting, I am going to look at the first Arcanum.  However, we must remember the seven triangle grouping of the Tarot; the first triangle consisting of the first 4 mysteries, or cards. This first mystery is called The Magician.  The title of this post, “A Proud Look”, is based on Proverbs 6:16-19:  “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination to him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and  he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Mouni Sadhu tells us that the First Arcanum, as the Hebrew letter Aleph, contains the idea of Unity and Activity. He begins the first lesson by saying, “For a truly intelligent and evolving man, the foremost principles in life are (1) his consciousness of that life, and (2) the degree of the power of realization which is at his disposal in his present incarnation.  The striving after the so-called ‘initiation’ in the three-plane existence, usually manifests itself in man in one of these two principles, but very often in both of them.”  Later he identifies (1) and (2) as binaries, which the occultist would neutralize by a third element,  Harmony.  We will explore this idea later.

We are told that, “in Hermetism, INITIATION is based on what are known as ARCANA, or mysteries.” Thus as we progress through the Tarot, our consciousness is being raised to a higher level, and we become occultists. My comment here is that these mysteries were at one time shrouded in secrecy, but since the advent of an increasingly high tech visual world through movies, television, advertising and the internet, all persons, even the very young, are being initiated into these mysteries.

In The Tarot, Mouni Sadhu has employed an Australian woman as his artist.  Because I am a Low Techi, I will be using examples of tarot cards downloaded from the internet, and if there are important variances from the ones shown in this book, I will let you know. For example, the card at right shows a normal table; Mouni Sadhu’s card shows a table which is a cube. He does not comment on this distinction. I am speculating that perhaps his cube hearkens back to the Hebrew cubic Holy of Holies, as the Magician here also represents a priesthood.

Mouni Sadhu in lesson 2 describes this first card as representing, “a MAN standing with right hand raised, and holding a sceptre, a symbol of authority.  The left one is directed towards the earth.  The whole figure cleverly symbolizes the letter Aleph.” He continues to examine the twofold position of the Man’s arms. I observe that there is some similarity between the arm positions, to the “As above, So below” concept. Holding the sceptre of authority, we must recall the relationship of this card to the first Active letter of the Tetragrammaton, Yod.

On the subject of binaries, Mouni Sadhu says, “In all fields of knowledge we find binaries, or combinations of two opposite poles or planes.  Metaphysics speaks about the ESSENCE and SUBSTANCE of things, placing these two opposites to one another.  Science speaks about principles or maxims, as the antithesis of facts.  To this realm also belong the well-known use of the terms SPIRIT and MATTER.  Mentally analyzing life we will meet with similar binaries such as, LIFE and DEATH, CONSCIOUSNESS and REALIZATION, GOOD AND EVIL.”

Next he introduces the Hermetic idea of “a neutralizing of binaries. which simply means the birth of a third or intermediary element which offers us a passage from one extreme to another. In such a way is created the idea of a threefold manifestation, the TWO merging together, with the help of the THIRD to form a unit”. The examples which Mouni Sadhu gives are: spirit-matter-soul; life, death, exteriorization into the astral; good-evil-deed, or even our own human binary; consciousness-power of realization-harmony.  He adds that one of the properties of INITIATION may be defined as just the ability to neutralize (or to solve) the above mentioned binaries. I am reminded at this point of the “thesis, antithesis, synthesis” of dialectical analysis. Underlying the idea of neutralizing a binary is that the three parts form a unit, or a triangle.  The example given is husband-wife-child forms the unit “family”.

At this point, let us turn to Mark 11:27-33 in the Bible and ponder this occult operation. The first Arcanum is termed the Magician, and he holds the sceptre of authority and he is operating in the name of the Tetragrammaton. At one point as Jesus was walking in the temple in Jerusalem, “there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things?  And who gave thee this authority to do these things?  And Jesus, answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?  Answer me.”

Jesus has given them a binary to solve. Verse 31 continues, “And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, from heaven; he will say,  Why then did ye not believe him?  But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.”

These religious leaders are unable to neutralize the binary, and they can readily discern the consequences if they choose one opposite over the other.  So this is how these great magicians solved the binary: “And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

We see this same story told in Luke 20, and after this incident, Jesus gave the parable of the vineyard.  Because “the chief priests and scribes perceived that this parable was spoken against them”(vs 19), they “watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.  And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:  Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?” (vs 20-22)  In other words, these men presented Jesus Christ with a binary to neutralize, or solve.

Verses 23-26 reveals the response of Jesus, “But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?  Shew me a penny.  Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s.  And he said unto them.  Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.  And they could not take hold of his words before the people; and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace.”

Christianity has been criticized because it does not neutralize binaries. You are expected to choose one or the other. The act of neutralizing binaries is called tempting God. It gives a dishonest answer which involves craftiness.  The image chosen of highest degree in Freemasonry, the thirty third, is the Double Headed Eagle Crowned. With two heads and a reference to INRI, as Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews, we are reminded that the founding of America was founded on solving binaries regarding the freedom of speech and religion.  Whereas the Bible states in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”,  Americans once believed that they could escape persecution by designing a nation which has a constitution based on neutralizing binaries.

In my next post, we continue to look at Arcanum I, and consider the magicians in the Bible and the objects which lie on top of the Magician’s table.

In the Name of God

Mouni Sadhu tells us that the great central idea of the whole construction of the Tarot is the Tetragrammaton. Further if we know the meaning of the fixed ideas of the letter-symbols, we can operate as a Mathematician,and employ algebraic formulas to operate the Tarot as a philosophical machine.  In this scheme, the Tarot is neutral; neither good nor evil.  While the Tetragrammaton represents the Name of God, Jehovah and his will, in the Tarot system, this name represents the “Law”, a Universal Principle which manifests itself in every sphere of life. The sister to the Tarot is the Kabbalah, which views the Hebrew alphabet, figures, and numbers as three veils for three worlds.  The Great Law, the Tetrad is the same for all three worlds.

Creation is manifestation in time and space. The four letters of the Tetrad and the Tetragrammaton have as a first element, Yod, as an active power, or Initiator. The second, He’ is passive and serves as a fulcrum for the active.  The third is Vau which is neutral, and the result of One acting on Two.  The first three are as “thesis-antithesis, synthesis.” And the fourth is the second He’. which is active, being the Yod of the next triangle.  Thus the Tarot with 22 cards, each representing a letter from the Hebrew alphabet, can be drawn as a schematic of seven triangles incorporating seven Tetragrammatons.  The highest Initiator moves down each triangle to the lowest realm, the physical.

Observe the schematic of the Tarot on right with 7 interlocking triangles

I examined this layout which is shown as Figure 1 in the Introduction, on page 17 of Mouni Sadhu’s Tarot. (The illustration shown refers to this diagram, but I took this diagram from another source).  Now, I am no occultist, but a follower of Jesus Christ.  So the first thought which came to my mind, is that the Tarot scheme represents an Oath made in the Name of Jehovah God.  Why an oath?  Well the Hebrew word representing the swearing of an oath is based on the Hebrew word for Seven.  Here we see seven triangles each representing Jehovah, the Tetragrammaton.  To swear means “to Seven Oneself”.

The strange thing in Mouni Sadhu’s commentary on this scheme is that Jehovah is the Creator; yet there is a very subtle reference to the Tetrad’s four elements representing Creation, either making both concepts equal or turning things upside down. In Romans 1:22-25, it says, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.”

How can the Tarot be neutral, and the Tetrad be a Universal Principle or Law, if in fact the Tetragrammaton is God the Creator and Lawgiver? Later Mouni Sadhu admits that the Tetragrammaton is the Name of God in the Bible, and also the Will of God.  The Bible reveals God as a Person, not an impersonal force.  Both Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”  Further, Leviticus 19:12 declares, “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.  Underlying LORD is the Hebrew word for Jehovah, or the Tetragrammaton.

The Swearing or” Sevening” of Oneself in the Name of the Tetragrammaton is not neutral, for the Tarot is constructed to produce magical powers by blaspheming the Name of Jehovah.  What is this but the Will of Lucifer, who said in Isaiah 14:13-14, “For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:  I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” The Magician is as God, the Creator, speaking the world into existence.

Jeremiah 7:8-11 sternly warns, “Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.  Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?  In this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?  Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.”

The Keystone

We begin with Mouni Sadhu’s Introduction to The Tarot: A Contemporary Course of the Quintessence of Hermetic Occultism.  On page 11, he states, “In traditional Western occultism, the Tarot is recognized as the keystone of the whole philosophical system called Hermetism.”

In Architecture, we understand that the keystone is the wedge-shaped stone in the highest point of an arch that locks the other stones in place.  Many occult societies such as the Freemasons employ the symbol of a keystone. An arch allows access to an area, which otherwise would be walled off.

Many writers on the subject of the Tarot have surmised that its symbolism originated in Egypt.  The Bible pictures Egypt as the world system, from which Jehovah ( referred to in the occult as the Tetragrammaton) has delivered his chosen people. Also, “out of Egypt, I have called my Son” is spoken in regard to Jesus Christ.

I consider that what is referred to as the keystone of the gnosis of Egypt, will be that mystery of iniquity which will be revealed shortly.  II Thessalonians 2: 3-4 says, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

Mouni Sadhu quotes in his Introduction,  Eliphas Levi, whose book, Transcendental Magic, Its Doctrine and Ritual is of vital importance.  Levi says in part, “… this was the key in question; a hieroglyphic and numeral alphabet, expressing by characters and numbers, a series of universal and absolute ideas…the symbolical tetrad…the four aspects of the sphinx-a man, eagle, lion, and bull-corresponded with the four elements of the old world (i. e. water, air, fire and earth)…Now these four symbols, with all their analogies, explain the one word hidden in all sanctuaries…Moreover the sacred word was not pronounced..Yod, He’, Vau, He’.” (My free website does not allow me to display the Hebrew alphabet font, so when referring to the spelling of Jehovah, which is Yod, He’, Vau, He’, I will shorten it to YHVH.)

Let us interrupt Mr. Levi to note that the aspects of the sphinx resemble the aspects of the faces of the Cherubim which the prophet Ezekiel saw.   Ezekiel 1:10 says, “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.”

To summarize, this Tetragrammaton, or Tetrad, with four aspects, has the four Hebrew letters which spell Jehovah, the four aspects of the Cherubim, and the four aspects of water, air, fire and earth. Any Bible reader ought to be on high alert at this point, for we know that Lucifer fell from heaven and he was a cherub which at one time covered the throne of God.  In chapter 28:14, Ezekiel quotes the word of the Lord GOD, saying, “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;”…and in verse 15, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Verses 17-18 say this:”Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:  I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.”

Why do we not find these occultists giving warning to their students of the dangerous path on which they are about to embark? Rather we hear Levi being quoted as saying, “The Tarot is a truly philosophical machine, which keeps the mind from wandering, while leaving its initiative and liberty; it is mathematics applied to the Absolute, the alliance of the positive and the ideal, a lottery of thoughts as exact as numbers, perhaps the simplest and grandest conception of human genius…An imprisoned person, with no other book than the Tarot, if he knew how to use it, could in a few years acquire universal knowledge and would be able to speak on all subjects with unequalled learning and inexhaustible eloquence…”

Speaking of prisoners, I was startled as a child to read this in my King James Bible, John 3:18-21:  “He that believeth on him  is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

No one had ever told me that the members of the human race were as prisoners sitting on Death Row. Of course, at some point children become acquainted with the fact of death.  But initially this reality seems to belong to others, not to us. I was so ignorant, that in college, I remember being asked as to what my opinion was of Original Sin. I did not understand the question for that concept had never been explained to me, and I was unaware of what Genesis 2 and 3 said on this matter. It was only a matter of time until I learned that, like the fallen cherub, there was a day when iniquity was found in me.

As we see in John 3, we are to believe on a Name.  This is a concept that has deeper implications than we first realize, and I will discuss this in the next post.