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.