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.
MOUNI SADHU UNMASKED 