April2017-Card 3-The Magus-Toth

I Will Be The Catalyst!

Last month the draw was Key VII-The Chariot and the need for control in all of our endeavors was paramount to the successful navigation of whatever these future months may bring.  This next draw reveals Key I-The Magician, one who bends and shapes energy, time and space to their will and becomes the natural catalyst for transformative change. 

Toth Key I – The Magus

Open your mouth
Speak the truth.

Stretch and reach
Beyond what you know.

You stand at the edge
Of what you can become.

Steady now
Steady now.

Open your mouth
Speak Your Truth.

Now, that is real magick
Woven by a true Magician.

The Toth Key I of the Magus is the quintessential Mercurial energy that stirs up creativity, attention and communicates the power of its essence as the magick flows. Mercury is borne aloft , the breath of action and communication pushing front and center; a Being of both force and form and holding the  mystery of the word of creation within. 

The depiction of the Deity, Mercury on this card speaks to flexibility and an ease of speaking what you believe, and remaining open to the possibilities that provide more information and bring clarity to what you “really” believe to be true. Although, we often consider this style to be one of duality and indecisiveness, it is the exact requirement of productive change and self-awareness.

The Magus is the adept, who has found resolution in the nature of his/her own humanity and has found the path within to the Higher Nature of Divinity that is his/her birthright. Having claimed this space of dual exchange, the magick flows and what is created actively becomes the catalyst for continued work.

The Numerologic Values…

The Toth key of the Magus is attributed to the number one (1). One (1) is the number of the individual,the line of continuum, energy held and gathered back to itself. One is the continuum of having been birthed from the limitless Source of the “O”.

The number One (1) is the first product of what was a void of potential (O/zero). It is the singular point and the individual place of new beginnings and energetic growth. From the place of the One is the straight path from which at any point of that path divergence, split and detour can be taken. I think of one as being the singular “I”. This singular “I” is man/woman in his prime form and depending on the spiritual evolutionary state of that man/woman it is either Higher, Lower or combined Selves. This is the state of awareness of your own ‘beingness’ before embellishment or enhancement, relationship or possession, outward identifiers or things that would define you as something more than the prime nature of yourself. Additionally, because the number “one” is the starting place it is also the energy of action and taking steps towards the product of that action.

The planetary energy of the Sun is attributed to the number One. The Sun is the central and prominent cosmic body of our universe. It is life giver by virtue of its heat and the place of quickening or beginning for much of life on our planet. It is the electromagnetic force that if we venture too close we are blinded by the blinding light and heat that pervades. This is similarly the same principle of our own Divine state of being. In truth we are as bold and enblazened as the Sun itself, but as humans in physical form we fail to realize the brilliance of our inner state.

The goal is one of actualizing the self and ego to shine as brightly as the Sun in human form and draw to itself the boons of all that surrounds.

In looking at the shape and form of the number l, it is not difficult to visualize the concept of a singular point reaching downwards towards extension as the other point of origin reaches upwards towards expansion. Each point of origin blends seamlessly into a single line of continuous movement of return and release that holds within its structure the potential for movement in any direction and creation of something new. The Magus is one who has mastered the gift of synthesis.

In the lower right corner is a Hebrew letter, Bet(h):

The Hebrew letter Beth

……translates to the word House. The house is a place of sanctuary. The house is a place of becoming who you will become through the experiences of what is enacted in that setting. A house is support and protection from outward occurrences and is the place of rest, renewal and healing. Our spiritual house is our manifest vessel. This is the sanctuary we return to at every step and when we prepare this inner house in accord with welcoming our Divine nature the house becomes the transformative Temple.

On the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the letter Beth is placed on the 12th Path of connection between Kether and Binah and gives clue to what the primary function of this coalesced energy will be. Binah as the Great Mother and the cosmic womb becomes the house from which life will be quickened. This house is the sacred home for what has been divinely created.

Read more about the Hermetic Qabalah here:
Geburah’s Might: Part One
Qabalistic Journeys

The Magick of Our Lives…

In these troubling times, bringing balance and alignment to who we are, what we (truly) believe and the resultant actions we chose to engage offers us the ability to wield a magick that affects change and places us as the powerful catalyst for that change!

Resources:
Read more about astrological Gemini here..
Full Disclosure-The Sun in Gemini

Read more about Mercury here:
In Communication: The Temple of Mercury

Companion Post:
Read the Rider-Waite Key I Post

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Feb2017-Card 2-The Chariot -Toth

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Where Do I Have Control?

Last month the draw was Key VIII-Strength and that set the tone for what was needed in this coming year. The second draw brings us to Key VII-The Chariot (and, yes, I promise that I did shuffle adequately). All in all this key following that of Strength is a call to learning how to navigate successfully as we stand anchored between polarized forces.

Toth Key VII – The Chariot

Stand strong as the ground
Beneath shifts in the journey.

Stand strong as the four
Guard and guide this journey.

Stand strong as the holiest
Of the Holy’s radiates out.

Stand strong knowing that you
Have control of the outcome.

And the victories that you
Bring into realization
Are no longer bound by
Heaven or Earth.

 The Toth Key VII of the Chariot speaks to the mysteries of bringing into the place of glory the lessons learned from the journey taken.

The Chariot, Key Seven, is a call to justifiable victory. Unlike the Rider-Waite image depicting a handsome young man crowned with a celestial diadem, this warrior is fully cloaked in armor, mysterious and hidden and almost robotic in position. His/Her adornment being the crab as the Key is attributed to the astrological sign of Cancer.

There is a sense of collaborative opposition that speaks to the ease of alliance that may be obtained in bestowing the healing and nurturing waters of the place we call home and family (Cancerian) and bringing it to the overt victory of an armored and assertive being. This hints at Mars energy that is comfortable in testing the limits and asserting itself, especially when what it holds near and dear are threatened.

The wheels of the chariot are large and red, a color of action and movement and the canopy is sky-blue and dome like  extending up beyond the end of sight. The Chariot rests on what look like wooden slats of flooring, The canopy of sky/heavens above and the strength and foundation of earth below. In comparison, everything about this Key as depicted in this deck is softened and rounded in contrast to the angular lines of R-W. Here, the inference of continuum and movement elevates the image to one of potential, rather than completion.

4aee28a4eea4f61fa737ab9316b9bb53   thoth-chariot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Numerologic Values…

The Toth key of the Chariot is attributed to the number seven (7). Seven (7) is the number of opportunity and choice in what path will be taken and what new layers of learning are to be had. Having come from the space of six (6) a double trinity of harmony and balance all of the efforts that were given towards that harmony can be used as guides and markers of what additional learning is to be had moving forward.

The Four Holy Creatures

The Toth Chariot boasts 4 guardians as those who have the potential to pull/guide the Chariot and its master to those intended realms of conquest. The Four Holy Creatures sit at the front, each a representation of a fixed and synthesized state of ascended understanding. Each also representing control of the elements and their nature within us.

The Four Holy Creatures are astrologically aligned with:

Taurus – Fixed Earth – The Winged Bull
Leo – Fixed Fire – The Winged Lion
Scorpio – Fixed Water – The Eagle
Aquarius – Fixed Air – The Winged Man

The winged nature of these beings offering the vision of having risen to the Highest/Divine nature of each.

The Bull – fecundity and strength of the primal nature – ascended to Divine creation and anchored Will.

The Lion – predator and fierce protector of its pride and territory – ascended to claiming what is Divinely your “territory” and standing as king within it.

The Eagle – keen of sight and able to select for its feeding what lay below it and often unnoticed by what is on level with its prey – ascended to rising above and consuming the shadow that lay beneath the wing that soars resplendent in its clarity.

The Man – Divinity encased in corporeal form – ascended to acceptance and individuation of the personality allowing the “perfected” or one of gnosis to emerge.

The Bull and the Lion face outward, almost like bookends for the Eagle and Man, who stare at the seeker, full frontal and lighter in coloring. If we are to rise to the occasion, in full control and fully protected we must rely on the guidance of support that flows from our place of anchor and earthly roots (Bull) and the claiming of our place and kingship as protector of our Divine world (Lion). Then, we are able to align with what looks ahead as we move on our path of victory, seeing out as the heart of keen sight (Eagle) rides the changing currents of air (mind) that hold aloft the perfected man of Divine light and vision.

The Holy Grail that Contains the Sun of Life

What appears as an amethyst colored disc held by the charioteer is intended to be the vision of looking into the Holy Grail. The chalice of life and womb of life blood’s flow and strength of a radiating sun ablaze with vitality, magnetism and renewed energy. Remember the attribution of Cancer, the dynamic of home-nurturing and the sacred feminine (ruled by the Moon), and what better vision as centerpiece for one who holds the mystery of life well-guarded than that of the Holy Grail!

In the lower left corner is a Hebrew letter, Chet(h):

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The Hebrew letter Chet translates to the word Fence. It is often our beliefs of limitation that bind us and keep us fenced in, no longer allowing us to move beyond the minimum of what we have collected as our base of experience and knowledge. This is also the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the number 8 being the representation of timelessness and coalescing of past and future into the mid point of the present. Think lemniscate ( a horizontal 8):

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This state of timelessness and continuum of movement and cycles that flows through the images of the Chariot Key, numerologically is the outcome of a well used number 7 (the number of the Tarot Key, itself). This is the promise that if we claim control as the Charioteer, bound by the principles of our ascended nature of Divinity (the Four Holy Creatures), holding to the principles of the sacred Grail of life’s blood ad using as our armor of defense all that has protected and shielded  us in our journey to this space of mastery and control, we will have as our ally time itself and the ability to draw from our past, informing our future and remaining the one in control of our present.

In these troubling times, self-mastery and determination that
is informed will serve us well. Blessings of Control!

Resources:
Read more about astrological Cancer here..

Read the Rider-Waite Key VII Post

Next Draw: March

Jan2017-Card 1-Strength vs. Justice -Toth

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Toth Key XI – Strength/Lust

Lose yourself in loosening the reins of weakness
Use your power to affect change
See the full vision of many paths and many ways of being
Trust in your instincts as….
The Strength Within You Grows

Wait, what? Why are the Strength and Justice Keys reversed in Rider-Waite vs. Toth? These are the numbers:

Rider-Waite: Key VIII – Strength                               
Toth: Key VIII – Adjustment/Justice        

Rider-Waite: Key XI – Justice Rider-Waite
Toth: Key XI – Strength/Lust 

The sweet irony of this draw is…

Strength and Justice make wonderful bedfellows. What we lust after is fueled by action, desire and determination. Strength benefits from these attributes when they are in balance – the necessary component to ensure that Justice is exactly that.

In drawing a comparison on this first draw between the Rider-Waite and Toth decks there is immediately an anomaly. The other cards within these decks parallel of one another. But, not so regarding the Strength and Justice cards. It is unclear why Crowley chose to switch these two cards in number and name, but for our purposes this differing assignation offers some interesting thoughts to be used in answering the initial inquiry.

The Numerologic Values…

The Rider-Waite key of Strength is attributed to the number 8 (VIII).
Eight (8) is the number of time, longevity and the ability to take knowledge acquired and give it practical application. Some fairly relevant correspondences for the Strength Key.

In the Toth deck this same card is given the value of 11 (XI). Eleven is considered a master number holding the replication of the singular one as it echoes back to itself. The “one” of self-identification and self-awareness. I consider the number 11 as the opportunity for awareness of the “I” that is human and fully embodied and the “I AM” that knows of its Divinity. And, having that knowledge rises into the space of power and cooperative dialogue with both the mundane and spiritual aspects of “itself”. Another excellent correspondence for a Key that speaks to the strength inherent in control and right action.

Read about the meaning of the individual numbers here..

Toth’s Key of Strength is one of Lust…

The Tarot Key of Strength is named Lust in the Toth deck. Lust, by (modern) definition is used to describe intense or unbridled sexual desire. But, there are other definitions that should be considered…..

  1. obsolete form:  pleasure, delight or personal inclination
  2. an intense longing: craving, enthusiasm or eagerness

Looking at the similar (Rider-Waite) image of Strength on the Toth Key is taking strength one step further.

original-rider-waite-03798lusta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The feminine is naked and astride the wildness that could easily claim her life. There is strength in the vulnerability displayed. Unlike the Rider-Waite Key that has a connotation of strength being found in quieting the primal using a genteel quality, Lust unabashedly claims its strength through in becoming a part of what is instinctual rising up on the back of what it feels no need to tame, nor is threatened by.

The lion in this Key is multi-headed and loosely resembles an actual Lion. Seven heads, seven different paths, seven different perspectives. The tail a lion headed serpent. The serpent of wisdom, the lion is a beast of courage and fierce protection of what is its own. Strength takes courage and following the wisdom of the strength is one that is fueled by lust for power and control. And, if we wish to hold onto the sexual attribution given Lust, there is no more powerful or potent force than the energy that arises from the act(ion) of sex fueled by Lust.

Symbols…

The reason I chose the Toth Tarot to use in tandem with the more traditional Rider-Waite is the rich and varied symbols that are presented in the images and as part of the Key itself.

In the lower left corner is a Hebrew letter, Teth:
lusta

The Toth Keys make use of the Qabalistic discipline, astrology and hermetic symbology in an overt and pictorial way. Teth in english means Serpent and in Qabalistic practice the letter assigned to one of the Paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life-the Nineteenth-19- the path of the Serpent. This is a path that is one of creativity and necessary destruction. Polarities that are co-dependent on the other in order to cultivate a strength that can survive and surmount any difficulty. The serpent sheds it skin as it outgrows and outwears what no longer serves. This is the transformation needed- the shedding of old beliefs that have we have outgrown- so that strength can give us the courage to speak our truths and live our philosophies.

Read more about the Qabalah here…

Strength Aligns with the astrological sign of Leo

The other symbol on the Tarot Key is that of the astrological sign, Leo. The power of the Sun, the charismatic and magnetic resonance that draws to itself the power of action and the potential for strengthening this light. Leo is a fixed sign of the Zodiac meaning that its energy is one of synthesis and stability. It aligns with the element of Fire and this Fire is one that burns brightly with intention to overcome and reform what holds us fearing our instinctual and more primal self.

Read more about astrological Leo here..

You say Strength, I say Justice…

Here we go back to the beginning and the switch up of the Keys and their numeric assignment that differ. Although this is not a necessary component in comparing the two keys in the differing decks, I found it interesting that looking at the number of the Keys and having two different cards representing that number’s energy just happened to be two principles that are in such support of one another.

Justice and Strength- the courage to stand strong in your beliefs and the strength to take justifiable action towards change. Although, the Key of Justice was not drawn for this first endeavor, it is exactly the underpinning that is needed for these Troubling Times.

Blessings of Strength!

Next Draw: February 1st