Chapter 6 — Summaries

Our analysis of the small cards of the Tarot being complete, all that remains for us to do is to summarise our findings, and to examine their implications on both our understanding of the Tarot itself, and our understanding of our Qabalistic framework.

The Aces

The Aces represent the root of each element, but are otherwise almost wholly devoid of character, being referred to the unity of Kether. The suit of Wands (fire) shows the progression through the individual, from conception to complete physical manifestation, of his motion, energy and will. The suit of Cups (water) shows the development of structure in his being, his tendency to seek balance, harmony and order. The suit of Swords (air) shows the development of his ability to reconcile these two facets of his being, and the ways in which his intellect or executive faculty can help or hinder that reconciliation. Finally, the suit of Disks (earth) shows the development of the ways in which he ultimately manifests the combination of the other three elements, and how he ultimately creates and is subject to the motions and structures of the physical world.

The Twos

The Twos show the ideal nature of each element. In the case of fire, this is dominion, the ability to impose one's will. With water, it is love, the relationships formed with the environment that direct that will. For air, it is peace, the perfect and dynamic reconciliation of will and love, their harmonious and living conjunction. Finally, for earth, it is change, by implication in accordance with both will and nature, the result of their harmonious reconciliation.

All the Twos are attributed to Chokmah, and representative of ideal motion in the first extension[1] from Kether. The ideas of dominion and change are clearly suggestive of motion, as is love when considered as a process rather than a state. The peace of the Two of Swords must also be dynamic to be effective.

The Threes

The Threes show the completion of the ideal, the harmonious conjunction of the structure of Binah with the motion of Chokmah. Virtue, in the case of Wands, is an evaluative concept of motion, “right action” as opposed to “wrong action,”[2] and this evaluation can only be made against the background of a structure. In the case of Cups, abundance refers to the infinite variety of opportunities for love that the structure of the universe provides. For Swords, sorrow arises inevitably from the structuring of the intellect, at which point it becomes able to perceive itself, this sense of separation[3] being the root of suffering. Finally, works is the structuring of physical change to form a type of engine for the purposes of generating power.

Relating as they do to the completion of the ideal (Binah being the final sephirah in the archetypal triad), the Threes are attributed to the succedent decan of the cardinal sign of each element, as the Sixes (referring to Tiphareth, the final sephirah in the actual triad) are attributed to the succedent decan of the fixed sign of each element, and the Nines (referring to Yesod, the final sephirah in the individual triad) are attributed to the succedent decan of the mutable sign of each element. The succedent decan of each sign is the central one, sandwiched between the ascendant and cadent decans, and show the element in “full force,” balanced and whole. It should be natural to attribute these decans to Tiphareth and Yesod, forming as they do the apices and the resolutions of the actual and individual triads respectively, but it is also natural to attribute them to Binah, despite the fact that this sephirah does not appear on the middle pillar. Being above the Abyss, there is no question of Binah being “unbalanced,” and being ideals there is no need for either Chokmah or Binah to “resolve” into a lower sephirah; rather, the completion of the archetypal triad is the natural place for the succedent decan, notwithstanding the fact that Binah is “off-centre.”

The Fours

The Fours show the first appearance of each element on this side of the Abyss, the first steps into actual manifestation. As such, the perfection of the Supernals is lost, and each of the Fours — although uniformly “positive” — contain the seeds of their own downfall for this reason. For the same reason, they are naturally attributed to the cadent decan of the cardinal element of each sign; the ascendant and succedent decans of the cardinal signs are attributed to Chokmah and Binah, and it is fitting for Chesed to represent the “fading away” of the ideal perfection of the Supernals, which is precisely what the cadent decans represent. Being attributed to Chesed, the Fours are structural cards, signifying that in the physical world form must “precede” motion, whilst in the ideal world motion (being the initial extension from formlessness) must come first.[4] Alternatively, we could take a “bottom-up” approach and state that Chesed, as the last sephirah before the Abyss, represents the fulfillment of physical objectives, this being naturally a structural concept.

The Four of Wands is completion, the full manifestation of will. The nature of will being dynamic, this completion can only be temporary, as the will cannot rest. The Four of Cups is luxury, a development of the structural abundance of the Three, but containing the first hint of the great danger of the element of water which is pollution, or attachment to inappropriate objects. Truce is the Four of Swords, again a structural reconciliation resembling the peace of the Two, but being actual is more tenuous, requiring active maintenance, and owing to the Second Law of Thermodynamics must necessarily be temporary. Finally, the Four of Disks is power, the results of the structural harnessing of physical change.

In all cases, the “downfall” shadowed in the Fours is the disturbance of the structure created in that number.

The Fives

The Fours contain the seeds of the downfall of their elements, as we have said, and the Fives show that downfall itself. Geburah is a motion sephirah, and it is this motion that disturbs the structure in the Fours. Above the Abyss, there is no need for force and motion to be “reconciled,” since they are ideal, and suffer none of the problems of manifestation. Below the Abyss, the physical realities of existence dictate that “change is stability and stability is change,” and any attempt to deny this will lead to trouble.

For fire, strife is the disturbance of completion, the inherent restlessness of the will, and its reaction to a status quo. In the case of water, disappointment is the direct result of the “attachment to inappropriate objects” that was foreshadowed in the luxury of the Four. Defeat represents the motion away from the temporary truce in the case of air, and worry, for earth, results from an attachment to power for its own sake.

Both Chokmah and Geburah, the motion sephiroth of the archetypal and actual triads, respectively, are attributed to the ascendant decans of the cardinal and fixed signs of the element, respectively. The ascendant decans represent the first appearance of each sign, its “initial onrush,” and the association with motion is natural. This pattern does not repeat in the individual triad, however, and only works for these two because we begin the sequence at Chokmah, two, rather than in Kether, one. The “form” and “force” sephirah of each triad switch between the left and right pillars with each triad, Binah being followed by Chesed — both “form” sephiroth — and Geburah being followed (after Tiphareth) by Netzach — both “force” sephiroth. We could argue that “all is reflection in the individual triad, so the pattern is reversed” but we must be careful not to try and push a pattern too far.

The Sixes

Returning to the middle pillar, the Sixes represent the reconciliation of structure and motion in the actual plane (indeed, the first reconciliation sephirah we come to on the journey down the Tree), and as such indicate the aspects of the actual nature of the individual object as shown in the four elements. In other words, the Sixes show the best practical functioning of each of the elements in the actual world.

The Six of Wands is victory, the accomplishment of objectives through will, for such is its purpose. The Six of Cups is pleasure, broadly defined, representing both the fruits of that victory and its motivation. The Six of Swords is science, showing the impartial application of the intellect in harmoniously reconciling will and love in order that the “right victory” may be attained, and the Six of Disks is success, the ultimate end result of all this.

A Note on the Veil of Paroketh

There are two downward pointing triads on the Tree of Life, and the distinction between them is important to understand, especially so since the description of them in this essay as “actual triad” and “individual triad” breaks with convention.

The essential fact of individuality, according to Thelemic metaphysics, is the existence of a “true” or “actual” self which embodies the actual nature of the individual, veiled in a “conscious” self which is self-aware and serves as the experiential vehicle of the true self.[5] Since the “conscious self” is distinct from the “true self” (and this distinction is necessary for self-awareness, perception requiring at least a perceiver, and a distinct thing being perceived) the former can only receive a reflection of the true nature from the latter, and it is the imperfection of this reflection that is posited as being the source of suffering and discomfort.

In our Qabalistic framework, the Veil of Paroketh represents the distinction between these two “selves,” and it is through this veil that the reflection is filtered and distorted (the distortion is necessary, the “conscious self” having its own nature which it can never fully shake off). The downward pointing actual triad represents motion, structure and their reconciliation in the ldquo;true self,” whereas the downward pointing individual triad represents motion, structure and their reconciliation in the “conscious self.” The latter three sephiroth are ultimately reflections of the former three, but being reflections they are necessarily a degraded form. The nature of this degradation will be discussed individually in each case.

The Sevens

The Sevens, like the Fives, are attributed to a motion sephirah, but this time on the individual rather than the actual plane. In the case of fire, valour is the motivating side of will in the individual, that which drives him to strive towards his objectives. The strife of the Five is more of a general protest against imposed structure, but the valour of the seven is specifically directed to a particular state, namely, the victory of the Six. Valour is suggestive of courage in the face of adversity, a concept which cannot be present above the Veil of Paroketh, since the true self existing there is not self-aware. Whereas strife is a simple reflection of the dynamic nature of the self, valour is a specifically conscious concept. For water, debauch is a degraded reaction to the disappointment of the Five, a mad, addictive pursuit of satisfaction. It shows the corruption of love through excessive motion in the individual. In the case of air, futility, like the Seven of Cups, is a continuing refusal to learn the lessons of the Five, in this case that of defeat. The Seven of Swords is suggestive of “beating a dead horse.” Finally, for earth, failure is the actual loss of power foreshadowed in the Five, or, more accurately, the individual's conscious reaction to it.

The Eights

The Eights are attributed to Hod, the stability sephirah of the individual triad, and are degraded forms of the Fours. For Wands, swiftness refers to the structuring of will to allow for efficient application, which is a long way from the actual completion of the Four. The Eight of Cups is indolence, a stagnant and lifeless clinging to the luxury of the Four which has long since ceased to satisfy. For Swords, cruelty is the forced imposition of truce taken too far, diplomacy turned into tyranny, Finally, the Eight of Disks is prudence, the gradual accumulation of material advantage which will one day be capable of producing the power of the Four.

There is an interesting distinction in the Eights in that the Eights of Wands and Disks appear to be broadly “positive,” whereas the Eights of Cups and Swords appear to be broadly “negative.” Wands and Disks are “dry elements,” which as we described on page 30 resist the imposition of form, and are thus somewhat immune to any negative impact of the structure of Hod.

The Nines

The second and final reconciliation sephirah is Yesod, in the individual plane, and whereas the reconciliation in the actual triad represents the formulation of the actual nature of the individual, the reconciliation in the individual triad represents the formulation of the reflected nature. In the case of fire, the victory of the Six is degraded into mere strength. For water, the pleasure of the Six degrades into mere happiness, which is suggestive of contentment, or the “happy-go-lucky” man, as opposed to the joyous ecstasy of pleasure. The Nine of Swords is cruelty, the impartial analysis in the Six having been taken too far, and made to serve its own purposes, cutting off the ldquo;conscious self” from its source in the “true self.” The Nine of Disks is gain, a mere element on the ladder to the success of the Six.

The nines show the “full impact of the elemental force” in the individual. It is natural to suppose that the purpose of fire in the individual is to give him the strength to attain to happiness and success. It is instructive to note that for the element of air, both the completion of the archetypal triad in Binah and the completion of the individual triad in Yesod result in apparently “negative” cards, and this element is unique in that respect. Air, being a secondary element, is essentially subservient,[6] and the root of suffering can be simplistically reduced to the failure of the self-aware intellect to accept this, and to substitute its own values for those of the “true self.”[7] As such, both the initial structuring of the element in Binah which allows for its awareness, and the full practical manifestation of it in Yesod (by which time its powers of analysis and division have developed so well as to separate it entirely from the “true self” in Tiphareth) cannot avoid these problems, although, being above the Abyss, the “problem” in Binah remains a potential one only.

The Tens

Finally, Malkuth represents the complete physical manifestations of the elements to the exclusion of the others. The Tens show the result of leaving each element to its own devices. The Ten of Wands is oppression, the senseless and purposeless application of force.[8] The Ten of Cups is satiety, the notion that nothing can satisfy in the absence of a will which has objectives. The Ten of Swords is ruin, the ultimate effect of analysis taken to extremes. The Ten of Disks is wealth, representing an enormous stock of resources which, in the absence of an independent practical use, ceases to become wealth at all.

The Tens show the necessity of introducing the fifth element, spirit, into the equation, through which all four elements can be brought into coordination. Spirit is associated with initiation, which in the Golden Dawn tradition began in Malkuth, and represented the first perception in the aspirant of the light of spirit, a first glimpse of his “true self” reflected from Tiphareth above the elements,[9] which would be his guide towards integrating them under a common banner.

Footnotes

  1. Extension itself being a dynamic process.
  2. The terms here should not be confused with the idea of morality; see page 32.
  3. i.e. of a structural distinction between “self” and “not-self.”
  4. In reality, as we described on page 9, form and motion are interdependent, and cannot exist apart from each other, so this idea of “form preceding motion” is suggestive only.
  5. See The Khabs is in The Khu for a fuller exposition of this idea.
  6. As is the element of earth, but earth is too dull and inert to care.
  7. Much as a son will almost inevitably rebel in his youth against the values of his parents.
  8. Particurly when this is “self oppression.”
  9. In the Golden Dawn tradition, Malkuth, Yesod, Hod and Netzach — the sephiroth below the Veil of Paroketh — were attributed to earth, air, water and fire, in that order, and the attainment to Tiphareth — representing contact with the “true self” — was attributed to the fifth element of spirit.}