Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep
thy words. I entreated thy favour with my whole heart: be
merciful-unto me according to thy word.
I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy
testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy
commandments.
The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not
forgotten thy law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto
thee because of thy righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them
that keep thy precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy:
teach me thy statutes.
Cheth or Heth, like He, has a resemblance to the English H. The name of this letter may also be written Chet or Het. Its pronunciation is shown by an H with a dot below it. He, on the other hand, actually represents, in English translation, the initial E of the word Elohim. Cheth or Heth is sometimes compared with the German "ch," as in "doch," rather than H or K. "Zechariel" (Archangel of Jupiter) may also be pronounced Zaharied ("a" as in father).
Cheth or Heth, like H in the English alphabet, is the eighth letter in the series.
The letter H is important in the story of Abram and Sarai, who adopted the letter H into their names when they entered Canaan, Abram becoming Abraham and Sarai becoming Sarah.
Abraham bought the Field of Machpelah from the Sons of Heth (Hittites), as a burial place for Sarah and himself and their descendants. Thenceforward Machpelah was sacred to the memory of Sarah and Abraham, and it was believed that the souls of the faithful ones would return and pass through the Cave "to the bosom of Abraham," or to Paradise and the underworld. The eighth sign of the zodiac is the Scorpion, and the eighth house of the horoscopical wheel is called the House of Death.
Eight is the number of forever becoming, the endless chain of life, the lemniscate currents of spiritual life force represented in the double square or double cube, of evolution under the laws of nature. The Cave was in the field belonging to the Sons of Heth. The field represents the labor of planting, sowing and reaping, and therefore also the cycles of renewal, of death and rebirth of the human spirit.
The Eighth Tarot card, called Justice, shows a female figure seated on a throne. Three steps lead up to the throne. They typify the three worlds in which man's evolution currently proceeds. Her Law governs all life in the three worlds, both during physical incarnation and after death, between incarnations. Upon her head she wears an iron crown. Her eyes are bandaged, showing that Divine Law is impartial and impersonal. In one hand she holds an uplifted sword, the weapon of retribution, in the other the balance or scales, by which justice is meted out with accuracy. This Tarot signifies the Twin Laws of Rebirth and Causation.
It is only in the understanding of the Twin Laws that a reasonable answer is found to all the inequalities and apparent injustices which we see about us; the good things of life heaped upon one who has seemingly done nothing to deserve them, while another who to all appearances is noble and deserving of the best spends an entire life time in a fruitless quest for the good things of life which seem always to elude him. But as St. Paul says, "We see in part, we know in part-but when that which is perfect is come (meaning a full understanding truth), then that which is in part shall be done away. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then, face to face."
In the Book of the Dead it is related that the great god Thoth meets each person who is newly deceased. The heart of this person is placed in one side of a balance, a feather in the other. If the heart outweighs the feather the deceased must spend some time in purgatory before he is permitted to enter Paradise.
The lion which rests near the feet of the figure of Justice represents the spiritual power which enforces the Law.
The Eighth Commandment is, "Thou shalt not steal." This entails infinitely more than the misappropriation of material goods. Under the Twin Laws of Rebirth and Causation, each person is held responsible not only for his deeds but equally for his thoughts of envy, jealousy, hatred, malice and revenge is, through telepathic influence, depriving another of his self-confidence and self-esteem, thus doing him incalculable injury, while for himself he is amassing a heavy karmic debt, to be paid in suffering, sorrow and humiliation.
The prayer for Cheth refers to the working of the great Twin Laws toward the transformation of society in accordance with its edicts. "The bands of the wicked have robbed me, but I have not forgotten Thy Law ... I am a companion of all them that fear thee and that keep thy precepts."
Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according
unto thy word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I
have believed thy commandments. Before I was afflicted I went
astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. The
proud have forged a lie against me.- but I will keep thy precepts
with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease; but I
delight in thy law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might
learn thy statutes. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than
thousands of gold and silver.
Nine we have seen as the number of humanity. Nine is also the number of Initiation. Nine represents the Son of Wisdom, the high Initiate. "Thou hast done well with thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word."
The name TETH means a roof. The word brings to mind a place of shelter or protection and refers to a "tent" which the Initiate learns to build. This "tent" is sometimes termed "The Illumined Heart" and sometimes the "Sacred Heart". It is to this tabernacle that one retires to be protected from the onslaughts of the world, and it was from the protection of this place that St. Paul declared, "None of these things (of the outer world) move me."
The ninth card of the Tarot is the Hermit or Sage. He is old in wisdom and experience. He conceals a Lamp under his large square mantle. All of the mystical meanings of Light are concerned in this Tarot symbolism. First of all, the Initiate learns to commune with the Light Center in the heart, and the key to that communion is found in the words, "Be still and know that I Am God."
The Bible contains many fascinating statements relative to the power of Light. We read there that God is Light, and the Lord Christ declared, "I am the Light of the World." St. John adds, "If we walk in the Light as He is in the light we have Fellowship one with another." Also, "The Light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not."
The staff upon which the Sage leans is the Rod of Power of the Initiate, representing the uplifted creative fires. In the Bible we read that when Moses lifted up his rod the land blossomed and the people were happy, healed of all their diseases and problems; but when he laid down his rod, famine, disease and death swept through the land.
This means, in part, that when the people obeyed the precepts which Moses gave them, all was well; but when they departed from them, suffering and sorrow came as the fruit of their errors and wrong-doing.
The Sage's Lamp, half-hidden by his cloak, teaches us the lesson of Discrimination. Christ Jesus said, "Cast not your pearls before swine." The Sage is Teacher of the Mysteries. His care for the Light shows his love and reverence for Truth, which is more to him than wealth or power. He wanders through the world seeking those worthy of the Light. "When the pupil is ready, the Master appears." When Master and pupil have found each other, the pupil cries, "Thou art good and doeth good. Teach me thy statutes!"
Mind is the most precious of all gifts. It is in My power to bestow or withhold it. There are a few in the world today who are able and worthy to understand and to rightly use this most precious gift. I Am the spirit of Wisdom. I Am Nine, the number of Initiation.
"I AM the hedge of protection, enclosing the field of existence. In this field thou dwellest and I AM thy defence against the darkness that is without. Yet is this hedge of protection also a wall of limitation-and the darkness against which it defendeth thee is the radiant darkness of the LIMITLESS LIGHT too brilliant for thine eyes."
The prayer for Teth is the supplication of those in whom this inner life has been awakened; as St. Paul described it, "Christ in You, the hope of glory."
Cheth speaks of the Ninth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Every human being is the Son of God the Father, and to this the neophyte must bear witness at all times. The wise teachers of India instructed their pupils to greet one another with the words, "I salute the divinity in you!" This is bearing witness to the truth, and the neophyte in the West will do well to follow their example, making the salutation in the quiet of his mind and heart since the custom of the land does not permit that it be done openly.
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me
understanding, that I may learn thy commandments. They that
fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped
in thy Word.
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou
in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray thee, thy
merciful
kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy
servant. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live:
for thy law is my delight.
Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely
with me
without a cause: but I will meditate on thy precepts.
Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have
known thy testimonies. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes;
that I be not ashamed.
"Ten is the number both of Creation and Manifestation. One (1) is the positive or Father principle which manifests in creation. Zero (0) is the Feminine or Mother Principle which shows forth in manifestation. For this reason the 10 is sometimes referred to as the Hand of God." — Papus.
The hieroglyphic for Yod is the finger of man; the forefinger extended as a sign of command. This letter has therefore become the image of potential manifestation, of spiritual duration, and lastly of the eternity which swallows up time, with all the ideas referring to it. As in the other stanzas of the 119th Psalm, the same letter leads each line. Here it is the flame of Yod which is eight times repeated.
Among the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet which, mystically understood, outline first the general path of evolution for the many but also the straight and narrow initiatory path for the few, the letter Yod is one of the most important and most powerful. It forms an essential part of each and every one of the other letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is therefore a symbol of the omnipresence of Deity.
The tenth Arcanum of the Tarot is the Wheel, shown as a great wheel with eight spokes, known to Buddhists as the Wheel of the Law. In other words, it is the power of God, which overshadows, underlies and surrounds our world and all that belongs to it. As St. Paul says, "In Him we live and move and have our being." All spiritual teachings are interpretations of God's Law as applied to humanity. The Psalmist sings, "Underneath are the everlasting arms."
On one side of the wheel Anubis, the Egyptian god, is ascending; on the other, Typhon is descending. This shows us that throughout the world the power of Good is positive, the power of evil negative. Evil is continually destroying itself; therefore the power of Good is always in the Ascendancy.
The Wheel of the Tarot is variously termed the Wheel of Life, the Wheel of Fate or Destiny, the Wheel of Fortune, and, as the same Tarot would suggest, the Wheel of Law as described above.
With the beginning of the new century this destiny-work will pass largely under the control of Aquarius, whose keynote is brotherhood, and Leo, whose keynote is love-for at this time a definite beginning will be made to prepare the planet and the life upon it for the New Aquarian-Leo Age. Thus we may be sure that the twenty-first century will bring a fairer sky, a brighter day and a new and harmonious way of life for the entire earth planet.
Seated upon the top of the Wheel of Fortune is a winged sphinx who holds upright a sword, symbol of victory through Truth. He (or she) remains calm and unperturbed despite the rapid whirling of the wheel, for he represents the Law of God operative throughout nature and brings to mind the words of Pascal, "God is a circle; His center is everywhere, His circumference is nowhere."
Yod is the "Workman of Deity," symbol of the High Masculine and its cooperation with the Divine Feminine in the work of creation. His is the Tenth Commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Yod possesses the glories of all creation. Each man has his own place in God's work, and a reward which no other can ever take away.
The tenth Arcanum is sometimes called the Sphinx, or the Seal of Destiny. It might be termed equally well the Mystery of God, for this Tarot emphasizes the mercy and loving kindness of universal Law, the divine compassion which is the highest expression of justice and includes it. Robert Browning described this Mystery well when he wrote:
The Ten Commandments are repeated in another form for the second decan of Hebrew letters, Kaph to Resh. These may be correlated with Christ's Sermon on the Mount, as they will form the basis for the new Commandments which will be given in the New Aquarian Age. The two final letters, Schin and Tau, represent the consummation of both series, symbolized in the well known glyph of the Serpent raised up upon the cross.
The prayer for Yod is that one may live aright in harmony with the great laws of life, "Let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live: for thy law is my delight. Let the proud be ashamed, for they have dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate upon thy precepts. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes."
Yod is Creative Power. Therefore we meditate, I AM the God Presence which is latent in every individual, which, when awakened to full functioning, makes each man a god-man. My divine power within, rightly used, leads to celestial heights. Misused, it leads to the uttermost depths.
My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy Word.
Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort
me? For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not
forget thy statutes.
How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou
execute judgment on them that persecute me? The proud have
digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.
All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me
wrongfully; help thou me. They had almost consumed me upon
earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.
Quicken me after thy loving-kindness; so shall I keep the
testimony of thy mouth.
Kaph, the eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is represented by a man's right hand half closed, which implies bodily strength and power.
The eleventh Tarot Arcanum is a young girl standing beside a lion, closing its mouth with her hand. This card also implies strength, not only physical strength but an inner spiritual force which few persons are even aware they possess and still fewer know how to awaken and use aright. This instruction forms one of the most interesting phases of advanced Discipleship.
In the Egyptian Series The Uraeus headdress denotes power and authority. On top of her head rest two eagles with outstretched wings. These symbolize the profound spiritual wisdom and high idealism which the awakening of the inner force or power bestows.
In other Tarot series the young woman wears a large hat, the top of which is interwoven with the lemniscate which belongs to the Path of Discipleship. There are three very important psychospiritual force centers in man's body. One is focused at the base of the spine. Here the life force sleeps until it is awakened. In the head, near the forehead, is another important center. Here the life force is raised by means of spiritual living. The third center is the heart, which is the balance-wheel between the two.
Medieval alchemists stated that "many talk about the Lion, but few really know him." The lion represents the fire element throughout all nature. In man this fire element is centered in the desire body. Closing the mouth of the lion symbolizes the subjugation of the desire nature and its transmutation into the Light Body, which is the composite "wedding garment" of the purified life-forces of both desire and vital bodies.
In the story of Samson, the word meaning the Sun Man or Strong Man, Samson also subdued the lion. When he had rent it in twain he found within the carcass bees and honey of which lie partook. This refers to the exhilaration and spiritual joy which accompany the ever-deepening understanding and revelations attendant upon the great transmutation.
Later the sons of the Philistines (the lowest forces of the material nature) speak to the beautiful young maiden Delilah and tell her that if she will seduce Samson so they may gain control over him, they will reward her with eleven hundred pieces of silver.
The feminine principle operates on the highest spiritual plane in the case of the young maiden who closes the lion's mouth, when it is known esoterically as the Feminine in Liberation.
In the case of Delilah the feminine is operating on the lowest sensual plane. Here it is known esoterically as the feminine in bondage.
It is significant that eleven is termed a feminine number and that silver is a feminine metal.
In Masonic symbolism we are shown a female figure, but she is not closing the mouth of the lion; she is, instead, holding in her arms a broken pillar.
The prayer for Kaph is for those who have glimpsed the Vision but have not yet made the Transmutation. Our enemies are most often within ourselves rather than in the outer world about us, hence the admonition of St. Paul to "put off the old man and put on the new."
"All thy commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts. Quicken me after Thy loving kindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth."
Love is a magical power. It can work miracles. The aspirant realizes how true this is as he meditates upon what is perhaps the most beautiful love song every given to the world, the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. This song carries with it an aura of protection against all evil. It is a rhapsody of bliss which expresses the heart beat of life itself.
For ever, 0 Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy
faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the
earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to Thine
ordinances: for all are thy servants.
Unless thy law had been by delights, I should then have
perished in mine affliction. I will never forget thy precepts: for
with them thou hast quickened me. I am thine, save me; for I
have sought thy precepts.
The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will
consider thy testimonies. I have seen an end of all perfection:
but thy commandment is exceedingly, broad.
Lamed, the twelfth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, is represented by an outstretched arm which implies both Protection and Expansion. The twelfth Tarot card, the Hanged Man, refers not to physical death but to the total subjugation of the personal man or personality to the force or power of spirit. It is significant that one of the titles given to this card is the Great Work. Eliphaz Levi writes, "The great work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future."
In the Bible there are many references to the Path of Initiation. In the New Testament, "Broad is the way and wide the gate that leadeth to destruction; but straight is the gate and narrow the way that leadeth to eternal life, and few there be that find it." And in Job, "There is a path which no fowl knoweth and which the vulture's eye hath not seen." Again the Supreme Master said, "Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be my disciple." Lamed cries, "I am thine-save me!"
The lessons which prepare the disciple for the Great Overcoming (the conquest of the personal man) are difficult and varied in accordance with the development and temperament, but are concerned always more or less with the relinquishment of the person, place or thing which is best beloved.
Abraham's greatest treasure was his son Isaac. In the end he was required to renounce the lad as test of his willingness to adhere to divine will. When his worthiness was proved, a lamb was substituted for the child and Abraham was companioned by Angels.
The rich young man who came to Christ set great store by his worldly possessions. Christ said, "Go sell all that thou hast and give to the poor; then come and follow me." The young man turned sorrowfully away and followed the Christ no more. This is the common reaction. Many start upon the Path and walk a little way but soon become tired and disillusioned and return to the ways of the world. Some few will journey to the very foot of Golgotha and there turn back. Fewer still will ascend the slope; but few and far between are those who will consent to be bound to the cross. The Bible states that even His disciples followed the Christ afar off, and the legends say that only the Blessed Virgin, St. John and the Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross and saw the consummation of the Great Work.
Because of its increasing materiality, the world has long since discarded the truths of Initiation, which have been abandoned even by the Churches; and yet it is Initiation that will form the cornerstone of the New Aquarian Age religion. To those who would become pioneers of the New Age we say, "Dedicate yourselves anew to follow the Illumined Way, and do not falter or turn back until you have completed the Great Work. As you reach the final step which means liberation from the cross, you will hear the clear, sustaining voice of the blessed Lord Christ saying, 'I Am the Good Shepherd and all my sheep know my voice.'
The prayer for Lamed is the supplication of those who have passed through the Great Overcoming. They now know no barriers — no limitations. They live only to love and to serve. The universe is their home and all mankind their brothers.
The high message of all true Schools of Initiation has always been, "Man must learn to die to self before he can be born into Eternal Life."
"I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandments are exceeding broad."
The Hebrew letter L or Lamed means sacrifice. The ancients referred to this letter as the ox-goad. Self-sacrifice is of tremendous importance in spiritual development, and no aspirant will go far on the Path until he learns to practice this virtue. The following maxim is recommended for frequent meditation, "Loving self-forgetting service is the surest, the safest and the most joyful road to God."
"Until you empty yourself of self you can never escape from it."
An apocryphal tradition states that when the Messiah should come, he would make the sacrifices to cease. This the Christ did, for His self-sacrifice made all other sacrifices unnecessary. His blood was shed for all living things. Therefore those who hear His voice know fellowship with the lower orders of life on this planet, with beasts and birds, with flowers and trees and even with the elements. The New Age Man is the elder brother of the world, the guardian and protector of his younger brethren of the evolutionary kingdom. He will establish concord among all forms of life. Ferocity will no more exist between man and animal or between animal and animal, and the biblical prophecy will be realized, "The lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and a little child (one possessing Initiate powers) shall lead them."
Lamed is the Just Man made perfect in the Christ sacrifice.
Lamed is the divine Martyr, the Sacrifice on the altar of Good, whose blood is shed for the salvation of many.
O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou
through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine
enemies. I have more understanding than all my teachers:
for
thy testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy
precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I
might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments:
for thou hast taught me.
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than
honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding:
therefore I hate every false way.
Mem is the thirteenth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. It is one of three great Mother Letters and is correlated with the feminine element of Water. We know that Mem corresponds with the English letter M, and again it is interesting to note that the mothers of almost all of the great world saviors had names beginning with the letter M, which signifies all the brooding, hovering, protective tenderness which is associated with the Mother Principle.
The number 13 belongs to both mysticism and magic. One (1) in its highest significance represents the divine ego, and 12 is the number of high attainment or perfection. The higher the attainment, the greater the revelations of mysteries inherent in the number 13. It is only to the uninformed and superstitious that 13 is a portent of misfortune.
Thirteen is an important number throughout the Bible.
In the Old Testament we have the story of Jacob who, like a central sun, is surrounded by his twelve sons. Upon each son he bestows his spiritual blessing and its correlative material heritage. The life, deeds and teachings of the Twelve Patriarchs are the foundation of the Old Testament.
In the New Testament we find the Lord Christ as the Central Sun. Around this great Life are grouped the twelve Disciples, who become illumined with his power and his glory — and it is their lives, words and deeds that form the foundation of the New Testament.
There is within the body of man (who is a Christ in the making) twelve foci of spiritual force, but these are mostly latent in present-day humanity. The principal light of the body is the ego, centered in the head. When the ego becomes illumined, its light is diffused throughout the twelve body centers, and of such an Illumined One it is said that he walks in the Light as He (Christ) is in the Light.
The Tarot card for Mem is the Reaping Skeleton. Death reaps men, women and children; but behind and above him is the beautiful rainbow promising that beyond death is life.
Other Tarot Series yield slightly different interpretations. One of the most interesting is that of a horseman astride a white horse. He holds aloft in one hand a banner upon which is emblazoned a large, luminous white Rose, which is the universal symbol of Transmutation. "Behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer." (Rev. 6:2).
The prayer for Mem is a petition of all those illumined ones who have come to realize through first-hand knowledge that there is no death.
Through eons of time the Angels have sought to teach this transcendent lesson to mankind. They surround the earth, particularly at the seasons of Christmas and Easter, with the music of their insistent song: "There is no death — All God's universe is Life! There is no death!" Handel caught the inspired rhythms of their glorious chanting and translated them into his Hallelujah Chorus. The Angels will continue pouring out upon us their beautiful music until mankind has become renewed and awakened and united with them in the heavenly Song, "There is no death — All God's universe is Life! There is no death!"
"How sweet are thy words to my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way."
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy
righteous judgments.
I am afflicted very much: quicken me, 0 Lord, according
unto thy word. Accept, I beseech thee the farewell offerings of
my mouth, 0 Lord, and teach me thy judgments. My soul is
continually in my hand: yet I do not forget thy law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from
thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for
ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my
heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end.
In esoteric symbology the fish always refers to something hidden or secret. Nun, which is the 14th or "fish" letter of the Hebrew alphabet, has many profound and far-reaching implications. We note how frequently the word fish is used during the ministry of Christ. For example, his Disciples were not fishermen in the ordinary acceptance of the term. The majority of them had for some time been followers of John the Baptist and so were prepared to receive the teachings of the Great Master. Nor did He partake of fish in the ordinary manner with His disciples. The meal of fish refers to the profound truths which they partook of together. It was their understanding and practice of these truths which gave them their great spiritual power.
One (1), in the number 14, refers to the illumined or awakened ego, and 4 has reference to the pure white stone which the builders rejected but which will some day become the chief corner stone of the body temple. Upon the four comers of this pure white stone are engraved in letters of light the four mantramic sayings which have been familiar to all true disciples of all ages, To Know, To Do, To Dare, To Be Silent.
The fourteenth Tarot card depicts an angelic being who is sometimes termed the Genius of the Sun. He bears upon his forehead a symbol of the sun from which emanates a golden nimbus encircling his head and radiating out about his body in a luminous aureole.
Mention has been made earlier that the ego has its seat (focus of power) in the head. It is the awakened and illumined ego which is signified by the radiance of the sun upon the forehead of the Angel of the fourteenth card. In his hands he holds two urns-one gold, the other silver. From the golden urn (masculine) he is pouring life fluid into the silver urn (feminine), careful that never a drop is spilled. This Arcanum is sometimes known as Temperance. Creative force is spent in all human activities whatsoever, whether thinking, feeling or acting. The ancient Initiates had come to understand that in all his activities, whether mental, emotional or physical, the ego must exert control and see that nothing of his divine power was wasted either by "too little" or "too much."
In its cosmic interpretation we note the blending throughout all nature of the electric or fire forces (masculine) with the magnetic or water forces (feminine). It is this blending which produces all the magnificent phenomena of the changing seasons. In the Spring it is the uniting of the forces of Aries (April, masculine) and Taurus (May, feminine), which produces the glorious Summertide which is spread before us in the month of June (Gemini).
The angelic figure of the fourteenth Tarot wears on its breast a square in which a triangle is enclosed. The square represents the number 4, the triangle represents the number 3, which together are 7, the number of growth cycles, and half of the 14 which represents a period of perfected work. This figure in its entirety represents the New Age body of which we have spoken. Man must continue to use a body of flesh so long as he lives in a physical world, but the New Age body will be constructed of finer etheric substance, having all the capacities of today's gross body but none of its incapacities. It will be sensitive to spiritual influences, and super-physical senses (clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, etc.) will take the place of the physical senses of the common body today.
The N-final, signifying 700, associates this Tarot with the 7 of Victory, and, as the last letter of the second septenary N, is again the symbol of the completion of a cycle.
In the ancient Egyptian legends we read that when the god of evil, Set, through envy slew his brother, the great leader, Osiris, he cut the body up into fourteen pieces and distributed them over the land of Egypt. Then Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris, began her search to recover the scattered pieces of his body. Some say this work lasted fourteen years, others say fourteen days-the cycle of the moon from new to full or from full to new. When at last she had found all of the parts of the sacred body, one part was missing which had been destroyed by a fish, and this part she replaced by creating a replica. She then assembled the parts together, purified them and chanted over them the words of life; and into the beautiful and immortal body of light which she had created, Osiris descended again and took possession. The time came when he left the earth to ascend into heaven, and there he reigned forever as the guardian deity of Egypt and her people, but also the savior-god of all peoples everywhere who called upon his name.
This legend hints of the high transmutative power of the number 14.
One of the beautiful romances of the Bible illustrates the kabbalistic significance of the powers of 7 and 14. Jacob saw and loved the beautiful maiden Rachel and desired her for his wife, but he was told by her father, Laban, that he must first prove himself worthy through seven years of faithful service. His love for her was so great that he worked and served as required, and the seven years seemed but as a few days. When the seven years were ended Laban told him that he was still not worthy of Rachel and was given her sister Leah instead, Leah whose eyes were tender. Jacob worked another seven years for Rachael, and again so great was his love that the seven years seemed but as a few days. At last then, after proving his love through fourteen long years, Jacob received Rachel to be his wife.
This is a story of the Path of Discipleship. Many attempt to walk the spiritual highway, but few continue to its end with unabated ardor and enthusiasm. The end of the Path is the Mystic Marriage. The disciple must be willing to serve seven years, and again seven years, while he fashions by his labor the vesture of golden light in which to celebrate the Mystic Marriage.
The prayer for the letter Nun is a prayer of triumph, for it is the song of those who have gone so far on the illumined way that they are ready to pioneer for the New Age. It is significant that this letter, whose number is 50, was important in the esoteric mathematics of the Essenes.
"Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart."
The letter N, or Nun, means "fish" and is the token of all hidden or profound truths. The sign of the fish was used by early Christians as a means of identification or countersign. When ever a Christian came upon this sign he knew that Christians had passed that way. The fish, cosmically, refers to the constellation Pisces, called by the ancient Hebrew esotericists "the sign of the Messiah." Hence Christ was the Great Fish, and all who followed Him were little fishes swimming together in the great ocean of God, "And the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea."
— Corinne Heline
