R. B. Onians, Origins of European Thought, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1st paperback, 1988, p. 127 - discussing the genius of a person, that is the intellect, the mind, the thing that makes one tick. The personality as it were. What he said reminded mje of the Fool Card instantly. "above all the genius is the instinct for enjoyment and natural optimism in the man generally. He who yields to this instinct indulget genio. For Wissowa it is 'the divine embodiment of the generative power active in the man and looking to the continuation of the family. This significance is then enlarged, inasmuch as the genius remotely mirrors and represents the total strength, energy, capacity for enjoyment, in a word, the whole personality of the man, his higher and inner nature... it dies with him.'" On page 129 Onians further notes that the genius was in origin the Roman analogue to the Yuxh' (Psyche) the life-spirit active in procreation, disassociated from and external to the conscious self that is centered in the chest. The genius was believed to have assumed the form of the snake, as was the Yuxh' (Psyche). And of course, here immediately we think of the Magician's belt which is the Uroborous, the snake encircled and biting its own tail, a sign for infinity, or eternity. We also note the snake winding around the tree on the woman's side in the "Lovers Card" also, as well as the descending snake on the Wheel of Fortune Card.
-----------------------------------------
Note from Joe Steve Swick:
1) Alef is represented by the English letter A. It is the letter associated with the Fool Card
However, it is the NO-SOUND: the sound prior to making a sound
-- that which exists PRIOR to
manifestation (The Book of Genesis begins with the letter BETH).
2) Alef is the Hebrew number 1; its esoteric value for Kabbalists
is 0. The
esoteric secret is demonstrated in the following: in Hebrew, the
word for
NAUGHT or NOTHING is LA (Lamed-Alef); the REVERSE of this
(Alef-Lamed) is
AL, or GOD, the root word for ELOHIM.
3) The letter-name Alef (Alef-Lamed-Peh) means "ox" or
"bull." It has a
numerical value of 111 (or 813 with "final P").
4) The letter Alef stands for the element of AIR, and for RVCh,
ruach, the
Life-Breath "which is in and through all things," and
"the LIGHT and LIFE of
men."
5) Alef is the sign of the Fiery or Scintillating Intelligence.
6) The planet Uranus is attributed to the letter Alef.
7) Alef is a symbol for superconsciousness, the Divine Self.
8) Alef is the 11th Path on the Tree of Life, which joins Kether
(Crown)
with Chokmah (Wisdom).
9) Alef is associated with the color yellow, and with the musical
note E
natural.
One may determine the Path number of any Tarot Key by adding 11
to its
associated number value. For example, The Empress is Tarot Key 3.
It is Path
14 on the Tree of Life. Jayanti describes the difference between
a Sephira
and a Path in these words:
"The primary difference between a sephira and a path is that
a sephira
represents a stage of evolutionary development, while a path is
the personal
experience one has when moving from one sephira, or level of
awareness, to
another. Each path also signifies a check and balance point
between the
sephiroth it connects.... [For example,] the Death card, which in
addition
to physical death means spiritual rebirth, occupies the path
between
Victory, human desire and emotion, and Beauty, the sphere
associated with
the fully conscious personality. Death's placement shows us that
certain
desires naturally die off as we become increasingly Self-aware.
Strength
[Key 8], indicating the loving restraint of our natural impulses,
mediates
the spheres of Mercy and Severity. This beautiful card
illustrates the type
of attitude needed to harmonize these potent qualities in our
lives"
(Jayanti, _The Qabalah_, 116-117).
"Every fire that burns is a flame lit and sustained by the
sun. The history
of human culture is the story of man's mastery of fire. Almost
everything we
own has passed through fire, or has been fashioned by machines
driven by
fire. The energy of fuel is IMPRISONED SUNLIGHT. And what more
than the slow
fire in our bodies, lit before our birth, which, while it burns,
is life
itself. Mastery of this vital flame is one of the greatest occult
secrets to
be learned" (Case, TI 8:4).
"The letter Aleph...attributed to Key 0, stands for the
*Divine Breath* that
is the spirit within the entire universe. We directly communicate
with this
spirit every time we breathe. The Life Breath is so subtle that
we forget
how powerfl it is and how it supports everything. Aleph reminds
us, because
as a noun it means the *ox*, a mighty powerful beast, 'strong to
carry the
heavy load of the manifest,' as it says in *The Book of Tokens*
by Paul
Case.... According to Cabalistic philosophy... the universe is
self-fulfilling. It's unthinkable that anything as powerful as
the Life
Force that drives the universe couldn't find what it wanted, that
it
couldn't find a satisfactory expression of itself. There is
nothing to
oppose the Life Power. It doesn't have any enemies. It is what it
is and it
does what it pleases. Opposition comes in when you get to the
level of
polarity. The Life Power creates polarities but IT DOES NOT
RESIDE THERE. IT
RESIDES IN UNITY" (Lotterhand, Thursday Night Tarot 8-9).
"Why does the *Torah* begin with the letter [Beth], the
second letter of the
Hebrew Alphabet, and not with the [Alef]? Because the [Alef] was
granted a
far nobler and important task. It would begin the Ten
Commandments as the
opening letter of the word [ANoKI] -- I AM the Lord, your
God" (Blech, The
Secrets of Hebrew Words, as quoted, BOTA, Hebrew Letter Workbook,
48).
-------------------------------
Fascinating conversation about the "Fool Card" with Joe Steve Swick (JSW) and Friends:
___Elias___
The Fool - Aleph - the life breath - ox
These are the associations that occur to me:
Adam in the beginning; just after receiving the breath of life.
Innocent and
curiously playing throughout the garden of Eden.
His pre-mortal memories are hidden in the bag upon his stick. I
also once
heard this key referred to as representing the "Fool in
Christ", or the
person that appears foolish to the world because he has forsaken
the world.
Actually, you are on target with Adam -- but it is NOT the Adam
you think!
The Fool is about to step off of the cliff -- and into
manifestation. The
CONDESCENSION of the GODS. It is the descent of the Organizing
Principle
into Matter -- the descent of the SPIRIT. Hence the name FOOL, or
FOLLIS --
associated with WIND. If you look carefully at the Sephira on the
HEM, you
will notice that it contains the Hebrew letter Shin, which has a
value of
300 (gemtrically equivalent to RVACH ELOHIM, or The Spirit of God
in
Hebrew). The Fool is the Aleph manifesting into the blood, the
"Dam" (the Hebrew word Md
means "blood," hence the )-Md = the "Aleph-dam" -
"Adam")
If you look carefully on the robe of the Fool (representing lots
of things!)
you will see in the Note the white sun behind; what is that? And
what is
that white flower the Fool holds in his/her hand? Why is the
flower held
BEHIND the body? Why is the background yellow? What's up with
that
red-feather cap and those funky yellow boots? <vbg> What's
the little doggie
all about? What do the mountains represent? And why oh why is
there a pouch
over the Fool's shoulder. <smile>
Actually, I had some discussion about this a few years back,
which
discussion has been preserved on the 'net for posterity. While
the initial
posting is missing, here is the discussion about it.
"JSW" is me, of course.
I haven't located my initial posting, but I think that you get
the flavor of
the thing from what is quoted. -- JSW
___ML___
Thanx for this excellent response. I hope that you won't mind a
few simple
questions. These are based on the ever-lingering feeling that the
Fool
could also represent Everyman, or at least [some kind of]
pre-initiate.
___JSW___
But back to the Robe. With a little thought, you may have come to
the
understanding that the SPHERES are the Sephirot of the Tree of
Life. This
would be correct. It is significant that they adorn the BODY of
the Fool.
The robe is lined with RED, meaning the FOOL has placed the
garment on AT
WILL.
___ML___
I don't follow this. How does red signify an act of will.
___JSW___
[The Garment of the Fool] is bound by a golden belt of SEVEN
SPHERES, -- the
SEVEN HEAVENLY PLANETS. Consequently, this belt is indicative of
TIME.
Perhaps our Fool is God. Perhaps --as the Sephirot tend to
indicate-- this
is Adam Rishmon/Adam Kadmon, the Holy Spirit, which is about to
descend
into.... manifestation.
___ML___
Thanks for pointing out this important parallel with Adam Qadmon.
I notice
that the circles are sewn into his clothing, not a part of his
body. It
seems relevant to our previous discussion implying that the role
of Adam
Qadmon could be divested, like a robe, and given in stweardship
to another.
Does anyone know if the Adam Qadmon lore includes a possibility
that this
could be an assumed role taken on by an act of will?
On the other hand, I think that it is also likely that these
circles could
refer to an impression of the sepheroth in our own bodies, like
the chakras.
Clearly, this is a starkly different interpretation.
___JSW___
The beautiful white undergarment contains another clue. If you
look
carefully about the NECK of that garment, you will notice that
the folds
spell out the Divine Name ... the Tetragrammaton, YHVH, a Name
which
Kabbalists have long known to be gematrically equivalent to the
name ADAM.
___ML___
Excellent!
___JSW___
Now, let us look at only a few other details. Notice that the
Fool --like
all good travellers-- carries a WAND, surmounted by a POUCH.
Among other
things, the WAND and the POUCH represent SEXUAL UNION, or the
ACTION OF
OPPOSITES. This is confirmed by the EAGLE on the pouch, which is
associated
with WATER and with the astrological sign of SCORPIO, which of
course rules
the human genitalia
As brief and sketchy as this information is, it should give you
an idea of
Who the Fool is and where He is headed. I believe that the Fool
is that
Primal Azilutic Man, Adam Kadmon, who is associated with the Tree
of Life.
He is beginning the Divine Descent. As He approaches the edge of
the
precipice -- and yes, He most certainly *is* going to FALL--
(^_^) He looks
to the NorthWest -- the direction of the Unknown.
___ML___
Does this exclude the possibility that the Fool could also refer
to Adam in
Eden? Methinks not, but I am interested in the details here. (Or
are you
saying that Adam Qudom IS Adam in Eden?)
___JSW___
"The first chapter of Genesis should be understood as the
unfolding of the
Creation FROM AN ALREADY EXISTING DIVINE WORLD. While this is
common
knowledge in Jewish esoteric cosmogony, it is still not know to
many people
familiar with the Bible.
___ML___
Interesting parallel with inflationary cosmology there =}. One
difference
though is that inflation does not describe how anything could
move from a
prior universe to a subsequent universe. This idea of
condescension, this
notion of seeding a new universe then entering it, is exceedingly
weird and
difficult to understand. It seems a little unhuman, and I think
that I
might prefer a god who exists in this universe. Maybe it will be
easier to
reach him. He would be the creator of planets, not universes. I
think that
this space mormon angle has greater resonance with the Kolob
current. Again
Adam Qadmon would
be taken allegorically.
___ML___
I hope that you won't mind a few simple questions. These are
based on the
ever-lingering feeling that the Fool could also represent
Everyman, or at
least [some kind of] pre-initiate.
___JSW___
I wish to state at the outset that I believe the Fool DOES
represent
Everyman. He is Adam.
___JSW___
But back to the Robe. With a little thought, you may have come to
the
understanding that the SPHERES are the Sephirot of the Tree of
Life. This
would be correct. It is significant that they adorn the BODY of
the Fool.
The robe is lined with RED, meaning the FOOL has placed the
garment on AT
WILL.
___ML___
I don't follow this. How does red signify an act of will.
___JSW___
Because of its association with human desire. This is also why
the pouch or
wallet is red. And the WHITE rose in the Fool's hand is a symbol
of
PURIFIED desire. This association of red with desire becomes
particularly
interesting in the next Key. You might also wish to compare the
belt of the
Magician with that of the Fool... and note that the Magician's
robe is
somewhat different...
___ML___
Does this exclude the possibility that the Fool could also refer
to Adam in
Eden? Methinks not, but I am interested in the details here.
___JSW___
That depends upon whether or not you want the orthodox
interpretation.
___ML___
are you saying that Adam Qudom IS Adam in Eden?
___JSW___
The early rabbis saw Adam Kadmon as quite separate from the Adam
in Eden.
One is Adam in Azilut, and the other Adam in Beriah. Yet they are
both Adam.
This is no coincidence. Further, the Beriatic Adam is a PERFECT
reflection
of Adam Kadmon.
___JSW___
"The first chapter of Genesis should be understood as the
unfolding of the
Creation FROM AN ALREADY EXISTING DIVINE WORLD. While this is
common
knowledge in Jewish esoteric cosmogony, it is still not know to
many people
familiar with the Bible.
___ML___
Interesting parallel with inflationary cosmology there =}. One
difference
though is that inflation does not describe how anything could
move from a
prior universe to a subsequent universe.
___JSW___
How indeed. I'm not quite certain that it moves from a
"prior" universe to a
"subsequent" universe in quite the way you are
indicating.
___ML___
This idea of condescension, this notion of seeding a new universe
then
entering it, is exceedingly weird and difficult to understand. It
seems a
little unhuman, and I think that I might prefer a god who exists
in this
universe. Maybe it will be easier to reach him.
___JSW___
But God DOES exist in this universe. Do not mistake Azilut for
some other
universe. It is more like another dimension. God exists in all
four worlds
simultaneously; so do you and I. And yet it is our hope to ascend
back up
to the place from which we have descended... to return to that
place whence
we have come, "to God, Who is our Home."
As for the idea of "condescension," I think it fits in
quite nicely with
the Gospel: "Let us go down," say the Gods, and down
They come, in a
perfect act of condescension and love.
___JSW___
Because of its association with human desire. This is also why
the pouch or
wallet is red
___RB__
In the Rider-Waite deck neither the robe nor the purse is red. It
is
definately orange.
-----
The lining of the robe is intended to be RED. It is clearly so in
the BOTA
deck. Regarding the Waite deck, Daphne Moore comments directly:
"The inner lining of the Robe is RED, signifying desire and
action that
springs from that desire" (Rabbi's Tarot, 9).
The lining, the Wallet or pouch, the Triple-Flames, and the
spokes of the
spheres are all intended to be red, as should become clearer from
the quotes
below.
___JSW___
I would immediately draw your attention to the fact that this Key
is the 0
Key -- the NO THING. It is associated with the Hebrew letter
ALEPH, which
makes NO SOUND. As Kushner teaches in Sefer Otiyot: "It has
no sound. Only
the sound you make when you begin to make every sound. Open your
mouth and
begin to make a sound. STOP! That is Alef." (Kushner, 21)
Further, ALEPH is
also the first letter in ELOHIM, one of the 70 mystical names of
God.
___RB___
I am afraid that I do not agree with this. Aleph is a one. In
Hebrew, that
is how a one is made. Generally an aleph means "place a
vowel here". The "A"
sound will generally fit. I hope that we do not neeed a Hebrew
lesson in
vowels here.
-----
Aleph generally makes no sound; hence, it is commonly transcribed
as an
apostrophe: " ' " I have quoted Kushner because my
other sources agree.
"[Aleph] is a glottal stop, produced by closing the glottis
momentarily and
then letting it spring open under the pressure of the
breath" (Moshe
Greenberg, Introduction to Hebrew, 11).
As for the MEANING of ALEPH, and its relation to the Fool, I
think that my
comments will stand close inspection. The Key is the ZERO key,
and yet it is
the FIRST.
___JSW___
The robe is decorated with beautiful green and 10 CIRCLES or
SPHERES.
___RB___
On my card there are 12 circles. Nine have a star in them one has
a heart
and one has a pointing hand and one is blank. The one with the
"shin" also
has a star. I think that you are pulling this too hard on this
one.
-----
Not stretching at all. The Waite deck is meant to conceal some
esoteric
teaching. Look carefully, and you will see that there are ten
spheres. In
the Waite deck, this excludes the two "Flaming" Spheres
--the one on the
hip, and the one on the right breast. The left shoulder is a star
and
crescent moon -- not a sphere at all, but a known Hermetic symbol
of the
action of opposites, which as I elsewhere mentioned, is also
figured in the
Staff and Wallet. The blank sphere on the sleeve is an error, [it
should be
eight-spoked, as] each of the spheres [is] eight-spoked. There
should be 10
spheres:
Ten Sefirot of Nothingness
ten and not nine
ten and not eleven
Understand with Wisdom
Be wise with Understanding
Examine with them
and probe from them
Make each thing stand on its essence
And make the Creator sit on His base. (Kaplan, trans. Yetzirah
1:4)
And these ten spheres contain spokes, not stars. Although she
arrives at
her conclusion differently than I do, note carefully Daphna
Moore's
description:
"There are EIGHT 8-SPOKED WHEELS... The "yellow
Wheels" are the radiant
solar energy... the RED (not orange! -- jsw) SPOKES are the eight
forms of
energy... . There are EIGHT Wheels and in addition, two RED and
YELLOW
figures. The Hebrew Wisdom teaches that for creation there were
TEN
INSTANTANEOUS EMANANTIONS OF THE LIFE POWER." (Rabbi's
Tarot, 9)
While Moore seems to have a problem counting (as Robert
indicates, there are
definately 12 circles on the robe if you are using the Waite
deck), she
nevertheless understands that somehow the markings on the robe
represent the
TEN SEPHIROT. Both Case and Waite agree with her, but I have the
Case quote
at hand:
"The yellow color of the wheel represents air or breath. The
eight red
spokes combine the number 8, symbol of rythm, with the color red,
and refer
to the rythmic action of the fiery activity which sets the
Life-Breath into
whirling, wheeling motion....There are ten repetitions of this
unit of
design, to refer to the ancient doctrine that all manifestation
is in ten
aspects or phases -- 'ten ineffable numerations, ten and not
nine, ten and
not eleven,' as The Book of Formation says" (Tarot Key, 32)
As for the Flaming Sphere, Case comments:
"There is on the right breast of the Fool a yellow circle
enclosing a triple
flame of red. This represents the state of the Life-Breath prior
to
manifestation, when the universal energy...although it has the
triple
potency of expression within itself, has not yet organized that
potency into
the rhythmic, whirling motion" (Tarot Key, 33).
>From this, you can easily speculate on the meaning of the
second such
Flaming Sphere in the Waite Deck, but it should be clear that
even in the
BOTA Deck, it is customary to consider the Flaming Sphere as
separate and
distinct from the Ten Sephirot depicted by the 8-Spoked Spheres.
___JSW___
As may have already occured to you, the letter SHIN is always
related to the
Holy Spirit --Ruach HaKodesh
___RB___
"Ruach" is the Hebrew word meaning spirit. It does not
have a shin in it.
-----
Shin is gematrically equivalent to RUACH ELOHIM. 'It is on this
account SHIN
is called the Holy Letter'" (Book of Tokens, 184). It is
also the reason why
the KOHANIM spread their fingers in blessing when they give the
benediction
at the conclusion of a service (you know, the "Spock"
sign). Additionally:
"The priests must raise their hands so that they are
precisely level with
the mouth, as it is written, 'Aaron lifted up his hands toward
the people,
and he blessed them' (Leviticus 9:22). The cohen-priest must
concentrate on
the fact that his ten fingers represent the Ten Sefirot. As a
result of the
focus of the spiritual force between his two hands, his tongue is
'circumcised,' and his blessing has its proper effect"
(Kaplan, Yetzirah,
36).
Interestingly, Moore notes that Letter ALEPH also shares a
special
relationship with the word RUACH. But that is a discussion for
some other
day.
___JSW___
The beautiful white undergarment contains another clue. If you
look
carefully about the NECK of that garment, you will notice that
the folds
spell out the Divine Name ... the Tetragrammaton, YHVH,
___RB___
It does not have this on my deck for the 0 card. But it does have
it for the
card 15 "Temperance" which I failed to mention.
-----
The Angel in Key 14 is none other than Michael. In the Fool, the
Tetragrammaton is purposely concealed in the folds of the white
garment. In
Key 14, it is not concealed.
___RB___
I generally avoid the gematria game as you can prove anything you
want with
this system.
-----
I rather think that gematria is like chiasmus: there is a careful
use which
can be quite valuable. In fact, some scriptures appear to make
purposeful
use of gematria. But you are correct to note that this has been
much abused.
___RB___
I want to applaud Joe for his excellant discussion.
-----
Thankyoueversomuch!
This has been quite enjoyable.