ROTAE I Trumps 0 to 7Trump IX or 9:
The Hermit
The Yogi
Dharma
The Moon as Mental Sphere
9 is the holy number of the Moon. As Trump 8 related to Trumps 1 and 2, so does also Trump 9. It is the binary Earth-Moon system "reflected above". The Moon, as seen from the magical square, is the most complex system in the solar system. It is, to the superstitious, ignorant "normal" human, also the most obscure sphere. We have cleared away this obscurity, it consisted mainly of ignorance towards the psychic-astral sphere, associated with the dead, the spirits of earthbound individuals, ghosts and incomprehensible psychic phenomena. Spiritism, as opposed to Spiritualism, consisted mainly in an evokation of the Moon-Sphere, or truer to the point: of the Earth-Moon-Belt-Zone. Thus, largely unprepared and ignorant of the true holistic situation, all kinds of phenomena were conjured. They actually appeared, yet mostly at the high cost of loss of vitality on the side of the participants of "séances" and mainly of the "medium" involved. Mediums rarely live long. Also, "Channelers" must be aware of an intrinsic loss of their vitality, associated with their "psychic-astral body". It has been described how entities, Beings of other dimensions or spheres, can "come to life" through the efforts of Man. It is Man then who provides them with vitality. This is not appropriate. Other-dimensional entities should not rely on Man for accruing their vitality, it is Akasha, all-pervading Prana, and the transmuted energies of minerals and animals, as well as of the "elements", that give them life.
This is better described by the addendas concerning the "Law of Three", and the "Law of Seven" and Appendix 4: The Law of Mutual Self-Preservation.
The symbol of the Enneade, as shown within Trump 21, consists of nine points or stations. It is a synonym of "Divine Emanation", and thus of universal Dynamism . This is also the symbolism of Trump 9, especially when one takes into account that quabbalistically all numbers may be compressed to numbers 1 to 9. The final principle governing Creation, as issuing from primal Polarity, is "Dynamic Flux". For an insight into the symbolism of the Enneade, see Appendix 5.
The diligent student of the Book of Wisdom has passed through the first 8 stages by now. Man has developed to be a double-luminous Being. This was actually placed before him to master right at the outset, concerning Trumps 1 and 2.
We will maintain the denomination of The Hermit, with more conviction than Strength. The person depicted on the card is an adept, a keeper of hidden knowledge. He has reached the utmost complexity within the Earth-Moon Sphere. Here he/she understands the influence of the mental-noetic as the transforming power acting on the psychic-astral. Hence the traditional lamp The Hermit holds. Serving humanity, he lights the way, as the full Moon also. Reflecting upon inner wisdom, he retreats and is absorbed by the unfolding yogic powers. Yoga, the dynamic system of balanced inner fusion, reaching for enlightenment, is the traditional way to self-perfection. Yoga, practiced in Hindu fashion or according to Mahayana Buddhism, from which Zen (together with impulses from Central Asia) takes its root, is meant to deliver the individual from the recurring wheel of Dharma, from the cycle of life to death to life. In a modern idiom, it may be said with Jimmy Hendrix in his song "All along the Watchtower":
This is certainly more apt than all the diatribes used by the likes of Aleister Crowley and A.E. Waite in their descriptions of Trumps 8, 9 and 11.
A practice of Raja Yoga, as also a conscientious following of the precepts of Mahayana Buddhism, is certainly a valuable adjunct to the study of Quabbala and Tarot. In the words of the Buddha, recorded in the Dhammapada, chapter nine is called: "Good and Evil". He says: "Make haste and do what is good; keep your mind away from evil. If a man is slow in doing good, his mind finds pleasure in evil." Yet Trump 9 only takes this as a well-meant warning, it has a more profound bearing when Trumps 9 and 11 are seen interrelated, for then "Evil" or rather ignorance must be considered. Still, "Evil", in the Tarot, is considered inexistent, at least within the high spheres to which the Tarot refer. There, this aberration is only an "agent of change", a dynamic force enhancing, furthering evolution.
Watching the confusion of terrestrial interactions is often a good remedy for the solution of inner confusion. The planetary change from Pisces to Aquarius is also a change of dimensions: the way now leads "backwards" towards ever-expanding light and improved knowledge. This necessarily leads to confusion and perhaps even devastation among all those who are not willing to let go of the old rigid structures. Flexibility is most indicated. Outer flexibility is prepared within, as always the mind, imagination and intuition precede the outer manifestation. Yoga and meditation are the time-proved methods to achieve inner balance, needed to attain maximum flexibility and tolerance. The "key" is astral and mental, not physical. It corresponds to the "key-number" of the Moon: 41, a prime number of high complexity. It is directly linked to the second, Khafre Pyramid at Gizeh, and obviously to the great pyramid at Teotihuacan, the "Pyramid of the Moon", opposite the "Pyramid of the Sun". The complexity of the Moon reflects the enormously rich and infinitely variable terrestrial Creation. 18, 108, 1008, 1080, etc. are the "secret" numbers used in connection with the Moon Sphere. The cross-lines in its magic squares are reflective of Polarity, taken to the extreme. 37 (10) to 45 (9) is the "Moon-code" of 1 to 10. The other cross-line, from 5 to 77, jumps by nines, implying a great dynamic "changing force" in action. In the number 77 we find the 14, which is Alchemy in the Tarot (Trump 14). Thereby, through understanding "Sun and Moon", as the ancients implied through their vast structures, Man can understand the Universe, he accedes to the Macrocosm.
As stated in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistos, 9th paragraph,: "Thus the little World is created according to the prototype of the great World".
In accordance with this, the 22 cards of wisdom are also seen as revolving around a "centre", which is placed at Trump 11. Its own "Rota", a wheel of 4 spokes, touches Trumps 9, 10 and 12, 13. This is the psychic-astral or vital-emotional wheel, "turning" in clockwise fashion, i.e. towards the right. Its inner quality is magnetic, thus receptive, Yin. The mental-noetic wheel, whose centre lies at Trump 17, is electric, impulsive, Yang. The "central seat of the Soul" in Man lies at the centre symbolised by Trump 11. Thus the surroundings of Man, the Earth-Moon-Belt-Zone, are amplified and analysed once more, based primarily on the psychic-astral aspects. We find a repetition of analogies already expounded upon within Trumps 1 to 4. The "key" has shifted, yet the subjects repeat. What is new is that the "central wheel" points to a development within Man that is based on his threefold body: physical, astral and mental. The living entity inhabiting this luminous being is called the Soul, or the eternally living spark of God. By consciously setting in motion the astral body, here also called the vital-emotional body, it is perceived to be essentially of magnetic nature and turning towards the right. The mental-noetic body is found to be essentially electric and left-turning. The stable point within these rotating "fields" is the physical body, which is electro-magnetic. Thus the geometric picture of a fully developed human being resembles a "star-tetraeder" with 8 outside "harmonic points" of interaction and a central "point of Self". This was recognised by the compilers of the Quabbala and the whole "vehicle of Man" given the name Mer-Ka-Ba. This highly developed Man, through the counter-movements of the electric and magnetic fields of his subtle bodies, was able to travel the whole Earth-Moon-Belt-Zone. At an even higher advanced stage, the exploration of the mental-noetic planetary spheres was also possible. The initiation for the development of the Mer-Ka-Ba was usually the ninth stage, for all external phenomena up to Trump 8 had to be thoroughly integrated. Any slight imbalance within the personal Mer-Ka-Ba can prove highly dangerous to the practitioner, for by severing one of the subtle bodies from the central Self instant physical death would occur. Thus this tradition was secreted away and referred to only via the "order of Melchizedek", named after the "god-priest" living before the time of Salomon. The dynamics of Trump 9, where the fields can be put into motion, must be seen as centred on Trump 11, i.e. the total human being as expressed by 1 and 1, the double-luminous being. This then refers to the magnetic astral or vital-emotional "wheel" of the Mer-Ka-Ba. The higher mental wheel or field is centred on Trump 17, an eight-spoked Rota encompassing Trumps 21 to 13, touching the lower wheel at Trump 13. Thus the human body, in the language of the Tarot, is divided into the physical body and seat of the Soul from Trumps 1 to 8, whereby Trumps 7 and 8 intermingle with the higher bodies. In other words, the harmonic points of convergence of the physical body with the astral and mental bodies lie within the spheres symbolised by Trumps 7 (mental) and 8 (astral). The astral or vital-emotional body is situated between the spheres of Trumps 9 and 13, and the higher mental-noetic body between the spheres of Trumps 13 and 21. All other spheres have "harmonic convergency points", though the total number of these is simplified to 9 only, 8 "outside" and 1 "inside".
The actual application of the Mer-Ka-Ba is considered more fully within Trump 13 and taken to its furthest conclusions within Trumps 17 and 19, The Star and The Sun.
The Earth-Moon binary system is basically receptive. Without the Suns' rays and the sublime ethereal influxes from outer space it cannot thrive on its own. Thus, Trump 9 placed on top of the I Ching trigram begun with a Yang at Trump 7 and followed by a Yin at Trump 8, should not follow its natural completion towards the sign of Fire: Yang-Yin-Yang. Yet this is left to the readers' appreciation, for Fire may well be significant within the awakening of the snake-like Kundalini power, an aspect of Hindu Shakti, at work within the practicing Yogi or meditating Buddhist. We will prefer to here deviate from the "perfect order", and turn to the "temporal-dynamic", significant of dynamic flexibility. Placing a second Yin at the top of the trigram composed of Trumps 7, 8 and 9, we arrive at Jen: Thunder, Awakening.
Symbolic of spring, the early awakening of light, this is a proper way to proceed further into the mysteries of the Tarot. The Yin of Trump 8, reflective of the Yang of Trump 1, is here adjoined by a second Yin, not reflective of the lower Trumps. This is needed to accede to Trump 10, which necessarily reflects the "upward movement", although it combines all "lower movements" within itself. Since all things change eternally, this cannot represent a whole, basically static "unity", closed upon itself. Jen, "awakening thunder", "sprouting life force", will therefore be followed by an active impulse - Yang - at the beginning of the next trigram.
This symbolism should somehow enter the visible card. Not as lightning, though this may be the hidden meaning of some Tarot decks using Yod, Fire, as apt Hebrew letter. No, it is not Fire in any sense, but the strong impulse of reawakening life. Maybe a gentle spring-rain, a rainbow and light mist. The colors surrounding the central personage should be light green, the Suns' light at early dawn should be indicated.
The number 9, as already stated concerning Trump 8, is symbolic of total change, fundamental change. It is "the number of Change". The triple dynamics of 3 and 3 and 3 are universal, they apply to all of Creation. Therefore, if any card of the Trumps is actually concerned with physical death and life after death on a different plane, then it is Trump 9. Its change is more fundamental than the change indicated by Trump 13, Death. The older schools of initiation have always begun their instruction of the neophytes by a deep and prolonged contemplation of death. What they intended by this was a meditation on the eternal flux of life, from life to death to life. This basic meaning of the 9 should always be kept in mind when Tarot Trump 9 appears.
What station on the Tree of Life is indicative of Trump 9? The inner "settledness" of Geburah, inactive, reflective power, is certainly appropriate. Joined to the equally balanced receptive attitude of Chesed or Gedulah, it is the very inner constitution of the Hermit or Yogi. Therefore, on the only central pillar we have proposed, it is a station further removed from Tipheret than the station of Trump 8 (if Trump 8 is not actually seen as the centre of Tipheret), yet still below Da'ath, on whose eternal mystery the Yogi is meditating. On the "downward" leading path, the 9 is the number of the Moon, in the sense of "nearing completion", for then Malkuth/Yesod are seen as "God's Manifestation", Creation.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of the Lord, chapter 9 is called: "The Way of the Sovereign Wisdom and Sovereign Mystery." This is highly apt. All ancient knowledge and wisdom coincides perfectly.
The Hebrew letters associated must have a quiet, reflective connotation. Tau would do well, were it not by tradition affixed to The Universe, Trump 21. Yet by Alchemy The Universe is highly reflective of Trump 9 . Lamed would do well too, for it stands for harmonious reflectiveness, i.e. meditation. The values of Tau ( 400 ), associated with Saturn, and Lamed ( 30 ), associated with Libra, are not satisfactory. Also their 'analogous' numbers, 32 and 22 respectively, only serve when put and added together: 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 9. Thet, symbolic of Leo, carries number 9 and an analogy to 19. It is usually associated with Trump 11. Of course the element of Water is most symbolic of quiet meditation. This leads us to substitute the supposed "Water" associated with The Hanged Man, Trump 12, and, if any element by itself has any place among the Tarot (which is not in keeping with this study), place it with Trump 9. By "descending" from Trump 21, the station arrived at is Trump 12, so Trumps 9 and 12 are in any case "interchangeable". Thet - Vau - Lamed is good as a trinitary view.
This, astrologically, leads us to a difficult choice: what signs of the Zodiac are appropriate? When The Eagle was still part of the Zodiac, we should have chosen the Sea Eagle, associated with the "Air of the Mind" and the depth of Water. In Chinese Astrology spring and thunder are associated with the Tiger and the Hare. As Cancer was attributed to The Chariot, Trump 7 - which we have rejected for obvious reasons - this may well be its proper place. Cancer has been called the "cardinal element of water". It is also associated with the path from Binah to Geburah on the Tree of Life, and - as animal - surely is not swift to move, so our choice is evident. Associated with the summer solstice, it signifies a time of high light and tranquillity. The rising light of spring will be "pacified" when it reaches its climax. Cancer and Aquarius, associated with the Sea Eagle and the "airy" sign of our time, certainly intermingle harmoniously, there is no reason for dissension.
The Tattwas should reflect this in a dynamic fashion, yet accord also with the correlative "double-meaning" given below.
Within the symbolism of the Grail, it is here that all struggle occurs. The magicians and witches stage their fights, the personages are killed or opposed. The dragons and monsters guarding the sacred well make their appearance. Only the truly innocent survive. No quarters are given, as it becomes evident that a monumental struggle is looming. In Nordic symbolism, Fenrirs' Wolf is cracking his chains, the powers of restraint do not function anymore. Were it not for the high yogic powers of the "guardians of the world", the imposition of peace by the Mahasiddhas, residing within the higher dimensions, the terrestrial forces would be thrown into havoc. Here the Hermit is revealed as a great power, a hidden master of high attainment. By the force of the universal change implied by number 9, he/she will strive to keep a balance where normal terrestrial knowledge and possibility has ended.
It is at this point, in the Grail legends, that King Arthur has his monumental dream, wherein he sees the entire universe as a wheel. This points towards a solution to the struggle, but will become apparent only when King Arthur recounts his dream to others. This is symbolised by Trump 10.
In the Nordic symbolism of the Edda, attention also wanders from the havoc to the wheel grinding out the fate of the ages: Amlodhi's Mill. The wheel here is a mill-stone turning. Hamlet is the modern name of Amlodhi. On the surface of Earth it creates the Maelstrom, the "grinding whirlpool", that sucks everything down into the depths. The symbolism is clear: the speed of change is accelerating, the world changes from one zodiacal sign to the next. Also, the Shakespeare play Hamlet clearly shows the intrusion of psychic-astral and also mental forces on the terrestrial plane.
The Hermits' lamp, as is the case in some card decks, should be associated with the millstone, as the hermit is already a westernised Yogi. The western mythology of the Druids and of Hyperborean descent, already partly included in the Tarot, can be further expanded upon. It only reflects what was and is also known in oriental myth and legend.
Trump 9 has been shown to represent the complete unfolding of the 3rd Manipura Chakra, and thus the navel or solar plexus in the whole, total Man represented by all 22 Trumps, is placed within the sphere of Trump 9. The solar plexus is the most dynamic Chakra, blending the physical and astral body with the mental impulses from above.
The inner constitution of Man, of elemental might, psychic and mental rank, and harmonious elevation, is threefold. Thus the Law of Three finds its perfect application within Trump 9. The higher and lower bodies converge, and become more mentally refined, ever more refined and pure. This is the basic aim of Yoga and Zen (Dharma).
The Tattwa symbols are those of Water and Air, with Earth and Fire placed appropriately to create a "secret hiding place" where meditative concentration is possible. Outside, the symbolism should correspond as to Cancer and Aquarius, as mentioned above.
The significance of Trump 9, in a spread of the cards, always related to the Moon-Sphere as illumined by the Sun, is mainly an invitation to consider and penetrate the psychic and astral phenomena. Not by any practices of invokation or evokation, but by sound mental judgment. This last is also to be applied in daily life, it will be the aspect that needs most consideration.
A possibility of anxiety or fear signifies a negative reaction to ever-deepening insight. This then is relevant to the swift changes of the time. It must be stressed that no "old and rigid" values are of worth. Flexibility is attained by harnessing the mind and forcing it into quiet reflection. This, as also number 9 is somewhat associated with illness and even death, is the best attitude. If an inner disharmony, a lack of balance, had manifested in symptoms of bad health with Trump 8, then here even death may be the result. When leaving the body, the individual first enters the psychic-astral sphere. This is not reassuring, if the existence of an eternal mental-noetic sphere is ignored or rejected. The "soul", this mental-noetic entity, is a "spark of God", an integral part of universal life. Meditation on the eternal flux of life is indicated. Death does not change this, it is the door towards a higher sphere, eventually leading back to physical life. Death is the beginning of a great adventure, curiosity and total confidence in the beneficence of divine will should be associated. The ancient texts, myths and legends, speaking of the afterlife as a great reality, they are not wrong, they are true. Trust in the high protective agencies is essential, it is the guardian angels which will accompany us beyond physical death.
With such a strong indication of change, plus the eventual mastery of the psychic-astral spheres, all manner of alchemic transmutations are indicated, especially those who necessitate a swift result. Thus the nature of polarity is partially exposed: what is quiet and meditative on the one hand, only mentally confronted with the swift and possibly confusing changes in time, on the other hand grasps this possibility to ensure swift passage, a profound transformation.
We may therefore say that Trump 9, just before the whole manifestation of the double-polar magnet in its universal significance (Trump 10), expounds on the mystery of Polarity, the eternal flux from being to non-being to being: from the manifest, incarnated soul to the immeasurable Tao and back through the spheres into manifestation.
The human being indicated by a spread of the Tarot, when confronted with Trump 9, is well advised to take a long and seeking look at his whole surroundings, fathoming its iniquities or imbalances. By a meditative effort he or she will then be better able to decide which path is most appropriate: to retreat and ponder the situation, or to advance swiftly towards change.
In meditation all kinds of incense can be used, based upon the actual mood and inclination preponderant. In all cases, Sandalwood, Rose, Myrrhe and Frankincense are the most harmonious. Other flowers may be added. Cinnamon would strengthen the mental associations. If any drugs are appropriate to deep reflection is up to the individual to decide.
We may here add that certain drugs are more beneficent than others, yet always only in the hands of an experienced and ripe individual. In contradiction to A. Crowley, among others, the effects of Anhalonium lewinii, Mescaline, are not entirely trustworthy and beneficent. The possibility to "split the psyche" is much larger than with the use of Psylocibe, Psilocybin. These mushrooms are "well-grounded" and hardly have negative effects. Of the synthetic drugs, it is LSD that is both the strongest and most "mental ethereal". Due to its sometimes extremely forceful action, it is recommended only for those who know well how to handle any "discrepancies of vision and feeling" that may be encountered. The presence of an experienced man or woman is highly advised. For the use of Psylocibin and LSD we advise a close study as to "set and setting" as laid down, among others, by Timothy Leary and Alan W. Watts (The Joyous Cosmology, Pantheon, 1962).
Hashish and Cannabis are the soft drugs that may widen the scope and add depth to meditation and discussion. If these and maybe newer drugs like Ecstasy are trustworthy must be left to the individual to decide. Alcohol is only advisable as a short-lived excitant, as with Champagne, rare and old Whiskey and soft, very aged wines. Tequila and Mescal are strong "exciters", definitively not to be abused. As to other drugs, the reader is advised to study the literature closely before using them (examples of these drugs are: Yage or Ayahuasca, Salvia divinorum, etc.).
The reader will hopefully appreciate that the connection of drugs with Quabbala, Magic, Yoga and Alchemy is only touched upon here, associated with Trump 9. Why? Because, if ever confronted with physical death and/or the necessity for extreme swift change, then drugs may have a major role to play. Instead of being "put to sleep" with Morphine or Tranquilizers, it is highly preferable to apply a "transcendent stimulant". This has been shown by a multitude of medical studies, and in this case we agree with a non-conformist view of using "evokative" chemicals. Alchemy and Witchcraft, also resembling Trump 9, have always made use of these agents, "agents of change" as they were called.
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