The Shadow Series: Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Key 10- The Wheel of Fortune & The Shadow Tarot-Key 21- Kurgasiax

The Thoth Tarot Key10-  WHEEL OF FORTUNE, is called the Path of Caph (meaning Fist)  and runs from Chesed (mercy) to Netzach (Victory) on the Tree of Life. This path is on the side of the Tree of Life called The Pillar of Mercy, and connects the Personality to the Higher Self (all Serphiroth above Tiphareth are in the Higher Self). The Path of Caph, has a mediating function and the planet Jupiter is assigned to this Path. Jupiter, is also said to govern the flow of blood, thus reinforcing the mediating function of Caph.

The letter Caph, is a "double letter', meaning that it is a union of opposites, riches and poverty., which are the natural fluctuations of Jupiter's forces on this path. Since this Path is one of the "Gateways to the Soul", the riches and poverty here are of the Psyche itself.

The meaning of Caph (Kaph) is fist, and refers to a completion of an activity, such as, the closing of a circle or grasping comprehension.

This is a cycle, albeit a closed one, the Wheel of Fortune is considered a flow of Karma, which is a state of you get what you put out. The Wheel is an important symbol, besides that of a prayer wheel, it is also the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

This is not a roulette wheel of chance and accidents, for in Qaballah, it is known that we are solely responsible for our own destinies which the words "freedom of choice" imply. The Wheel of Fortune supplies us with what we earn, which can be pleasant or unpleasant.

The interchange of opposites is what makes the wheel Spin, in this case, we have, the Feminine, Geburah :Severity, and the masculine Chesed: Mercy, interchanging their forces and form. This interchange of opposites, is shown by the Ten Spokes on the Thoth Deck card, symbolizing the Ten Sephiroth on the Tree of Life which is a continuity of Force and Form, in equilibrium.

In his work, The Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom, Paul Foster Case calls the Path of Caph, the Intelligence of Conciliation  which would best be seen as a gyroscope, two wheels interlocking within each other, spinning in opposite directions, for this card represents the mediation of activity between rotating and/or moving opposites. The sense being that there is a cyclic and rhythmic  motion of activity, as well as, cause and effect.

What is interesting here, is that on the Thoth Deck Card, the Sphinx is seen as the stabilizing  element in the midst of change and is positioned on top of the Wheel. The ancient Egyptians used the Sphinx image as  the Pharaoh, usually vanquishing his enemies, with lion like power. Later on the Greeks, modified the Sphinx by illustrating it as a women on a  male lion's body. Thus, the Sphinx came to represent the union of  mankind, with the raw power of the animal kingdom, and a balance of male (electric) and female (magnetic) in the same form. Again the union of opposites, is the birth place of all Power.

The Qabalistic concept of the Sphinx is that it is the Synthesis of all Elemental Forces, much like the Pentagram symbol of Man, where the Spirit is the Fifth element above and  added to the four elements of the animal kingdom. In fact, among the documents of the Enochian Mysteries of the Golden Dawn, the Sphinx has four forms, that of a Bull, Eagle, Man and Lion. These four faces are also describe by Ezekiel in the Bible interpretation of his vision.  The Wheel of Fortune, is the glyph of perpetual motion where the flying Eagle balances the Man; the roaring Lion counterpoises the laborious Bull.

THE Qabalistic  21st PATH OF CAPH: Thoth Key 10-The Wheel of Fortune.

* Primary path color: Violet

*Musical note: A#

* Astrological Planet: Jupiter

*Meaning of Caph: Fist

* Hebrew letter-Double Letter: Riches-Poverty

*Esoteric Title: The Lord of the Forces of Life.

The Path of Caph, runs from Chesed (Mercy) to Netzach (Victory). Under Chokmah (Pillar of Mercy), Caph is the connecting Path between the Personality and the Higher Self.

Paul Foster Case wrote in the: 

The Intelligence of Conciliation, implies that this Path, that is the Thoth Major Arcane key 10-THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE  TAROT CARD, has a mediating function.  Jupiter, which is assigned to this Path, is said to govern the circulation of blood.

 To Reiterate:

The Path of Caph, is one of the "Gateways of the Soul" that is attributed the opposites of riches and poverty, which can be considered the natural fluctuation of the Jupiter forces on this Path---these are riches and poverty of the Soul itself, and not of this earth (The earth riches and poverty are governed by the Disks).

The Sphinx (shown on top of the Wheel of Fortune) is the stable element in the midst of change (as the wheel spins). In the tale of Oedipus on the road to Thebes, the Sphinx bared the road and ask a traveler the question: "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the afternoon?"

Failure to answer the question correctly brought on destruction. Oedipus knew that the correct answer was Man, who crawls in childhood, walks on two legs in adulthood, and uses a cane in old age.The Sphinx responded to Oedipus's correct answer by throwing itself into the sea; which is an action replete with meaning for a Qabalist for that is a "return to the Great Sea of Binah".

Recently the Sphinx represents the synthesis of the Elemental Forces (Golden Dawn: Papers on the Enochian Mysteries). This recalls the Pentagram, (symbol of Ascended Man), which is  the Spirit above the four Elements.

The Papers on the Enochian Mysteries even state that there are four forms of the Sphinx: Bull, Eagle, Man and Lion, making the Sphinx the cardinal symbol of manifestation. It is the Gate that one passes through both in birth and death and that Intelligence that controls the passage.

Being the directive power of the Higher Self in Tiphareth; the Sphinx is protective, and a Keeper of the Gates of Day side and Nightside, as gates swing both ways. The guardian keeps the Personality from absorbing more than its system of reality can handle.

The answer to the Sphinx's question is really an extension of the Greek axiom: Man, know thyself!  By throwing itself into the sea, the Sphinx has shown it is no longer needed when the gate is opened; the Gate Keeper was absorbed back into the individual Higher Consciousness, i.e. The Great Sea of Consciousness. The Personality is protected by the Higher Self simply by the destruction of those egos who are unready to pass consciously beyond the restrictions of time/space; which can also be considered as the real death process. Those who know the nature of the Sphinx may pass consciously from one state to the next, while others fall into a deep sleep, a "destruction" of awareness from which the soul gradually awakens into a new condition. In other words to know the answer is to remember "past lives" and to not know is to gradually awaken into a new life deplete of past knowledge. As you can see, this card's information is vaster than just the Sphinx legends, and Greater research is required.

In general, the card means that when the Higher Self brings the Four Elements (alchemy) under control , the vibratory patterns (serpentine forces), become our companion and we are no longer bound to the wheel of mundane existence.

The Three figures on the Wheel of Fortune represent the "Three Alchemical Principles" , which are called in the Hindu systemGunas;

It is generally accepted that the Wheel of Fortune  represents the revolution of natural phases. In the Golden Dawn papers,  Mercury is  attributed to Kether, Salt is attributed to Chokmah and Sulfur  is attributed to Binah., i.e. "The Three Principles of Nature".

The dog faced monkey, on the left side of the wheel, is in reference to the Plutonian, Cynocephalus. Cynocephalus is the not only the companion of Thoth but also the symbol of time and eternity. Thoth, being called the Lord of Holy Words, by the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, is the inventor of writing and scribe for the Gods who records the results of the weighing of the Souls on the Path of Lamed (See the past blog on the Adjustment Card).

Thoth is also said to divided time into months, seasons and years. Thus his companion is Cynocephalus, the symbol for time and eternity.

In a nut shell, the Words of Thoth are the vibratory patterns that turn the Wheel of Fortune. Being quite esoteric here, the Wheel of Fortune means that when the Higher Self, which is that which brings the Elements under control, bestows upon the Personality faithful companions that are the "words"and/or vibratory patterns that free the Personality from the General Wheel of Fortune Karma cycles that governs the "sleeping souls" who "above all things don't know themselves".

The Shadow to the Thoth Key 10-The Wheel of fortune, is The Shadow Tarot key 21 (Path of Caph in the Qliphoth) Kurgasiax, the Gateway to the Three Fates. These Three Dark Ladies called Norns in the North,( Horae or Moerae in Greek) are the Triple Goddess, who mates the unborn human soul to the end of a carefully measured Astral Thread of Silver light, which She plays out yearly until She cuts it, which is the time of death.

As "linodeousa" (Clotho- the Spinner) the goddess binds the soul to Life with Astral thread. The goddess as Cameria ,"catamerizousa', (Greek-Lachesis-The measurer) doles out the thread and lastly, Ialysa, "ialemistria" (Atropos-The cutter), the wailing woman,cuts the thread of Life. All of these actions are represented as dark hands on this card. In reality, She is the Faceless generic pattern of our DNA, our blood inheritance of our race and that of the Nephilim.

Around the central sigil, implying that one cannot truly master one's fate, are the imprints of the fixed stars of the Persians. Here is only the Goddess Herself, Death in Life, as seen through the unalterable influence of Her fated Stars.

When Meditating on Kurgasiax, the powers one hopes to achieve are: 

The Thoth Deck Wheel of Fortune depicts the interaction between the Sphinx, Hermanubis and Typhon, Hermanubis is a dual god, combining Horus and Anubis and is written as Heru-em-Anpu, meaning  Horus as Anubis. Sword in hand, Heru-em-Anpu is often depicted in mythology as the slayer of Typhon, who is illustrated as a snake, Typhon was of Greek origin and was involved in the wars of supremacy of the Gods. But as time develops the complexity of Myths, Typhon became the dark aspect of Osiris known as Set, the combination of these symbols plays out the counter-changing influence of Light and Dark energy. In Quantum physics, Dark Energy is the Pushing Force, the "vibrations" that spins the universe and pushes it outward. This may cause one to wonder if "death" is the pushing force for Life.

When the WHEEL OF FORTUNE and The Shadow Tarot- Kurgasiax card, is thrown during a reading, it indicates that:

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