Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Tarot- Key 17- The Star & The Witches Tarot- Key 17- The Star

Key 17- THE STAR, is the 28th Path of Tzaddi, that connects the Sephiroth Netzach (Victory) to the Sephiroth Yesod (The Foundation). This is the path called the Natural Intelligence, by Paul Foster Case in his instructional text, Thirty Two Paths to Wisdom; natural intelligence because it is the Path of proper approach to the Divine Energy inherent in each person. It is the Natural Intelligence, as it represents the proper use of Imagination----which is Divine Intelligence used in "image making:. Many of us call it the Creator.

The meaning of the Hebrew word, Tzaddi, is Fish hook, implying meditation, a process inseparable from the proper use of imagination. Once we are hooked on an idea, we focus energy (emotion) , and with  the proper software running our brain (wet-ware), the body gets it done. Hence, the physical vehicle, is a power-tool of Imagination and as we all know, with computer run power tools, garbage programing in means, garbage production- out.

 All this may be too much for the culturally programed personality to absorb, but the fact is, you were imagined into being by what we now call the Collective Unconscious, or Universal Unconsciousness.  So for the sake of simplicity, I'll call it the Divine Intelligence.

In the terms of Tzaddi, fish hook, the implication is that there is a merging of two streams of conscious energy, for something is put-in rather than taken out. Here the individual consciousness is attached to the Greater Conscious. In the Tarot/Qabalah, Water is the symbol used for consciousness, making the analogy of the fish hook being put in, pertinent as well. On both the Witches Tarot and Thoth Tarot decks this flow of knowledge/consciousness being put in is shown as water being poured from cups by the Goddess, who is the creator of consciousness.

In the Witches Tarot rendition of the Star, the Great Mother is pouring her water (Mem) on both the Water and the Earth, form earthen ware jugs. The 8 pointed Star or Sun above implies that She is the Mother of every living thing under the Sun/Son; the Son/Sun,is the 6th Sephiroth- Tiphareth -Beauty on the Tree of Life. 

In the Witches Tarot, an 8 pointed star, represents the Planet Venus, and the number 7,as in the smaller seven stars circling the large star, represents the Goddess. 8 rays of light shinning from all the stars, represents healing while the 7 smaller stars, remind one to follow their dreams.

Behind her on a fallen branch is the sacred Bird of Hermes and/or Thoth . Referring both to the Garden of Eden and the Magician Card of Hermes-Thoth-Mercury.

It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word kokab, means Star, but more specifically it means Mercury. The inclusion of Mercury-Magician, implies that we must use the will power of the Magician as the directing force in meditation, to understand this path of Tzaddi. In Qabalah, the 8 pointed stars all refer to the Key number and the opposite composite of Hod- the 8th Sephiroth known in English as Splendor and the Key 8- Strength Card. A vague reference to the raw Natural Kundalini force, that is in all atoms.

The Thoth Tarot-Key 17 card is far more exoteric, in that Crowley's card shows two breast shaped cups, one silver and one gold; " From the golden cup she pours this ethereal water, which is also milk, oil, and blood, upon her own head, indicating the eternal renewal of the categories, the inexhaustible possibilities of existence.  The left hand, lowered, holds a silver cup, from which also she pours the immortal liquor of her life...She pours it upon the junction of  land and water. This water is the Great Sea of Binah; in the manifestation of Nuith, on a lower plane she is the Great Mother".

The repeated spirals on the Harris-Crowley card, are explained by Aleister as the reference to the Universe as described by Einstein and his followers. We live in a Spiral universe, and only in the physical eyesight of the human body are we blind to this spinning beauty, and only see the illusion straight lines. ( I know this to be true for when looking from Tiphareth, I see the human Aura, and its spinning, swirling, spiraling- star- light of beauty called chakras and know that we are all Stars, Solar beings of Wonder and imagination).  Crowley also shows the spinning star light swirling outward from the 7 Pointed Star of the Great Mother, the Star of Babalon (his spelling) that is of the Lust (Strength) card, another card relating to the Natural Raw Forces attributed to Netzach, as the Elohim (Elemental gods of Netzach) are synonymous with nature itself. The number of the Star, 17 reduces (1+7=8) to the number 8 of the Strength card that represents the conscious control of Kundalini Serpent force; a solar, sexual/Law of Attraction force of Nature.

One may note: The Hebrew letter on the bottom of the Thoth Star Card is that of He or Heh, meaning window or sight. This seems to be an error, to the philosophy of the Golden Dawn, Robert Wang and myself, as the letter Heh, is attributed to the Emperor card and not that of the Star. The Emperor's function is determined by the Great Mother Binah, the "All Goddess", and therefore, he is a Window or sight into the Great Mother. He, is not a symbol of the perfection of form under Nature, for that is the Star. She stands between the above and below, "hooking the above and below together", as symbolized as a golden Sun cup and a lower silver Moon cup, with the flow from above coming down throught her and out the silver moon cup to the below. Therefore, she is the firmly established as the Natural Intelligence,  28th path on the Qabalistic Tree of Life.

It helps to understand that we, as Spirit, are not a brain, nor any kind of separate physical device. We are both the Transmitter and the Transmitted of the Psyche. Just as a Radio Transmitter (in our case-Spirit)  transmits frequency "every where but nowhere" at the same time and would be unheard without a radio receiver, so would the frequencies of  Spiral Energy (Spirit) be unheard with out a physical vehicle tuned to that infinite frequency. In this scenario, Spirit is the Collective Unconscious, and the individual frequencies would be Soul Stations while the human vessel would be the receiving radio controlled- robotic - artificial intelligent-power tool and/or an Avatar.

 

In quantum physics, a entity is a point in time which to a timeless energy frequency, is extremely necessary for self awareness. Points in time are necessary for a discriminating creator, for how do you know what you do and what you affect, when you have no way of examining the action? To gather Knowledge, the mind needs an intellectual gathering place---a point in time. The material that the Divine Consciousness deals in is "Thought", something we know exists but are unable to explain its source. It is our "first matter", and in Qabalah, the first matter-thought, is often symbolized as a fish. This concept allows me to take the next quantum leap in examination. Theoretically if we describe the Ocean, as the womb of earth life, ( Imagination is the Womb of idea) we can see that to the Ocean, it is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, for it has no sense of self. However, the fish is made of Ocean and its elements and must exist in the Ocean as a "part of Oceanic imagination"; a self-image, if you will, of the Ocean itself.  And as Spirit ( I AM) must with us (Me), the Ocean flows through the crystallized self -image (Me) that it has imagined into existence, in order to be able to do work. Now I know this is simplistic as an explanation can get, but it should help you in understanding why you have a physical vehicle, and why it is most sacred to Spirit! The World of Assiah, is Malkuth/Earth, the 10th Sephiroth. It is the newest, and greatest achievement of Spiritual manifestation to date. Here, the Purpose of the Universe as "Self Awareness", has become the height of intimacy. Where one can be both, Creator and Created, with a greater sense of Self, than has ever been achieved. So contrary to the "upside down" thinking of our Ruler's, that insist we come from the dirt of earth and must strive to get to "heaven"; instead we are the Mind of Heaven, becoming manifest on earth! This condensed Mind, is the goal and it has been achieved by the Divine Creative as its "self image".

The I AM (Imagination) denotes existence.  The Me of the I AM ME trinity,  establishes the I AM ME as a sensual point in time, i.e. a place and/or a world.

The Path of the Natural Intelligence is the Path of the raw forces attributed to Netzach (Victory). To a Qabalist these natural forces are called the Elohim (Gods of Netzach) and are synonymous with nature itself.  Moreover,the number of The Star, is 17 and when added together (1+7=8) seventeen becomes 8 which is key 8-Lust, which represents conscious control over the Kundalini (Lion-Serpent) whose description is both solar (lion is the symbol of the Sun) and sexual (serpentine force).

It is the sexual vital serpentine force, that makes living manifestations of imagination's "thought forms". As I have stated before, the Kundalini is coiled in Yesod, which is the Foundation of earth manifestation, it is also coiled at the base of our spines, awaiting the time for our "climb back up the Tree of Life".

To many, sex-energy or Kundalini is a word of sin filled lust and emotional turmoil; However, the initiate knows as we encounter the sexual energy in ourselves, we are approaching the Greater Mysteries of Tiphareth, The Solar Logos, the central star of our existence. Of course,"if you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen"  Thus,the Path of Tzaddi-The Star is  important to the neophyte as it is a very powerful Path which points out the proper way to approach the Kundalini...The Divine Energy inherent in all of us.

This process of approach is a kind of yoga (communion) involving the "opening of Chakras" and/or the enervation of energy centers through the process of meditation. This is also the energy we use in the meditation process, being both the goal and means of enlightenment. The Star is the method or means of perfection.

In the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom, the Magus Dr. Paul Foster Case stated that: The twenty eight path [Path of Tzaddi} is called the Natural Intelligence, and it is so called because through it is consummated  and perfected the Nature of every existing thing under the Sun." {the brackets are my own insertion).

Qabalists know the Star Card represents the proper use of imagination, through the energy of meditation.

 Even though meditation feels like a personal activity, successful meditation shows us that it is not we that are meditating but rather, we are meditated! Truth be known, The Higher Self brings the Personality into meditation. In the context of meditation, the Personality uses the Path of Tzaddi, The Fish Hook, in searching for reality in the context of meditation; However, meditation is also The Higher Self angling to pull the Personality up from the depths of self-enclosure which is a reality imposed on us by the physical senses.

The Star Card figure, represents the most pure manifestation of the Great Mother Binah at the level of Personality, preceding enclosure in matter, She is the Same  figure found in The Empress, in her royal regalia; The High Priestess and in The Universe cards,; However, here She is illustrated as unveiled or un-robed, on both the Witches Tarot and Thoth Tarot- Star Cards, further representing Her purity. 

The Star is associated with the love and inspiration sign of  Aquarius. In the ancient world, Saturn was said to govern Aquarius, referring us to Binah and The Universe key 21. 

 Because the Star card represents the universe resolved into its ultimate elements, it relates to many more Paths than any other card in the deck. Thus, I recommend getting the text book by Robert Wang---The Qabalistic Tarot ( A text book of Mystical Philosophy) and studying the many path Charts on the Tree of Life , that he presents in the book.

To the Magi, the Star card represents the "Lower Eden", from which the Personality originates and the Emperor, represents "Upper Eden" where the Fiery Higher Self originates...The Solar Logos. Here to, we see a relationship of  The Star Path (Tzaddi) relating to another Path, that of the Emperor (Heh). The Star card also relates to the Planet Venus, which to the ancients was seen as the "Morning and Evening Star", also referred to as Lucifer, the Most beautiful of all Archangels, referring to the Sephiroth Tiphareth-Beauty, which is the Solar Logos.  Lucifer is not seen as a underworld figure, but rather the Higher Self. But with proper enforcement of propaganda, the meaning of Beauty (Synchronicity) became an Underworld Angel who was so narcissistic that he challenged God----which is the common Christian view. We all must study history to see how the Christians took the names of gods and goddesses of other religions and demonized them, which only contributed to ignorance and lost self-awareness. The truth is that the Latin word Lucifer is similar to the Greek Christos  (Sun, also Zeus Christos or Sun of God) ----both relating to the fiery Sun/Son of God....The Solar Logos and/or our Higher Self.

 

When the Witches or Thoth Star Card-Key 17, is thrown during a reading the querent shall be or will be experiencing:

 If ill defined by the accompanying cards, there can be the experiencing of: 

Thank you for your interest and comments. May you live long and prosper!

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