The Shadow Series Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Key 17-The Star & The Shadow Tarot- Path 28-Tzuflifu

The Thoth Key 17-The Star, is the Qabalistic 28th Path on the Tree of Life.

The Star card represents the Universal Principle of  Self-Esteem and Confidence.

In many religions the Star is a guiding light, the Star of Bethlehem and the Star of David are good examples.

In Astrology the Star card is Aquarius, the water- bearer. This card represents Self-Trust; the multiple crystals intimates that with self trust we see things more clearly.

The two seven pointed stars spinning their way towards earth represent the radiating confidence of the Spiritual light that actualizes ideas through our very natures;

reminding us that we are an opening in time/space through which the Absolute can manifest. Self Confidence gives us the freedom to be spontaneous in our self- expression. When we have the courage to be ourselves, like running water, we are dynamic and life changing.

If you have seen the human aura, you would know that each of us is an individual star of dynamic and passive creative- energy- conscious peering into the realms of planets! As in all things, powerful content needs strong containers, and as Chalices of Spirit the human body is only as strong as the energetic identity it contains! Self-trust, allows us to flow from above and flow out to the below (earth) as a dynamic creative force.

The Qabalistic Thoth Tarot Key 17- THE STAR, is the 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 proper software running our brain,the body gets it done. 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 Universal 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.

It helps to understand that we are not a brain, nor any kind of separate physical device. We are both the Transmitter and the Transmitted. 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 crystalline-radio controlled- robotic -power tool. (see diagram of simple crystal radio)

 

In quantum physics, an 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 you are transmitting? 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 , the I AM ocean must ,  flow through the crystallized self -image (Me) that it has imagined into existence. This gives the Spirit/Consciousness the ability to do work on Earth. 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 I AM (Imagination) denotes existence, the Me establishes existence as a sensual point in time, i.e. a living place.

The 28th 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). As I have stated before, the Kundalini is coiled in Yesod, which is the Foundation of earth manifestation.

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,who is 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 Serpent or Spiral 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  sexual-meditation. But fear not oh panicked celibate, Kundalini is also the energy we use in the individual meditation process (somewhat less potent), being both the goal and means of enlightenment.

The Tarot key 17, Star denotes the method or means of perfection. In the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom, the Magus 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).

 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 female figure on the Star Card , 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 unveiled, un-robed,  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 key21. 

 

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, i.e.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 Arch-Angels, referring to the Sephiroth Tiphareth-Beauty, which is the Solar Logos.   Therefore Lucifer is not seen as a underworld figure, but rather the Higher Self of Nature. But with proper enforcement of propaganda, the meaning of Beauty (Synchronicity) became a Underworld Angel who was so narcissistic that he challenged God, or such 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 of God,The Solar Logos and/or our Higher Self.

The Shadow Tarot-Path 28-Tzuflifu has been called/subtitled The Emperor by the author Linda Falorio, thus she is acknowledging the connection of the Thoth Star key-17 with the Thoth Emperor Key 4 that is the path of Heh (meaning window) combining both meanings on her Shadow Path 28.

She States:" Passion and courage are demanded fearing neither men nor gods to establish life out-side traditional male-female roles in defiance of cultural prejudice."

Thus there is a feminist approach to this Tunnel of Tzuflifu, as it is about the destruction of the Aeon of the Patriarch. This Tunnel is purported to be the black hole behind the star Sirius. In past blogs, Sirius was named as the origin in the sky, of the Nephilim or creators of mankind. 

Here she compares the Ancient Egyptian Cat-Goddess Bast, goddess of the desert and of sexual heat to the Tunnel of Tzuflifu.  Bast is or was known as an implacable goddess of ruthless feminine passion and here is shown as a future consciousness in the shape of an enraged hyena (Anubis), exalting the genitalia of Uranus. (shown here in an ancient Greek depiction)

The lunar crescent surmounted by a spiral disc  represents the power to dance between the worlds of matter and anti-matter. The dark serpent around the Waist of the Goddess image, signifies her power over the Phallus.

Which is a given to a Gnostic, since from the Womb of the Great Mother, came the Phallic Father. (illustrated is an artistic interpretation of Bast and Anubis)

Therefore, Tzuflifu, restores woman back to her rightful place as equal to any man. For in order to build a He, there had to be a She!

Also represented on this Shadow card, there is a tripod of the Oracle made of human skulls and leg bones, surrounded by the Kali yantra (Hindu destroyer Goddess Kali) as a symbol of the Ultimate feminine power over life and death.

The fiery bat like demons or furies she has illustrated on the card, represent revengeful spirits born of the blood of Uranus, punishing those who sinned against woman.  Which rings true, if you know that the Anglo-Saxon word  Lady, means "Doler of bread" and Lord, meant,"Guardian of bread." Husband, is an Anglo-Saxon word for "keeper of her property".  The Anglo-Saxons believed that woman owned property, and the man guarded it. This goes along with the Gnostic understanding, that Form is the property of the Divine Feminine, and Force is the property of the Divine Masculine.

 If ill defined by the accompanying cards, there can be the experiencing of  dreaminess, and deceived hope. This is rare, so basically the querent is or will be, experiencing freedom from all masks, illusions and restrictions while being replenished by the pure waters of the Universal Unconscious.

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