Inner Shift

Notes on the Major Arcana (Trumps) ===
* Based on William G. Gray’s works
* Images are the Rider-Waite deck (I mostly use the Radiant Rider-Waite)

The Fool the Innocent Quester *Kingdom to Glory [Z]	The Magician Transmutation *Foundation to Glory [Y]	The High Priestess Inner Wisdom *Foundation to Victory [W]
The Empress Culture *Victory to Mercy [N]	The Emperor Right Rulership *Mercy to Wisdom [G]	The Hierophant Bridgebuilder *Wisdom to Crown [B]
The Lovers Love/Partnership *Victory to Beauty [R]	The Chariot Control *Glory to Beauty [S]	Strength Energy Drive *Beauty to Mercy [M]
The Hermit Spiritual Self *Understanding to Crown [C]	Wheel of Fortune Cosmic Cycles * Glory to Victory [V]	Justice Cosmic Compensation *Severity to Mercy [L]
The Hanged Man Between the Worlds *Beauty to Understanding [K]	Death Restorative Change *Severity to Understanding [J]	Temperance Modifying Balance *Beauty to Wisdom [H]
The Devil Opposition *Glory to Severity [Q]	The Tower Catalysis *Beauty to Severity [P]	The Star Guidance *Beauty to Crown [D]
The Moon Dream Consciousness *Kingdom to Foundation [Th]	The Sun Enlightenment *Foundation to Beauty [T]	Judgement Right Discernment *Understanding to Wisdom [F]
The World The Human Condition *Kingdom to Victory [X]	Shields [A] Swords [E] Rods [I] Cups [O] { Truth [U] }

From the Great Unmanifest (or a state of total and complete nothingness)  and pre-Ketheric condition exist what Gray terms the “condensation-condition” as follows:

Ain ~ Nothing (“What now?”)

Ain Soph – Limitlessness (Freedom)

Ain Soph Aur – Limitless Light (Spiritual Illumination)

The concept is of light intensifying from out of darkness till it reaches a maximum focus at Kether which enables God to create the Cosmos. The Divine Consciousness impressed its intention and Will upon Ain (Nothing) using “words” — recall the statement: “And God said: Let there be Light, and there was Light.”

On the way up the Tree we reach Kether and then move beyond to find our “True Selves” in Immortality, a coming into what mystics have called the Divine Union with God.

These concepts are not immediately easy for humanity to comprehend. It is hard enough to even understand the three Supernals of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah. So, its important to contemplate within how you perceive concepts of nothingness, limitless light and spiritual illumination.

Here is another way of looking at Ain Soph Aur espoused by Gray:

AIN
SPH
AVR

Rearrange as such from Hebrew:

ASA – “To be strong, and heal.”
IPV – “Very beautiful.”
NHR – “To flow. Figurative for gathering of people.”

And, as Gray writes, “Surely the story of the Tree cannot be put much plainer than that”?

“This is the Golden Rule of Life. Between two extremities, always choose the Middle Way” is the message of the Three Pillars according to Gray. If you think on your own life you’ll see that this is quite apropos as we navigate back and forth seeking the centered and stable path. The Three Pillars are normally associated with three paths of spiritual dedication as explained below.

The Pillar of Severity {pain} ~ Binah, Geburah, Hod

Corrresponds with the Hermetic Path named after Hermes Trismegistus — followed by ritualists, Qabalists, temple type occultists, and professions that call for a high magnitude of intellectual study and application such as physicists, surgeons, lawyers. The path is of a more serious and formal nature, moving cautiously and with diligent research. Considered to be the most reliable and safest of the paths.

The Pillar of Mildness {pleasure} ~ Chokmah, Chesed, Netzach

This pillar corresponds to the Orphic Path named after Orpheus — it is one of emotion, spontaneity, and exuberance. On this path you would find pagans, artists, poets, writers, animists and so forth. Here there is less of a dependency on rules, dogma, convention and tradition. Many start on this path in their youth and then move to the Hermetic Path later in life.

The Pillar of Mercy {peace} ~ Kether, {Da’ath}, Tiphareth, Yesod, Malkuth

The Middle Pillar is the Mystic Path — a difficult path for most of humanity to follow as it involves a deep purposeful self-sacrificing devotion to Deity. The spiritual level called for following this path is high and only those truly experienced enough in all their incarnations choose to travel its path. Gray calls it a path for “Avatars and Sacred Kings”.

The sephiroth of the Tree of Life lie vertically upon three pillars. These can be seen as expressions of balance (the Pillar of Mildness) between two opposing forces (the Pillars of Severity and Mercy). You can place the Tree around your body as follows: Kether slightly above your head, Chokmah at the left shoulder, Binah at the right shoulder, Chesed at the left arm, Geburah at the right arm, Tiphareth at the heart/solar plexus, Netzach at the left leg, Hod at the right leg, Yesod at the genitals, and Malkuth at your feet. Practice visualizing the Tree standing in front of a doorway or matching them to the parts of your head and face. [Keep in mind that the Pillars will change depending on whether you are facing the Tree or visualizing it within you or behind you.]

Some further ideas to keep in mind when contemplating the Pillars:

• a white pillar for the masculine, a black pillar for feminine, and the
  middle pillar (gold) as a column of light to represent the Moon, Sun and Stars illuminating the Earth
• the three rays of the Druidic symbo of Awen
• the rays from the solar disc of Ankh-en-Aton
• trilithons at ancient sites such as Stonehenge
• the pillars of Boaz and Jachin in the Temple of Solomon

The Four Worlds of the Tree of Life consist of: Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, and Assiah. These are modes of creative force and form in the evolution of the Universe. As Gray writes they amount to “cosmic consciousness focusing itself into material existence through creative cycles of energy seen from four angles of approach”. Each of the four worlds corresponds with a letter from the Great Name of God–IHVH.

Atziluth ~ Origination, I Conceive, Yod

“This is where God actually originates anything by conceiving the archetype in his own awareness.” The principle identifies with a God-name.

Briah ~ Creation, I Create, He

“This is where the concept is carried further along its line of life by leading orders of creative spirits.” The principle identifies with Archangels.

Yetzirah ~ Formation, I Form, Vau

“Here, as the name implies, shape, form, arrangement and all other detailed specifications are given to the concept by spiritual workers with specialized yet limited skills…” The principle identifies with orders of Angels.

Assiah ~ Expression, I Express, He (final)

“This is where the concept emerges into existence as we recognize the term. That is to say, it reaches us through natural laws and channels of consciousness.” The principle identifies with Cosmic Phenomena.

These concepts can be applied to anything you see around you, even the way you were created! They also are the four stages in the development of each sephirah. It is important to remember that creation is a process and not something that happens instantaneously. It proceeds from Spirit to Matter via these channels. Your own creations will follow this same process.

Quotes: Gray, William G.

Qabalistic Concepts

The Sun Signs

Aries the Ram

• March 21-April 19
• First House
• Mars
• Fire
• Cardinal

Taurus the Bull

• April 20-May 20
• Second
• Venus
• Earth
• Fixed

Gemini the Twins

• May 21-June 20
• Third
• Mercury
• Air
• Mutable

Cancer the Crab

• June 21-July 22
• Fourth
• Luna
• Water
• Cardinal

Leo the Lion

• July 23-August 22
• Fifth
• Sol
• Fire
• Fixed

Virgo the Virgin

• August 23-September 22
• Sixth
• Mercury
• Earth
• Mutable

Libra the Scales

• September 23-October 22
• Seventh
• Venus
• Air
• Cardinal

Scorpio the Scorpion/Eagle

• October 23-November 21
• Eighth
• Pluto
• Water
• Fixed

Sagittarius the Archer

• November 22-December 21
• Ninth
• Jupiter
• Fire
• Mutable

Capricorn the Goat

• December 22-January 19
• Tenth
• Saturn
• Earth
• Cardinal

Aquarius the Water-bearer

• January 20-February 18
• Eleventh
• Uranus
• Air
• Fixed

Pisces the Fish

• February 19-March 20
• Twelfth
• Neptune
• Water
• Mutable

Hermetic Qabalah holds to the neoplatonic conception that the manifest universe, of which material creation is a part, arose as a series of emanations from the godhead. These emanations arise out of three preliminary states that are considered to precede creation. The first is a state of complete nullity, known as Ain (אין “nothing”); the second state, considered a “concentration” of Ain, is Ain Suph (אין סוף “without limit, infinite”); the third state, caused by a “movement” of Ain Suph, is Ain Suph Aur (אין סוף אור “limitless light”), and it is from this initial brilliance that the first emanation of creation originates.

The emanations of creation arising from Ain Suph Aur are ten in number, and are called Sephiroth (סְפִירוֹת, singular Sephirah סְפִירָה, “enumeration”). These are conceptualised somewhat differently in Hermetic Qabbalah to the way they are in Jewish Kabbalah.

From Ain Suph Aur crystallises Kether, the first sephirah of the Hermetic Qabalistic tree of life. From Kether emanate the rest of the sephirot in turn, viz. Kether (1), Chokhmah (2), Binah, Daath,(3) Chesed (4), Geburah (5), Tiphareth (6), Netzach (7), Hod (8), Yesod (9), Malkuth (10). Daath is not assigned a number as it is considered part of Binah or a hidden sephirah.

Each sephirah is considered to be an emanation of the divine energy (often described as ‘the divine light’) which ever flows from the unmanifest, through Kether into manifestation. This flow of light is indicated by the lightning flash shown on diagrams of the sephirotic tree which passes through each sephirah in turn according to their enumerations.

Each sephirah is a nexus of divine energy and each has a number of attributions. These attributions enable the Qabalist to form a comprehension of each particular sephirah’s characteristics. This manner of applying many attributions to each sephirah is an exemplar of the diverse nature of Hermetic Qabalah. For example the sephirah Hod has the attributions of; Glory, perfect intelligence, the eights of the tarot deck, the planet Mercury, the Egyptian god Thoth, the archangel Michael, the Roman god Mercury and the alchemical element Mercury. The general principle involved is that the Qabalist will meditate on all these attributions and by this means acquire an understanding of the character of the sephirah.

Source: Wikipedia

Astrology (from Greek ἄστρον, astron, “constellation, star”; and -λογία, -logia, “the study of”) is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of celestial bodies and related details can provide useful information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters. A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer or an astrologist. Numerous traditions and applications employing astrological concepts have arisen since its earliest recorded beginnings in the 3rd millennium BC. Although scientists consider astrology a pseudoscience or superstition, it has played a role in the shaping of culture, early astronomy, the Vedas, The Bible and various disciplines throughout history.

Astrology and astronomy were often indistinguishable before the modern era, with the desire for predictive and divinatory knowledge one of the primary motivating factors for astronomical observation. Astronomy began to diverge from astrology after a period of gradual separation from the Renaissance up until the 18th century. Eventually, astronomy distinguished itself as the scientific study of astronomical objects and phenomena without regard to the astrological understandings of these phenomena.

Astrologers believe that the movements and positions of celestial bodies either directly influence life on Earth or correspond somehow to events experienced on a human scale. Modern astrologers define astrology as a symbolic language, an art form, or a form of divination. Despite differences in definitions, a common assumption of astrology is that celestial placements can aid in the interpretation of past and present events and in the prediction of the future.

Source: Wikipedia

The tarot (also known as tarocchi, tarock or similar names) is typically a set of seventy-eight cards, composed of twenty-one trump cards, one Fool, and four suits of fourteen cards each—ten pip and four face cards (one more face card per suit than in Anglo-American playing cards).

Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play Tarot card games such as Italian Tarocchini and French Tarot. In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards are utilized primarily for divinatory purposes, with the trump cards plus the Fool card making up the twenty-two major arcana cards and the pip and four face cards the fifty-six minor arcana. The terms Major Arcana and Minor Arcana are used in occult tarot and are seldom used by card players. The divinatory meanings of the cards are derived mostly from the Kabbalah of Jewish mysticism and from Medieval Alchemy.

Occult tarot and divination

Tarot reading revolves around the belief that the cards can be used to gain insight into the current and possible future situations of the subject (or querent), i.e. cartomancy. Some believe they are guided by a spiritual force, such as Gaia, while others believe the cards help them tap into a collective unconscious or their own creative, brainstorming subconscious.

Common card interpretations

Each card has a variety of symbolic meanings that have evolved over the years. The many of the interpretations bear striking similarity to philosophy found in the Kabbalah or in Alchemy. Custom or themed tarot decks exist which have even more specific symbolism, although these are more prevalent in the English-speaking world. These are frequently created by amateur philologists who believe that they have a new insight into the proper analysis of the texts of Kabbalah and Alchemy. The literature specifies elements which must be present in each card for the deck to be proper Tarot. Artists are free to represent these elements in any they choose, and they usually try to draw the picture in such a way as to reveal a new truth. One example of how detailed they can get is the Major Arcana card The Moon. This card has several elements including a crawfish (or lobster), which is usually drawn very small, but is rarely omitted. Each card has several meanings, and the reader determines which meaning to apply based on the card’s location in the spread and which cards are turned up around it. Common sense is also used to discard meanings which have no relevance to the question asked.

Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana closely match Anglo-American playing cards, having Ace-through-Ten and four face cards. The face cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Each suit of the Minors corresponds to one of the four Alchemical Elements. Pentagrams corresponds with Earth, Swords with Air, Wands with Fire and Cups with water. The Face cards also correspond to the Elements. The Page is Earth, the Knight is Air, the Queen is Water, and the King is Fire. This makes the Page of Pentagrams, the Knight of Swords, the Queen of Cups and the King of wands very strong cards.

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana are a set of twenty-two cards, numbered zero to twenty-one, with no suit. There are usually many more elements in the images specified by the literature for this set of cards. These cards are often interpreted as describing the normal progression of a truly holy life, and often tell where a person is along their journey, or if they have strayed. Such an interpretation is called the “Fool’s Journey” and it originated with Eden Gray.

Source: Wikipedia

Hermetic Qabalah (from the Hebrew קַבָּלָה “reception”), is a Western esoteric and mystical tradition. It is the underlying philosophy and framework for magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemic orders, mystical societies such as the Builders of the Adytum and the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, and is a precursor to the Neopagan, Wiccan and New Age movements.

Hermetic Qabalah draws on a great many influences, most notably: Jewish Kabbalah, Western astrology, Alchemy, pagan religions (especially Egyptian and Greco-Roman from which the term “Hermetic” is derived), neoplatonism, gnosticism, the Enochian system of angelic magic of John Dee and Edward Kelley, hermeticism, rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, tantra and the symbolism of the tarot where the school was influential in the development of the occult interpretation of these cards. Hermetic Qabalah differs from the Jewish form in being a more admittedly syncretic system, however it shares many concepts with Jewish Kabbalah.

It is most often transliterated with a ‘Q’ rather than a ‘K’ or a ‘C’, distinguishing it from Jewish Kabbalah and Christian Cabbalah.

Source: Wikipedia

William G. Gray (1913-1992) was a British occultist, the founder of the magical order the Sangreal Sodality and author of many books. He wrote extensively on the topics of ritual magic, Hermetic Qabalah, the nature of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. His focus was on the mystical unification of humanity with divinity. For Gray, the purpose of developing contact with higher beings is the joint pursuit of the good and the avoidance of evil in the world and in oneself. In many of his works he places a high value on the use of magic for personal development towards these ends.

His major contribution to the Western mystery tradition and the occult was the development of “The Rite of Light,” also called the Sangreal Sacrament. This was regarded by many, including Israel Regardie,as having given ritual expression to the innermost mysteries of the esoteric orders in a way that did not limit itself to any given religious orientation.

Just before his death he asked author Alan Richardson to write his biography. For this reason leaders of the Sangreal Sodality call Richardson Gray’s “official biographer”. The book, “The Old Sod – The Odd Life & Inner Work of William G. Gray,” by Alan Richardson & Marcus Claridge was published by Ignotus Press in 2003.

Bibliography

• “Lessons Learned from Occult Letters” (1949 [privately owned manuscript])
• “Ladder of Lights, or Qabalah Renovata” (1968/1981/2008 [Helios/Weisers/Sangreal Sodality Press])
• “The Office of the Holy Tree of Life” (1970/1986 [The Sangreal Foundation/Weisers] incorporated into “Sangreal Rituals and Ceremonies”])
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• “Seasonal Occult Rituals” (1970/1986 [Helios/Weisers] [incorporated into "The Sangreal Rituals and Ceremonies")
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• “Temple Magic: Building the Personal Temple Gateway to Inner Worlds” (1988 [Llewellyns])
• “Between Good and Evil: Polarities of Power” (1989 [Llewellyns])
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• “By Standing Stone and Elder Tree: Ritual and the Unconscious”(1990 [Helios/Llewellyns][republication of "The Rollright Ritual"])
• “Evoking the Primal Goddess: Discovery of the Eternal Feminine Within” (1990 [Llewellyns])
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• “Qabalistic Concepts: Living the Tree” (1984/1997 [Weisers] [republication of "Concepts of Qabalah"])
• “Condensation of Kabbalah” (eBook published by Jacobus G. Swart)
• “Language of the Gods” (eBook published by Jacobus G. Swart)

Source: Wikipedia