The Tarot of Eli, LLC: The Thoth Tarot-0-The Fool

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The Thoth Tarot, created by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris, is a renowned and influential deck in the world of Tarot. It was designed between 1938 and 1943, with Crowley providing esoteric knowledge and Harris bringing the artistic vision to life.

1. Symbolism and Imagery: The Thoth Tarot is rich in symbolism and esoteric meaning. Each card is a visual representation of Crowley's teachings on Hermeticism, Qabalah, astrology, and various mystical traditions. Lady Harris's vibrant and detailed artwork captures the essence of these complex ideas.

2. Qabalistic Influences: Crowley, being deeply involved in Western Hermetic Qabalah, infused the deck with Qabalistic principles. The cards are interconnected with the Tree of Life, and the symbolism reflects the spiritual journey through the sephiroth and paths of the Qabalistic tree.

3. Astrological Correspondences: Astrology plays a significant role in the Thoth Tarot. Each card is associated with specific astrological attributes, allowing for a deeper exploration of cosmic influences on the human experience.

4. Thematic Structure: The Major Arcana follows a specific thematic structure, representing the Fool's (hero's or heroine's) journey through spiritual development. The Minor Arcana, divided into four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks), explores various aspects of daily life, emotions, intellect, and material concerns. Therefore, the Major Arcana can be compared to a Map overview of the entire journey, while the Minor Arcana, is the terrain to be encountered during that journey.

5. Crowley's Thelemic Philosophy: The Thoth Tarot is also infused with Crowley's Thelemic philosophy, emphasizing personal will, spiritual evolution, and the pursuit of one's true purpose. This adds a unique and individualistic dimension to the interpretation of the cards.

6. Controversy and Mastery: The Thoth Tarot has faced controversy due to its esoteric and unconventional nature. However, many practitioners appreciate its depth and consider it a powerful tool for self-discovery and spiritual growth when mastered.

In conclusion, the Thoth Tarot is a masterpiece that blends mysticism, symbolism, and artistry. Its complexity and depth make it a valuable resource for those seeking to explore the intricacies of the human psyche and the mysteries of the universe through the lens of Tarot.

The Fool is the most esoteric of all the Major and Minor Arcane. Every card in the Tarot Deck is an aspect of THE FOOL-0, and therefore, 78 distinct aspects of your Psyche. Therefore, the Fool is the Beginning and the End of the Soul's journey that we often call "a life journey".

As a Path, THE FOOL connects Kether -1-(Crown) with Chokmah-2- (Wisdom). To the Qabalist, Kether is known as the Source of All, and Chokmah is known as Father God or God of the Covenant which is an aspect of the Divine Creative who is a complete Divine Creative as both Father (Chokmah and Binah-0=2.

The Path of Aleph, meaning OX, is about the "flowing of Life Force and creative power", showing the "SPIRIT'S (Divine Will) aim to be that of final manifestation on Earth and/or Sensual Being. Crowley symbolizes this "Holy Spirit" (The Spiritual Will on every level of the Tree of Life) as a dove in the Thoth Deck Card. Crowley also called

The Letter Aleph, a phallic symbol.....but then so is the Projected Will that is THE MAGUS, and one wonders if Crowley was so besotted with the Phallus, that he was unable to see anything else; However, truth be told, only by reference to gender and sexuality do we come to the minutest glimmering of understanding about the interfacing of the photonic and electromagnetic Universe.

To even begin understanding THE FOOL, we must entertain a multifaceted and fluid interpretation of Will, Force and Form.

Dr. Paul Foster Case, founder of the B.O.T.A., calls this Eleventh Path, in his book THE THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM, the fiery or Scintillating Intelligence. which makes sense as The Path of Aleph boarders on the Limitless Light (Ain Soph), which is "not" or "naught" which means has no mass; Light without mass or limit which is darkness to us who need a mass created by beginning and an end to see. So here we try to explain what can't be seen as The Fiery Darkness which is the possibility of vibration or motion and the First Perception of the One having potential for activity.

In the context of Masculine electric sexuality, the Fool is the Testes, (represented by the three flowers beneath the spread legs of THE FOOL) and the Magus is the Phallus, as He directs active first flow from the Fool rather than potentiality doing so. However, I fear that is a limiting concept of the ONE-----as the Ain Soph is "No-Thing", but then, all concepts are less than the potential for full conception.

We may reason that the potential for thought comes from Dark Energy as Dark Matter (The First Material). The appearance of thought emanates the Light/photon Mind, which is the vessel for thoughtful ideas and/or Womb of thought forms, i.e. The I-magi-nation, transcending all reason which must have measurement. Thus, our reason leaves us with more questions than answers but necessarily so because we then must build measurements to create the answers! Hence, all things are "just imagination" until they can be set to measurement.

Limitlessness is an exceedingly difficult concept! To say that THE FOOL represents the initial potential for thought which transcends reason, is about the best I can do with words. However, the special reality we may touch in sleep, often gives us images that do not correlate to our mundane understanding of reality, so our dreams are often so abstract that they are considered as nonsense to our waking consciousness. However, the Great Work (As above so below) involves the assimilation of The Real, not a reality conceived of mundane ideas based on self-absorbed survival thinking. And the Real Concepts are from "what is Not" making "What is" from measured Dreams of what was Potential- Self!

To think of the Universe as "the Divine Creative Dreaming" (Darkness Dreaming it is Light) is very difficult to grasp, and the fact that you are a "Lucid" Dreamer (Image of the Divine Creative), who has been given the "Power of Observation", meaning you can change the Perspective of "things" just by observing them, is just about as mind boggling as it gets....and just such a glimmer of insight requires a "beyond the Mundane" understanding of Self! This is easily compared to the Vishnu-Yoganidra who sleeps and dreams the universe (The Universal Collective Unconscious) and the Vishnu born of The Yoganidra's heart chakra that dances in the universe.

In Hindu mythology, Vishnu exists in both the sleeping and waking states, each embodying different aspects of cosmic order.

1. Sleeping Vishnu (Yoganidra): Vishnu in his cosmic slumber (Yoganidra) rests on the serpent Ananta (or Shesha) floating in the cosmic ocean. In this state, Vishnu dreams the universe into existence. This sleeping state symbolizes potentiality and the unmanifest aspect of the universe, where creation, preservation, and destruction happen within his dream. The cyclic nature of the cosmos is tied to Vishnu’s cosmic sleep, and when he awakens, the universe dissolves back into him, signaling the end of the cosmic cycle.

2. Awake Vishnu (Active Manifestation): While Vishnu dreams, he simultaneously manifests through his avatars to maintain cosmic balance and act within the universe. In his waking state, he takes forms such as Rama, Krishna, Narasimha, and others. These avatars intervene to restore dharma (cosmic law), emphasizing his role as the preserver and protector of the universe. Here, Vishnu is active within the dream (the universe), interacting directly with beings, guiding them toward righteousness, and correcting imbalances.

In this way, Vishnu exists as both the transcendental, dreaming deity and the immanent, active force within the universe, harmonizing the cosmos from both planes of reality. His dual role mirrors the balance of the passive and active principles in creation.

Thus, your Divinity is not often acknowledge by the mundane; However, your Womb, the conception of "the image of God", is the invisible Sephira, Daath (knowledge), which is the Path Where Goddess (Understanding)/God (Wisdom) meet face to face (Tibetan, Yab Yum) and is known as the Path of Daleth-THE EMPRESS, your Spiritual Birth Mother/ Feminine Principle of the Divine Creative! Here also is the concept of one dreaming of "other": where "I" dreams it is "Am". Where o=2. "I" is the Dreamer inseparable from the dream, while "other" is other than the dream and can both observe and thereby, transform the dream. I Am is the Divine Creative. What "I AM" is always theory until it manifests as an operative avatar who dances in the Universal dream: in other words, the one whose motion can transform the dream.

On the Qabalistic Tree of Life, all the Paths leading upward to Kether, THE FOOL, THE MAGUS, AND THE HIGH PRIESTESS, must be approached with a certain understanding of whimsy, as we realize that by crossing the Abyss and approaching Kether (As above, so below) means the total annihilation of Self as we perceive it, thus presenting us with the irony of our attempt to grasp such esoteric and refined principles from an earthly-mundane perspective. Often, when teaching the Major Arcana and knowing what I say, cannot truly convey what I am saying, brings a smile, if not outright laughter to my face. To me, The I AM potential is ironically displayed as a limited conception--a Me. Being a "Me" must never be taken too seriously, for that concept will change daily, when one enters the Higher Self of I AM.....me is just what understanding the difference between I and Am produces. I can be considered Chokmah-wisdom, and can be considered to be Binah-understanding, the Priestess and /or High priestess is the knowledge produced (Daath). The Priestess is "knowledge", and she gives birth to souls.

When examining the Fool, one gets to the point of Tetragrammaton (YHVH), the "secret name of god". Crowley summed this up as: "The Union (Communion) of the Father and Mother produces Twins, the son going forward to the daughter and the daughter returning the energy to the Father; by this cycle of change the stability and eternity of the Universe is assured." To understand this, it may be necessary to go back through history to the Matriarchal age. It was a time where succession was not through the first-born son but through the daughter. The King was not ruler by inheritance but rather by the right of conquest. In the stable societies of the time, the king was a stranger, a foreigner. He then had to kill the old king and marry the daughter.

The Anglo-Saxon word husband meant, "Keeper of her property". So, the King was a caretaker, and the Queen was the Owner. The Fool -0-being the symbol for the One Energy, which cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed thereby becoming 2. Therefore, all the relationships heralded in the Tarot cards, are simply aspects of O, twisting itself into 8, and becoming "Two who are One" and/ or male and female.

Respect for the wandering mad-man or lunatic runs high throughout history. As it still does in India and other Asian nations. In fact, a common quote in medieval times is, "This queer stranger? Let us entreat him kindly. it may be that we entertain an angel unawares."

Study into Percival, Mako-the son of Set, or Sebek (crocodile god), or even Hoor-Pa-Kraat may help to explain the Fool cosmogony.

On the Tree of Life, the first is Kether-0-, who represents the Pure Energy, which is an aspect of pure No-thing as Force and Form hasn't been invented yet. In Kether's manifestation of the Pure Energy, he is not one but two; His divine name is Eheieh, which means "I Will Be" but he is only One because he is zero. One leads to nowhere, which is where it came from. So, the only possible beginning is in Two, Kether (crown) and Chokma (Wisdom)/Force and that manifestation must be silence because the number 3, Binah's number (understanding-Form) has not yet been formulated.

In other words, there is no mother, Binah is the Virgin Mother, because Male is a Form of Force, and no Form has yet been invented, so When Binah, who is Understanding, is impregnated by silent Will to be, she has still not known a male! Male and Female where both invented at the same moment when the Twins were born from silent Wisdom impregnation of "I Will Be": that is I AM. Therefore, with Kether and Chokma, there is impulse but nothing else, until Binah is formed out of Understanding. Only when impulse is interpreted, does it become "The Word", or the Logos, i.e. the womb! I could go on and on confusing you until abject despondency, but this is enough to stimulate a unique perspective about the Universe, one that is "I AM ME".

The Fool -0 is not a key card, for key cards are about doors or gateways of knowledge being opened. Nothing has nowhere to go---so it 0. It is all the Power that ever was or will be but hasn't yet been.

The design of the Thoth Fool card represents many mythological explanations of this Principle:

1. The Thoth Deck Fool has the horns of Dionysus Zagreus, and between them is the phallus cone of white light---indicating the influence of Kether-Crown, upon him.
2. His background is Air, drawing from Space and his attitude is that of one bursting unexpectedly into the world. A good simile for Time.
3.  He is clad in the Green of Spring and wears the Phallic gold shoes of the Sun.
4.  In his right hand is the Wand tipped into a pyramid of white---simulating Kether.
5. In his left hand is the flaming pinecone, indicating vegetable growth under the same Fiery influence of the White light, as well as the Grecian cone topped Wand of Dionysus known as the Thyrsus.
6. From his left shoulder, hangs a bunch of bagged grapes, representing sweetness, fertility, and the basis for ecstasy (Ecstasy gave birth to the Universe); shown by the stem of the grapes forming into rainbow hued spirals; The form of the Universe as a collective.
7. Upon this spiral whorl are other attributions of the "godhead"; the vulture of Maut, the dove of Venus (Mari, or Isis) and the sacred ivy of the Devotees of the Green Man.
8. There is also a buttery fly of many-colored air, a symbol for the Soul and the winged globe with its twin-serpents, which is echoed by the twin infants embracing on the middle spiral. 
9. Above is the benediction of three flowers in one (Kether, Chokmah, Binah).
10. The tiger (fear) is fawning unnoticed on his leg.
11.  And beneath his feet runs the Nile with lotus stems and a crouching crocodile (Sebek).

The whole Fool card is a glyph of the Creative Light which is Dark Energy and unseen by the naked eye.

Unless there are many surrounding cards of a very spiritual nature or the position of the Fool card is thrown into a highly spiritual position in the reading, a more mundane reading of the Fool card is often warranted.

In Gematria and Numerology, the concept of zero is quite different from how we typically understand it in modern mathematics. Let's explore its significance in both systems:

Zero in Gematria

Gematria is a Hebrew alphanumeric code where each letter has a corresponding numerical value. In traditional Hebrew Gematria, there is no explicit symbol for zero. This is because ancient systems of numeration, like Hebrew, Greek, or Roman, did not originally include the concept of zero as a number. Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet represents a specific value, starting from 1 (Aleph = 1), and there is no letter or symbol assigned to represent "nothingness" or zero.

In Kabbalistic (Hebrew mysticism) or Qabalah (Western Hermetic Mysteries) thought, however, zero can be symbolically interpreted. The concept of "Ain" (אין) or Ain Sof ("limitless" or "infinite") is sometimes associated with the idea of zero. It represents the void, the unmanifest potential from which all creation emerges. In this sense, zero symbolizes divine nothingness or pre-creation—the infinite source from which numbers, existence, and creation come into being.

So, while zero isn't used as a number in the traditional Gematria system, it carries a profound mystical meaning as the source of all numbers or the primordial void.

Zero in Numerology

In numerology, numbers are often reduced to single digits, and the concept of zero isn't always included in standard calculations. However, when zero appears, it is considered to have special significance. Zero is often interpreted as:

• Potential and the Void: Similar to its mystical meaning in Gematria, zero in numerology is seen as the number of infinite potential, representing both everything and nothing. It is the womb of creation, from which all things emerge but which itself holds no specific value.
• Cycles and Completion: Zero also symbolizes wholeness or completion, as it can represent the full circle. In this way, zero suggests the idea of cosmic cycles, eternity, or returning to the source.

In numerology, zero can amplify the energy of the numbers around it. For instance, in the number 10, the "1" (new beginnings) is enhanced by the zero, giving it the power of unlimited potential.

Summary

• Gematria: Zero is not assigned a numerical value, but is associated with the mystical concept of Ain Sof—the infinite or the void from which creation originates.
• Numerology: Zero symbolizes infinite potential, wholeness, and completion, and often serves as a magnifier for the numbers it accompanies, representing the unmanifest potential of all creation.

In both systems, zero is a profound and spiritual symbol, representing the void, infinity, and potential rather than a mere numerical value

When thrown during a reading, the Fool represents.

• Ideas, thoughts, spirituality, and that which endeavors to rise above the material world.
• However, if the question of the querent is regarding a material event of ordinary life, this card is not well defined. Herein, it shows folly, foolishness, stupidity, eccentricity and even mania.
• The Fool is too ideal and unstable to be good in material things.
• The Fool is more about a willingness to "Throw oneself into the Abyss of the Unknown" rather than operating in a reasonable manner.
• Returning to the innocence of the "child within". 
• The hero's or heroine's journey begins.

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