The Tarot of Eli, LLC:-Major Arcana: Thoth Tarot- ATU 18-The Moon & Tarot Illuminati-Key 18-The Moon

The silver road of shadow and Tides.

THE MOON, which is the 18th ATU/Key of the Major Arcana or Trump, is a Qabalistic Pathway on the Tree of Life called the Path of Qoph; the Hebrew letter Qoph means, back of head or ear. Connecting Netzach (Victory) with Malkuth (Kingdom) the Path of Qoph is described as the "Victory of the Material World" and/or the "deceptive effect of the apparent power of the Material World". This path, is also known as the "Threshold to life”: a spiritual birth that may be considered on two levels.

1. On one level, it is the course of incarnation where the soul organizes the physical body of which it will inhabit. It is a kind of sleep (physical consciousness not yet formed), a kind of pre-consciousness, that differentiates into mater from the collective unconscious of Netzach.
2. On another level, where the student is advancing spiritual awareness up the Tree of Life, it is a path of conquest of the phantoms of their "man-made" personality which are creations of the created.

Therefore, Qoph is a probationary path, where the student must face the emotional phantoms hid in the dark recesses of their own mind, as well as those of the race. Hence, the Wolf howling at the Moon on the traditional art of the Tarot Illuminati- Key 18-The Moon which symbolizes the “Self –reflection” that goes on within the Subconscious and the inner Solar Logos/Psyche and our consciousness (our consciousness is the domesticated dog). Our *manifestation is the Moon of “self-reflection”. The word "manifestation" implies the very meaning of illusion.

*manifestation

[ˌmanəfəˈstāSH(ə)n, ˌmanəˌfesˈtāSH(ə)n]

NOUN

1. an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea.

   "the first obvious manifestations of global warming"

   • the action or fact of showing an abstract idea.

     "the manifestation of anxiety over the upcoming exams"

     synonyms:

     display · demonstration · showing · show · exhibition · presentation · indication · illustration · exemplification · exposition · disclosure · declaration · expression · profession

   • a symptom or sign of an ailment.

     "a characteristic manifestation of Lyme disease"

     synonyms:

     sign · indication · evidence · proof · token · symptom · testimony · substantiation · mark · symbol · reflection · example · instance

   • a version or incarnation of something or someone.

     "Purity and Innocence and Young Love in all their gentle manifestations"

   • an appearance of a ghost or spirit.

     synonyms:

     apparition · appearance · materialization · visitation

This path of phantoms can be disturbing to those of weak moral fiber, and can pose real dangers to one's emotional stability. On the other hand, those strong enough to tread this Path and slay the monsters "within" our sleep-consciousness and understand their mechanisms, gain the capacity to manipulate those qualities in ourselves and those of others.

Mastery of Illusion is a product of this path.

As stated; the meaning of Qoph is also the back of the head, behind the head itself, is the Sun-Resh. The Moon symbolizes the anterior to the bright intellect of the Sun. The Tarot- Moon, the Path of Qoph, only reflects the light of the Sun/ or bright intellect. Thus the central path of the card goes from the dark side of the Moon, towards the light side that reflects direct Sunlight. This rising act of direct Sunlight is show as the Egyptian Scarab symbol of the God Kephera (kheprera), pushing the Sun towards the Moon. Basically, the Moon -Key-18, symbolizes the rebirth of light out of hideous darkness; bright intellect overcoming the dark denizens of our sub-conscious, i.e. the illusions of emotional fears.

In Thoth Tarot, THE PRIESTESS, is a source of pure, crystal clear waters (consciousness) emerging from the Godhead-The Father, to God the Son/Sun. The Same waters of consciousness are seen here on The Moon card, but they are polluted with the dark subconscious fears of mortality, that physical manifestation bestows on consciousness. However, as I have stated before, the traveling up the Path of Qoph, towards the "Sun/Son Consciousness”, notably changes the body physiology, as the Bright Beautiful Light Intellect of the Son (Tiphareth) descends into it. When traveling up the Path of Qoph, the Personality becomes increasingly aware of the Higher Self and less control by the dark fears of the body.

The founder of B.O.T.A., Paul Foster Case called The Moon, the "Corporeal Intelligence" which means the "body subconsciousness". Also in Hebrew the word "corporeal" means "to rain upon", which is why we see the symbols of Yods raining down from the central orb of the card. Since this is a Watery Card, some of a more ancient poetic bent, say that these Yod symbols are "tears of the Moon- Goddess" raining down and filling the Nile. That is why the crayfish is shown crawling out of a "moon pool" on the Tarot Illuminati card. This is a traditional image of a water animal that transforms by shedding old shell for a newer and larger body shell. What all Tarot Moon cards agree on is that something descends from the Moon to the Earth on the Path of Qoph, which is represented as raining Yods and manifestations.

The path of Qoph is that of primitive instincts, of nature red in "both tooth and claw" which emerges uncontrolled by moral or ethical reasoning. The traveler of this Path will face aspects of themselves that our culture forces them to repress but are indeed integral and undeniable parts of our predatory human form. This is the Survival Mind, where the "law of the jungle" resides in the dark pools of violence and conquest. This can be a very cruel path to endure, until the student is able to fear not these internal demons and thereby, removing the veils of darkness, allowing in the Bright Intellect of the Son/Sun who applies beautiful reason to our consciousness.

The simple Hebrew letter of Qoph, also translates into the English word, sleep .Thus we have a conscious relationship with the Moon, the dark sunless side of the "sleeping" sub consciousness and the bright Sun reflecting side,and/or from subconscious to our waking consciousness. As the Moon has cycles, so does our interactive subconscious and consciousness, as during the cyclic phase of conscious withdrawal from the physical (Sleep) many of us still act upon the fantasies and information closely related to the body’s survival based experiences. Their dreaming is filled with phantoms produced by the body’s fear of pain and/or death which once consciously transcended, is the successful completion of the Path of The Moon.

The initiate, finds that birth, death, and resurrection are pivotal concepts on the Path of the Moon. These biological processes occur in the light and dark of our sensual perceptions. The 2 figures of Anubis, the jackal -headed gatekeepers,(just castle-like pillars on the Tarot Illuminati) symbolize this cyclic process (Spiral energy) as the god Anubis was the Egyptian god of light and darkness, death and resurrection. The "As above, so below" is shown as a pattern on the Thoth card as a line across the card, and the Moon reflecting solar light into the pool and pathway. Both images reinforce this meaning of "As above so below".

The Tarot Moon, symbolizes the process that consciousness goes through, when energy proceeds from order to disorder (2nd law of Thermodynamics), from organized flesh to death. To understand the Path of Qoph, is to understand the partnership of our personality-consciousness to the physical vehicle, which the immortal Soul/Psyche builds for each manifestation. Since most people perceive themselves as having existence only through their bodies, this is often a most difficult undertaking. Just realizing that the ego is a great deceiver, liar and built as a false self by society and institutions there of, is often too much for the small fear based subconscious and consciousness.

The Moon was often seen as a Goddess of Life (White Goddess of Light Maid and Mother and a Goddess of Death (Dark Goddess-Crone) at once praised and then feared. It is the physical vehicle's fear of dying that hounds our consciousness in many subtle ways, producing phantoms who manifest as phobias, obsessions, fear of rejection and mental - emotional disorders. Our consciousness comes from the immortal Soul, and is unused to such thoughts of fear filled ending. We recycle, our consciousness, which is a "reflection" of the Soul Conscious-Personality. Bodies forget, that they are a recycled part of the Whole Organic Organism that we know as "Organic matter" and that death is how organic transforms and imitates immortality. Like I have often said to my own brain," You came from cranberries and to cranberries you shall return..." which is a slightly dark humor that I use to give the brain pause from its attempts at fear based survival thinking.

We are not a product of physical brain (Wet-ware). We are Spirit, and of those invisible Spirit Realms of Self, who is supposed to program the brain-wet-ware with its own software/persona, for the purpose of experiencing the discernment of being a "living thing". Thoughts can no longer be indiscriminate mental ramblings of an animal subconscious. They now must support life, and expand and liberate the "living" from fear of death- based thoughts and move the body Avatar, into the Realms of Spiritual manifestation: "As above, so below".

The Immortal Selves of the Greater Self, are here to redesign the "survival mind" of the animal body. We are the Suns of Living Creative Conscious Energy, who must reflect upon a world of Matter, which for generations was symbolized by the Moon. For as we all know, this is the realm of "Reflected light" which is less than one percent of the total electromagnetic spectrum that is the medium of our “personality-consciousness. One could say, that on the Path of the Moon, the Souls learns to run the physical vehicle by expanding the brain's perspectives beyond that of life and death, into the knowledge of personality-resurrection. For Knowledge can only become Wisdom by experience! The Physical body gives the Energy of the Source, experience.

As one can see upon comparison, the Tarot Illuminati Moon and the Rider-Waite-Smith, Moon are using the same traditional art. However, instead of yods raining down the Tarot Illuminati just shows golden radiance from the Sun. Both are using the golden path of Qoph. The deeper meanings of the Thoth Tarot apply to both cards.

If ill defined by surrounding cards:

• Hysteria.
• Lunacy.
• Persecution complex.
• Hallucinations.
• Drug abuse.
• Fear.
• Flight from reality. 

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