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Thoth- 4 of Disks-Power
The Tarot-4's & The 4th Sephiroth-Chesed:
By now you may understand that the Sephiroth, numbered spheres on the Tree of Life, simulate States of Your Intelligence or Energy States of Psyche that you can receive form you "whole Self" and create a Greater Sensual Self-The Divine Hermaphrodite-Adam Khadmon. The Sephiroth Chesed is a "Higher" State of your Consciousness; "Higher" because it's frequency of spiral energy (Serpent force of the ancients) is so refined it is called Higher. It was also built "before" you became a person on Malkuth and therefore, not noticed among the sensually infused thought of the self-consciousness. .
In Hermetic Qabalah, Thought is the "first material" (often shown as a fish) so now, with Chesed, we are dealing with a State of Conscious of Higher Thought that begins form. This is usually what most people generalize as spiritual thought which is somehow connected to religions and or prayer, a falsehood the indoctrinated fail to see. Religious indoctrination is not spiritual thought, it is the ambitious thought of those who wish to rule your imagination and therefore, harnessing your energy output to power their righteous vision of false authority. Spiritual thought is what comes directly from the Divine Creative and is more attuned to imagination and intuition than devotion!
Chesed, the 4th Sephiroth means Mercy, and is called the Builder State of Consciousness
and is the frame work of manifestation. This High state of Consciousness, is also called , "The Loving Father who is King", a kindly Shepard that is the receptacle of all Powers. Here you must understand that Power is the ability to do work...not some fear based ideology of slaves who fear the lash and see the ability to deal out death as power.
The 4th Sephira, Chesed, is the Demiurge and/or "lesser creator", as this is the first Sephira below the Abyss and the first of Six Sephiroth making up the Microprosopus (Microcosm) . "The Bride of Microprosopus" is the 10th Sephiroth, Malkuth which we call earth.
The first power describe in the Biblical of Book Genesis is this Demiurge and the first part of that Book, describes the origin of the Microprosopus and/or the microcosm from the Elohim of Binah, in Chesed. Above Chesed is the Supernal Triangle, a formless void of Dark energy that gives rise to manifestation through the "will to form" that is Binah. Binah is not form, just the Will to Form. Chesed is the externalization of combined forces or potencies of the Supernal Triangle. Almost impossible to grasp, but never the less, Chesed is the initial urge to become manifest, making Chesed the administrator of the Laws first proposed by Binah, laws of time/space. Binah is the 3rd Sephiroth that is know as the Sephiroth of Understanding.
The symbols for Chesed are the pyramid, the square, the orb, and equal armed cross (which you see represented on the Emperor card Key 4) the crook (Shepard) and the scepter. The planet attributed to this Sephira, is Jupiter and the color is blue.
The 2nd Sephiroth Chokma, in its lower arc of spiral, becomes the 4th Sephiroth- Chesed. Chokma emanates the pure form of Binah, so here we have a problem with semantics. Binah is formless, yet we have a pure form of Binah in Chesed, who is the first "manifester" of form, and the Form of the Universe is the Microcosm, while the Force of the Universe is the Macrocosm. Thus the Blue Sophia, is really Chesed. Hence The Blue Binah, who is the feminine Chokmah, as yet an unformed Will, is also the Hebrew Sophia/wisdom that is formed as Chesed. Because, once again, Binah is the emanation of Kether, who is "I Will be", as "will to form", but as such is formless. So we can say Binah is the Concept of Womb, and Chesed is the First Womb and phallus combination, as separates who come together in one place. So here is the problem, Chesed is supposed to be masculine force, yet is very feminine in its function as form producer. Chesed is the emanation of Chokmah, who is Wisdom and is a Hebrew feminine noun, there seems to be some kind of interplay here that is not easy to see in such High Dimensions of Intelligence. Just remember, in the Hermetic Qabalah, if energy is being expressed, it is a Masculine action. If energy is being received, it is a Feminine action.
So try this, the pictorial chart of The Tree of Life, has lines connecting the Sephiroth on the Tree, Take a piece of paper, and draw each line between the Sephira as figure eights. This may help you see the interplay of the forces and forms of the Tree. Energy is always flowing back and forth, in pared infinity. When Chesed "expressed energy" it is masculine in its expression (electric); when Chesed is receptive and gives form to energy (Magnetic), therefore, Chesed is "enforcing the Law of Binah", thereby it is feminine in its action.
To truly understand the Tree of Life we must understand that we are dealing with multiplicities-Trinities of Unity. For all of the Tree is an external modification of the One Divine Energy that is Kether, which is woven upon itself as "threads of energy" and/or Vibrations that are known as frequencies and/or microwaves. This One Energy, is called the "One Thing" in Qabalah, and it evolves from Sephiroth to Sephiroth, by division and union on the Tree of Life. From descent of Kether to Earth and back up to Kether, we have a cycle of renewing effect from Ain Soph (No-Thing) that constantly stimulates birth, death and rebirth on an increasingly more condensed and more powerful level of Something!
Since the Energy of the Tree works in cross patterns, Binah is best understood as relating to Chokmah and Chesed is best understood as relating to Geburah. The energy of Chesed is anabolic, while the energy of Geburah is catabolic; He builds, She tares down. Deconstruction for reconstruction of new boundaries.
Here it seems that Chesed is feminine and Geburah is Masculine, But again, Geburah as Mars, is masculine and Chesed as Jupiter, is also Masculine! Jupiter is the benign ruler who is merciful while Mars who is also a King, is destructive and sits in a chariot armed for battle. Here your thoughts can't be linear, but rather woven into figure eights that help us see that Energy is Androgynous, in flow. From pole to pole, in all creation as well as that of Chesed and Geburah.
This may help, envision a man with his two arms extended outward from the shoulders. The right arm is Chesed, the Giver, and the Left arm is Geburah the Taker. The flow of give and take, is the balance that keeps energy transforming, and/or moving. Here Chesed is the realm of archetypes described by Plato in the ninth book of the Republic. The realm of archetypes is the underlying frame work on which all material manifestation is built. The aforementioned geometric symbols of Chesed make suggestions as to the purpose and functions of these archetypes.
The Pyramid is a tetrahedron used as a building form that brings together four sides that culminate in an upward point. Energy flows down from above and is distributed equally between four sides. Thus we have the 4 of Chesed. From above, Sephiroth 1- Kether, flows the energy of the first primordial elements to Sephiroth-4-Chesed establishing the archetypal patterns of matter that is distributed equally throughout the Tree of Life and established in the subdivided elements of Malkuth/Earth. As in the pentagram, the Point of the Pyramid is Spirit which is a directing force. Here we can see that Chesed is an intelligence that is measuring, cohesive and receptive.
The Scepter and the Orb, as shown on the Thoth key 4 The Emperor, that can be found throughout the Tarot deck, not only establish the concept of rule but that of sex as well. The scepter is phallic, relating to Chokmah and the orb is womb, relating to Binah.
The Crook of the Shepard, refers to the Love of the Shepard or ruler for his flock and/ or a Bishop in his role as Pastoral Shepard.
What is interesting here, is that many writers of Theosophy and even Dion Fortune have written of the "Masters of Chesed", which some call the "Ascended Masters", who are human beings that have "evolved beyond" the need for physical incarnations and remain by choice to assist mankind in their development but only when mankind is sufficiently evolved to get in touch with Chesed. Yet, it is Chesed that flows through mankind which is why we are such great Builders! The fact that evolutionary Being is the top priority of Chesed, makes one wonder about "masters of Chesed' who reside in non being. Therefore, I see this as an error in interpretation, for true mastery is the ability to manifest on All the Planes of the One Mind, and therefore, we are, if whole in equilibrium of Spirit-Mind and Body, the True Masters of Chesed!
Anyone who knows me, understands that the best way to assist those who struggle with incarnations, is to incarnate with them. So to me, an incarnate master is a being of greater psychic power, as they are conceived from the Soul's greater experience and are therefore, able to be Chesed on every single plane of form. Obviously, form is what the Universal Collective Unconscious wants to be. We may often, as psyche, channel up and down the Tree of Life, depositing greater and greater discriminating and/or discerning data, but that data can only be learned and advanced in a sensual experience of Being, of I AM and/or a new self awareness state of Mind called, I AM ME.
The Thoth Tarot- 4 of Disks, represents Chesed (Mercy) establishing the Universe in three dimensions (4th dimension is Time), that is below the Abyss.
Here, the Sun is assigned the Constellation of Capricorn, the sign in which the Sun is reborn. Basically this means that the generating idea is established in its full material sense.
The Disks are shown as large, square and solid, representing a fortress comprised of the alchemical- 4 elements. We know from history, that fortresses are to keep Law and order by constant authority and a vigilant defense. Though seemingly stationary, the Disks revolve due to the fact that the Sun is the "dead center" of the engineer; and Capricorn is the point where the "Sun turns Northward". Plus, the stabilizing force of the Disks is centrifugal force.
Now the word, engineer, may have left you confused, but Chesed, the 4th Sephiroth is also known as the "engineer or architect", also what may confuse one more is the fortress with a moat is considered a Womb.
The Greatest Engineer is I-dea ("I-goddess"),"The Womb with a View", or The Divine Feminine Principle. In Yi King, the Sun in Capricorn is represented as the second hexagram, Khwan (Kan), which is the Female Principle The student may wish to compare Khwan, to the English word Queen, Anglo-Saxon Cwen, Old Mercian Kwoen, all of which are The Female Principle. As in most of the Tarot, there are layers of understanding, that require diligent pursuit.
The Thoth Tarot-4 of Disks: Power.
Both Qabalists and my faithful blog followers know by now, that Chesed is the architect who gets its orders from the
Supernal (upper triangle on the Tree of Life) and whose intelligence externalizes the combined potent forces of the upper Trinity.
Chesed is the administrator of manifestation and the laws there of.
The Thoth 4 of Disks (Pentacles in traditional decks) is the most complete expression of the grounded Chesed forces. This card shows the influence of Chesed in the material world, or the World of Assiah, as our material world is called in the Qabalah.
The 4 of Disks -Power, is also called: the Lord of Earthly Power, by A. Crowley. The Angels of the Decan are Keveqiah and Mendial. The planet is the Sun and here it is in Capricorn.
To reiterate: The illustration of the Thoth 4 of Disks suggests a fortress implying law and order maintained by undaunted vigilance.
The Disks themselves, are square implying that revolving or motion, is opposite to this card. However, another form of Chesed is in the Key 13 card of the Major Arcana, and it is the Death of stability, so that revolution can continue, 1+3=4, so the number of Chesed lays hidden in death according to gematria/numerology. The Engineer of manifestation, has the power to reorganize it through a process we call Death/Transformation.
The 4 square disks each contain one of the symbols for the four elements and the walls are strong and seemingly immobile. Yet we have the Sun reborn in Capricorn so new powerful activity is present, and this activity is best shown as the Dancing Skeleton of key 13.
What hints at underlying power in the 4 of disks Tarot Card is the orange-yellow color of the card representing the Sun/Son reborn.
Like the eye of a hurricane, The 4 of Disks is the "Dead Center" of the Engineer of all manifestation Here at the center, everything looks quite and stable, but violent activity is in the making, so soon that stability will "fly to the winds". Capricorn is the center "where the Sun turns Northward." So the turning is happening in what looks to be stable.
The Thoth 4 of Disks, illustrates the establishment of the Universe in three visible dimensions (the 4th is Time). Therefore, the generating idea is displayed in its full material sense.
The 4 very large and solid (4 corners depicts solids) disks form a fortress, representing Law and Order., maintained by authoritarian vigilance.
Being a 4, in suit of Earth, the heaviness of this card out-ways any consideration of weakness and is the Power which dominates and stabilizes everything, such as, centrifugal force. It is the fortifying of energy in one place, enabling the ability to do work. If there is a weakness, it is the fact that as 4, the element is solidified to its absolute degree, and in order for change to occur, the fortress must be remodeled. As it is solid, the power of the 4 of Disks, suggest that aggressive behavior is contain, so the Power of the 4, manages its affairs more by negotiation and pacific methods.
Night Sun Tarot- 4 of Pentacles
The Night Sun Tarot-4 of Pentacles, shows serpentine like vines, grown tall, and crowned by the Pentacle-centered gold coins, that are often used by artists of traditional medieval tarot. The crescent horned (Crescent moon symbolizes the Goddess) being is gazing upward at the sacred geometry created as a background design of the green card. Green, being the color of fecund earth.
Fabio Listrani, the author/artist of the Night Sun Tarot, assigned the ideas of equilibrium, savings, generosity and stagnation, to this card. Roughly, the same meanings assigned to the Thoth Tarot.
The symbol for the Sun is in the upper left and the symbol for Capricorn is in the upper right.
When the Thoth 4 of Disks or the Night Sun Tarot-4 of Pentacles is thrown during a reading, the querent (the one who asks the question) will experience or has experienced:
- For the next or past 4 weeks or 4 months, gain of money and influence.
- The receiving of presents is suggested.
- The Four of Disks, bespeaks of assured material gain, success, rank, dominion, and completed earthly power that leads to nothing beyond.
- the querent is owning their own personal energy, physical potency and vitality. The very act of which proceeds change.
- There may be a feeling of holding on tightly to what one has, emotionally or physically.
- The enfoldment of Power, Here the Ability to Do Work (Power) is unfettered and the engineer is active.
- the querent is taking solid steps towards creating material security in the physical world.
- Here, "nothing ventured nothing gain" is the axiom of the Four. Holding to tightly to what you have, and not taking risks of change.
Blockage of creative thought due to avarice, or excessive devotion to material things.
As altered by ill dignity, this card can also mean, prejudice, covetous, stagnation and suspicious behavior.
- There is a careful and orderly presentation but with discontent, showing little enterprise or originality.
- This is obvious, for when we put up strong walls, to gather our power about us, we also restrict our motion. This restriction is shown by the small drawbridge/roadway leading out of the fortress of the Four of Disks or by the enclosing foliage of the Night Sun Tarot-4 of Pentacles.
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