Yael R.

Dragwyla First North American rights

Email: Polaris93@aol.com 20,549 words
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Qaballah and Tarot: A Basic Course in Nine

Lessons
Lesson II: Keys 1-10 – the Lower Arcana and the
Court Cards, Continued
© 1997 by Yael R. Dragwyla

B. The Lower Arcana of the Tarot and the Ten Sephiroth of

the Tree of Life

7. Sephirah 7

a. The Sephirah
Netzach, “The Triumph (of Love).” Sphere of Ù (Venus)

Netzach represents the instincts and the emotions they give rise to, while Hod, Sephirah 8, represents
the intellect as such. In terms of physiology, Netzach is enthroned in the limbic brain and endocrine
glands, while Hod is facilitated by the cerebral cortex and the sensorimotor nerves of the body. In the
macrocosm these Sephiroth represent two levels of the process of increasing manifestation of force as
form. In Netzach, force is still relatively free-moving, bound only into exceedingly fluid and ever-
shifting shapes; in Hod, for the first time it takes on definite and permanent form, though of an
exceedingly tenuous nature. In Netzach a particular type of force presents itself as a type of entity which
flows backward and forwards over the boundaries of manifestation in an exceedingly elusive manner, a
being which has no individuated personality, but instead is rather like the “armies with banners” that can
be seen in the sunset clouds.* In Hod, however, true individualization into units has taken place, and the
entity has real continuity of existence. In Netzach, all mind is group-mind, but in Hod the individual
mind has its true beginnings.39
*Or perhaps a mob or a crowd. See Lyall Watson, Beyond Supernature (New York: Bantam, 1988),
Chapter 5 (pp. 117-144), and Lyall Watson, Lifetide (New York: Bantam, 1980), passim. Netzach
rules all social interactions, and mobs and crowds are social phenomena par excellence, however
rude and barbaric they may appear to be. Netzach and Venus also rule hiving or colonial organisms
of all kinds, from the lichen and the slime-mold grex to the bee, termite, wasp, social mammals of all
kinds (including ourselves), etc.

On another plane entirely, consider the binding of energy into matter, according to the equation “E =
mc2,” in terms that make subjective rather than objective sense, i.e., in terms of emotional and intuitive
cognition rather than intellectual thought. From this point of view, the process of manifestation of force
in form as carried out in Netzach and Hod is almost exactly the same as that described by modern
physics, particularly quantum mechanics, for the transformation of energy into matter, albeit stated in a
somewhat more poetic language.

In Tiphareth the Mediating Intelligence breaks up the White Light of Unity, Kether, as by a prism, so
that it becomes the Refulgent Splendor of the full spectrum in Netzach. In Netzach, rather than force,
there are forces; rather than life, there are lives; rather than Unity, there is Plurality – e unus pluribum.
Appropriately, therefore, the Choir of Angels assigned to Netzach are the \ y h l a (ALHIM, Elohim,
“Gods”). The One has been reduced to the Many to facilitate manifestation of force as form. This is the
Sphere of the Pantheons, the realm of the Gods of polytheistic religions, whose members are the
Archangels of monotheistic religions, the various Aspects (Netzach) of the One God (Kether).
Every instance of force manifesting in Netzach is a partial but specialised manifestation. No entity
which inhabits the Sphere of Netzach is ever completely developed, but rather is always associated with
one single, stereotyped function. 40
The inhabitants of Netzach, the Elohim, are not so much true intelligences as the embodiments of
ideas. They are the formative influences by means of which the forces of Creation express themselves in
the natural world. Their true character is described in Chesed, where they are described as the “Holy
Powers,” i.e., the Archangels or Gods. In Netzach, however, the uppermost level of the reflecting Astral,
they undergo a change: here, the imagination of mortals has begun to work upon them, molding the
Astral light into forms that represent them in our conscious minds.
These lower Sephiroth, which constitute the Plane of Illusion, are densely populated by thought-
forms. Everything which the imagination of mortals has been able to conceive, however dimly, has a
form built about it out of the Astral light; the more the human imagination has dwelt upon it to idealize
it, the more definite that form becomes. As a result, psychics, seers, and spiritualists who later seek to
discern the spiritual nature and innermost essence of any form of life encounter these images, the
‘creations of the created,’ and are deceived into mistaking these for the abstract essence itself. The latter,
however, is not on any plane of the Lower Astral, the portion of the Inner Planes that provides images to
psychic vision, but only upon those that are perceived by pure intuition, that is, the Spheres above
Netzach.
Over the eons, acts of worship, especially when they are highly organized, ritualized, and formalized
in terms of a complex theology, build up exceedingly clear-cut, powerful images. It is these images that
most of us take to be the Gods. Countless centuries of worship and adoration build very strong images in
the Astral light, and when sacrifice is added to worship, the images are brought a step farther down the
planes into manifestation, acquiring forms in the relatively dense regions of Yesod, Sephirah 9. In this
way they become extremely potent Magickal tools, capable of independent action when enspirited by the
concrete, intellectualized ideas generated in Hod.
Thus every heavenly being conceived by the mortal mind is based on some natural force. However,
upon the basis of this natural force there is built up a symbolic image representative of that force, which
is enspirited and rendered active by the force it represents. The image, is therefore just a convenient
representation of that force or power created by mortal mind. Even so, the force represented by and
enspiriting that image is a very real thing in its own right, and under the right circumstances it can be
exceedingly powerful. Although the form under which the God associated with that force is represented
is a construct of pure imagination, the force associated with it is both real and active. Or, in other words,
be careful what you call on – it just might show up.
Netzach is inhabited by the most tenuous form of these beings, which are perceived far more by the
‘contemplations of faith’ than by the ‘eye of the intellect’ 41 The contacts of Netzach are not made by
means of conceiving its life philosophically, nor by means of ordinary image-making psychism, but
rather by ‘feeling with.’ The angels of Netzach are contacted and invoked by means of dance, sound,
color, scent, taste, touch – anything that stimulates the emotions. The worshipper of a God in the Sphere
of Netzach enters into communion with the object of his adoration by means of the arts. Thus to the
extent that he is an artist in some medium or other, and can therein represent the object of his worship in
symbolic form, he will be able to make the contact and draw the spirit of that God into himself. 42
The three Supernals, and the first pair of manifesting Sephiroth, Chesed and Geburah, represent the
Higher Self; Tiphareth is their point of contact with the Lower Self. The four lower Sephiroth, Netzach,
Hod, Yesod, and Malkuth, together represent the Lower Self, or personality, the unit of incarnation,
Tiphareth functioning as their point of contact with the Higher Self, which is sometimes called the Holy
Guardian Angel. From the point of view of the personality, Tiphareth represents the Superconsciousness,
awareness of spiritual things; Netzach represents the instincts and emotions; and Hod the intellect, the
cerebral mind. Continuing on down, Yesod represents the fifth Element, sometimes called “Æther,”* and
Malkuth the four primary Elements, the subtle aspects of matter.**

*There are a number of different ideas about the “fifth element.” In Western Alchemy, the fifth Element
is the Quintessence, the Word made flesh; in Taoism, it is chi, which has various interpretations
but generally refers to a combination of the other four Elements – Air (Growing Things), Fire,
Water, and Metal (Made Things or Artifacts) – or of Yin and Yang per se. In Shinto and ninpo,
the fifth Element is Void (Sky), out of which comes all things and to which all things return,
somewhat analogous to chi but also a homologue of the Western concept of Χαοξ (Chaos), which
may be thought of as the “sixth Element” of Western Hermeticism (Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and
the Quintessence being the other five). See J. C. Cooper, Chinese Alchemy: The Taoist Quest
for Immortality (New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1990) and Frater Albertus.
Alchemist’s Handbook (Manual for Practical Laboratory Alchemy) (York Beach, ME: Samuel
Weiser, Inc., 1974), passim.

**Notice that both Malkuth, associated with the Earth or physical reality, and Da’ath, associated with
Saturn, correspond with the four Elements one way or another – Malkuth, with the Elements
themselves, and Da’ath, with the Archangels that rule those Elements. For this and other reasons,
there are strong correspondences between Earth and Saturn, as both have to do with physical
manifestation, structure, and form. And since, on the average, transiting Saturn moves at about the
same speed through the Heavens – some twelve degrees per year – as the Moon in a progressed
horoscope, they also thus both have strong correspondences with Luna, Lord of Yesod and the lowest
realms of the Astral, in which the Qlippoth dwell. Saturn is associated with the Devil, Yesod with
spirits of evil, and Earth with the “vale of tears” that is life for many of us, and these associations are
reflected both in their astrological meanings and their Qaballistic correspondences. (And since from
the point of view of a heliocentric astrology, Luna and Earth, inhabiting the same circumheliacal
orbit, function together as a double Planet, there is thus an even stronger functional tie between Earth
and Luna.)

Netzach is the Sphere of Venus, concerned with the function of polarity. This is, however, a great
deal more than mere sex, as popularly conceived. Rather than being just a mere fertility Goddess, Venus
or Aphrodite is the Goddess of love, presiding over all forms of relationship, from the sort of social
intercourse that goes on at cocktail parties to friendship, romantic love, and marriage, and even to one-
on-one battles and the wars of nations. Venus rules society and everything that facilitates it; She is the
glue that holds couples, communities, and nations as well as atoms and galaxies together as coherent
wholes.
The cult of Aphrodite was concerned with the subtle interaction of the life-force between two
individuated poles of being: the flow and return, stimulus and reaction, which play so important a role in
the relations of the sexes, but also extend far, far beyond the sphere of sex. Polarity is a principle that
runs through the whole of creation; it is, in fact, the basis of manifestation. It is represented on the Tree
of Life by the two Pillars of Severity and Mercy. All the action of force is ruled by the principle of
polarity, just as the entire phenomenon of form is described by the principle of metabolism.
Polarity has to do with the flow of force or energy from a zone of high pressure to one of low
pressure, where “high” and “low” are relative terms, i.e., defined in terms of the relationship of the one
zone to the other. Every region of Creation will accept an influx of energy from a region of higher
potential, or source, and has an output into a zone of lower potential, or sink. The source of all energy is
in the Great Unmanifest, Ain, from which it makes its way down the planes of the Tree of Life, changing
from one form to another until it is finally ‘earthed’ in Malkuth. In the microcosmic Tree of Life, the
Tree as expressed within a mortal being, there is a flow down and up the positive and negative aspects of
the subjective levels of consciousness, as a result of which spirit inspires mind, mind directs the
emotions, the emotions form the etheric double, and the etheric double molds the physical vehicle, the
‘earth’ of the circuit. In this way, there is a flow and return between each or level of consciousness and
its corresponding aspect in the microcosm. Just as there is an intake and output on the level of Malkuth
by means of which food, water, and air are taken into the body and waste is excreted as manure, so there
is an intake and output between the etheric double and the Astral light, between the Astral body and the
mind, and so on up the planes, the subtler aspects of being represented by the six highest Sephiroth.
The goal of the Magickal Qaballah, the practical application of the Tree of Life, is to develop these
circuits between the different levels of being, and thereby strengthen and reinforce the soul and spirit.
Therefore we need to develop our power to contact neutral energy in its essential form, as represented by
the Sphere of Netzach. Matter is crystallized spirit, spirit made manifest on a physical level, and spirit is
volatilized matter. There is no ultimate no difference between them; they are two different states of the
“One Thing,” as the Alchemists call it (this is the great secret of alchemy which forms the philosophic
basis of the secret doctrine of transmutation; it has to do with the interrelationships among Kether,
associated with Pluto, Malkuth, the realm of physical being, and Shin, the Path connecting Hod and
Malkuth). As consciousness is transmuted up and down the Central Pillar of Consciousness, or
Equilibrium, of which Malkuth is the base, so is energy transmuted up and down the Pillar of Mercy, of
which Netzach is the base, and form transmuted up and down the Pillar of Severity, of which Hod, the
intellect, is the base.
In Chokmah is the tremendous drive of life, is the great Yang potency of the universe; in Chesed is
the organization of forces into interacting wholes; and in Netzach, evolution, ascending from Malkuth as
organized force enspiriting living form, is able to contact essential force once more. From the point of
view of applied occultism, Netzach is therefore an extremely important Sphere. Most people who
become involved in occultism only do work along the Central Pillar, the Pillar of Consciousness, paying
no attention to the side pillars of Function. The average would-be initiator in modern occult fraternities,
who is usually more a mystic than an occultist, doesn’t realize that he should initiate the unconscious
aspect of the aspirant as well as the latter’s conscious self, illuminating the instincts as well as the
reason.* As a result, very negligible results are obtained by his initiations; those he initiates generally
exhibit little, if any, real change in themselves or their lives, and become at best very mediocre
Magickians.43

*This isn’t just applicable to occultism. In fact, reason itself is based as much on the “irrational”
functions of feeling, instinct, esthetic appreciation, and other “right-brain” functions as it is on pure
intellect. See Antonio R. Damasio, Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain (New
York: Grosset/Putnam Books, 1994), Roger Penrose, Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the
Missing Science of Consciousness (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994), and Oliver Sacks, an
Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995), passim.

The Qaballistic assignments for Netzach include the following:

MAGICKAL IMAGE: A beautiful naked woman.

GOD NAME: t w a b x h w h y (JeHoWaH
TzaBAOTh, “Lord of Hosts”)
ARCHANGELS: l a y n a h (HANIEL); l a k y m
(MIKAeL)
CHOIR OF ANGELS: \ y h l a (ALHIM, “Gods”)
MUNDANE CHAKRA: Venus
VIRTUE: Unselfishness, compassion.
TITLES: Firmness, Valor, Victory, Triumph
 SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE: The Vision of Beauty Triumphant.
ATZILUTHIC COLOR: Amber
BRIATIC COLOR: Emerald
YETZIRATIC COLOR: Bright yellow-green
ASSIATIC COLOR: Olive, flecked gold
VICE: Unchastity, Lust.
SYMBOLS: The Lamp, the Girdle, the Rose

For Netzach, Liber 777 gives the following assignments: Emeralds, roses, the lynx, arsenic, damiana
(herb); benzoin, rose, red sandal (perfumes); the seven-branched candelabra, the rose of 49 (7 x 7)
petals.

Netzach is associated with the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Article VII
Right of trial by jury.

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be
otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of
the common law.

The commandment associated with Netzach is

You shall not commit adultery.

Exodus 20:14, Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version

According to the Yetziratic text,

The Seventh Path is called the Occult Intelligence because it is the refulgent
splendor of the intellectual virtues which are perceived by the eyes of the intellect and
the contemplations of faith.

The Seventh Sephirah is the Occult Intelligence, where “occult” means “hidden,” “secret,” or “full of
mysteries.” Netzach, like occultism, is replete with glamour and misunderstanding, for whenever the
human mind discovers anything mysterious it tends to project all manner of misconceptions and
superstitions into that mystery.
In the Yetziratic Text quoted above, the term “intellectual” refers not so much to the logical,
concrete mind but rather to the human mind as a whole, the psyche as represented by the Sephiroth below
Tiphareth. This “refulgent splendor of the psyche” is simply the force of the creative imagination.
Therefore Netzach is the Sphere from whence comes the inspirations not only of the artist but of anyone
who does creative work of any kind. It is a Sephirah of perfect balance of force and form, reflected in
the fact that its Planet Venus is the ruler of the Sign Libra, “The Balance.” Awareness of its perfect
balance and elegance evokes ecstasy, delight, joy, and fulfillment, the experience of the Vision of Beauty
Triumphant. Hence this Sphere rules not only great works of art, but also, since the perfection of
precision in use gives beauty of form, the beauty of well-designed tools, machinery, scientific
instruments, etc., as well as the elegance and perfection of the best mathematical and scientific theories
and models. To see this principle in operation, compare a modern supersonic jet transport or fighter
plane with the original heavier-than-air craft used by the Wright Brothers at Kittyhawk, or one of today’s
space shuttles with one of Goddard’s original rockets – the evolution from clumsy, awkward prototype to
sleek, elegant, efficient, state-of-the-art product, at once apparent from such comparisons, gives a good
idea of the workings of Netzach. Art, technology, and scientific modeling are thus all ruled by Netzach,
the Sphere of the creative imagination.
 Netzach’s title Victory has to do with the triumph of achievement. There is a link between Netzach,
the seventh Sephirah, the seventh day of Creation in Genesis, and the Sabbath, the day of rest mandated
by the fourth Commandment given by Moses to the people Israel. In Genesis 2:1-3 it says:

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the
seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day
from all the work which he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it,
because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.

And according to Deuteronomy 5:12-15:

Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the
Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or
your maidservant, or your ox, or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the sojourner who is
within your gates, that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.
You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your
God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the
Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.

The achievement of perfection in form and force requires both firmness and valor – two more titles
of Netzach which can be looked upon as two sides of the symbol of the Balance, Geburah on a lower arc,
as it were. Firmness and Valor can also be conceived of as the Pillars of Severity and Mercy as they are
manifest in Netzach.* The Atziluthic and Briatic colors of Netzach are respectively amber and emerald;
as it happens, the two Pillars of the Tyrian Temple were gold and green, while the Temple of the
Hibernian Mysteries represent Science and Art, establishing further correspondences between this
Sephirah and the sciences and the arts.

*In Qaballistic theory, the whole Tree of Life is reflected in every one of its components, which thus
comprises a Tree of Life in microcosm, in its own right. In turn, each such component is reflected in
each of its sub-components, and so on down in a recursive process that is carried out ad infinitum,
down to the most infinitesimal sub-levels of the Tree of Life. Because of this, the Tree of Life is a
fractal structure of non-integral dimension – like the living world itself.

The rose, another symbol of Netzach, is a complete symbol-system in itself. It is generally

considered to be the perfect flower, combining as it does beautiful scent, shape, and color. Further, it
resembles a sphere that contains semi-spheres within itself, a mandala centered around its golden heart, a
pattern which gives rise to the Mystique of the Rose.
To carry out creative work, one must overcome a feeling of enormous inertia – not only inertia in the
medium used for expression of the work, but also in the means of expression, the less civilized and
educated side of one’s nature, which is more instinctual than God-like and not basically concerned with
the higher forms of creative work. But in the end this inertia is overcome – else there would never have
been any great works of art – and this is accomplished by means of the fiery, creative energy of Netzach.
Netzach is an active Sephirah, assigned to the Element Fire and the Sign Leo, as Geburah is assigned to
Fire and Aries, and Chokmah, the higher octave of Netzach, is assigned to Fire and Sagittarius. Fire is
Spirit and the passions that stir it, which enable the artist to overcome the inertia that would otherwise
keep him or her from creating.
Once the urge to create has successfully overcome the inertia of the denser levels of one’s being,
there comes the joy inherent in creation, delight and satisfaction coming from awareness of the life-force
entailed in any act of creation, whether it be sexual, artistic, the Workings of ritual Magick, or anything
else. Magick is highly involved with Netzach, for until the energy of Netzach is harnessed by the
Magickian, the images created in Hod can’t be enspirited to do their work. Without engaging Netzach,
ritual becomes mere empty gestures and words, and any work of art remains lifeless, without soul or the
power to stir the observer at all.
 For this reason the Magickal Weapons assigned to Netzach are the Lamp, the Eternal Lamp of the
Mysteries that brings Illumination, and the Girdle, which girds up the loins for action. The operations of
ceremonial Magick are creative work at its best.
t w a b x h w h y (JeHoWaH TzaBAOTh), the Lord of Hosts, is the Name of God that applies
to this Sephirah. This name indicates the diversifying effects of Netzach which, like a prism, splits up
the unified white light of Tiphareth into the rainbowed splendor of the lower Sephirah. A good symbol
of Netzach might be the sky at dawn, sunlight rising on morning clouds, evoking the image of a glorious
army, heralded by vast banners. This is especially true when the Planet Venus, the mundane Chakra of
Netzach, is a morning Star, preceding the Sun, splendid in the early morning sky.
The Archangel Haniel, the Archangel of this Sephirah, isn’t as familiar to us as, say, Michael, the
Protector, Gabriel, the Bringer of Visions, and Raphael, the Healer, associated with other lower Sephirah.
But all the benefits of Netzach are given by Haniel, not only awareness of harmony and beauty in the
lower worlds, but also understanding of the interrelationship of all beings and things. Haniel can be
imagined as having a great green-and-golden flame with a rose-colored light springing from the crown of
his head, or a point just above it, with an aura of archetypal sympathy for all things.
The other Archangel of Netzach, associated with invocations of Netzach in the Fire Quarter of the
South, is l a k y m (MIKAeL), the Guardian of the Universe, the Demon-Slayer, who holds all the
forces of Hell at bay. This Archangel can be visualized as a gigantic column blazing with all the colors
of fire. Alternatively, the image of a mighty winged angel with sword upraised, crushing a dragon,
serpent, or demon beneath his feet, can be used to symbolize this Archangel. This is the one to be called
upon when assaulted by danger or unbalanced forces of any kind, including manifestations of demonic
aspects of oneself.
Netzach’s Choir of Angels is that of the \ y h l a (ALHIM), the Gods. Since Netzach is the Sphere
in which Unity manifests in diversity, here dwell all the Gods of all the polytheistic pantheons and all the
angels, archangels, and saints of all the hagiologies of monotheistic religions. Whenever operations of
astral clairvoyance or “scrying” are undertaken, these God-forms play a very important part in the results,
often taking on a life of their own. Such occurrences are not direct manifestations of ultimate Godhead –
the Vision of God Face to Face is an experience associated with Chokmah, one not to be achieved by
means of such Workings as those of the sensory imagination, which take place on much lower, denser
planes of the Tree of Life. However, something motivates the forms and forces of the Gods perceived
during operations involving scrying or psychic perception, which after all are aspects of the One God;
the agency responsible is the Order of Angels of Netzach, i.e., the Gods.
The Mundane Chakra of Netzach is the Planet Venus, ruler of relationships of all kinds. The basic
principle of Netzach and Venus is polarity, i.e., relationship in all its forms. The worlds religious stories
often deal with polarity, e.g., as in the stories about Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristram and Iseult, Paolo
and Francesca, Romeo and Juliet, Orpheus and Eurydice, Zeus and Hera, Hades and Persephone, Shiva
and Kali, Castor and Pollux, etc. One of the vices or perversions of this principle is the exaggeration of
one particular aspect of it at the expense of all the others, which can lead to great tragedies of the sort
with which such stories often deal. For example, consider Sex-Magick. Though today the courtesan,
prostitute, or mistress has a very debased position in society, long ago the Temple prostitutes were
priestesses whose work was truly religious in nature. Money and gifts were given not to those priestesses
themselves, but rather as thank-offerings to the Gods in Whose names they acted. The ritual sex they
performed both with priests and with laity became as much a sacrament as the taking of Communion
bread and wine is in modern Christianity, or as the taking of unleavened bread, bitter herbs, a haunch of
mutton, and a glass of wine is during the Passover Feast of Judaism. By means of ritual sex with these
priestesses, those who had intercourse with them thereby were put in communion with the Gods, and such
rituals were as holy and high-minded as, say, Baptism or the taking of Holy Communion are today.
Modern Magickians likewise frequently perform Sex-Magick for this same purpose, to invoke the Gods
by the most direct and powerful means possible. When properly done, such rituals are as sacred as any
other true religious rituals, and the techniques involved in them are all from the Sphere of Netzach.
Because Netzach is the Sphere of Venus, the Jungian concept is the anima is particularly relevant to
it. The anima is a projection of a man’s ideas of Woman onto some particular woman who happens to
bear a sufficient resemblance to the archetype of the anima in his psyche to facilitate such a projection.
Though the individual woman onto whom he projects his anima may be shallow and rather worthless, the
love-blinded lover invests in her all the attributes of what he conceives to be ideal womanhood. If the
projection is mutual, the result may be a hasty, ill-advised marriage – one that may have a half-life of
about three months, since marriage is an extremely efficient teacher of the Reality Principle when it
comes to making a life with others, so that if the partners can’t live to each other’s lofty ideals, as a result
their marriage may rather quickly develop an acute China Syndrome and undergo a spectacular self-
destruction.
Even so, the anima (or animus, in a woman) is in fact the image of the higher aspects of the soul,
which seeking union with the lower self. The best way to overcome the domination of the self by a
powerful anima is via religion or Magick. E.g., the strong reverence for Mary, the Mother of Christ, in
Roman Catholicism, apart of its religious aspects, can also be a very effective form of psychotherapy, for
veneration of Mary also reinforces the idea that mortal women should not be expected to attain the
perfection that is Mary. If the God-like characteristics of the anima or animus are safely projected onto a
religious object, there is less likelihood that they will be projected onto another person, with all the
potential for subsequent disillusionment and heartbreak that it could entail. (Sometimes, however, this
can backfire. In such cases, the worshipper either rejects any potential mortal lover because he or she
can’t live up to the religious ideal, or comes to regard earthly love as “dirty” and “impure” because
potential partners are, after all, flesh and blood and heir to all the ills of the flesh – ills which the
religious ideal is not subject to.) Wholly patriarchal religions such as Protestant Christianity, with their
all-masculine bias, may well contribute a great deal to the spiritual pathology of the Anglo-Saxon Puritan
heritage.
Because of the principle of polarity which informs it, Netzach is possibly the most subtle and
complex of all the Sephiroth. One of the most useful tools for developing understanding it is study of the
various religious story-cycles of the world’s polytheistic religions, which can give a great deal of insight
on the workings of the Collective Unconscious and the group-mind of any society as a whole.
Aphrodite or Venus is the main God-form of this Sephirah. Like all other Gods and Goddesses, She
has both a bright and a dark side. Roughly speaking, the “Bright Aphrodite” can be assigned to the
Atziluth and Briah, the Archetypal and Creative levels, of Netzach, while the “Dark Aphrodite” can be
assigned to the Yetzirah and Assiah, the Formative and Manifest levels, of the Sephirah. A useful symbol
for meditation on Netzach is a pillar, or an image of Venus or Aphrodite, the upper half of which is white
and the lower half black. In addition, two of the great symbols of Aphrodite, the Dove and the Leopard
or Lynx, can be respectively assigned to these “higher” and “lower” aspects of Netzach. As manifest in
life, these two aspects of Netzach are represented respectively by, e.g., the happy, fertile mate and the
happy-go-lucky “gal who can’t say no,” vs. the domineering mate and calculating wanton who uses the
destructive aspects of Venus for selfish ends. The great figures of myth, legend, and literature provide
other suitable images, e.g., Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, Desdemona, Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Clytemnestra,
Electra, Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Madonna, Janis Joplin, etc. In particular, the queens and noble
ladies of the Arthurian cycle give a very detailed picture of the various aspects of Woman functioning as
Mother, Maiden, Mistress, Aunt, Enemy, Guide, Guardian, Wise Woman, Magickian, Witch, Recluse,
etc.
In addition, there are some extremely powerful insights to be gained from religious stories such as
the mating of Isis and Osiris after Osiris’ death, resulting in the birth of Horus and his twin/enemy Set.
The Mysteries of Hekate, which have to do with the forces released when a woman undergoes
menopause, are also highly instructive. So often, under adverse conditions, menopause is associated
failing health, mental illness, and maltreatment by all around her. But worked with on a conscious level
on the Inner Planes, this force could make her even better off physically, mentally, and otherwise than
she was before. Both of these stories reflect the fact that there is a “vertical” as well as a “horizontal”
aspects to all Workings involving the polarities ruled by Netzach.
Because of this, Venus/Aphrodite is sometimes referred to as “the Awakener.” Not only does this
reflect the awakening entailed in the “horizontal” polarities of sex, but also to the “vertical” polarity of
rising conscious and contacts upon the Inner Planes. Another aspect of this illuminating force is
particularly evident in the arts, where the creative imagination is always producing new forms and ideas;
at first, this results in enormous antagonism from those who aren’t readily awakened to new experience –
i.e., the average critic – hence the battle against indifference and hostility that almost every great creative
artist must face before his or her work is first accepted and then made part of establishment, in turn itself
becoming one of the obstacles that new artists will have to overcome. Consider, for example, the career
of Salvador Dali, whose life was one long, endless battle not only against esthetic Philistinism, but also
against the sociopsychological inertia of a 19th-century humanity rudely thrust into the 20th century, with
all its wonders, terrors, and dislocations. Dali, like all the greatest artists, came to thrive on all the hoo-
hah which his behavior and work provoked, learning to harness the energy of all the contention and strife
he caused in the service of his work, which evolved to ever-greater heights and achievements. This is the
lesson of Netzach, which, like its Planet, Venus, is Lord of battle and strife as well as harmony and
peace: achievement is not a matter of ease and restfulness, but rather of ever-evolving relationship to the
universe and all it contains, and the perceptions that are born of such evolution.
The same is true in all other branches of creative activity, from science to mathematics to the arts.
The pioneer is always resented, regardless of the particular field in which he or she works. But by
grappling openly and frankly with such resistance and opposition, with all his or her mind, soul, and
strength, the pioneer is able to produce work of indisputable value, new and fresh and rich in what it has
to give us all. And it is Venus who rules such contests of will, as She rules all forms of interactions
among individuals and groups, which are the province of Netzach. However the relationship is made,
whether in love or animosity, only by making it can true achievement be enacted. Without Netzach,
nothing of true worth can ever be accomplished.
When Venus is a morning Star, rising before the Sun, She is Lucifer, the Light-Bearer; when she is
evening Star, setting after the Sun, She is the Star of Promise above the stormy sea. The Victory of
Netzach cannot be achieved without Valor, Firmness, and struggle. It should be noted that Lucifer is
associated with the Devil, whose Planet is Saturn – and Saturn is exalted in Libra, which is ruled by
Venus.
There is also the formula of “the Son of his Mother,” which refers to the Goddess who brings forth a
Son who, when adult, is reabsorbed back into her womb, though on a far higher level than physical birth
and death. This is the formula of the story of Isis, Nephthys, and Horus, Horus being “the Bull begotten
of two Cows.” Another, similar formula is found in the Book of Revelations in the New Testament,
which tells of a book which, when eaten, is sweet as honey in the mouth but turns to bitterness in the
belly. This reflects the relationship between Netzach, sweetness, and the Great Bitter Sea of Binah,
which is associated with Kali, Persephone, and the Dark Isis. In Assyrian religious stories, Ishtar, the
Assyrian Venus, is associated with the “force” aspect of the “Dark Goddess” as the archetypal
Courtesan.* Another figure which has much to do with the power of Netzach is Orpheus, who brought
peace and harmony to everything around him through his music (his lyre had seven strings; 7 is the
number of Netzach). Another being associated with Netzach is the Egyptian God of the Moon Djehuti or
Thoth, the Lord of Wisdom and Justice, the Keeper of the Balance (Wisdom is associated with Chokmah
and Neptune, Who is one of the esoteric or Magickal Lords of Libra, the Balance).

*Her name comes down to us as “Esther,” the name of the Jewish wife of the Persian king Ahasueras
who saved her people from slaughter by Haman, as told in the Old Testament Book of Esther.

The Virtue of Netzach is Unselfishness, of absolute necessity to success in any working involving
polarities of any kind. Its Vices are Unchastity and Lust, which aren’t meant to be taken only in their
sexual application. Unchastity is impurity and lack of clear definition in any use of force, resulting in
blurriness and confusion, which are opposites of the Firmness of Netzach. This is the vice that so often
inspires “New Age” sweetness-and-light presentations, saccharine greeting-cards, kitsch art, and bad art
in general, the opposites of the hard-edged, glorious beauty of Netzach. Lust is an overemphasis and
exaggeration of force, and thus in opposition to the perfect balance of the Beauty Triumphant of Netzach.
Like the interpretation of Geburah as a Sephirah of war, the interpretation of Netzach entirely in
terms of sex is both superficial and misleading. Just as there is much more to Mars than a mere rough-
and-tumble bruiser and thug, Aphrodite is far more than just a Patroness of cabaret and strip-tease shows,
prostitutes, cosmeticians, bridal shops, and adult toy-stores. The Dance of the Seven Veils is usually
associated among Westerners with degenerate Oriental sensualism, but in fact it is a metaphor, in the
form of dance, for the seven traditional Planets and Lights and the Seven Planes of the Tree of Life. The
naked Goddess is something far more than an erotic fetish, just as Eros, one of the oldest Gods and one of
the most powerful and terrifying, is something much more than just a cute little cupid.
The Victory of Netzach is the victory over all false ideals, from the ideal of the “great lovers,” the
glamour of romance that many take to excuse anything, to the patriotic ideals, sugar-coated by glamour
inspired by brass bands and stirring speeches, that incite us to bloody and ultimately futile warfare. The
death of Romeo and Juliet was the fruit born of the embrace of one such ideal. The hideous carnage of
the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam all began with the embrace of another
such, the oxymoronic ideal of the “Glorious War.”
The Victory of Netzach can only come after the Sacrifice of Tiphareth; before it comes, all the false
ideals of “Beauty,” “Peace,” “Glory,” and “Romance,” the perversions of truth and beauty found in their
grossest forms in “pie in the sky” religion, kitsch art, and the sort of occultist “mysticism” which entails a
denial of the realities of physical existence, must be destroyed. These false ideals stand in the way of
evolution from the Many into the One, from scatteredness or even schizophrenic psychosis to a truly
unified being,. Beauty must be in accord with Truth. Therefore Netzach’s Spiritual Experience might
better be called “The Vision of the Triumph of Truth and Law,” which, ultimately, constitute true
Beauty.

b. The Cards
Geometrical figures that represent Netzach include all seven-sided figures, especially the Septagon (a
regular seven-sided polygon with seven interior angles of 360°/7 = 51.42857 . . . ° each), the Septagram
(seven-pointed Star with apex upward), and seven-rayed Stars (seven rays emanating from one Point). In
particular the points of the Septagram can be associated with the traditional Planets and the days of the
week as follows: Sun/Sunday = Lower Right Point, Mars/Tuesday = Mid-Right Point, Jupiter/Thursday
= Upper Right Point, Saturn/Saturday = Topmost Point, Venus/Friday = Lower Left Point,
Mercury/Wednesday = Mid-Left Point, and Luna/Monday = Upper Right Point. Also, the Outer Planets
(including Saturn and the two hypothetical trans-Plutonian Planets Persephone and Hera/Durga) and
Luna, along with the nights of the week, can be associated with the points of the Septagram as follows:
Luna/Saturday night = Topmost Point; Hera (Durga)/Thursday Night = Upper Right Point;
Persephone/Tuesday night = Mid-Right Point; Pluto/Sunday night = Lower Right Point; Neptune/Friday
night = Lower Left Point; Uranus/Wednesday night = Mid-Left Point; and Saturn/Monday night =
Upper Left Point. The number of the traditional Planets (including the Lights, the Sun and the Moon) are
seven. There are numerous associations of the number 7 with sacred things. 360°/7 = 51.42857 . . . °,
called a septile, is considered by astrologers to represent such things as commitment, continuation, depth,
disruption, fixation, focus, inevitability, the inside of something, inwardness, introvertedness,
consequences of actions, liberation, narrowness, the occult, originality, perversion, quietude, silence,
randomness, religion, a religious nature, symbolism, unpredictability, chaos, and the unseen (which last
also associates it with Hades-Pluto, one of Whose attributes was invisibility). All such associations are
excellent for designs for the Sevens.

The Sevens

1) WANDS

Design: Generally, seven Wands in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows an
embattled man using his Wand as a staff to fight off six attacking staves; he stands upon a
pinnacle, and those wielding the other six staves are below him. Crowley’s pack shows a design
similar to that for his Six of Wands, but with the addition of a wooden rod superimposed upon
the others; the sigil for Mars is above, that for Leo below. The New Tarot shows seven Snakes,
three above, four below, arranged as a Triangle on top of a Square.

America’s Tarot: Upright: Seven redwoods, three in front, four behind, each with a fearful
Dryad perched in its branches, before which stands a single man, unarmed, an Elevener dressed
in Lincoln Green, his eyes closed as if he is concentrating intensely upon something with
enormous effort, holding out his hands in a warding gesture toward six lumberjacks armed with
axes, whom he is facing. Associated with the Elevener is a “ghost” or “shadow” in the form of a
ninja. The lumberjacks look bemused and bewildered, and their grip on their axes is weak.
Reversed: The Elevener lies wounded on the ground; the lumberjacks are beginning to attack
the redwoods with their axes. A dryad stands weeping beside each. The shadow of the ninja has
fled the scene.

Upright meaning: The third decanate of Leo, 20° 0’ 0” - 29° 59’ 59” Leo (about August
12-22 of any given year). Mars in Leo. Entitled “Valor.” Courage in the face of difficulties
and opposition. Violence, conflict. Skillful exchange of ideas, effective communication.
Discourse for the present, present plans, music, live theater. Success, gain, advantage, profit,
victory. Certain success of an enterprise. Discussion, negotiation, contract, measure, rules for
conduct. Wordy strife, war of trade, barter, competition. A dark child. Exposure to an
infectious illness.

Reversed: The aorta. Mid-August. Emphasizes whatever cards are placed next to it.
Indecisiveness, doubt, hesitation, embarrassment, anxiety. Perplexities, a caution against
indecision. Development of the symptoms of an infectious illness.

2) CUPS

Design: Generally, seven cups in one arrangement or another. Waite’s Tarot shows a
silhouetted figure seen from behind, who looks up at seven cups arrayed in the heavens; from
one cup arises the head of an angel, from a second a serpent, from the third, a castle, from the
fourth, jewels, in the fifth, a monster, rising from the sixth, a shrouded figure with a halo, and in
the seventh, a wreath; on the side of the seventh cup is a design of a skull, the only one of the
cups to have such a design. Crowley’s shows seven cups in the form of lilies, from which drips
a poisonous green liquid; the sigil for Venus is above, that for Scorpio below. The New Tarot
shows seven Pears in two groups, one of three, one of four, a Triangle surmounting a Square.

America’s Tarot: Upright: A theme park á la Disneyland, and a ride or exhibit comprising
seven ponds from which rise seven figures, one for each: an angel, Godzilla, a castle, a pirate’s
treasure-chest, Cthulhu, a shrouded figure with a halo, and Death. A group of seven children are
gathered round the ponds, reaching out for the figures emerging from them or flinching back
from them in fear. Reversed: The same children, grown – but one of them is a ghost. They are
all reaching out to accept trophies and awards from others, perhaps their superiors, perhaps an
adulating audience, testimonies of their life’s achievements. The trophies are in the form of
cups. The one given to the ghost has a soul rising from its waters in glory, surrounded with a
halo. Of the rest, one has a Dove rising from its waters (given to a man wearing the vestments
of a priest), one the DNA helix rising from it (to a man in a lab-coat), one a space-ship (to a
woman dressed as an astronaut), one contains only blood (given to a pirate), one an unbearably
hideous monster (given to a man who holds a bloody knife and is dressed in blood-drenched
clothing), one a crown (to a pauper who nevertheless has the look of a king).

Upright: The card is titled “Illusionary Success” or “Debauch.” Venus in Scorpio. 20° 0’
0” - 29° 59’ 59” Scorpio (about November 12-23 in a given year). Imagination, fantasy, day-
dreaming, creation in Briah of the things that will grow into form and eventually manifest in
physical reality. External splendor and internal corruption. Beautiful and poisonous.
Intoxication. Exceptional promise. Mystical experience. Difficulty in the realization of
happiness and in raising oneself above matter. Pleasure. Transient joys. Idea, sentiment,
reflection, project. Thoughts, ideas, reflections, impressions. Short travels. Unstable
conditions. Promise and surprise, but often more promise than fulfillment. Imagination and
vision. Transient achievements. A fair child. Design, resolve, movement.

Reversed: The anus. Mid-November. Self-delusion. Addiction. Poison. False mystical

experience, deception by Qlipphotic entities. Lying, deceit, promises unfulfilled. Illusion, error.
Slight and transient success. Unexpected transience. Disappointment. Plan, design, resolution,
decision. Desire, will, determination, project. Success, if accompanied by the Three of Cups.

3) SWORDS

Design: Generally, seven Swords in one arrangement or another. The Marseille Tarot
shows six curved Swords, crossed, with a seventh, upright Sword. Waite’s shows a man stealing
away from a crusader’s camp with five Swords; two others remain, point downwards, in the
ground behind him. Crowley’s shows a Sword, hilt downwards, whose hilt combines the motifs
of the lotus and the Solar disc; six other Swords, point downwards, their hilts formed from the
sigils for Luna, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; the sigil for the Moon is above, that
for Aquarius is below. The New Tarot shows seven Blades, four above, three below, a Square
above an equilateral Triangle.
 America’s Tarot: Upright: Children playing at jackstraws with models of guided missiles.
Reversed: Seven quill pens, arranged in the form of a 7-pointed Star, standing in a well on the
desk of Thomas Paine.

Upright: 20° 0’ 0” - 29° 59’ 59” Aquarius (about February 8-17 of a given year). Luna in
Aquarius. Entitled “Unstable Effort” or “Futility.” Unstable effort, uncertainty, partial success.
The policy of appeasement.* Powerful opposition to the Querent. Great danger. Cowardice,
hesitancy, surrender immediately before victory would have been won, i.e., “pulling defeat from
the jaws of victory.” Someone of untrustworthy character. Vacillation. Journey by land shown
by nearby cards. The possible failure of a plan. A foolish attempt at some form of theft.
Arguments. Espionage and spying. Sabotage. Incomplete success. Unstable or transient effort.
A wish to destroy by means of armed might or sorcery. Ephemeral realizations.
Disappointment in family or other close relationships. Death, voided effort, vain hope. New
schemes. Attempts. Endeavors. Quarrels, disputes, unwise counsel. Wish. Success assured to
the enemy. Meeting an opponent, perhaps fighting, but strategy more than actual battle is
indicated. Tricks, prestidigitation, trickery, treachery. Arguments. One is undone. Design,
wish attempt, hope, confidence, a plan that may fail, annoyance.**

*According to Crowley, “the success of the policy is in doubt as long as there exist violent,
uncompromising forces which take it as a natural prey.” A dark-haired lady. A good card. Promise
of a country life after a profession has been secured.

**Waite notes that the design of his own version of this card “is uncertain in its import, because the
significations are widely at variance with each other.”

Reversed: Courage, perseverance, prudence, and possibly cunning are required.

Unforeseen good, good advice or instruction, wishes on the verge of fulfillment. Hope.
Intimacy, love, close relationships. Confidence. Circumspection. Good fortune coming from
sources outside and beyond the control of oneself. Using an enemy’s weapons against him.
Practical abilities and achievements. Science, arts, and crafts. Understanding of practical and
material obstacles to an endeavor. Understanding the nature of the work to be done. The enemy
disarmed. A person of technical ability. A calling to technical professions. Success as a result
of capability. Good advice or counsel, instruction. Slander, babbling, gossip. Good advice,
which may be neglected.

4) COINS/DISCS/PENTACLES

Design: Generally, seven Discs, Coins, or Pentacles in one arrangement or another.

Waite’s pack shows a farmworker gloomily contemplating six Pentacles hanging on a vine,
apparently nearly ripe, and a seventh at his feet. Crowley’s shows seven circles, each of which
contains the symbol for Taurus or Saturn; the background design suggests a Scarab beetle; the
sigil for Saturn is above, that for Taurus below. The New Tarot shows seven Stones arranged in
two groups, one an equilateral Triangle, the other, below it, a Square.

America’s Tarot: Center: Seven silver Liberty-head dollars arranged in a Septagon that is
apex-upward when the card is upright, connected up by rods to form a 7-pointed Star. Above
the top dollar is the sigil for Saturn; proceeding clockwise, in order, the sigils for Jupiter, Mars,
the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon crown the remaining six dollars. Upright: A pasture
filled with scrubby, patchy grass and large barren areas, seven overfed and sickly-looking cattle,
and a worried-looking farmer. Reversed: Seven scarab-beetles busily working a meadow in
which are seven deer, seven weasels, seven lynx, seven moose, and other groups of seven
animals of one species or another, all suggesting the enormous fertility and vitality of the natural
world before human beings get a chance at it.
 Upright: 20° 0’ 0” - 29° 59’ 59” Taurus (about May 10-20 of a given year). Saturn in
Taurus. Entitled “Success Unfulfilled,” “Blight,” or “Failure.” Success unfulfilled.
Unprofitable speculations or employment, honorary work undertaken for the love of it and
without hope of reward. Impotence in a financial situation after promising beginnings, monetary
stagnation. Indecision, lack of precision, difficulty. Ardent pursuit of wealth, greed. Some
small and temporary financial gain. Inertia. Anxiety. Imprudence. Money, finance, treasure,
gain, profit. Disturbance, worry, melancholy. The natural outcome of what was done
previously –”As you sow, so shall you reap.” Impatience, apprehension.

Reversed: The parathyroid glands. Mid-May. Delay, but with growth. Cosmic harmony,
equilibrium between matter and the psyche. Birth, a child. Success. Ingenuity. Success
assured. A large fortune. Friendship, concord, ecological balance, health, cooperation. Cause
for anxiety concerning money that the Querent may lend. Business, money, barter, altercation,
innocence. An improved position for a lady’s future husband.

c. The interrelationships between the Sephirah and the cards of the Tarot
The Sevens represent the last of the decanates of the Fixed Signs, the first Sephirah of the Triad of
Form. The Briatic or Queen-scale color attributed to Netzach is green, a blend of the blue of Chesed and
the yellow of Tiphareth, reflecting Netzach’s position on the Tree of Life, which is directly below y
(Yod), the Path connecting Chesed and Tiphareth.
These cards are associated with great instability and impermanence, due to the fact that Netzach is
far down on the Tree of Life, well into the denser levels of the Inner Planes, where the purity of the
Elements are greatly contaminated by astral invasion.
The Seven of Wands, Valor, represents the draining of energy due to opposition. One struggles
desperately, and may be overcome. However, this card is associated with Mars in Leo, of which Mars is
an esoteric Lord and in which he is at is strongest and best. While victory is not assured, it certainly is
not ruled out, and in fact, because one is in a position of vantage, it may be easier to achieve than one
believes. This card is associated with the hottest parts of Summer, which come just before Summer
begins to wane and transmute into Autumn.
The Seven of Cups, Debauch, is a card of poison, intoxication, delirium, and ecstasy. It represents
both the delusions of delirium tremens and the exaltation of sexual love. On the one hand, it signifies
false pleasures, addictions that lead to self-destruction; there is something suicidal about this aspect of it.
On the other, it associated with the Alchemist who turns base lead into gold, or the wise agriculturist,
who knows the true value of manure and offal, the potential nutrients they provide for tomorrow’s golden
harvest. This card is associated with Venus in Scorpio, in which Venus has Her detriment, and therefore
it usually signifies the potential for real trouble, especially in the form of toxic love, addictions, and other
debilitating conditions and circumstances. But Venus in Scorpio also represents the Hidden Treasures of
Hades, the mineral wealth of the soil so necessary to new life and production of food; in that light, this
card signifies the Black Dragon of Alchemy, the Vessel of Putrefaction, that stage of transmutation
achieved by the decomposition of something into its most primordial components, achieved through the
agencies of rot and putrefaction, necessary to its transformation into the highest and most valued possible
form. The Five of Coins also signifies Alchemy, but has more to do with the thing to be transformed, a
bad situation that can nevertheless be turned to advantage, than it does with the process of transmutation
as a process, which is the essential meaning of the Seven of Cups. At any rate, while on a spiritual level
this card can be positive, signifying transformation, regeneration, rebirth, or resurrection, on a mundane
level this card generally signifies poisons, anything toxic, and addictions or addictive substances. In its
negative aspects it is associated with vampires, zombies, ghouls, the undead, and toxic relationships of all
kinds. This card is associated with mid-November, the midst of Autumn, a time of increasing gloom and
cold, with no end in sight. Winter is soon to come; despair, dying, death, and decay fill the world, and
Spring seems infinitely far away.
The Seven of Swords, Futility, is associated with the Moon in Aquarius, wherein Luna has Her
detriment. It is therefore a card of weakness, as well as of passivity, because of Luna’s nature. It
signifies the end of the second third of Winter, a time when Winter’s grip on the world is beginning to
slip and weaken. Change – represented by Luna – is definitely in the air, and that that change is in the
direction of decrease of the cold and storms of Winter is represented by Luna in Aquarius, a placement
which weakens both. The ice and snow of Winter are no match for the steady increase of the length of
day and warmth of the Sun which, however short and weak they may seem, are far greater than those of
Capricorn, true Winter. Slowly the Sun is infusing the world with warmth, weakening the tyranny of
Winter by sheer steady attrition rather than a frontal attack. One of Aesop’s fables, concerning a man
wearing a cloak and a contest between the Sun and the Wind to see which would be able to force his
cloak from him, has much to teach about this card: sometimes Friendly Persuasion (and Aquarius is
associated with friendship) can work miracles where force majeur proves to be utterly futile.
The Seven of Disks, Failure, is associated with Saturn in Taurus. Saturn has His fall in Taurus, for
which reason this is generally not a good card. There is no effort here, not even dreams. The die have
been thrown, and the gamble has been lost. All effort has come to nothing. But that is only one side of
this card. The other shows “the road less taken,” the alternatives to that effort and what might have come
from them. The card thus may signify a warning not to embark upon what could prove to be a fruitless
endeavor with a pointlessly tragic outcome; it is associated with well-meaning stupidity and the road that
is so well-paved with the such intentions. It must be remembered that the metal of Saturn is lead;
sowing a fertile field with a toxic substance such as lead can generally have but one outcome.

8. Sephirah 8
a. The Sephirah

Hod, “Brilliance.” Sphere of Ø (Mercury)

The two root-powers of the universe are represented on the Tree of Life by Chokmah and Binah,
positive and negative force, Yang and Yin, emitting and receptive. Although each Sephirah gives birth to
the next in numerical order, once the Tree of Life has been established, these two Supernal Sephiroth are
reflected diagonally on its lower levels in a particular way.
Binah is the Giver of Form. Chesed is it cosmic expression in form, anabolizing the productions of
Binah, where the organization of the units formulated by Binah into complex, interacting structures is
accomplished. In turn, Hod, the reflection of Chesed, is likewise a Sephirah of Form, representing this
coagulating principle in yet another sphere.
Chokmah, on the other hand, is the dynamic principle of Force. It reflects into Geburah, which is the
cosmic catabolist, representing the breaking-down of the complex into the simple, thereby releasing
latent energy. In turns, the function of Geburah is reflected into Netzach, the life-force of Nature. 44
Functionally, the Lower Triad comprises Hod, Netzach, and Yesod. Hod and Netzach are
respectively the expressions of Form and Force on the Astral plane. Yesod is the basis of astral substance,
variously called the Akasha or Astral Light. In particular, Hod, the locus of the formulation of forms, is
the Sphere of Magick; it is therefore the sphere in which the Magickian actually works, for it is his mind
that formulates the forms, and his will that makes the link with the natural forces of the Sphere of
Netzach that animate them. The power of the concentrated Will is necessary to enable the Magickian to
gather himself together for his work, but the power of imaginative sympathy is essential to enable him to
make his contacts. 45
It is through inhibition, deferral of gratification, and sacrifice on the lower planes that the dynamic
energy of the highest plane is rendered available. It is in the Sphere of Hod that the rational mind
imposes these inhibitions on the dynamic animal nature of the soul; condensing them; formulating them;
directing them by limiting them and preventing diffusion. These are the Operations of Ceremonial
Magick, by means of which the free-moving natural forces are constrained and directed toward goals that
are determined by the Operator – “the Art and Science of causing Change in conformity with Will.” This
power of direction and control is only obtained by the sacrifice of plasticity and malleability. For this
reason, Hod is known as the reflection of Binah through Chesed.46
The Qaballistic assignments for Hod include the following:

MAGICKAL IMAGE: A hermaphrodite.

GOD NAME: t w a b x \ y h l a (ALHIM
TzaBAOTh, God of Hosts)
ARCHANGELS: l a p r (Raphael); l a y r b g (Gabriel)
 CHOIR OF ANGELS: t w a b x y n b (BeNI ALHIM, the
Sons of God)
MUNDANE CHAKRA: Mercury
VIRTUE: Truthfulness
TITLES: –
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE: The Vision of Splendor
ATZILUTHIC COLOR: Violet purple
BRIATIC COLOR: Orange
YETZIRATIC COLOR: Red russet
ASSIATIC COLOR: Yellowish black, flecked white
VICE: Falsehood, dishonesty
SYMBOLS: The Names and Versicles. The Apron.

For Hod, Liber 777 gives the following assignments: Opal, especially fire opal; moly (garlic),
Anhalonium lewinii (mescaline), the Hermaphrodite, the jackal, mercury metal (quicksilver), storax
(perfume).

According to the Yetziratic Text,

The Eighth Path is called the Absolute or Perfect Intelligence because it is the
mean of the Primordial, which has no root by which it can cleave or ret, save in the
hidden places of Gedulah, from which emanates its proper essence.

Hod is primarily the Sephirah of the forms of the concrete mind, the intellect. Since form itself first
comes into real existence in Chesed, the diagonal opposite of Hod on the Tree of Life, the relationship
between these two Sephiroth is stressed in the Yetziratic Text. In turn, Chesed is diagonally opposite
Binah, where the idea of form is first conceived. Thus these three Sephiroth are linked by means of their
nature as Sephiroth of Form, ruled by Water in the same way that Fire rules Chokmah, Geburah, and
Netzach, and Air rules Kether, Tiphareth, Yesod, and Malkuth.
Because the human mind works in terms of form, clearly Hod is the Perfect or Absolute Intelligence,
for when forms are true, they are the means by which we can come to grips with the formless truths of
the Supernal realm. Even so, form, when viewed from the point of view of the Supernals, i.e., the Spirit,
has no reality, since it has only phenomenal and not noumenal reality. For this reason, the Yetziratic
Text tells us that these lower forms, regardless of their value, have no fundamental reality “save in the
hidden places of Gedulah,” a state in which spiritual forces first take on aspects of form.
This applies to the anthropomorphication of our Gods. The various aspects of God operate in the
lower planes of the Tree of Life in Netzach, which is, however, concerned with Force rather than Form.
So we give images to the forces of the Universe, including the forces within us. These images are formed
in Hod. It doesn’t matter whether those images are gross or naïve in nature, e.g., the popular image of
God as a patriarchal, bearded old man wearing long robes, or whether it is symbolic and subtle, such as
the symbol for the same ideas as a point within a circle. In any case, an image is used to represent the
idea of God or a God, and it is formed in Hod, in which all mental images are created. Thus all the
images of God are associated with Hod in the same way that all the various forces or aspects of God are
associated with Netzach.
All the varieties of philosophy, in that they are structures of formalized concepts, belong to Hod.
The only criterion that can be applied to them is the question of whether they are true or false, honest or
dishonest, the concerns of the Virtue and Vice of Hod. (Falsehood can be due to no more than error,
based on acceptance of inaccurate information as accurate. Dishonesty, on the other hand, is deliberate,
based on a lie. The first is intellectual in nature; the second is moral.)
The God Name of Hod, t w a b x \ y h l a (ALHIM TzaBAOTh), God of Hosts, is similar to
that of Netzach, t w a b x h w h y (JeHoWaH TzaBAOTh), “Lord of Hosts.” In Netzach, the Hosts
are the myriad forces of the lower planes, while in Hod they are the countless forms serving to clothe
those forces. h w h y (JeHoWaH, “Lord”) refers to the manifestation of forces on different planes, so
this Name is applicable to Netzach, which has to do with the relationships of forces at all levels. \ y h l
a (ALHIM, “God”), on the other hand, has polarity and plurality implicit within it, “e unus pluribum,”
while it is in Hod that logical structures are created, a process of finding a coherent, underlying unity
among diverse aspects, “e pluribus unum.” The Magickal Image of Hod is the Hermaphrodite, which,
like \ y h l a , has duality and plurality implicit in one form. Further, the Names t w a b x and \ y h
l a first respectively appear in Chokmah and Binah; according to the principle of similarity of Sephiroth
diagonally opposite to each other on the Tree of Life, Netzach and Hod are the respective lower octaves
of those two Supernal Sephiroth. Chokmah and Netzach are at the head and base of the active Pillar of
Force, or Mercy, of the Tree of Life, while Binah and Hod form the head and base of the passive Pillar of
Form, or Severity.
The Archangels of Hod are Raphael, who rules the spirits of the Air, and Gabriel, Lord of the Mighty
Waters. Raphael can be conceived as a column of light standing before the Solar disk, or as a winged
figure with a staff and a lute. Gabriel is the familiar Angel of the Last Trump, blowing his mighty horn
on Judgment Day. Hod is associated with Mercury and Hermes, Lord of the Winds, hence Raphael, the
Archangel who rules the Air Quarter of the East, is one of Hod’s Archangels. But because the Planet
Mercury is also associated with quicksilver (metallic mercury), Hod is thus also associated with the
Element Water and its ruler, Gabriel of the Water Quarter of the West.
The Choir of Angels, the Beni Elohim or Sons of God (or Sons of the Gods), work in conjunction
with the Choir of Angels of Netzach, the Elohim or Gods. These two Choirs can be thought of as the
Force and Form aspects of all the Gods and Goddesses. Here, the term ‘Sons of God” or “Sons of the
Gods” has both esoteric and exoteric aspects; the first is used in the sense of, e.g., “we are the children of
disaster,” that is, metaphorically, the second in a literal sense, as in the idea that Jesus of Nazareth was
literally conceived by God upon Mary.
The Mundane Chakra of Hod is the Planet Mercury, which stands closer to the Sun than any other
Planet. In terms of celestial mechanics, the orbits of Earth and Venus are heavily influenced by the
passage of Mercury close to Them, and vice-versa. The Gods associated with this Planet are Mercurius
of the Latins, Hermes and Athena of the Greeks, Djehuti of the Egyptians, Odin or Wotan of the Norse,
and so on. He is associated with wisdom and learning in all forms, and especially with speech and the
development of written language. Hence the Virtues and Vices of this Sephirah, Truth or Honesty vs.
Untruth and the Lie, which are intimately associated with and dependent for their very existence upon
communication, whose Lord is Hermes-Mercurius-Djehuti. (Obviously, the Qlippoth of this Sephirah
must be imps of the darker side of Hermes, that is, of His dominion over liars, thieves, practical jokers,
and so forth.)*

*See Gareth Knight, op. cit., pp. 164-174.

Hod is associated with the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Article VIII
Excessive bail or fines and cruel punishment prohibited.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and
unusual punishments inflicted.

The commandment associated with Hod is

You shall not steal.

Exodus 20:15, Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version

b. The Cards
 All eight-sided figures, especially the Octagon, a regular polygon a figure with eight equal sides and
eight interior angles of 45° each); the Octagram, an 8-pointed Star formed by the superposition of one
square over another at a 45° angle to the first, their centers congruent, or by connecting up the points of
an Octagon by gaps of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; and 8-rayed Stars (8 rays emanating from a single Point) are
associated with Hod. An angle of 45°, or semisquare, in an astrological chart represents irritability,
abrasiveness, activity, adjustments, ambition, annoyances, antagonism, attunement, a bumpy road, a
challenge, clearing out, clumsiness, conflict, contrast, courage, determination, a detour, difficulties,
discord, dynamism, earnings, effort, engagement (as gears), enthusiasm, friction, a frown, frustration,
something that grates, hardness, haste, impulsiveness, inflammation, initial effort, irksomeness, a lack,
martial qualities, need, pursuit, resolution, stimulation, stress, tension, lack of awareness, or an upset.
Eight is also associated with Easter, hence with Jesus as Christ, redemption, resurrection, transfiguration,
transmutation, Alchemy, rebirth, etc. All such associations are excellent for designs for the Eighths.

The Eights
1) WANDS

Design: Eight Wands, in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows eight Wands
flying through the air parallel to one another, almost at the terminus of their flight. Crowley’s
shows four lightning bolts crossed to form a double (Solar) cross; above is a rainbow, along
with the sigil for Mercury, and below is the sigil for Sagittarius. The New Tarot shows eight
Snakes arranged in the form of a wheel.

America’s Tarot: Upright: Eight redwood saplings, straining upward toward the sky.
Children play among them, and birds are building nests in their branches. Reversed: The trees
have grown too closely together. Three are sickly, dying for lack of enough water and minerals;
three are overgrown, their branches entangled with those of all the others, casting too much
shade over the ground below; two have fallen on the ground, dead, possibly as a result of
lightning. Nearby are corpses left over from a battle; ravens fight over who gets the best
pickings.

Upright meaning: Entitled “Swiftness.” Mercury in Sagittarius. The first decanate of

Sagittarius, 0° 0’ 0” - 9° 59’ 59” Sagittarius (about November 22 through December 1 of a given
year). Swiftness, activity, approaching a goal. A time for initiative will be indicated when
hopeful change or movement will take place. Journeys, communications. A hasty
communication, letter, or message. Transition between life and death. New beginning.
Stability, understanding, a rural matter. The country, gain, gold. Higher education, religion,
marriage. Understanding, observation, direction. Examination, interrogation, misgivings.
Misunderstandings. Quick response. Pleasure and pain. Life at or on the sea. Students of
occultism. Poetry, music, sculpture. Secret messages, hidden meanings. Questions concerning
sex. A private interview or rendezvous. Activity in undertakings, that which is on the move, the
arrows of love. The Spirit. Spiritual matters. Evocation of a spirit.

Reversed: The hips. Late November. “Nature, red in tooth and claw.” Rashness,
dissipated brilliance. Travel, rumination, sorrow. Quarrels, intestinal troubles, disputes,
discord. Because of opposition to its success, the enterprise will be only partially successful.
Bad weather. Arrows of jealousy, domestic disputes. Hauntings. Possession. Evil spirits.
Internal dispute, conscience, matters of conscience, guilt.

2) CUPS

Design: Generally, eight cups in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows a
desolate night scene, wherein a man turns his back on eight Cups stacked in a display and walks
away, beneath a waning crescent moon. Crowley’s shows eight Cups in the form of lotuses; the
sigil for Saturn is above, that for Pisces below. The New Tarot shows eight Pears.

America’s Tarot: Upright: Eight lakes dead of eutrophication and pollution. A ghost-town
lines its banks. In the background can be seen the remains of strip-mining and open-pit mines.
Reversed: Eight lakes in the prime of health, abounding with life in the form of fish, birds,
plants, shellfish, etc. Eight American Indians in canoes paddle on their waters. In the
background is a vast, ancient forest; in the middle ground is a thriving Indian village.

Upright: Entitled “Abandoned Success” or “Indolence.” The first decanate of Pisces, 0° 0’

0” - 9° 59’ 59” Pisces (about February 18 through March 1 of a given year). Abandoned
success. Instability. Leaving material success behind for something higher. Recovery from
alcoholism or drug addiction. The soul poisoned. Decline of interest in a thing. Ennui.
Anomie. Abandon of psychic pursuits, return to matter or materialism, mental imbalance.
Disappointment without success. Reversal of fortune. Gentle attachment, casual association. A
blond woman. Nourishment. Room and board. Partial love. Preparation. Friendship,
attachment, tenderness. A partial failure of love, love only partially succeeds. Leaving the
house or home. Changes in the family. Shyness. Little chance to see one’s ambitions realized.
Disorder and waywardness. Despondency. Dissatisfaction. Deserting the cups of happiness or
enterprise. Mildness, timidity. Honor. Modesty. The decline of a matter, or indication that a
matter thought to be important turns out to be unimportant or trivial, i.e., an indication that if
one is anxious about something, it will turn out to be nothing to worry about. Marriage to a fair
(light-haired) woman.

Reversed: Late February. The pineal gland, corpus callosum, and corpus coerleus in the
brain. Agreement and success. Pleasures of the moment. Parties. Sexual gratification.
Dancing. Theater. Fun. Gaiety, feasting. Great joy, happiness. Perfect satisfaction.

3) SWORDS

Design: Generally, eight Swords in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows a
blindfolded, bound figure standing with five Swords on its right, five on its left. Crowley’s
shows six horizontal Swords, each different from the others; two Swords vertical, point
downward, crossing the others; the sigil of Jupiter is above, that for Gemini is below. The New
Tarot shows eight Blades.

Upright: Entitled “Shortened Force” or “Interference.” The first decanate of Gemini, 0° 0’

0” - 9° 59’ 59” Gemini (about May 21 through May 31 of a given year). The Will thwarted by
accidental interference. A test or initiation. Indecision, waste of energy in details, a crisis. The
end of a period of misfortune, provided that opportunities for change are recognized and seized.
Narrow or restricted. Petty. A prison. Restriction or imprisonment in general. Heavy and
overpowering. Despair. Criticism, critics. Blame, censure. Sickness. Calumny. Gossip.
Partial opposition to success. Obstacles, conflict. Danger. Sex problems of a threatening
nature. Possibility of danger of death. Revenge. Debt. An uncouth female person. Temporary
durance. Bad news. Violent chagrin. Scandal spread concerning a woman. Departure of a
relative. Difficulties due to in-laws.

Reversed: The shoulders. Late May. Release from restriction. Passing or failing a test
(which is which depends on surrounding cards). Success or failure of an initiation (depends on
surrounding cards). Treachery in the past. Accident, remarkable incident. Notable event. The
enemy only partly triumphs. Disquiet. Difficulty. Opposition. Accident. Treachery. What is
unforeseen. Fatality.

4) COINS/DISCS/PENTACLES

Design: Eight coins, discs, or Pentacles in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows
a woodworker chiseling out a Pentagram within a Circle; five such creations hang beside him, a
seventh rests against his bench, and the eighth is on the ground beside him. Crowley’s shows a
tree with eight five-petaled flowers; the sigil of the Sun is above, that for Virgo below. The
New Tarot shows eight Stones in an octagon.

America’s Tarot: Center: Eight Liberty-head silver dollars forming an octagon; rays of
light interconnect them to form an Octagram or eight-pointed Star. Upright: A field containing
 eight young plants with golden heads or beards in the form of discs, healthy and well-tended.
Reversed: The same field, but the plants are dying from neglect, lack of water, and bad soil.

Upright: Entitled “Prudence.” The first decanate of Virgo, 0° 0’ 0” - 9° 59’ 59” Virgo
(about August 23 through September 2 of a given year). The Sun in Virgo. Intelligence
lovingly applied to material matters. Skill, prudence, competence, artfulness, cunning.
Equilibrium of extremes in every realm, harmony of the worlds. Economy. Health. A
journeyman. The analytical mind. A virtuous brunette woman. Minor Magick, e.g., spells for
good weather. Herbal lore, herbalists, herbal medicine. A wise woman. A healer, chiropractor,
veterinarian, acupuncturist, paramedic. A dark woman. Beauty, candor, chastity, innocence,
modesty. Partial success. Work done out of devotion, perhaps on behalf of charity. Devotion
and its fruits. The mysteries of nature. Religious work. Medicine. Prisons. The arts. The
conversion of a ne’er-do-well to a workaholic or at least someone capable of good work. Work,
employment, commission, craftsmanship. Skill in craft or business, perhaps in the preparatory
stage. A young man in business who has a business relationship with the Querent.

Reversed: The small (upper) intestine. Late August. Concentration on short-term or petty
goals, as opposed to long-term or major ones. Violent stopping of something, or success or
stability, depending on the cards around it. A vain woman, working to get what she wants; a
shameless hussy. Minor sorceries, e.g., putting a hex on somebody’s clock or other inanimate,
small chattel, or a plague of zits, etc., nothing particularly deadly. A sorceress. Flattery, usury,
hypocrisy, shiftiness. Just as you appear to be securing your fortune, you lose a lot of money. A
possibility of Bohemian love ending in degradation. Deprivation. Waste of money. Voided
ambition, vanity, cupidity, exaction, extortion. The skill of the ingenious mind turned to
cunning and intrigue. The Querent will be compromised in a matter of money-lending.

c. The interrelationships between the Sephirah and the cards of the Tarot
The four Eights are associated with Hod. They represent the first decanates of the Mutable Signs
Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini, and Virgo, that is, the first week of the last third of each Season. Since Hod
is on the same plane as Netzach on the Tree of Life, though on the Pillar of Severity rather than on that of
Mercy, the same weaknesses can be found in the Eights as in the Sevens. Even so, there is one great
redeeming feature, that the Eights may alleviate the problems associated with the Sevens. While there is
no possibility of perfection in the Eights, nevertheless they are free from the essential, sui generis flaws
of the Sevens.
The Eight of Wands is entitled “Swiftness.” It represents Mercury in Sagittarius. While Mercury
has His detriment in that Sign, nevertheless all the Planets and Lights are given a degree of dignity in
Sagittarius, because of its generally fortunate nature. This card expresses a highly spiritualized idea of
Fire, from which all gross characteristics have disappeared. Now, for each Element, the Cardinal Sign
represents the swift, impulsive onrush of the Element; the Cherubic Sign its full, balanced power; and
the Mutable Sign, the waning away of its force. E.g., Aries represents the first great flowing force of
Fire, as in the beginning of a blazing bonfire; Leo represents its power and the source of its power, the
Sun; and Sagittarius represents its ultimate spiritualization or taming, symbolized respectively as the
rainbow (the fiery light of the Sun at its most beautiful), on the one hand, and high-energy technology or
lightning, on the other. In the Eight of Wands, Fire is no longer represented together with ideas of
combustion and destruction. Instead, it is associated with electric current, lighting harnessed to do work,
or rays of light used to measure the great constants of the physical universe. Basically, this is a very
good card.
The Eight of Cups is entitled “Indolence.” This card expresses the acme of all that is unpleasant and
repellent. It is associated with Saturn in Pisces, where Saturn has His esoteric detriment, showing His
greatest weaknesses and the most unpleasant aspects of His nature. Time and sorrow have set upon
pleasure, and there is nothing that can react against them. The idea of a hangover gives a very good idea
of the card’s meaning, except that the “night before” the “morning after” expressed by this card hasn’t
happened. The card might represent a party for which all preparations have been made, but nobody has
thought to invite guests, or perhaps the caterers never showed up, or somebody forgot to go on a major
beer-run. Whatever the problem is, in terms of this metaphor it is the host’s own fault. Perhaps the party
he planned was well beyond his financial means, or maybe he just wussed out at the last moment.
 The Eight of Swords is called “Interference” or “Initiation.” It is associated with Jupiter in Gemini,
where Jupiter has His detriment. There is no restriction of the Will by internal or external constraints.
As Crowley puts it, it represents “the error of being good-natured when good-nature is disastrous.”*
Gemini is an Airy Sign, a Sign of the intellect, whereas Jupiter is all Fire, geniality, and optimism,
without the tremendous concentration necessary to do anything useful with Air. This card also contains
the aspect of the Unexpected, Eris at large, hence a suggestion of sheer, unforeseen bad luck. This is a
card of chaos and chaotic conditions, in which small changes in input can make for large variances in
output, as is true of meteorological systems, population dynamics, and so forth. As the tale goes, “For
want of a nail, the shoe was lost . . .” Above all, it is a card of unexpected changes in weather: Jupiter is
a Fiery Planet and Gemini and Airy Sign, and heat applied to air always begets change in the weather.

*Aleister Crowley, The Book of Thoth, op. cit., p. 184.

The Eight of Discs, Pentacles, or Coins is called “Prudence.” It is associated with Sol in Virgo,
where the Sun has his esoteric detriment, a time of both harvest and the end of fertility. It also expresses
uncertainty, the uncertainty of whether what has been sown in good faith will bear a plentiful harvest. It
has to do with the fruits of investment of one’s labor and goods in any enterprise. After that investment
has been made, all that one can do is wait and see what comes of it. In that sense, it expresses Sol’s
weakness in Virgo – all the Sun’s fiery heat can’t force even one more seed to come to fruition once the
time for growth and development of the young plant has gone. It is a card of buying time, analyzing, and
calculation, the card of the actuary, accountant, and assessor. If it represents a person, it is someone who
seems to be easy-going but is nobody’s fool, who is stable, competent, and wise.
According to A. E. Waite, four Eights upright in a spread signify reverse; three Eights upright
signify marriage; two Eights upright, new knowledge; four Eights reversed, error; three Eights
reversed, a spectacle; and two Eights reversed, misfortune.

9. Sephirah 9

a. The Sephirah
Yesod, “Foundation.” Sphere of × (Luna).

Yesod is the Sphere called the Akasha, the repository of the Akashic records, and sometimes the
Astral Light. It partakes of the nature of both mind and matter. It is to the “substance” of the space-time
continuum what the latter is to dense matter, and is the basis of the phenomena which the physicist
attributes to the behavior of the ultimate microstructure and basic ‘substance” of the Universe.
According to Dion fortune,

The Æther of the Wise might, in fact, be called the root of the ether of physics.47

Yesod is the receptacle of the emanations of all the other Sephiroth as well as the sole, immediate
transmitter of these emanations to Malkuth, the physical plane. Yesod purifies, proves out, and corrects
the emanations which it receives from the other Sephiroth. As a result, it is in the Sphere of Yesod that
all operations designed to correct the Sphere of dense matter, Malkuth, or perfect its unity of design are
carried out. Therefore Yesod is the all-important Sphere for any operations of Magick which are intended
to take effect in the physical world.48
The Astral Ether, or space-time continuum, the level of reality upon which the phenomena of
quantum mechanics take place, can be molded into forms by the mind. It also holds the molecules of
dense matter in its mesh-like lines of tension as if it were a rack of pigeon-holes into which those
molecules were slotted. 49
Yesod is also of enormous importance to the practical Hermeticist, because it is the first Sephirah
with which he comes into contact when he begins to “rise on the planes,” lifting his consciousness above
Malkuth. Having traveled from Malkuth along the ghastly Thirty-second Path of the Tau Cross of
Suffering, associated with Saturn, he enters Yesod, the Treasure House of Images, the realm of Maya,
Illusion. Yesod, in and of itself, is the Sphere of Illusion, because the Treasure House of Images is none
other than the reflecting Ether of Malkuth, corresponding in the microcosm to the Collective
Unconscious, filled with ancient and forgotten things that have been lost or banished there since the dawn
of humanity, millions of years ago. The keys that unlock the doors of Yesod and enable the Hermeticist
to command the beings that dwell within it are to be found in Hod, the Sphere of Magick.
Yesod is also the Sphere of the Moon. The Moon and the earth share one astral body, though their
two physical bodies are separate, reflecting the fact that they share the same orbit around Sol. On the
Astral planes, the Moon and the Earth may be considered to be two poles of one gradient, Luna being the
positive pole and the Earth the negative one. As the physical Moon reflects the Sun’s light, Yesod
reflects the Solar Astral light of Tiphareth, which in its turn is Kether on a lower arc. Thus the light and
power of Kether is transmitted directly to Tiphareth, which reflects and redirects it toward Yesod, which
in turn reflects it on to Malkuth and the Earth. For this reason, some believe Pluto, associated with
Kether, to be the – or, at any rate, a – higher octave of Luna.
Yesod, like Luna, is forever in a cycle of ebb and flow lasting about a month or a third of a Solar
season, because the amount of sunlight reflected by Luna toward the Earth waxes and wanes in a twenty-
eight day cycle. In turn, Malkuth-Earth has a three hundred and sixty-five day cycle, of which the phases
are marked by the Equinoxes and the Solstices.* It is the interaction of these cyclical tides which is so
important to the practical Hermeticist, because so much of his work depends upon them. 50

*I.e., Earth’s Solstices and Equinoxes have a reflection in the Quarters of the Lunar months.

In Qaballistic symbolism, the organs of reproduction are assigned to Yesod. In this context it is
interesting that the Roman Goddess of the Moon was Diana, the Chaste or Maiden Huntress – who was
also, however, the Patroness of Childbirth, the Goddess Who stood by when women gave birth and
guarded them and their newborns from the perils that come at such a time.
Luna has three major aspects: Diana, the Maiden, the young woman who has never given birth;
Luna or Selene, the Matron; and Hekate, the Hag or Crone, the post-menopausal Woman of Power.
Overall the Moon is Woman. She rules the breast, the womb, childbirth, and infants as well as
inheritance, he home, and ancestry. Above all, She rules the Tides of Life, especially those of fertility;
menstruation; and pregnancy. She rules the cessation of physical fertility at menopause, which frees
women for cultivation of fertility of mind and spirit and to engage in the protection and education of the
young, the ultimate fecundity of a community and the future vehicle of its spirit. Finally, She rules the
rites attendant upon preparation of the dead for burial or cremation, and the grave, which is only the
foyer of the womb in the next incarnation.

The Qaballistic assignments for Yesod include the following:

MAGICKAL IMAGE: A beautiful naked man, very strong

GOD NAME: y j l a y d c (ShaDdaI AL ChaI,
Almighty Living God)
ARCHANGEL: l a y r b g (Gabriel)
CHOIR OF ANGELS: \ y b w r k (Kerubim)
MUNDANE CHAKRA: Luna
VIRTUE: Independence
TITLES: The Treasure-House of Images
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE: Vision of the Machinery of the Universe
ATZILUTHIC COLOR: Indigo
BRIATIC COLOR: Violet
YETZIRATIC COLOR: Very dark purple
ASSIATIC COLOR: Citrine, flecked azure
VICE: Idleness
SYMBOLS: The Perfumes and Sandals
 For Yesod, Liber 777 gives the following assignments: Quartz: the banyan tree, mandrake, and
damiana herb; the Elephant (symbol); orchid root (drug); lead (mineral drug); jasmine, ginseng, and all
odoriferous roots (perfumes).
Yesod is associated with the Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Article IX
Rule of construction of Constitution.

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to

deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The commandment associated with Yesod is

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Exodus 20:16, Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version

According to the Yetziratic Text,

The Ninth Path is called the Pure Intelligence because it purifies the Emanations.
It proves and corrects the designing of their representations, and disposes the unity with
which they are designed without diminution or division.

Yesod is the Sephirah of the Astral plane per se. Thus not only is it the raw machinery which powers the
physical world, but it also holds the framework in which all quanta of dense matter are held. I.e., it is the
realm of quantum mechanics, in which all the neuroendocrinological processes associated with thought,
Will, and emotion take place, the raw stuff of the space-time continuum itself.
The “etheric” realms or Astral planes exist side-by-side with all phenomena which are the subject of
the physical sciences, and the effect of their influence upon the physical world is more or less to vitalize
it. They act to integrate and coordinate the raw building-blocks of matter and life, from sub-atomic
particles to the cells that make up multicellular organisms such as ourselves, into coherent, organic
wholes. Without this influence our physical bodies would be nothing but random collections of
independent, unrelated cells, and matter itself would likewise be no more than loose aggregates of
unrelated sub-atomic particles and pure energy. Yesod is not a product of biological being, for it is closer
to the source of things than is Malkuth; but organic life as we know, from multicellular plants and
animals to the very rocks of the Earth and the planetary physiology of Gaea, as expressed via plate
tectonics and climatic patterns, it is its child.
Yesod is the controlling agent in the biochemistry of protoplasm. Its presence is reflected in the
reactions of organisms to stimuli of all kinds; it is the basis of the action of nerves and endocrine glands
which underlie thought and emotion. According to some schools of esoteric thought, it is the etheric or
astral body rather than the physical body which has the power to feel and react emotionally; from this
point of view, anesthetics do their work by driving the astral double out of the physical body, just as
sleep, deep trance, and death do. According to this school, the physical body has only the capacity of
reception of sensory stimuli, but no actual sensory awareness as such except vague, dull, diffused feelings
such as general fatigue; the formation of the nervous system entails an admixture of astral with physical
force, so that there are only rudimentary nervous structures in plants, and none at all in minerals.
However, this point of view is in direct conflict with the work of Cleve Backster et al. on reactions
of plants to mere intentions of experimenters to do them harm,* as well as the incredible ability of plants
both to sense and react appropriately to changes in their environment with a variety of exquisitely fine-
tuned, elegant, and powerful behaviors. These last range from the secretion of powerful toxins into the
air and the soil used by some plants to discourage other plants from invading their territory, to various
noxious or toxic substances generated in the leaves, stems, flowers, and roots of some plants to drive
away or kill off potential predators, to the ability (so help me God!) of manzanita, chaparral, and other
fire-selected plants to generate enormous positive charges of electricity in their roots to draw lightning to
start massive brush-fires during which these plants set seed, ensuring that their offspring will have few or
no competitors for resources such as space, light, and soil during the earliest and most critical phases of
growth.

*See Cleve Backster, “Evidence of a Primary Perception in Plant Life,” International Journal of
Parapsychology 10:4, 1968; and Lyall Watson, Beyond Supernature, (New York: Bantam Books,
1988), p. 45.

It is thus far more likely that it is Yesod and the astral body, rather than specific physical structures
such as the vertebrate central nervous system, that makes possible the ability to sense and react
appropriately to environmental conditions in all organisms. I.e., since Yesod influences the entire Earth
and all its life, it makes more sense to assume that its influence endows all animals, plants, fungi,
microorganisms, and all other forms of life with such abilities, expressed in different ways according to
species and the exigencies of existence. The entire universe is in a sense an organic whole, capable even
of reproducing itself by means of black holes that generate new “Big Bangs” and resultant expanding
universes, and shows this same responsiveness to conditions, as does every one of its parts to one degree
or another. That this is so only serves to strengthen the hypothesis that it is Yesod and its Lunar action
that underlies all manifestations of mind and emotion; the belief that plants and other non-animal entities
do not possess minds and souls is therefore a form of species chauvinism which only keeps us from
seeing the results of Yesod’s actions everywhere, and is ultimately a neurotic, self-defeating denial
mechanism.
Be that as it may, the structure of all living beings is created and maintained in existence by the
astral web or network generated by Yesod, which is thus the foundation of physical existence. For this
reason, the title of this Sephirah is Yesod, “Foundation.”
In this way, Yesod contains the image of everything existing in the physical universe, what Rupert
Sheldrake calls the “morphogenetic field.”* For this reason it is called the Treasure House of Images.
Not only does it contain these images, but it also has the power to alter them; it is by tapping the power
of Yesod that the Yogi can produce changes within his own body by means of the techniques of Hatha
Yoga, the practitioner of chi !kung can produce physical effects in the bodies of others or even the
physical world around him, and anyone under the proper conditions can, á la Yuri Geller, bend spoons,
twist keys, and create other such seemingly impossible changes in physical objects by merely touching or
stroking them. This particular aspect of Yesod is the one stressed in the Yetziratic Text, above, as well as
Yesod’s biophysical integrating and organizing functions. Ultimately, according to Qaballistic theory, the
supreme integrated image of Yesod is that of “the Luminous Image of the Creator,” which is both
expressed through and hidden by the physical world. Therefore the God Name of Yesod is y j l a y d
c (ShaDdaI AL ChaI), “Almighty Living God.”

*See Rupert Sheldrake, A New Science of Life (London: Blond & Briggs, 1981), passim; Watson, op.
cit., pp. 62-64, 96; and Lyall Watson, Lifetide (New York: Bantam Books1980), passim.

Since Yesod is concerned with the astral realms, the images of pre-physical manifestations of all
emanations from the higher Sephiroth, and the vast body of teaching developed about the Moon, the
Archangel of Yesod is Gabriel, the Archangel of the Last Trump and the Annunciation, who gives the
powers of Vision. Gabriel can be imagined as a beautiful blue-green figure with silver flashes of light
and a tremendous swirl of colors including various shades of peacock tints shot through with silver,
forming his wings and aura, with streams of liquid silver about his head and beneath his feet. While
these aren’t, strictly speaking, the colors of Yesod per se, they do evoke a mood of the Sea and the Lunar
power associated with per se, they do evoke a mood of the Sea and the Lunar power associated with
Yesod. This form should be imagined as changing into a tremendous pillar of silver light, one tinged
with mauve-gray, reaching up to the heavens and standing on the Earth, with clouds of peacock blue and
green surrounding the pillar. This pillar represents a sort of universal battery, through which all activity
and energy throughout the Universe is switched. It is this battery which gives Vision, the power of
Yesod, which includes clairvoyance, clairaudience, and psychic powers of all kinds. Another appropriate
image of Gabriel is a solid crystalline solid with nine sides, reflecting silver and blue-green light. This
figure should be imagined to contain the same forces contained by the pillar; by watching this solid, as
one looks into a crystal globe for scrying, and seeing what appears in it, one can develop one’s psychic
abilities.
The Choir of Angels of Choir of Angels of Yesod are \ y b w r k (the Kerubim), “the Strong Ones,”
associated with the enormous strength required to hold together the astral planes and the stresses upon
which physical form depends. This idea is also behind the Magickal Image of Yesod, the Beautiful
Naked Man, very strong, reminiscent of Atlas, the Titan who holds the whole world on his shoulders.
Another representations of this strength is the idea of the gigantic tortoise on whose back stand four
elephants on whose shoulders the world is carried through the heavens. The Kerubim work to build
knowledge and harness force through methods peculiar to Yesod. One of these methods involves the use
of symbols associated with Yesod as the Sephirah is manifest in the depths of the unconscious mind.
Over time, use of these symbols tends to become less a matter of ritual and more a matter of mental
exercise. The various schools of psychoanalysis therefore preserve much of the symbolism of Yesod,
however weird the idea of “The Treasure House of Images” and the Lunar forces upon the dynamics of
the psyche depend may sound to the reductionist minds of most practitioners of psychotherapy. The
great powers of the astral realms are the Kerubim, and since the powers of Yesod are the great formative
forces of the world and of the living body and mind, those forces must be taken into account one way or
another by biomedical practitioners if their techniques are to have any value. Apart from those aspects of
Yesod which have to do with the unconscious mind, which are heavily involved in psychosomatic illness,
complete understanding of the machinery of the living organism necessary to heal its ills, keep it in good
condition, and rejuvenate it when it grows old are all contained in Yesod, and must be sought there, in the
astral foundation behind the physical realms of Malkuth.
Many forms of alternative or holistic medicine do in fact take these considerations into account,
though not always with explicit, conscious understanding of what their techniques actually entail. Some
of these techniques work better for patients who have conscious awareness of the astral levels of their
being to some degree. On the other hand, drug addicts are less likely to be helped by alternative medical
practices such as herbal medicine and homeopathy. Oddly, the presence in the body and the environment
of radioactive materials, for all the damage they can do to the body, causing everything from heart
disease to deadly cancers, may stir up the astral or etheric levels of the organism and make it easier to
treat the patient via alternative techniques. Go figure.
The Mundane Chakra of Yesod is the Moon. Luna is intimately connected with so-called vegetative
growth, as in the growth of plants, fungi, cancers, etc. There exists a vast, ancient cultural reservoir of
lore concerning herbs and their influence on illness and other things, all associated with Yesod, which
more and more is proving to be of enormous value to the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries.
While quacks and faddists are ever prone to abuse such knowledge, it is nothing to sneer at – consider,
for example, the discovery of digitalis, an extract of foxglove herb.
Luna is intimately connected with the Earth in the same way that the astral or etheric plane is
intimately connected with the physical levels of being. The power of etheric vitality resembles power of
the Moon’s gravity, by which the vast energies of the oceanic tides are generated. The cyclic activity of
the astral “Machinery of the Universe” is like the cycles of the tides and the menstrual cycles of women,
who from time out of mind have been associated with the Moon.
The Moon and the Sun represent the two great principles upon which all Creation is grounded, which
have their analogs in the Pillars of Severity and Mercy of the Tree of Life. Pan and Isis are two great
complimentary aspects of Yesod; Pan represents the idea of archetypal strength which is characteristic of
the etheric level of being and of the influence of Luna on the Earth, while Isis represents the archetypal
Feminine Side of God, the great Yin or receptive aspect of the universe which is manifested in the
reflection of the light of the Sun by the Moon, as well as Yesod’s function as receptacle of the emanations
from all the higher Sephiroth, which it forms into the morphogenetic fields which are the basis of form in
the physical world. Above all, the primary function of Yesod, by which all beings live and die, are born
and begotten and mated, is also the function of the Great Mother, Isis, Who contains all other Goddesses.
In terms of Magick, Yesod is more important than any other Sephirah except possibly Hod. The
Egyptian God Djehuti, a Lunar God, is of course associated with it, for He is the Lord of Magick, and a
partner f Isis. All higher forces must pass through Yesod before they can manifest in the physical world,
and it is in Yesod that they are purified and unified in ways that are absolutely necessary to Magick.
The Sandals represent the close Magickal link which Yesod has with Hod, for Hod is associated with
the God Mercurius, Whose Winged Sandals give Him the speed of thought. Also, the Sandals are
Magickal Weapons which enable the aspirant to travel with ease over the Foundations of the various
levels of the astral world.
 The Perfumes represent the Magickal functions associated with minerals and plants. Perfumes, like
music, can work profound changes in the psyche, the province of Yesod. There is also a more subtle
esoteric aspect to perfumes associated with Isis and Da’ath. There is a strong link between Da’ath and
Yesod, which are considered to be “opposite poles of the Magickal circuit.” Da’ath represents the highest
aspects of the psyche and Yesod its lowest, apart from the physical body in Malkuth and those aspects of
the Self associated with the Supernals. These two Sephiroth are the two poles of the link between Spirit
and Matter.
The powers of the Moon and the Sea were worshipped as Gods long before humanity worshipped
Solar Gods. Thus the fertilizing powers of Luna became sacred to the ancient peoples from whom sprang
the Jews and, later, the followers of Islam. At one time, Luna was worshipped as a God as well as a
Goddess, various peoples being inclined more to one or the other point of view, and ancient clashes
between those peoples may have come about as a result of such religious differences.
The Queen-Scale color associated with Yesod is purple, a secondary color combining the pure
primary cobalt blue of Chesed with the brilliant, pure scarlet of Geburah.
There are numerous traditions of teaching associated with mysteries of the sea. Like stone, the sea is
a symbol of the universe as a whole, of the vast reaches of outer space – and it is Luna and Her influence
upon the world that gives the sea its power. Knowledge about celestial bodies, along with numerology,
was an extremely important part of ancient mystery teachings. Lunar lore has been with us since perhaps
before we were ever human, possibly even from the beginnings of life on Earth, some 4 billion years ago,
when the Moon came close enough to the Earth to nearly destroy it as a result of tidal action. Out of our
collective awareness of the rhythms and influence of the Moon was born all our astrologies,
numerologies, and calendars, out of which evolved all our arts and sciences. Yesod, the Sphere of Luna,
is thus concerned with every application of the measurement of time and space and all bound by and
contained within them, the objective as well as the esoteric sciences, as well as with rhythm, contrast,
and the cycles of life and death underlying all our arts. Its archetypal science is astrology, the parent of
astronomy, and its primordial art is music, which harnesses the ebb and flow of the universe to influence
our very souls in whatever way the musician desires.
Finally, Yesod is associated with the Great Triple Goddess, the Great Mother Who is represented in
virtually all cultures as the trio of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Some of their avatars include, e.g.,
Pallas/Athena/Medusa; Durga/Parvati/Kali; Artemis/Selene/Hekate, etc. Originally, before patriarchal
culture triumphed virtually everywhere, this trio was symbolized by a great Warrior-Queen (the Matron),
a gifted psychic (the Maiden), and a powerful Wise Woman or female Magickian (the Crone). They also
represent the three major stages of a woman’s life, from virginal girl through childbearing years to a post-
menopausal niche as the grandmother who teaches and protects the generations to come. For this reason
the numbers 3 and 9 (= 3 x 3) have been associated with the Moon from long before the advent of written
history. The numbers 7 and 28 are also associated with the Moon, because of the 28-day cycle of Lunar
phases; and the number 13 as well, because there are 13 Lunar months in a Solar year.* As for the
archetypes of Maiden, Matron, and Crone, the Crone is associated with both Binah, whose number is 3,
and Da’ath, associated with the number 11 and Magick, while the Matron is associated with Sol and
Tiphareth, whose number is 6, as well as with Luna and Yesod, and the Maiden, Artemis or Diana, is also
the Huntress, associated with death as well as birth, and thus with Pluto and Kether, whose number is 1.
Thus the Triple Goddess in a sense is represented by the Central Pillar of Consciousness as a whole, and
is associated with the numbers 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, and 13.

*The symbolism of the United States of America is closely associated with the number 13. The birthday
of America is July 4, when the Sun is almost in the very middle of the Sign Cancer, whose Lord is
Luna; further, in the U.S. natal chart, for 2:30 a.m. local time, July 4, 1776, at Independence Hall,
Philadelphia, PA, Luna is in Aquarius in the 10th House, the highest Planet in the chart; Uranus, ruler
of Aquarius, is rising, in the First House in Gemini, conjunct the Fixed Star Aldebaran; and
Mercury, ruler of Gemini, associated with Hod, is in the Sign Cancer. From an esoteric point of
view, therefore, it isn’t surprising that there would be so much Lunar symbolism involved with this
country.

b. The Cards
 Enneads (groups of nine things), the Enneagon (a regular nine-sided polygon with nine interior
angles of 36° each), the Enneagram (a nine-pointed Star formed variously of three superposed equilateral
Triangles oriented at angles of 0°, 120°, and 240° to the vertical, with congruent centers, or tracings from
point to point of an Enneagon with gaps of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 points between connected points), or a 9-rayed
Star (9 rays emanating from a central Point) are all associated with Yesod. In particular, the Enneagram
formed by superposing three equilateral triangles with concentric centers represents the Great Mother
Goddess and Luna in Their most powerful aspect. The angle 40° is considered by astrologers to represent
power, that is, opportunities or occasions upon which the native may act most effectively, or which
confer great power upon him or her, or potential strengths in his or her makeup. Various associations
with this angle include birth, brooding (as a hen on her egg), completion, gestation, creativity,
development, devotion, fertility, growth, nourishment, nurture, refinement, release, productivity,
supportiveness, and testing. Cats – whose eyes wax and wane like the Moon – have nine lives. All such
associations are excellent for representing the Nines.

The Nines

1) WANDS

Design: Nine Wands, Staves, or Rods in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows a
man with a bandaged head (or wearing a sweatband?) leaning upon a Staff; behind him stand
eight other Staves. Crowley’s shows eight small Wands and one large one; the smaller ones are
arrows pointing downward, their feathers formed from stylized crescent Moons, their tips also
crescents; the arrows are crossed, and the ninth Wand has a Solar disc at its top and a crescent
at the bottom; the sigil for Luna is above, that for Sagittarius below.

America’s Tarot: Upright: A ninja standing in a clearing amid nine healthy redwoods, who
wears a sweatband and holds a great treasure chest in his arms (the number 9 has great
significance in ninpo, the philosophy behind Ninjutsu combat arts). Alternatives: rather than a
ninja, the person could be a Szekeli (Gypsy) prince, or it could be a Szekeli in a ninja’s
nightwork costume (the Szekeli are the ninjas of Europe; they were the aboriginal inhabitants of
the Indian subcontinent who, rather than submitting to Aryan rule and becoming Outcastes, left
their homeland to wander the world, organizing themselves much as the ninja clans of 9 th
Century Japan did, developing their own combat and guerilla skills to perfection – like the
ninjas, they are known everywhere as thieves par excellence, and all manner of mystical powers
are attributed to them). Reversed: The same ninja or Szekeli, but standing at the entrance to a
cave that holds nine enormous, fire-breathing dragons.

Upright meaning: Entitled “Strength.” Luna in Sagittarius. The second decanate of

Sagittarius, 10° 0’ 0” - 19° 59’ 59” Sagittarius (about December 1 through December 11 of a
given year). Preparedness, strength in reserve, a second wind, victory after opposition. Great
strength. Change in stability. The best that can be obtained from the energy of the Suit of
Wands. Power, health, energy. Victory after the application of great force. A desire to attain
the realms of the psychic, which goes beyond the bounds of physical safety. Delays. Gain.
Separation and advantage. Extremely valuable knowledge or intelligence. A stalwart position.
Order, discipline, good arrangement, disposition. Realization of success. Continuous success.
Teaching. Planning travel. Editors and journalists. Prophecy. Preaching. Public excitement,
frenzy, or celebration. Revolution. Strength in opposition. Suspension. Adjournment.

Reversed: The thighs. Early December. Physical debility or illness. Abstract, objective, or
physical science. Mathematics. Threat or mishap. Obstacles, calamities, disaster. Crosses (i.e.,
things that cross someone, cross his path, hinder his way.) Displeasure. Unruliness.
Controversy. Contradictions wherever this card appears. Generally speaking, a bad card.

2) CUPS
 Design: Generally, nine Cups in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows a
merchant sitting in satisfaction before a row of Cups. Crowley’s shows nine Cups in the form of
lotuses; the sigil for Jupiter is above, that for Pisces below. The New Tarot shows eight Pears
surrounding a ninth. The Fantasy Showcase Tarot shows two, er, beings hanging out in a
cantina, which may or may not be located in Mos Eisley; nine cans of beer are stacked in a
pyramid on the bar between them.

America’s Tarot: Upright: Nine beautiful lakes by an ancient forest. Several American
Indians are camped by one of the lakes. The air is clear and pure, the skies beautiful. Reversed:
The same lakes, but a resort town has grown up around them, powerboats roar across some of
the lakes, children play all around the shores of the lakes, and concession stands are everywhere.
Much of the forest has been chopped down to accommodate a housing development. The scene
still has its virtues, but these are definitely less than were those of the Upright view.

Upright: Entitled “Material Happiness” or “Happiness.” 10° 0’ 0” - 19° 59’ 59” Pisces
(about March 1-10 of a given year). Material success, physical well-being. The most complete
and beneficial aspect of the force of water. Stability, security, well-being. Complete success,
pleasure, and happiness; wishes fulfilled. Success in the realm of intellect. Success in
everything, especially matters of the heart. Victory, advantage, success, triumph, difficulties
surmounted. Motherhood. Contentment, Gemütlichheit. Concord, harmony. Your heart-felt
wishes will come true. Dreams come true. Of good omen for military men and for business.

Reversed: The opposite of any of the above, without justification, and with attendant
troubles. Desires unfulfilled. Material troubles and unhappiness. Faults, errors, mistakes,
imperfections. Truth, loyalty, liberty. Mistakes, imperfections.

3) SWORDS

Design: Generally, nine Swords in one arrangement or another. Waite’s pack shows a
figure sitting up on a bed, covering its eyes, possibly weeping; behind it are nine horizontal
Swords; the bedcover is decorated with a design of squares which contain, in alternating
sequence, red roses with the Planetary Signs and those for the Houses of the horoscope.
Crowley’s shows nine Swords, point downward, dripping blood; the sigil for Mars is above, that
for Gemini below. The New Tarot shows nine Blades in the form of a wheel, like a buzzsaw,
rotating in a clockwise direction.

America’s Tarot: Upright: Nine ballistic missiles in the process of being launched toward
an enemy target. Reversed: A war-room below ground, nine generals pondering a great map on
the wall which shows nine question-marks that could indicate incoming mail but which also
might not.

Upright: Entitled “Despair” or “Cruelty.” Mars in Gemini. 10° 0’ 0” - 19° 59’ 59” Gemini
(around May 1 through May 10 of a given year). Despair. Cruelty. Worry. Suffering. Misery.
Loss. Unconscious, primitive instincts. A sociopath or psychopath. A fanatic. Suggested
solutions for dealing with this card: passive resistance, resignation, or martyrdom; sometimes
implacable revenge. Assorted tribulations, most of them arising from evil done by others, which
can be effectively combated by means of calculated inaction. At best, this card brings new life
out of suffering, at worst complete isolation from all hope or comfort. Associated with Chiron
and the Shaman. Illness. Malice. Pain. Agony. Suffering generally. Matter struggling
towards perfection. Unmarried or unattached person. A dead twin, enmity between twins.
Total disasters of assorted varieties. Anxiety. An ecclesiastic, a priest. Conscience. Probity.
Good faith. Integrity. Enduring hatred. Dogma, dogmatism. An ecclesiastical mind. Hard
judgment. Orthodoxy. Asceticism. Swearing. Shyness. Miscarriage. Shame. False evidence
given. A scrupulous mind. Conscientiousness. The scientific method. Natural selection. Utter
desolation. Death. Failure. Delay. Deception. Disappointment. A card of very bad omen.

Reversed: The hands. Early May. Hope for the morrow. Desire to succeed. Unseen
complications or adversaries. Doubt. Slander. Evil gossip. Wise distrust. Suspicion, fear,
 doubt. Shady character. Imprisonment. Reasonable fear. Good ground for suspicion against a
doubtful person.

4) COINS/DISCS/PENTACLES

Design: Generally, nine Coins, Discs, or Pentacles in one arrangement or another. Waite’s
pack shows a woman in a vineyard filled with ripe grapes, presumably on her own land; on her
upraised left hand she holds a bird; her gown is patterned with flowers in the form of the sigil of
Venus. Crowley’s shows six small Discs surrounding three large ones, which are reminiscent of
the Ace of Discs; within the smaller discs are the planetary sigils of Saturn, Jupiter, Venus,
Luna, Mercury, and Mars made into stylized faces; the sigil for Venus is above, that for Virgo
below. The New Tarot shows nine Stones.

America’s Tarot: Center: Nine silver Liberty-head dollars, arranged to form the apices of a
nonagon, which are connected by rays of light to form a nine-pointed Star. Upright: A woman
who is likely an American Indian within an arbor on her own land; the arbor is filled with ripe
grapes, much as in Waite’s card; nine of the grapes are larger than the rest, and bear Pentacles
in their centers. A great wolf lies contentedly at her feet, and an eagle flies above. In the
middle distance is a great manorial house and fields and orchards filled with ripe, healthy crops
of all kinds. In the far distance are great purple mountains and azure skies. Reversed: The
same scene, now overrun, pillaged, looted, and burned by invaders; the woman lies bleeding on
the ground, apparently the victim of one of the invaders, who may have ravished her; most of
the invaders have already gone, and only a couple can be seen in the charred ruins of the manor
house in the middle ground.

Upright: Entitled “Material Gain” or “Gain.” Venus in Virgo. The second decanate of
Virgo, 10° 0’ 0” - 19° 59’ 59” Virgo (about September 3-12 of a given year). Prudence.
Material gain. Completion. Good fortune in material affairs. Favor and popularity.
Inheritance. A great increase in one’s financial standing. Gain of a fortune. Private concerns:
the pleasures of life, an inheritance, or one’s own interests. Unattainable agreement between the
spiritual and the material. Agreement. Future gain. Endeavors accomplished for the benefits
they will bring in the future. The mystic arts. Spiritual practices and gifts on a large scale.
Discretion. Circumspection. Discernment. Absolute equilibrium. Honesty. Positive action.
For the Querent it means “Go ahead, you will succeed.” Strong affirmative answer to questions.
The effect is certain. Safety. Success. Accomplishment. Certitude. Prompt fulfillment of what
is indicated by neighboring cards.

Reversed: The vermiform appendix, the back. Assorted dangers: thieves, cancellations,
loss of home or of a friend. A need for caution. Differences of opinion.. Concealed or latent
plans. Dealing. Games involving money. Risky ventures. Chance. Fate. Gambling. Cards.
Dice, roulette. Big business. Deceit, bad faith. Artifice. Deception. A durable fortune.
Roguery. Voided project. Vain hopes.

c. The interrelationships between the Sephirah and the cards of the Tarot
Both the Eights and the Nines, respectively associated with Hod and Yesod, have a great deal to do
with Magickal Workings and the fruits that come from them. The Nines also represent as well the
middle third of the last third of a season, the second decanate of the Mutable Signs Sagittarius, Pisces,
Gemini, and Virgo. Like the Eights and the Tens, they represent the functions of intellect, perception,
memory, and emotions. Because Yesod is on the Middle Pillar of Consciousness of the Tree of Life, the
Nines also represent equilibrium and balance; and because Yesod receives the influence of Tiphareth
directly, without the mediation of any other Sephirah, the power of Yesod, represented by the Nines, is
enormous. Each of the Nines shows the full impact of the force of the Element in its most material sense,
or rather the idea of it, since Yesod is still in Yetzirah, the Formative World. In many traditions the
number 9 is considered a number of perfection, and is sacred, and that idea carries over into these cards.
The Nine of Wands, “Strength,” is ruled by the Moon. It represents at once the potential for change
in the heart of stability and the stability of the processes of change: “The only constant in this universe is
change.” Change is, from another point of view, energy or information. It is the intense energies of the
realm of quantum mechanics, the Strong Force of the atom, that holds everything together; constrained
into tight channels, these energies are thereby transmuted into matter, and thus the world comes into
being. From the point of view of information science, only the endless communication among the
components of reality makes reality a coherent whole. Or consider a bicycle: only by keeping the
bicycle’s wheels in rapid, continuous motion can one keep one’s balance on the contraption. And if one
tries to draw a straight line, the task becomes impossible if one’s hand shakes. Hence “Change =
Stability,” which is the meaning of this card. The card is associated with Luna in Sagittarius. Luna rules
all the great changes of the world, the tides of life, while Sagittarius is a card of harnessed Fire, Fire
made to do work for the good of all. So here is all the power of that which causes Change in the most
fortunate of all Signs. To be sure, Luna has Her esoteric detriment in this Sign, and ordinarily that would
make Her very weak; but all the Planets are given great dignity in this Sign, which applies no less to
Luna, so that what would otherwise be a debility becomes great strength and good fortune.
The Nine of Cups is entitled “Happiness.” This is one of the best of all the cards, signifying great
good fortune. It is associated with Jupiter in Pisces, which Sign is one of the traditional dignities of
Jupiter, the Great Benefic. In Pisces Jupiter is in His strength and is in full harmony with the nature of
the Sign, so that only good can come to pass from such a placement for Him. The Cups represent love,
and here the Divine Love signified by Jupiter is given one of its finest expressions. Even so, Pisces
represents Illusion and Deceit, and if one is not careful to take wise advantage of the benefits conferred
by Jupiter’s passage through this Sign, once He has left it for Aries those benefits may all disappear like
smoke on the wind, or a dream in the light of morning.
The Nine of Swords is called “Cruelty.” This card is associated with Mars in Gemini, in which Mars
falls, the ugliest aspects of His nature coming to the fore. As Crowley says, it represents agony of mind.
It shows “mind at the end of its tether,” lost in the depths of despair. Crowley says of it: “It is always a
cathedral – a cathedral of the damned.”* The mind is furiously active, but filled with the sense that for
all its striving, it will never get anywhere.

*Crowley, The Book of Thoth, op. cit., p. 186.

The Nine of Discs, Pentacles, or Coins is called “Gain.” This card is associated with Venus in Virgo,
a Sign in which Venus has Her fall, the most acquisitive and greedy side of Her nature coming to the
fore. It represents the apotheosis of Gemütlichheit, the feeling that “everything is for the best in this best
of all possible worlds.” It is a card of perfect material contentment and satisfaction, and all that these
entail, and material gain in great measure.