The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is א (Aleph or Alef) who’s numeric significance is 1 and its kabalistic significance is also 1. There are many ways of representing this letter/sign, some of which were used in the ancient world, here are some examples:
The following information is from 3 books: Manual of Practical Magic, Esoteric Course of Kabalah, and The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah, all by Samael Aun Weor. Some of the information is repeated, but is presented here so that there is a single place to find all relevant material.
ARCANUM № 1
It gives aptitude for resolving problems. It confers power both to awaken and to dominate the passions in the Physical World. It tends towards the organization of natural elements and the dominion of forces in movement. It gives the aptitude to acquire, arrange, to model, to apply.
Arcanum № 1 is Unity, the Principle of Light, the Father, the World as manifestation, Man as a living unity, complete in himself, the Foundation of Reason of all actions, the Synthesis of all, the Initiation in the Mysteries and the power to decipher and make use of them, Volitive* Power.
[*Note: ‘volitive’ is from volitional: “of or related to free will”]
Arcanum 1 gives Triumph, but with a struggle due to Karma.
KABALISTIC SEPHIROTH: “KETHER”.
HEBRAIC LETTER: “ALEPH.”
TRANSCENDENTAL AXIOM: “BE IN YOUR WORKS AS YOU ARE IN YOUR THOUGHTS.”
-From Ch.87 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
THE MAGICIAN (ALEPH)
1. Man is a ternary of body, Soul and SPIRIT.
2. The SPIRIT is the INTIMUS.
3. The Soul is the Consciousness, whose fluidic body is called the Astral Body in occultism.
4. The physical body is the devil in us.
5. Between the INTIMUS and the body, a mediator exists: that mediator is the Soul, the Astral.
6. The magician should learn to move, in the Astral body, throughout the infinite.
7. The Soul should learn to enter and leave the body at will.
8. All our disciples should learn to leave the body.
9. All our disciples should learn to travel in the Astral body.
10. All our disciples should awaken their occult powers.
11. The four conditions needed to be a magician are the following:
12. To Know How TO SUFFER, To Know How TO BE QUIET, To Know How TO ABSTAIN and To Know How TO DIE.
13. Whosoever has developed occult powers, has power over lightening and volcanoes in eruption.
-From Ch.1 of Manual of Practical Magic by Samael Aun Weor,
available in Magic, Alchemy, and the Great Work
The First Arcanum: ARCANUM 1
This is represented by The Magician.
Over the head of the Magician appears the Holy Eight, the sacred symbol of the infinite.
This sign encompasses, defines and joins the magnetic currents of the Superior Mind (consciousness in the dream) with the currents of the Inferior Mind (vigil consciousness).
This sign joins or separates all of the elements ruled by the atomic energy, if it is traced or drawn with the middle finger, index finger and the thumb over the cardiac plexus.
PRACTICE: In accordance with the aforesaid description, the following exercise is suggested: Withdraw from your mind all types of thoughts, imagine now the “Holy Eight” as it is represented in the following graphic:
Allow the figure to submerge itself within your consciousness and go to sleep. Then, place the mind in a blank state, without thinking of anything. Thus after a while, you will “Awaken your Consciousness in the Astral Body”.
Now, if the formation of this sign is considered, then we can see the continuity of the same arm which closes a double circuit in the first stroke, while in the second only encloses one, deviating in the other one to project itself towards the exterior after cutting the Sign in the central crossing. One closes and the other opens.
This is thus the required key to open all the doors, in order to cut all the currents formed by the atomic energy, from where we have imagined and deposited in the depth of the consciousness, until the one that originates all, which circulates in the same manner into the center of the “Ninth Sphere”.
Now then, in order to save the appeals related to the inherent risks of every astral experience and to obtain a fast and, at the same time, perfect “projection” it is sufficient reason, for the Sacred Order of Tibet to affirm its motto:
“Nothing can Resist Our Power”. To do this “practice”, moments before going to bed, the disciple must invoke with all of their heart and with all their soul, the Great Ruler of the Sacred Order of Tibet. The name of the Great Guruji is “Bhagavan Aklaiva”.
This Order, which we have the high honor of representing here in Mexico, is the most powerful of the whole oriental tradition. It is formed by 201 members, the Board of Directors is formed by 72 Brahmans.
Papus says in his “Elemental Treatise of Occult Science” that the true initiates from the orient are the adscripts to the Secret Sanctuaries of Brahmanism, since they are the only ones who can give us the royal Key of the Arcanum A.Z.F., thanks to their knowledge of the Primeval Atlantean language, WATAH: the fundamental root of Sanskrit, Hebrew and Chinese.
The Sacred Order of Tibet is the genuine depository of the Real Treasure of ARYAVARTA. (This treasury is the “Great Arcanum”). Bhagavan Aklaiva will help you to consciously travel in your Astral Body. Invoke him when you are meditating on the Sacred sign of the Infinite. On any given night, you will be invoked from the Temple of the Himalayas. There you will be submitted to “Seven Ordeals”. There you will be taught the Secret Science.
Now then, after this digression, let us continue with our initial point.
The Holy Eight symbolizes the Caduceus of Mercury and represents the two ganglionic chords that esoterically are entwined around the spinal medulla, these are: Idá and Pingalá; the Two Witnesses, the Two Olives, the Two Candlesticks standing before the Throne of God on Earth.
The “solar atoms” rise through the cord of the right and the “lunar atoms” rise through the cord of the left.
These solar and lunar atoms rise from our seminal system, the fire of Phlegethon and the water of Acheron [Akeron] cross themselves in the Ninth Sphere, forming the sign of the Infinite.
F plus W equals: C [F + W = C]; Fire plus Water equals Consciousness.
Whosoever meditates on the sign of the infinite, will utilize the Fire and the Water in order to awaken Consciousness.
Now we understand why the Two Witnesses of Revelation have the power of Prophecy.
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore [1260] days, clothed in sackcloth.” As we said, “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” [Revelation 11:3-4]
Now then, the number 1260 is kabalistically added as follows: 1 plus 2 plus 6 plus 0 = 9 [1+2+6+0=9].
Thus, we have the Symbol of the “Ninth Sphere”. The Ninth Sphere is Sex and the Two witnesses have their root in Sex.
These Two Witnesses, Idá and Pingalá, are two fine ganglionic chords through which the solar and lunar atoms of our seminal system ascend to the “Chalice”. The Chalice is the brain. Fill your Chalice, brethren, with the sacred wine of Light.This explains why the sign of the infinite appears above the Head of the Magician, and this explains why before him are the Swords, the Cups and Pentacles, and why he is grasping the “magic wand”, which symbolizes the spinal medulla.
When the “solar and lunar atoms” make contact in the coccygeal bone, the “Kundalini”, the Igneous Serpent of our magical powers awakens. Then we are Devoured by the Serpent and we become Sublimely Divine Magicians.
-From Ch.1 of Esoteric Course of Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
Description of the Card of the 1st Arcanum: “THE MAGICIAN”
In the superior part of the card the eyes represent the Eyes of the FATHER, internally representing the Infinite, the Holy Eight, the Caduceus of Mercury, the 8 Kabirs who direct the planet.
The Magician is shown with right-side profile, signifying that for the manifested, the right side is all.
On his forehead THE SERPENT protrudes, indicating that he is arisen, that he is a Self-Realized Master.
In the left hand is the STAFF OF POWER, which symbolizes the spinal column pointing toward the infinite, while the right hand points toward the Earth, indicating that he dominates it with the science, and that one must ascend from below, “one cannot ascend without first descending”.
One needs to descend to the Ninth Sphere, which has two representations:
the first is Sex, the Cubic Stone; the second is the Nine Circles, the Atomic Infernos into which the Initiate has to descend, symbolizing “to descend in order to ascend”.
Upon his garment is a triangle with the apex facing upwards, this represents the 3 Primary Forces reunited in Kether, the 1.
To one side there is a table, which represents the 4 Elements (Earth, Water, Fire and Air), and the Physical plane.
Upon the table one finds various elements in a state of disorder: the SWORD of Power, the LINGAM (male sexual organ), a CHALICE, which represents the physical brain in one way and in another way it represents the YONI (female sexual organ) and a MOON which must be converted into a Sun.
Beneath the table one finds the IMMORTAL IBIS, the Phoenix Bird, the Kala-Hamsa Swan, the Holy Spirit which symbolizes Love, it is beneath the table, indicating that it is by means of the Sacred Fire of the Third Logos that we have to order the disordered elements upon the table.
In the inferior part of the card, in THE WATERS OF LIFE we find The Cubic Stone, The Philosophical Stone which has already been shaped indicating to us that this is the work which we must realize, this is the Cubic Stone of Yesod, Sex, “THE STUMBLING BLOCK AND THE ROCK OF SCANDAL”.
-From Ch.1 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
ESOTERIC SIGNIFICANCE of Arcanum 1
The esoteric study of the Tarot is divided into two parts; the ESOTERIC AND THE MATHEMATIC.
The first consists of 22 Arcana, afterwards one enters into the advanced studies through Mathematics.
Arcanum № 1 is The Magician, that which Initiates, which begins; the One, it is Unity, the Divine Spirit of each person, The Monad or Immortal Spark of each human being, of each living creature.
The One is the Mother of all Unities, The One unfolds into Two, which is the next Arcanum: The Priestess.
In Arcanum № 1 we enter the Sanctum Regnum of Magic, above the head one sees the Holy Eight represented by two eyes, it is the Symbol of the Infinite, representing the 8 Kabirs, the symbol of Life and of Death.
In the center of the Earth, in the Ninth Sphere one finds this sacred symbol of the Infinite.
All organisms rotate around this symbol, just like that of the human body of one who wishes to Self-Realize; there is always an eternal struggle: “Brain against Sex”, “Sex against Brain”, and “Heart against Heart”.
But if SEX DOMINATES THE BRAIN it leads to the fall and the Pentagram (representing the Master) rests with the lower points facing upwards and the head facing downwards.The Holy Eight is a very important and interesting symbol, enclosed within it are the defined and linked magnetic currents which are established between the Earthly Man and the Spiritual Man.
If one traces it with the thumb, middle and index fingers upon the surface of the Cardiac Plexus, this sign unites or separates all the elements ruled by atomic energy.
-From Ch.1 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
PRACTICE
“Achieve a still and silent state of mind, go to sleep thinking of the figure of the Holy Eight (Infinity), making an outline upon the heart in accordance with the previous description.
Allow the said figure to submerge itself into your Consciousness, then place the mind in a blank state, without thinking of anything.
Thus, after a certain period of time: YOU WILL AWAKEN CONSCIOUSNESS IN THAT REGION WHICH IS CALLED THE ASTRAL WORLD”.
By means of the right-hand cord the Solar Atoms arise; by means of the left-hand cord, the Lunar Atoms arise.
When they ascend through the spine, they ignite our Magic Powers, the Holy Eight has been, is, and will be, the key of all. A Magician can not exist without the Holy Eight.
If we consider the outline of this symbol we see that it encloses a double circuit where the two forces cross, one closes and the other opens. THIS IS THE KEY TO OPEN ALL THE DOORS. It opens our Inner Temple, it is the sign which opens the Book of the Seven Seals.
In the Sacred Order of Tibet it is used by all. This Order which we have the great honor of representing here in Mexico, is the most powerful Order of the whole oriental tradition.
It is comprised of 201 members, the Greater Plane being made up of 72 Brahmans, the Great Regent of the mentioned Order is the Great Guruji Bagavan Aclaiva.
The Sacred Order of Tibet is the genuine depository of the Royal Treasure of Aryavarta. This treasure is the Arcanum A.Z.F.
-From Ch.1 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
EXERCISE
“Immediately prior to going to bed, concentrate on the Sacred Order of Tibet and on the Holy Eight, calling the Master Bagavan Aclaiva; he will assist you to travel in the Astral Body”.
Some night we will be called to the Lodge of Tibet and we will be submitted to seven tests in the Himalayan Temple; when one is called, one is pulled by the feet so that one may present oneself in an upright position.
One must have courage because we will be submitted to many very hard tests.
We will be decapitated and pierced through the heart with a sword, and when this happens one must have courage, one who has aspiration and constancy will triumph.
The Sacred Order of Tibet is very exacting, here we find the true Rectors of humanity.
The Fire of Phlegethon and the Water of Acheron intersect in the Ninth Sphere, Sex, forming the sign of the Infinite.
One must work with Water and Fire, origin of Beasts, Men and Gods, “he who wants to ascend must first descend”, this is something terrible. This is the greatest test, and almost all fail.
Everything in life has its price, nothing is given to us as a gift. The cost of Self-Realization is our own Life, one must have valor and then one may be admitted to the Sacred Order of Tibet.
Our organism has the same constitution as the Earth, therefore we have to work and to descend into our own Infernal Worlds.
One has to work with Sex, this is the Cubic Stone of Yesod.
-From Ch.1 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
INITIATIC SIGNIFICANCE of Arcanum 1
Arcanum № 1 is the MAGICIAN OF THE KABALAH, it is obviously the beginning, and anything which is initiated in practical life is Arcanum № 1, it is UNITY.
It is not difficult to appreciate that every beginning is difficult; one has to work hard, one must sow in order to be able to reap, for this reason in Arcanum № 1 is the Unity of the Original Beginning/Principle.
It is clear that it is the Origin of all Unity, because everything begins with the № 1.
Unity becomes the origin of Duality, or the Binary: 1 + 1 =2; and finally, in that Unity is the fulfilling synthesis of the Ternary.
The Unity, the “1”, is the Divine Monad, THE FIRST LOGOS, THE FATHER WHO DWELLS IN SECRET, and each one of us has our own individual Monad.
Madame Blavatsky said that “there are as many Fathers in heaven as there are men on Earth”.
The Father, in his turn or of himself, unfolds into the Divine Mother, so it is that He and She are Brahma because She becomes the feminine aspect of Him.
We see then how Unity is the root of the Binary, given that the latter could not exist without the Unity. If the Monad had not existed the DIVINE MOTHER would not have existed. The Monad is the root of Duality.
There are as many Mothers in Heaven as there are men upon the Earth, each one of us has our Internal God, or our own particular Celestial Father and Mother.
In explaining this, it is better understood why the Unity is the fulfilling Synthesis of the Ternary and how and why it is produced.
When Jesus prayed, he prayed to the FATHER WHO IS IN SECRET, and he left us a prayer which is the “Our Father” (The Lord’s Prayer), this prayer is completely magical, it takes a couple of hours to Pray the “Our Father” well, because each petition which is made to the Father is totally Magical, the mistake that people make is to pray it in a mechanical manner, and this has no effect.
The prayer must be broken down, analyzed; and in order to do this one must relax the body so that not a muscle is tense, and then to concentrate, combining PRAYER WITH MEDITATION.
People think that “Our Father who is in Heaven” is a Lord who is sitting up there.
If we reflect profoundly, then the Monad, the № 1, the origin of all other Unities or Monads will be discovered.
It is clear that the Monad needs something in life in order to Self-Realize.
What is it that the Monad needs? In the light of the Sanskrit we can ascertain that He needs “Vatrasattwa”, which signifies the Diamond Soul.
This is a Soul which has no “I”; which has eliminated all the Subjective Elements of the Perceptions; these elements are the “I’s” and the Three Traitors of Hiram Abiff, or, that which is the same:
Judas the Demon of Desire, mistakenly called the Astral body;
Pilate the Demon of the Mind, which is confused with the Mental body,
and Caiaphas, the Demon of Ill-Will.Why should it be that all this is unknown to the PSEUDO-ESOTERIC SCHOOLS?
THE SUBJECTIVE ELEMENTS OF PERCEPTION ARE THE AGGREGATES, THE DIFFERENT COMPOSITES OF THE HUMAN BEING, OR THE DISTINCT RED DEMONS WHICH MAKE UP THE “I’s”.
The Subjective Elements of Perceptions are defined in Psychology as all the psychological processes of the human entity, they are defined as subjective processes of the: Unconscious, Sub-conscious, Pre-conscious, Infra-conscious; and all that which is of a metaphysical type.
What do Modern Psychologists understand by the term “Objective”? The physical, the tangible, the material.
Clearly, they are totally mistaken, which is demonstrated in analyzing the term “Subjective” which comes from Sub = below, that which is below the limits of Our perceptions.
And what is it that is below? Is it not the Infernal Worlds? Is that which is in the Physical, and beneath the Physical not Subjective? “This is the truly Subjective, that which is beneath the limits of our perceptions.”
Psychologists do not know how to use that term correctly.
OBJECTIVE: is the Light, the Resplendent, is something which has Truth, Clarity, Lucidity.
SUBJECTIVE: is the Darkness, the Tenebrous. The Subjective Elements of the Perceptions come from: “Sight”, “Hearing”, “Touch”, “Smell”, “Taste”.
They are all perceptions of what we find in the Third Dimension. For example, we see in a cube only length, width and height, and we do not see the Fourth Dimension because we are constrained by the Ego. The Subjective Elements of Perceptions are made up of the Ego with all its “I’s”.
The Unity, the Father divides Himself into the Mother. In her turn, the Mother divides Herself, giving origin to the Son or Child whom she carries in her womb.
OSIRIS – THE FATHER.
ISIS – THE MOTHER.
HORUS – THE DIVINE SPIRIT, THE INTIMUS OF EVERY BEING.The Unity is the realizing Synthesis of the TERNARY.
In the Egyptian Book of the Dead it says that Ra gave to Horus, the child which the Divine Mother carries in her arms, the Region of “Buto”, this region is the Region of Pure Spirit, of Atman-Buddhi-Manas.
SET transformed himself into a Black Boar and struck the “Eye of Horus” and the latter complained to Ra. “I will cure you” Ra said to him, and to console him, he gave him the Region of Buto.
This is clarified by the following: “the Black Boar must be killed, thus the Eye of Horus is restored; that is to say, Clairvoyance is restored”.
HORUS can put an end to the Black Boar, but not alone; rather he must beg the help of the Divine Mother.
Horus triumphs by eliminating the Black Boar, and the Essence which was bottled is freed by fusing with Horus, with the Diamond Soul, it unites with its Father and Mother: they are three flames which come to form one single, realized flame.
The Essence is a division of Horus, we must beg Horus to strengthen our Three Brains. As the Ego dies, Horus is strengthened; and due to this, one must beg that he strengthen those Three Brains.
When Horus has swallowed the Essence he needs The Solar Bodies; and a Germinal Atom of each one of these bodies remains.
SOLAR PHYSICAL BODY.
SOLAR ASTRAL BODY – COMPLETE CONSCIOUSNESS.
SOLAR MENTAL BODY – COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE.
SOLAR CAUSAL BODY – BODY OF CONSCIOUS WILLPOWER.Man is man, and the smaller and more microscopic one feels, the better. We, mankind, must feel that we are ants, GOD IS GOD BECAUSE THE DIVINITY IS THAT WHICH HAS POWER, WE ARE NOTHING, WE ARE POOR DEVILS and even the man who is a complete Man is an ant compared with God.
A Master said to me:
“V.M. SAMAEL AUN WEOR, TRUE HAPPINESS IS HAVING GOD WITHIN. Although one may be in the Absolute or in Nirvana, if one does not have God within one will not be happy; even though they who dwell there have God incarnated”. Those words had a tremendous impact upon me and I sought the counsel of the Great Sage Saturn, I gave various Esoteric salutes and he responded to them all, but he said to me:
“There is no greater greeting than that of the Seal of the Heart”. There was no need to speak, in silence he answered all, saying that “if one does not have God within, not even in the Absolute is one happy”.
With this answer I was satisfied.
These consultations cost, and I paid with the capital of good acts, which is the currency of Dharma.
-From Ch.23 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
SYNTHESIS of Arcanum 1:
THIS ARCANUM, THE MAGICIAN, REPRESENTS MAN. IT IS THE MASCULINE PRINCIPLE.
The № 1 signifies that which initiates, that which begins.
All of the work is contained within the Tarot, all psychic processes develop themselves there.
THE UNITY IS THE REALIZING SYNTHESIS OF THE TERNARY.
While we do not know ourselves, we can know nothing of the Soul and Spirit.
The four conditions which are necessary in order to be a Magician are the following:
TO KNOW HOW TO SUFFER.
TO KNOW HOW TO KEEP QUIET.
TO KNOW HOW TO ABSTAIN.
TO KNOW HOW TO DIE.
-From Ch.23 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
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