Combinations of the Arcana 3 and Ancient Initiatic Symbolism
Part 1
Arcana 7, 8 and 9: the Tools of the Work
“The Arcana 7, 8 and 9 are THE THREE DEGREES OF THE MASTER. They are the TOOLS OF THE TRADE IN THE GREAT WORK.
In Arcanum № 7 we find the Chariot, emblem of Triumph.
Arcanum № 8 is Justice, emblem of Strength/Force Equilibrated (Balanced) in all directions.
Arcanum № 9 is the Hermit, it is the emblem of THE OCCULT CROSS and the search for it; all aspirants seek it, but we know in the end that it is the Ninth Sphere: Sex.
Arcanum 7 is QUALITIES AND CAPACITIES which are indispensable for the Magisterium. By means of self-dominion, one must learn to control oneself, one must learn how to dominate oneself, in order to one day attain Mastery (the Magisterium of Fire).
If we carefully observe Arcanum 7 we see that the Chariot is drawn by two Sphinxes, one White and the other Black. It is necessary to yoke the Inferior Nature, symbolized by the two Sphinxes who pull the Chariot.
The yoking signifies to dominate, to control the passions, to yoke the beast. The Chariot is our own life. The two Sphinxes signify the Pair of Opposites, Hatred and Love, Light and Darkness [the Yin & the Yang of Western Esotericism].
Arcanum № 8 considered carefully, signifies Vigilance and Justice; the Sword pointing upwards signifies Rectitude. We need to be correct in our Thoughts, our Words and our Actions.
The left hand of the woman supports the Scales of Equity, Equilibrium, Precision; this is represented by the Scales of Justice.
Just as Arcanum № 7, Triumph, is attained through the self-dominion of the Chariot of Life, by dominating oneself (by knowing how to manage one’s own life or by intelligently guiding the Chariot of Life), so too does Arcanum 8 represent Rectitude, Justice, Firmness or Steadfastness, and Equilibrium/Balance.
Firmness is the Sword; Equilibrium/Balance is the Scales; that Firmness must convert itself into the very axis of life, the central gravitational point of life and of our existence.
Whilst Arcanum № 9 is the Hidden Light which manifests itself in Initiation, which vivifies the Powers. In order to be able to see this Light, one must become a Master, and it is clear that every aspirant must attain the Magisterium.
The Arcana 7, 8 and 9 are the tools of the work:
Arcanum 7 teaches us how to Control ourselves.
Arcanum 8 teaches us Justice and Rectitude in our Thoughts, Words and Actions; the human being must live with Rectitude.
Arcanum number 9 speaks to us of the Hermit who carries the Staff/Rod in the right hand and the Lamp in the left. The important thing is to lift this Lamp up, to raise it is vital in order to ILLUMINATE THE PATH FOR OTHERS.
Arcanum 9 is Fundamental, it is Authentic Mastery. Arcanum 9 is in the whole Cosmos, observe the construction of the Universe and you will see Arcanum 9 everywhere. We find the 9 ABOVE, and the 9 BELOW.
9 + 9 = 18, 1 + 8 = 9.”
– Paraphrase from Ch. 46 of Tarot & Kabbalah
Arcana 11 and 12: the Commandments of Mosaic Esoterism
“It is ostensible and obvious that the Trunks or Tablets of the Law upon which the prophet Moses wisely wrote the 10 Commandments (by commandment of Jehovah) are in reality none other than a double lance of Runes, whose phallic significance is widely documented.
It is not too much to emphasize the transcendental idea that there exist two more Commandments in Mosaic Esoterism. I want to refer to the Eleventh and Twelfth Commandments which are intimately related with Arcana 11 and 12 of the Kabbalah.
The № 11 has its classic expression in the Sanskrit Dharma-Kârya :
“DO YOUR DUTY”.
Remember brother or sister reader that you have the duty to SEEK THE STRAIGHT, NARROW AND DIFFICULT PATH WHICH LEADS TO THE LIGHT.
The № 11 of the Tarot illuminates this duty: the marvelous force, which can dominate and subdue the Lions of adversity, is essentially Spiritual. For this reason it is represented by a beautiful woman who, without apparent effort, opens with her exquisite hands the terrible jaws of Leo, the frightening puma, the furious lion.
There is a relationship and intertwining of the 11th with the 12th Commandment of the Law of God, illustrated by Arcanum 12:
“MAKE YOUR LIGHT SHINE”.
So that the Light, which constitutes the Essence (bottled within the “I”), can really shine and be resplendent, it must be liberated and this is only possible through the Buddhist Annihilation; by dissolving the Ego. It is necessary for us to die from instant to instant, from moment to moment, only with the death of the Ego does the new come about.
Just as Life represents a gradual and more and more complex process of exteriorization or extroversion, equally the Death of the “I” is a process of gradual interiorization, in which the individual consciousness (the Essence) is slowly divested of its useless vestments. The same is true of Ishtar in her symbolic descent, this is so in order to be entirely naked before the Great Reality of life, free in its movement.
The Lance, Sex, the Phallus, also plays a great role in as a marvelous instrument of Salvation or Liberation in numerous oriental legends. When wisely brandished by the yearning Soul, it is able to reduce to cosmic dust all of the cavernous entities which in their sinful conjunction constitute the Myself.
The Sexual Energy is highly explosive and marvelous.
IN TRUTH I SAY TO YOU THAT WHOSOEVER KNOWS HOW TO USE THE WEAPON OF EROS (THE LANCE, SEX) CAN PULVERIZE THE PLURALIZED “I”, THE EGO, INTO COSMIC DUST.
To pray is to converse with God and one must learn to pray during coitus. In those instants of supreme bliss, ask, and it shall be given unto you, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Whosoever puts their heart into supplication and begs their Divine Mother Kundalini to take up the Weapon of Eros will obtain the best results because She will then assist, destroying the Ego. A PRIOR CONDITION TO EVERY ELIMINATION IS THE INTEGRAL COMPREHENSION OF THE DEFECT THAT ONE WANTS TO ELIMINATE.”
– Paraphrase from Ch. 47 of Tarot & Kabbalah
Part 2
Initiatic Symbolism 1: A Summary of the Story of Jonah and the Fish or ‘Whale’
Jonah is ordered by God to go to the city of Nineveh and to prophesy against their great wickedness. But Jonah seeks, instead, to flee from “the presence of the Lord” by going to Joffa and then sailing to Tarshish, which is in the opposite direction. A huge storm arises and the sailors (realizing this is no ordinary storm) learn that Jonah is to blame. Jonah admits this and states that if he is thrown overboard, the storm will cease. The sailors feel forced to throw him overboard, at which point the sea calms. The inspired sailors then offer sacrifices to God.
Jonah is miraculously saved by being swallowed by a large fish (or whale) specially prepared by God where he spends three days and three nights. While inside the great fish, Jonah prays to God and commits to paying what he has vowed (see the ‘Prayer of Jonah’ Ch.2:2-9). God commands the fish to spit Jonah out.
God again orders Jonah to visit Nineveh and to prophesy to its inhabitants. This time he goes and enters the city crying, “In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown.” After Jonah has walked for a day across the city, the people begin to believe his word and proclaim a fast. The king of Nineveh puts on sackcloth and sits in ashes, making a proclamation to decree fasting, sackcloth, prayer, and repentance.
God sees their works and spares the city. But this displeases Jonah since the people repented because of Jonah’s warning and not because of God. So Jonah leaves the city and goes to the East. “And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief…” (Jonah 4:6)
Eliphas Levi explains the Kabbalistic Symbolism of Jonah and the Fish or ‘Whale’
According to the physics of the Ancients, the fish symbolizes physical life in its first element, which is water. The Leviathan of the Book of Job is the great magical agent, which contains all things, absorbs all things and fills all things. In the symbolism of India, the first incarnation of Vishnu is as a fish. Egypt revered the universal agent under the form of the fish of Oannes. The hieroglyphic fish differs from the serpent in that the serpent (with its burning bite) represents the igneous or active principle of the universal agent, while the fish represents the watery or passive and absorbent element [active & passive = yang & yin].
Thus in the mythical figures of the catacombs of Rome, the fish of Jonah (which first absorbs, and then projects or rejects) reunites the two forms, that of the fish and that of the serpent. It is given two heads: one which devours and the other which vomits, and thus this figure completely expresses the great arcanum of occult physics and of natural magic.
The fish is also a symbol of occultism because it is mute.
The first christians (initiated into the mysteries of the Kabbalah) also found in the Greek word for ‘fish’ ( Ιχθυς or IXTUS), not just the name of Jesus and the monogram of the labarum [a military flag or banner], but also the initials of the words: IESOUS XRISTOS THEOU UIOS SOTER, meaning “Jesus Christ Son of God the Savior”. It is because of this that one often finds upon the tombs of the old martyrs the following signs (see image on the right).
-paraphrase from many of the writings of Eliphas Levi in
The Kabalistic and Occult Philosophy of Eliphas Levi – Volume 1
Initiatic Symbolism 2: A Summary of the Legend of the Death of Osiris
Osiris having become king of Egypt, applied himself to civilizing his countrymen by turning them from their former barbarous course of life. He taught them how to cultivate and improve the fruits of the earth, he gave them a body of laws whereby to regulate their conduct, and instructed them in the reverence and worship which they were to pay to the gods. With the same good disposition, he traveled over the rest of the world, causing people everywhere to submit to his discipline, not compelling them by force of arms, but persuading them to yield to the strength of his reasons, which were conveyed to them in the most agreeable manner, in hymns and songs, accompanied with instruments of music.
While Osiris was away from his country, his evil brother Set (or Typhon) plotted against the Sun God to destroy him. Gathering seventy-two persons as fellow conspirators, he attained his nefarious end in a most subtle manner. He had a wonderful ornamented box made just the size of the body of Osiris. This he brought into a banquet hall where the gods and goddesses were feasting together. All admired the beautiful chest, and Set (or Typhon) promised to give it to the one whose body fitted it most perfectly. One after another lay down in the box, but then rose again in disappointment, until finally Osiris tried it. The moment he was in the chest: Set (or Typhon) and his accomplices nailed the cover down and sealed the cracks with molten lead. They then cast the box into the Nile, and it floated down to the sea.
Isis learned what Set’s (or Typhon’s) accomplices had done with the body, and eventually discovered that the chest had floated to the coast of Byblos. There it had lodged in the branches of a tree, which in a short time miraculously grew up around the box. This so amazed the king of that country that he ordered the tree to be cut down and a pillar made from its trunk to support the roof of his palace.
Isis went to Byblos, and sat down silently to weep by the side of a fountain, when she was accosted by the damsels of the queen, who happened to arrive at the same place. On this occasion, it is related that the goddess suddenly diffused from her person a miraculous odor, of wonderful fragrance, all around her. The queen heard of this supernatural phenomenon and sent for her, and then appointed her to be a nurse to one of the king’s children. Isis fed the infant by giving it her finger to suck, instead of her breast; she likewise put him every night into the fire, to consume his mortal part. At the same time she transformed herself into a swallow, and hovered round the pillar, and lamented her sad fate.
It happened that some circumstance excited a suspicion in the queen respecting the conduct of the nurse. So she secretly observed Isis, and, upon seeing the infant surrounded by flame, was seized with terror, cried out, and thus deprived the child of immortality. Being discovered, the goddess then requested that the pillar which supported the roof of the palace be given to her. She takes it down, cuts it open with care, and takes out the enclosed sarcophagus of Osiris… She then returns to Egypt, with her husband’s body. At some time after her arrival, she deposited the chest in a remote place; but Set (or Typhon), hunting by moonlight, happened upon it, and (recognizing the corpse) divided it into fourteen pieces, which he scattered about the earth.
Isis, in despair, began gathering up the severed remains of her husband, but found only thirteen pieces. The fourteenth part (the phallus) she reproduced in gold, since the original had fallen into the river Nile and had been swallowed by a fish. Isis then took the form of a bird and fanned the body of Osiris with her feathers, and produced air, and this caused the inert members of Osiris to move, and drew from him his essence, wherefrom she produced her child. Isis brought forth from her union with Osiris, after his death, Harpocrates [this name is Heru-pa-khart in Egyptian and means ‘Horus the Younger’].
After these things Osiris returned from the other world, and appeared to his son Horus, and encouraged him to fight, and at the same time instructed him in the exercise of arms (or how to use weapons). He then asked his son what he thought was the most glorious action a man could perform, to which Horus replied, “To avenge the injuries offered to his father and mother”.
Gnostic Initiatic Symbolism Explained (“The Three Days” and the “Subterranean Work”)
or Arcana 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 20 (First Section)
“Arcanum № 20 is that of the Resurrection and this is very important. It is said in esotericism that Hiram Abiff, or Chiram Osiris, is dead in the Ninth Sphere, in the heart of the Earth.
It is said that in order to reach the sepulcher one must traverse the Nine Vaults, the Nine Strata of the interior of our planetary organism.
That Ninth Sphere is in our human organism, it is Sex. And if it is true that the Internal Christ is there, dead, then He will only be able to be resurrected there (in the Ninth Sphere).
This matter of the Resurrection is something grandiose: Jonah was in the belly of a whale for “Three Days”, and Jesus rose on the third day. This is symbolic, that Great Whale of Jonah is the Earth itself, our own planetary organism.
The Three Days are symbolic because there are “Three” periods of Esoteric Work before attaining the Resurrection of the Intimate Christ within ourselves.
FIRST DAY: IS THE SECOND BIRTH.
SECOND DAY: IS TO SLAY THE THREE TRAITORS.
THIRD DAY: IS THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD.We find here the Three Factors of the Revolution of Consciousness:
1. TO DIE.
2. TO BE BORN.
3. TO SACRIFICE FOR HUMANITY.
Lobsang Rampa says that he was placed in a sarcophagus for three days as if dead. This is symbolic; there is no school which does not speak of these Three Days; various pseudo-esoteric schools stress that one must spend 3 days in the sepulcher to attain Self-Realization.
Lobsang Rampa says that “in that interval of three days duration his body lay as dead in the tomb, and he learnt many things in the Superior Worlds”.
This is a symbolic Initiatic ceremony and it delivers a teaching to us. One must make a differentiation between the symbolic teaching and the lived teaching.
Jesus was in the Sepulcher and in 3 days he was resurrected and continued living for 11 years, teaching, instructing (as the PISTIS SOPHIA says). In ancient times the information about the Three Days in the Sepulcher was known; in Samothrace, among the Mayans, Egyptians and the Aztecs, all had their traditions of the Sepulcher and the three days.
The aspirants to Adepthood were taken to volcanoes, or chambers, or closed tombs which had the form of a Fish. Let’s remember that the Coffin of Osiris in the old Egypt of the Pharaohs, in the sunny land of Khem, which also had the form of a fish.
The old traditions (which are lost in the terrifying night of the centuries) tell us that during this interval, while the body of the Initiate lies like a cadaver in the sarcophagus, his Soul (missing the dense human form) directly experiences the Ritual of Life and Death in the Superior Worlds.
Masonry has not forgotten its Coffin.
There is something which shows that many authors do not possess complete knowledge, and this is the fact that they confuse the funerary symbol of the Three Days with the crude reality which it conceals. It is as if we were to confuse ourselves with the flag, which is only a symbol; like being mistaken about the two columns of Jakin and Boaz, which are esoteric symbols which represent man and woman.
Likewise, the funerary casket is a symbol, previously the Initiate used to pass three days in the sepulcher; but everything has its limit and beyond that limit we have to develop the knowledge, it is necessary to go deeper into the reality.
What is meant by Jesus arising from the sepulcher? What is meant by Jonah being in the belly of the whale for three days and then being vomited up?
“An evil and adulterous generation seeking after a sign; but there shall be no sign given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40).
This is symbolic, Jonah says that he was submerged in the Waters and in the depths of the mountains below, the Earth enclosed him and he (within the profundities of the earth) cried out to Jehovah.
The fact that the Abyss closed itself up is very significant, going much deeper we must remember the “Leviathan”, that marvelous ‘fish’ or ‘whale’ who lives beneath the waters of the sea (Isaiah 27:1; Job 41:1; Psalms 74:14, 104:26).This is the FIRST DAY, when we submerge within ourselves. It is on this day when all of us have to descend into the Subterranean Worlds in order to create the Bodies which allow the Second Birth. The First Day is when we have to descend to the very bottom of Tartarus, like the law of the Leviathan.
On the SECOND DAY it is necessary to return to the depth of the Abyss, so as to remain there, and destroy those creations which we have made with our bad actions. It is indubitable that the Superlative Transformation is only possible with the Resurrection of the Intimate Christ in the heart of the human being.
This is the culminating phase of the THIRD DAY, the instant in which the earth or the brilliant Constellation of the whale vomits forth Jonah, the Prophet, so he can go out and teach Nineveh in order to be able to return to the Father. Upon being vomited, Jonah became a Resurrected Master and they sent him to teach, for this reason he has the right to Ascension.
Every exaltation is preceded by a humiliation; THE HUMILIATION IS THE DESCENT TO THE INFERNAL WORLDS.This matter of the Three Days leads us to respond to something even more profound: let whosoever has understanding, understand; it is necessary to comprehend and to meditate.
The Leviathan, that which moves through the waters, is the true Master who has been Decapitated and comes back to decapitate.
Who could decapitate the Leviathan? Who would be able to harm the one who has already received all manner of injury and has Resurrected? We must convert ourselves into Resurrected Masters.
The Cross is one thing and the works which must be realized in the Ninth Sphere are another, there are correlations between the Symbol and the Work.”
– Paraphrase from Ch. 48 of Tarot & Kabbalah
Arcana 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 20 (Second Section)
“ALL ESOTERIC ADVANCEMENT IN THESE STUDIES IS BASED ON THE KABBALAH.
The Arcana № 13 and 14 have not been well understood, and for this reason it is necessary to study them more profoundly.
In the Egypt of the Pharaohs, Typhon (or Set) cuts the body of Osiris into pieces, taking the form of a Fish; Isis, the Divine Mother, the sister-wife of Osiris, upon trying to revive him, only found “13 PIECES”; the 14th was the Phallus, which was not found.
The 13 is Death, it is obvious that Osiris must spend Three Days in the sepulcher and these Three Days are equivalent to the Three Stages for the Decapitation of the Ego.
Isis found the 13 pieces, but did not find the 14th (the Phallus) because All Lustful Elements Had Died in “Him”, he had attained a total death. Only in this way can Osiris victoriously attend the Temple of Maat (Truth), only thus can he make the Negative Confession, because he no longer has Ego, he has Pure Spirit.This topic of Osiris in the sepulcher is very important, he is very dead, and only on the third day is he resurrected:
1: GENERATION.
2: DEGENRATION.
3: REGENERATION.
The extraordinary and marvelous form of the old coffin of Osiris, because of its similarity and Initiatic meaning, naturally calls to mind another fish, magnificently represented in the Semitic Alphabet by the letter SAMECH [ ס ], which occupies the 15th place kabbalistically, that originally symbolized the famous Constellation of the Whale, under whose rule we must realize all of the works of the Ninth Sphere.
This is intimately related with Arcanum № 13 [ Mem מ : the Waters, Death, Changes, Something New, etc.]; that is, the three descents into the Infernal Worlds and each descent covers a period of three days in the Holy Sepulcher.
Jonah worked three days, three periods of time with Sex; at the end of three days the whale vomited him out and he went forth to preach.
The Whale corresponds to the Kabbalistic Arcanum № 15, this invites us to reflection, Arcanum 15 is Typhon Baphomet (or Set), the Devil, Animal Passion. THIS INVITES US TO COMPREHEND WHAT THE WORK IN THE NINTH SPHERE (SEX) REALLY IS.
If one fails in Arcana 13, 14, or 15, if one is not able to work within the whale, then it is natural that we go down into the precipice with Arcanum № 16, which is The Fulminated Tower.
The Initiate who spills the Vessel of Hermes will be fulminated by Arcanum № 16 of the Constellation of Aries, the Ray of Cosmic Justice will cause that person to fall from the tower like the inverted Pentalpha, with the head pointing downwards, and the two legs pointing upwards.
The Arcanum № 17, the Star of Hope,
If we add kabbalistically the numerals of Arcanum 15, the Constellation of the Whale, we will have the following result: 1 + 5 = 6; six in the Tarot is the Arcanum of the Lover; the Initiate between Virtue and Passion.
Learn to polarize ourselves wisely with Arcanum 6 and we will have overcome the terrible 15 of the CONSTELLATION OF THE WHALE.
Remember dear reader that in the middle of the chest you have a very special magnetic center which captures the waves of Light and Glory which come from your Human Soul. She is TIPHERETH, Arcanum 6 of the Tarot.
Listen to her, obey the commands which arise from her. Act in accordance with those intimate impulses; WORK IN THE FORGE OF THE CYCLOPS WHEN THIS IS WHAT SHE WISHES.
IF YOU LEARN TO OBEY THEN YOU WILL NOT PERISH IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE.
Behold! how you have become a fish working in the Chaotic Waters of the first instant. NOW YOU WILL COMPREHEND WHY THE COFFIN OF OSIRIS HAS THE FORM OF A FISH.
It is unquestionable that the Seven Days, or Periods of the Genesis of Moses is synthesized in those Three Days and Three Nights of Jonah within the belly of the whale; an Initiatic ceremony which was repeated by the Great Kabir Jesus in the Holy Sepulcher.”
– Paraphrase from Ch. 48 of Tarot & Kabbalah
Arcana 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 20 (Third Section)
“The Prophet Jonah, working under the rule of the Constellation of the Whale, located in the deep well of the Universe, in the Ninth Sphere (Sex), realizes his work in three days or periods which are more or less long:
FIRST DAY: To descend to the Infernal Worlds in order to create the Solar Bodies, the Wedding Garments of the Soul and to establish within oneself a Permanent Center of Consciousness. To descend into the Infernal Worlds of Nature is necessary, it is a period of elimination until the destruction of Set (or Typhon), until attaining the Second Birth.
THIRD DAY: One must return to the depth of the Abyss in order to put an end to the innumerable facts from our previous lives. One continues dying in the Spheres of Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, etc. On the third day the Black Waters are transformed into those of resplendent Light, the destruction of ancient atoms culminates in the Mystic Resurrection.
Each one of these three periods culminates in:
A. The first period of time concludes with the SECOND BIRTH, about which the Great Kabir Jesus spoke to the Rabbi Nicodemus.
B. The second period ends when the consciousness is freed, and with the Marvelous Weddings. This is nothing other than the wedding of the Human Soul with the VALKYRIE OR GUINEVERE, the Queen of Jinn, which is the Feminine Spiritual Soul, the Buddhi within which burns the Flame of the Spirit, the Flame of Brahama. To women we will say that they then wed with the Eternal Beloved.
C. The third period concludes magisterially with the Resurrection of the Intimate Christ within our own heart. And it is logical that afterwards the Ascension to the Superior Worlds arrives.
For now, you are only receiving information. THIS MUST BE LIVED and experienced directly.
DO NOT GO ASTRAY, BUT REMAIN FIRM.
Study the Prayer of Jonah, it is beautiful, within it are to be found magnificent Esoteric Arcana.
In reality, this matter is related with Card 12 of the Tarot, because 1 + 2 = 3 (Three Days); here, a man is hanging by the feet, and with them he forms a cross, the hands form a triangle and the head points downwards; this indicates to us to descend into the deep Well of the Abyss. This is the Apostolate.
There are 22 Arcana because it is THE TRUTH, THE TETRAGRAMMATON, THE YOD-HEH-VAU-HEH [ יהוה ] and there must be 22 Arcana in order to explain it.”
– Paraphrase from Ch. 48 of Tarot & Kabbalah
Part 3 – Supplements
Supplement 1: Abraham in Islamic Tradition, Symbolism and the “Black Stone”
In Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (first published in 1889) we have the following entry for ‘Abraham’:
Abraham. Mohammedan mythology adds the following legends to those told us in the Bible concerning the patriarch. His parents were Prince Azar and his wife, Adna. As King Nimrod had been told that one shortly to be born would dethrone him, he proclaimed a “massacre of the innocents,” and Adna retired to a cave where Abraham was born. He was nourished by sucking two of her fingers, one of which supplied milk and the other honey. At the age of fifteen months Abraham was equal in size to a lad of fifteen, and was so wise that his father introduced him to the court of King Nimrod.
Other Mohammedan traditions relate that Abraham and his son “Ismail” rebuilt for the fourth time the Kaaba over the sacred stone at Mecca; that Abraham destroyed the idols manufactured and worshipped by his father, Terah; and that the mountain (called in the Bible “Mount Moriah”) on which he offered up his son was “Arfaday.”
The Ghebers say that the infant Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod’s order, but the flame turned into a bed of roses, on which he went to sleep…
-From Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1952)
There are similarities that remind us of the ‘Legend of the Death of Osiris’, as well as of the ‘rebuilding of the Temple’ and the ‘Sacred Stone’ or Cubic Stone of Yesod…
Note that the Kaaba is an ancient building located in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is a large cubic structure around which the pilgrims walk (called the Tawaf ) when they visit Mecca. It is also the reason Muslims pray facing Mecca, because they are actually facing this building.
The outside of this cuboid stone structure is mostly black, with a golden double door, but the inside is said to be mostly white stone, with some black stone at the base, and a particular or specific ‘Black Stone’ in the eastern corner (called the Al-Ḥajaru al-Aswad ). This stone and its location were considered holy even before Islam and were used as a place of worship for polytheists as well. Wikipedia’s entry for Black Stone says:
It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradition, dates back to the time of Adam and Eve…
According to Islamic tradition, it was set intact into the Kaaba’s wall by the prophet Muhammad in 605 CE, five years before his first revelation. Since then it has been broken into fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from heaven as a guide for Adam and Eve to build an altar.
A black stone reminds us of the ‘Heliogabalus Stone’, mentioned in Ch. 19 of Eliphas Levi’s Dogma of High Magic:
“The ancients adored the sun under the figure of a black stone, which they named Elagabalus, or Heliogabalus. What did this stone signify? and how could it be the image of the most brilliant of stars?
The disciples of Hermes, before promising their adepts the elixir of long life or the powder of projection, recommended them to seek for the philosophical stone. What is this stone, and why a stone?
The great initiator of the Christians invites his loyal followers to build upon the stone or rock, if they do not wish to see their buildings overturned. He names himself the cornerstone, and says to the most faithful of his apostles: “Call yourself Peter (Petros), since upon this rock (petram) I will build my Church.” [see Matt 16:18]
This rock or stone, say the masters in alchemy, is the true salt of the philosophers, which enters as a third of the composition of the azoth. Now, we already know that AZOTH is the name of the great hermetic agent and true philosophical agent; they also represented salt under the form of a cubic stone, as can be seen in the twelve keys of Basil Valentine, or in the allegories of Trevisan.
What then, in truth, is this stone or rock? It is the foundation of the absolute philosophy, it is supreme and unshakable reason. Before even dreaming of the metallic work, one must be permanently fixed upon the absolute principles of wisdom, one must possess that supreme and unshakable reason which is the touchstone of the truth. Never will a man who is full of prejudices become the king of nature and the master of transmutations…”
Supplement 2: the 40 days of Repentance
According to a wonderful Lecture on Glorian website called Mysteries of Halloween:
“Halloween (All Hallow’s Even or “the holy evening”) is celebrated October the 31st, forty days after the Autumnal [or Fall] Equinox on September 21st.”
And emphasizes the idea that the number 40 is repeated a lot in the Bible. As we know, 40 is related to Mem מ , Arcanum 13: the Waters, Death, Changes, Something New… This implies that the 40 days of the “Repentance of Ninevah” are from the Fall Equinox (Sept 21st, 22nd or 23rd) to Halloween (Oct 31st), All Saints Day or the Day of the Dead (November 1st) or All Souls Day (November 2nd), which are collectively referred to as Allhallowtide.
“The Day of The Dead or All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1st. It is an esoteric festivity for the triumphant dead; a celebration for those who have succeeded in dying in themselves, who have achieved the triumphant emergence from their Averno after their Halloween (holy evening). Eliminating all of their ego, these victorious ones have defeated the suffering (Karma) of their Being. These are souls who, through the course of their Initiatic life, achieved religare (“union”) with their Internal God and who were not condemned to the Second Death nor to the torment of the infernal worlds.”
…
“It is during the Autumnal [or Fall] season that all things hibernate, slow down, and die. Life withdraws, contracts and is naturally drawn down into the earth. And from this time until the Vernal [or Spring] Equinox the earth passes through a natural period of cleansing in preparation for the rebirth of Spring. Thus, this season provides an example that should be followed in the Initiatic process.
Hiram Abiff, of Masonic legend, lies entombed at the center of the earth, within the Ninth Sphere. We must descend into our own psychological earth, to the depths of our own Klipoth, the Ninth Sphere of Neptune. And through the wise use of the Ninth Sphere (Yesod, the sex), we must comprehend and annihilate the egos that reside in every infernal level of Klipoth. Only then can Hiram (the Christ) be resurrected from his sepulcher (during Easter).
Halloween is a festivity that teaches us the importance of mystical death; the need to comprehend that the mind is isolated and under the domination of the unconscious shadows of the ego.
If we are able to recognize that we are not Buddhas, Angels, or Saints then we are able to change. Is it possible to become what we are not if we continue to grasp onto what we are? A seed cannot become a tree without first dying as a seed. We cannot become angels if we do not die to what makes us demons. Within the mysteries of Halloween is not only the reminder of this lesson of death, but also the means to achieve it. Halloween is therefore an esoteric and profound celebration not to be mistaken with the vulgar and degenerated holiday that is celebrated in this age of Kali Yuga.
May the light of the Christ illuminate our “pumpkins”.
Another Lecture (Halloween, Jonah, and the Gourd) on the same website also mentions more about this subject and the Kabbalistic Symbolism of Jonah’s story.
Supplement 3: the Prayer of Jonah (aka “Jonas”)
1:17 Now the Lord [ Jehovah יהוה ] prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights.
2:1 And Jonas prayed to the Lord [ Jehovah יהוה ], his God, out of the belly of the fish.
2:2 And he said: I cried out of my affliction to the Lord, and he heard me: I cried out of the belly of hell, and thou hast heard my voice.
2:3 And thou hast cast me forth into the deep, in the heart of the sea, and a flood hast compassed me: all thy billows, and thy waves have passed over me.
2:4 And I said: I am cast away out of the sight of thy eyes: but yet I shall see the holy temple again.
2:5 The waters compassed me about even to the soul: the deep hath closed me round about, the sea hath covered my head.
2:6 I went down to the lowest parts of the mountains: the bars of the earth have shut me up for ever: and thou wilt bring up my life from corruption, O Lord [ Jehovah יהוה ], my God.
2:7 When my soul was in distress within me, I remembered the Lord [ Jehovah יהוה ]: that my prayer may come to thee, unto the holy temple.
2:8 They that in vain observe vanities, forsake their own mercy.
2:9 But I with the voice of praise will sacrifice to thee: I will pay whatsoever I have vowed for my salvation to the Lord [ Jehovah יהוה ].
2:10 And the Lord [ Jehovah יהוה ] spoke to the fish: and it vomited out Jonas upon the dry land.
Supplement 4: Esotericism of Jonah and the Pumpkin Gourd
“ “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew: 12: 39-40.)
This exotic narration, apparently somehow confused with the marvelous book of Jonah, has an esoteric foundation. It is in regards to a very ancient symbolic ceremony that consisted in leaving the Initiate for three days and three nights within the unutterable mystery of a cavern or coffin, similar to a fish in its shape.
It is disclosed in some old traditions that are lost within the frightful night of all centuries, that during this interval, while the body of the Initiate was laid down as a cadaver within the coffin, the Soul which was absent from the dense human form, was directly experiencing in the superior worlds the ritual of Life and Death.
The elemental water, in equal fashion to the perfumed elemental earth are without any doubt passive or simply negative symbols. They represent the preliminary purification and the serious basis of any regenerative process, that afterwards has to become effective by means of the superior and active elements, the air and the fire, which respectively are symbols of the Spirit and of the Great Reality…”
-paraphrase from Ch.48 of Parsifal Unveiled
“1. Let us now enter the temple, Oh ARHAT!, in order to officiate with the pumpkin gourd.
2. Clothe yourself with your white mantle and tunic, and approach the altar, Oh ARHAT!
3. We can work with the multitudes with the powers of the elemental of the pumpkin gourd.
4. The elemental of the pumpkin gourd has terrific powers over the multitudes.
5. Jonah made Nineveh repent of its sins with the elemental magic of the pumpkin gourd.
6. The elemental of the pumpkin gourd has a small crown upon its pineal gland that gives it terrific power over the human masses.
7. Learn, Oh ARHAT!, to fight against the abominations of humanity by means of the pumpkin gourd. Thus, you will help the human multitudes, and when helping humanity, you help yourself. You know this.
8. Remember that the elemental of the pumpkin gourd has a pink tunic, which is the color of unselfish love. This elemental resembles a beautiful girl dressed with this tunic of love.
9. Jonah was three days in the belly of a fish. On the third day, the fish vomited him onto the square of Nineveh.
10. Jonah then seated himself beneath a pumpkin gourd, and all the people of Nineveh repented. They tore their vestures, covered their bodies with sackcloth and proclaimed a fast.
11. I want you now to understand, oh ARHAT!, the intimate relationship existing between the fish of the sea and the pumpkin gourd.
12. There is a powerful angel who governs the fish of the sea and the elementals of the pumpkin gourd.
13. The current of life that passes through the fish of the sea is the same current that passes through the vegetable family of the pumpkin gourd.
14. The igneous angel who governs the pumpkin gourd is the same ardent flame who governs all the fish of the immense sea.
15. The officiant must place the pumpkin gourd in a pot of water that must boil upon the flames of a small stove.
16. The pumpkin’s fruit must be cut into pieces before placing it into the pot of water.
17. This pot of water must boil before the altar.
18. The officiant must bless the steaming pot and command the elemental of the pumpkin gourd to work over the multitudes in order to make them repent of their sins.
19. The great White Hierarchy will assist you during the rite.
20. The college of Initiates will collaborate with you in this great work of the FATHER.
21. The igneous powers of this elemental creature blaze intensely within the ardent sparkling of the universal flames.
22. During, this ceremony of elemental magic, the white dove of the Holy Spirit will enter into you, oh ARHAT!
23. Now, while submerged in profound meditation, you can hear the word of Jehovah, oh ARHAT!
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31. After Jonah was vomited from the fish, he preached in Nineveh and he sat beneath a pumpkin gourd. He did this in order to work with the powers of the mind that blaze within the sparks of the Cosmic Mind’s glowing embers.
32. People do not understand the symbol of Jonah, despite the fact that Christ resurrected after three days.
33. People ask for signs from Christ, but He gave only the sign of Jonah
34. Remove your vile vestments because they are filled with worms from all rotting matter.
35. The worm of rotting matter dries and kills the pumpkin gourd.
36. Only the ARHAT can officiate during the rite of the pumpkin gourd.
37. The entire sacred college will go to the temple of the holy rite, dressed with white tunics. Only the few helpers will use sky blue tunics and cloaks during the rite.
38. During certain moments, the lights are extinguished and the temple remains in darkness.
39. Now you will understand that the pumpkin gourd belongs to the mental plane.
40. Now you will understand all the symbolism of Jonah, the prophet, seated beneath a pumpkin gourd.
41. The moments during the rite in which the lights are extinguished symbolize the passing from the darkness to the light
42. We must throw out of ourselves all animal-natured, vile deeds .
43. The Mantram of the elemental of the pumpkin gourd is ‘KA’.
44. An oriental gong must resound during this rite.”
-paraphrase from Ch.3 of Igneous Rose
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