The thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is מ (Mem or Men) who’s numeric significance is 40 and its kabalistic significance is 13. 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: The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah, Esoteric Course of Kabalah, and Manual of Practical Magic, 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 № 13
Arcanum № 13: Is Death, but it can also signify Something New; there may be Wealth, there may be Poverty, it is a number of great synthesis. Arcanum № 13 contains the gospel of Judas. Judas represents the Death of the “I”. The Gospel of Judas is that of Death, it is the Dissolution of the Ego. Judas symbolizes the Ego which one must decapitate.
HEBRAIC LETTER: “MEM”
HOUR: “FOURTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS”: “the neophyte will wander at night amongst the sepulchers, will experience the horror of visions, will be delivered up to magic and to Goethia (this means that the disciple will see himself attacked by millions of black magicians in the astral plane; these tenebrous magicians intend to remove the disciple from the luminous path)”.
TRANSCENDENTAL AXIOM: “THE NIGHT HAS PASSED AND A NEW DAY HAS ARRIVED, SO ADORN YOURSELF WITH THE WEAPONS OF LIGHT.”
-From Ch.99 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
DEATH (MEM)
The art of speaking with the dead
1. One can speak with the disembodied.
2. The dead live in the sphere of YETZIRAH.
3. The dead live in the world of NOGAH (Astral World).
4. The disciples should learn to leave and enter their body at will.
5. In the world of NOGAH we can invoke the dead in order to speak to them personally.
6. The defunct who have been fornicators are cold and tenebrous and live in the world of ASSIAH, filled with cold and darkness.
7. The disciples who have been chaste and who have awakened Kundalini after death are full of youth and fire.
8. The Angels are burning flames.
9. The Angels are burning children, full of light and beauty.
10. In the world of NOGAH, we can speak with the dead personally.
11. The thirteenth hour is death and resurrection.
12. When we make some petition, many times the Angels answer by showing us the clock.
13. The disciple should notice the hour of the clock.
14. This is the clock of destiny.
15. In the time is the answer:
THE TWELVE HOURS OF APOLLONIUS
16. FIRST HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: Transcendental study of Occultism.
17. SECOND HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The abysses of fire; the Astral Virtues form a circle around the Dragons and fire.
18. THIRD HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The Serpents, dogs and fire.
19. FOURTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The Neophyte wanders at night among the sepulchers, experimenting the horror of visions, he will surrender himself to Magic and Goetia.
20. FIFTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The superior Waters of Heaven.
21. SIXTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: Here it is necessary to remain quiet, and immobile; due to fear.
22. SEVENTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: Fire comforts the animated beings and if any Priest, a sufficiently purified man, steals it and then projects it, if he mixes it with Holy Oil and consecrates it, he will be able to cure all illnesses just by applying it to the affected part.
23. EIGHTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The Astral virtues of the elements, and of the seeds of every genus.
24. NINTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: Here nothing has finished as yet. The INITIATE increases his perception until he exceeds the limits of the Solar System, beyond the Zodiac. He arrives at the threshold of the infinite. He reaches the limits of the intelligible world. The DIVINE LIGHT is revealed and with it appears new fears and dangers.
25. TENTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The doors of Heaven open and man comes out of his lethargy.
26. ELEVENTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The angels, the cherubims, and the seraphims fly with the murmuring of wings; there is rejoicing in Heaven, the earth and the Sun which surge forth from ADAM, awaken.
27. TWELFTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS: The cohorts of fire calm down.
THE NUMBER THIRTEEN
28. There exists a THIRTEEN HOUR, which is the one of LIBERATION.
29. Whosoever passes through the Thirteen Doors of Mercy transforms themselves into an ineffable GOD of splendid beauty.
30. The Zodiac is made up of the Twelve Doors of Mercy.
31. The Thirteenth Door is that of LIBERATION.
32. One has to die in order to live.
33. One has to die and resurrect.
-Paraphrase from Ch.13 of Manual of Practical Magic by Samael Aun Weor,
available in Magic, Alchemy, and the Great Work
The Thirteenth Arcanum: ARCANUM 13
Let us now study the thirteenth Arcanum of the Tarot. This is the Arcanum of Death. Really, Death is the return to the Womb. Life and Death are two phenomena of the same thing.
Death is the remainder of whole numbers. When the mathematical operation is completed, only the values of the consciousness remain. These values, when seen Clairvoyantly, look like a legion of phantoms that continue living.
The reincarnation of the values is the mechanism of Nature. Really, the Soul does not reincarnate, because the human being does not yet have their Soul incarnated. Only the values reincarnate themselves.
THE EMBRYO OF SOUL
The human being only has an Embryo of Soul. This embryo may be developed and strengthened by means of Sexual Magic. Sometimes this Embryo believes that it is the whole and forgets about its origin. When this happens, we totally fail.
IMMORTALITY
The human being should reach immortality, but does not have it yet. Only those who have incarnated their soul are immortal.
THE MIND
It is stated that humans have one mind. We state that each human has many minds; each phantom from the Pluralized “I” has its own mind and even has SELF-independence. The human being is a dormant machine operated by the Legion of the “I”. We need to engender the CHRIST MIND.
THE CHRIST ASTRAL
Whosoever generates the CHRIST ASTRAL IS ABLE TO IMMORTALIZE THEMSELVES within that body. The Christ Astral is only born through Sexual Magic. Those people who generated the Christ-Astral in past reincarnations retain the memory of their past lives, and know how to enter and exit from the physical body at will. These people are IMMORTAL.
TRUE IDENTITY
The common and run-of-the-mill people do not have a True Identity, because through them only the phantoms of the Pluralized “I” are expressed. Thus, after death the human being is a Legion.
THE SOUL
He who incarnates the Soul, acquires true identity. HE ALREADY IS. Man is a Being not yet Achieved.
WILLPOWER
Man confuses the Force of Desire with Willpower. We need to generate the Christ-Will.
THE LABORATORIUM ORATORIUM
The Adept and their Spouse must work together in the Laboratorium Oratorium. In the Nuptial Chamber, the King and the Queen realize their Alchemical combinations.
Out of the Royal Chamber, the ravens of Putrefaction devour the Sun and the Moon. (The blackening and putrefying of the Internal Chrysalides [Cocoons] or Bodies of Sin). The Bodies of Sin rot in a tomb of glass. The tomb of Glass is the Alchemist’s Cup.
The Souls shuttle to fly (symbol of the butterfly that comes out from within the chrysalis, a symbol of the Christified vehicles that come out from within their Chrysalides [or Cocoons]). A Hermaphrodite body (Sun and Moon) comes to life with the celestial influence of the dew (The Ens Seminis). The Hermaphrodite Body encompasses the internal Christic vehicles that were engendered by means of Sexual Magic. All of these Christic Vehicles penetrate and interpenetrate without confusion.
When a person possesses these vehicles, they incarnate their Soul. No man is a true man as long as he does not have these Christic Bodies.
THE RETORT OF ALCHEMY
The ‘Materia Prima’ of the Great Work is within the Retort. This Venerable Matter is very volatile and it is not stable; its special characteristic is its instability and variability. By igniting the Sexual Fire under the Retort of Alchemy, the Venerable Matter becomes hot and melts itself.
When arriving at this stage of the work, the venerable matter has converted itself into a very gorgeous child glowing with beauty: This is the ‘Soma Puchicon’, the Body of Gold; with this precious vehicle, we may be able to consciously visit all the departments of the Kingdom.
Then, by giving new properties to this Alchemical alloy, the CHRIST ASTRAL appears within the Astral phantom [or Lunar Astral Body]. This is a very precious child who grants us immortality.
After this Second Body has been formed, the problem of integrally comprehending all the powers and acquired knowledge arises. This is only possible when the Christic Intelligence is given to this alchemical alloy. Thus, the precious vehicle of the CHRIST MIND happily rises from within the Retort of the Laboratory. It emerges from within the Mental Phantom.
After this work has been completed, something is still missing. The CHRIST WILL is what is missing. Thus by intensely reheating the Retort of the Laboratory, a divine child comes to life. This is the Christ-Will. The Divine Body of the Soul.
Those who have succeeded in creating all of these Christic Vehicles, within the Alchemical Retort, may be able to Totally and Integrally incarnate their Soul. Only those who achieve the INCARNATION OF THE SOUL deserve the precious title of Men. Only these kind of humans can elevate themselves to the Kingdom of the Being, the Super-Man. Only this kind of true Man may be able to receive the Elixir of Long Life.
No sketch or outline of a human being maybe able to incarnate the Soul. No soulless creature is able to receive the Elixir of Long Life. It is necessary to create the Christic vehicles in order to incarnate the Soul. Only those who incarnate their Soul have the right to receive the Wonderful Elixir that elevates us to the kingdom of the Super-Man.
THE SCALES OF THE SERPENTS – THE CHRYSALIDES OF THE BUTTERFLIES
After each one of the Great Initiations of Major Mysteries, the Etheric, Astral, Mental and Causal Phantoms are similar to the skin or scales that have been discarded by serpents, or as Chrysalides that have been discarded by Butterflies after they have flown away. Precisely after the Great Initiations there is a work for Humans, Angels and Gods: to Disintegrate the Shells and to Dissolve the Pluralized “I”. (Ahamsara) the Karmic remnants of the Gods, are precisely those phantoms of the “I”.
THE ELIXIR OF LONG LIFE
Every man who Incarnates the Soul is able to ask for the Elixir of Long Life. This is a gas of immaculate whiteness. Such a gas is deposited in the vital depth of the human organism.
RESURRECTION
On the third day after the death of his physical body, the INITIATE goes to Their Holy Sepulcher in their Astral body, accompanied by the Divine Hierarchies. The Initiate then invokes their physical body and, with the help of the Divine Hierarchies, then the physical body gets up and penetrates into Hyperspace. This is how the initiate achieves the escape from the Sepulture.
In the Supra-sensible worlds of Hyperspace, the Holy Women treat the body of the Initiate with perfumes and aromatic ointments. Then, by obeying Supreme orders, the physical body penetrates within the Soul of the Master through the Sidereal Head. This is how the Master once again possesses his physical body. This is the Gift of Cupid.
After the Resurrection, the Master does not die again, and is eternal. The Yogi-Christ from India, the Immortal BABAJI, and his Immortal Sister MATAJI, both live with the same physical body since millions of years ago. These Immortal Beings are the watchers of the Guardian Wall that protects Humanity.
THE GREAT SERVICE
Immortal Beings can appear and disappear instantaneously. They can make themselves visible in the physical world. Cagliostro, St. Germain, Quetzalcoatl and many other immortals have performed Great Works in the world.
THE SUPER MAN
First, we must become complete men, later on, after Resurrection we in fact elevate ourselves to the Kingdom of the Super-Man. The present man is nothing more than a human phantom.
-From Ch.13 of Esoteric Course of Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
Description of the Card of the 13th Arcanum: “IMMORTALITY”
In this arcanum the heads of wheat represent Rebirth, as do the flowers. THE FLOWERS ARE THE BEGINNING OF LIFE; THE WHEAT IS THE END.
A HIERARCH OF THE LAW cuts some bundles of Wheat, which have both large and small grains, these are what are called “Bobin-Caldenots”, which represent the Values, the Capital which each human being carries in his THREE BRAINS (INTELLECTUAL, MOTOR, EMOTIONAL). He who carries small grain lives only a short while; dying within a few days, months or in the first few years of life.
One lives by thirds and one dies by thirds; whosoever squanders their Intellectual Capital descends into madness , schizophrenia, etc. Whosoever abuses their Motor or Movement Center, ends up paralyzed, deformed, etc.; those who misuse their Emotional Center suffer from ailments of the heart.
This Arcanum represents both the internal and the physical, it is the Arcanum of Judas Iscariot which represents the Death of the “Ego”. The SCYTHE is the funeral symbol of the ANGELS OF DEATH.
-From Ch.13 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
ESOTERIC SIGNIFICANCE of Arcanum 13
Death is really the return to the womb. LIFE AND DEATH are two phenomena of a single thing. DEATH is a subtraction of fractions; when the mathematical calculation ends, all that remains are the VALUES OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS. The Values of the Personality are subtracted. There is no tomorrow for the Personality of the dead, it has a beginning and an end.
The Values of the Consciousness are trapped within the “Ego”, these, when seen clairvoyantly, resemble a legion of phantoms, they are what continues. The return of the Values is a mechanism of Nature. Really, the Soul does not return because man has not incarnated his Soul. Only the Values return.
When the hour of death arrives the ANGEL OF DEATH attends the death bed of the dying one, having the duty to cut the Thread of Existence. In the precise instant of exhaling the last breath, the Angel of Death removes the individual from his Physical Body, and with his scythe cuts the Silver Cord (this is a mysterious silvery thread which connects the Internal Bodies with the Physical Body). This magnetic cord can extend or reduce to infinity. Thanks to this thread we can reincorporate into the Physical Body at the moment of awakening, after sleep.
The dying person usually sees the ANGEL OF DEATH, they, when working, dress in funeral garb and take on a spectral, skeletal appearance, grasping the scythe with which they cut the Silver Cord. They assume this gloomy appearance only while working, apart from this they adopt very beautiful forms, at times of children, at times of ladies or of Venerable elders. The Angels of Death are never evil or perverse; they always work in accordance with the Great Law.
Everyone has their hour to be born, and their exact moment to die. The Angels of Death are very wise. They develop and operate under the Ray of Saturn. They know not only all that which is related to the common place and normal death of the Physical Body; these Ministers of Death are, as well, profoundly wise in all that which is related with the Death of the Pluralized “I”.
PROSERPINE, THE QUEEN OF THE INFERNOS, is also Hecate, the Blessed Goddess Mother Death, under whose direction the Angels of Death work. Mother Space transformed into Mother Death loves her children dearly, and for this reason she takes them. The Blessed Goddess Mother Death has the power to punish us when we violate the Law and the authority to take our life. She is, indubitably, only one magnificent facet of our Mystic DUAD; a splendid form of our own Being. Without her consent no Angel of Death would dare to break the Thread of Life, the Silver Cord, the Antakarana.
Three human forms go to the grave :
A. THE PHYSICAL CADAVER.
B. THE VITAL BODY OR LINGAM SARIRA.
C. THE PERSONALITYThe Physical Body disintegrates within the grave in a gradual process. The Vital Body floats above the grave, its phosphorescent specter at times being visible to persons who are very psychic, it disintegrates slowly as the Physical Body disintegrates. The PERSONALITY is ENERGETIC, it is formed during the first seven years of childhood, and is strengthened with time and with experiences.
The Personality is a child of its time, born in its time, there is no tomorrow for the Personality of the defunct. After the death of the Physical Body, the Personality is also within the grave, but it comes out when someone brings flowers, when some mourner visits, it moves about the cemetery and returns to its grave. It slowly disintegrates within the cemetery.
That which continues, that which does not go to the grave, is the “Ego”, the Self, the Myself, the “I”: which is a particular sum of “I” Devils which personify our Psychological Defects. That which continues after Death is not then, very beautiful. That which is not destroyed along with the Physical Body is none other than a multitude of Devils, of Psychic Aggregates, of Defects; the only decent thing that exists within all those cavernous entities which constitute the Ego is the Essence, the Psyche, the Buddhata.
Normally, these Psychic Aggregates function within the Astral and Mental worlds. Rare are those Essences who are able to free themselves for a time from these subjective elements in order to enjoy a holiday in the Causal World before returning to this valley of tears. But this is possible with the Dissolution of the Ego. The Egos normally submerge within the Mineral Kingdom in the Infernal Worlds, or return immediately or shortly thereafter to a new organism. The Ego continues in the seed of our descendents. We return incessantly in order to always repeat the same dramas, the same tragedies.
We must stress the fact that “NOT ALL THE PSYCHIC AGGREGATES ACHIEVE A HUMAN RETURN”; really many “I”-Devils are lost because they submerge within the Mineral Realm, or continue reincorporating in animal organisms, or resolutely clinging, and adhere themselves to determined places.
-From Ch.13 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
INITIATIC SIGNIFICANCE of Arcanum 13
This Arcanum, Death, covers two aspects: the first aspect is the death of all human beings and the second aspect is from the esoteric point of view. In relation to the first aspect, all the texts of occultism, pseudo-occultism, pseudo-rosicrucianism, and Theosophy state that one is born at a determined day, hour and second and dies at a determined day, hour and second according to the Law of Destiny.
This concept is not exact because the Lords of Karma deposit within one, determined “Cosmic Values” and one can conserve this “Capital” and the lifespan can be greatly increased, or the Values can be spent and the life shortened. By accumulating Cosmic Capital the life is prolonged. If there are no good deeds, it is only in particular cases that the Lords of Karma will prolong the life.
Within each one of our Three Brains the Lords of Karma deposit a determined quantity of Vital Values:
First Brain: THINKING OR INTELLECTUAL, in the head.
Second Brain: EMOTIONAL, located in the Solar Plexus and sympathetic nervous centers.
Third Brain: MOTOR, located in the upper part of the spinal column.If one exhausts the vital values of the THINKING BRAIN, abusing the intellect, it is clear that the death of this brain is provoked, or one contracts nervous illnesses, neurasthenia, madness, schizophrenia, or one provokes the forms of madness or mania which persons who have exhausted the Values of the Intellectual Center have.
If one exhausts the Values of the EMOTIONAL CENTER, one provokes illnesses of the heart, nervous and psychotic states; illnesses which are related with emotive or emotional aspects; many artists exhaust the emotional brain and end up with particular psychopathic, emotional or cardiac conditions.
Those who exhaust the values of the MOTOR CENTER finish up paralyzed, or with illnesses related with the muscles, the knees, the joints, paralysis, etc., damage to the spinal column.
In general, all illness results from the misuse of these Three Brains; what this means is that one dies by thirds, little by little. For example, athletes, runners, boxers are people who abuse the Motor Brain, these persons end up in a bad way, their death being due to misuse of the Motor Brain. If one learns to manage the Three Brains in a balanced manner one saves the Vital Values which the Lords of Karma deposit therein, and life is prolonged.
In Asia monasteries exist where the monks reach the age of 300 years or more because they harmoniously manage the three values in a balanced manner, saving the vital values of the Three Brains. SO WHAT THEN OF THE EXACT HOUR AND DATE OF OUR BIRTH AND DEATH? If the Values are exhausted one dies quickly, if they are saved, life is prolonged.
Clearly, some are given more capital than others, depending upon the debts and credits of each one. When one believes that they have abused the Thinking Brain, one must put the Motor Brain to work. When one is doing these esoteric studies in order to prolong life one must negotiate with the Lords of Karma, but one must pay doing good deeds.
Each man who incarnates the Soul may ask for the Elixir of Long Life. This is a gas of immaculate whiteness. This gas is deposited in the Vital Fund of the human organism. After Resurrection the Master is Eternal and does not die again.
We have the case of Master Paracelsus; he has not died, he lives in Europe with the same body, he is one of those who “swallowed earth”, he lives as a nomad, passing himself off as different persons. Nicholas Flammel (the Initiate) lives in India with his wife Perenelle. He also “swallowed earth” together with his wife. Count Saint Germain (who directs the Ray of World Politics) worked in Europe in the 16th and 18th centuries; Giovanni Papini met him a short while ago.
The Christ Yogi of India, the immortal Babaji and his immortal sister Mataji have lived in their Physical Bodies for millions of years. The Immortals can appear and disappear instantaneously; can make themselves visible in the Physical World at will. Cagliostro, Saint Germain, Quetzalcoatl and many other immortals have done Great Works in the world.
Death is the crown of the Path of Life; this path is formed by the hoof-prints of the Horse of Death.
THE DEATH OF THE INITIATE: The Egyptian “Book of the Dead” is for those who live and are dead, one must know how to understand this; it concerns the Defunct Initiates who live, even though they are already dead: they have already entered the Region of the dead and appear in the light of day to give their teachings.
The first thing one must do in order to die is to Dissolve the “I” (that which is a mass of Demons), and which the Egyptians call the RED DEMONS OF SET. This must be done in order to awaken consciousness and to receive direct knowledge. The Red Demons of Set are all the demons which we have; they are Satan, they must die. Horus must defeat those Demons.
Set has two aspects: the Negative form being Satan, and the Positive corresponding to the Spinal Column. This tenebrous Satanic Set must be Dead; that Lunar Ego must Die, which is made up of millions of Demons which Horus must defeat with the help of the Divine Mother Isis. Those “I’s” must be reduced to dust, and one must incinerate the seeds and bathe in the waters of Lethe to forget and the waters of Eunoe to strengthen virtues and then ascend to the Heavens.
In order to ascend to each one of the heavens one must first Descend to the Infernos. That is not all, tremendous battles come; this must be closely studied in the Pistis-Sophia. The Initiate must convert himself into a “CROCODILE”; for this one must destroy the Body of Desire which is Lunar and later ascend to the Lunar Heaven; in order to be able to destroy it one must “Submerge oneself”, and this means a frightening descent through enormous sacrifice, leaving there the Lunar Body which disintegrates little by little.
When the Body of Desire is disintegrated, the Initiate then leaves with his SOLAR ASTRAL BODY. Then one must pass to Mercury, to the Decapitation, to free oneself from the Lunar Mind. And the Initiate calls out begging for his head, the head of Osiris, but he has to pass through much slaughter, he has to do battle with the Demons.
Just as there are 8 Kabirs, there are also 8 Anti-Kabirs which are the antitheses; there being two in each cardinal point. It is the task of the Initiate to do battle with the 8 Black Kabirs; one cannot ascend without descending. ONE CANNOT ENTER THE ABSOLUTE AND THE ESSENCE CANNOT SUBMERGE INTO THE BEING WITHOUT “PASSING THROUGH THE GREAT DEATH”.
In the path to the Absolute one has to descend, it is there that one becomes a DEAD CROCODILE. Later the task is to ascend, and the ascent is extremely difficult. Once having submerged oneself in the Being one can say: “I AM HORUS”, one can speak in the language of the Gods, one can be the Living God in the sight of the Red Demons which constitute the Ego.
Card 13 contains the GOSPEL OF JUDAS. Judas represents the Death of the Ego, that is his Gospel. He played that part as he had been ordered to do so by the Great Master. Judas is now to be found working in the Infernal Worlds with the Demons in order to redeem them and win over one or more of them. When his work concludes he will go with Jesus to the Absolute because he has earned it well.
-From Ch.35 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
SYNTHESIS of Arcanum 13:
One must become the Sacred Crocodile Sebek by means of enormous ordeals and great sacrifices. IN THIS WORK, EFFORTS ARE NOT ENOUGH, ONLY SUPER-EFFORTS.
WE HAVE TO GIVE FORM TO OURSELVES; THIS REQUIRES SUPER-EFFORTS BY MEANS OF CONSTANT DAILY INTENSIVE WORK. One must work in order to finish with Anger.
THE 13th HOUR IS INTIMATELY RELATED WITH DEATH, THERE CANNOT BE RESURRECTION IF THERE IS NO DEATH, LIBERATION IS THE THIRTEENTH HOUR OF APOLLONIUS.
The Twelve Doors of Mercy are the 12 Zodiacal Signs, 12 Regions or 12 Suprasensible Worlds, the Door Number 13, Liberation, is for the escape into the Absolute. One dies to the Cosmos. One is born to the Absolute. One must Die in order to Live. One must Die and be Resurrected.
-From Ch.35 of The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of the Tarot and Kabalah by Samael Aun Weor
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