6th Aethyr said:
... above me appears the starry heaven of night, and one star greater than all the other stars. It is a star of eight rays. I recognize it as the star in the seventeenth key of the Tarot, as the Star of Mercury. And the light of it cometh from the path of Aleph.
I've been thinking about this idea of the Star reflecting the light of Aleph.
In Liber XXII (included within Liber Arcanorum) we are told in the top line to compare Aleph with Tzaddi. On the table of Genii's (left hand table) both seals depict the Swastika or Thunderbolt, but drawn in opposite directions suggesting reflection or reversal of direction.
Liber Arcanorum
https://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib231
The accompanying text of Liber Arcanorum reinforces the idea of a link between the two.
The Fool - Aleph said:
0. A, the heart of IAO, dwelleth in ecstasy in the secret place of the thunders. Between Asar and Asi he abideth in joy.
The Star - Tzaddi said:
17. Transformed, the holy virgin appeared as a fluidic fire, making her beauty into a thunderbolt.
The qabalistic spelling of IAO is Yod-Aleph-Vau. 10 + 1 + 6 =
17. The 'thunderbolt' (Swastika or Flyfat cross) is made up of 17 squares composed of the twelve signs of the zodiac, the four elements, and the sun in the centre. This is the reason why Crowley did not change the card numbers when he later switched the Emperor and the Star.
If we indulge the notion that the Star reflects and manifests the light of the letter Aleph below the Abyss, what impact could this have on the two different placements of the cards involved in the card swap - IV & XVII ?
Aleph is the Creative Light, the animating 'spark' or Breath of Life. It's full spelling, ALPh, enumerates to 111, one of the great numbers of the Sun. If the Peh at the end is counted with its final value of 800 instead of 80, then Aleph enumerates to 831. In Greek this is the numerical value of φαλλός - Phallus. This suggests the Light extending or manifesting into existence with the Will to create. The Tarot numeral, 0 - Zero, and the Hebrew letter value of 1 also suggest the One emerging from the Void. It is the initial creative impulse of the divine.
In the old Tarot scheme this Creative Light would have been reflected into the human sphere on the Path of Tzaddi and the Star. Sitting between the spheres of Netzach and Yesod indicates that the creative impulse is communicated via
Subconscious Desire.
In a way this is also indicated by Crowley's 'apparent mistake' with the Emperor card. In the old scheme the Emperor sits on the Path of Heh and the Light that shines upon him is meant to show the influence of the creative Wisdom of Chokmah. But the Emperor faces away from the light. The 'creative Wisdom' is shinning on the
back of his head.
The 'back of the head' is the meaning of the letter Qoph which is attributed to the Moon. This indicates Desire manifesting through subconscious channels. To me this looks like the True Will manifesting subconsciously.
OK. So now we swap the cards around. What effect does this have? With the Emperor on the Path of Tzaddi we have a card representing conscious control and deliberate intention on the path of Subconscious Desire. The subconscious can now be imprinted with willed desires and autonomic processes are brought under the control of the conscious mind. (Pranayama breath control is a good example of this.) Instead of natural development, this is
self-directed spiritual development.
On the Path of Heh the Star continues to manifest the Creative Light of the Path of Aleph. But whereas before it was communicated through Subconscious Desire, it is now communicated directly to Tiphareth and the center of human experience. In the place of subconscious influence we now have Direct Conscious Apprehension of the Creative Light in the sphere of human activity - a.k.a. the True Will.