WRayne
Alchemical Gnosis, Septenary Tree of Life and Tarot
This discussion is transplanted from a talk in Kabbalah's and Alphabets in reply to queries on how to make use of the spheres in the Tree of Sephiroth and how Tarot are involved - however my comments, which alternate from an entirely different source/system appeared to require their own thread germane to the system with which I am familiar - and to jettison the Kabbalah altogether to avoid confusion and cross-over. Hence I am extracting my comments and re-building the context here.
Though I come at the Tree from an entirely alien perspective to Kabbalah - the system I reference has similarities in external appearance (It is also a tree with spheres) and an arguably similar methodology for moving through them. This system uses the Tarot cards as meditative devices rather than divinatory, with each sphere of the seven sphered tree (labelled with planets) acting as a representation of one of the seven classical forces known to the ancient world as they are, beyond appearance and at their essence.
The method by which ones makes use of this Tree is to meditate on Tarot cards drawn to represent a particular set of archetypes (Although identifying those that arise within particular to ones understanding is superior to using existing archetypes) one by one, associated with the respective spheres.
The concept here is to bring to the conscious mind unknown associations, prejudices and biases that are projected outward from the subconscious onto objects (the essential process of an archetype). This allows projections to be 'withdrawn'. This process aims to restore the energy used on projection to the user once exposed and integrated into the conscious mind.
In the case of the Tree with which I am familiar, the lowest sphere is comprised of hidden/subconscious/Occult (in the literal sense) associations, primal atavisms, unconscious prejudices/biases/blueprints that for the most part we are not aware of.
How I use Tarot, and designed my own Tarot is to bring out these unconscious, subliminal contents and make them conscious by gazing intently at each major archetype in a series - though I do not find the modern Tarot's useful for this, (entirely subjective aesthetics) and living or activating the archetypal image as if an experience.
That is, one talks to the characters, lets their mind wash over the image and speak its mind, tell you what it is, lets colours, emotions, allows opinions, feelings about the images to come to the fore and some of them, often surprise the person viewing them.
This is the first step to moving through the Spheres, creating a baseline of what Work needs to be done in the Great Work.
Now this can go even further... following this exploration of the lowest, Moon/Lunar sphere, by entering into the Dark Night of the Soul not only in mental meditation but in actions and private explorations in ones life by attempting to waken and unearth as much of this unknown inside one as possible (often very dark and frightening) to provide a base line idea for how much work and what kind of work is required to move through the remaining spheres and work toward the Great Work. In some sense, Individuation - and beyond.
Now - it is in the sense of living the forms of each spheres energies through your human being and exploring them to their full limits to explode projections outward and inward to part the trees and see the scene beyond them as it were - a psychic integration of the content in its raw state, an intuitive psychic empathy with the forces as they are - not as they appear through their hand-holds or symbolism... that the Tree should or could be best apprehended and the link between theory and practical application and attainment, made.
Insofar as the Kabbalah's Tree is concerned, I would suggest that the process of extraction and overcoming as one works their way through the various strata (by whatever exoteric handholds or names we give them) are similar if not interchangeable. So the exoteric model and its arrangement, is not a major concern nor need match one another to give similar results - but speaking of my method and system in a Kabbalah thread has engendered some confusion so I have made this new thread.
This discussion is transplanted from a talk in Kabbalah's and Alphabets in reply to queries on how to make use of the spheres in the Tree of Sephiroth and how Tarot are involved - however my comments, which alternate from an entirely different source/system appeared to require their own thread germane to the system with which I am familiar - and to jettison the Kabbalah altogether to avoid confusion and cross-over. Hence I am extracting my comments and re-building the context here.
Though I come at the Tree from an entirely alien perspective to Kabbalah - the system I reference has similarities in external appearance (It is also a tree with spheres) and an arguably similar methodology for moving through them. This system uses the Tarot cards as meditative devices rather than divinatory, with each sphere of the seven sphered tree (labelled with planets) acting as a representation of one of the seven classical forces known to the ancient world as they are, beyond appearance and at their essence.
The method by which ones makes use of this Tree is to meditate on Tarot cards drawn to represent a particular set of archetypes (Although identifying those that arise within particular to ones understanding is superior to using existing archetypes) one by one, associated with the respective spheres.
The concept here is to bring to the conscious mind unknown associations, prejudices and biases that are projected outward from the subconscious onto objects (the essential process of an archetype). This allows projections to be 'withdrawn'. This process aims to restore the energy used on projection to the user once exposed and integrated into the conscious mind.
In the case of the Tree with which I am familiar, the lowest sphere is comprised of hidden/subconscious/Occult (in the literal sense) associations, primal atavisms, unconscious prejudices/biases/blueprints that for the most part we are not aware of.
How I use Tarot, and designed my own Tarot is to bring out these unconscious, subliminal contents and make them conscious by gazing intently at each major archetype in a series - though I do not find the modern Tarot's useful for this, (entirely subjective aesthetics) and living or activating the archetypal image as if an experience.
That is, one talks to the characters, lets their mind wash over the image and speak its mind, tell you what it is, lets colours, emotions, allows opinions, feelings about the images to come to the fore and some of them, often surprise the person viewing them.
This is the first step to moving through the Spheres, creating a baseline of what Work needs to be done in the Great Work.
Now this can go even further... following this exploration of the lowest, Moon/Lunar sphere, by entering into the Dark Night of the Soul not only in mental meditation but in actions and private explorations in ones life by attempting to waken and unearth as much of this unknown inside one as possible (often very dark and frightening) to provide a base line idea for how much work and what kind of work is required to move through the remaining spheres and work toward the Great Work. In some sense, Individuation - and beyond.
Now - it is in the sense of living the forms of each spheres energies through your human being and exploring them to their full limits to explode projections outward and inward to part the trees and see the scene beyond them as it were - a psychic integration of the content in its raw state, an intuitive psychic empathy with the forces as they are - not as they appear through their hand-holds or symbolism... that the Tree should or could be best apprehended and the link between theory and practical application and attainment, made.
Insofar as the Kabbalah's Tree is concerned, I would suggest that the process of extraction and overcoming as one works their way through the various strata (by whatever exoteric handholds or names we give them) are similar if not interchangeable. So the exoteric model and its arrangement, is not a major concern nor need match one another to give similar results - but speaking of my method and system in a Kabbalah thread has engendered some confusion so I have made this new thread.