Tarot of Ceremonial Magick Study Group: The Fool

foolMoon

smw said:
I don't know... this isn't probably helpful for your question though in Magick in Theory & Practice, there is a reference to consecrating a weapon and the formula of Alhim (which I don't really understand). The elements are said to be represented as in the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) but apparently less orderly and untamed. They are described as "wild and stormy but elastically resistless energy.

Interesting stuff

Stumbled across a few vids about magical staff on youtube.

Aleister Crowley's Magic Wand.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GvRu7D_rb0s

Magical Wands
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykeb99Lc1HM

smw said:
maybe the four dots on the mercurial sigil represent the successful balancing of the four elements and stormy energies.

I used to see the symbols similar to the mercurial sigil in Buddhist Temples.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y_U-jl8XlF0

foolMoon

smw said:
I must admit I was wondering myself how the deck and sigils might be used (or not). I saw something in the forward of his book that mentions that the deck might be fascinating and informative, something like that.. for theorists and helpful for practising ceremonial magicians.

I wondered too about the Qliphotic sigils, how can they be used, would I even want to use or see them!!... apparently there is a suggestion that maybe similar to Jungian shadow work, acknowledging these unconscious, denied or 'imprisoned' energies can be useful for creating internal balance and integration. This could be the internal process reflected by any possible external ritual. Both dark and light on the cards as reminders.

Though I'm not entirely sure I would want to go down there with the zooming in hairy teethed devouring F sigil.

I feel that it could be worked on consciously as you indicated based on psychological system like Jungian shadow work focusing on the negative or dark sides to achieve balance. Or they could simply work by themselves just being on the major trumps as they show up in the readings as protective, evoking or invoking force.

As you say, some of the sigils are not attractive or inspiring graphically

smw

Zephyros said:
As was mentioned in the thread linked, they are the "spirits" of the paths, used as focus points for invoking the guides that lead you through them. It's probably a lot more involved than the smattering of information I could find but Liber Arcanorum is a Class A document and knowledge of its use is probably handed down through the A.A.

If anyone has Nightside of Eden that would be a great help.

There is a section in part 11 the Tunnels of Set, where he describes the 22 cells of the Qlippoth, or 22 scales of the Serpent of the Qlipoth in some detail. I noticed that the Fool is mentioned as the one 'who dances on the brink of the Abyss', which I must admit I did wonder about myself with the differing qualities of the Fool portrayed on this card.

Their does seem to be though a difference in the overall (or related) framework for the Qlippoth and the Tree of Life, if I understood it correctly. Grant seems to be suggesting that the upside usual tree does not contain in itself the adverse Qliphotic energies and these are to be found on the 'other side' the reverse side. These paths or Tunnels of Set can be reached by going through the 11 th sephira, da'ath, where the Abyss is located.

GRANT said:
I am fully aware that the adverse regions of the power zones are dangerous territory, and at the outset I would remind those who feel that such an exploration had better not been made, that one cannot begin this initiation, or journey inward, as one begins one's ascent from Malkuth, for only by projecting consciousness through Da'ath, the gate of the Abyss can we enter the Kingdom of Infernal spaces, that is under the dominion of Chorozon.

One has therefore to be familiar with these paths before one can enter the Deep Place where they continue, not as well-lit ways of Horus plainly signposted in the light of day, but as the Tunnels of Set that turn and twist like a serpent..

GRANT said:
....if this is borne in mind it will not be necessary to charge me with irresponsibility towards those that may be lured, even against their will, to commence a journey for which they are improperly equipped and which therefore may prove fatal

not for the faint hearted then...

smw

foolMoon said:
Interesting stuff
Stumbled across a few vids about magical staff on youtube.

Aleister Crowley's Magic Wand.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GvRu7D_rb0s

Magical Wands
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykeb99Lc1HM

I used to see the symbols similar to the mercurial sigil in Buddhist Temples.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y_U-jl8XlF0

Crowley's wand was beautiful - so was that house, I love wood panelling..

foolMoon

smw said:
Crowley's wand was beautiful - so was that house, I love wood panelling..

Yes, it was. I am thinking of visiting the hall sometime in the future.
I loved all the old books in the shelves too.

Last night I was reading The Tarot And The Magus by Paul Hughes Barlow. In there he was discussing about the Sigils in Liber 231.

According to him, the spirits are important part of divination with Thoth Tarot deck especially when used with the OOTK spread method. He explains their origins with Gematria and Hebrew alphabets, BoT and Egypitian Mythologies.

He also talks about the visions and ideas from his meditations on the spirits in the Appendix of the book.

He seems to think those demonic spirits are actually positive forces emanated from the Egyptian mythology misrepresented by the religious authorities.

I feel it was heavy discussion which I only got glimpse of, and I do need to read it repeatedly until fully understand it.

foolMoon

Crowley seems to think the spirits are closely bound with each cards.

Crowley said:
"Tarot is, thus, intimately bound up with the purely magical Arts of Invocation and Evocation. By Invocation is meant the aspiration to the highest, the purest form of the part of oneself that one wishes to put into action.

Evocation is much more objective. It does not imply perfect sympathy.
......
Thus, in order to understand any given card, one must identify oneself with it completely for the moment; and one way of doing this is to induce or compel the intelligence ruling the card to manifest to the senses.
....
Each card is, in a sense, a living being; and its relations with its neighbours are what one might call diplomatic. It is for the student to build these living stones into his living temple."

Book of Thoth, pp.44-48

Sent from my iPad

smw

foolMoon said:
Crowley seems to think the spirits are closely bound with each cards.

Tbh, I am just getting confused with with all the different spirits and differing perspectives.

foolMoon

smw said:
Tbh, I am just getting confused with with all the different spirits and differing perspectives.

This is my understanding on them, but could be wrong. Please correct me, if they are.

There are 3 types of spirits to consider with TOCM.

The first one is the 22 spirits from Liber 231, which are associated with the 22 major trumps. They are received by Crowley under unknown circumstances, and just exist in Liber 231. We have been talking about these spirits so far.

The second type is, the 72 Goetia spirits which are attributed to the 36 minor cards. Their names do not appear on the cards, but the book has the entries, and brief descriptions. They are from the rituals of Abremalin from the medieval times, and have been documented by MSS, Mathers.

The last one is, the 72 angels of the Enochian Magick. They are attributed to the 36 minor cards as well, and their names and sigils appear on each cards. Of course, they are from John Dee and Edward Kelly's Enochian Scrying sessions.

PHB seems to be very familiar with these spirits, and says that they appear regularly in his tarot reading sessions. I find hard to understand his descriptions due my lack of knowledge on Gematria and Hebrew Alphabet.

smw

foolMoon said:
This is my understanding on them, but could be wrong. Please correct me, if they are.

There are 3 types of spirits to consider with TOCM.

The first one is the 22 spirits from Liber 231, which are associated with the 22 major trumps. They are received by Crowley under unknown circumstances, and just exist in Liber 231. We have been talking about these spirits so far.

The second type is, the 72 Goetia spirits which are attributed to the 36 minor cards. Their names do not appear on the cards, but the book has the entries, and brief descriptions. They are from the rituals of Abremalin from the medieval times, and have been documented by MSS, Mathers.

The last one is, the 72 angels of the Enochian Magick. They are attributed to the 36 minor cards as well, and their names and sigils appear on each cards. Of course, they are from John Dee and Edward Kelly's Enochian Scrying sessions.

PHB seems to be very familiar with these spirits, and says that they appear regularly in his tarot reading sessions. I find hard to understand his descriptions due my lack of knowledge on Gematria and Hebrew Alphabet.

Ok, though I make it 5 types of spirits from the book. (sorry if I am being picky, I just like to get things as clear as possible - hopefully this is correct though I am getting boggled)

I. Mercurial
2. Qliphotic

22 of each, attributed to the Trumps (44) as you say from Liber231

3.The 72 Goetia attributed on the 36 small cards (2 of them on each one- one night and one day)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Key_of_Solomon

4. The 72 Angels of the Shemhamphorash also with the small cards (2 of them on each card)

WIKI -Ars Goetia said:
]In a slightly later copy made by Thomas Rudd, this portion was labelled "Liber Malorum Spirituum seu Goetia", and the seals and demons were paired with those of the 72 angels of the Shemhamphorasch,[3] who were intended to protect the conjurer and control the demons he summoned.The angelic names and seals were derived from a manuscript by Blaise de Vigenère, whose papers were also used by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers in his works for the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.[5] Rudd may have derived his copy of Liber Malorum Spirituum from a now-lost work by Johannes Trithemius,[5] who taught Agrippa, who in turn taught Weyer.

This portion of the work was later translated by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and published by Aleister Crowley under the title The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King. Crowley added some additional invocations previously unrelated to the original work, as well as essays describing the rituals as psychological exploration instead of demon summoning.

5. The Enochian Angels again on the small cards, also on the Courts with more detail.

I guess then that the Trumps might be the only cards to have the Mercurial and Qliphotic spirits because they represent the paths of the tree. (There seems to be another set of Qliphotic spirits/orders related to the 10 spheres themselves in their adverse aspect from Liber777. This seems to relate to the Qlipoth as the cast off shells residing at the low end of the tree in the material world Assiah).

foolMoon

smw said:
Ok, though I make it 5 types of spirits from the book. (sorry if I am being picky, I just like to get things as clear as possible - hopefully this is correct though I am getting boggled)

I. Mercurial
2. Qliphotic

22 of each, attributed to the Trumps (44) as you say from Liber231

3.The 72 Goetia attributed on the 36 small cards (2 of them on each one- one night and one day)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Key_of_Solomon

4. The 72 Angels of the Shemhamphorash also with the small cards (2 of them on each card)

5. The Enochian Angels again on the small cards, also on the Courts with more detail.

I guess then that the Trumps might be the only cards to have the Mercurial and Qliphotic spirits because they represent the paths of the tree. (There seems to be another set of Qliphotic spirits/orders related to the 10 spheres themselves in their adverse aspect from Liber777. This seems to relate to the Qlipoth as the cast off shells residing at the low end of the tree in the material world Assiah).

I think you got them all right. Thank you for your input.

I forgot about the Shemhemphorash, and they are also included. In fact I used to think they are the same ones as the Goetic ones, but clearly they are not.

In case of the Qlippoth do they not just mean demons and shells? So all these geniis, sephiroth and even planets have Qlippotic negative shadowy forces. So Obviously these 22 Qlippotic geniis from Liber 231 are different ones from the TOL ones?

Crowley advises in his Book of Thoth, try not to worry too much about all the spirits attributed to each cards, but pick out, and study the ones that look related to your interest for the situations.