Greater Arcana Study Group—Wheel of Fortune

Abrac

I found a copy of Levi's The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum, translated and edited by Westcott. It has a number of very interesting color images, including one of the Wheel of Fortune.

Levi Wheel of Fortune

It appears Waite combined two of Levi's Wheels and rather than putting the four Cherubim on the wheel he moved them to the corners outside the wheel.

Levi comments in the book:

"The state of universal equilibrium is suggested by the counterpoised emblems, and the pairs of symbols. The flying Eagle balances the man; the roaring Lion counterpoises the laborious Bull."​

The "flying Eagle" seems to confirm Mercury as Air. Levi also comments, "The central point is the first Unity."

There are some strange animal prints around the four letters of the Tetragram; and there are four written words around the outside. In Transcendental Magic Levi says:

"The great magic agent manifests by four kinds of phenomena, and has been subjected to the experiments of profane science under four names caloric [heat], light, electricity, magnetism. It has also received the names of Tetragram, Inri, Azoth, Ether, Od, Magnetic Fluid, Soul of the Earth, Lucifer, &c."​

The book can be viewed or downloaded here.

https://archive.org/details/magicalritualofs00lvie
 

Abrac

Though it's not shown, I think the Hebrew letter Shin is implied in the central spirit wheel. Shin added to the Tetragrammaton makes Yeheshuah, the Christ.

http://s19.postimg.org/79ml9mkw3/Wheel_Shin.jpg

There are several good reasons for thinking this. 1) In the Golden Dawn, the diagram for the Second Point of the Adeptus Minor Initiation shows a circular altar atop the lid of the Pastos (Gr., "coffin") used in that ceremony. It has symbols for Fire, Water, Air, and Earth with the letter Shin in the center. The text reads: "In the centre are four figures of the Kerubim enclosed within circles surrounded by the following four inscriptions and each distinguished by one of the letters of the Tetragrammaton: Yod, Lion—Nequaquam Vacuum (Nowhere a Void). Heh, Eagle—Libertas Evangelii (Liberty of the Gospel). Vau, Man—Dei Intacta Gloria (Unsullied Glory of God). Heh (Final), Ox—Legis Jugum (Yoke of the Law). And in the midst of all is Shin, the Letter of the Spirit forming thus the Divine Name Yeheshuah, from the Tetragrammaton."

http://s19.postimg.org/56c61yl37/Pastos_Lid.jpg

2) Waite retains this in his FRC rituals and the symbolism can be found in multiple places; however, in his Adeptus Minor Initiation the altar is a cube rather than circular. 3) Last but not least, the Fool has several spirit wheels like the one on the Wheel of Fortune on his garment, one of which has the letter Shin superimposed on it.

http://s19.postimg.org/3w0khon5v/Fool_Shin.jpg
 

parsival

Figures on the wheel

Anybody have any idea why Waite " presented Typhon in his serpent form " ( PKT) ? Was Typhon even mentioned by earlier writers in this context ? The Levi Wheel shows a conventional devil descending .
Typhon is the Greek name for Set , and the right hand rising figure looks like the more conventional depictions of Set as well including the red color. Did Waite emphasize " Typhon in his serpent form " descending to distinguish it from Typhon in his conventional form shown as ascending ? ( On the Levi wheel this figure seems to have a dogs head so more like Anubis perhaps ). So in the Waite Wheel there seems to be a depiction of Set in two different forms both as the descending and rising figures ? Why this apparent duplication ? One could understand placing Set / Typhon as a substitute for the devil on the descending arc but how to explain his appearance on the ascending arc as well which we would have expected to be more benign than the descending arc?

In " Abiding in the Sanctuary " the FRC ToL is shown on page 77 with the Wheel on the path of Gimel linking Daath and Kether , and therefore the topmost card on the Tree. It just seems strange to me that Set / Typhon the Egyptian god of tumult and chaos who is often regarded as an Egyptian precursor for the Judeo - Christian Satan , should have such a prominent position in Waite's tarot. Or am I reading too much into it ?
 

Abrac

In the PKT Waite says, "In this symbol I have again followed the reconstruction of Éliphas Lévi . . ." He explains the "reconstruction" earlier in the PKT in the description of the Wheel of Fortune in Part I:

"Of recent years this has suffered many fantastic presentations and one hypothetical reconstruction which is suggestive in its symbolism. The wheel has seven radii; in the eighteenth century the ascending and descending animals were really of nondescript character, one of them having a human head. At the summit was another monster with the body of an indeterminate beast, wings on shoulders and a crown on head. It carried two wands in its claws. These are replaced in the reconstruction by a Hermanubis rising with the wheel, a Sphinx couchant at the summit and a Typhon on the descending side."​

Waite says he followed Lévi's reconstruction; he mentions Typhon by name, though the form has changed; and he doesn't say anything about Hermanubis being replaced. For these reasons I believe Waite's ascending figure is supposed to be Hermanubis though it doesn't look much like Hermanubis. It resembles Set to a certain extent; Set had squared ears though.

When Waite says "Typhon," it seems to me he may be using it as another way of saying Devil or Satan. In his Manual of Cartomancy he uses Devil and Typhon interchangeably in several places. For example, in his descriptions of the majors in the three worlds: "15. The Devil, or Typhon." The serpent is consistent with the Lovers card where the serpent is entwined around the tree; and it's more consistent with Waite's Kabbalistic leanings.

It's interesting that the Trinick Wheel is a simple eight-spoked wheel and more consistent with the small inner spirit wheel in the Waite-Smith Wheel of Fortune.

That's my take on things at least. I'd love to hear other opinions. :)
 

Abrac

I have some ideas about what Typhon and Hermanubis might symbolise but no idea really what they meant for Waite. He says they represent the "perpetual motion of a fluidic universe and for the flux of human life." It would seem he intended them as universal archetypes.

Whatever they are, it seems fairly certain to me they represent the external world and its illusory and changeable nature, as symbolized by the circumference of the wheel. I've read a lot of interpretations that say Hermanubis represents good ascending and Typhon is evil descending; there may be some truth in this but I think it all depends on what a person means by it. They both represent aspects of the circumference or external which must be overcome in order for there to be spiritual progress. It could be in a broad sense they represent our own personal ideas of good and evil. The Sphinx is wisdom.

The small wheel represents the still center wherein is the peace of God. In the FRC, Kether represents the center; it's the top, and also the East, but primarily it's the interior center and Malkuth is the external circumference.
 

Abrac

parsival, your post has got me thinking. Waite's "Hermanubis" doesn't seem to be Set to me, but it does look a little demonic. If you, or anyone, has any ideas about who or what it might represent, it might be interesting to explore. Or if anyone has any images of Hermanubis that resemble Waite's depiction that would also be helpful.
 

parsival

Figures on the Wheel

I agree with you Abrac that the ascending figure looks malevolent . That plus the snout and the color put me in mind of Set although I agree that the ears don't seem to fit .

As a mystic , Waite was not gnostic in his attitude to the outer world and matter . It seems that the latter for him were not evil but were a veil and a re-veil / reveal for the immanent aspect of God or Shekinah i.e. he appears to have had a sacramental attitude towards creation. In " Lamps of Western Mysticism ' , for example , he states " I testify that the Divine in the universe answers to the Divine in Man " , and this type of thing is found throughout his writings.
Nevertheless the path to union involves turning within and away from the flux of external things. But that doesn't mean that the latter are evil per se although they could perhaps be viewed as relatively evil insofar as their attraction for us causes us to forget the inward quest.

Nevertheless I'm still a bit puzzled by the figures on Waite's Wheel.
 

Abrac

I don't believe they symbolize evil forces necessarily either. I say the could represent "our personal ideas of good and evil" insofar as those place limits on our understanding of Truth, or the Reality behind the illusion.

I'll throw something out there that may or may not be of use. It's a little unorthodox so try to keep an open mind. I believe they may represent Lilith and Samael, not as agents of evil but as archetypes. Here's a quote from Waite's Doctrine and Literature of the Kabalah, Book II, Ch. 7, "The Doctrine of Pneumatology."

"In Zoharistic doctrine, however, the chief personalities of Assiah are Samael, who is to some extent the averse Adam Kadmon, though in a better sense we may presume that this title is applicable to natural humanity as a whole, and his bride Lilith. The Sephirotic attributions are obscure and incomplete, but in a general way it is said that as in the Holy Kingdom so is it in that of iniquity, as in the circumcision so also in the uncircumcision. Samael is said to be the uncircumcised and his bride is the prepuce, which, it adds significantly, is the serpent."​

In the Zohar, Samael and Lilith are presented as a team—Samael the tempter-spirit and his wife Lilith the serpent, "the adulterous woman by whom the world is seduced." (The Secret Doctrine in Israel, Ch. 6; also, The Holy Kabbalah, Book VII, Part 2, "The Serpent, Son of the Morning and Fall of the Angels," Pg. 274, Note 6.) Samael represents "uncircumcision," (note the symbolism in the image) i.e., natural humanity as a whole, as opposed to the "circumcision," or those who are spiritually awakened. Waite says in Zoharic doctrine Samael and Lilith are "the chief personalities of Assiah," i.e., the material world.

I don't believe Waite saw them as evil per se, but as necessary parts of God's divine Providence. If you research Samael, it's interesting that his correspondences are Mars and the color red; and it was said he could fly through the air.

From a different perspective, the two could represent life and death—Lilith through whom life enters this world and Samael through whom it exits. In the Zohar, Samael was the death-angel.

I've looked and looked but can't find any images of Samael from which Waite might have drawn. Right now it's just a theory, but going by Waite's penchant for using Kabbalistic symbolism it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. :)
 

parsival

Figures on the wheel

Very interesting Abrac........food for thought !
 

Abrac

parsival, after sleeping on this, and doing more research, I believe I'm way off course with that theory, interesting as it may be.

The symbolism is Egyptian, the Sphinx clearly shows that. The other two, though not as obviously Egyptian must also be Egyptian for the sake of consistency, and any theory must start there.

The snake seems most likely to be Apophis. This would be the "serpent form" of Typhon which Waite mentions. I believe I also read there's a connection with Set, as you mentioned before. I was looking through Regardie's Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic and Apophis is used quite a bit as an alternative name of Typhon, the god of darkness and destruction, so this seems like a fairly safe bet.

The other is probably Anubis, or Hermanubis. It looks more like Anubis to me than the Hermanubis of Levi, Wirth, and Christian (1870), which all have dog heads. Waite's looks like a jackal's head; and Hermanubis is usually depticted with a caduceus.

If Apophis is darkness and destruction, Anubis/Hermanubis might be human intelligence, or "science" (Levi, History of Magic p. 440), that by which human intelligence understands the chaotic forces of matter. As archetypes they could represent any number of polarities that are part of the "flux of human life."