XIX- The Sun!

Owl Tarot

And welcome folks, welcome -to another Thoth Trump! I am Owl Tarot, and here we are at the beautiful Trump The Sun! As those few of you who actually read my threads, I decided to start weekly threads about some of the thoughts and interpretations, as they come to me, of the Trump I am currently studying. It is the third time I undergo this process because in the previous two I gained further insight about the cards so I decided to follow this process yet again, but with a slightly different tone! So, anyone willing and available to provide some thoughts and opinions for me to work and contemplate about would be appreciated! I also hope my thoughts as of today help you!

Without further addo, let's move on!

XIX- The Sun

Planetary Trump of the Sun

Path No 30, connecting Hod to Yesod. Hebrew letter: Resh (The head)

Let's start from a really important factor here: The Sun is the planetary Trump of the Sun, the planet corresponding to the Sephira Tiphareth, God the Son- Heru-Ra-Ha- Christ- Dionysus etc. It's really important here to keep the idea that in Tiphareth lies one's HGA. This means that the assosiations of the Trump in question has a lot to do with Sun as the Son, as Crowley makes apparent in BoT:

Book of Thoth said:
This is one of the simplest of the cards; it represents Heru-ra-ha, the Lord of the New Aeon, in his manifestation to the race of men as the Sun spiritual, moral, and physical. He is the Lord of Light, Life, Liberty and Love. This Aeon has for its purpose the complete emancipation of the human race.

The rose represents the flowering of the solar influence. Around the whole picture we see the signs of the Zodiac in their normal position, Aries rising in the East, and so on. Freedom brings sanity. The Zodiac is a kind of childish representation of the body of Nuith, a differentiation and classification, a chosen belt, one girdle of Our Lady of infinite space. Convenience of description excuses the device.

So, the Lord of the current Aeon, Heru-Ra-Ha, the Deity composed of the twins Ra-Hoor-Khuit and Hoor-Pa-Kraat is clearly depicted in front of the Earth. But the Sun is a rose with a tiny single point at it's center, which is a way of seeing the Alchemical symbol of the Sun combined with the Rosy Cross. In fact, I count 12 petals of the Rose, which are connected with the signs of the Zodiac, a represantation of Nuit.

The Sun is a traditional symbol of high spiritual development. It is the planet assosiated with the Alchemical Gold, which is the goal of Alchemy, to turn all metals to Gold. Spiritually speaking, it is a way of suggesting to turn inwards towards one's own HGA, the individual Sun. The HGA, of course, is depicted in the card, and you can see him. The Solar Deity Heru-Ra-Ha is joyfully enjoying the unity of the Earth with the Sun.

Now, I would also like to consider the numerical value of Resh fully spelled, 510. 510 is the numerical value of the Latin word Rectitudo, which translates as correctness or moral virtue. Crowley directly hints at that when he refers above to the morality of the Sun. This is a point which many people think is controversial to Liberty, but I tend to disagree. Moral virtue, in the context of the Sun, for me, is one's own inner moral conduct and not the external moral conduct. It is both freeing and under control (as you may figure that from the red wall) because it derives itself from one's internal authority and own sense of morality. It is the morality offered to mankind by the Lord of the Aeon, and it doesn't imply absense of control as Crowley states later to make it clear that while the concept of the "The one, true moral system" of Philosophy is not here, the subjective development of an inner moral system of any individual is apparent.

The "craving" of the Earth is presented as such:

Book of Thoth said:
The green mound represents the fertile earth, its shape, so to speak, aspiring to the heavens. But around the top of the mound is a wall, which indicates that the aspiration of the new Aeon does not mean the absence of control. Yet outside this wall are the twin children who (in one form or another) have so frequently recurred in this whole symbolism. They represent the male and female, eternally young, shameless and innocent. They are dancing in the light, and yet they dwell upon the earth. They represent the next stage which is to be attained by mankind, in which complete freedom is alike the cause and the result of the new access of solar energy upon the earth. The restriction of such ideas as sin and death in their old sense has been abolished, At their feet are the most sacred signs of the old Aeon, the combination of the Rose and Cross from which they are arisen, yet which still forms their support.

Now, this card, for me also represents the vengeance of the death of Osiris by his son, Horus. As those who have studied some Egyptian mythology know, Apophis slayed Osiris, and in one way or another, Isis gave birth to Horus. In some legends Isis takes the essense of Osiris and from it Horus is given birth, while in the most commonly known the more "traditional" methods of intercourse are employed. Horus, however, eventually takes revenge for his father's death. The Rose and the Cross, a symbol of the previous Aeon, directly shows that the new Aeon's Lord is standing on the foundations laid in the previous Aeon.

Book of Thoth said:
The card itself symbolizes this broadening of the idea of the Rose and Cross. The Cross is now expanded into the Sun, from which, of course, it is originally derived. Its rays are twelve-not only the number of the signs of the Zodiac, but of the most sacred title of the most holy Ancient Ones, who are Hua. (The word HUA, “he”, has the numerical value of 12.) The limitation of mundane law, which is always associated with the number Four, has disappeared. Gone are the four arms of a Cross limited by law; the creative energy of the Cross expands freely; its rays pierce in every direction the body of Our Lady of the Stars.

Lady of the Stars is a reference to Nuit as depicted by the Zodiacal wheel, and the destructive energies of Horus have destroyed the mundane law leaving the essence of the Cross flow, the formula of LVX revealed for what it is. The Cross is no longer a symbol presented as a limiter, but as a symbol of expansion aiding one to realize the totality of the Lady of The Stars.

12 is also the number of VV (Vau-Vau) which means a hook, nail, pin and nail is the meaning of the Hebrew letter Vau and The Hierophant of the Tarot, the Unifier of the Microcosm with the Microcosm as depicted in that Trump.

We are working with the 30th Path currently, and Liber AL Chapter 1 informs us that
Liber AL said:
30.
This is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all.


I would also like to remain a bit on the symbolism of the Twins which combined result in the Lord Heru-ra-ha. The Twins were seen again in The Lovers. The Lovers is the Zodiacal Trump of Gemini. What is The Gemini doing here? Well, in the old Hellenistic Astrology system, Gemini is ruled by the God Apollo, who is the Greek Deity of the Sun (see Liber 777). The Twins also form the letter Ayin by their stance, and Capricorn is at the topmost point of the Zodiac circle. Both factors refer to The Devil, Atu XV, who is Pan, the All-begetter. The formula of N.O.X. is present here, the Eye of Hoor is at it's Zenith.

Remaining on the Zodiac belt for a while, the Twins are above the sign of Cancer. Cancer is attributed to the Path of Cheth, the Path of The Chariot. The numerical value of Cheth, fully spelled, is 418, the number of ABRAHADABRA, the reward of Ra-Hoor-Khuit (Liber AL Chapter 3:1) which also refers to the completion of the Great Work.

Those two symbols combined, for me, represent the completion of the Great Work through the offering of one's blood to the Graal of Babalon, which the Charioteer is carrying, accomplished by the formula of N.O.X..

The Twins also carry butterfly wings, one has Red wings, which is the Queen scale of color of Geburah, the Sephira corresponding to Horus, also the color corresponding to the element of Fire and the other one has Yellow wings, which is the Queen scale of color of Tiphareth, the Sephira corresponding to the Sun and Harpokrates in his function as one's HGA. For me, it is a way of seeing the ascend of mankind through the wings offered by the HGA who is made apparent through the Fiery energies of Horus, free and dominant by the "destruction" of the old conception of the Rose and the Cross.

I am going on for too long yet again, so I will talk about the Sephira being connected through this Path, Yesod to Hod. Yesod is the Sephira mostly connected with the subconsious and the sexual energies and Hod is the Sephira mostly connected with the intellect, the form-giving abilities of our minds. In that light, I see the given path as the light of the consious mind entering and removing the dark and obscure aspects of the subconsious mind, leading a human to psychological well-being and inner balance.

Okay, it was another long one as usually, I know, but you should be immune to my long OPs, it was a good exercise in itself for me, and I hope it both helps you and motivates you to give me some food for thought! That's some of the things I could say about this card as I view it today, and I hope you like it! Feel free to post, respond and offer me some thoughts and energies, btw! :)