Amanda
Coming from this thread over in RWS: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=4170354#post4170354
The best place to start for me is at the beginning. What was the proper Hebrew lettering placement? Then what did Crowley change it to?
Anyone have a quick run-down on the Tree of Life I can read? I know nothing about it. I do good with basics and abstracts though, so don't need a lot of detail.
Okay, but go beyond definition. Is this something that could have been misconstrued between Waite's leminscate and Crowley's Alpha and Omega?
Here I am with my questions closrapexa.
In the Marseille, Strength is 11 and Justice is 8. In the Golden Dawn, Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. Waite used the Golden Dawn numbering. Crowley used the earlier Marseille numbering.
However, the numbering is a superficial difference and doesn't even begin tell the whole story. Crowley's apparent reversion to the Marseille numbering is not directly related to the cardinal number placement of the Strength and Justice cards. It has to do with the Hebrew letter correlations of the Emperor and Star cards (as well as the Strength and Justice cards) and their positions on the Hermetic Tree of Life. I could go into details, but it would take us far afield from your original post into the intricacies of the Sepher Yetzirah and Crowley's mathematical/astrological notion of the "double loop" connection between Justice-Strength and Emperor-Star.
The best place to start for me is at the beginning. What was the proper Hebrew lettering placement? Then what did Crowley change it to?
Anyone have a quick run-down on the Tree of Life I can read? I know nothing about it. I do good with basics and abstracts though, so don't need a lot of detail.
Errmmm ... thats the whole thing about infinity ... it cant, by definition have a beginning nor an end.
Okay, but go beyond definition. Is this something that could have been misconstrued between Waite's leminscate and Crowley's Alpha and Omega?
...What Crowley did may seem, on the surface, as going back to the original order but what he did was so drastic and "out there" it can't be considered as such. Here, in order to understand that you really have to know your stuff, because it really is confusing. Here is a short, graphic explanation that serves mainly to demonstrate what niether I, nor you, will ever fully understand
http://www.cornelius93.com/EpistleonZodiacBelt.html
It has to do with the reception of the Book of Law and certain instructions contained therein. For the Thoth it works... after a fashion, although some would say it causes more problems than it solves.
...It seems like he's making reference to the Lovers and the Tower, and then says something about his prophet revealing the secret to the wise. What do you think that means?
...I can see why this is called a double loop, but is there any significance to the trinity of circles the double loop creates?
So, can I ask you something? Are you as familiar with TdM and Waite as you are the Thoth? What draws you strongly to the Thoth over the others? And how do you personally feel about the placement of Strength/Justice?
Here I am with my questions closrapexa.