Unwilling Hanged Man?

Abrac said:

Crowley refutes the idea that, in the New Aeon, self-sacrifice is necessary because it implies a debt. In his philosophy, "every man and woman is a star" and there is no debt to pay.

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Exactly!

Atu XII is representative of the spiritual evolution of mankind. It changes as we do. In the Thoth deck the Hanged Man is an unwilling sacrifice because he represents a mode of spiritual consciousness that has past or is passing.

Aeon of Isis - Everyone follows the spiritual formula of the Great Mother. Birth, Life (Procreation), Death. Natural, animal existence. All life comes from the womb of the Great Mother, and all life returns to her upon death. She is the mother who will not let her children go. Ignorance of the effects of the Sun.
In this aeon Atu XII is the Drowned Man.

Aeon of Osiris - The illusion that vicarious sacrifice can placate the Great Mother. The Hero sacrifices his life so that others don't have to. But it never really worked. Osiris is part of the astrological age of Pisces - the Moon - illusion. The Sun becomes deity and is thought to follow a death and resurrection cycle. Another illusion. The rise of death cults rooted in suffering and sin. The Drowned Man becomes the Hanged Man.

Aeon of Horus - Individuation of the child. The K&C of HGA as the next step for humanity. Realisation of the continuity of consciousness, and freedom from the Great Mother.
Spiritual emancipation. No more lists of "Thou shalt not's" from the big parent in the sky. The sole commandment is Do what thou wilt. The Hanged Man becomes a memorial to the past and a dire warning for the future.

Yet the card in itself is essentially a glyph of Water; Mem is one of the three great Mother Letters, and its value is 40, the might of Tetragrammaton fully developed by Malkuth, the symbol of the Universe under the Demiourgos. ... Water is peculiarly the Mother Letter... It is then to Water that the Adepts have always looked for the continuation .. prolongation and perhaps renovation of life.

The legend of the Gospels, dealing with the Greater Mysteries of the Lance and the Cup ..., says: And a soldier with a spear pierced his side; and thereforth there came out blood and water. This Wine, collected by the Beloved Disciple and the Virgin-Mother, waiting beneath the Cross or Tree for that purpose, in a Cup or Chalice; this is the Holy Grail or Sangreal >> This Sacrament is exalted in the Zenith in Cancer; see Atu VII.

It is most necessary for the Student to go round and round this Wheel of symbolism until the figures melt imperceptibly the one into the other in an intoxicating dance of ecstasy; not until he has attained that is he able to partake of the Sacrament, and accomplish for him- self-and for all men!-the Great Work.

But let him also remember the practical secret cloistered in all these wind-swept corridors of music, the actual preparation of the Stone of the Wise, the Medicine of Metals, and the Elixir of Life!

[Crowley]

Sexual alchemy

ZenMusic said:

Yet the card in itself is essentially a glyph of Water; Mem is one of the three great Mother Letters, and its value is 40, the might of Tetragrammaton fully developed by Malkuth, the symbol of the Universe under the Demiourgos. ... Water is peculiarly the Mother Letter... It is then to Water that the Adepts have always looked for the continuation .. prolongation and perhaps renovation of life.

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Yes, the Eternal Return. We come from water (the womb) and we go back to Water (death). I'm pretty sure Mem is associated with the Empress who would also suggest some kind of rebirth or flowering. Crowley's Hanged Man hangs from an Ankh, another symbol of the Empress. (For if the cross is placed below the World we have the Ankh.) Yet sacrifice we make for life is death so we cannot escape the ultimate sacrifice after all.

The number (10+2=12=1+2) Three of the Empress also corresponds to the Sefer Yetzirah in which the cosmos was formed from three elements that were formed from three letters. The three letters are not only the three "mothers" from which the other letters of the alphabet are formed, but they are also symbolical figures for the three primordial elements, the substances which underlie all existence.(Air/Fire/Water)

It's interesting that this coincides with post modern deconstructivism which talks of the feminine of Woman, the unsaid or in this case, the usurped. Her son, the Sun God, attempts to usurp the womb, he is rejuvenated, born again and, even though Christianity and other patriarchal based religions, incorporated the Great Mother (The Virgin for example) here she rises again - from the Sea. That which is logical or rational is male, that which is illogical or irrational is female and to destroy the male one must turn to the female who is indefinable. In his Confessions, Crowley says:

"Logic is responsible for most of the absurd and abominable deeds which have disgraced history."

Wasn't Crowleys' number 666 and if so, I'm wondering if this card also represents him and his constant struggle against those who abused him as a child. The first glimpse of the toll this must have taken on him is aptly described as he tortures and kills a cat in order to prove the 'fact' that it has nine lives. He saw his schooling by the Brethren as the ultimate in insanity and it's interesting that his volte face began with the resurrection:

"I asked one of the masters one day how it was that Jesus was three days and three nights in the grave, although crucified on Friday and risen again on Sunday morning. He could not explain and said that it had never been explained...In fact, I could hardly conceive of the existence of people who might doubt it. I simply went over to Satan's side; and to this hour I cannot tell why."

Crowley began to drink and smoke (which his father abhorred) and to experiment in the ultimate 'sin' - sex. Crowley always saw himself as an outsider which is another association with the Hanged Man. And by nailing the Hanged Man to the Cross or the Ego - he cannot escape his lower consciousness. Crowley determined to fight fire with fire:

"Men and women will never behave worthily as long as current morality interferes with the legitimate satisfaction of physiological needs. Nature always avenges herself on those who insult her. The individual is not to blame for the crime and insanity which are the explosions consequent on the clogging of the safety valve. The fault lies with the engineer. At the present moment, society is blowing up in larger or smaller spots all over the world, because it has failed to develop a system by which all its members can be adequately nourished without conflict and the waste products eliminated without discomfort."

This again corresponds with the teachings of the Sefer Yetzirah which concludes that there is no heaven or hell, there is no good or evil for everything exists relatively to everything else - there are no absolutes. Nature favours the virtuous and is hostile to the wicked and is so because of our moral freedom.

Mem also corresponds to speech:

"The words a man speaks are deep waters, a flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom." Proverbs

The Thoth Hanged Man uses the closed form of Mem or the mysteries of god. The mysteries of god are closed off to reason - if we take reason to represent the dominance of Christianity and all that is 'rational' or ruled by the Sun God - then it is to Woman that we return.

Mem is the hermetic (GD) attribution for XII
Venus is the attribution for the Empress III
from The Book T (GD and Crowley)

60 The Empress
The Daughter of the Mighty Ones
Dalet value is (4)
Venus
elemental earth
Luminous Intelligence
Wisdom & Folly (esoteric function)
Qabalistic Path: Path 14: Chokmah to Binah

69 The Hanged Man
The Spirit of the Mighty Waters
Mem Water (40)
Stable Intelligence
(element, therefore no esoteric function)
Qabalistic Path: Path 23: Geburah to Hod

70 Death
The Child of the Great Transformers: the Lord of the
Gates of Death
Nun (50)
Scorpio
elemental water
Imaginative Intelligence
Movement
Qabalistic Path: Path 24: Tipareth to Netzach

etc.

caridwen said:

That which is logical or rational is male, that which is illogical or irrational is female and to destroy the male one must turn to the female who is indefinable. In his Confessions, Crowley says:

"Logic is responsible for most of the absurd and abominable deeds which have disgraced history."

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At no point does Crowley say that reason should be abandoned. Instead it must be informed by intuition not by castration. A combination of masculine and feminine in the self.

caridwen said:

This again corresponds with the teachings of the Sefer Yetzirah which concludes that there is no heaven or hell, there is no good or evil for everything exists relatively to everything else - there are no absolutes. Nature favours the virtuous and is hostile to the wicked and is so because of our moral freedom.

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In a relative world what is Virtue and Wickedness?

caridwen said:

then it is to Woman that we return.

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That's why the next card is Death, but certainly not the old concept of death.

The card itself represents the dance of death; the figure is a skeleton bearing a scythe, and both the skeleton and the scythe are importantly Saturnian symbols. This appears strange, as Saturn has no overt connection with Scorpio; but Saturn represents the essential structure of existing things. He is that elemental nature of things which is not destroyed by the ordinary changes which occur in the operations of Nature. Furthermore, he is crowned with the crown of Osiris; he represents Osiris in the waters of Amennti. Yet more, he is the original secret male creative God: see Atu XV. "Redeunt Saturnia regna." It was only the corruption of the Tradition, the confusion with Set, and the Cult of the Dying God, misunderstood, deformed and distorted by the Black Lodge, that turned him into a senile and fiendish symbol.

With the sweep of his scythe he creates bubbles in which are beginning to take shape the new forms which he creates in his dance; and these forms dance also.

In this card the symbol of the fish is paramount; the fish (Il pesce, as they call him in Naples and many other places) and the serpent are the two principal objects of worship in cults which taught the doctrines of resurrection or re-incarnation. Thus we have Oannes and Dagon, fish gods, in western Asia; in many other parts of the world are similar cults. Even in Christianity, Christ was represented as a fish. The Greek work IXThUS, "which means fish And very aptly symbolizes Christ", as Browning reminds one, was supposed to be a notariqon, the initials of a sentence meaning "Jesus Christ Son of God, Saviour". Nor is it an accident that St. Peter was a fisherman. The Gospels, too, are full of miracles involving fish, and the fish is sacred to Mercury, because of its cold-bloodedness, its swiftness and its brilliance. There is moreover the sexual symbolism. This again recalls the function of Mercury as the guide of the dead, and as the continuing elastic element in nature.

This card must then be considered as of greater importance and catholicity than would be expected from the plain Zodiacal attribution. It is even a compendium of universal energy in its most secret form.

The Book of Thoth

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Emphasis mine.

oh course , anyone is free to adopt whatever works and to revise it to correct Crowley's errors

ZenMusic said:

oh course , you're free to adopt whatever works and to revise it to correct Crowley's errors

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Revise? Please feel free to point out what you think I have revised. Except for a sentence in bold type for emphasis, the quote is as Crowley wrote it.

oh, that wasn't addressed to you... I meant, anyone should examine everything and adopt what works for them , throw out or revise what doesn't

ZenMusic said:

oh, that wasn't addressed to you... I meant, anyone should examine everything and adopt what works for them , throw out or revise what doesn't

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Isn't that attitude skating dangerously close to a ringing endorsement for Angeles Arrien's approach. Throw everything out that you don't like, or find difficult, and make the rest up as you go along?
Instead of simply taking the easy (and lazy) way out, might it be better to ask why certain pieces of information are challenging or difficult to grasp.

Admittedly Crowley is not easy to read or understand. His thought is often highly complex and multi-layered, requiring much effort and study to comprehend. Many of his ideas run counter to modern secular humanism and the religious dogmas of the past. Consequently if you approach Crowley's writings with preconceptions about what you think they should mean, you're going to miss the point entirely.

The Hanged Man is a good example. Normative western secular humanism (basically Christianity without Jesus) teaches us all to aspire to a supposedly noble ideal called "self sacrifice" and to idolise suffering. This ideal has it's roots in the solar myths of the past. The worship of the dying and resurrected sun was based on faulty observation and incomplete facts. These misconceptions informed our ancestors theories about death. They saw death as a catastrophe that could only be avoided by emulation of the solar myth. To guarantee their own resurrection / reincarnation they had to mimic the life of their own solar cult hero. Christianity is the dominant form of this solar myth that has influenced western spirituality and outlook on life. The trouble is it's a bit out of date. Ask any child if the sun dies in the evening and they will tell you it's not dead, it's just shining on the on the other side of the world.

This new spiritual consciousness of the Ever living Sun is beginning to emerge. Crowley's philosophy of Thelema, of which the Thoth Tarot is a graphic explanation, embodies this new solar consciousness.

Every man and every woman is a star.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Essentially these two verses say that everybody is a star just like the Ever living Sun. Death is not a catastrophe, it's merely another phase of life. Metaphorically speaking we shine on the other side of the world.
Another consequence of "Do what thou wilt" is that arbitrary ideals, like self sacrifice, become meaningless unless they happen to be part of your Will. For example the sacrifice that a mother makes when she bares children is part of her Will to be a mother, but it's not an ideal that everyone on the planet needs to follow or praise. Each of us has a purpose in life that is unique. From this it follows that sacrificing your own true purpose in life for the sake of someone else is a grave mistake unless it happens to be part of your True Will. This is why Crowley describes the Hanged Man as an "evil legacy of the old Aeon", and the Cenotaph of the Dying God.

The corollary of Do what thou wilt is Love is the law, love under will. Following your True Will is the ultimate act of Love.
Nearly everyone is familiar with the beautiful dissolving of personal boundaries that happens when we fall in love with someone and make love to them. For everyone Death is the same experience but on a much larger scale. It is the ultimate dissolving of personal boundaries. In the metaphorical language of The Book of the Law it is the union of the god within us, Hadit, with the great All, the goddess Nuit. His gift to her is experience of incarnation. Who but a fool would throw it away. Life is meant to be lived to the full, not sacrificed to vain ideals of chastity, self denial, and abstinence. Let the Hanged Man die in his misery.

61. But to love me is better than all things: if under the night stars in the desert thou presently burnest mine incense before me, invoking me with a pure heart, and the Serpent flame therein, thou shalt come a little to lie in my bosom. For one kiss wilt thou then be willing to give all; but whoso gives one particle of dust shall lose all in that hour. Ye shall gather goods and store of women and spices; ye shall wear rich jewels; ye shall exceed the nations of the earth in spendour & pride; but always in the love of me, and so shall ye come to my joy. I charge you earnestly to come before me in a single robe, and covered with a rich headdress. I love you! I yearn to you! Pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous, I who am all pleasure and purple, and drunkenness of the innermost sense, desire you. Put on the wings, and arouse the coiled splendour within you: come unto me!

62. At all my meetings with you shall the priestess say -- and her eyes shall burn with desire as she stands bare and rejoicing in my secret temple -- To me! To me! calling forth the flame of the hearts of all in her love-chant.

63. Sing the rapturous love-song unto me! Burn to me perfumes! Wear to me jewels! Drink to me, for I love you! I love you!

64. I am the blue-lidded daughter of Sunset; I am the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night-sky.

65. To me! To me!

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