Lovers - Andromeda

I've been looking at the Hermetic Lovers today that, in accordance with the Golden Dawn shows Andromeda being saved by Perseus. In the essay on the Tarot trumps by G.H. Soror, Q.L. it says:

G.H. Soror said:

The impact of inspiration on intuition, resulting in illumination and liberation - the sword striking off the fetters of habit and materialism, Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the Dragon of fear and the waters of stagnation. (Note: Incidentally note that this is the design of the Order card. Andromeda is shown manacled to a rock, the dragon rising from the waters at her feet. Perseus is depicted flying through the air to her assistance, with unsheathed sword.

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Would I be correct in assuming the above means Perseus, as the son of Zeus, is filling in for the HGA in this case, and contrary to the Thoth, we are seeing the Prince of Tiphareth and Princess of Malkuth? It seems to make sense on the face of it, as well as seemingly making sense according to GD doctrine. What bothers me is where it is. The Lovers descending from Binah to Tiphareth seems not not make sense as a parable of the HGA with the individual, otherwise it would be lower down.

As to the RWS portrayal, I don't wholly agree with it either, but I can find some justification for it, as I essentially see Tiphareth as the Garden of Eden, perfect exemplar of the divine plan.

Like the Thoth, the RWS card seems to deal in creation and alchemy, while the GD card seems to deal with initiation... only it feels as if it's in the wrong place.

And does the rest of the story have any connection? The arranged marriage, the mother's hubris, the quarrel at the wedding? The hubris I can imagine, as the Princess cannot conceive of a world above hers (ours) and so looks only to surface beauty. But that's her mother, not her...

Errrrr sort of ... I could fit it, to me it’s a bit of a square peg in around hole ... I can fit it, with a hammer, in that most of these type of stories represent the same or similar thing and the same or similar anima/animus 'passion play' .

However, for me, at the moment, I am preferring the Gemini outlook on the Lovers; the twins; one mortal, one immortal ... the same dynamic as above but with variation that seems more relevant and revealant to me, for the Lovers.

If you are not familiar with this resource try it; http://www.constellationsofwords.com/

You can select Gemini, Andromeda, Perseus ... a wealth of info ... also you can look at the star list for each and go to an explanation of that stars influence throughout history and cultures. A very educational exercise and an insight into how the signs/constellations (and decans) developed their associated energies.

Oh, I quite agree with you on Gemini, especially concerning the element of division in order to experience, 0=2, etc. But I suppose I wanted someone to come and convince me Andromeda is actually a viable image in more than just the most basic, simplistic of ways. I only found one other thread that dealt with this, and that was the same conclusion reached there too.

Well, tomorrow I'll be in Jaffa, I can at least ponder the rocks.

closrapexa said:

The Lovers descending from Binah to Tiphareth seems not not make sense as a parable of the HGA with the individual, otherwise it would be lower down.

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Lower down? Where?

Question: Where do you think K&C occurs on the Tree of Life? (Hint. It's not Tiphareth.)

Aeon418 said:

Lower down? Where?

Question: Where do you think K&C occurs on the Tree of Life? (Hint. It's not Tiphareth.)

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Good question. Yesod?

closrapexa said:

Good question. Yesod?

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No. The Adept must be standing in Tiphareth for K&C to take place. But the actual K&C occurs on the path of Gimel where it is crossed by the path of Teth. The path of Teth also crosses the paths of Zain and Heh.

Gimel, Zain, Heh are the paths wereby the influence of the Supernals is projected down through the abyss onto Tiphareth.

Huh. Well, that's and eye opener, and no mistake. That means Andromeda actually makes sense where it is, and is a good representation. I still prefer the more abstract Thoth version, or the biblical Waite one.

closrapexa said:

That means Andromeda actually makes sense where it is, and is a good representation.

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I wonder if it makes more sense in an exclusively Golden Dawn context. The GD 5=6 attainment is not K&C - Tiphareth in Briah - but Tiphareth in Yetzirah. That's a world away from the divine marriage. There's no bride at this point. She still needs saving.

There's another quirk in the Golden Dawn system. Even though the original plan was to have Adepts re-work the outer order grades in Yetzirah, it was never implemented in full by Mathers. If anyone ever had attained K&C back then they would have been 8=3 Binah.

Good thread here. I have wondered about this one and I will explore it further detail someday. I used to really dislike this image and I perfer the Thoth as well, but it has grown on me.


Here is a pic from the Wang deck



Freddie