Thoth Study Group - The Hanged Man - XII

ravenest

Owl Tarot said:
Could this be the reason for the "sinister" smile of the Hierophant who seems to "be enjoying a very secret joke at somebody's expense"?
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No ... thats for another reason. A different 'private joke' ;

That the whole modern western magical occult order thing was invented by British secret service agents who bought the German Order of the Gold and Rosy Cross to Egypt and created The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor ( Paulos Metamon, P.B. Randolph, Blavatsky {pre 'India days'}, etc) to indoctrinate revolutionaries into the early Islamic Brotherhood ( to help overthrow the Ottoman Empire pre WWI ) that unfortunately eventually transmogrified into Al Qaeda ..... oooopsa !

... oh sorry ... wrong thread ! I thought I was in the new 'history' forum .
 

Aeon418

Owl Tarot said:
Could this be the reason for the "sinister" smile of the Hierophant who seems to "be enjoying a very secret joke at somebody's expense"?
Click to expand...
It could be. In fact the whole card appears to be a bit of a joke in the style of Eliphas Levi. His illustration of Baphomet is probably a influence on the design of the Thoth Hierophant.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Baphomet.png
According to the description of this illustration the goats left hand is pointing towards justice. A clue?

Another interesting comparison is this illustration from Pierre Boaistuau's Histoires Prodigieuses, showing Satan enthroned as the Pope.
http://www.augustana.edu/academics/history/department/witchcraft/images/gv/devil1.jpg
Note the similarity between the lion serpent on the devils groin area and the scarlet woman bearing the sword on the Thoth card.

Maybe the secret joke is the rebalancing justice of replacing the Pope with the anti-Pope. })
 

Zephyros

I always thought the "joke" was a reference to "abrogate all rituals," implying not to put store in the rituals that the Hierophant/Taurus teaches but in their essence and meaning. This could, again, be criticism of the exoteric Osirian religions. In other words, you won't be redeemed merely by saying ten Hail Marys, but by discovering your own godhood. Or put another way, the Hierophant's hidden meaning is that he teaches you how to worship yourself, not an external force.
 

Owl Tarot

Aeon418 said:
It could be. In fact the whole card appears to be a bit of a joke in the style of Eliphas Levi. His illustration of Baphomet is probably a influence on the design of the Thoth Hierophant.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Baphomet.png
According to the description of this illustration the goats left hand is pointing towards justice. A clue?

Another interesting comparison is this illustration from Pierre Boaistuau's Histoires Prodigieuses, showing Satan enthroned as the Pope.
http://www.augustana.edu/academics/history/department/witchcraft/images/gv/devil1.jpg
Note the similarity between the lion serpent on the devils groin area and the scarlet woman bearing the sword on the Thoth card.

Maybe the secret joke is the rebalancing justice of replacing the Pope with the anti-Pope. })
Click to expand...

Possibly. Crowley did think ol' Levi knew more then he told. Pretty interesting, this suggestion is. That would also explain how the Hierophant likes his women })
 

Aeon418

Owl Tarot said:
That would also explain how the Hierophant likes his women })
Click to expand...
Venus rules Taurus and Libra. So it's quite natural that she should be present on both Atu V & VIII as the Woman girt with a sword.

The downward point of the Averse pentagram that touches her in Atu V is attributed to Lamed.

In Atu VIII she stands between an upright V and an Averse Λ. The final Adjustment.
 

Owl Tarot

Aeon418 said:
Venus rules Taurus and Libra. So it's quite natural that she should be present on both Atu V & VIII as the Woman girt with a sword.

The downward point of the Averse pentagram that touches her in Atu V is attributed to Lamed.

In Atu VIII she stands between an upright V and an Averse Λ. The final Adjustment.
Click to expand...

I wanted to joke around a bit!
 
Is it OK to use the Thoth deck w RW interpretations? "Thelema: The Equinox Diaries"