II - The High Priestess

The second Image in the series is the High Priestess. The One has divided into two and created Two. The Female has been added to the Male, or in other words, the female element has been separated from the male. She is a representation of Isis at the gate of the House of the Secret Church. According to A.E. Waite: She also represents the Second Marriage of the Prince who is no longer of this world; the spiritual Bride and Mother, daughter of the stars and the Higher Garden of Eden. She is Queen of the borrowed light, but this is the light of all. She is the Moon nourished by the milk of the Supernal Mother. In Kabalism, she is Shekinah the co-habiting glory.
The Symbolism of this card :
* The Isis figure sits upon the Cube - which represents all of Creation.
* In her right hand she holds a scroll which is to signify that learning through the written teachings is the start to the path of illumination.
* In her left hand, she holds two keys which themselves represent the keys to revelation of the two great kingdoms of mystery.
* The curtain represents the veil before the eyes of the uninitiated. Looking behind the curtain is the goal of the student - to see beyond appearances.
* The pillars on her right and left (named Boaz and Jachin), are red and black respectively. The pillars hold up the curtain and represent the dual nature of true wisdom and knowledge.

I - Absolute Activum

The First Image Absolute Activum is a direct reference to the creative force of God as master of the four "elements" as represented by the four suits of the tarot. In most modern tarot decks, the first card of the High Arcana in called "The Magician". This probably is a reference to the transcendence of supernatural force as is wielded by the adept of genuine esoteric knowledge.

The symbolic meanings of this image:

* His clothes are the raiment of a magician, one who knows and controls the eternal laws of nature, one who is illuminated.
* His hands are positioned is such a way as to indicate that the commandments that are origated in heaven are made manifest on earth.
* Atop his crown is the symbol for infinity and of the Holy Spirit.
He has another symol of eternity and of the cyclical nature of the spirit on his waist. The snake eating its own tail.
* In front of him on a table there are four symbols: a Staff, a Goblet, a Sword and a Coin. The Staff represents the brain which produces thoughts; the Goblet stands for the breathing breast which allows us to live; the Sword, which can change the circumstances of life points to the stomach which digests the food that is eaten. The Coin, the money that passes from hand to hand, represents the sexual organs and the creation of new generations.
* In a broader sense, the Staff represents those people who testify to society - the peots, artists, and inventors. The Goblets show us the preservers - judges, scholars and collectors. The Swords reveal those who reorganize, who are eager to fight, who strive for change and who change the form and values of society. The coins represent the pregnant and productive members of society - the people who have many children and from which higher classes develop.
* At his feet grow flowers which represent the Absolute Activum's life-giving quality and signifies the culture of aspiration

What is this?

The images contained herein were drawn from the descriptions found in the ancient book EGYPTIAN MYSTERIES By Iamblichus. Iamblichus was a fourth century neo-platonan esotericist and was known for his writings on occult initiatory societies (i.e. Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Golden Dawn, and other various branches of Illuminati).