Thelemic Holy Season: Day 17
93!
Vau
The Heirophant
Liber LXV, Ch.5
It gets fraught here.
In the small amount of Tarot work I've done, I've found I have problems with the two male power figures - the Heirophant and the Emperor (who is tomorrow.) Not cool, but there it is. I think a lot of it has to do with my dad. I'm working throught that, but I know it will take awhile. And considering today's path goes from Chesed to Chokmah, the "father" sephiroth... Yeah. This could be difficult.
But it doesn't have to be. This is the path between generosity and the ultimate causeless creativity. Not a bad place to be. And the Heirophant's role isn't just to be stodgy, really. He is pontifex, the bridgemaker - the bridge between the divine and humans. We each do a bit of this work ourselves, if we follow a spiritual path.
The Heirophant holds tradition. In a way, he holds space for others to have the same sorts of experiences that have been important to people before them. He ensures the legacy is carried on - and yes, this is about to get Departmental.
I've been trying to figure out my motivations with the Department. It's taken awhile for me to realize that I care about it as a group as well as a collection of individuals. It matters to me that the group continues, that our particular way of doing things doesn't go away. We joke about having lineage - the crazy part being that we do. And that matters to me. The people who taught me still matter to me. To teach others is an act of respect to them, an acknowledgement of the debts I owe. (That's not the only reason I do it, but it's there.) Not as a negative thing, simply the way things are.
The Heirophant's role is about continuity, between realms and across time. He generously gives divine inspiration to all. He holds together the spiritual community, the way a nail (vau) holds together a structure.
He's also about heirarchy, and I (and many Pagans) have problems with this. ryangemwitch has written about kinds of heirarchy before (in comments, I think.) While I severely dislike those who lord it over others (I think this will come up tomorrow too), I also think those with experience should be respected. (This quickly gets very complicated for me, because I have disparate levels of experience in different parts of my path.)
In a healthy group, although hierarchy and indebtness is there, it shouldn't be the focus. This is not about being one-sided. Ultimately, there should be a web, in which things are held in relation. The various geometric figures around the Heirophant seem to point to this. (Lots of five-pointed ones, symbolizing the microcosm. There's also an implied hexagram, symbolizing the macrocosm.) These interwoven relationships are a vital part of magic.
93 93/93
Vau
The Heirophant
Liber LXV, Ch.5
It gets fraught here.
In the small amount of Tarot work I've done, I've found I have problems with the two male power figures - the Heirophant and the Emperor (who is tomorrow.) Not cool, but there it is. I think a lot of it has to do with my dad. I'm working throught that, but I know it will take awhile. And considering today's path goes from Chesed to Chokmah, the "father" sephiroth... Yeah. This could be difficult.
But it doesn't have to be. This is the path between generosity and the ultimate causeless creativity. Not a bad place to be. And the Heirophant's role isn't just to be stodgy, really. He is pontifex, the bridgemaker - the bridge between the divine and humans. We each do a bit of this work ourselves, if we follow a spiritual path.
The Heirophant holds tradition. In a way, he holds space for others to have the same sorts of experiences that have been important to people before them. He ensures the legacy is carried on - and yes, this is about to get Departmental.
I've been trying to figure out my motivations with the Department. It's taken awhile for me to realize that I care about it as a group as well as a collection of individuals. It matters to me that the group continues, that our particular way of doing things doesn't go away. We joke about having lineage - the crazy part being that we do. And that matters to me. The people who taught me still matter to me. To teach others is an act of respect to them, an acknowledgement of the debts I owe. (That's not the only reason I do it, but it's there.) Not as a negative thing, simply the way things are.
The Heirophant's role is about continuity, between realms and across time. He generously gives divine inspiration to all. He holds together the spiritual community, the way a nail (vau) holds together a structure.
He's also about heirarchy, and I (and many Pagans) have problems with this. ryangemwitch has written about kinds of heirarchy before (in comments, I think.) While I severely dislike those who lord it over others (I think this will come up tomorrow too), I also think those with experience should be respected. (This quickly gets very complicated for me, because I have disparate levels of experience in different parts of my path.)
In a healthy group, although hierarchy and indebtness is there, it shouldn't be the focus. This is not about being one-sided. Ultimately, there should be a web, in which things are held in relation. The various geometric figures around the Heirophant seem to point to this. (Lots of five-pointed ones, symbolizing the microcosm. There's also an implied hexagram, symbolizing the macrocosm.) These interwoven relationships are a vital part of magic.
93 93/93