Levi's Pentagram
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Okay, noone is responding so I'll give it a go.
Levi's pentagram has the same element distribution as the GD pentagram.Air - Mars - Pentacle - Alpeh
Earth - Jupiter - Dagger - He
Fire - Saturn - Wand - Yod
Water - Venus - Cup - ChetLevi writes about the Pentacle and Dagger switch in his Transcendental Magic Ritual.
Going from left to right we get AHICh. Seeing horizontally there is ChVH and ADM - uniting them as written in Levi's book we get IChVH - we unite the right side of the pentagram with the left i.e. Fire I + Water Ch and Air Vau + Earth He thus we get the Sun, Adam and the Moon, Eve united in IChVH. Thus Levi's Tetragrammaton is identical with the GD.
Levi brings the symbolism of the hexagram to his pentagram glyph. So we need to use it to understand the pentagram. It is the Microcosmic hexagram because of the Stauros layout.
ymboldictionary.net/library/graphics/symbols/bwhexagram.jpgAlpha & Omega is at the same points as the pentagram. The downward triangle is composed of Air - Aleph + Water - Chet = 9 = Omega. The upward triangle is Earth - He + Fire - Yod = 15 = 6 = Alpha. On the pentagram the same elements and Alpha & Omega form a triangle too (I hope you see them). Ezekiel's Tetragram has the same element attributions and so Vertically has Omega and horizontally Alpha.
Now the Stauros is a glyph of Levi's Tetragram or should I say John's Tetragram. The Male is Vertical and the Female is horizontal according to Levi so Male is the Sun and Female the Moon. The right side of the hexagram Air - Aleph + Earth - He = 6 = The Sun and the left is Water - Chet + Fire - Yod = 18 = 9 = The Moon."It looks like KPR(hiding) on the left & possibly MChR(shining) on the right...I'm having trouble making out the bottom-most letter."
Interesting idea! But what about the number symbolism 300+ 248=548=17=8=Mercury? Any other ideas about those two names anyone?
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Okay, let's ride on. We see that in order to fit the pentagram into the microcosmic hexagram we have to flip it horizontally i.e. in order to draw it we start from the lower left which is FIRE and not EARTH. And that is in accord with Crowley who wrote that some people saw the pentagram burning, and of course he uses the Wand to draw it which represents fire. There are other accounts of seeing the pentagram as burning blue. We get Mars as the Right-hand which is in accord with the Qabbalistic Cross.
The funny part is that in the new edition of the Gems from the Equinox Regardie does the mistake of writting in the LBPR draw a Earth pentagram preferable with the Wand.
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@Modes said
"The funny part is that in the new edition of the Gems from the Equinox Regardie does the mistake of writting in the LBPR draw a Earth pentagram preferable with the Wand.
"Why is this a mistake? As a default, the Wand (or equivalent) is used to draw all pentagrams.
And that's not a Regardie error (or language limited to a recent edition of anything) - it's just the text of Liber O.
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Sorry, Jim, my mistake - I tried to match the Pentagram with the Microcosmic Hexagram - which do not match because the important part is that the Pentagram matches with the Macrocosmic Hexagram which does so if we flip horizontally Levi's Microcosmic Hexagram.
The mysterious part is that the GD Qabbalistic Cross is not in accord with Levi - Dogma et Rituel part 2:
""For example, the initiate said raising his hand to his forehead, “For thine,” then added “is,” and continuing as he brought down his hand to his breast, “the kingdom,” then to the left shoulder, “the justice,” afterwards to the right shoulder, “and the mercy” – then clasping his hands, he added, “in the generating ages.” Tibi sunt Malkuth et Geburah et Chesed per aeonas""
The Martinist literatue I have agrees with Levi's Cabbalistic Cross. I looked at the Tree and I see that the GD QC uses Macrocosmic correspondences (i.e. above Tiphareth) while Levi, Martinist use Microcosmic (below Tiphareth). Why is that?
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@Modes said
"Sorry, Jim, my mistake - I tried to match the Pentagram with the Microcosmic Hexagram - which do not match because the important part is that the Pentagram matches with the Macrocosmic Hexagram which does so if we flip horizontally Levi's Microcosmic Hexagram."
They operate on two quite distinct planes. I wouldn't expect any necessary "matchn."
"The mysterious part is that the GD Qabbalistic Cross is not in accord with Levi - Dogma et Rituel part 2:
""For example, the initiate said raising his hand to his forehead, “For thine,” then added “is,” and continuing as he brought down his hand to his breast, “the kingdom,” then to the left shoulder, “the justice,” afterwards to the right shoulder, “and the mercy” – then clasping his hands, he added, “in the generating ages.” Tibi sunt Malkuth et Geburah et Chesed per aeonas""
"Oh, you mean the left-right switch? Yes, Levi was (at least for the public) perpetuating the Roman Catholic style which has one facing the Tree of Life rather than being the Tree of Life.
What Levi did in private is anyone's guess. Remember, Levi wasn't like the typical occult writer today. He was more the Deepak Chopra of France in his day, read very widely by all sorts of "general public," and writing with an eye to bringing magical philosophy into their Roman Catholic sensibilities.
"I looked at the Tree and I see that the GD QC uses Macrocosmic correspondences (i.e. above Tiphareth) while Levi, Martinist use Microcosmic (below Tiphareth). Why is that?"
I don't see how you are making this micro/macro breakdown. I'm not at all clear what you mean by the above sentence. But possibly what I just wrote addresses it?
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What I meant is that there is a swich in the Tree when one reaches from below Tiphareth (Microcosm) to above Tiphareth (Macrocosm) i.e. Hod - Chesed and Netzach - Geburah. Man (backed to the Tree), being a Microcosm MUST show this switch. That is my theory on Levi's QC. What do you think, Jim?
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@Modes said
"What I meant is that there is a swich in the Tree when one reaches from below Tiphareth (Microcosm) to above Tiphareth (Macrocosm) i.e. Hod - Chesed and Netzach - Geburah. Man (backed to the Tree), being a Microcosm MUST show this switch. That is my theory on Levi's QC. What do you think, Jim?
"Can't confirm or deny because, really, I don't care one way or the other. To me it's just a piece of artwork.
I would question confusing it with Micro/Macro labels and just refer to it as "facing the Tree" or "backed into the Tree."
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Okay, Jim, another nail.
You know about he polarity switch in the Pentagram right? You know that the Tree does not show that polarity switch i.e. it is always Female, Neutral, Male? I think that's why Levi's QC is like that - he shows the polarity switch. -
I really haven't watched this thread closely enough to know that without retracing the whole thing.
But I'd have to ask: which Levi pentagram? He drew it differently in various places and the symbols aren't consistent across them. That's one reason I just take it as a piece of artwork for a popular book.
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The first post has a link to Levi's pentagram. You can safely ignore my first posts only a few days ago posts matter. The polarity of the pentagram is common knowledge i.e. left leg - right hand vs right leg - left hand.
Okay, I think the discussion about Levi's QC boils to that - does the GD think the Tree of Life is a Microcosmic glyph or is it a Micro-Macrocosmic etc syntetic glyph. -
@Modes said
"Okay, I think the discussion about Levi's QC boils to that - does the GD think the Tree of Life is a Microcosmic glyph or is it a Micro-Macrocosmic etc syntetic glyph."
Most things in the GD system are based on the p.o.v. of backing into the Tree of Life. There are some things that use a different p.o.v.
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1 Sephirah - Macroprosopus, 2 Father, 3 Mother, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Microprosopus, 10 Microprosopus Bride.
1 Sephirah 3rd eye, 2 right eye, 3 left eye. Now if we choose man fluid polerisation scheme - 4 right hand +, 5 left hand -, 6 solar plexus magnetic storage - and + fluid, 7 right leg -, 8 left leg +.
For woman +- are reversed.
I loosely translated from Grigorij Otonovic Miobes year 1912 course Occult Encyclopedia. He is from the Papius French Martinist school. -
@Modes said
"1 Sephirah 3rd eye, 2 right eye, 3 left eye. Now if we choose man fluid polerisation scheme - 4 right hand +, 5 left hand -, 6 solar plexus magnetic storage - and + fluid, 7 right leg -, 8 left leg +."
Yes, these are backwards from how we would say it: Chokmah is the left half of the brain, Binah the right; Chesed the left shoulder and arm, Geburah the right; Netzach the left hip, Hod the right.
"For woman +- are reversed."
That's a whole different controversy, so I won't bite.
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Okay, let's look at the QC question from another point of view - that of the Levi's Microcosmic Hexagram. We can see from the picture I drew below that it is easy to attach Levi's Microcosmic Hexagram on the Tree i.e. we have to flip it to the left and we have a match.
symboldictionary.net/library/graphics/symbols/bwhexagram.jpg
*(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/487/microt.jpg)We use the Microcosmic Hexagram because we use it to show Microprosopus i.e. Human. We project the Microcosmic Hexagram the same as Levi's Pentagram glyph i.e. so as we look at it and NOT back to it and we get that Geburah is on the left hand and Chesed on the right hand.
From this we can deduce that GD uses Levi's Macrocosmic Hexagram to form the QC because the difference is that it is flipped horizontally i.e. GD uses the left hand for Chesed and the right one for Geburah.*(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/6741/macro.jpg)
GD uses the same Pentagram as Levi but Levi's Macrocosmic Hexagram to show Microprosopus why is that? Because of the "one is backed to the Tree" system which according to Levi's glyphs is an error.
The wonders of the Levi glyps is that his Pentagram glyph is easily drawn into his Macrocosmic Hexagram glyph (thereby showing the Pentagrams proper place i.e. united with - Kether-Macroprosopus as in Martinist Third eye & as Crowley uses it in Star Ruby) and his Macro-Microcosm glyph shows how the Macrocosmic and the Microcosmic Hexagrams interact AND how the Stauros changes but as I understand GD has only one Hexagram - that of the Levi's Macrocosm Hexagram.*(http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5312/eliphaslevishexagram.jpg)
My diagram of the Levi's Microcosmic Hexagram also shows why one says in QC Malkuth at the Breast or Solar Plexus - because that's the center of the Microcosmic Hexagram. Maybe someone could double-check my research?
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Ride on! If we combine the microcosmic hexagram and the macrocosmic hexagram we get Levi's hexagram shown in this picture:
img242.imageshack.us/img242/5312/eliphaslevishexagram.jpg
I have made it more obvious:
img101.imageshack.us/img101/2424/micromacro.jpg
We now have the answer why Levi writes Mars and Venus on the hands of the Pentagram. The hexagram in the picture explains Levi's Pentagram glyph.EDIT: In Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism etc. etc. the right channel is Pingala - The Sun - Masculine and the Left - Ida - The Moon - Feminine so Levi is right according to those traditions in forming the QC i.e. as looking at the Tree ond NOT back to the Tree. If you do your research you'll see that this kind of painting is traditional in Tibet and India.
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Finally, my research is in the right direction! The QC is made according to Levi's = John's tetragram:
img260.imageshack.us/img260/7315/levistetragram.jpg
If you don't believe me - look at his Chariot card - two Moons - one Geburah, the other Gedulah. Of course, he used the mirrored tetragram to do the QC i.e. not like the GD. It is a technical step having nothing to do with the Catholic Church. The interesting part is that the GD uses mirrored Ezekiel's tetragram in their LBPR directions but NOT Levi's = John's mirrored tetragram in the QC.The pentagram is in accord with GD but the weapon placement differs - see Levi's "Ritual" chapter 4:
img24.imageshack.us/img24/9658/levispentagram.jpg
I believe someone in GD knew the attributions and that's why they used a sword or dagger to perform the LBPR."Their signs are: the hieroglyphs of the Bull for the Gnomes, who are commanded with the sword; those of the Lion for Salamanders, who are commanded with the bifurcated rod or magic trident; those of the Eagle for the Sylphs, who are commanded by the holy pantacles; finally, those of the Water-Carrier for Undines, who are commanded by the cup of libations."
Levi's hexagram is here:
ymboldictionary.net/library/graphics/symbols/bwhexagram.jpg
It is a mirror of the Pentagram as the microcosm is a mirror of the macrocosm i.e. if we mirror the pentagram we can put it in the hexagram. It would symbolize unity of the micro and macrocosm - yoga.And here we have in all beauty "Crowley's" "magically" revealed magical hexagram where he "fixes" Levi
(See Crowley - Book of Lies, Chapter 69):
img242.imageshack.us/img242/5312/eliphaslevishexagram.jpg
img71.imageshack.us/img71/779/levishexagram.jpgAnd to conclude here's a quote for people who search for truth:
"For indeed nothing can resist in magical arts the combined powers of the Pentagram, Hexagram, and Tetragram divine.
All other signs, seals, and symbols are but arbitrary, and the keys of their meaning may be found in the Steganographia, or the Polygraphia of the Abbot Trithemius of Spanheim, or else in the magical treatises of Peter of Abano, of Paracelsus, of Arbatel, or of Cornelius Agrippa. " -
@Jim Eshelman said
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@Modes said
"It would be interesting to know more about the various symbols used on the pentagram and the hebrew name meaning."The main glyphs are simply stylized variations of the seven planets.
The central ensign is a variation of the Mercury glyph. In fact, it's a glyph for Azoth. It is then consolidated with the glyph for Venus beneath it. Additionally, at their base is the Caduceus. This center ligature has the Alpha above it (fitting into the hollow of the top point of the pentagram, and perhaps also starting the line of thought that the pentagram is also a Pentalpha), and the Omega beneath it reversed (reflected downward) - so it is the point between Alpha and Omega (as Azoth subsumes the Alpha and Omega).
The lower two arms are Saturn, the two horizontal arms Mars, Jupiter is at the top, Sun and Moon are on either side of Mercury-Venus. (There is some stylization that is partly artistic, partly likely symbolic - for example, the squares in the Mars glyph likely had a meaning for Levi, such as the grounding of the iron force, or some aspect of the squaring of the circle.)
The Hebrew has errors - which is part of what makes it obscure. For example, ADM (Adam) uses a medial rather than final Mem. On the Air arm, the Hebrew appears to be HVTh (or even HVCh?), but that doesn't make any sense to me (I'm doing all this off the top of my head, in case that wasn't obvious), so there might be a drafting error. What I would expect there is HVA to complement ADM, but that's not what shows.
"The most interesting thing would be why Tetragrammaton is symbolised as TE TRA (Cup) GRAM (Wand) MA (Sword) TON (Disk)?"
I really think that's just artistic stylization. There are five syllables and five spaces, and he drew them in a clockwise circle (going out of his way to note 2 and 3 letters for the first two syllables). The implements, as well, may be only artistic stylization. Three of them (counting nothing, i.e., space, for Spirit) are adjacent to the right points, two aren't. Of course, the Air Fire Water Earth sequence he displayed is the normal Microcosmic distribution of the Elements."
Did you notice the elemental weapons in the symbols of saturn and mars? Why is the dagger included in the sign of saturn on the arm of the element earth, and pantacle on the arm of element air? Notice that they are in such order in the word tetragrammaton, so why in such order? Also, why saturn on lower arms, mars on higher two, and jupiter on the arm of spirit?
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Any idea on the word on the line connecting fire and air? This is what I found about the others:
Going from right to left horizontally we have Adam (ADM) and Eve (HVH). Levy says that primal Adam is represented by hebrew Yod, so by adding it to HVH we get tetragrammaton, magical formula of Creation, and unification of the sun and moon, masculine and feminine again. On the line connecting fire and spirit there is the word PChD, fear, the name of Geburah.
I think the last word is KPR, but am not familiar with possible meaning.