The Vital Triads - a few questions
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A few questions about the vital triads in The Book of Thoth:
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How do the 3 tarot cards listed match up to IAO?
(I=0, A=1, 0=9)? -
I'm puzzled by both parts of this category: What does "The Yoni Gaudens" mean? What does "The Woman
justified" mean? -
What does "The Slain Gods" mean?
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In The Lingam. The Yoni. The Stèlè (Priest, Priestess,
Ceremony)... The Devil represents the Lingam, the Moon the Yoni, in the Ceremony, who on the Aeon card represents God and who represents Man (ie. does Hoor-pa-kraat = Man, and Horus = God or vice versa)?
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@Scarecrow said
"A few questions about the vital triads in The Book of Thoth"
Sorry for a week's delay in anyone answering this. I had to wait until I could sit at home with Book of Thoth open in front of me.
As a general remark... Crowley wrote this table very early on, and it is simply reproduced in Book of Thoth. He was doing what many of us do... trying to see patterns. Admittedly he had a significantly superior point of view which which to see these... but I don't think these should be taken as doctrinal in any sense, so much as "a very advanced adept's thoughts on a particular occassion."
"1. How do the 3 tarot cards listed match up to IAO?
(I=0, A=1, 0=9)?"He calls these "The Three Gods," and interprets these three as "The Holy Ghost," "The Messenger," and "The Secret Seed." Therefore, the real question probably should be, "Which formula of IAO is he using where the letters correspond in this sequence?"
His mention of "The Three Gods" appears to mean either the Christian Trinity or something equivalent to it. Thus, Yod, "The Secret Seed," is The Father; The Holy Ghost is identified; and Christ is "The Son." (The equation of Beth to Jesus is affirmed through many aspects of symbolism, but doctrinally by BYTh = 412 = Yeheshua spelled in full.)
"2. I'm puzzled by both parts of this category: What does "The Yoni Gaudens" mean? What does "The Woman justified" mean?"
Gaudens is the Latin word meaning "rejoicing." Both phrases mean, "A happy pussy."
"3. What does "The Slain Gods" mean?"
Please ask a more directed question. I'm pretty sure you know what that phrase means.
"4. In The Lingam. The Yoni. The Stèlè (Priest, Priestess,
Ceremony)... The Devil represents the Lingam, the Moon the Yoni, in the Ceremony, who on the Aeon card represents God and who represents Man (ie. does Hoor-pa-kraat = Man, and Horus = God or vice versa)?"I don't know that these are differentiated. Since, in many ways, this card shows a glimpse of the HGA, it can be taken as "God-and-Man as twins." - I would be personally skeptical of differentiating one of the two Horus aspects (the obvious twins) in this particular way.
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Jim I'm still trying to understand the slain gods better.
It helped that I just recently discovered a different version The Vital Triads with the following additional info:
Lust = The Beast
Hanged Man = Osiris
Death = ApophisSo I'm still trying to better understand how each of these gods is a "slain god" For example am I to interpret The Beast as being a god from the past Aeon?
Also I'm trying to understand this triad as a sequence of events which I'm lead to believe is coded into the 3 cards based on Crowley's explanation of the Death card in The Book of Thoth:
"The serpent is also, as previously explained, the principal symbol of male energy. From this it will be seen that this card is, in a very strict sense, the completion of the card called Lust, Atu XI, and Atu XII represents the solution or dissolution which links them."
In response to my question about the Aeon card you said 2 things which I would appreciate clarification on:
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Why wouldn't you assign 1 of the twins to Man and the other to God; is it because both are part of each?
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What did you mean by "the obvious twins"?
Thanks
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@Scarecrow said
"Lust = The Beast
Hanged Man = Osiris
Death = ApophisSo I'm still trying to better understand how each of these gods is a "slain god" For example am I to interpret The Beast as being a god from the past Aeon?"
The term "slain god" doesn't mean that the god refers to a past aeon. It refers to the distinctive formula of the god. During the Aeon of Osiris, Christ and Osiris were still Slain Gods because their formula was to be slain en route to their divine station. The Slain God formula rests on a more primitive understanding of the earth's rotation and revolution, wherein it was believed that the Sun was born each day, passed through the daytime sky, and died at night - understood the same way that Ed McMahon just died! - and, unlike Ed, they were then born anew (resurrected) the next morning. - Variations existed, e.g., Osiris' resurrection was brief and just for the purpose of impregnating his widow.
I'm not clear in which of several possible fashions Crowley meant this; but if, for example, he's equating The Beast with the phallus (as he often did in other places), then it is another example of a god that is slain yet later rises again. (The Christian "He is risen!" is Mary Magdalene's excitement that a well-used penis has again come to full attention.)
"Also I'm trying to understand this triad as a sequence of events which I'm lead to believe is coded into the 3 cards based on Crowley's explanation of the Death card in The Book of Thoth:
"The serpent is also, as previously explained, the principal symbol of male energy. From this it will be seen that this card is, in a very strict sense, the completion of the card called Lust, Atu XI, and Atu XII represents the solution or dissolution which links them."
"I'm not persuaded that, in general, these triads are sequential; but I totally see why you're putting your attention on that subject in this instance. I don't have any deep insights on this one because I haven't particularly thought about it; or (saying it another way), the only thing I could write on it pertains to technicalities of a degree to which I am obligated (from an organization of which I am no longer a member). In any case, what I might say in this case probably wouldn't be of much use to you, whereas your own meditation on these three cards (letting the ideas flow through them) might give you a great deal more, given your strong interest.
"In response to my question about the Aeon card you said 2 things which I would appreciate clarification on:
- Why wouldn't you assign 1 of the twins to Man and the other to God; is it because both are part of each?"
Because they're both gods; and because, were I to do so anyway, the symbols start getting really mixed up since the one I would most relate to humanity is also the one most deeply abstracted from physical incarnation.
Something I forgot to mention is that Crowley wrote most of these Triad notes decades before the Thoth deck. Don't necessarily assume that it's the deck he had in mind (though, in the present instance, I think the Book of Thoth form of this triad almost certainly had the Thoth Atu XX in mind).
"2. What did you mean by "the obvious twins"?"
There are many pairs and polarities in the card. One could look at the "twin" concept, in the passages you quoted, in various ways. But since there's an actual set of twins on the card, it would be a poor choice to look to one of the other polaritries in their place. I went with the obvious (actual) twins, not some other "twiny" polarity in the card.
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"Because they're both gods; and because, were I to do so anyway, the symbols start getting really mixed up since the one I would most relate to humanity is also the one most deeply abstracted from physical incarnation. "
The Vital Triad description is "God and Man as twins from Nuit and Hadit"... which, if any, of the parts of the card represent Man? And which one do you relate and why? ("deeply abstracted from physical incarnation"?!)
Thanks much for the direct sharing of what you can... A question on "technicalities of a degree to which I am obligated"... I've seen you write that certain rituals have blinds, or missing bits. Do you believe the thoth deck has any blinds in it? How frank/yet obfuscated is he? Are the techincal steps all there, etc?
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@Scarecrow said
"Do you believe the thoth deck has any blinds in it? "
No - the symbolism being true also speaks truly.
Of course, things Crowley wrote about the deck surely contains blinds!
