D is for Duality

Duality. Polarity. Body copy here.

D is for Da'ath

"Endless Tunnel of Light Optical Illusion,"
http://visualfunhouse.com/altered_reality/endless-tunnel-of-light-optical-illusion.html

Body copy here

http://odditymall.com/infinity-tunnel-mirror-dining-table

Refresher of where on the Tree of Life Daath is located:

For a contemporary and stylized look at Daath and why falling down it (rather than crossing over it) is bad news, check out the comic series The Filth by Grant Morrison.

C is for Chariot

Let's talk tarot. The Chariot is the seventh trump in the major arcana and corresponds to the astrological sign of Cancer. It represents, among other things, "right action," Divine force, and "the right hand of God."

Path on the Tree of Life: http://www.qabalah.dk/Paths/18chethchariot.html

Knowing that The Chariot represents the path between Binah (Understanding) and Geburah (Force), it's interesting to note the shield the knight carries in Crowley's depiction of The Chariot in the Thoth tarot deck. Since red is associated with Geburah, the red center in the knight's shield could be a reflection of Geburah as the knight travels toward it from Binah, Divine sephirah of Understanding. It fits; The Chariot represents a Divine Warrior. The idea of The Divine working through the mundane.  A person on a righteous quest. But not just anyone, a person on a full-on Divine mission.

Force vs. Resistance

For all its aggressive aspects, though, The Chariot is a card ruled by feminine, "passive" energy and travels the Pillar of Severity. There are numerous artistic depictions of the polarity in this, I will list at least a couple of good ones.

All good artistic interpretations of this card understand the fundamental message of The Chariot: Harnessing the power of opposing forces to propel oneself forward in service to the Divine. (Except, yeah, Ms. Ad Copywriter needs to find a simpler, more effective way to articulate that.)

What Does Uncle Al Say? What does Uncle Arthur (Edward Waite) Say?

In 777, Crowley describes The Chariot as The Child of the Powers of the Waters: the Lord of the Triumph of Light. Interessante, non? This would also be a good place to summarize all my notes from past years.

Lux Gets Schooled

IMO, The Chariot contains important information for Lux as she struggles to understand herself and find her place in the world. In the meantime, I contemplate the mysteries of The Chariot and am always on the lookout for new artistic interpretations that show an understanding of traditional qabalistic interpretations of The Chariot.

Here's an image that blew me away. Superb reinterpretation, I am reading up on this artist now.

From http://planetcyberluz.com/2011/04/09/the-chariot/
Image from the Magdalene Tarot

From The Magdalene Tarot, by Sarah Wheatley
http://sarahmagdalene.com/2010/09/15/switched-on-lotus/

C is for Caduceus

Symbol of balance, mastery and The Magician. Known as the staff of Hermes.

But whut does it mean?

In this entry I will write about the multilayered symbolism of the caduceus in Hermeticism. That sounds boring, and I can't promise it won't be. However, it is interesting to me, and magic geeks of any kind will likely appreciate it.

The symbolism and purpose of the caduceus in Hermeticism is all about achieving the facility and mastery that Hermes has. You know, Hermes. Greek god of, among other things, thieves, commerce, and communication. Messenger to the gods, and a psychopomp.

We're talking a level of mastery on par with that scene from Labyrinth, where the Goblin King juggles a crystal sphere. Yeah, that kind of skill. Except, you know, applied in other ways.

But wait

It might be a good idea to clarify somewhere how Hermetics perceives Hermes versus how he's seen in Greek mythology. Maybe. Clarity is good, always a goal I pursue.


For Further Reading

http://www.crystalinks.com/caduceus.html

B Is For (Franz) Bardon

If you don't know who this man is, do yourself a favor and find out. He's one of, if not THE greatest teacher of Hermeticism in the last couple centuries. It would take days for me to put together a proper Suggested Reading List, but the links below are a good start:

The tl;dr bio

For those who want the Cliffs Notes version on who this guy is and why you should care: Franz Bardon Wikipedia page

Official site

http://www.franzbardon.com/index.html

Most famous book

Essential reading, imo: Initiation Into Hermetics

B Is For Balance

In the Crowley Thoth tarot deck, The Magician is depicted as gracefully balanced--
between nature, between worlds, fluid yet on point at all times.
Image source: http://www.amazon.com/Aleister-Crowley-Thoth-Tarot-Deck/dp/0913866156

This is essentially placeholder text as I attempt to catch myself up on the schedule of the Pagan Blog Project. I will be expanding on this entry but right now, just publishing the bare bones. As I have not promoted this blog in the slightest, I'm not too worried about shortchanging any readers. If you ARE a reader, then chances are, you are interested in magic and Hermeticism, and I appreciate that. So please bear with me, everyone, as I get caught up. And I welcome comments for discussion.

Every now and then I get in a conversation with a fellow magician/rootworker/witch/whatever, and the subject of balance comes up. And 9 times out of 10 my colleague scoffs at the word, as if the subject were ridiculous to discuss. Usually they say something like, "Well, rootwork is all about results. I ain't got time for that theoretical nonsense." Or, "As a chaote, I'm all about disruption and changing nature. Who cares about that new-agey shit." You get the idea.

Whatever the specifics, every time I hear a magician/rootworker/chaote/whatever scoff at the importance of balance, I can't help but think, "Seriously?" I just can't imagine any serious practitioner of magic not understanding the importance of balance in magic practice. Maybe that's why there's so many magical trainwrecks in the various communities, but I digress.

For the most part, I'm willing to let it go. Not everyone is into high magic, and that's perfectly fine. But to be downright hostile to the idea? Hard for me to understand. Rarely do I argue with them, but sometimes I want to, so perhaps I'll do it here. Because I'll argue that balance is important to even the most bare-bones, practical, pragmatic practitioner.

Why? Because you can be the most skilled practitioner under the sun, or perhaps that the world has ever seen, but at the end of the day, the fact remains: without balance, your results are uneven, unpredictable, and/or temporary.

Balance is the achievement of The Magician. Not the magician, mind. The Magician. ;-)

In Hermetics, and in the tarot, The Magician represents mastery. Not heavy-handed mastery but rather a quiet, effortless finesse. The simple yet sublime skill born from from being in tune with the Divine, for lack of a better way to put it. The Magician has learned how to master the four elements of nature--and, more importantly, has mastered himself.

Path on the Tree of Life: The Magician is the path between Kether and Chokmah. Nice short article on the path by Copenhagen Qabalah: http://www.qabalah.dk/Paths/12bethmagician.html

A is for Abyss

Pagan Blog Project Week 2: A Is for Abyss

"Ringu," 1998; Dir: Hideo Nakata

A Is for Abyss

The Tree of Life contains a non-sephiroth known as Da'ath. It is not a sephiroth but is included on most diagrams of the Tree of Life because it plays an important role in it. 

Source: Copenhagen Qabalah,  http://www.qabalah.dk/qabstart-eng.html

Da'ath, also known as "Knowledge," is also "The Abyss." As with everything in the Kabbalah/Qabalah, there are many levels to Da'ath, and countless facets to its meaning. Da'ath is, among other things: The chasm between Divine and human consciousness. The gap between knowledge and understanding. The space between imagination and manifestation. The Abyss lies between what is and what could be. There are no shortcuts through it, you either make it through or you don't. If you don't, there is good and bad news: If you realize you have not crossed it, you have the advantage of learning from your mistakes. You stand up, dust yourself off, and try again, using the info you learned to your advantage. If you don't realize you haven't crossed it, it's a problem. At best, you delude yourself. At worst, you fall thru into the qlippoth. But that's a subject for another day. For now, let's talk about The Abyss and why I chose it for this week's topic.

Da'ath Becomes Her

"The Deep," 1977; Dir: Peter Yates

I'll let you in on a secret. The name of this blog (thanks to Hermes Adrastos, author of the blog Ramblings of a Gay Traditionalist Witch) is highly ironic, and a bad joke. Da'ath doesn't become me at all. I have come to think of it as something of a friend, though. In a broad sense, nothing is created without passing through Da'ath. In psychological terms, it is the last obstacle to transcendence. As a Hermetic magician, self-evolution is high on my list of priorities. Put more simply, magic(k)al study saved my life and has helped me cope with debilitating depression. To be even more general (which sometimes you have to be when it comes to subjects as large as psychology and the qabalah), I am familiar with The Abyss. I live there. I would like to move to a new address, though. That's what this blog is about.

The Abyss is a bitch. It is always there. The Abyss is why I am late posting this entry. (All the more embarrassing because I am participating in the Pagan Blog Project 2014.)  It's easy to hate and fear The Abyss, and easier still (for some people, anyway) to ignore it and pretend it isn't there. Unfortunately, none of those are the correct reactions.

The correct reaction--the only reaction, really, if you want to successfully cross The Abyss--is to grit your teeth and slowly, determinedly, deliberately make your way across. It's not a fun road trip. There is no shortcut. It's not for the shallow or the immature, either. Or the impatient. Or the deluded. The Abyss isn't always dark, sometimes it manifests as a hall of mirrors. You have to be prepared to question yourself and learn how to see through your own delusions. The reward, though, is incalculable. What's it worth to you to overcome one of your demons? Break a bad habit? Grow as a person?

To successfully cross The Abyss, you have to be prepared to do whatever's necessary. Yes, that's a vague statement, but this is a monumental subject and I'm trying to keep this blog post simple and concise. Of course, "whatever's necessary" depends on the specifics of one's situation. In broad terms, to successfully cross the Abyss, one needs to acquire both the knowledge needed to achieve one's goal and the wisdom required to use that knowledge properly. Sounds simple, and it is--but it's not easy. Particularly in terms of self-evolution, gaining wisdom requires facing one's deepest fears, acknowledging (and accepting) one's greatest flaws. You go up against yourself again and again and again until you learn how to think differently and become a different person.

It's not for sissies. Or cowards. Or people who don't like having to take a hard look at themselves. Or ask themselves...

What Are You Prepared to Do?

Further Reading

Check out this great essay about Daath and the Abyss posted on Hermetic.com (author uncredited): http://hermetic.com/caduceus/qabalah/046_kab.html

"The Ring," 2002; Dir: Gore Verbinski

A is for About

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Following the theme set by the Pagan Blog Project 2014, "A is for About" seems the perfect place to start. Because, in addition to the definition above, in this post "About" is meant as statement, description, and challenge.

This is not a teaching blog. Nor is it a personal diary--though it will contain elements of both. It is one person's musings on her personal quest to achieve spiritual development--as well as many other less "noble" goals--through magic(k)al study and practice.

About Me

I am a woman, American, raised in Detroit, MI and lived all around the country before settling in Southern California some 15 years ago. I've been practicing magic for somewhere around 30 years (yikes!)--since I was around 15. My journey started with practicing wicca-type spirituality, leading to practical hoodoo/conjure, before formally studying with a ceremonial magician for 7 years and undergoing a form of Hermetic initiation. I say "a form of" because my instruction was largely one-on-one, with one major teacher over several years and a few less influential teachers in shorter time periods. While I have great respect for them, I have never been a part of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Builders of the Adytum, or any other formal organization. I describe myself as an independent magician. I am more spirit-inclined than the average magician, though. Meaning I have a great relationship with many spirit guides and enjoy great rapport with them. I also practice and have an appreciation of both high and low magic(k).

About This Blog

Now that you know of my leanings and background in Hermeticism it's easy to see why "Da'ath" is part of the blog title. But I think a little more explanation of what this blog is about couldn't hurt. It's not for everyone, and I want to make that clear up-front. It's not for everyone because this blog is going to be focused on the trials, rewards, and frustrations of pursuing spiritual growth. It's not about spells, otherkin, or any other of the popular topics in paganism. I am choosing to write about this because it is of urgent importance to me. Not every person who practices an alternative spiritual path or is interested in working magic is into pursuing self-evolution, though. And that's perfectly fine. I'm just letting you know that this is not a blog about magical technique--well not entirely, anyway. I am an unabashed magic geek and I love to talk technique and spells. I probably will from time to time. However, this is not a "practical magic" blog. If deep topics bore you, you might as well bail right now. Because...

About You

So now you know where I'm coming from and what this blog is generally going to be about. But while the impetus for me to write this is to push myself further along my path, I don't intend this blog to be about me as a person. As I already mentioned, it's not a diary. I welcome dialogue and encourage people to comment. I am happy to hear about other people's experiences too. For me, spiritual and magical practice are intertwined.

I want to wrap up this PBP inaugural entry with a challenge for all readers: I am far from where I want to be as a person and in life, but in spiritual terms I know what I'm about. Do you?

"Dali From the Back Eternalized..." by Salvador Dali, 1973
www.SalvadorDali.com

Pagan Blog Project 2014

http://paganblogproject.com/

Da'ath Becomes Her, a subsidiary of LuthorCorp, is pleased to be a part of the Pagan Blog Project 2014. Even if we aren't 100 % pagan.

Beginning at Zero

New Year, new journey, new blog. Wish us luck.