Theos-Talk Archives (April 1995 Message tl00014)

THE KEYS TO KABBALAH

(c) 1994 by A.M.Bain 14 Tyndall's Park Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8
1PY, England.p

PART TWO

THE 21 STAGES

In Part One we described briefly the development of the Tree of
Life from Kether (1) to Malkuth (10).  With these basic
principles to guide us, we can attempt to describe a journey in
awareness portrayed as a return path from Malkuth to Kether.
This begins in Malkuth and follows through 22 stages.  As one is
a stage of preparation, we speak in practice of 21.  These may be
grouped as seven steps of three or four stages each.  Here we
describe the return journey as far as is practical for us, which
is as far as the place of Daath.  On the scale of the Ladder we
shall see that as we reach a stage of genuine knowledge - as
distinct from theory - each Daath or Knowledge stage is
transformed into a Yesod or Foundation stage for the next level
or world above.

In the 21 Stages, we can see from the diagram that before we move
on from each stage to the next, we first look back and consoli-
date the work that we have done so far, completing the various
triangles which connect the Sephiroth.  Broadly speaking, stages
which fall directly on particular Sephiroth represent definite
levels of awareness, in the same way that the Sephiroth represent
definite principles.  The paths which connect them represent the
activity of that awareness in its development.

The whole arrangement of the 21 stages properly belongs in the
world of Yetzirah on the scale of the Ladder as delineated in
Part Three.  The significance of this cannot be over-emphasised.

To reiterate what has been said elsewhere, the four worlds have a
direct correspondence in the Christian tradition, which may be
expressed thus: Heaven (Atziluth); Paradise (Briah); Purgatory
(Yetzirah); and Hades (Assiah).  If we choose to equate Hades
with Hell, as is sometimes done, then is this not an accurate
description of the world in which we find ourselves? The classic
descriptions of "Hell" leap out at us every day from our
newspapers and television screens.  We call it "The News."

Who is to blame for the evil conditions and events which continu-
ally take place? The atrocities and horrors of this or that war
in this or that part of the world? The rape and torture of women
and children? The ever-increasing ability of human beings to
devise "better" ways and means of inflicting the greatest
possible agony upon each other? What kind of God, many people
ask, created such a world for us to inhabit?

The answer is, or course, that no kind of God did any such thing.
We have created these conditions ourselves, and it is our
responsibility, not God's, to change them.  For each one of us,
the only change we can make practically is a change within
ourselves.  It is easy to see that this or that world leader,
dictator, politician, political movement, etc., is to blame for
this or that condition or sequence of events.  It may be that the
blame we so readily apportion truly belongs where we allocate it,
but allocating blame does not change things.  As long as there
are human beings ready to perpetuate such evil, and other human
beings who are willing to allow it to take place then it will
continue as it has done for centuries.

If we are honest with ourselves as individuals, we will acknowl-
edge and recognise that we all, each one of us - and especially
ME - have the capacity for evil, possibly as great as the most
evil person in history.  If we have any hope at all of changing
the world order, then the first and most practical place to begin
is on our own doorstep, that is with ourselves.

This, according to the Teaching, is the work which we each
undertake in the world of Yetzirah, of Purgatory, of Purifica-
tion.  This work can shown by the Teaching by means of the 21
stages.

The arrangement outlined here differs from previously published
works based on the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn and its derivatives.  Any method, however, that is based on
the Tree of Life will show a progression in reverse order of the
"lightning flash," as the present arrangement does with the Fool
of the Tarot.  The 21 stages do not attempt to show a progression
into the highest spiritual levels.  This is due to the relative
position of the 21 stages on the larger scale of the Ladder, to
be delineated in Part Three.  They go, in fact, as far as the
"Daath" of Yetzirah, which then becomes the "Yesod" or Foundation
of the world of Briah, Creation, or Paradise.

The value of this is that it provides a practical guide to those
who wish to chart their own progress without the necessity of
consulting self-styled Masters or Adepts.  Another advantage is
that it is most practical to begin with an arrangement of what is
available to us, namely, the Sephiroth of Yetzirah.  What
immediately follows is, therefore, a partial system of the
greater teaching of the Ladder, though it can be used indepen-
dently.

(While it is not vital to an understanding of this arrangement,
it is of interest to consider the following remarks of Dion
Fortune in her book The Mystical Qabalah, (4:12): "Concerning the
Tarot cards, there are three modern authorities of note.  .  .  .
All three are different.  Concerning the system Mr.  Waite gives,
he himself says `There is another system known to initiates.'
There is reason to suppose that this is the method used by
Mathers."

It is this method that Dion Fortune adopted and published in her
book.  There is, however, even better reason to suppose that
attributions, as published, are not that of the `other' system,
referred to by Mr.  Waite.  One of the most widely used Tarot
packs in modern use, and which is recommended to all students, is
that designed by Waite himself, and faithfully portrayed by
Pamela Coleman Smith.  We may reasonably suppose from what he
says that he was aware of this `other' method, and that being so,
he would be likely to incorporate it into his own pack.  Without
speculating further, it is interesting to observe that the
internal evidence of Waite's designs, i.e., the pictures actually
on the cards, are more in accord with the arrangement of the 21
stages than with any other published system.

For example, cards 2, 5 and 8 (when the original numbering is
restored) all show figures seated between the Pillars of the
Temple.  No other cards show such symbolism so clearly, and all
three cards connect with Malkuth at the bottom of the Tree.

Cards 1, 10 and 21 all contain fourfold symbolism of a more
specific nature.  In card 1, the Magician stands in front of the
symbols of the four Tarot suits on the table.  In card 10 the
four Holy Animals appear in the four corners of the card.  This
is repeated in card 21.  These three cards all appear on the
Middle Pillar of the Tree in ascending order (See "The Middle
Pillar" below).  Card 6 joins Hod and Netzach, and shows the Sun
of Tiphareth shining behind the angel who veils it, while card 17
similarly joins 'Hesed and Geburah, and shows the star of Kether
shining through a veil of seven lesser stars).

THE MIDDLE PILLAR

In this arrangement, the Middle Pillar reaches only as far as
Daath, Knowledge, representative of the supernal Triangle at the
human, subjective level of awareness.* Let it be said here that
all human awareness is ordinarily subjective, being even at its
highest subject to infinitely more powerful laws of being shown
"as in a mirror darkly."

*(We shall see in Part Three that whenever a "Daath" position is
reached, it becomes, to developing awareness, the "Yesod" or
Foundation of the level above, and there is another Tree to
climb!)

With this in mind, we may nevertheless consider the relative
significance of the development of awareness as portrayed by the
21 stages, and in particular the symbolism of the Middle Pillar
upon which three major changes in awareness can occur.  The
stages concerned with this process are Stage 1, lifting awareness
from sleep in Malkuth towards Yesod, shown by the Magician; Stage
10, raising Personality awareness in Yesod to Self awareness in
Tiphareth, symbolised by the Wheel, and Stage 21, elevating Self
awareness to its maximum development towards Daath, Self
Knowledge, or Spiritual Awareness, symbolised by the card "The
World." These three cards are the only ones (in the Waite pack)
which clearly show the symbolism of the four worlds.  As we
proceed, the relevant equivalent location of the important stages
as described on the greater scale of the Ladder in Part Three of
this work will be given, and in some measure connected to their
relation to the 21 stages.

In Stage 1 the Magician has available the four symbols of the
Tarot suits, representing Fire, Water, Air and Earth.  These may
be taken to represent the tools we learn to use on our journey.

In stage 10, the Tarot card The Wheel shows the four Holy Animals
in the corners of the card, each with an opened book.  This
symbolises the work we have to do in order to apply our learning
and further our progress.  In stage 21, the same Holy Animals
again occupy the four corners of the card, but this time as
simple representations without wings, books or other attributes,
symbolising the simplicity of true knowledge.

The symbolism of these three cards, together with card 6, The
Lovers; card 17, The Star; card 2, The High Priestess; card 5,
The Hierophant, and card 8, Justice, suggests that A.  E.  Waite
may have had a very similar arrangement to that which is used
here before him when be designed his own cards.

THE TAROT ATTRIBUTIONS

A few words are necessary here, for we are dealing with an aspect
of the teaching on a different scale from that of the 32 Paths to
be outlined in Part Three.  The main point in need of emphasis is
that while that which is above is like that which is below, it is
by no means the same thing, and that which adequately illustrates
one level cannot necessarily be easily or directly transferred to
another.  The view from the upper deck of the bus is not the same
as that from the lower, even though both share the basic
principles of bus arrangement.  Accordingly, the attributions of
the Tarot trumps to the 21 Stages of the Way are different from
those of the downward flow of the 32 Paths.  There is no
contradiction in this; the same tools are being used in a
different manner, that is all.  For example, we may use a spoon
for stirring, for measuring, or for cracking the top of a boiled
egg.

When, in due time, we have used the tools and completed the
building of the "Temple not made with hands," we put the tools
aside.  This work is not a game to be played, and although
"magical" symbolism is employed by the Tarot, any ideas we might
get that we are in any way some sort of "magicians" with "special
powers" belong to the comic books and science fiction or fantasy
movies, not real life.  Real life is much more clever than that,
as we shall discover with some trepidation if we take our work
seriously.

The foundation of the Tree of Life is the Sephira Yesod.  It is
represented in the 21 Stages by The High Priestess, card 2.
Below her are two figures; the Fool and The Magician.  The Fool,
in Malkuth, has yet to awaken and knock at the gate.  "The Gate"
is one of the titles of Malkuth.  When we awaken, due to events
and circumstances outside of ourselves, we come under the
influence and operation of Step 1, called elsewhere "right
impulse" or "good impulse" and develop a desire to seek
Knowledge.  In doing so, we become the "Magician," armed with the
tools symbolised by the objects on the table before us.  The
process of awakening has begun, and can continue until we become
Self-aware in Step 4.  We begin to apply the virtue of Malkuth,
discrimination.

Here we stand at the entrance of the outer court of the Temple,
as prepared as it is possible to be, seeking admission.  Before
us are three figures, all representatives of the Temple, only one
of whom can grant admission.  On one side is the figure of the
Hierophant, seated between the Pillars of the Temple.  A priest,
however, cannot grant admission, for this work is to expound the
teaching in a manner acceptable and intelligible to those outside
the Temple gate, whether they seek admission or not.  On the
other side is the figure of Justice, who also cannot grant
admission, for this work is to bring the unseen influences of the
teaching to those outside, and to assess the worthiness of
applicants for entry.  By these two, after a manner, the
candidate has already been prepared, and stands at the gate of
Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac, ruled by the Moon at the
feet of the High Priestess in Yesod, who holds the scroll of the
Law, and who alone can grant admission to the outer court of the
Holy places.

The gate of Cancer is also called such in esoteric astrology.  It
is the gate of birth into the world, and it is through this gate
that every one of us begins the preparation of entering into
life; bodily life, psychological life, and spiritual life, all of
which we are concerned with here.

In the next section, we shall consider each of the 22 cards
separately.