Notes from a Hermetic Conversation on November 30, 2016
11/30 – The Lover
Joel, Rosario and June were present.
We began with the Knight’s Practice up through the 6th part. We then contemplated the spread of the first 6 Arcana.
The Cherub on The Lover has an Adam’s apple. The only other character thus far who has one is, oddly enough, The Empress. The Cherub is Masculine, the Empress Feminine. An emphasis on the the Throat Chakra.
The Lover is the first Conversation, as opposed to the active listening of the Pope. The Lover is like a “group photo.”
For the first time the key figure has no hat/crown. He is crowned by the Cherub and the Sun. The Cherub aims the arrow at the heart, while the Sun pierces his head – reminiscent of the 1000 petalled lotus (crown chakra). The Sun is like an imagination manifested in the Lover’s consciousness through the conversation and interaction. A streaming from below upwards.
The Sun is open at the top (no rays); indicates that it is not coming from above, but in the process of forming from below.
The state of consciousness of the Lover activates his crown chakra, bringing to birth the Cherub.
He is holding himself in check, like the Emperor – the Emperor by the left hand, the Lover by the right.
This is the first time there is touch in one of the images.
It is a Goethean Conversation – spiritual being comes to manifestation through community, conversation, communion.
The Throat Chakra is a procreative organ for the Empress – an organ of Sacred Magic.
The transformation of wand/staff to arrow – only in the Magician and the Lover does it point to the Heart. In the High Priestess it is hidden; in the Empress it points to the generative organs; in the Emperor it is vertical; in the Pope it points to the acolyte.
The change in basic geometry – the three figures in the Pope make a triangle, vs the straight vertical line of the Emperor’s scepter. With the Lover, the three points become four – the basis of a tetrahedron. 1 to 2 to 3 dimensions. The conversation, the inwardness, is the 4th dimension.
The Empress is in the process of Birth – Is the Cherub the baby of the Empress (hence they share the feature of the Adam’s Apple)? She gives birth to the Word – the Cherub is the Word, which becomes Flesh in the Lover. Love pierces the Heart. “Where two or more are gathered in my Name…” They express disciples and discipleship.
The Crown Chakra calls up the figures of Arjuna and Krishna – the process of “overlighting” seems to indicate the Crown rather than the Heart or some other chakra. Arjuna’s universal, holistic purview of the situation also seems related to the Crown.
Tomberg writes of the missions of the Far East vs Russia (in Russian Spirituality). Russia wishes to unfold the impulses of the soul organically, without structures. The Far East is full of rigor, form, structure when it comes to spirituality. The Lover joins these two polarities. A “Far Eastern” experience is organically unfolding from the Lover’s soul – made possible via the conversation. He must hold himself in check in order to make the conversation possible.
He is the student of the prior five Arcana – everyone’s baby! The working together of the 5 archetypes. Calls to mind the five siblings of the Grail family leading up to Parzival, the sixth. Certain correspondences are evident here (eg The Emperor as the leaning Anfortas, The Pope as Trevrizent).
What are the planets that correspond to the first 6? How do the planets/zodiac interact in order to bring about The Lover?
No correspondence exists traditionally (unlike, for example, metals with planets). However, according to Robert:
Magician = Sun
High Priestess = Saturn
Empress = Moon
Emperor = Jupiter
Pope = Mercury
Lover = Venus
Chariot = Mars
According to Tomberg there are 7 virtues, 12 capacities and 3 qualities expressed through the 22 Tarot – this has been interpreted by Robert as 7 classical planets, 12 Zodiacal signs, and 3 outer planets.
Why is Venus the 6th in this process? The Seal of Solomon is the Venus chakra – six pointed star. The balancing of masculine/feminine. The Trinosophia. Symbol of the Russian Epoch, a culture of Love.
Why are the planets in this sequence? Usually one sees the sequence of the days of the week (Saturn, Sun, etc.) or of planetary spheres (Moon, Mercury, etc.). Is it a meditative path from Sun (Heart) to Mars (Activity)? Mars is the realm of Buddha, of Christian Rosenkreuz, and of Michael. In Tomberg’s days of the week, Michael is the ruler of “Mars Day.” In Estelle’s latest visions, Michael is reaching his spear from Mars down to the 8th sub earthly sphere to heal divisiveness and transform the Mars impulse. We can also think of “Michaelic Iron,” and Mars is the source of our Iron. Traditionally, Michael is ruler of the Sun, and Samael rules Mars – possibly in his ascendency to Time Spirit, Michael’s relationship to the Planets has changed?
This ordering of the planets is seen in Hermetic Astrology Vol I – Robert indicates that Sun, Saturn and Moon are related to the Will; Jupiter and Mercury to Thinking; and Venus and Mars to Feeling. A Path that operates from the center (the Heart/Sun) in order to transcend polarities in Willing, Thinking, and Feeling.
The metamorphosis of the scepter: The Lover is the only one with an arrow instead of a scepter – with a weapon. Indicates intent, wounding, hunting. Transformed into the weapon of Love – piercing the human heart. Love brings both Joy and Pain. The Spear Wound of Christ. It is the power to pierce through the barrier.
Eschenbach in Parzival makes many asides during which he complains of Love as a being who brings more pain than joy, the opposite of what She promises. The name Parzival makes one think of “Piercing the Veil” – breaking through barriers. The story is rife with wounds, and pure suffering.
Goethe’s writings are full of this absolute pain of Love – Sorrows of Young Werther. Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship – many seemingly unrelated tragic events, usually having to do with matters of the heart. In the last few chapters, all these events are suddenly revealed as part of a great whole, and all tragedy is transformed into joy. It makes a great difference to a series of painful events whether they are transformed at the end or not! Koenig recommends reading the great novels to educate ourselves in archetypes – he calls Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship the “novel of novels.”
We ended with the first 6 letters of the Divine Alphabet, and the closing of the Grail Knight’s Practice.
The Unknown Friends 