Hermetic Laboratory

starting the 17th path, key VI., The Lovers, Zayin, Z, 7, sword, gemini,

The traversal of the 5th key the Hieropaht, the 16th path Vav. The same method was used to as with the previous cards - internalization of the image, entering the image as if it were a portal and then subsequent conversation with the entity found therein.  Doing that daily or close to it for about a week. A breakthrough came in the Ruggles station when an overwhelming sense of a point of gold light in the chest became associated with "christ-consciousness".  According to A.E. Waite and Dr. Lisiewski, the Hierophant symbolizes the act of redemption and the joy which issues from that redemption.  According to Waite the Hierophant is neither religion, nor inspiration, nor intuition. The Hierophant represents the expression and the mode of expression of religion, inspiration, and intuition.  The hand gesture of the Hierophant is a symbol of separation of the manifest and the unmanifest.  This is congruent with the letter VAV associated with the card which ...

The working of this path is coming to an end... it was difficult to get going at first.  The Emperor appears very aloof and unfriendly, unlike the 2 predecessors, the Empress and the High Priestess.  Then I realized that the Emperor is  the Magician, the other hard-ass encountered so far.  According to B.O.T.A., the Magician marries the High Priestess and becomes the Emperor whereas the High Priestess becomes the Empress. The key to understaind the Emperor for me was his association with the alchemical Sulfur.  Sulfur is the consciousness of matter, of a substance.  Having understood that, came across other attributions of the Emperor as the self-consciousness of a person - that which directs thoughts, watches over thoughts, words and deeds for the purpose of enabling one to wage war.  Yes the Emperor is a war-monger.  But the war is against darkness, ignorance, and error.  The stream behind him ties him to the Empress and the High Prie...