Children of man, do you want to enter into the ineffable joy of nirvana?1
Do you want to become as gods?
Do you want to convert yourselves into Christs?
Do you want to liberate yourselves from the wheel of birth and death?
Here we will give you the clue of sexual magic!2 What else do you want?
Let us start by observing the relationship between the ten sephiroth3 and the first ten cards of the Tarot.
The seven planets4 of the solar system are the seven sephiroth, and the thrice-spiritual Sun5 is the sephirothic crown.
These sephiroth live and palpitate within our consciousness, and we must learn to manipulate and combine them in the marvelous laboratory of our interior universe.
The ten sephiroth are:
- Kether כתר, “crown”; the equilibrated power; the magician, the First Arcanum of the Tarot whose primeval hieroglyph is represented by a man.
- Chokmah חכמה, “wisdom”; the Popess of the Tarot; esoteric wisdom, the Priestess. The second card of the Tarot; the moon; the primeval hieroglyph is represented by the mouth of man.
- Binah בינה, “intelligence”; the planet Venus; third card of the Tarot, the Empress, primeval hieroglyph is represented by a hand in the attitude of grasping.
These three sephiroth are the Sephirothic Crown.
The seven inferior sephiroth come in the following order:
- Chesed חסד, “mercy”; Jupiter, the Divine Being, Atman, whose primeval hieroglyph is represented by a breast. The fourth card of the Tarot, the Emperor.
- Geburah גבורה, “severity”; the buddhic body of the human being, the Pope or the Hierophant of the Tarot, Mars, the warrior of Aries.
- Tiphereth תפארת, “beauty,” Venus of Taurus, love of the Holy Spirit, the causal body of the human being, the sixth card of the Tarot, the Lover.
- Netzach נצח, “victory,” Justice of the arcana, the seventh card of the Tarot, the chariot, Saturn.
- Hod הוד, “glory,” Mercury of Gemini, the eighth card of the Tarot, the Eternity of all.
- Yesod יסוד, “foundation,” the Sun of Leo, the ninth card of the Tarot. The Hermit, the Absolute.
- Malkuth מלכות, “kingdom,” the entire universe, Mary or Virgo, Nature.
These ten sephiroth live within our Being and are our inner solar system.
The Tarot is intimately related with esoteric astrology and with initiation.
- Arcanum 10: First hour of Apollonius. Transcendental study of esotericism.
- Arcanum 11: Second hour of Apollonius. Strength; the abysses of fire; the astral virtues form a circle through the dragons and fire. Study of the hidden forces.
- Arcanum 12: Third hour of Apollonius. The serpents, the dogs and the fire; sexual alchemy; Sexual Magic, work with the Kundalini.6
- Arcanum 13: Fourth hour of Apollonius. The neophyte will wander at night among the sepulchers, will experience the horror of visions, and will be submitted to magic and goethia; this means that the disciple will be aware that he is being attacked by millions of black magicians within the astral plane;7 these tenebrous magicians attempt to drive the disciple away from the luminous path.
- Arcanum 14: Fifth hour of Apollonius. The two amphorae: divine and human magnetism; the superior waters of heaven. During this time the disciple learns to be pure and chaste because one comprehends the value of one’s seminal liquor.
- Arcanum 15: Sixth hour of Apollonius. The electric hurricane, Typhon Baphomet. Here it is necessary to remain quiet, still, due to fear; this signifies the terrible ordeal of the Guardian of the Threshold,8 before whom a lot of courage is needed in order to overcome him.
- Arcanum 16: Seventh hour of Apollonius. The fire comforts inanimate beings, and if any priest, a sufficiently purified man, steals the fire and then projects it, if he mixes this fire with sacred oil and consecrates it, then he will achieve the healing of all sicknesses by simply applying it to the afflicted areas. Here the initiate becomes aware that one’s material wealth is threatened and one’s business fails.
- Arcanum 17: Eighth hour of Apollonius. The star of hope. The star of the Magi; the astral virtues of the elements, of the seeds of every genre.
- Arcanum 18: Ninth hour of Apollonius. Study of the Minor Mysteries,9 the nine arcades on which the student must ascend.
- Arcanum 19: Tenth hour of Apollonius. The resplendent light. The doors of heaven open and one comes out of one’s lethargy. This is the number ten of the second great Initiation of Major Mysteries10 that allows the initiate to travel in the Ethereal Body. This is the wisdom of John the Baptist.
- Arcanum 20: Eleventh hour of Apollonius. The awakening of the dead. The angels, the cherubim and seraphim fly with the sound of wings whirring; there is rejoicing in heaven; the earth and the sun that surge from Adam awaken. This process belongs to the great Initiations of Major Mysteries, where only the terror of the law reigns.
- Arcanum 21: Twelfth hour of Apollonius. The towers of fire are disturbed. This is the victorious entry into the limitless bliss of nirvana, where the master is eventually clothed with the resplendent robe of Dharmakaya,11 or rather renounces the bliss of nirvana for the love of humanity, and becomes a bodhisattva12 of compassion; one becomes a savior of wretched, suffering humanity, one becomes another part of the protective wall raised with the blood of martyrs. Samyak-sambuddhas, masters of perfection, renounce nirvana for the love of humanity. The Pratyeka Buddhas13 when dressed with the glory of the robe of [their elemental form of] Dharmakaya14 can no longer reincarnate to help man or humanity, because nirvana is the forgetting of the world and men forever. The Bodhisattvas Kuan-Shi-Yin, Tashi Lama, Buddha Gautama, and Christ always radiate their light over suffering humanity.
Now we start the course of Kabbalah. Let us study the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot. Therefore this course will have 22 lectures. We hope that you will study and practice with patience and tenacity so that you will attain great realizations. We will start by studying the First Arcanum of the Tarot. We will enter into the sanctum regnum of high magic.
Inverential peace,
Samael Aun Weor
