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The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 59 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Page 31 (part 2)

AFFINITIES SIGNIFCATIONS Primitive Hieroglyphic: Serpent Astronomy: Sagittarius Month: November Hebrew letter: Samech (simple) DESTINY Chance __________ FATALITY Result of the fall of Adam-Eve OBSERVATIONS NAHASH The Dragon of the Threshold
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Themes
Archonscosmology

Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent.

The 'Dragon of the Threshold' and 'Nahash' function as obstructive or testing powers at a boundary, resonating with the concept of archonic guardianship or hindrance in esoteric systems.

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Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The passage lists affinities between a card's imagery (Serpent), astronomy (Sagittarius), time (November), and Hebrew letter (Samech), reflecting the Hermetic axiom of cosmic reflection across scales.

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Fall Of Sophiacosmology

The Gnostic myth of Wisdom's prolapse from the Pleroma — her unilateral desire or error producing the Demiurge and the entrapment of divine sparks in matter.

The reference to the 'Result of the fall of Adam-Eve' echoes Gnostic themes of a primordial error or fall leading to current material conditions, though it uses Biblical rather than strictly Sethian Sophia terminology.

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Letters Of Creationcosmology

The twenty-two Hebrew letters as the building blocks through which God creates and sustains all existence.

The text explicitly assigns the Hebrew letter 'Samech' as a signification, aligning with the Kabbalistic view of letters as building blocks or keys to cosmic forces.

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Stellar Determinismcosmology

The rule of the stars and planetary powers over mortal destiny — the astrological governors whose spheres bind souls to birth, error, and death; in Sethian gnosis the 'error of the stars' that the savior exposes, and from which the incorruptible generation alone is free. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of universal affinity) in being a bondage-to-powers claim, and from archons (the rulers as personal beings) in concerning the astral machinery itself.

The inclusion of 'Astronomy: Sagittarius' and 'DESTINY Chance __________ FATALITY' suggests the influence of celestial bodies on mortal fate and destiny.

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Related passages · 9 parallels
jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1d
“Resh, predominant in peace, crowned, combined, and formed Saturn in the Universe, the sixth day of the week, and the left nostril in man. Tau, predominant in beauty, crowned, combined and formed Jupiter in the Universe, the seventh day in…”
Shared concept: Letters Of Creation — The twenty-two Hebrew letters as the building blocks through which God creates and sustains all existence. (derived)
platonism|Plato: Timaeus|Section 1ad
“That which yields has a small base; but that which rests on quadrangular bases is firmly posed and belongs to the class which offers the greatest resistance; so too does that which is the most compact and therefore most repellent. The natu…”
Shared concept: Correspondence — The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others. (derived)
hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 11: The Hymn|Section 1b
“It <i.e., Soul> fills it <i.e., the Body of the Cosmos> from within, and from without encircles it, making the All to live. Without, this vast and perfect Life [encircles] Cosmos; within, it fills [it with] all lives; above, in Heaven, con…”
Shared concept: Correspondence — The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others. (derived)
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter IV
“These things, therefore, having been accurately discussed, the solution of the doubts which you have met with in certain books will be manifest. For the books which are circulated under the name of Hermes contain Hermaic opinions, though th…”
Shared concept: Archons — Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent. (derived)
theosophy|The Secret Doctrine|Page 42 (part 6)
“should have selected a god against whose commandments Jesus was the first one to rise in rebellion. The Planetary origin of the Monad (Soul) and of its faculties was taught by the Gnostics. On its way to the Earth, as on its way back from…”
Shared concept: Archons — Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent. (derived)
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VII
“Moreover, in the manifestations there is an indication of the order which the powers that are seen possess. For the Gods are surrounded by either Gods or angels; but archangels have angels either preceding or coarranged with them, or follow…”
Shared concept: Archons — Malevolent planetary rulers or demiurgic powers that govern the material world and obstruct the soul's ascent. (derived)
theosophy|The Secret Doctrine|Page 63 (part 5)
“" Compare the last sentence with what the Rabbi, who explains the Kabala to Prince Al-Chazari in the Book of that name, says; and it will be found that the Weight and Measure and Number are, in Sepher Jezirah, the attributes of the Sephirot…”
Shared concept: Fall Of Sophia — The Gnostic myth of Wisdom's prolapse from the Pleroma — her unilateral desire or error producing the Demiurge and the entrapment of divine sparks in matter. (derived)
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 169
“Section 13 13. Those, then, that censure the constitution of the Kosmos do not understand what they are doing or where this audacity leads them. They do not understand that there is a successive order of Primals, Secondaries, Tertiaries and…”
Shared concept: Fall Of Sophia — The Gnostic myth of Wisdom's prolapse from the Pleroma — her unilateral desire or error producing the Demiurge and the entrapment of divine sparks in matter. (derived)
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 9 (part 9)
“183:1 If man's imagination were not excited by the pictorial representations which the objects of the surrounding world call forth in his mind by means of his external senses, but if his mental activity were restricted to forming images by…”
Shared concept: Fall Of Sophia — The Gnostic myth of Wisdom's prolapse from the Pleroma — her unilateral desire or error producing the Demiurge and the entrapment of divine sparks in matter. (derived)