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The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 65 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Page 37

THE SUN. THE SUN. 19. ק 19th Hebrew letter (Qoph). ORIGIN OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE NINETEENTH CARD OF THE TAROT. HIEROGLYPHICALLY the Qoph expresses a sharp weapon, everything that is useful to man; defends him; makes an effort for him. The Qoph is therefore a particularly compressive, astringent, and cutting sign; it is the image of agglomerative, restricting form, and this gives rise to the idea of material existence . This letter represents the letter ק (Kaph, 11) entirely materialized, applying itself to purely physical objects. Here is the progression of the sign-- ה (He, 5). Universal life. ח (Cheth, 8). Elementary existence. The effort of nature. כ (Kaph, 11). Assimilated life, tending to material forms. ק (Qoph, 19). Material existence, becoming the medium of forms. This is a simple letter; it corresponds with the sign of the Gemini. NINETEENTH CARD OF THE TAROT. The Sun . Two naked children are shut into a walled enclosure. The sun sends down his rays upon them, and drops of gold escape from him and fall upon the ground. The spirit resumes its ascendancy. It is no longer a reflected light as in the preceding arcanum, which illumines the figure, but the direct creative light of the God of our Universe, which floods it with his rays. The walls indicate that we are still in the visible or material world. The two children symbolize the two creative fluids, positive and negative, of the new creature. 1. Awakening of the Spirit. Transition from the material world to the divine world. Nature accomplishing the functions of God-- THE ELEMENTS. 2. The body of man is renewed-- NUTRITION. DIGESTION. 3. The material world commences its ascension towards God-- THE MINERAL KINGDOM. 19. ק The Sun . AFFINITIES SIGNIFICATIONS Hieroglyphic Primitive: Axe, sharp-edged weapon Astronomy: The Gemini Month: February Hebrew letter: Qoph (simple) THE ELEMENTS __________ NUTRITION Digestion OBSERVATIONS THE MINERAL KINGDOM
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Themes
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 text explicitly links the Tarot card to Hebrew letters, astronomy (Gemini), months, elements, and physiological processes, exemplifying the 'as above, so below' axiom.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The Sun is described as the 'direct creative light of the God of our Universe' that floods the scene, representing divine illumination.

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Gendercosmology

The Hermetic doctrine that a masculine-feminine generative principle operates on every plane of being, not only the biological — present at all times as a structural feature of creation itself. Distinct from divine_marriage (a specific reunification event or symbol) and aeons (paired divine beings arranged in syzygies, not a universal structural claim).

The two children on the card are described as symbolizing 'the two creative fluids, positive and negative,' reflecting the Hermetic doctrine of generative polarity.

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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 passage extensively details the Hebrew letter Qoph and its progression from other letters (He, Cheth, Kaph) as the structural basis for material existence and symbolism.

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Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

The text connects cosmic processes (Sun's rays, elements) with human physiology ('body of man is renewed-- NUTRITION. DIGESTION'), mirroring the macrocosm in the microcosm.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The text assigns specific numerical values to Hebrew letters (19, 11, 5, 8) and the Tarot card, treating numbers as significant structural keys.

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Polaritycosmology

The Hermetic doctrine that apparent opposites are identical in nature but differ in degree — two extremes of the same scale (hot/cold, love/hate) — such that one pole can be shifted toward its opposite by a change of degree ('mental transmutation'). Distinct from opposites_transcended (a completion-state marking the path's end, not this doctrine's active technique) and magical_equilibrium (balance held BETWEEN two forces, not identity-by-degree of what looks like two forces).

The mention of 'two creative fluids, positive and negative' aligns with the Hermetic doctrine that opposites are identical in nature but differ in degree.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The phrase 'Transition from the material world to the divine world' suggests a movement back toward the origin or higher state.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The passage describes 'Awakening of the Spirit' and the 'material world commences its ascension towards God,' indicating a movement from matter to divinity.

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Related passages · 12 parallels
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 1, Section 1d
And we press upwards to those beams which in the Holy Scripture shine upon us; wherefrom we gain the light which leads us unto 55 the Divine praises 64 64 πρὸς τοὺς θεαρχικοὺς ὕμνους. Either (1) “leads us to declare the Divine praises”; or…”
Shared concept: Return To Source — The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology|Chapter I-b
They are useful and necessary up to a point, but the Truth lies beyond them and is to be apprehended to a supernatural manner by what later writers call “infused” contemplation. The sum of the whole matter is that God is incomprehensible.…”
Shared concept: Return To Source — The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination. (derived)
theosophy|The Secret Doctrine|Page 46 (part 11)
They say that what is called collectively Monads by Leibnitz -- roughly viewed, and leaving every subdivision out of calculation, for the present** -- may be separated into three distinct Hosts, which, counted from the highest planes, are,…”
Shared concept: Microcosm Macrocosm — The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror. (derived)
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 166
Section 10 10. Under detailed investigation, many other tenets of this school- indeed we might say all- could be corrected with an abundance of proof. But I am withheld by regard for some of our own friends who fell in with this doctrine be…”
Shared concept: Return To Source — The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination. (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)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 1, Section 1f
And in all the other Divine enlightenments which the occult Tradition of our inspired teachers hath, by mystic Interpretation, accordant with the Scriptures, bestowed upon us, we also have been initiated: apprehending these things in the pr…”
Shared concept: Divine Light — The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation. (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)
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 4)
We may say that the world, as we know it, is constituted entirely of forms of heat, or of motion, or of electric conditions, or light, &c., &c. All this is true in so far as it refers to the relations which it bears towards ourselves. All…”
Shared concept: Microcosm Macrocosm — The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology|Chapter I-a
Wheat is the Divine Gloom. T rinty, which exceedeth all Being, Deity, and Goodness! 514 514 Lit. “Super-Essential, Supra-Divine, Super-Excellent.” Thou that instructeth Christians in Thy heavenly wisdom! Guide us to that topmost height…”
Shared concept: Divine Light — The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation. (derived)
renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogue-m
Thus everything has an impetus towards its beginning retrogressively, and progressively towards its end and perfection, as Empedocles well said, and from which sentence I think may be inferred that which the Nolan said in this octave: The s…”
Shared concept: Spiritual Ascent — A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source. (derived)
theosophy|The Secret Doctrine|Page 3 (part 8)
Moreover, the Secret Doctrine teaches: -- ( c ) The fundamental identity of all Souls with the Universal Over-Soul, the latter being itself an aspect of the Unknown Root; and the obligatory pilgrimage for every Soul -- a spark of the former…”
Shared concept: Spiritual Ascent — A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source. (derived)
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIII-au
The Pythagoreans, likewise, adorned numbers and figures with the appellations of the Gods. For they called the equilateral triangle, Minerva Coryphagenes, or begotten from the summit, and Tritogeneia because it is divided by three perpendi…”
Shared concept: Numerical Mysticism — Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality. (derived)