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The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 75 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Chapter XIV (part 6)

The second, symbolized by Eye, is the origin of feminine Grace, of Authority. We have seen that Power and Authority find their equilibrium in Love. Each man, a reflected molecule of humanity made in its image, contains in himself an Adam, the source of the Will--that is the Brain; an Eve, source of the intelligence--the heart; and he should balance the heart by the brain, and the brain by the heart, to become a centre of divine love. It is the same with man and woman, represented by Adam and Eve (הוה Eve, the life). But just as the Father and the Son have become realities in the Holy Spirit, as Adam and Eve are embodied in Humanity, so the third ternary will take rise in the reciprocal action of the other two. NATURA NATURANS, or creating, will take her birth under the action and the reciprocal reaction of God the Father and of Adam, the two active and passive creative principles. Thus also appears the Universal creative Fluid , balancing and realizing in itself both will and power. From this again will be born NATURA NATURATA, or preserving, realizing the union of God the Son and of Eve, at the same time that the Universal preserving Fluid , or Universal Life , will appear, balancing and realizing the Intelligence and Authority which define its innate qualities. Lastly, the Holy Spirit and Humanity, the divine and the human bodies, unite and manifest themselves eternally in the LIVING UNIVERSE, the source of Universal Attraction . For even as the Holy Spirit was the body of God, the Son his soul, and the Father his Spirit, even as Humanity was the body of Adam, Eve his life or soul, and Adam his Spirit; so also-- The Universe is the body of God; Humanity is the soul of God; God Himself is the Spirit of God . From this we recognize the truth of the opinion of the Pantheists, who declared that God was the Universe; but we also see their error, when they refuse to acknowledge in him any innate consciousness. For as the consciousness of man is independent of the millions of cells which compose his body, so the consciousness of God is independent of the molecules of the Universe and of man which form its body and its soul. We might partly destroy the [paragraph continues] Universe without in any way diminishing the Divine Personality, even as the four limbs can be cut off a man without his losing the consciousness of the integrity of his personality. This is why the conclusions of Schopenhauer and Hartmann are partly erroneous. Before leaving this study, we must once more express our admiration for this wonderful book, this symbolical Tarot, which thus defines God-- God is the Absolute, the essence of which is impenetrable, formed of the Universe as body, of Humanity as soul, and of himself as Spirit. THEOGONY . ANDROGONY. Each man contains in himself an Adam , source of the Will, i.e. the Brain; an Eve , source of the Intelligence, i.e. the Heart, and he should balance the heart by the brain, and the brain by the heart, if he would become a centre of divine love. In Humanity, the passive Realistic principle of God Himself, the Father and the Divine Son, are represented by Man. Man accomplishing the functions of God the creator is the FATHER; the woman accomplishing the work of God the preserver is the MOTHER; lastly, HUMAN LOVE realizes the whole Divinity in Humanity. The human family is therefore the representation of the Divinity upon earth. The Tarot also teaches us this fact by its minor arcana (king or father, queen or mother, knight or young man, knave or child); and it was so thoroughly understood by ancient science, that the whole social organization was based upon the family , instead of upon the individual , as it is in modern times.
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Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

God is described with human-like attributes (Body, Soul, Spirit) and the divine family structure mirrors the human family.

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Astral Lightcosmology

The universal fluid or medium of occult philosophy — Lévi's Great Magical Agent — that transmits will, thought, and magical influence between minds and matter, and preserves the impress of all forms and actions as a book of consciences; cognate with akasha and the anima mundi. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of hidden affinity) in being a substantival medium that can be charged, directed, and abused.

References to 'Universal creative Fluid' and 'Universal preserving Fluid' align with Papus's concept of the Astral Light as a medium balancing will and power.

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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 relies heavily on the principle that divine structures (Father/Son/Spirit) correspond exactly to human structures (Adam/Eve/Humanity) and cosmic structures (Universe/Body/Soul).

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Cosmogonycosmology

Narratives or doctrines of cosmic origin — how heaven, earth, and the primordial deities first came into being. The Kojiki's deities born alone on the Plain of High Heaven, Voluspo's Ginnungagap, Genesis's tohu wa-bohu, the Timaeus's Demiurge fashioning the Receptacle, the Hesiodic Theogony, the Kalevala's egg-cosmogony, Egyptian Nun-and-Atum. Distinct from emanation_hierarchy (structural-ontological cascade), letters_of_creation (mechanism of creation), and apocatastasis/frashokereti (end-state restoration); cosmogony is temporally-narrative beginning.

The text briefly touches on the origin of Natura Naturans and Natura Naturata as part of the divine creative process.

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Divine Immanencetheology

The doctrine that the divine is present within all things and the universe itself, pervading creation rather than remaining solely transcendent above it. Distinct from unity_of_being (the general claim that all existence is one substance, agnostic about whether that substance indwells its parts) and from kingdom_within (the divine present specifically IN THE INDIVIDUAL human, accessible without mediation) — divine_immanence is the general pervading-presence claim applied to all of creation, not a human-specific indwelling.

The text asserts 'God is the Absolute... formed of the Universe as body, of Humanity as soul', indicating God pervades and constitutes creation rather than remaining solely transcendent.

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Divine Marriagesoteriology

The reunification of complementary divine principles (male-female, spirit-matter) as a symbol of wholeness and salvation.

The union of Adam and Eve within man and the Father/Son/Holy Spirit ternary reflects the reunification of complementary principles to realize divinity.

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Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The passage outlines a structured descent from God (Father/Spirit) through Humanity (Son/Soul) to the Universe (Body), mirroring divine ternaries in creation.

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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 passage defines masculine (Adam/Will/Brain/Father) and feminine (Eve/Intelligence/Heart/Mother) principles as structural features of creation present in every man and the cosmos.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is described as having consciousness independent of matter and actively manifesting in the 'LIVING UNIVERSE'.

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Magical Equilibriumcosmology

The balance of two contrary forces as the structural law of cosmos and operation — Lévi's equilibrium, expressed in Kabbalah by the senary: the will of God in its first cause, liberty in man, mathematical equilibrium in matter; the twofold vibration required to direct the Astral Light safely.

The text repeatedly emphasizes balancing contrary forces: 'Power and Authority find their equilibrium in Love', 'balance the heart by the brain, and the brain by the heart'.

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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 explicitly states 'Each man, a reflected molecule of humanity made in its image' and parallels the divine Trinity with human faculties (Adam/Will/Brain, Eve/Intelligence/Heart).

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

References to ternaries (Father/Son/Spirit, Adam/Eve/Humanity) and the Tarot's minor arcana suggest a reliance on sacred numbers.

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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 text discusses balancing opposites (Will/Intelligence, Brain/Heart) as a means to achieve divine love, implying they are degrees of the same scale.

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Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

The instruction to balance internal faculties (brain/heart) to become a 'centre of divine love' implies self-knowledge is the path to divinity.

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Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The goal described is for man to become a 'centre of divine love' and realize the whole Divinity in Humanity.

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Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

The text divides the human being into Will (Brain/Adam), Intelligence (Heart/Eve), and implies a unifying Spirit or Love that balances them.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The passage critiques Pantheism but affirms a deep unity where God, Humanity, and the Universe are interrelated aspects of one divine reality.

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