The Beatles and Crowley's Thoth Tarot
Sources used: The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley
Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo
DuQuette
The Thoth Companion by Michael Osiris Snuffin
"The Tzaddi is not the Star."
The Tarot deck dates as far back as at least the middle
ages, and the Trumps have been arranged in their particular sequence since
around the 1490s. The arrangement was modified slightly by the Golden Dawn in
the late 1800s, and each of the twenty-two Trumps were assigned a letter of the
Hebrew alphabet, and their corresponding elemental, planetary, or Zodiacal
attributions and their path on the Kabbalah Tree of Life.
On April 8th, 1904, while Aleister Crowley, a Golden Dawn memeber and student of the Tarot, was
receiving dictation for The Book of the Law from Aiwass/Lam, he was told, “All
these old letters of my Book are aright, but Tzaddi is not the Star.”
After years of consideration, Crowley finally realized he
needed to switch the Tzaddi from The Star card with the Heh of The Emperor card,
thus attributing the letter Hé to The Star and the Tzaddi to The Emperor.
He also restored the sequence of the previous decks by switching
Justice/Adjustment and Strength/Lust back to their original positions. Thus
assigning Adjustment, which represents the scales of balance, to Libra; and
Lust, which commonly depicts a lion, with Leo.
(Golden Dawn arrangement)
When Crowley decided to switch the placements of Adjustment and Lust, he also switched with them the order of the Hebrew letters and Zodiac signs which are attributed to them, Teth/Leo and Lamed/Libra.
If we were to project this change upon the belt of the Zodiac, it would be as if a twist is formed around the sign of Virgo.
By switching the Tzaddi with the Heh, and switching Adjustment with Lust, perfect symmetry in the Tarot arrangement was ultimately created. On one end of the Zodiac Belt, Aquarius and Aries revolve on a pivot around Pisces, just as Libra and Leo were flipped around Virgo on the other end.
Crowley writes, “For 'The Star' is referred to Aquarius in
the Zodiac, and 'The Emperor' to Aries. Now Aries and Aquarius are on each side
of Pisces, just as Leo and Libra are on each side of Virgo; that is to say, the
correction in
The Book of the Law gives perfect symmetry in to Zodiacal
attribution, just as if a loop were formed at one end of the ellipse to
correspond exactly with the existing loop at the other end.”
With the Emperor card, we see a strong
connection with Paul McCartney and his works. The Emperor card is associated with the Zodiac of Aries, the Ram.
In the film A Hard Day’s Night, we see a wooden ram atop his
piano.
Interestingly enough, the same wooden ram is seen in Doris
Day’s last film With Six You Get Eggroll. The Beatles mention Doris Day in
their song ‘Dig It’.
McCartney went by the name
Ramon in the early-60s when touring UK and Hamburg.
Thrillington is another McCartney solo record. A Ram-headed man adorns the cover.
The lamb on the card, the Angus Dei, plays perfectly into the theme of McCartney being replaced by a man named Will, or Bill, Shepherd. (Bearing in mind one of the writers of Beatles Monthly Magazine, going back as far as 1964, went by the pen-name Billy Shepherd).
Which makes it interesting that the lizard in Alice in
Wonderland is named Bill, and he is a chimney sweep and gets blown out of the Rabbit's chimeny, associating him with
Sulfur, which is the Alchemical Element the Emperor card is linked with.
The Lamb and Flag is also associated with the Aeon of
Osiris. And represents the blood sacrifice of the Old Testament. There is much
imagery in McCartney’s work linking him with Osiris. See the
Egypt thread for more.
The word Tzaddi also shares the same root as such words as
Tsar, Senior and Sir. The word is derived from Sanskrit roots meaning Head and Age.
Sir Paul McCartney is the only Beatle to have been Knighted.
The Emperor’s shield represents the Alchemical Red Tincture, the purified sulfur analogous with gold and the Sun. Also notice the golden eagle emblazoned on his shield. It is a symbol of imperial power and it’s fiery feathers connect it with the Phoenix, a symbol of death & rebirth.
The old Aeon/Christian idea of sacrifice symbolized by the Lamb and Flag has been removed and discarded. Thus, the light from above shines on the shield, leaving the Lamb and Flag in darkness.
In Hebrew, the word Tzaddi means fish hook. And what do fish
hooks catch?
Fish.
The Death Tarot card is associated with the Hebrew letter
Nun, which means fish.
The Death card actually represents change, not death in the
literal sense. Crowley constantly spoke on the concept that "Change is stability." The card also represents the final stage in the Alchemical process, that of putrefaction.
(More on the Death card lower down)
The Emperor and The Empress are obviously companions, which means Jane Asher would represent the Empress card, as well as the High Priestess.
Interesting that Asherah is the Hebrew Mother goddess and consort to the Hebrew God El.
The famous quote, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" means "I Am that I Am", or more literally, "I will be what I will be." It can also be translated to, "I am that which is becoming" or "to become". Interesting since the Scarab beetle of ancient Egypt represents "coming into being".
Mars rules in Aires, wherein the Sun is exalted. The Empress card is attributed to Venus. In the '70s Paul & his wife Linda made an album titled Venus & Mars.
The Star card brings to mind Ringo Starr. This card is
associated with Aquarius. Ringo sings Yellow Submarine and Octopus’s Garden;
Starr wrote the latter. The card also depicts the waters of Binah, as Nuit has
one foot on land and another in the sea, thus spanning the Abyss. In the final
scene of the film Help! Ringo is to be sacrificed on the beach.
As mentioned, this card is also attributed to the Hebrew letter Heh, which means window. "She came in through the bathroom window... Now she sucks her thumb and wonders by the banks of her own lagoon." Further down we will see how much Ringo resonates with the Nuit persona & imagery.
Lon Milo DuQuette also describes the Star card as “one of
the most Thelemic cards in accordance with The Book of the Law.” Thelema being
strongly associated with the pentagram star.
There are also five butterflies on the right side of this
card. Five to represent the fifth element of Spirit. The element that is either
at the top, or when inverted, at the bottom of the pentagram.
In the film The Magic Christian, Ringo has butterflies adorned upon his motorcycle helmet.
There are also roses underneath the butterflies of the Star card.
The A.'. A.'. 7-pointed
Star of Babalon
The seal upon the
Ring of IT.
Notice the 77 - the Gematrical value of Oz
Ringo was born on 7/7
To the right is from Crowley's Liber Oz. Notice the 7-pointed star within the ring. In Hebrew, Oz means strength, and goat, depending on the pronunciation. Remember that further down at the Devil card.
When the name Ringo is transposed into Hebrew; Resh-Yod-Nun-Gimel-Ayin, the Gematrical value is 333. The name Choronzon, who is the Dweller at the Threshold, also adds up to 333 in Crowley's spelling.
In Ringo's music video for Wrack My Brain, he & Dracula play cards with a Tarot deck. Ringo lays down The Fool, and Dracula lays down The Star card.
The Adjustment card is connected with Libra, which is the
sign Lennon was born under, he’s also well-known for his fight for justice in
the ‘70s.
The Hebrew letter associated with Adjustment is Lamed, which means ‘Ox Goad’. The Fool card is associated with the Hebrew letter Aleph, which means ‘Ox’.
In the song Glass Onion, Lennon tells us it was him that told us about The Fool on the Hill. Here we see lyrics to the song written in Lennon's hand-writing. Could he have written the song? Whether or not he did, the significance is in the fact that we’re seeing the ox being led by the goad.
The two letters AL (Aleph & Lamed) make up the Thelemic Formula, and the title of The Book of the Law.
The woman in the card is also wearing harlequin pants, further
linking her with The Fool.
Notice the central figure is also holding and balancing on
the Sword, which reads “Thelema” on the blade. The Sword of the Will. Thelema is Greek for the Will. Bringing
up the fabled name of McCartney's replacement; Will, again. "Love is the Law, Love under Will." "All you need is love."
She holds the Universe in balance. "Across the universe."
She is also crowned with the blue feather of the Egyptian
goddess Ma’at, which can be translated to mean both “justice” and “truth.” Gimme Truth.
Crowley states that she is the equivalent of Karma of Eastern Philosophy. Instant Karma.
Also upon her head is the Uraeus serpent, Lord of Life &
Death.
The
feather of Ma'at was weighed against the
heart of the sojourner in The Egyptian Underworld.
Her curtain is adorned with diamonds and forms a diamond
shape around her. Bringing to mind Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. As well as a
diamond, the curtain is also to be taken as a vesica piscis, or yoni, in union
with the phallic sword.
The Diamonds link her even further with The Fool, as he
holds one in his right hand.
Essentially, this card displays the union of
the Daughter and the Son (the Fool), wherein the Daughter becomes
the mother.
This is represented in the tetragrammaton, YHVH. The first Hé is
the Mother/Queen, the Vav is the Son/Prince, and the final Heh is the daughter/Princess. The Revolving
Formula whereby the Daughter, seated upon the Throne of the Mother, “Awakens
the Eld of the
All-Father.” The Yod/King.
The Lust card is associated with Leo.
During the 'Blue Jay Way' segment of Magical Mystery Tour, George has lion faces imposed over his.
In Yellow Submarine he meditates in a room with a goaded ox and winged lions, (chimeras). Outside this room we see ram's heads along the wall.
Also notice the blooming rose & lily. Both flowers are also featured on the Death card.
Also interesting that the cover of McCartney's Ram album has L.I.L.Y written on the side, and on his album Red Rose Speedway, he holds a rose in his mouth.
Here we can see the ram's heads above the doors in their mansion.
The Lust card is associated with the Hebrew letter Teth, which means serpent. The first Apple Records release
was the soundrack to Wonderwall, which was written and recorded by George
Harrison. The serpent offering the Apple.
Harrison was a fan of Monty Python films and co-produced The Life of Brian. Their previous film was Monty Python & The Holy Grail. Notice Babalon holds a grail while mounting the beast, with the lion-serpent tail.
In Crowley's The Vision and the Voice, he explains that the imagery in the Lust card is the heart of the ritual that is accomplished in the Vault of the Adepts (Help! album cover) that is hidden in the Mountain of the Caverns. The Beatles spent their early days performing at the Cavern Club.
The previous Aeon, that of Osiris
is linked with Aries and Libra. While the current Aeon, that of Hours, is
linked with Aquarius and Leo.
John & Paul being the death
resonators of The Beatles.
The Aeon of Osiris being that of
the Dying God.
The four suits of the Tarot correspond with the four
basic Elements
Fire, Water, Air and Earth.
Which also directly correspond with the four letters
of the Tetragrammaton YHVH.
Y, the Yod, is linked with Fire.
The primal Hé is represented by Water
V, the Vav, is associated with Air
And the final Hé corresponds with Earth.
George, resonating with the fiery Lust card, wears the red
suit on the Sgt. Pepper cover
He also holds a fife, which could
be taken as a wand, one of the four magical items of the Magician associated
with the Tarot.
In all there is:
The Wand = Fire
George holds the Wand, Paul holds the Sword. Remember Paul
has been knighted, which is done with a sword. He resonates with Air in many ways.
Paul resonates as The
Fool. The word fool comes from the same root as that of the word ‘bellows’, which are used to blow air onto fire.
The Fool card, attributed to Aleph, corresponds with the Air element on the three primary petals of the Ruby Rose on the Rosey Cross.
Air is also the element attributed to the Aeon of Osiris. McCartney is further identified with Osiris on the covers for The Beatles album Yesterday and Today.
The first one, known as the Butcher Cover, shows the lads holding 14 pieces of meat, resonating with the legend of Osiris being chopped to 14 pieces. After a public uproar, the cover was quickly
replaced, but now we have Paul in a box - Osiris was also put into a box.
Bullfighters. Paul holding Sword
The bullfighter motif is interesting in that the Egyptian bull-god Apis was sacrificed in honor of Osiris.
Ringo holds a trumpet which could be interpreted as a Grail,
or Cup, and John holds a French Horn, which, with the round body could be taken as a
disk. However, as I will display, Ringo resonates accordingly with Earth/Disks and Lennon with
Water/Cups.
In The Ballad of John & Yoko he says, “They’re gonna crucify me.” Not only associating himself with the Christ figure, but also The Hanged Man card, which is linked with the Hebrew letter Mem, meaning water.
Not only does Lennon sing about rain, floating upnstream, floating downstream, boats on a river, being a walrus, ocean child (which is what the name Yoko means), pools of sorrow and waves of joy;
In the Real Love video, his famous white piano emerges from the sea.
Here he has his legs crossed much like The Hanged Man, and Aunt Jessie is holding Ringo upside down.
Here Lennon has his arms stretched out like The Hanged Man, but is also forming the Typhon Triumphant sign, and the V in the tLVX Golden Dawn formation.
Ringo forms the 'As Above, So Below' sign on the Help! album, which is also used as the Earth Sign; connecting him as the Earth element.
When considering the correlation between George/Fire, John/Water and Paul/Air - the three primary elements, it's interesting the the fourth, Earth, correlates with Ringo, who joined the band long after the original three had been together.
The four suits of the Tarot not only correspond with the four elements, but these elements are also attributed to the four animals of the Kerub. The four creatures of Ezekiel's vision. It is these four animals that comprise the Sphinx.
Fire = Lion
Water = Man, or Angel
Air = Falcon
Earth = Bull
In each corner of The Hierophant and The Universe card are the Kerubim. Their arrangement corresponds to my findings with the Beatles as seen on their Revolver cover.
Paul as the Eagle, Lennon as the Man, Ringo as the Bull, and George as the Lion.
One of the working titles for Revolver was Abracadabra. Crowley declared it the word of the New Aeon. (more on that further down)
For some reason, the cover of Crowley's Book 4 has the man & the falcon in the previous Aeon's arrangement, but notice how uncanny the angles on the drawings of the characters are.
Remember the scene from A Hard Day's Night, with the Ram atop McCartney's piano. In that same scene, Ringo enters the room and walks by a wooden Bull. The comment on his snoring reminds me of snorting like a bull.
George plays with what looks like an abstract lion sculpture.
Accordingly, the four Beatles correspond to the the Tetragrammaton as such:
Yod/King/Fire/Wand/Lion/George
Hé/Queen/Water/Cup/Angel/John
Vav/Prince/Air/Sword/Eagle/Paul
Final Hé/Princess/Earth/Disk/Bull/Ringo
With the particular correspondences of the Beatles established, let's look further into their relationships with the other Trumps of the Tarot.
Connecting Paul with The Fool, we of course already have 'The Fool on the Hill' and Aleph's relationship with the Air element. Also, the word Fool comes from the latin root "follis" which means bellows. "Follis" also means a leather bag used to carry coins, and may have even been the name of a certain kind of coin. Notice The Fool is holding a bag of coins. "You never give me your money." McCartney produced the song 'Come and Get It" by Badfinger, which contains the line, "...a fool and his money."
Also notice most earlier versions of The Fool card featured a dog accompanying his master. Paul was the only Beatle with a dog, his sheepdog Martha, who was prominently featured in much of their work.
Notice the Thoth Fool card has the Sun in it's center, on The Fool's crotch. McCartney's crotch resides in the very center of the Sgt. Pepper album cover.
And speaking of the Sgt. Pepper cover, when the kick drum is mirrored, "LONELY HEARTS" becomes "1ONE1X HE^DIE". The word Aleph (ALP) has the Gematrical value of 111, which also ties into the Babalonian Sun Square.
The Hebrew word APL also equals 111, and means "sudden death" and "the thick darkness". APL brings to mind Apollo and Apple Records. "the thick darkness" is another name for the Egyptian Land of the Dead, the Duat.
The Hebrew word PAL, the nearest way of transposing the Western name Paul, means "to fall".
"My prophet is a fool with his 111" - Crowley, Liber AL
The X in 111X could also be in reference to the Osiris Risen sign.
The Magus card seems to incorporate both Paul & George's role in The Beatles.
(Not to mention the Magician in the Rider card forming the same pose Ringo forms on the Help! album).
The Magi represents the Alchemical element and principal of Mercury. Behind the left wing at his feet, barely visible, is a golden sunburst affirming Mercury's role as the herald of the Sun. "I'll Follow the Sun" going west/into the Underworld - "Here Comes the Sun" the return/rebirth.
It is also the first card to feature the Winged Egg, which resonates both with, "I am the eggman" and McCartney's band Wings.
The Magus is also accompanied by the Cynolcephalus, the Ape of Thoth, whose cosmic duty is to mock and ape the work of the Magus. Very much like The Monkees were to The Beatles.
Crowley states: "Mercury is pre-eminently the bearer of the Wand: Energy sent forth. This card therefore represents the Wisdom, the Will, the Word, the Logos by whom the worlds were created... It represents the Will."
The wand is the Phoenix wand that symbolizes resurrection - Death & Rebirth being a central theme to The Beatles' work. It is a double wand and is a symbol of the energy and power of Horus, the Lord of the New Aeon. It symbolizes the harmonizing energy of the Sun and Tiphareth, and its function os to unite opposites under one will.
The High Priestess is the card makes the direct connection between the Father/Yod/Kether and the Son/Vav/Tiphareth. Interesting when considering McCartney lived with Jane Asher and her parents, and the theories revolving around her father being involved in Tavistock mind control programs.
The High Priestess on the Rider card is seated between the twin pillars Boaz & Jachin, resonating with the ancient Temple of Solomon. On the Sgt. Pepper cover, it seems as if the wax statues of Sonny Liston and Diana Dors represent these two pillars, with Marilyn Monroe as the High Priestess.
The Hierophant is associated with the Hebrew letter Vav. Paul being the Vav of YHVH, would be linked with The Hierophant, who is also wearing the Osiris crown. The
Scarlet Woman in this card holds a sword. Jane holding Paul.
“Let the woman be girt with a sword before me.” Crowley from The Book of the Law 111:11
Notice the 9 nails at the top of the image holding up the window. “number 9…”
Vav, the Hebrew letter linked with the Hierophant, means nail. Window in Hebrew is Hé, the letter Hé is associated with the Star card. The Hierophant is attributed to the Zodiac of Taurus, but notice he sits atop the Bull. The key in his hand represents the three Thelemic Aeons. Osiris is also associated with the bull-god Apis of Memphis, who served as a spiritual double of Osiris when sacrificed. (Some PID legends state Paul's last interview was in Memphis, TN).
The
Scarlet Woman is attributed to Scorpio (Snuffin), Jane Asher
starred in The Masque of the
Red Death in 1964. A film based on the novel by
Edgar Allen Poe, who appears on the Sgt. Pepper cover. In it, Jane must choose between the death of her lover and the death of her father. She is also picked by Prince Prospero to be his new Scarlet Woman. Jane has
red hair. Scorpio is the Woman-Serpent, the old attribution is of the
Eagle to Scorpio.
The Hierophant is the Master of the Hall in the Golden Dawn rituals, his throne is in the
East, the place of the rising Sun. The Solar baby dances upon his Solar Plexus, representing the Aeon of Hours.
Here is McCartney on the cover of his first solo record with his first child, Mary. The mother being Linda
Eastman. Also interesting that McCartney started sporting a beard when he married Eastman, much like the Hierophant.
The Lovers card is associated with the Hebrew letter Zayin,
which means Sword, as we see a temple made of steel swords on this card -
equating the card with McCartney. This card also corresponds with the Zodiac of
Gemini – McCartney’s birth sign. Which is interesting when considering the
theory that there are two Pauls. In fact, Crowley states that this card should
be called The Brothers.
What is interesting is that the earliest version of this
card depicted Cain and his slain brother Abel, with Eve & Lillith on either
side. Cain holding the blood-soaked Hammer of Thor, with which he murdered his
brother. “Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon his head.”
The King’s robe is adorned with lemniscate serpents which
signify the eternal cycle of death & rebirth. (A rubber soul?)
This card depicts the Alchemical marriage of the Sun King and the Moon Queen. Interesting that on the album Beatles For Sale, ‘I'll Follow the Sun’ is directly followed by ‘Mr. Moonlight’. The title A Hard Day’s Night also seems to suggest the union of the Sun & the Moon. As well as alluding to Ra's nightly journey through the Underworld to be reborn at dawn as Khepri.
On Cupid’s quiver is written Thelema, and the arrows are
quanta of Will. again equating the card with the Paul/Will motif. The Cupid
represents Love & Will, the two principles necessary for the Hermetic
Marriage.
Here, we also again have the winged Orphic Egg, as well as
the lion & eagle. Also note that the serpent is purple, just like the
serpent on the Sgt. Pepper cover, by Sonny Liston’s feet.
The Chariot card seems to play an extremely important part
in Beatles lore. So much so, that I’m not sure where to start. Perhaps with the
word embroidered on the canopy of the Chariot. Abracadabra. Or, as Crowley
preferred Abrahadabra.
Abrahadabra is the cipher of The Great Work, and Crowley
declared it the word of the New Aeon. It consists of 11 letters, the number of
Magick. It is the word that expresses the formula of the marriage of the
microcosm with the macrocosm, or the aspirant with the Holy Guardian Angel.
One of the working titles for Revolver was Abracadabra.
The Gematrical value of Cheth, the Hebrew letter associated
with The Chariot card, is 418, as is Abrahadabra.
The Chariot is what carries the Adept across the Abyss. In
one of the more memorable lines from ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ the final track on
Revolver, Lennon says, “Lay down all thoughts, surrender to The Void. It is
Shining.” Added to the fact that in the track before that, ‘Got To Get You Into
My Life’, Paul sings, “I was alone, I took a ride, I didn’t know what I would
find there. Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind, there.”
Are they talking about crossing the Abyss?
The armored Adept holds the Holy Grail with its six
Revolving rays. These six rays emanating from the center, represent the
influence of Tiphareth. The red sphere with the point in the center forms the
sigil of the Sun, and the Sun reaches the pinnacle of its power and potency
when it enters Cancer at the Summer Solstice. “Good day sunshine!”
The card is associated with the Zodiac of Cancer, we see the
crab atop the Adept’s head. Cancer can also be represented with a Scarab.
On the album cover for Revolver we see Lennon in a suit of
armor. Notice the diamonds embedded in the Adept’s armor.
Cancer is the cardinal sign of the element of Water.
St.
John Baptist’s Day
The path of The Chariot on the Tree of Life joins the fifth
Sephira, Geburah, with the third Sephira, Binah. Being so high on the Tree of
Life, it’s mysteries deal with the most sublime and profound aspects of nature
and consciousness.
The Hermit card, #9, is ruled by the Zodiac of Virgo. It is attributed to the virtue of Prudence in most decks. While the Beatles were in India, Lennon wrote the song ‘Dear Prudence’ for Prudence Farrow, Mia’s sister. Because, like a hermit, she refused to come out of her tent. Coaxing one’s prudence and chastity to come out and play? The Hermit holds in his hand a lantern containing the Sun. “The sun is out, the sky is blue…”
We see more death & rebirth imagery with the sperm &
Orphic Egg, and Cerberus, the guardian of the Land of the Dead. For syncs with The Hermit card and Catcher in the Rye see
post.
Now another extremely important card in the grand scheme of
things; Fortune, or, The Wheel of Fortune. And again, it’s loaded with so many Beatle
syncs, I’m not sure where to start.
“Change is stability.” One of Crowley’s favortie statements. This card represtents the Universe in its aspect as a continual
state of change.
Though I, and most Beatle scholars I’ve read, see Revovler
as the album when the Beatles changed the most in comparison to their previous
work, most fans perceive the biggest change as occurring with Sgt. Peppers, and
I believe that is how it was meant to be perceived. Sgt. Pepper represents the
revolving wheel of fortune and change. Nothing lasts forever, everything
changes, so why not embrace it. And that’s what I believe The Beatles were
doing in 1966 & 1967.
On the card, we see the figures riding the ever-revolving
wheel. One is on top, the others are either going down, being crushed
underneath, or on their way back up to the top.
The King Kill cycle.
The descending creature on the Thoth card is Typhon, or Set, the god of storms and darkness. Set was the slayer of Osiris, and here he is shown separating the Ankh of Life from the Crook of Osiris. Recall the 111X from the mirrored Sgt. Pepper drum. The Hebrew word APL means “thick darkness” which is another name for the Egyptian Underworld.
The Pepper drum seems to literally represent the Wheel of Fortune.
Also notice the ring o’ stars at the top of the image, another representation of Nuith.
The Fortune card is associated with the planet Jupiter. It
was Jupiter who was saved by his mother from being eaten by his father Saturn.
In his stead, his mother fed Saturn a stone.
Notice on the Rider card, the Sphinx is
light blue and holds
her sword titled slightly. Now look at
Paul and his Cor Anglais. Also notice the snake in
the bottom left of the album image, and the snake on the left of the card.
Plus, George is wearing red, just like the figure on the right.
This card is attributed to the Hebrew letter Kaph, which means the palm of the hand. Notice the raised palm above McCartney’s head.
The Sphinx at the top of the card represents Sulfur, and the
union of Babalon the woman and the Beast, the lion.
The Hanged Man card is attributed to the Hebrew letter Mem which means water. Notice the green disks at the man’s hands and feet, and the other green & yellow motifs. From 1966-1968, Lennon sang much about water and the colors yellow & green.
This card represents the concept of the sacrificial “Dying God” of the Aeon of Osiris. However, the Aeon of Horus has overthrown the need for such.
The Hanged Man of the Thoth Tarot still symbolizes the descent of the light into darkness in order to redeem it, but the word “redeem” no longer implies an existing debt that needs to be paid. Instead, redemption in the Aeon of Horus is the noble duty of the enlightened to bring the enlightenment to the unenlightened.”
Which seems to correlate with The Beatles in many ways.
You could say the New Aeon is “more popular than Jesus.”
The water motifs of this card also harken back to the first
Aeon, that of Isis, which is attributed to the element of Water, which explains
the attribution of the card to Water and the M sound (Mem) the return to
silence, as in the word AUM.
“Jai guru deva, aum.”
The figure is in the ritual posture of the Practice called “The Sleep of Shiloam”.
“I’m only sleeping” - “I’m so tired”
Lennon and the three nails of the Hanged Man.
Lennon's piano rising from the sea in the 'Real Love' video. Lennon with rope on neck.
As mentioned earlier, the Hanged Man and the Chariot reside along the left pillar of the Kabbalah Tree of Life. Overlayed together, they depict a man blowing his mind out in a car.
"Nothing to get hung about."
Lennon is also Frankenstein in the Yellow Submarine film. The green man, re-assembled = Osiris.
And the Yellow Submarine could then be taken as Osiris' golden phallus, which Isis created in order to conceive Horus.
The Death card is a glyph of natural change and
transformation expressed through the Alchemical process of putrefaction - the
incubation of the Orphic Egg. The final stage of The Great Work, bringing the
Orphic Egg to life.
The card is attributed to the Zodiac of Scorpio, which is
symbolized by three animals, according to Crowley. These three animals
represent the three aspects of the putrefaction process. The scorpion, the serpent,
and the eagle. The icons of the cycle of death, creation and incarnation.
Crowley states the eagle represents the highest aspect of
the card - linking it, of course, with Paul. Notice the skeleton is wearing an
Osiris crown, and the Wings of the eagle are there behind it.
Also notice the symbolic beheading of the blue figure, as
his soul leaves his body in preparation for reincarnation. With Paul linked to
the Vav/Air/Sword/Eagle archetype, it means he is also linked with the
Neschamah, the essence of the mind.
YHVH also corresponds to the four parts of man.
Many would assume Lennon would be linked with the mind, and
that is understandable. But taking into consideration the legend that Paul was
beheaded, it all fits into place.
Plus, Paul even sings, “I’m fixing a hole where the rain
gets in, and stops my mind from wandering.”
Interesting that this card is associated with Nun/Fish, when
Jesus, the figure of life, death and resurrection is often symbolized by a
fish. And that the serpent is one of the representatives of Scorpio.
In the Aeon of Horus, the concept of death is an illusion,
and Crowley’s Death trump emphasizes the transformation, resurrection and
the creation that follows death.
Again, we see the lily and the rose, at the bottom of the
card. The scorpion is trapped between them, and as they are known to do when
cornered, is about to commit suicide.
In The Tarot of the Egyptians, Crowley writes, “The Universe
is Change; every change is the effect of an Act of Love; all Acts of Love
contain Pure Joy. Die daily.
Death is the apex of one curve of the snake Life:
Behold all opposites as necessary compliments, and rejoice.
Transformation, change, voluntary or involuntary, in either
case logical development of existing conditions, yet perhaps sudden and
unexpected. Apparent death or destruction, but such interpretation is illusion."
When considering that the 111X of the mirrored Sgt. Pepper drum could be taken as 13, one can only think of the Death card and all of these implications.
Crowley - “Transmute all wholly into the Image of thy Will,
bringing each to its token of Perfection!”
This card represents the Consummation of the Royal Marriage
which took place in Atu VI, and Art is the “coagula” to the Lovers “solve.”"
“Coagula et Solve” is the Alchemical motto, which means
dissolve and coagulate, or, could we say “Come together”?
On the Art card we see the Orphic Egg is now a large golden
egg with an inscription written upon it, which translates to “Visit the
interior parts of the earth: by rectification thou shalt find the hidden
stone.” The initials spell Vitriol, the universal solvent. ‘Rectificando’ is
the path of the true Will.
Again we see our Lion & Eagle, but now they have grown in size and exchanged colors.
Notice the blackbird atop the skull, engraved upon the
cauldron, resonating again with beheading. Also bringing to mind Golgatha,
which means place of the skull, where Christ was crucified. Tying together the
Paul/Osiris archetypes.
It’s also interesting that the King & Queen have become
one entity, counterchanging arms and hair.. This signifies the integration of
opposites. The darker skin and lighter skin bringing to mind John & Yoko,
and the fact that John changed his name to John Lennon Ono. East meets West.
The card also represents the Higher Self integrated with the physical self. The
colors of the Lion and Eagle have also been transposed, signifying that their
tinctures have been combined with Alchemical Mercury to form the Philosopher’s
Stone. The True Self. The accomplishment of The Great Work. The Philosopher’s
Stone is used to fertilize and bring to manifested Life the Orphic Egg... man.
The Hebrew word Qesheth means both “bow” and “rainbow”. The Arrow of the Will traverses upwards along the rainbow.
The Devil card features a tree or phallus (Dick / Richard Starkey) reaching into the skies, with the body of Nuith wrapped around it, as a Saturn-like ring o’ stars. The dick is the star key.
Also notice the left testicle which contains three dancing women while the fourth lies prostrate. On the right are three men with a fourth dragging them down. Snuffin equates the fourth man as the Minotaur, the Bull. The billy goat also brings to mind the Bill motif.
The card is associated with the Zodiac of Capricorn, which
is ruled by Saturn. On the Rider Devil card, The Devil is in the As Above, So
Below/Baphomet pose.
In the Tower card we have the Eye of Horus destroying the
previous Aeon, that of Osiris. The eye is also associated with the eye of the
Billy goat in the Devil card. The opening of the third Chakra results in the
destruction of illusion through enlightenment. The tower symbolizes the
conscious mind or the ego, among other things.
The Tower card depicts an eye overseeing the destruction of
the Tower, more specifically the old Aeon. They Eye represents both the Eye of
Horus (the New Aeon) and the Eye of Shiva the Destroyer. The crumbling tower also
traditionally represents the transcendence of the state of manifestation, the
destruction of one’s previous notions & ego on their way up the Tree of
Life to Tiphareth.
The mouth of Hades destroys the base of the Tower with Fire,
which is attributed to the New Aeon. Notice the Dove, representitive of the
previous Aeon is fleeing, while the lion-serpent, representitive of the New
Aeon and also seen on the Lust card, is moving towards the Tower.
Crowley states that the Lion-Serpent represents the two
forms of desire: the Will to Live and the Will to Die.
Crowley relates the eye as both the Eye of Horus and the Eye
of Shiva, the destroyer.
With McCartney associated with Osiris, and the mirrored
Pepper drum pointing to him, could the “1ONE1X HE^DIE” message refer to "9/11
The Aeon of Horus dies"?
The Moon card represents the Dark Night of the Soul. We see
twin towers guarded by twin Anubises, however there are subtle differences
between the two. The one on the left is actually Set, the murderer of Osiris.
These discrepancies again bring to mind the PID motif. Set represents the
ability to defeat the demons of the unconscious mind. Anubis acts as the guide
through the darkness of the Underworld.
The two figures hold the Phoenix wands of resurrection,
while Set holds a sigil of Mercury and Anubis holds a composite sigil of
Neptune & Venus, which are more concurrent with the energies of the Moon
trump.
At the top of the card is the image of the moon dripping
drops of blood. And at the bottom we see the Scarab; Kephra, representing the
conscious mind in the waters of the subconscoius, pushing the sun out of the
dark waters.
Crowley writes, “It is this Beetle that bears the Sun in his
Silence through the darkness of Night and bitterness of Winter.”
This card is also attributed to the Zodiac of Pisces, the
twin fish. Interesting that it closely follows the Tower card.
It’s also interesting that when the Thoth Trumps are
arranged in a Vesica Piscis, the Tower card falls directly underneath the Lovers
card, which is attributed to Gemini. Twin Towers. McCartney/Gemini/two Pauls theory. In this arrangement The Moon Card lies underneath The Emperor card.
Qoph is the Hebrew letter this card is attributed to, which means back of the head. On the back side of the Sgt. Pepper cover, Paul has his back turned.
Remember he also represents the intellect/head. “…where maybe I could find another kind of mind there.”
The rational and logical intellect is of little use here in this card - in the realm of the unconscious.
this image was printed flipped on the cover. As was the image on the 2nd Yesterday & Today album, and the album with the rope connected to Lennon's neck
In case you haven’t noticed a pattern developing, this card
also represents the Aeon of Horus superseding the Aeon of Osiris.
The 12-rays of the sun correspond with the 12 signs of the
Zodiac and thus the body of Nuith, once again.
The two children are Ra-Hoor-Khuit and Hoor-pa-kraat, Fire
& Water. They are in the pose of the Hanged Man but right-side up,
representing the end of the era of the sacrificial Dying God.
They dance upon Rosey Cross disks, which also represent the passing of
the previous Aeon.
Crowley states: “This is one of the simplest of the cards;
it represents Heru-ra-ha, the Lord of the New Aeon, in his manifestation to the
race of men as the Sun spiritual, moral, and physical. He is the Lord of Light,
Life, Liberty and Love."
The Sun card overlays interestingly with the Moon card, in
that the Scarab and the Crab reside in the same spot. Identifying the Crab even
further with the Chariot card and beetles/Beatles.
"This Aeon has for its purpose the complete emancipation of
the human race.”
Heru-ra-ha is a unique name for the two opposite and equal
forms of the Egyptian god Horus – Hoor-pa-kraat and Ra-Hoor-Khut, who are
present along with Nuit and Hadit on the next card.
The Aeon card also represents the new era. In fact, Crowley changed the name of this Trump from Judgement to The Aeon. Replacing the traditional Christian imagery with a stunning rendition of the Stéle of Revealing.
The card is attributed to the element of Fire, and also that of Spirit, which
is also linked with Harrison, as he was known as the most spiritual Beatle.
The body of Nuith is wrapped around an egg which encircles Hadit with his Double Wand of Power. As their child, The Crowned
and Conquering Child Harpocrates ushers in and represents the Aeon of Horus.
Horus is the God of Force and Fire, and his ascension as Lord of the New Aeon spiritually destroys the old world by fire.
The card is attributed to the Hebrew letter Shin, seen at the bottom of the painting. Shin means tooth, canine tooth or fang. Notice it is George who has the prominent canine teeth.
George Horus-Sun
Hoor-pa-Kraat, or Harpocrates, the child with his finger to his lips, represents silence, George is known as "the quiet Beatle." (Also note Harpo, the silent Marx Brother).
Crowley says of Harpocrates
Here Comes the Sun.
He continues
Notice the tie-ins to all four of the Lads?
Crowley also states that it was Harpocrates who sent forth Aiwass, His minister, to proclaim the new Aeon of Horus.
And though, in the Tarot, Fire & Spirit are both represented on the Aeon card, it's interesting that there are four Beatles with a profound emphasis on "the 5th Beatle."
The final Trump, the Universe card, is linked with the
planet Saturn and element of Earth, and represents Malkuth on the Tree of Life
– tying in with Ringo in many ways. However, the image also contains the
serpent, the fish hook and the dancing female who is both the primal Hé and the
final Hé of YHVH, the water Queen and the Princess. All surrounded by the body
of Nuith, seen here again as a ring o’ stars. More specifically, as the 216
letter name of God. Derived from Exodus 14:19-21.
Plus we have the four Kerubim of the established universe residing in the corners.
This card represents the lowest part on the Tree of Life,
yet also the completion of The Great Work, and thus the highest part.
The maiden’s legs form a cross, which is the meaning of the
letter Tav. The Tav cross signifies the balance of the four elements and the
four letters of YHVH. The square-shaped nimbus of light radiating from her head
represents enlightenment, and matter in manifestation, ultimately signifying
the exaltation of spirit in matter.
“Ride the snake” The serpent and the Tav cross here bring to
mind Moses and the serpent on the cross.
Interesting that this scene can also be taken to represent
Eve crushing the head of the serpent that deceived her. Apple Records.
Significant Court Cards
The court cards correspond with the four letters of YHVH and the Elements.
The Knight represents the powers of Yod/Fire/Lion
The Queen represents the primal He/Water/Man
The Prince represents the Vav/Air/Eagle
And the Princess represents the final He/Earth/Bull
Crowley writes, "The Prince is always represented in his Chariot. Also he is the "Dying God", redeeming his bride in the hour, and by the virtue of his murder."
PID legend states that McCartney died in a car accident.
All the Princes are in Chariots, and all the Swords court cards have Wings.
Ace of Swords with Thelema (Will) written upon it.
Crowley also states, "The Princess is not only the perfect Maiden, but owing to the death of the Prince, the forsaken and lamenting Widow. All of this occurs in the legends characteristic of the Aeon of Osiris." It is Ringo mourning at the funeral scene on the Sgt. Pepper cover.
He also writes, "It is hardly possible definitely to disentangle these complications, but for the student it is sufficient if he will be content to work with one legend at a time.
It is natural that the Aeon of Osiris, the regimen of Air, of strife, of intellect, should be thus confused; that its symbols and formulas should overlap, should contradict each other. It is impossilbe to harmonize the multitudinous fables or parables, because each was to serve some local or temporal purpose." Which accurately describes PID research.
Knight of Wands rides a black horse. In the Penny Lane promo film. George is the only one riding a black horse. He was later known as "the darkhorse" and released an album with that title.
Queen of Wands represents the Maenads of Greek myth, who were the followers of Dionysus, and were characterized as having unbridled lust and animalistic passion.
The Princess of Wands holds a tiger by the tail. in the film Help!, Ringo pacifies a tiger by singing 'Ode to Joy'.
Knight of Cups in armor holding Grail with crab, tying back in to The Chariot and Revolver.
Queen of Cups with crustacean. Israel Regardie writes, "The Crayfish is the sign of Cancer and was anciently the Scarabeus of Khephera."
Princess of Cups holds a turtle. Ringo played the Mock Turtle in Alice in Wonderland. The foamy sea and dolphin bring to mind Yellow Submarine and Octopus's Garden.
Queen of Swords holds a severed head, which represents the old era, the new era is represented by the baby head on her crown, which also brings to mind the Butcher cover. Baby Cherub heads are also used on tombstones.
Prince of Swords, according to Crowley, "has reduced the Air to many geometrical patterns, but in these there is no real plan. They are demonstrations of the powers of the Mind without definite purpose".
"Making all his nowhere plans for nobody."
The Knight of Disks is short in stature.
Ringo in the Rye
The Ram-headed wands in the Four of Wands represent the Will and the energy of the Will.
And on top of all this, the Paul Is Dead conspiracy was launched on a Detroit radio station on October 12th, 1969.
Aleister Crowley's birthday!
More from Crowley's chapter on The Fool card
From The Book of Thoth
These principles are explored in Depth in Frazer's
The Golden Bough.
Concerning the concept of the "Green Man" of the Spring Festival/"April Fool". crowley writes that older traditions were adapted to the average peasant in the form of Spring festivals, in which the Green Man is a personification of the mysterious influence that produces the phenomena of spring. Spring begins with the entry of the Sun into
Aries the Ram.
In all of the traditions of the Savior, he must be a wanderer, he must be The Great Fool, and there is also one aspect all the legends have in common: the savior can only appear as the result of some extraordinary accident, quite contrary to whatever is normal. - Like a car accident?
In the British legend of Parsifal, or Percivale (pierce the veil), he is the Western representation of The Fool. In the final stage of his tale, on Good Friday, which is the day of darkness and death, he must seek Monsalvat, the Mountain of Salvation. By worshiping the lance he is immediately taken there and arrives at the Temple of the Grail. Crowley continues:
Sounds a lot like when McCartney traveled to the Colorado Rockies to spend the weekend with Jane Asher on her birthday.
The Fool on the Hill, indeed.
Crowley says of Dionysus/Bacchus
On the Fool card, we see the grapes by his arm and his pine cone, which represent his connection with Bacchus.
And it was Dionysus/Bacchus who was followed by the Maenads, the females driven mad with enthusiasm.
The mystical aspects of Bacchus take on his form as Iacchus, which is interesting considering the alias Ian Iaccchimoe is assumed by some to be connected to McCartney. (The name pronounced backwards sounds to some like "Paul McCartney, but to the author of this blog, it sound like "I am Yokono").
Interesting April Fool's day syncs with John Lennon
On April 1st, 1964, he met his father Freddie for the first time
1965 - His father showed up at his door
1966 - Lennon & McCartney visit the Indica Book Gallery where Lennon buys a copy of Timothy Leary's The Psychedelic Experience, which inspired Lennon's song 'Tomorrow Never Knows'
1969 - Back in London, after their week-long Bed-In for Peace, John & Yoko stage an impromptu press conference at Heathrow Airport. They also appeared on the ITV show, Today, and announced that they were "willing to be the world's
clowns" to spread the message of peace
1970 - John & Yoko announce to the press that they will be having dual sex-change operations (Art card?)
1973 - John & Yoko announce the creation of their conceptual community, Nutopia
1974 - Paul & Linda McCartney spend the day at Lennon's rented beach house in Santa Monica. The last photo of these two former Beatles together is taken
1976 - Lennon's father dies
1979 - Julian Lennon spends the day with John, it was the last time they saw each other.
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