The Philosopher's Stone Tarot

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Correspondences
Ordinal:
IX
Simon's Exegesis:
Wisdom
Hebrew Letter:
Aleph Yod
     Letter Value:
10
     Letter Meaning:
Hand
Zodiac:
Air Virgo
Direction:
North Below
Tone:
F Natural
Sepher Yetzirah
Intelligence:
Intelligence of Will
Attributes:
Response and Union of Opposites, Touch
Color Attributes
King Scale:
Yellow Green
Queen Scale:
Slate Gray
Emperor Scale:
Green Gray
Empress Scale:
Plum
Strength Home Next Wheel

 

The Fool's Journey
by Ned Hogan, Jr.

He thought he could make a place for himself somewhere. But it was not to be so. Yet. So, he took off, with gestures and motions suggesting a dancers bow at the end of a , probably , very long and, oh, forgive twice, boring performance and(magically) and crumpled the wizard's statically pointed chemis helmet into a ball in his left hand, and careful, lee, not to touch it with a look[nor anything that might be mistook], he put it inside his coat. If he had been able and had he would have seen it sparkle and spontaniously lace itself with tiny purple lightnings when he released it and it put itself inside itself inside the pocket inside the uniform coat. And buckeled on in its place what might best be called an 'imformation center'. It looked like it was too big. His neck seemed to want to feel threatened [if you had been watching] but as soon as he looked around with it on you could see that it weighed almost nothing. And, if you looked closer, if you where one of the ones compelled by the ultimate gravity of the unconditional state of affairs, well, then, you might have seen the tiny blue flames that scurried like tiny leaping wormlets up the lapel of his uniform and zapped themselves into a perfect holigram of eagle's wings. A crown.

Divinations
by cck

Upright:
Self-sufficiency. Unpretentious wisdom. A seeker of inner harmony and peace. Seek isolation from distractions. Prudent but plain assistance is at hand.

Reversed:
Beware of the unconventional. Endeavors may lead to isolation. A strange or unwelcome visitor is indicated. Avoid turbulence and chaos. Hide your valuables.

Touchstone
by Arrow

"The kingdom of heaven is within you."

The common divinatory meaning for this Trump points towards a recluse withdrawn from life but, in truth that withdrawal is a movement towards a goal, a pearl of great price, not a selfish escape from the rigors of a society.
One does not necessarily need to trek off to the wilds and build a mud hut to live there in seclusion in order to follow the path of The Hermit, though that certainly may help to foster a keen focus. A hermit may be persuing the path along a city street, at the workplace, or in family life. This may seem at odds with the general definition of a hermit being withdrawn into a wilderness but, indeed it is not. For this hermit, The Hermit Trump, has withdrawn into that great and vast wilderness of the inner-self in quest of nothing less than the philosopher's stone, the lapis.

In many ways the charioteer and The Hermit are akin. It has been said that these two Trumps along with Trump VIII should be studied by comparison. They denote the process and stages of the initiate.
Whereas the charioteer is active, The Hermit is reflective. The first says, "To will, to dare." The second adds, "To know, and be silent." and then obeys. For holy silence is a foundation of wisdom. That silence stills the cacaphony of all the realms of being through which The Hermit proceeds, and with this key to knowledge The Hermit opens the gates of understanding.

The Hermit continues the netherward direction that commenced with The Chariot Trump and proceeds towards the depths of Trump XV. This is the way of the path if the dearly sought prize is to be won. The journey is a labor of love.
This descent may seem in opposition to the often seen depiction of The Hermit considering the world below him from a lofty mountain's reach. This could indeed be an actual physical location but, it would not matter if The Hermit were in the lowest of valleys. When the heart is able to soar with the falcons the vision is always elevated regardless of altitude.

The hebrew letter assigned to this Trump is Yod, meaning hand, which is the member of our body that feels the sensations of the world around us. The heart is also a part of the body through which we feel our world, and through it we develop our intuitive sense.
Our Hermit is the hero who follows the path with heart in hand. That is The Hermit's lantern light, shielded from the winds and gales by intent. That heart-light illuminates the depths of the journey with the Gold of the Sun, the Aurum Lumen, which shines ever brighter as the object of the alchemical endeavor is won. Upon the heart is written this creed: 'Omnia Vincit Amor'. Love conquers all things! By this tenet the fruits of the alchemical labor are born.

Sub Rosa

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