Sun Signs Everything Under The Sun!
The Tree of Life
What station on the Tree of Life is indicative of Trump IX or 9? The inner “settledness” of Geburah, inactive, reflective power, is certainly appropriate. Joined to the equally balanced receptive attitude of Chesed or Gedulah, it is the very inner constitution of the Hermit or Yogi.
Therefore, on the only central pillar we have proposed, it is a station further removed from Tipheret than the station of Trump 8 (if Trump 8 is not seen as the center of Tipheret), yet still below Da’ath, on whose eternal mystery the Yogi is meditating. On the “downward” leading path, the 9 is the number of the Moon, in the sense of “nearing completion,” for then Malkuth/Yesod is seen as “God’s Manifestation,” Creation.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of the Lord, chapter 9 is called: “The Way of the Sovereign Wisdom and Sovereign Mystery.” This is highly apt. All ancient knowledge and wisdom coincide perfectly.
The Hebrew letters associated must have a quiet, reflective connotation. Tau would do well were it not for tradition affixed to The Universe, Trump 21. Yet by Alchemy, The Universe is highly reflective of Trump IX or 9. Lamed would do well, too, for it stands for harmonious reflectiveness, i.e., meditation. The values of Tau ( 400 ), associated with Saturn, and Lamed ( 30 ), associated with Libra, are not satisfactory. Also their ‘analogous’ numbers, 32 and 22 respectively, only serve when put and added together: 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 9. Thet, symbolic of Leo, carries the number 9 and an analogy to 19. It is usually associated with Trump 11.
The element of Water
Of course, the element of Water is most symbolic of quiet meditation. This leads us to substitute the supposed “Water” associated with The Hanged Man, Trump 12, and, if any element by itself has any place among the Tarot (which is not in keeping with this study), place it with Trump IX or 9. By “descending” from Trump 21, the station arrived at Trump 12, so Trumps 9 and 12 are in any case “interchangeable.” The – Vau-Lamed is good as a trinitary view.
This, astrologically, leads us to a difficult choice: what signs of the Zodiac are appropriate? When The Eagle was still part of the Zodiac, we should have chosen the Sea Eagle, associated with the “Air of the Mind” and the depth of Water. In Chinese Astrology, spring and thunder are associated with the Tiger and the Hare. Cancer was attributed to The Chariot, Trump 7 – which we have rejected for obvious reasons – may well be its proper place. Cancer has been called the “cardinal element of water.”
Kabbalah Significance of the Hermit Card
It is also associated with the path from Binah to Geburah on the Tree of Life, and – as an animal – surely is not swift to move, so our choice is evident. Associated with the summer solstice, it signifies a time of high light and tranquillity. The rising light of spring will be “pacified” when it reaches its climax. Cancer and Aquarius, associated with the Sea Eagle and the “airy” sign of our time, certainly intermingle harmoniously. There is no reason for dissension.
The Tattwas should dynamically reflect this yet accord also with the correlative “double-meaning” given below.
Within the symbolism of the Grail, it is here that all struggle occurs. The magicians and witches stage their fights. The personages are killed or opposed. The dragons and monsters guarding the sacred well make their appearance. Only the truly innocent survive. No quarters are given, as it becomes evident that a monumental struggle is looming. In Nordic symbolism, Fenrirs’ Wolf is cracking his chains. The powers of restraint do not function anymore.
Yogic Powers of the Hermit Card
Were it not for the high yogic powers of the “guardians of the world,” the imposition of peace by the Mahasiddhas, residing within the higher dimensions, the terrestrial forces would be thrown into havoc. Here the Hermit is revealed as a great power, a hidden master of high attainment. By the force of the universal change implied by the number 9, they will strive to keep a balance where normal terrestrial knowledge and possibility have ended.
At this point, in the Grail legends, King Arthur has his monumental dream, wherein he sees the entire universe as a wheel. This points towards a solution to the struggle but will become apparent only when King Arthur recounts his dream to others. This is symbolized by Trump 10.
Nordic Symbolism of Hermit Tarot Card
In the Nordic symbolism of the Edda, attention also wanders from the havoc to the wheel grinding out the fate of the ages: Amlodhi’s Mill. The wheel here is a millstone turning. Hamlet is the modern name of Amlodhi. On the surface of Earth, it creates the Maelstrom, the “grinding whirlpool” that sucks everything down into the depths. The symbolism is clear: the speed of change accelerates, and the world changes from one zodiac sign to the next. Also, the Shakespeare play Hamlet clearly shows the intrusion of psychic-astral and mental forces on the terrestrial plane.
As is the case in some card decks, the Hermits’ lamp should be associated with the millstone, as the hermit is already a Westernized Yogi. The Western mythology of the Druids and Hyperborean descent, already partly included in the Tarot, can be further expanded. It only reflects what was and is also known in oriental myth and legend.
Trump IX or 9 has been shown to represent the complete unfolding of the 3rd Manipura Chakra, and thus the navel or solar plexus in the whole, total Man represented by all 22 Trumps, is placed within the sphere of Trump 9. The solar plexus is the most dynamic Chakra, blending the physical and astral body with the mental impulses from above.
Man’s inner constitution, elemental might, psychic and mental rank, and harmonious elevation are threefold. Thus the Law of Three finds its perfect application within Trump 9. The higher and lower bodies converge and become more mentally refined, ever more refined and pure. This is the basic aim of Yoga and Zen (Dharma).
The Tattwa symbols
The Tattwa symbols are Water and Air, with Earth and Fire placed appropriately to create a “secret hiding place” where meditative concentration is possible. Outside, the symbolism should correspond to Cancer and Aquarius, as mentioned above.
The significance of Trump 9, in a spread of the cards, always related to the Moon-Sphere as illumined by the Sun, is mainly an invitation to consider and penetrate the psychic and astral phenomena. Not by any practices of invocation or evocation but by sound mental judgment. This last is also to be applied in daily life. It will be the aspect that needs the most consideration.
A possibility of anxiety or fear signifies a negative reaction to ever-deepening insight. This then is relevant to the swift changes of the time. It must be stressed that no “old and rigid” values are of worth. Flexibility is attained by harnessing the mind and forcing it into quiet reflection. This, as also number 9 is somewhat associated with illness and even death, is the best attitude.
If an inner disharmony, a lack of balance, had manifested in bad health symptoms with Trump 8, then even death may be the result. When leaving the body, the individual first enters the psychic-astral sphere. This is not reassuring if the existence of an eternal mental-noetic sphere is ignored or rejected. The “soul,” this mental-noetic entity, is a “spark of God,” an integral part of universal life. Meditation on the eternal flux of life is indicated. Death does not change this. It is the door towards a higher sphere, eventually leading back to physical life.
The Hermit Card and Death
Death is the beginning of a great adventure. Curiosity and total confidence in the beneficence of divine will should be associated. The ancient texts, myths, and legends, speaking of the afterlife as a great reality, are not wrong. They are true. Trust in the high protective agencies is essential. It is the guardian angels who will accompany us beyond physical death.
With such a strong indication of change, plus the eventual mastery of the psychic-astral spheres, all manner of alchemic transmutations are indicated, especially those that necessitate a swift result. Thus the nature of polarity is partially exposed: what is quiet and meditative on the one hand, only mentally confronted with the swift and possibly confusing changes in time, on the other hand, grasps this possibility to ensure swift passage, a profound transformation.