This article is a stub based on Nick of Cups‘s Youtube video concerning the Universe Card, Daniel Gunther’s notes on the Initiation in the Aeon of the Child, James Eshelman’s Mystical and Magickal System of the A.’. A.’., The Book of Thoth and the Book of Lies by Aleister Crowley, and more books on Qabalah. It is not complete, but will grow as I come across notes I can add to it. I hope to create a complete repository of qabalistical knowledge from both traditional and modern sources.
Associations
Yesod to Malkuth
This path goes from Yesod to Malkuth. For many people who practice modern Qabalah, this path connects our manifest existence which our normal consciousness allows us to perceive to Yesod which is frequently associated with the moon, for many people, it is the first part of dreamed reality, therefore the astral realm or the dreaming. So this path is a connection between reality and astral reality.
In his Book of Thoth, Crowley refers to the Holy Spirit (which Dion Fortune equates to Yesod) as the phallus in its most sublimated form. In his Book of Lies interestingly he refers to the Tau path as the Phallus in manifestation. So arguably the Tau path is the power that Crowley deems phallic (or creative, self-sacrificing, and resurrecting) coming into manifestation. Crowley referred to this path as representative of reproduction in his Book of Thoth in section on the Universe card.
The Universe
In the Tarot, this path is frequently associated with the World or Universe card. This is the last Atu.
In Crowley’s Book of Lies, we see this path referred to as the universe card and we are reminded that the Universe is, as it would be described by Buddhists and Rationalists. The Universe is dumb and fatalistic, however delightful to its creator who made it that way.
The Cross and the Dying God
Tau means a cross. This gives this path a four-fold nature. Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki points out that the Hanged Man is also symbolic of the Tau because it resembles a cross. She considers how the wisdom in it could be conveyed by a journey to the underworld (perhaps after dying on a cross). She mentions a descent into the subconscious with its fears and an ascent to the higher self with its promise of new life.
Death is a recurring theme with the Tau path. Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki pointed it out the cross relates to death and she relates it to the descent to the underworld. Also, the path is frequently related to Saturn the god that reaps the living. Also, the ritual which has the initiate cross the Tau path in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn refers to it travelling through the shells of the dead.
In his work, Initiation in the Aeon of the Child, Gunther gives us the Dying God as a formula for the Tau path. This is the story of Osiris, Persephone, Inana, Mithras and Jesus. These are often related to seasons and the cycles of crop growth and death.
The Dying God is Purified through Suffering
Gunther commits a whole section to this. However, informs us it is partially defunct in Thelema. It is also part of the Old Aeon Adeptus Minor Ritual. In that ritual, the initiate is strapped to the Cross of Suffering. Therefore they should be part of paths Samekh, Ayin or Nun. He mentions the formula of INRI. Each letter is related to the Hebrew equivalent and then the astrological equivalent and from there they are related to characters central to the myth of Osiris. Then the 3 characters are mentioned and IAO is formed with the first letter of each of their names.
I. N. R. I
Yod, Nun, Resh, Yod
Virgo, Isis Might Mother
Scoprio Apophis Destroyer
Sol Osiris Slain and Risen
Isis Apophis Osiris – IAO
When it comes to suffering and self-sacrifice for others, that is not righteous in Thelema. It does not enlighten, according to Thelema. If you’re practising the Old Aeon beliefs or non-Thelema beliefs, then maybe you might find that Suffering can purify and allow the initiate to evolve. In the New Aeon, if everyone takes care of themselves, then no one needs to sacrifice for others. When someone sacrifices for others often this leads to abuse and misuse, resentment. Sometimes, they do things that the other person does not want. Some people in the modern day do not appreciate others sacrificing for them because it is associated with guilt-tripping and strings attached even if that’s not the intention of the person sacrificing for someone else.
4 powers of the Sphynx
In James Eshelman’s The Mystical and Magickal System of the A.’. A.’., the first reference to the Tau/Tav path comes with a reference to the 4 powers of the sphynx. Obviously, this path is named after the cross which potentially has 4 sides (assuming it doesn’t take the form of a T which Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki would have you believe). The 4 armed cross is symbolic of the four elements. The powers of the Sphynx are also associated with the elements. Audere (to dare) with Water, Velle (to Will) with Fire, Scire (to know) with air and finally Tacere (to keep silent) with Earth. If these powers are mastered then so are the 4 elements and the initiate is trained to ascend the Tau path.
The Night of Time and the Administrative Intelligence
Dion Fortune claims that the Sephiroth are objective, but paths like this are subjective. She refers to tau as The Great One of the Night of Time and the Administrative Intelligence. From her source of Sepher Yetzirah, she informs us that the Administrative Intelligence is so called because it directs and associates the 7 planets in all their operations and their due courses. Ashcroft-Nowicki repeats this saying it directs the stars in their courses. Both these verge upon the astral which I would associate with Yesod at the higher end of this path. During the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn initiation that corresponds with crossing this path, the Tau speaks saying “I am the Child of the Night of Time”.
Cave
Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki tells us that Tau can be a cave or a female girdle. It gives us some restriction and surrounds us.
Golden Dawn Initiation
In the Initiatory Order the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (HOGD), the 3rd initiation which is called Theoricus 2=9 the initiate goes from a grade associated with Malkuth to one associated with Yesod. So it is as though they travel the Tau path. Before this occurs the initiation is told to “QUIT THE MATERIAL AND SEEK THE SPIRITUAL”. This could be because Malkuth is associated with the material and the rest of the Tree of Life is associated with being more spiritual starting with Yesod.
The initiate is handed a cubical cross (of 22 cubes symbolising the balanced elements and all paths not just this one) and told to go with Anubis from the Material to the spiritual. Anubis says to the initiate “Let us enter the Presence of the Lord of Truth. Arise and follow me.” The sphynx says to the initiate I am the synthesis of the Elemental forces (the cross/tau). I am also the symbol of Man. I am Life and I am Death. (dying on a cross and traversing the underworld like Ashcroft-Nowicki said). I am the Child of the Night of Time. (This is similar to the reference of Dion Fortune, unfortunately, at this time, I don’t know where she was drawing from.)”
A “guardian of the gate” stops the initiate at a gate for each element and does not let them pass until they have said the name of each guardian. After which, the initiate is blessed for each element.
- Air: NU Goddess of the Firmament of Air and HOR-MAKU Lord of the Eastern Sun
- Fire: MAU the Lion, Very Powerful, Lord of Fire and RA the Sun in his Strength
- Water: HEKA Mistress of HESSUR, Ruler of Water and TOUM the setting sun
- Earth: SATEM in the abode of SHU, the Bull of the Earth and KHEPHRA the sun at night.
The Golden Dawn ritual refers to the Tau path as the connecting and binding link between the Material and Formative Worlds, Assiah and Yetzirah. The ritual says tau goes through the astral plane, abodes of the elementals and the shells of the dead. It is the rending veil of the Tabernacle which has the 4 Kerubic beasts and pine trees on it.
The initiate goes from having the mystic title of Frater Periclinus de Faustis which means the Brother/Sister Danger of Faust to having the mystic title Lord of the 32nd path. “Faustis” often has connotations of luck and honour.
Formation of the Body of Light
In Liber Viarum Viae (included in Gems of the Equinox) Crowley associates the magical achievement of the formation of the body of light with the Tau path.
Mastery of the Astral Plane
Passing through this path the initiate is expected to have “perfect control of the astral plane”. This may be because they are transferring their consciousness from their physical body in Malkuth to their astral body in Yesod.
James Eshelman claims that Crowley’s “Perfect Control of the Astral Plane” from One Star in Sight is hyperbolic. It is perhaps that he wished to have students push themselves to the edge of their capability trying to achieve a level of perfection and therefore demonstrating the transformative power of magic. Eshelman suggests that Scrying or Spirit Vision is the key to Astral Projection and should be achieved before the creation of the Astral Double in Liber O vel Manus and before Rising on the Planes.
Interestingly, like the exercises in Vitimus’ Hands on Chaos Magic where the practitioner tries to float energy balls far away from them and return them to push the capacity of the mind to hold them solid at a distance, similarly is the final exercise of Liber O vel Manu except that the energy object floated away from the body is the very own astral double carrying the consciousness.
According to Eshelman, Aleister Crowley encouraged Magicians who thought they were ready to advance upon this tau path to astral travel to their own Qlippoth which I assume would have been a very difficult experience for any initiate. I wonder if this is similar to shadow work from Jungian psychology. I personally have avoided the work of the Qlippoth because most of the information I find about it is very inconsistent or entirely made up, so there is no clear way to have it completed and many versions have the Qlippoth as the absence of spirituality since I do this with the rest of my life it has little to offer me. The Qlippoth are also mentioned during the 2=9 initiation from the HOGD. In my own practice, I focus on Shadow work instead, but I hope that if I ever get a good working knowledge of authentic Qlippoth then I might learn to traverse them as well.
For this article, I also drew upon this Youtube video:
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3 responses to “32 – The Tau path – The Tree of Life”
[…] 32 – The Tau path – The Tree of Life 19 October 2023 […]
[…] Little is said about their appearance which is why I feel it is a great opportunity for the practitioner to design their own spirit so to speak. Obviously, no matter what they draw, it’s not the outer appearance of the spirit that we are trying to connect to. By designing their own spirit in a way we are really making an energy construct of an interface for connecting to an unseen force. A force which the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn associates so very closely with the Tau path. […]
[…] Universe card and Crowley’s Hierophant card. The 4 beasts are also mentioned in the tau path in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Tau path connects the earthly existence with the […]