12 the Hanged Man
| 12 the Hanged Man (letter mem: water 40) water is symbolized by a 20-sided icosahedron. In Egypt mummies were dehydrated with natron for 40 days while Sirius absent from sky, Noah spent 40 days in his ark during the flood, Moses 40 days on Mount Sinai, made a 40 year journey, holy breath process to activate the pineal gland, one eye kether, sun 400 times distance moon. Path 23 from Geburah to Hod. Uranus neutralization, Neptune, god of the sea. Enlil, the rope between the higher self and lower, incarnate self. |  |
40 nr of Enki, the waterbearer metamorphosis, Odin (Saturn) hanging from the world tree for nine days (nine qlippoth below Malkuth) to attain wisdom and retrieve the runes of the Wells of Wyrd, Dionysus hanging from a pole, Jesus Christ (blue and red clothing) hanging from cross at winter solstice.
During the prosecution of the Knights Templar, it was the favorite method of torture of the Catholic Church. They were trialed as heretics and traitors and hanged by rope. Life in suspension, the feeling of feet being lifted off the ground, spirit of sacrifice, overcoming ego, new sight but also rejection, loss of perspective. Prudence, abstinence. A meditation on the illusionary nature of things, the descent of light (legs crossed as the alchemical symbol of sulphur) into darkness in order to redeem it.
Sacrifice of the lamb, the illusionary i am. The face expresses a trance, not suffering. The baptism by water of John the Baptist (summer solstice, sun starts to fall, legend of Leda and the swan). Templars and later freemasons adopted Saint John the Evangelist as one of its patrons, associating with him, in order not to arouse the suspicions of Rome, Saint John the Baptist.
Mem, waters of repressed memory. In the star of David/Seal of Solomon,
the upper triangle represents the supernal triad of Kether, Chokmah,
Binah and the lower triangle represents the 3 traitors of Hiram Abiff:
the demon of desire, of the mind and of evil will. The impure fire
(sulphur, his red pants) needs to be tempered, the ego must be dissolved
to incarnate the inner christ. White dragon vs black dragon, goat of
Mendes.
Symbol of the ladder refers to the paradox of descending to ascend, go through hell to reach heaven. In masonry this is the initiation ritual of the hanged man, reenactment of traitors of Hiram Abiff/Osiris, rope, blindfolded, symbolic gouging out the eyes to see with the real, third eye. refer to uninitiated masses as the dead. 12 nr of the zodiac, divided into 12 constellations, dodecahedron (aether).
| Thoth deck: A man, suspended from a noose in shape of an ankh (rose cross, symbol of life) and serpent. 3 green disks (3 6's of the 666 material world), color of Venus, and of putrefaction, illuminated by white light of Kether. bowl, the grail cup, the dish for the head of John the Baptist (poster of Rosemary's Baby and John Lennon's Imagine): in darkness of death, new serpents, new life arises. the sacrifice of “a male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence'. |  |
Path 23, winter solstice 23 dec, 23 pairs of chromosomes DNA (in rituals for instance 9+11+2+1=23).
Sacrifice in the cup of Babalon, psalm 23 is the bible verse about the
'cup that overfloweth' . The background represents John
Dee's Enochian elemental tablet of water.
In contrast with dying-and-rising god Osiris or Jesus, in the new Aeon
of Horus, there is no redemption, guilt or self-sacrifice, only
sacrifice of old self to embrace one's True Will (Thelema), to become True Man.
The sun just seems to die from the perspective of earth while it simply
follows its orbit, goes its way, the Dao. Mem: water (reflection),
people, nations, languages, tongues, blood, blemish, life, chaos,
mighty,..
Example: Heath Ledger as the Joker in the Dark Knight.