Predicting The Present

by Daniel Kelley

  "The religion of men on the outward path is the religion of Time; the religion of those on the inward path is the religion of Eternity."

  One you’ve understood this message, the Orphic Egg cracks open and you’re reborn a citizen of The Universe

  The Universe

  The Great One of the Night of Time

  Trump: #21

  Planetary Trump of Saturn

  Elemental Trump of Earth

  Path #32 (Yesod to Malkuth) (numerical value: 400)

  Letter: Tau ("cross") *(To this Trump is attributed the Weapon known as the Pantacle.)

  Helpful Quotes

  "Treat time and all conditions of Event as Servants of thy Will, appointed to present the Universe to thee in the form of thy Plan."

  -Aleister Crowley

  "And meditation is this, not sitting cross-legged, standing on your head, or whatever one does, but having a feeling for the complete unity and connectedness of life."

  -J. Krishnamurti

  "For when it is quite, quite nothing, then it is everything. When I am trodden out, quite, quite out, every vestige gone, then I am here risen, and setting my foot on another world risen, not born again, but risen, body the same as before, new beyond knowledge of newness, alive beyond life, proud beyond inkling or furthest conception of pride, living where life was never yet dreamed of, nor hinted at, here, in the other world, still terrestrial myself, the same as before, yet unaccountably new."

  -D.H. Lawrence

  Contemplation

  In this card, The Universe, we see the end as well as the beginning of our journey through the Major Arcana. The only way to understand what this means is to listen without rationalizing anything according to preconceived notions about, well, anything. The trumps are designed to speak, not just to your rational mind, but to that part of you that senses the futility of argument. This may seem like a double-bind, especially when you consider the complexity of the systems and methods by which we contemplate Tarot. This double-bind is undone when we understand that contemplation is simply the twin-sister of meditation; and both must be performed together for full understanding.

  In the Kabbalistic context of the trumps, we see this aspect of ourselves projected onto the Tree of Life in the Yesod/Malkuth (Tau) and Kether/Tiphareth paths (Gimel). On these paths, we're being asked to "give up the ghost" of fusion or separateness. On the path of Gimel, we must surrender our limited self-sense and recognize our place in the larger organism of the planet and cosmos. We must soar to the lofty heights of contemplative knowledge only to surrender it int the end, which is really a beginning. This “grand finale” connects with the path of Tau in that the “spirit trapped in Matter” kept prisoner by the warden of our individual self-sense is now liberated: a limb that now recognizes itself as part of the larger body of God (dess). Make no mistake, this is the event-horizon of the soul. One of the greatest tasks of this death/rebirth process is the recognition of God in all sentient beings.

  This is the epitome of the Child/Butterfly phase of growth.

  Listen to the words of Ananda Coomarswamy:

  "In this eternal beginning there is only the Supreme Identity of the One, without differentiation of being from non-being, light from darkness, or separation of sky from earth. The All is for the present impounded in the first principle, which may be spoken of as Person, Progenitor, Mountain, Tree, Dragon, or endless Serpent."

  In this unity of "sky" and "earth" we recognize The Fool and The Universe, respectively. The Universe is but the full expansion of The Fool, just as The Fool is The Universe attempting to see itself through your eyes in all the unique ways that make you, well, you. We recognize the "Person" in the Goddess dancing with the Snake, the "Progenitor" as the great Eye of Shiva; The Devil as Pan Progenitor (Oversoul). The "Mountain" is, in this card, symbolized by the Pyramids of Giza hiding surreptitiously at the bottom of the picture, and the "Tree" is the Tree of Life, said by Crowley to be visible in this card only to those of "pure heart". Finally, both the "Dragon" and "endless Serpent" can be seen in the Snake and web-like circumference of the Cosmic Vulva---which is also another Eye---encircling the dancing pair. The latter is actually that endlessly coiled Serpent called Time. This is elemental to our discussion, for the Major Arcana is a dance between Eternity and Time. This dance is, in the human sphere, a dance of DNA. DNA is evolution, and it's also the result of relationship. The way we relate to each other as a human family is, in a very real sense, eternal; each temporal relationship we involve ourselves in is another step in the dance of Eternity.

  Much can be said regarding the difference between spending time with someone and wasting it. You can waste time projecting onto the other how it is you think they should behave, how they should approach you, how they should listen to you and your demands. You can waste it with idle chatter. You can waste it by playing games with one another's emotions and, believe me, in that game nobody wins!

  If two hearts can't spend time communing with each other than at the very least two minds should spend time communicating with each other. How can relationship be meaningful if they’re defined by meaningless activities? How can something be alive if it's not breathing? When you see a mannequin in a store you don't conclude that it must be alive merely because it’s humanoid in appearance. Similarly, you can't assume a relationship is present just because there happens to be two people in a room. Subways are filled with people! Do you see any real relating going on in a subway train or the mall?

  Of course not...

  So what makes a relationship meaningful? Can a relationship be meaningful if it takes place over the telephone or computer? Is the presence of the other necessary? Let's try to look at it another way. If two people are learning to better relate to truth are they really related at all? In the pursuit of truth, love, authentic connection, and so on, is it necessary to relate to each other? If two people are united in the pursuit of what's genuine then there's no reason for them to have anything else in common because without genuine mutual devotion only minds meet; and minds differ. If two minds are seeking to relate based solely upon what they have in common, there’s bound to be conflict. You can struggle to find someone amiable to your particular way of looking at things, but to do so is to eradicate any possibility of relating to someone who doesn't.

  And there's bound to be someone out there with whom you don't agree who can be of great benefit to your growth!

  Furthermore, if you settle for someone who's just like you then that's what you're going to get…YOU! And most people can't be alone with themselves for even a few minutes without going mad. But at least it’s familiar, aye?

  So can we go into the intricacies of our lives together, honestly and without picking a fight? If so, then there's a possibility of reaching a state in which we can simply be silent with each other in deep communion, but never before that. If we try to force that communion then we'll fail, obviously. We can start with the issue of doubt.

  For love to be deep, for happiness to last, and for contentment to arise there must be trust; which doesn't mean that distrust has to be repressed. This is the paradox that lies at the root of The Universe. You can be unconditionally trusting and yet still be aware of the untrustworthiness of other people, and even yourself; but there needn't be any fear attached to it. Love, happiness, and everything else worth attaining, can't go very deep if fear is too much present; Fear is like dirt on a fire.

  An important corollary to the issue of doubt is the issue of identification. We react according to those things we associate with on a personal level. If you're a Christian, for example, and someone comes along and insults Jesus Christ, immediately you become angry. To be identified with something is to suffer. So we can then ask the question:

  Is it possible not to be identified? More specifically, can we avoid being too identified with an idea that causes us to become stuck in and limited by the stories we tell ourselves?

  Can we be surrounded by people and not form an opinion about th
em or ourselves? At the very least can we remain flexible in our opinions so that they don't become conclusions? Is it possible to live our lives without forming a single opinion about ourselves or another person? First, do you see that to form an opinion about yourself or another must inevitably breed misery? Only when you yourself see the truth of a thing is it of any value. If I form an opinion about Suzan---that she's an unruly narcissistic brat---and she in turn thinks of me as an untrustworthy louse, would you say that we’ve approached each other fairly? If while observing her I form my opinion based on a certain thing she’s said or done to offend me am I really being fair? There may be more to Suzan than that small thing by which I’ve judged her entire character. Indeed, if I were someone altogether different, she may afford me great respect.

  Both of the above approaches are biased. By projecting your opinion upon a person you fail to see the actual person. You see instead only your projection and the projection is bound to fall short of being an accurate description of who the person is. A person, if he or she is alive and intelligent, is continuously changing. If your opinion of that person doesn't change accordingly then your opinion will, in the final analysis, conflict with the reality because you're not seeing in real-time. You can't step into the same river twice and you can't encounter a new and improved person with an old and outdated opinion.

  So the first thing is to see what you identify with. More importantly, why do you identify in the first place? What would become of you should you decide not to be identified with anything? Would you be lost? Why are you identified: with your nation, your gods, and your bank balance? Who would you be, not without these things but without your attachment to them? Most of us define ourselves based upon what we do for a living, how much money we have, or what others have to say about us. But is that who you are or is it simply an ornament subject to the law of change? If you were born in the West into a Christian family, you might look upon your Eastern cousin with a sense of self-righteous contempt. In fact, in your heart of hearts, you've condemned him already because the Christian faith postulates that all non-Christians must forever perish in eternal hellfire! But the truth is this: if you were born in the East into a Buddhist family you might look upon the Christian with similar contempt.

  But is Eastern greed in any way different from Western Greed? Is Hindu Jealousy different from Muslim jealously?

  Of course not! Greed is greed; jealousy is jealousy. It matters not the least to whom it belongs, but a person attached to his particular faith will deal with these issues according to its principles and they're bound to be inadequate. Life, when taken as a whole, doesn't follow your logic; it moves on its own way unconcerned with your opinion. Even your highest conception of God has its roots in (uses the language of) cultural givens and almost always finds its expression in a social correlate.

  The state of the world isn’t something separate from you. You’re an organic part of it. You can't say that you aren't responsible for the way things are. You can't say that if everyone else were like you things would be different. We may walk different paths in life but in the end all roads lead to death. Not too many people have the guts to admit it but that doesn't make it any less true. Indeed, most of us refuse even to think of such things. Regardless how it is you choose to view the world---whether you avoid, justify, grasp or condemn---we’ll meet our fate together.

  A mirror is unconcerned with what it reflects, it simply holds without judgment the image of that which stands before it. Can you similarly look at the contents of your own mind? Can you look, not as a Christian, politician, artist, or what have you, but simply look at all that you are as if your life is at stake? If you see a child wandering off into oncoming traffic you don't hesitate to save him, or do you? Why then don't you save yourself from the oncoming traffic of your own chaotic mind?

  Not too many people can admit they derive a certain satisfaction from their misery. There is, after all, no logical reason why a man would carry such a wound unless he also derived some reward from it. But even when a man can see that he's in love with misery he's usually not aware enough to catch himself at the moment of indulging it. He lives at the minimum. The average man lives with one foot in the grave. Half of him wakes up in the morning to go to the office while the other half is left drooling on the pillow. He's never total in anything. He’s never completely lucid, and this lack of presence is reflected in all that he does. While at the office he's thinking about the family and while with the family he's thinking about the office.

  The capacity to be sensitive to all that's happening within and around you, and to respond appropriately, is the essence of an intelligent mind. To be insensitive to life and to fail to respond in a creative and reliable way is to be a dullard. To step outside the prison walls of unconscious behavior is an act of intelligence. The intelligent mind always thinks outside of the box, the unintelligent mind simply makes the box more comfortable. Now ask yourself:

  What does it mean to start over? Can a person who's collected many memories and experiences, is attached to his name, his history, his environment, really start over? When we say that we’d like to "start over" what do we really mean? When we think of starting over we generally imagine backtracking to some imaginary beginning where it all got started. This is a trick of the mind. Staring over takes place in the present, never in the past. To start over means that you're fully present the past but the consciousness that's looking at it is radically different from the consciousness that spawned it.

  There's a space in consciousness that hasn't been corrupted by thought. It’s the oversoul that watches every moment of your mortal life. It collects soul-data like a farmer sifting wheat. The more you can remain in that space the deeper it’ll become. If I ask you to be angry while under that watchful eye, you'll be unable to do it. In that space there's nothing but silence. It's impregnable but the old mind is impregnated by it, and yet this space is self-fertilized spiritual pregnancy! Anger can't exist without an object to be angry at. If you that see anger is the same as the one getting angry then anger won’t arise. One moment's forgetfulness and all hell breaks loose! But if you look at anger as a separate entity you'll be giving energy to anger because through polarity energy is created. Energy created in this way never moves beyond itself. For consciousness to move beyond it must be atomic.

  At this point the reader can see the importance of vigilance. Vigilance requires maturity. If you say you must practice vigilance then that only shows you’re not ready for it to arise naturally, as an insight into the suffering caused by living in a sleepy way. All effort must at some point relax, yes? That’s not to imply that effort isn't needed, but there’s right and wrong effort. Look, for example, at religious thought. The premise of most religions is purity of mind, body, and spirit; purity meaning wholeness. Religion can't bring about the state of purity because purity can't be cultivated from sinful to pure. Convention would like us to believe that purity is the absence of impurity, but impurity is defined according to the ethical standard of the religion defining it. They might agree on many things, but only in theory, rarely in practice. The Muslim believes in the impurity of violence just as avidly as the Christian, but they kill each other whenever the opportunity arises!

  The truth is that purity doesn't exist opposed to some conceptual impurity; it's beyond both. Purity results from the imbibing of all those things thought by so-called religious people to be impure, which isn't the same as indulgence. For example, many religions agree that sexual abstinence is the only acceptable mode of carnal conduct. This is true only if there is no intelligence, no sensitivity operating behind the sexual impulse. So when you see a so-called saint living in fear of women, you can be certain he's living in fear for a reason. You should be afraid of him, in fact! Celibacy, on the other hand, is entirely different. Celibacy isn't even closely related to abstinence, and it belongs to an entirely different dimension. Celibacy is sexuality absorbed and given its proper place.

  So we come to the
crux of the matter:

  We don't want a conclusion, but rather, an insight into the total movement of life. I know that there's somebody reading this who thinks that he (or she) can achieve this insight via ritual magick or some other shortcut but, as just a little investigation will reveal, such an approach is impractical even if it works. Any state of awareness brought about by a tour de force is bound by law to someday end; it is, therefore, insufficient. Insight isn’t like a pill you can take or a prescription you can refill when you run out. Your entire life has to become a ritual, and by "ritual" I don't mean it etymologically: to live in habit. No! I simply say that your life has to become a magickal affair and the only thing needed to accomplish this is a certain kind of awareness and intelligence. You have to ask yourself how important such a thing is to you. Many people say they'd like to change, but what they really mean is that they'd like things to change. Change those things and they'll be satisfied, but it won't be enough…it never is. This is so because even if those unsavory things were to change, replaced by better things, those things you covet will still be ripped from your fingers by the claws of time.

  An enlightened mind, though it has no desire to change what is already in flux, has so much atomic energy (True Will), that the very proposal from it to existence for a specific thing to occur creates a response. So how are we to discover this state of awareness, one with the energy to see through all illusion? We can meditate, that's true. But even the thought, "I must meditate", is itself partial. But meditate we must. I don’t mean you have to sit cross-legged, chanting, focusing on some diagram or geometrical image. Those practices do have certain benefits but those are also partial. Even the traditions that advocate their practice agree that the results of such techniques must eventually be abandoned. We can go that route if we choose, but is there a way to be in meditation throughout the day and night without any special technique?