Isolation and Insight: The “Essence of Nine”
I just unearthed another random gem from Barbara Walker’s book, The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History and Symbolism. One meaning she offers for the 4 of Swords is “insight generated by seclusion” and, judging from the obvious opportunity for introspection shown in the RWS version, I can see where she’s coming from. The Thoth title of “Truce” might be read as guarding the gates of the sanctuary to keep invasive interruptions at bay while the mind contemplates its options.
Walker’s premise seemed like a concise definition for almost any reclusive sage, and it got me going on the curious notion of using numerological counterparts to mold the suit of Swords into a convincing argument for intellectual (as opposed to emotional or intuitive) discernment as one path to the Hermit’s summit. (Although I realize she was portraying rays of light from the lamp, it also didn’t escape me that Frieda Harris’s “fractal” design for that card loosely suggests shards of glass as impressionistic sword-points.) I started with 4+5 = 9, the 4 of Swords and 5 of Swords together epitomizing the Hermit in one of its intrinsic “cognitive” forms. In my preferred Thoth deck this gave me “Truce” followed by “Defeat,” perversely underscoring Crowley’s description of the Hermit as “illumination from within.” This startling assumption sounds distinctly Buddhist in its stoic acceptance of setback as a source of enlightenment (the hermit’s storied asceticism). I continued this train of thought with the following combinations, in which I used Joseph’s Maxwell’s concept of “isomorphs” (different sets of two numbers that add to the same number) rather than anything more numerologically complex):
1+8 = 9; Ace of Swords (Root of the Powers of Air) and 8 of Swords (Interference): the Hermit experiences an “Aha!” moment that disrupts his serene train of thought, bringing an unexpected but fruitful state of mental turbulence. I see it as the germ of an inspired idea inviting contemplation after its abrupt entrance.
2+7 = 9; 2 of Swords (Peace) and 7 of Swords (Futility); the Hermit refuses to let frustration disturb his inner tranquility despite the apparent uselessness of striving (more Buddhist sentiments). We might coin an aphorism (well, half of one) to describe this existential dilemma: “Futility is the mother of invention.” The Hermit takes the embryonic “root” idea and attempts to fit it into his rational (binary) model of the Universe until something “clicks.” As Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” I think the Hermit will need the “patience of Job” for this one.
3+6 = 9; 3 of Swords (Sorrow) and 6 of Swords (Science); the Hermit learns to his chagrin that not all conundrums submit to a philosophical solution. Like Candide, he may have to simply “tend his garden” and let the dialectics go.
These pairs describe the evolution of a thought process that begins with an epiphany but ultimately ends with the realization that the world will go on even if the mind can’t fathom all of its workings. It’s enough to drive a thinking person into seclusion.
After completing this exercise I realized that we might also get at the “inner truth” underlying the traditional distortion and disillusionment of the Moon, the Hermit’s numerological counterpart among the Major Arcana (1+8 = 9) as well as its astrological opposite (Pisces vs Virgo). We would be looking for intuitive inspiration in this case. I will attempt to demonstrate this by applying the suit of Cups as above but adding the 9 of Cups to each pair to suggest how the “illusion of happiness” might be either bolstered or undermined by the other two cards. In order to complete the picture, we will have to include the 10 of Cups to combine with the 8 of Cups (8+10 = 18). I’m not entirely sure I’ve met my objective here, but I had some fun doing it.
1+8+9 = 18; Ace of Cups (Root of the Powers of Water), 8 of Cups (Indolence) and 9 of Cups (Happiness); the “Don’t worry, by happy” ternary. I see this as a “do nothing” combination; just hold out your hand and wait for something delightful to fall into it. Crowley’s glowering Moon would have a field day with this naive assumption. (This might be equated to the New Moon or “Dark of the Moon,” where all is amorphous potential and no coherent initiative has been mounted or even envisioned.)
2+7+9 = 18; 2 of Cups (Love), 7 of Cups (Debauch) and 9 of Cups (Happiness); with this sequence Crowley seems to be tendering an invitation to a celebration (or an orgy), but beware of contracting an STD while stoned out of your gourd. (I could be convinced that this represents the First Quarter Moon grappling with the primordial urges of its waxing square to the Sun; call it the “emerging id.”)
3+6+9 = 18; 3 of Cups (Abundance), 6 of Cups (Pleasure) and 9 of Cups (Happiness); Uh oh! Who should we call first, Overeaters Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous? Here we have the Greek’s “Three Perfections” in pleasing harmony, although with questionable aptness for the occasion. (Obviously this is the “fat, dumb and happy” Full Moon, the same euphemism I assign to the RWS 9 of Cups.)
4+5+9 = 18: 4 of Cups (Luxury), 5 of Cups (Disappointment) and 9 of Cups (Happiness); the epicurean’s nightmare: nothing offered is good enough to satisfy the jaded appetite. I would read that Nine as “diminished enjoyment.” (Here we have the Third Quarter Moon in its waning square to the Sun; regret and remorse over missed opportunities are implied.)
8+10 = 18; 8 of Cups (Indolence) and 10 of Cups (Satiety); sluggishness coupled with overindulgence in one’s self-gratifying impulses creates a recipe for symbolic “heart failure” as emotional circulation comes to a standstill. (We might take this as the “last gasp” of the waning Crescent Moon before it slips back into darkness.
We could then add the rest of the Nines in sequence (replacing the 9 of Cups) to show how the illusory quality of the lunar light might play out in other areas of life against an archetypal backdrop of vague, changeable and potentially perilous speculation. There are also numerous possible iterations of this approach involving the rest of the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana (minus the court cards) of the other two suits. As Crowley once advised (I think he was too lazy to complete what he started): “It is very important as a mental exercise to work out for oneself these correspondences.”
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on February 9, 2022.
