The Alchemical Symbols

 Hermetic Rose Cross

The three alchemical elements are sulfur, mercury and salt. Their symbols are are located in the triple lobes at the end of each arm of the Great Cross, and "represent universal qualities or principals that interact with and are profoundly dependent upon each other." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 53

On page 18 of the Book of Thoth, Crowley states:

"Sulfur is Acitivity, Energy, Desire

Mercury is Fluidity, Intelligence, the power of Transmission

Salt is the vehicle of these two forms of energy, but itself possess qualities which react on them."

"The symbols for these three alchemical principals occupy different lobes on each arm of the Cross. Mercury is placed in the central lobe of the top and bottom arm, indicating dominance in air/Swords and earth/Disks. The symbol of salt dominates on the right arm (water/Cups), and the symbol of sulfur dominates the left arm (fire/Wands).

The secondary lobes of each arm are occupied with symbols of hte not-so-dominant alchemical principals arranged in a logical and balanced manner. This is very important because, when these three principles are combined and balanced, they create the alchemical substance known as "vitriol," the universal solvent. It is the initials of the alchemical motto: Visita interiora terrae rectificando invenies occultum lapidem (Visit the interior parts of the earth: by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone).

Crowley identifies three cards with the alchemcial elements:

The Magus - Mercury

The Empress - Salt

The Emperor - Sulfur

Other trumps also have alchemical significance:

Art - Vitriol

The Lovers, the Hermit, Death, and the Devil all have vital roles to play in the alchemy of the tarot." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 53

On page 83 of the Book of Thoth, Crowley speaks of one more alchemical symbol called the Orphic egg: "This egg represents the essence of all life that comes under the formula of male and female."

The Macrocosmic Hexagram

Union of 5 and 6

The white square of Spirit has a hexagram with a symbol of Sol in the center and the other six planets of the ancients surrounding it. This is the "6-rayed Star" of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

The 4 Aces and the 16 Court Cards

4 Aces and 16 Court Cards

"Four pentagrams, representing the ace and four court cards of each suit, are placed upon the extremities of the Rose Cross of Manifestation." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 50 The combination of the elements are represented by the colors of the pentagrams on the arms of the cross. Duquette states on pages 50 and 51 (Thoth Tarot):

• The pentagram representing the ace and courts cards of fire (on the left arm) is colored green, (the combination of air-yellow and water-blue)
• The pentagram representing the ace and court cards of water (on the right arm) is colored orange, (the combination of air-yellow and fire-red)
• The pentagram representing the ace and court cards of air (on the top arm) is colored purple, (the combination of the fire-red and water blue)

I would also like to point out that the color of the pentagrams on these arms are complementary to the extremities on which they exist.

The earth element is treated differently because the Princess, the earthy aspect of each suit, doesn't rule the 30 degrees of the zodiacal year, unlike the Knight, Queen, and Prince. On page 89 of the Book of Thoth, Crowley states, "the climax of the Descent into Matter is the signal for the redintegration (restoration to a former state) by Spirit."
Duquette further elaborates: "On the Hermetic Rose Cross, the earth pentagram is pure white, but the entire lower extremity of the cross, upon which it sits, is divded into four sections colored black, citrine (a mixture of blue, red, and yellow but with a predominance of yellow), olive (a mixture of the same colors but w/ a predominance of blue), and russet (the same but with a predominance of red)."

Elemental Subdivisions

Elemental Subdivisions of the Aces and Court Cards

"The elements combine and mix with each other in order to facilitate creation." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 50

The Aces and Court Cards

The Pentagram - Ace and Court Cards

Court Cards as Elemental aspects of the Ace

"The ace of each suit represents spirit in its purist form. Dwelling inside each ace are the four court cards of the suit. The ace is composed of a fiery component (the Knight), a watery component (the Queen), an airy component (the Prince), and an earthy component (the Princess)." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 49                                

The Pentagram

The Pentagram - Spirit Ruling the Four Elements

The Pentagram represents Spirit "binding the four elements together in infinite proportions and combinations in order to construct the universe." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 49

The Four Suits

The Four Suits on the Rose Cross of Manifestation

left arm - Fire, Wands suit, red

right arm - Water, Cups suit, blue

top arm - Air, Swords suit, yellow

lowest extremity - Earth, Disks suit, green

The square below the rose and above the lowest extremity of the Disks suit is Spirit, but no suit is attributed to it for Spirit flows through all creation. It is shown white.

YHVH

The Divine Name (YHVH), the Elements, the Qabalistic Worlds, Parts of the Soul and the Four Tarot Suits

The universe is divided into four parts which is represented by a single deity with a four Hebrew letter name, YHVH (Yod Heh Vav Heh) pronounced 'Jehovah' and is the God of creation in the sense of what we humans consider reality. This creator-God doesn't know where it came from, what created it, or that it was even created by something greater than it, and is what the Greeks refer to as Demiourgos or the demiurge. Zeus was a demiurge and another name for him is Jove which in Hebrew is very similar in spelling to Jehovah (YHVH). "It might even refer to itself as a jealous god and forbid the worship of any other competing deity." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 47. I think that Duquette is referring here to the 'God' worshiped by orthodox Christianity.

YHVH divides the macrocosm into four descending worlds (Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, Assiah), the microcosm into four descending levels (Chiah, Neshamah, Ruach, Nephesh), and metaphorically as the four elements Fire, Water, Air and Earth, represented in the tarot by the four suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks:

Yod - Atziluth, Chiah, Fire, Wands suit

Heh - Briah, Neshamah, Water, Cups suit

Vav - Yetzirah, Ruach, Air, Swords suit

Heh (final) - Assiah, Nephesh, Earth, Disks suit

The Rose Cross of Manifestation

Rose Cross of Manifestation

Next is what Duquette calls the 'Rose Cross of Manifestation' "because it reveals the mysteries of the manifest universe - of principals, energies, forces (represented by the great rose of 22 petals and the tarot trumps) crucified upon the cross of time and space and matter. These mysteries abide in aces, court cards, and the small cards of the four suits." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 46-47

The Zodiacal Trumps

12 Petals - Zodiacal Trumps

The final petals to manifest represent the 12 simple letters, the 12 signs of the zodiac, and the 12 primary, secondary, and intermediate colors:

Atu 4 - The Emperor - Tzaddi, Aries, red

Atu 5 - The Hierophant - Vav, Taurus, red-orange

Atu 6 - The Lovers - Zain, Gemini, orange

Atu 7 - The Chariot - Cheth, Cancer, orange-yellow

Atu 11 - Lust - Teth, Leo, yellow

Atu 9 - The Hermit - Yod, Virgo, yellow-green

Atu 8 - Adjustment - Lamed, Libra, green

Atu 13 - Death - Nun, Scorpio, blue-green

Atu 14 - Art - Samekh, Sagittarius, blue

Atu 15 - The Devil - Ayin, Capricorn, blue-violet

Atu 17 - The Star -Heh, Aquarius, violet

Atu 18 - The Moon - Qoph, Pisces, violet-red 

The Planetary Trumps

7 Petals - Planetary Trumps

The next petals to manifest represent the 7 double letters, the 7 ancient planets, and the 7 colors of the rainbow:

Atu 16 - The Tower - Peh, Mars, red

Atu 19 - The Sun - Resh, Sol, orange

Atu 1 - The Magician - Beth, Mercury, yellow

Atu 3 - The Empress - Daleth, Venus, green

Atu 2 - The High Priestess - Gimel, Luna, blue

Atu 21 - The Universe - Tav, Saturn, indigo

Atu 10 - Fortune - Kaph, Jupiter, violet

The Elemental Trumps

3 Petals - Elemental Trumps

These are the first of the Rose of 22 Petals to manifest. They correspond to the 3 mother letters, the 3 primitive elements, and the 3 primary colors:

Atu 0 - The Fool - Aleph, Air, yellow 

Atu 12 - The Hanged Man - Mem, Water, blue 

Atu 20 - The Aeon - Shin, Fire, red 

"The fourth element, earth, is a combination of air, water and fire. Earth will eventually manifest as a separate element when the arms of the Great Cross are formed." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, n. 69, 317

The Rose of Manifestation

Rose of 22 Petals

The Rose Cross of Being gives rise to the Rose of Manifestation also known as the Rose of 22 Petals which includes all 22 Hebrew letters/Tarot Trumps - 3 mother letters (3 primitive elements), 7 double letters (7 ancient planets), and 12 simple letters (12 signs of the zodiac)

The Rose Cross of Being

Rose Cross of Being

The combination of the Point, the Golden Cross, the Rose of 5 Petals, and the four triangular points that emanate from it is what Duquette calls the 'Rose Cross of Being'. "Position, dimension, time and space must be the next additions to the creation cycle." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 44

The Rose of 5 Petals

Rose of 5 Petals on the Golden Cross

Once the cube is open, it reveals the Rose of 5 Petals, combining the number 5 with the number 6. The rose of five crucified on the cross of six tells us that humanity is connected to deity. "As above, so below." -The Kybalion

The Golden Cross

Unfolded Cube - Golden Cross

With the unfolding of the white cube, we move from infinite potential (the point and the white cube) to the beginning of creation which reveals the golden cross of 6 squares.

The Cubic Stone

 

  The White Cubic Stone

To understand the point, we can symbolize it by a white cubical stone, (the Cube of Space?). It "contains within itself the potential of all creation." - Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 41. If a point (the white point?) were to expand into three dimensions, it would create six sides and twelve points/edges (1+ 3 + 6 + 12 = 22). According the Sepher Yetzirah, this is how deity formed the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which is divided into 3 mother letters (3 primitive elements), 7 double letters (7 ancient planets), and 12 simple letters (12 signs of the zodiac).

The Point

The Point

Although the white point is often not shown in many diagrams of the Rose Cross, it is located in the center of it. "The white point symbolizes the shining point of pure existence, without size, and (as yet) without position. It is not really a point at all, but a state of infinite potentiality. It is the germ of creation before creation begins." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 40. In the beginning, the three veils of negative existence coalesced into a single point. It "is the essence and identity of absolute deity"-Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 41, as well as the "essence and identity" of the Higher Self. "If you understand the nature of the point, you understand the nature of yourself and deity." -Duquette, Thoth Tarot, 40

The Rose Cross

Rose Cross

The image of the Hermetic Rose Cross (a.ka. Rosy Cross, or Rose Croix) is located on the back of each of the 78 tarot cards in the Thoth Tarot. It is associated with Christian Rosencreutz founder of the Rosecrucian Order, is a symbol of the Philosopher's Stone of alchemy, and as a lamen it is worn by the initiate of the Adeptus Minor grade/degree of the Golden Dawn.