Tarot and the Guiding Star

The talk for this morning is Tarot and the Guiding Star.

And as you know, the star is up there to your left, that beautiful picture called the star, where we see the lovely Isis, one of her many names. I think of her also as a very specialized aspect of Elohim, which she is. We see her kneeling with one knee on the ground and supporting herself with a foot on the waters.

This is very, very, very symbolic and important, as I think we will see. And we see her pouring the waters of consciousness from two vases.

One, obviously, is being dipped from the pool and being poured back, or has been dipped from the pool at some point and is being poured back. And the other pouring the waters from the pool onto the ground, going into five areas, actually, symbolizing the use of the five senses on and in the physical portion of our consciousness, where our capacity to experience livingness via the senses is being shown as taking place on the ground, the ground again, symbolizing Malkuth, the kingdom. But we have here something simultaneous taking place. And the simultaneous aspect holds a message, a secret message, which I hope we'll all be able to share together this morning. The stars are another aspect that we want to pay very strict attention to especially when you consider that the name of the tarot key itself is the star yet here we see more than one star however I think you will notice that the main the major star is golden and the other stars are a different color.

They're white or silver.

Now, in actuality, that golden star, of course, symbolizes Tiphareth, beauty, the sphere of the activity of the sun. And it is relating to that most vital aspect of our being, the one ego seated in the hearts of men. It is also indicating the fact that it is this one ego seated in the hearts of men, this golden star that is the true livingness, and as the true livingness it is the true support or the true guide of our being or our sojourning through the five senses of consciousness consciousness and always incidentally returning back to the pool in its special worlds.

Now let's take a little more of the interaction of these meanings, especially as it relates to some of the things we heard from the Book of Tokens. If you will remember, in the Book of Tokens it mentions that Sadi is the hook, or the the fish hook incidentally is what it relates to. Sari is the name of the letter on this Tarot key.

And if you will recall, it talks about the fish hook being thrown into the waters or cast into the waters.

And that the casting into the waters of the fish hook is meant to catch the fish. And it mentions death. We must die to our old selves. Now if you'll take a look at Tarot Key number 13, Death, I'd like to remind you that the letter, the Hebrew letter here, Nun, means fish. So that what the figure in the star is doing, basically, is fishing, and she's fishing for this fish. Now that seems a strange thing to be looking for, doesn't it?

For death?

But wait a minute. What do we mean by death? One of the most important meanings of Tarot Key 13 is change.

And what is change? The dissolution of what came in order to have what comes next. If we hang on to what was, we aren't able to get what is, let alone what is to be. So that dissolution of what was is a very important in fact it is the most important aspect involved in being able to receive that which is really meant by true guidance now guidance is the result of meditation and meditation is one of the primary meanings of Tarot Key 17 the star also it is called one of the other meanings that deal with meditation has to do with realization revelation is a word used in qabalah for this particular meaning and also we are being told that then that fishing learning how to fish properly in the into the waters of consciousness consciousness is what is necessary in order to land the fish that is to be able to enter into whatever understanding of change must take place in order to have the true answer to our meditation the true guidance in our lives now I think all of us will grant that our greatest problems have have come to us as a result of hanging on to an idea, a concept, an emotion, a misinterpretation, or a condition.

And we have pretty much been like children crying, wanting to have our cake and eat it too. In other words, we have wanted solutions to problems that have come. But what have we done while we have been seeking for solutions while we have even wept for the solutions while we have been swept with anguish while we have walked with in tearfulness calling out to God or something to help us to guide us. At the same time, if we have learned to analyze the full state of our condition, I think most of us will have arrived at at least this much of a true revelation, and that is that even while we've been crying out for help in various states of sorrow, anguish, test and trial, there's been some portion of our consciousness of our emotions that have continued to hang on to a particular trait which sometimes we've called it up you know an integral part of our personality or we may have called it our own integrity for example I know I used to call my prejudices my integrity once because I didn't recognize them as prejudices and so I was able to stand very haughtily uh to feel that complete sense of self-righteousness you know and to be able to say well I can the one thing I will not do is give up my integrity of course you all know the story of my beautiful beloved other half who who also got on his high horse, but this for philosophical reasons, where he insisted he had such integrity that no one could ever buy him.

And you surely all know it by now because I love to brag about it. I bought him for two dollars at the marriage bureau. He forgot his wallet.

And I remind him regularly.

And he loves to be reminded. If I don't remind him, he'll remind me. Because he loves to tell of it.

But we all do know that our tendency is to misinterpret our own thinkings of the past, our own feelings of the past.

Our tendency is an attempt at hanging on to what we are. We're not willing to die to our old selves. And this really is the basis of the vast portion of our problems.

So that fishhook is an extraordinarily good term for the letter that also has to do with revelation.

And fish is a fantastic symbolic word for the idea that has to do with ability or capacity to accept the death that has to do with change you see we are so identified usually with our old thinking our old feelings our old patterns that we think we are what we have thought that we are what we have felt that we we are what we have interpreted, usually misinterpreted. And the result is that we fight for what we think is our survival.

And we have a subconscious fear of the complete death of our personality or individuality or the uniqueness of our being, unless we hang on to those portions of our being which we think have basically been us and therein lies the problem of course because as a matter of fact we can never experience anything new unless unless we are ready to let whatever is old pass us by.

In other words, we cannot try on a new dress unless we're ready to take off an old dress or a new suit, unless we're willing to take off the old suit.

We cannot experience a new taste sensation unless we're willing to put aside some of the older taste sensations. You know, my gorgeous beloved other half, although he adores taste sensations he also loves to taste the same thing over and over again because he uh he very easily falls into what some people call the grooves and so I very lovingly expressing the elohim I assure you it's the elohim whatever anyone may think and knowing that we owe it to the Yod-Heh-Vah-Heh Elohim to let this divine experience all of the extraordinary uniqueness of the subtleties in and through us, knowing this, why I very lovingly push my beloved other half, now mind you, I do it lovingly, I push my other half out of his groove into the adventure of new tastes so that as a result of this he hasn't fought too hard you understand just enough to keep things and make life interesting but the result has been that he has all sorts of new taste sensations open to him which the Lord of the Universe could not have had had he remained stuck in that one groove.

I hope God's grateful, incidentally, you know, because if there are things that I need to have overlooked, perhaps if I offer the Lord of the Universe all these extra sensations via my beloved ones that have been dedicated and given over to the divine, perhaps some of the other elements will not be looked upon so sternly I really know better you know it's just that I like to have fun with God since I know God has fun with us it's a sort of interacting type of experience but in essence our emotional problems our material problems are problems in relationships. All of these problems stem from not being able to, not being willing to die. That is to permit the old to pass away, to be willing to reap from the old. As you can see here, we have the reaper, and it's not a grim reaper incidentally. It's not grim at all may look grim but the the appearance is there only because this is what we fear in our own hearts but what is actually being reaped here as I've pointed out to you before is the wisdom of the divine father seen there wearing the crown the understanding of the divine mother uh seen there on the opposite, we see the hands, and hands, incidentally, indicate very important things.

First of all, good works, because, you know, by their works he shall know them. So that's one of the things, reaping the reward of good works. Also, So, yod represents hand, the open hand, and yod is the hermit, the hermit. And you notice what the hermit is doing. The hermit is holding out the light, giving.

The hermit is absolutely giving completely of the light attained, the wisdom attained. There's this generosity, this lovingness, this compassion, this givingness. And that is the meaning of that open hand also there's another hand that is leaning downward which has the same meaning symbolically as the hand that's closed in a fist and that has to do with Tarot Key number 10 and you notice that's the Wheel of Fortune but it has to do with Tarot Key number 10 in a very special way way, the ability and the capacity to grasp. You know, we grasp something. The comprehension, the grasping has to do then with the ability to reap from our old experiences, our experiences of yesterday, to reap comprehension, understanding, wisdom, the comprehension that gives us the ability and the capacity to move on and you have a tarot key that is involved with motion in key 10 you'll notice most people think it just has to do with being able to have good fortune on the material plane like for example plenty of money but of course those of us who are on the path of return are learning how to understand values more fully learning learning how to understand that only those who are able to develop the true and eternal wealth, that is the richness of spirit, the wealth that has to do with understanding experience, the wealth that has to do with being grateful for every single experience of the past, whatever it may be, the wealth of being able to say thank you God for every tear as well as every joy for every betrayal as well as every bit of loyalty for anything and everything this is the wealth this as a matter of fact is the only true wealth and those who gain this wealth never need to worry about going hungry on the material plane because that which is within will inevitably and inexorably manifest on the without that's one of the meanings of the key the guiding star here because you we are being shown that the balancing between the waters of consciousness and that which is manifest manifest is there. The waters are being poured from both hands. Now this is there whether we know it consciously or not. The within state of being manifests in the without, whether we are ignorant of it or whether we know about it, whether we accept it or whether we reject the idea. As you you know truth, surely you have realized that truth is truth, whether people believe it is or not.

Reality is reality, whether we believe in it or not.

Delusion is delusion, and no amount of believing in delusion will make delusion reality.

Reality is. And the only way we can consciously become aware of the true guiding star and walk in this true riches is to work at helping ourselves to understand this very point because you see one of the other very important and basic meanings in relation to Key 17 is truth. Truth. Now, what is truth? That's a very important thing to know. What is truth? And what is reality?

And how many of us can say, I want truth? That sounds very abstract, doesn't it? But we're going to make it very unabstract very quickly how many of us can say really and truly I want truth how many of us can say really and truly I want reality how many of us can say from the very depth of our soul I want to be aware of what is no matter what no matter what I want to be aware of what is now in as much as we are all spiritual aspirants together certainly we all have a part of our being that yearns for reality that yearns for truth we all very definitely have that but you see our problem comes in because though one side of us wants this reality wants this truth there is this other side this side that is usually more unconscious rather than and conscious, this part of us that has and holds patterns deep within its being, this part that is not able to accept reality because it is unwilling to face it.

We are, or we have, the problem of being unable to face the truth about ourselves, that is about our personality selves, as well as our divine selves, incidentally. How many of us can really accept, deep in the depth of our soul, how many of us can really accept the fact and the reality that says, I am a center of expression for the primal will to good. Now, we say it, we recite it on the trestle board, but how many of us feel it as the core and depth of our being the reality of it I am a center of expression for the primal will to good which eternally creates and sustains the universe in this Tarot key we are watching creating and sustaining at the same time right there symbolically expressed but how many of us actually accept that as a fact within ourselves and I now not something else but I that in me which is I now we as I said we give lip service too much but we're not able to feel or or accept in totality certain aspects why because at least a portion of our being though we may not written know or realize it consciously there's a portion of our being that is still lost in the illusions and the delusions the misinterpretations the patterns that we have not permitted to die that we have been keeping alive and how do we keep these patterns alive notice on the qabalistic tree of life incidentally that the star key 17 connects victory which is the desire nature and the feeling nature to foundation which is the subconscious part of the mind it holds the patterns it is the astral field of activity that has to do with the same idea foundation and remember patterns subconscious patterns are the foundation for our outer life which is symbolized by the kingdom so so that it is the patterns of subconsciousness that automatically become the foundation for whatever happens to us outside.

And I mean for whatever happens outside. It doesn't matter what it is.

Now, these patterns of subconsciousness, which are the real foundations, of course, do not involve only the personal life. This is true. We share this with all life. So there's a part of our experience which has to do with the patterns of the race mind. True. But in our own immediate interacting circle, in the personalized aspect of our lives, we have a continuous manifestation, as shown in the Tarot key, and certainly in what is connected on the tree. We have a continuous manifestation of this principle.

Now, for example, say we yearn for love. Now, everyone wants to be loved.

Everyone.

Now, there isn't anyone who can say they don't want to be loved.

Now, but does everyone want to have the complete capacity to love? You know, most of us, when we weep, What we're weeping for is the desire to have others love us, or others to serve us, or others to give to us.

That is usually what happens. Did you see the desire nature of victory?

This is what usually happens in our consciousness, if you'll stop to analyze it. How many of us weep?

Symbolically speaking and actually speaking, speaking one way and the other and both, saying, God, dear God, give me the capacity to love.

God, dear God, help me to become aware of anything and everything in me that obstructs my capacity to love.

God, Lord of the universe, let me see the realities in me of that which is unlovable.

And help me to see it. I want reality. I want truth. Help me to see it, not in horror, not in a negative manner, where I'll just put my attention on it, thereby feeding my life essence into it, and therefore forcing it to manifest again and again and again. But help me to see it, only so that I will be able to see and know what it is that must die.

That must die in order that I can be born again in the reality, in the truth, in the peace. Because do you notice how peaceful Tarot Key 17 is? And when we really know ourselves to be guided by the star, the one thing I'm sure we'll all agree to is that it would be inevitable that we walk in peace.

Storms can be about us.

Thunder can roar and lightning can strike.

Waters can wash and they can flood.

But when we know that we are being guided by the star, it can thunder and roar and strike.

The core in the depth of the soul is at peace.

And that peace is attainable only when we learn how to walk with a conscious recognition of this guidance. And a conscious recognition of this guidance we can have only when and as we train ourselves to want reality, to want truth. Truth. You know, even those sometimes who enter into occultism are not entering for the proper reasons. They want to prove something rather than to have reality. I remember shortly before I was finally guided by that star to our beloved and revered Dr. Paul Foster Case.

I remember then I was being given some special instruction by someone who certainly was somewhat of an adept not as great an adept as Dr. Case but he was an adept and he was teaching me some very important methods of meditation but before he entered into this very powerful aspect of it with me he asked me he said what is it that you're searching for what do you want I said I want to know whatever is I want reality he said well he said what is it that reality would be to you I said if I knew what it would be I would be pre-conditioning it my mind is absolutely open he said are you sure I said yes I said all I know is I have to find out is there a God I said now I know it is said there is it is taught there is but I don't know it I don't know it not unless I experience it so I can't say there's a God he said all right he said now what I want to ask you is this suppose in your work in your meditations and I'm teaching you to go through suppose you would find out that there is no god what then I thought a moment I said marvelous then I'd know he said you are ready to receive any and every bit of instruction you are beyond self-delusion you don't have to prove anything you're open to reality you are open to truth now see it may sound strange to you the idea of my being willing if it were reality the idea that if there were no God I would be very happy at least I know as though if one could really know such a thing but this is a philosophical concept I'm giving you but it has great implications because take this basic idea I just had to know what is not do what do I want of course in truth I didn't care at that time whether there was or wasn't the god if there wasn't I figured fine then you can get out of pain if life gets too tough you You take a bunch of sleeping tablets and go into eternal extinction, and what could be nicer than that?

You know, no more problems. That may sound like a strange attitude, but it had its logic for me of that time and that age. Remember, I was very young, very young. You see, now I've achieved the age where I'm almost 21, next birthday. But then, you know, when we're so very young, we walk in very strange areas and worlds and do some strange things and have some strange thoughts and attitudes. So that was my attitude, but the point is I wanted reality, and therefore when I finally went through my intensive meditation, meditation I experienced reality I was willing for whatever is to be now of course the truth of the matter is my love is that whatever is is whether we are willing or not and so I think it's a very good idea for us all to decide in as much as reality is going to be whether I want it so or not I might as as well start wanting it since it isn't going to do me any good whatsoever to hang on to delusion or lies or snares you see it's pretty much like saying since I'm going to have to walk in the divine will I might as well say god all I want is the divine will in other words if you can't lick them join them one of the statements that has been made so often all right then let's consider what is it within our own hearts within our own souls that usually goes on and has been going on of course the hanging on to these patterns of the past is something that we have done out of ignorance this is true but if we want to be cured of ignorance then we are able more more clearly to start seeing because all the help of the universe really starts to pour in to help us to see.

Now, when I meditated in order to find out, is there a God?

I found out not only that there's a God, but that I was it.

That is, not just I, not I am.

I, I, I am, which is as much you as me and all things that are. I found this out and then I knew. I knew that at least there's something in me. There's that portion of me that was before time began, that will be when time ceases to be, never a time it was not, beginningless, endless, all wayness and it was rapture and beauty and glory and all things lovely and it was peace it was certainly peace and then when I meditated but it was important to me you see it was a question that was important when I I meditated on other aspects of life, evolution, pain, because I was pretty horrified at the idea of all creatures having to die, you see.

And remember, you have to be willing to die, as shown in the Tarot Key series and their meanings, in order to be open to reality. I was horrified at the idea that every creature was subject to pain and that death took place inevitably and invariably and so that everything that lived was sort of doomed to experience some kind of pain and certainly death and how everything just fought to hang on to its life I cared I cared about the answer and I meditated on that and so when I meditated I had got my answer but But how did I receive my answer? I received it by becoming that answer. And this is the acme, incidentally, of what can happen in meditation when we are willing to have reality.

And interestingly enough, in the answer that had to do with death, the important thing was that from that level, which was and is the principle of evolution from that level of consciousness there was absolutely no concern whatsoever with the uh dying that takes place it was as unimportant while I was in that state of consciousness pain it was as unimportant as it's unimportant to us say if we drop just a little piece of rubbish on the street so in a way that I guess that should be important because it would be you know we're dirting up the scenery but I can't remotely tell you how insignificant and unimportant it is in that level and when I returned to the and consciousness having experienced this level what I recognized was that within the reality of all of livingness within the reality of evolution the pain that comes is because of this hanging and clinging that actually death is not what it seemed It was change and that all of evolution required change and that it was our misinterpretation of change so that what we consider the larger death, like when a person dies and goes to their just reward, let's hope upstairs, you know.

Of course there really isn't any downstairs in the sense people think but it seems like it but what I came to realize with all my heart was that it was our delusion about change and death which was the problem and our unwillingness to face the realities that combination given the ability the willingness to have reality no matter what there is the most extraordinary gate you notice remember in the book of tokens how it mentions I am the gate I am the hook I am the fish in other words the truth of the matter is that the very the gate of our own inside consciousness opens up to us and brings us the light and the guidance, as long as we train ourselves to be willing to know the reality and permit the changes and help the changes to take place.

So, in essence, if we are able to look into our own hearts, and we have to do this, even that has to be done with the fishhook, you know, the fishhook of that beautiful sadi, and we're able to say, well, now if I am living in such a way that I feel I haven't got love, then certainly one thing is for sure, the place I have to go to work is the inside because that is what is always the foundation for outside.

The sure thing is then I've got to work at developing my own love nature. If I am deluded and think I have a perfected love nature whereas I really haven't the outside should wake me up and if it isn't you know what will happen over and over again I'm going to find myself in relationships where I'm rejected over and over I'm going to find myself in relationships where I'm misunderstood, and over and over I'm going to find myself stuck, absolutely stuck in the pattern. And this is what has happened to all of us and happens to all of us. However, when, on the other hand, we make up our minds, what, I haven't got enough love on the outside? Then what I'm going to have to do is let the spirit of love which is God live more completely deeply and fully in my heart in my soul when we become more concerned with that the miracles talk about the star the guiding star oh no words can explain it if we find that we are lonely in the outer world we better look in our hearts and say, what, I'm lonely?

It must be that I am selfish within the core of my soul, though I haven't recognized it in myself, because only selfish beings are really lonely in the truest, most complete sense of the word. And furthermore, it must be that I don't know how to be a true friend, not a complete friend, because a true friend, a complete friend, accepts the totality of the other. True love, complete love, accepts the totality of the other, not in a deluded way.

In other words, let's say I look at you.

I'm looking at you. Now, if I have to see your personality as being perfected in order to love you, and boy, darlings, we're all in trouble, and we're in real trouble didn't Jesus say call no man good but the father and what do we mean by perfected personality pray tell now if I love to crack jokes and somebody who takes their aspirations seriously and hasn't got a sense of humor I take mine very seriously too so seriously that I have to crack jokes or I'd fall apart art you know but if somebody else feels that the only way aspiration can be proven to be serious is to march around with a knit brow you know and the eyes slanted upward to show that they're looking to the above and the beyond even with the proper position if if this is the manner in which the aspiration can be shown that person is going to look upon my personality as being very lacking and unspiritual and wonder how such a person could be a spiritual teacher and they won't make any bones about talking about it to others too because we always feel more important when we can tear somebody else apart especially if they appear to be in a place of what they think is prestige you know because then it helps us be that feel that much more important and what we're really doing though really we're rending our own souls because you see there is no such thing as separation and that's the thing we discover when we become willing to see reality and we discover discover that if If we're criticizing anyone else's personality, what we're really doing is tearing our heart into shreds.

And if we are gossiping about another, we are really destroying our own love nature.

And if we have to find the faults in other personalities, we are really strengthening the demons inside ourselves the demons that are self-made because that's where our attention is, my loves where your attention is there goes your life power there goes your life essence where your attention is there goes the full evolutionary creativity of life itself all of the power of the universe goes where your attention goes and the secret of meditation is the secret of attention focusing on that which we really care about when we care about tearing others apart we are torn apart you see the desire nature that is the victorious thing at all times If we have to blame somebody out there for any of our problems, then our life beingness, the attention of the life essence of the universe, is focusing on blame and everything returns home and the knife, we're thrusting the knife into our own hearts in that manner.

And so even if it were for no other reason than to learn how to be practical you know after all why remain a masochist for god's sake and I mean for god's sake literally not figuratively because there's one being if we want to lift the pain of life the first place to start is with yourself there is no other place to lift the pain out of our own hearts requires that we develop within ourselves that we work upon the portion of our being that requires it in other words place the life power of attention inside because everything starts from in there and projects from there, from the pool, from the waters. Place it inside. Practice accepting other personalities. Now that doesn't mean that you have to approve of the conduct that is unevolved, but there's a big difference between noting a child throwing a tantrum yet loving the child and accepting the child or condemning sitting in judgment and deciding out in a way and thrusting the child out of your life if and furthermore we all are lonely wanting to be accepted totally totally, totally.

If we don't recognize it, we'd better get busy and want reality.

You know, I make no bones about that.

I, you remember, I've mentioned to you, I'm a very reasonable soul, very reasonable.

And God knows when I'm reasonable, I'm really reasonable. And I keep trying to tell you too. Well, for example, what are my expectations? Thoroughly reasonable in my other half, in my beautiful, gorgeous, glorious man.

I don't expect much. All I expect, as you know, is his heart, soul, mind, body, and spirit.

Now, if there are any other vehicles, and I'm just ignorant of them, believe me, I'm including them right now.

I don't want any ignorance to make me stumble.

Now you say is that spiritual why not I accept the totality of him I accept and when I say I expect it I wouldn't expect it if I didn't have it now there's another secret if you know how to listen we only say I expect the way I just said it when we know we really have it. And we know we really have it when we know we really give it.

And that's the next secret.

Give it. Are you able to give this kind of love, this total acceptance to another?

Then what right have you to expect it yet?

Isn't it better to get busy to learn how to give and be.

This is the secret of the fish and the hook and the unity of life.

This is the secret of attaining reality. This is the secret of real meditation. The truth of the fact is, my loves, that you are always in meditation. There isn't a moment you are not in meditation. Meditation whatever your attention is on is an automatic state of meditation whatever your attention is upon and you're feeding it with into with emotion whatever the emotion positive or negative you are in meditation you are in meditation if you are knitting your brows and saying how dare that dirty low down good for nothing so-and-so treat me that way boy I tell you other low down good for nothings are going to do it better and better you know treating you that way when you feed an image like that with that much power the desire that's meditation Subconsciousness builds as the foundation that receives and out it flows into the five senses of our world. So to understand meditation in its essence is to know that we'd better learn to be in in the spiritual level of the meditative state every single instant.

And let me tell you, it's a lot easier to develop that than to walk in sorrow, disillusionment, misery, loneliness, and despair.

It's much easier to train our minds and hearts to wake up and say, good morning, God, I love you, looking first into yourself and then outside and looking into the eyes of your beloved other half if you have the good fortune to have one and if not then into the eyes of the beloved half that you're attracting to yourself and hope God will bring it soon and say good morning beloved wherever you are I'm expecting you as soon as I'm able to love you firmly enough to get the kind of love that will return and you say and good morning sky and star and breeze I love you good morning friend and and be good morning blade of grass good morning livingness of life I love you I love you I love you I love you