Key 10 - The Wheel Of Fortune

The topic of our talk for this morning is Wealth, Poverty, and Security in Mysticism. That means we're talking about Tarot Key Number 10, the Wheel of Fortune.

Now, this Hebrew letter has various attributions given it, remember, by the attained ones, by those who have given us the secret wisdom of Israel, of which this is a part. And so the attributions of the letter give us the insight into what the fuller and deeper meanings of the key are now one of the attributions is related to the function and the function attribution wise is grasp now in our previous Tarot key when we were talking about Tarot key number nine the permit we pointed out that the Hebrew letter means hand and that's the open hand and all of the lessons give you these various attributions because the hermit is giving out he's giving out of the light it's an open hand and remember through there has to do also with the attribution to the portion of the divine masculine power in the cosmos called yod-heh-vah-heh but now in this next Tarot key Tarot key number 10 called the wheel of fortune in the Hebrew letter kaf we have another meaning that must follow out of the open hand and the giving we have in kaf the closed hand so that the closed hand is very specifically attributed to this letter and therefore to the forces dealing with this key now what does that mean closed hand really has more than one meaning it has to do with something pretty literal even though we don't recognize it because if you understand something you are said to be be able to you to grasp it oh yes I grasp that idea now in other words you have hold of it you know you say well let me see let me see I haven't gotten hold of it yet no you haven't gotten hold of it you haven't grasped it so understanding is dependent on a function that we automatically call grasp it's part of a symbolism existing deep in our being where we attempt to find words to express it and so this idea of the closed hand that's like a fist it doesn't have to do with what some of these uh modern nonsense thinkers have attributed to the fist this has to do with grass and indeed if you remember it's the ability to grasp tools that has made man what he is the ability to grasp as we do with the thumb and the forefinger is involved here uh our Our entire evolutionary ability is involved, therefore, with the ideas that can be interwoven with the idea that has grasp as its core.

Then also, Dr. Case has pointed out that when we make a fist, we see there's a spiral taking place between the index finger and the thumb. And we see here the wheel of fortune symbolizing a spiral the turning of the wheel as a spiral even though it isn't shown that way it is indicated by various of the other symbols and therefore the idea of grasp involves also the idea of the movement because of the spiral it forms the movement of energies now this Hebrew letter is also attributed to a mode of consciousness consciousness, which has been very little understood by too many aspirants, and especially misunderstood by those who are too much focused perhaps in elementary metaphysics. Because you see, in the highlights of Tarot, because there wasn't enough room, the attribution was given in terms of intelligence for each of these letters or paths. The attribution is given as the rewarding intelligence that's for the Hebrew letter comp the field of fortune this parakeet now the rewarding intelligence is just part of the name of this particular Hebrew letter because remember each of the witness Hebrew letters have involved in it a method of consciousness or a state of consciousness which expresses itself in a a specialized way so that the way it is given is in Qabalah intelligence of by intelligence always the Qabalists are trying to point out that everything is conscious everything is from mind everything works within mind and therefore our state of mind is involved in whatever occurs indeed that mind is if you want to call anything a cause mind is the cause of all things as well as being the effect of all things if you want to think of the idea of effect as being a final moment which it never is because every final moment or what seems to be a final moment begins the next series we had nine previously now we have ten two numbers a new series being started you see and yet it is the result of the previous series in the spiral so the intelligence of a rewarding intelligence is only partial the Qabalists have several ideas attributed to this Hebrew letter all of which means the same thing one of the names they give it is intelligence of desirous quest now think about that for a moment intelligence of desirous quest now if you'll remember the rewarding intelligence I think you can start tying up in your mind that that which we desire that which is our quest that which we put desire into as our quest is that which becomes our reward now sometimes we get our reward and we don't like them in fact perhaps this is often as a matter of fact to be perfectly honest it's all the time but and we don't realize that what we're experiencing is the result of the intelligence of desire is quest that we've been desiring we've had as our aspiration or quest or focus for the emotions certain goals and we receive these goals we don't recognize that we really have brought them into being with the intelligence with consciousness with awareness with that which we have an ability to be aware of you might say or the degree of evolutionary awareness we've achieved up to a certain point so this intelligence of desirous quest is a very important thing to realize of being involved here then it's also called the full name for rewarding intelligence is really the rewarding intelligence of those who seek now that's the full term there again what is it that we are rewarded with that which we seek becomes our reward and we don't realize it as a reward because you see we think of it as a punishment that's where we make a mistake see that just one little sentence could take plenty of meditation because if the mind and the emotions have been focused on something then the reward is the experiencing of it now if we're we get the idea that if we're uncomfortable and we're being punished and if we're comfortable we're being rewarded but you see this is not the way consciousness works truth of the matter is we're always rewarded and some of it is uncomfortable and painful and some of it is very wonderful and joyous and some have all the various grades in between or intermixtures so that the rewarding intelligence of those who seek really involves actually being rewarded no matter what we seek being rewarded for the kind of seeking we're doing as a matter of fact and for this reason then there's another intelligence that the wise the sons of the doctrine have given this Hebrew letter and that is the conciliating intelligence which rewards those who seek now by conciliating I think we should be able to see that a balancing is indicated conciliation sometimes also means the coming together between two warring factions doesn't it well all factions do come together that's what's involved here by the idea of conciliation they have to balance themselves off for the next cycle so So that the experiencing, whatever it is, whatever it is we experience, is usually, at this moment, the final result of previous energies that we have set in motion because of what we've been desiring, how we've been desiring it, what we've been questing, you might say, how we've been questing it.

And out of this we are meant we don't always but out of this we are meant to finally come to the realization that when it is said we should do unto others as we would have others do unto us it's a very practical kind of advice very practical I think you'll see since if we're going to do unto others as we don't want them unto ourselves we are then bringing about the intelligence or the expression of a conciliation where we are experiencing what we really will decide we don't want in other words we don't want it because it's uncomfortable we're still being rewarded incidentally and that brings in the attribution of Jupiter you know in astrology for example Jupiter is called the greater benefic and you might think of Jupiter as being the what the rewarding intelligence as most people think of reward in other words something that has to do with largesse like being like receiving a lot of something like a lot of money that's the best a lot of most people think they'd like to get it I I hope you all get it and discover via the conciliating intelligence that it didn't bring you what you really wanted.

Not that you might not do some very nice and attractive things with it sometimes. So when we think of Jupiter in its attributions, we should be very careful not to limit the largesse of Jupiter to the money levels or security as money. Then we want to remember Jupiter rules Sagittarius which is the ninth house of the zodiac and the ninth house is the house of religion the house of philosophy the house of the higher mind the house of long journeys so some people take long journeys physically speaking others take long journeys with the mind philosophy bricks you see you still have bigness you understand so you have this bigness on different levels or as the qabalists would say in all four worlds that's why in this tarot key we have a division into the four they're indicating that this force works in all four worlds and which world we use it in of course depends on us and jupiter's influence like all influences are always there but what level we choose to use it in will be the determining factor as to how it will express for us so this fulfilling level that has to do with cough or with Jupiter involves then the ability or the capacity also to recognize these three different intelligences that have been assigned to the the particular letter and key and we can gain more insight into this and an understanding of how to utilize this key in a more positive manner along with all of the other attributions if we will look at the four six signs of the zodiac on the Tarot key now you notice the eagle the man the bull and the lion now those are the symbols for the four fixed signs of the zodiac which has more than one meaning it of course indicates a framework for the the like a cycle or or the idea that the life power concentrates its own substance into a certain form, a condensation called the beginning of the whirlings, and that's the dot in the middle of the wheel, that it's by condensation or compression or limitation that the expansion of Jupiter takes place.

And we've heard that before, haven't we? Over and over again we've been trying to point out to you that it's the limitation of Saturn that really brings all expansion that only as we apply the powers of limitation which means what of self responsibility self control accepting responsibilities for various things the older we are the more responsibility were given when we are all grown up society then gives us the responsibility of our conduct all the way but once we arrive at whatever is called the age of consent we have taken upon ourselves certain responsibilities and whether we have recognized that consciously or not there are certain responsibilities we have automatically taken upon ourselves by virtue of having reached the human status by having become human beings and the human being is assigned to the Aquarian sign of man there, as you can see. But the four fixed signs on this tarot key are indicating a certain framework within which this evolutionary cycle must take place.

And that framework has to do with laws or rules even. So that we're being told via the fixed signs of the zodiac that there are certain cosmic laws or rules that we have to learn to understand, recognize, and follow if we want to experience the Jupiter levels or the intelligences in their most positive sense having to do with Kaaf. Now, I'd like you to realize that when we give the analysis of Yod-Heh-Vah-Heh as this word of power which we chant, that if you will recall the Hebrew letter Yod is assigned to the fire and therefore to Leo the first hay is assigned to the eagle and the water and that's Scorpio the love or wah when we chant it is assigned to the man and that's Aquarius and then the final hey is assigned to the bull and that's earth mass tourists which is the fixed earth sign so that these four letters are assigned to the four elements as well as to the fixed portions of the zodiac and they therefore are also an indication of the forces that we have available to us within the cosmos and which are meant to be ruled by man because in the symbols you see here in the key you notice the sign Aquarius that's a very important thing to notice there now in this sign Aquarius we're being given some very important information via the symbols and when we learn what they mean we're able to use them more effectively of course you see there are several symbols but Aquarius is at the bottom you have the symbol of sulfur on the right hand you have a symbol of mercury above and then you have the symbol of salt or earth to the left as you look at the symbols on the tarot key from the center out you notice where the lines cross there it's the second circle the middle circle now the other three symbols the sulfur mercury and salt are the symbols of what have been called the three principles I don't know if you know this but that sign of Aquarius is also the sign that the alchemists use for the sign of dissolution which is one of the most important functions that we have in occult training dissolution so that we have there here the power to build to sink to maintain in the other symbols and then the power to dissolve all right dissolve what to dissolve old patterns the amount of evolution you can accomplish for yourself is dependent on the your dissolution this is everybody this is a principle it is dependent on our capacity to see the necessity for dissolving nonsense which means we have to learn how to see what is so we have obviously then a need to recognize the fact that evolution our evolution requires number one certainly that we decide to take our own evolution in hand remember it is man that has to do the dissolving you have something to do all the time you can never get bored that this is what you call real largesse because the greatest poverty there is is boredom that's the greatest poverty and you as you can see because a person who is bored is empty and if you're empty you're empty isn't that poverty now the greatest riches is being full there you have your Jupiter no matter what you're full of that's your riches whether you're full of air that the weather of a temperature that's too high or whatever so but the point is we do we have you know jupiter is also very jovial laughter you notice how happily we're in the spirit of the jovial positive aspects of jupiter how how delightfully we are chuckling.

You see, we're really using the devil, mirth, you know, to help look at things honestly, see them for what they are. The best way to dissolve the evils that exist in ourselves is through laughter, of course. But we have to remain attentive. And to the degree that we do this, we develop a broader philosophical base in relation to conditions situations people and what could be more rich than that our philosophy of life really which you remember has to do with the ninth house that jupiter rules our philosophy of life is what gives us our true riches or not in whatever degrees in whatever areas and no security can even remotely develop in our minds and our hearts and our lives in any area as long as we are not going to be working at developing this security of self-being in other words the security of our own individuality as being the child of God the security of knowing that the best thing on earth can happen to us is to be hungry the path of desirous quest do you know what the the greatest hell and poverty is the greatest hell and the greatest poverty is not having a goal you know we pointed out what is boredom is emptiness when we have a goal our minds and our hearts are focused this is richness and everyone who's really watched and analyzed it discovered it isn't the attaining of the goal that gives us our joy it is the quest haven't you noticed that now that when you finally have a thing finished that's marvelous but then what are you gonna do with yourself unless you go ahead and get yourself a new goal it's while you're working on the goal if you're full of the magic while you're creating this is the magic the glory the rapture it's while you're writing the poem while you're making that dress while you're building that house, while you're playing or that song or composing it, the thing, the magic is, after that, you can't just sit around because then that's death. If you just sit around and say, oh, I got it, I got it, yes, I got it. Yesterday or last year, I got what I wanted.

So what's going to happen to you now? Can life stop? No, it can't. You've got to keep in a movement and to keep building the largesse of the consciousness so the path of desire's quest is the secret behind security and the secret behind riches we are rich to the degree that we hunger blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness said that greatest greatest initiate of all.

Blessed are they that, and that was at this time, and that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Now please remember, righteousness. In other words, we have to hunger and thirst to be loving, kind, faithful, responsible. We have to hunger and thirst to the degree that we're going to do things to dissolve the energy out of those portions in our nature which are not. And the greatest state of grace we can be in, the grace of God, is being in a state of hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Now, I'd like to point out another aspect here. You notice on top of the wheel we have a sphinx figure, which seems part human, part animal, and also part the sphinx of T7, holding a sword.

Now the sword is a very very important symbol in the Qabalistic system and it means more than one thing and all of them interact or it are interrelated one other point I'd like to make then we will have had all we can digest with this key for today I think if you will notice this Hebrew letter in the Tarot key join victory to mercy on the Qabalistic tree of life now victory remember is assigned to the desire nature in the personality level and mercy is assigned to that portion of the mind which in Qabalah is also called the sphere of the activity of Jupiter remember Jupiter as an inner force is one thing Jupiter in its sphere of activity on the Qabalistic tree of life is the movement of that quality of consciousness for the whole universe as well as for each and every one of us as parts of it so that the force of the inner Jupiter is connected to the movement of the sphere of the activity of Jupiter as a quality of mercy now what that means there was more than one meaning of course remember the masters of compassion have attained to that That's Sephirah, called mercy, or the sphere of activity of Jupiter.

And masters of compassion are masters of compassion because the path or intelligence of desire's quest between, remember, desire, victory, and mercy is functioning in them all the time. They are masters of compassion because, again, the higher mind is assigned to mercy. To mercy they always in a higher mind have the memory and the recollection of all the sorrows they've gone through the gone through in the past all the disappointments all the hard work so that they know they are able to do what and they have are already doing what the hermit is doing the hermit is a master of compassion you see and standing on that height bringing in the light so uh the master of compassion is there shedding light out of the lantern all the time towards us in our desire nature via this path if we open ourselves to it and indeed everything that happens to us is also as I was pointing out the reward because mercy where the masters of compassion are also that's called the measuring intelligence and you might say what you measure out unto others it shall be measured to you again you remember that what you meet out unto others there you see where the greater teachers keep telling us that measurement of life measurement of quality measurement of beingness measurement of experience comes to us in terms of the depth you know if we're shallow it's understandable we're going to have shallow experience no depth we can't have a vastness and breadth of being but we make our vastness and breadth of being with the energy the self same energy all of that energy is here it's in us we make that vastness that breadth that fulfillment that riches that security via the very same things that right now make us feel bound and miserable by dissolving the patterns that keep us miserable ignorant and releasing them in the path of desire is quest feeling rich and saying thank you God thank you God for keeping me desiring thee thank you God for helping me to see what I need to see in order to have more love more awareness more consciousness more beauty help me to let you experience all the vastness and depth and height because thou art the all and what's a greater expansion than that and I yearn I aspire to be experiencing consciously this all this beauty this vastness and incidentally my loves this is inevitably and inexorably your destiny walk with that joy and and work for it even while you're joyous in it.