The Matrix of the Spirit

[BlatzAdict]

The Devil Card is card 15 in the Major Arcana. It forms the First Archetype of the Chain of Spirit. Let us put it in it's place:

The Great Chain of Spirit

1 Devil, 2 Lightning Struck Tower, 3 Star, 4 Moon, 5 Sun, 6 Judgement, 7 Cosmos

I think I may have alluded to this previously, but the Chain of Spirit deals with 'spiritual Light'; the use of it, the invoking of it, the manipulation of it, and the projection of it. It is, therefore, the unlocking of great power, and offers the finite mind/body access to almost limitless reserves.

these are, of course, my words and thoughts; I will try to make it transparent where I have taken from Ra (in quotes) and where I am presenting personal interpretation (the rest). This is offered as catalyst, and nothing more.

let us see some pics:



the image on the left is from the stock standard Ryder-Waite deck, and the other one is from the very pretty Gilded Tarot deck.

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let us invoke Ra:

80.10 Questioner: The fifteenth archetype is the Matrix of the Spirit and has been called the Devil. Can you tell me why that is so?

Ra: I am Ra. We do not wish to be facile in such a central query, but we may note that the nature of the spirit is so infinitely subtle that the fructifying influence of light upon the great darkness of the spirit is very often not as apparent as the darkness itself. The progress chosen by many adepts becomes a confused path as each adept attempts to use the Catalyst of the Spirit. Few there are which are successful in grasping the light of the sun. By far, the majority of adepts remain groping in the moonlight and, as we have said, this light can deceive as well as uncover hidden mystery. Therefore, the melody, shall we say, of this matrix often seems to be of a negative and evil, as you would call it, nature.

Ra here offers a jumble-bag of thoughts re the Devil, the Star (the Catalyst of the Spirit), the Sun, and the 'groping in the Moonlight'.

my takeaway from this is that the Devil Card represents the first sparklings of Incipient Awareness.

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let us look at the Chain of Spirit once more:

1 Devil, 2 Lightning Struck Tower, 3 Star, 4 Moon, 5 Sun, 6 Judgement, 7 Cosmos

you can see clearly that apart from card 1 and 6 we have increasing intensities and consistencies of Light in this sequence. Card 1 represents a form of 'Metaphorical Darkness', enlivened by First Awareness, and Card 6, the Judgement, is an ability to call on the Light of the Cosmos, ie all of Creation Itself.

look at the cards again:

in the Ryder-Waite, we see the human female and male being bound, chained, and this is the chaining to Ignorance of the True Self (metaphorical darkness). In the other image, this is made even more clear; with the helmet covering the eyes entirely, ie one who is Aware, but unable to see.

this 'Darkness' is only remedied in the next card - the Lightning Struck Tower - which, for a moment, illuminates the Landscape in which one is dwelling, and offers a 'flash' of insight or 'spiritual light' to recalibrate the Truth and Compass of our Journey.

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the child in the womb may be another metaphor; one who is aware but unable to see; not because of any inner deficiency, but because the Light is not reaching that place of current dwelling. As such, the Devil is somewhat frustrated, maybe a bit angry too. It, too, seeks the light as do we all.

i just totally get you. just think of what service to self means
self love, but it is there to contrast with action, the inaction of service to others. like a balance of ying and yang. it is the counter pull.

it is the notion of contracting energies... while service to others is ever expanding..

if service to others is pull.. then service to self is push.
you need both to create movement.

because you understand there must be movement, all there needs to be is the intention to direct that movement...