RWS Wheel of Fortunes Sphinx - why blue?

Cara Jackson

I read on the forum, that the blue background denotes a higher consciousness, but why is the Sphinx then either see-through or blue? Does its see-throughness indicate it can easily dissapear and reappear on another part of the wheel, when it needs to re-adjust to the new 'balancing act?'

Any inspired or rational thoughts welcomed x Cara
 

Richard

The Sphinx has a sword and may be guarding the Wheel. It is considered a guardian of sacred temples and is often used as such in Freemasonry. I don't think of it as transparent. It is blue, associated with water, one of the feminine elements. The Greek Sphinx is feminine, but the Egyptian is masculine. The headress is definitely Egyptian, but the facial features look feminine. Of couirse, the coloring may be one of the blinds used by Waite to mislead non-initiates. In short, I don't know.
 

Cara Jackson

RWS SPHINX - thanks L Richard

yeah, the blinding bit that Waites used does throw one somewhat. Thanks for all the info. I guess I shall just have to work with my own imagery and intuition on this one. x
 

Richard

I was wrong about it being a blind. It is blue in Wang's Golden Dawn deck. The card corresponds to Jupiter, whose color scales are violet, blue, purple, and yellow. I could probably ferret out more info from Liber 777, but that would be headache time. Maybe brightcrazystar will chime in and sort things out.
 

brightcrazystar

Any color can be verified against the text called Hodos Chamelionis
http://www.angelfire.com/ab6/imuhtuk/gdmans/hodos/hodosch.htm

Actually this is a better link, Adeptus Minor Papers:
http://www.hermetics.org/pdf/gd/TheGoldenDawn7-4.pdf


All the cards with the Kerubs are connected. This is one of those cards that has a key component that tells you that the spirits might want to give a sign, in this case, the book the kerubs have tell you that oration or "automatic" writing is the preferred medium. This would include channeled artwork or sketching, btw.

The symbol in the center is one that carries the context of communication and being friendly with spirits. It also reveals in a certain way the Macrocosmic shift of the elements from their stations in the Microcosmic Pentagram.

All the rest is generally published, and some is obscured. I am super tired right now, and gonna take a nap. I gotta get ready for my Neophyte workshop on Saturday later. And I deacon for EGC Gnostic Mass right after that workshop.
 

Teheuti

Waite: “The symbolic picture stands for the perpetual motion of a fluidic universe and for the flux of human life. The Sphinx is the equilibrium therein. . . . The essential idea of stability amidst movement.” (PKT, p. 108.)
Thus, the blue represents the fluidic universe. Also, blue is the color of Jupiter, which is the astrological correlation for the card.

Brodie-Innes: In petitioning Dame Fortune, this is Thmaah, the genius of equilibrium, who “must introduce the question to be investigated, for unless this be done by perfect equilibrium no good result can be attained” (Practical Z. Preparation for Divination by G.H. Frater Sub Spe). There is more to Thmaah than this. As I understand it, this is just one of her manifestations.

The Sphinx is the combination of the other four elements (fixed signs), bringing them into equilibrium in one being - that is, the Quintessence.
 

Abrac

Waite wrote in The Pictorial Key he was following Lévi's design for this card. In his writings, Lévi refers repeatedly to the Sphinx as a Cherub, an angelic being. That could partly explain the blue color, but there are examples of blue coloring that predate Lévi, for example the Noblet and the Dodal. This Conver and this design by Billaudot both predate Waite.

So there was a history there that could have influenced Waite. I also think he probably saw the Sphinx as a higher spiritual being or "influence" that could account for the blue color.
 

KariRoad

Cara Jackson said:
I read on the forum, that the blue background denotes a higher consciousness, but why is the Sphinx then either see-through or blue? Does its see-throughness indicate it can easily dissapear and reappear on another part of the wheel, when it needs to re-adjust to the new 'balancing act?'

Any inspired or rational thoughts welcomed x Cara
That lil' ol' sphynx does give one a sort of Cheshire Cat kinda feelin ;)

http://blogawocky.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/23a_cheshire_cat.jpg
Which, of course, Pamela Colman Smith would well have known.
 

brightcrazystar

http://therubyroseandgoldencross.blogspot.com/2009/09/jewel-of-theoricus-adeptus-minor.html

Good Morning!

ok, back

The link above is a person's recreation of ThAM, the Jewel of the Theoricus Adeptus Minor (7=4). It represents the planchette that was used, along with Tarot and srying to communicate with the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. It is mean to be used as such. V.S.H. Frater Yod Shin Yod is a lineage holder in his Golden Dawn branch. Ours looks a little different, but he is not known for making blinds. The biggest difference is orientation of the Names and Letters are more in line with the actual card in relation to the lanyard. Ours is probably easy to actually work with.

This card as a whole represents the Soniferous Aethyr of the entire Temple of the Neophyte. It is a picture of the infinite potential for Speech, just as the stylized Ouija like board of the Adepts (not published anywhere I know, so I can't show or link it.) Without saying anything, it can possibly say ANYTHING. There is great care to be had in dealing with it. As you see, the icons of the spirits attending to it are images that are known to be both god-like and demonic.

This is the mystery of the SPEECH in the SILENCE.

The Ring has three names on it, these are used to Filter out specific ideals of the Icons shown.

There is a glyph form of his Credo (YShY)
My own says mine.

Then these names appear:

YHVH - "Tetragrammaton" Value 26
ShMSh - Shamash, the Sun Value 640
YTzYRH - Yetzirah, the Formative World Value 315

These combine to for three values independently

YHVH + ShMSh = 666 (ooooh scary devil! heh)
ShMSh + YTzRH = 955 "The Heavens"
YHVH + YtzRh = 341 "The Three Mothers" Shema, the Name ITSELF.

Those are the three options of what you speak to. The veil being that 666 is ALSO something of interest to the Magician who is free of the bonds of Superstion, Fear, and Ignorance.



These are the Images on the Card.

Y H V H - These are the four Kerubs.

One invokes, inquires, oversees, and records.
Two blinded channel by their FOUR hands the Active and Passive Energies (Duality of the Briatic World, or Creative World)

This is the key of this card.

Four is sacred to Jupiter. So is this Card.
Twenty Fingers is Kaph, Kaph is also Jupiter.

I can't tell which Chiefs do what, but the chiefs of the order would use this. it you look at this image, and Crowley's Thoth deck, you can figure it out both who does what, and also what he thought should change.

My Tradition accepts his change, and it works, in practice, WAY better.
 

brightcrazystar

oh, and to answer the Question, the blue in the background is for Sagittarius and Luna, the blue on the Sphynx is for Jupiter. The beings on the wheel are in a different scale. The Orange in the center is for Sol, not Mercury.

There is an implied lesson on Aleph in the Four corners... and a damn good one.