XVII The Star (Star of Venus ... 7 or 8 pointed Star?)

Spiffo

Silly person question of the day ...

On Atu XVII The Star there is (as Crowley describes in BoT) the Seven Pointed Star of Venus. Now in all my reading about the Star of Venus (Star of Ishtar) is is described as an 8 pointed star (and sometime later a 5 pointed star). My question is why does Crowley dispense with the 8th point. I get the stuff about the Waratah Blossom and its structure (Atu XI). I'm wondering if I'm missing some obvious moment of change or explanation for that change. Certainly on the RWS The Star features 8 pointed Stars (of Venus). Anyone?

Thanks for your indulgence,
 

Spiffo

Found my answer ... tis all about Western Kabbalah.
 

Snaut

Hi Spiffo,
could you please explain your answer, if someone finds this years later via the search function?
When you mention Kabbalah, I suppose it has to do with the fact, that the star joins Netzach with Yesod. But then there is also the confusing "Tzaddi is not the star"-issue, which I did not get yet.
 

Spiffo

Hi Spiffo,
could you please explain your answer, if someone finds this years later via the search function?
When you mention Kabbalah, I suppose it has to do with the fact, that the star joins Netzach with Yesod. But then there is also the confusing "Tzaddi is not the star"-issue, which I did not get yet.

In a nutshell (and excuse my naive grasp of this) ...

The concept of an eight pointed star associated with Venus dates back to Mesopotamia, where an eight pointed star was associated with Ishtar. This may well be the Star that is observed on the RWS and other decks - although interestingly in my collection I have decks with both 8 and 7 pointed stars. Now in Kabbalah Venusian energy corresponds to Netzach, the 7th sephirah, hence the 7 points. So I'm assuming that Crowley is dropping the traditional 8th point off to make a more obvious connection with the Star of Venus and Netzach. So it may be argued that Waite is more about carrying tradition forward while Crowley is more about advancing/developing tradition (in so far as he wanted to create a focused and cohesive Esoteric tradition - a new development for the new aeon?). Waite was also into Masonry which uses an 8 pointed Star ... Crowley was critical of Waite so ...

Then there is all the stuff about how a 7 pointed star allows the superimposition of the 7 classical planets, days of the week, the 7 alchemical metals etc.

Now I start to get confused because there is the Star of Venus and the Star of Babalon - diagrams would help here but I can't figure out how to upload pictures. Both have 7 points.

Although I can at least now say that Crowley's Star of Venus has 7 points for a reason (Netzach) my investigations continue ...

Interestingly in none of my books (DuQuette, Snuffin, Banzhaf, Akron, etc) do they comment on the switch from a traditional 8 pointed Star of Venus to a 7 pointed Star of Venus.

As an aside I noticed that Australia's Flag (my current home) features a 7 pointed Star called the Federation Star.
 

Zephyros

Fascinating research Spiffo, and not naïve at all!

Everything you said is correct. I'll add that Crowley identified the Venusian earthly figure as Babalon, as mentioned in Chapter 49 of the Book of Lies, called "Waratah-Blossoms:"

Seven are the veils of the dancing-girl in the harem of IT.
Seven are the names, and seven are the lamps beside Her bed.
Seven eunuchs guard Her with drawn swords;
No Man may come nigh unto Her.
In Her wine-cup are seven streams of the blood of the Seven Spirits of God.
Seven are the heads of THE BEAST whereon She rideth.
The head of an Angel: the head of a Saint: the head of a Poet: the head of An Adulterous Woman: the head of a Man of Valour: the head of a Satyr: and the head of a Lion-Serpent.
Seven letters hath Her holiest name; and it is

Babalon_seal.gif


This is the Seal upon the Ring that is on the Fore-finger of IT: and it is the Seal upon the Tombs of them whom She hath slain.
Here is Wisdom.
Let Him that hath Understanding count the Number of Our Lady;
~for it is the Number of a Woman;
and Her Number is An Hundred and Fifty and Six.

From Thelemapedia: "Crowley probably chose the spelling of Babalon for its Qabalistic significance. By replacing the letter 'y' with an 'a', the word 'AL' appears in the center. The whole then naturally breaks into Bab-al-on. 'Bab' is Arabic for a door, or gate. 'AL' is the Key of Liber Legis, and is also a Qabalistic title of God, meaning 'The One' in Hebrew. 'On' is the name of the Egyptian city that the Greeks called Heliopolis, the City of the Pyramids. By gematria, Babalon sums to 156, which is the number of squares on each of the elemental Enochian tablets of Dee and Kelly. These tablets are themselves identified with the City of the Pyramids, with each square being the base of a pyramid."

http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Babalon

Also, while Crowley and Waite were indeed kind of rivals, I don't know how much this translated into the actual work being done. Waite just wasn't important enough for Crowley to insert stuff like that to deliberately spite him, certainly not in the handling of the earthly goddess.
 

Spiffo

Thanks Zephyros,
And thanks for the extra info. That helps make an explicit connection between Venus, Babalon and the Waratah Blossum. I take your point about the Crowley Waite thing. I didn't really mean to suggest that Crowley 'changed' things just to spite Waite, rather that Crowley just didn't pay much credence to Waite's work on Kabbbalah and the cards. His review of the RWS is, I think, one of the best bitch-slaps ever.

I've never never come across the Thelemapedia website before ... what a utter joy that site is. Oh for an extra day a week.

Cheers,
 

Aeon418

My question is why does Crowley dispense with the 8th point.
The Golden Dawn changed the design before Crowley. Their Star card featured a star with 21 rays, made up of 7 primary and 14 secondary rays. (Eheieh = 21) Crowley may have just followed their lead, but dropped the secondary rays.

Some people claim the star on the Star card is a messianic symbol. In earlier times the number 8 was associated with Jesus Christ. (In Greek Jesus is 888) Even in modern Qabalah the association still fits due to the Sephirah Tiphareth having 8 Paths that radiate out from it. There are also many connections with Christ and Mercury who is connected to the number 8.

But the Thoth Tarot is a New Aeon deck and needs to reflect this in it's symbolism. The goal posts of initiation have shifted from Tiphareth to Binah. The Star card may herald the new Redeemer.
Liber 418 said:
And for this is BABALON under the power of the Magician, that she hath submitted herself unto the work; and she guardeth the Abyss. And in her is a perfect purity of that which is above; yet she is sent as the Redeemer to them that are below. For there is no other way into the Supernal Mystery but through her, and the Beast on which she rideth
 

Spiffo

The Golden Dawn changed the design before Crowley.

...

But the Thoth Tarot is a New Aeon deck and needs to reflect this in its symbolism. The goal posts of initiation have shifted from Tiphareth to Binah. The Star card may herald the new Redeemer.

Now that is interesting. Thank you Aeon418. Clearly I've got a lot more reading to do.
 

Aeon418

Older versions of the Star may reflect the influence of alchemy. The eight pointed star on some early cards is very similar to the alchemical symbol for the Sal Armoniacum, or "Salt of Harmony."

Sal Armoniacum is one of two substances that compose the "Secret Fire" that transmutes the First Matter. The other substance is Sal Tartari, the "Salt of Hell." (The esoteric title of the Emperor is "The Sun(Son) of the Morning." A possible connection to Lucifer?)
Isaiah 14:12 said:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning
Only after the subsequent nigredo (blackening) phase was complete did the "starry aspect" appear.

In Crowley's famous card swap the Emperor (Lucifer, the light bringer) falls from heaven (Path of Heh) and joins with the Sal Armoniacum to precipitate the nigredo. The appearance of the "starry sky" announces it's successful conclusion. (The Star moved to the Path of Heh.)
 

Spiffo

Older versions of the Star may reflect the influence of alchemy. The eight pointed star on some early cards is very similar to the alchemical symbol for the Sal Armoniacum, or "Salt of Harmony."

Sal Armoniacum is one of two substances that compose the "Secret Fire" that transmutes the First Matter. The other substance is Sal Tartari, the "Salt of Hell." (The esoteric title of the Emperor is "The Sun(Son) of the Morning." A possible connection to Lucifer?)

Only after the subsequent nigredo (blackening) phase was complete did the "starry aspect" appear.

In Crowley's famous card swap the Emperor (Lucifer, the light bringer) falls from heaven (Path of Heh) and joins with the Sal Armoniacum to precipitate the nigredo. The appearance of the "starry sky" announces it's successful conclusion. (The Star moved to the Path of Heh.)

That's amazing.