The 'Secret Fire'?

Could someone tell me what the 'secret fire' is?

It's mentioned in my study of the Hermit in the Ancient Egyptian Tarot (Barrett): 'Yod is the secret fire.'

The AET is Thoth-based, so I had a look in Crowley's BoT and Snuffin's book, but I'm still none the wiser. And the results on Google leave me totally baffled (probably because it's to do with alchemy, and I'm a total newbie to all this!).

Thanks!

This could have many different interpretations and it's difficult to say. It could be a reference to the hidden Kundalini, the serpent energy which lies coiled at the base of the spine. It can be awakened through meditative and magical techniques leading to "enlightenment."

I pulled the Hermit today and your question came to mind. I did some research. Here is a quote from the Book of Law, Chapter 1 that may shed some light.

16. For he is ever a sun, and she a moon. But to him is the winged secret flame, and to her the stooping starlight.

Click to expand...

AW

*dumbass newbie alert*

I associate Yod with the enlivening seed, or spark . . . I think I got that impression way back, but also that Crowley's writing suggests that. I think he links the Yod with sperm. I've not got all the way through the Book of Thoth, so it's got to be in the first half there somewhere if you want to have a squiz. I'm sorry I can't narrow my thoughts down further than that . . . I'm at work and sneakin' into AT when I should be doing reports!

\m/ Kat

I would have thought the same as others expressed, and would add that in the tetragrammaton, Yod is attributed to fire and the male deity. The Hermit is attributed to the letter Yod, and on the Crowley version you see a sperm/homunculus illustrated on the card. So it is a seed (hidden flame) in that sense also, and fitting on the card attributed to Virgo.

In Crowley's pantheon, I guess that Yod would equate well with Hadit, who is the hidden god, in the centre of things, never to be seen. The opposite of the goddess Nuit, who is everywhere.

Also the Yod letter itself looks like a tiny flame, and is the base letter of the hebrew alphabet. All the other letters are larger and based on it. So in that sense its also the secret fire of the alphabet. There is a jewish story about the hebrew alphabet existing before creation, being written in letters of fire etc.

Not dumbass at all Thorhammer.
Hmmmm, Kundalini, he and she, and sperm, it seems a theme is starting to form here.
So much more intresting than work and reports.

AW

similia said:

In Crowley's pantheon, I guess that Yod would equate well with Hadit, who is the hidden god, in the centre of things, never to be seen. The opposite of the goddess Nuit, who is everywhere.

Click to expand...

Ah, I was reading this connection to Hadit in old posts. Was going to look it up.

AW

Thanks for your responses everyone. Much food for thought...

More food for thought - who said this?

I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor

Click to expand...

Lleminawc said:

More food for thought - who said this?

Click to expand...

Lol!

When I first googled 'secret fire', I got a lot of Lord of the Rings hits. Mmmm...so was Tolkien into alchemy? Or is it just coincidence...?