Richard
The Great Work is a desire to transcend the natural (created) world and unite with the One. It cannot arise from nature itself, but is made possible by the fact that in essence we are already uncreated but have forgotten our origins.
Just a thought and maybe stupid but could it mean something like - each sacrificing a part of the other to become one? There is definitely a connection and coming together. Each compliments the other.
The Great Work is a desire to transcend the natural (created) world and unite with the One. It cannot arise from nature itself, but is made possible by the fact that in essence we are already uncreated but have forgotten our origins.
Sure; connection, coming together, complimenting ... but I have never had to 'SACRIFICE' anything, let alone 'the other' sacrificing a part of me (nor me sacrificing part of them) ...even when I 'SANCTIFY' something.
Maybe if I wasn't a wild pagan working with a 'raw power in nature' and had some idea that it needs to be sanctified by some Christian holy marriage concept a la 'Waite-a-bit'.
sanc·ti·fy Verb
1.Set apart as or declare holy; consecrate.
2.Make legitimate or binding by religious sanction.
1. That's my understanding ... I use the force or power (shown in the 2 of cups) for a spiritual purpose (i.e. not to use aversly, hold power over someone, suppress development etc.) Chymical weddings and gnostic masses are forms to help us remember that natural sanctity ... they don't change nature and make it sanctified by the ritual IMO.
Being a Pan Theist I see all of nature as sanctified ... even two dogs f***ing ... its the warped un nature al human that de-sanctifies it from its natural state and tut tut and veils nature and throws buckets of water over it ... its all a bit unclean isn't it ... unless we add number 2 above... which is maybe what Waite is referring to ???
Sex is bad ... unless you get married ... it's still bad though unless you do it to make more members for the church and state
Ravenest, that was deep. I like your view. I'm no good with words but I didnt mean physically sacrifice. And your veiw is actually how I do see things. Maybe I see things in a strange way.- thought by others. And a little afraid to express my thoughts - as your very well with words. Now with 'Romero and Juliet' they SACRIFICED themselves in my eyes - I believe a mother as myself would SACRIFICE their life for her child. So there must be some type of sacrifice for the love of another being?????
There is still a distinction between the Emanations and That from which they emanate.
It probably doesn't matter, unless you want to work it in the 'inner sanctuary', ...relationship or marriage ... .
AH yes ... but THAT is do with the RESULT of the operation ... not during the creation of the operation.
Here is the difference; some see 2 of cups as love (but what does love actually mean?) here, I see it as the highest purest possible concept of the energy and desire of attraction of the two principles to create a third principle (or 'secondary unity' , they are put in a STATE of 'primary unity' but the result of the operation is to create 'another or new thing ' ... they are not re-creating an original state of non-duality).
We cant understand the ace as we are IN duality ... aces are beyond us. So we see the two of cups as love ... to be heretical and to give it a Thothy Thelemic slant Crowley talks about this force in its basic raw natural mode ... mother love comes after this ... it is love with accretion. Like I said (in gross form before) its not "I love a beer' type of love ... its not even romantic love, sacrificial love, motherly love, social love (eg. to preserve the 'tribe'; in some it is an instinct that instantly arises without thought to sacrifice the self for another in danger ... even in todays world and society ... even with an unknown person .)
However I admit this is not the normal view. Romeo and Juliet did make a big impact ... like the troubadours .. one of the first times in history sex, coupling and partnership was about the impetus of amore and not convention, arranged, organised, social marriage (Joseph Campbell has a good rave on the history of love and marriage and the troubadours in the Masks of God.)
For some, it's a good image as it is close as we can get.
We once did an exercise (in our hermetic group) about this. It goes like this;
Write down all the things you love ,,, then analyse it and turn it into a formula; e.g.
I love a beer after work = Love + reward + thirst relief + buzz + relaxation + whatever.
I love my kids = Love + protection of offspring + willing to sacrifice for their preservation + inheritance + genetic immortality + whatever your thing is ...
I love my wife = Love + security + comfort + sexual fulfilment + again whatever ...
Now, remove all the pluses ... whats left? IN some cases, nothing, love was a false idea, in other cases it is an undefinable ... something
It a challenging exercise as we all attach things that we often find hard to admit to and 'blame' 'just love'.
It probably doesn't matter, unless you want to work it in the 'inner sanctuary', then attachments to the worked energy can result in abortive attempts or worse 'give birth to monsters' as they say. Far fetched? ... ask anyone that ha been in a horrible relationship or marriage ... it started off with 'love with attachments'. The purer the energy and the less complexes attached to it the more chance the 'operation' has of succeeding.