Hermanubis = Cynocephalus Ape?

[Zephyros]

I'm back (duck panick - FOOD!)

Maybe he thought the association was more apt considering feeling, thought and ecstacy rater than creation, destruction and preservation?

If the card is a tableau of the Rite of Jupiter that may very well be the case.

 

[ravenest]

I think the first part of the Rite was written as a 'pageant' to demonstrate Crowley's take on the Wheel of Fortune.

A shame he didn’t do more Rites for the other Trumps

 

[Aeon418]

Maybe he thought the association was more apt considering feeling, thought and ecstacy rater than creation, destruction and preservation?

Maybe. But is it possible to reconcile that with Crowley's vision of the 20th* Aethyr?
(* Not the 4th as per the footnote on p.133 of Book of Thoth. Another typo.)

Now I see the figures on the wheel, which have been interpreted as the sworded Sphinx, Hermanubis and Typhon. And that is wrong.

In their place are the Lamb and Flag, Wolf, and Raven. In his footnotes Crowley says that the Wolf attacks the Nephesch. The Raven attacks the Ruach. And the Lamb attacks the Neschamah.

The Lamb and Flag are positioned at the top of the wheel, but it's not clear where the Wolf and Raven are. If we assume that the Raven(Ruach) is in the place of Hermanubis and the Wolf(Nephesch) is in the position of Typhon, then everthing appears to line up (sort of). But the way it is described it appears that the Lamb replaces Sphinx, the Wolf replaces Hermanubis, and the Raven replaces Typhon.

Then....

[The Lamb] His attribution is salt; the wolf mercury, and the raven sulphur.

Then there's the strange footnote to this line:

Salt for Neschamah; Mercury for Ruach; Sulphur for Nephesch.

Hang on a minute! Earlier the Wolf was attacking Nephesch, but now he's Mercury for Ruach. And the Raven was attacking Ruach, but now he's Sulphur.

 

[Zephyros]

So... does that not go back to what ravenest said? Perhaps in this dynamic card of perpetual motion, he didn't want people to be bogged down by static attributions, but accept that all three are interchangeable? Although that feels like kind of a cop-out on my part, that because I may not understand I say it is purposely ambiguous.

 

[Aeon418]

Here's Jim Eshelman's commenatry:

The attributions of the three Gunas and three Alchemical principles to these figures is quite thoroughly confused. This is no doubt partly because each partakes, in some measure, of the others. I assign the Lamb to Sattva/Mercury, the Wolf to Rajas/Sulphur, and the Raven to Tamas/Salt. Tamas represents darkness, the unclean, and melancholy (Isis Mourning); Rajas the fiery, ferocious , and devouring (TyphonApophis); and Sattva the brilliant and still purity which transcends the Tamas-Rajas duality, appearing to be the apex of attainment (Osiris Risen); yet, like the other two, it is but one more point upon a circle that ever turns, bringing one no nearer to the Center. There are, of course, other ways to assign these; and §1O specifically disagrees with these attributions, apparently because of atypical correspondences being used to associate the Gunas with the Alchemical triad. But in Crowley's comment, he equated the Lamb to Neshamah, the Wolf to Ruach, and the Raven to Nephesh, which is precisely what was intended in assigning them to Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, respectively. §9 may be compared profitably to Liber Legis, Cap. I, v. 50.

The closing reference to CCXX I:50 is interesting. Three ordeals in one that may be given in three ways.

Although he seems to be a little confused about the attributions to the Wolf and the Raven as Crowley's commentary indicates that the Wolf is Nephesch and the Raven Ruach.

For in the beginnig the Father of all called forth lying spirits that they might sift the creatures of the earth in three sieves, according to the three impure souls. And he chose the wolf for the lust of the flesh, and the raven for the lust of the mind; but me [Lamb] did he choose above all to simulate the pure prompting of the soul*.

*Footnote: The attacks are against Nephesch, Ruach, and Neschamah respectively.

 

[Abrac]

Crowley says, "He (Hermanubis) is a composite god; but in him the simian element predominates." So the ape's an "aspect" of Hermanubis, and apparently it's shown because it's predominant. One would have to do more research to find out what Crowley saw as the other elements.

 

[Zephyros]

Crowley says, "He (Hermanubis) is a composite god; but in him the simian element predominates." So the ape's an "aspect" of Hermanubis, and apparently it's shown because it's predominant. One would have to do more research to find out what Crowley saw as the other elements.

Yes, and he also mentions the Sphinx is made of all four Kerubic beasts.

 

[Aeon418]

Yes, and he also mentions the Sphinx is made of all four Kerubic beasts.

There's a few chapters on the Sphinx in Liber Aleph vel CXI.

In particular chapter 151 - DE SPHINGE AEGYTIORUM, and chapter 152 - DE NATURA ΣϜΙΝΥ. The handful of chapters that follow may be of interest also.

http://hermetic.com/crowley/book-of-wisdom-or-folly/

 

[ravenest]

Yes ... I can attest that the Raven attacks Ruach, A wacky Ruach especially. Raven just cant help himself, its his intrinsinc nature (doesnt mean he wont get into trouble for it though).

 

[ravenest]

Crowley says, "He (Hermanubis) is a composite god; but in him the simian element predominates." So the ape's an "aspect" of Hermanubis, and apparently it's shown because it's predominant. One would have to do more research to find out what Crowley saw as the other elements.

I think there are some posts analysing those other elements here somewhere.