The High Priestess and the Orientation of the Temple

[firemaiden]

Okay, for those, like me, for whom left and right are impossible to fathom , I have (with trepidation for fear of mistakes) edited the story to include primitive diagrams (what can you do without an arrow key?)

I put them within the body of the story, but reproduce them here as well:

Orientation of the pillars, as interpreted in the RWS Card:

.............................(E).................. ...
............Boaz (N).................Jachin (S)
.......................High Priestess.....................
.............................(W).................. ......




Orientation of the pillars in Solomon's temple:

.............................(W).................. ...
............Jachin (S).................Boaz (N)
...........................(porch).....................
.............................(E ).................. ......



Hope it helps!

I must say it took me at least half an hour to understand which way was which LOL.

 

[Umbrae]

...and it's easy to find a gazillion sources that all say that 'Behind the veil lie the secrets blah blah blah blah'.

Truth is...behind the veil...is outside.

The observer (you) are located where the secrets are.

 

[connegrl]

I started reading this with my morning tea...which happened to have cardamon in it. Had to finish it after my yoga class. Really ruined the restoritive at the end, because I had bees buzzing in my brain as I tried to digest the whole thing. This is very good. Gives a whole new meaning to some of the dreams I've been having lately. I wil be printing it out to read at leisure some more. I'm still giggling over the image of Umbrae in a Stetson hat dragging Firemaiden off to learn.

Jen

 

[tmgrl2]

.............................(E).................. ...
............Boaz (N).................Jachin (S)
.......................High Priestess.....................
.............................(W).................. ......




Orientation of the pillars in Solomon's temple:

.............................(W).................. ...
............Jachin (S).................Boaz (N)
...........................(porch).....................
.............................(E ).................. ......

Oh dear....

So...either way...we travel east to west on the path of Wisdom....with the RWS card, we are inside looking out toward the West with the HP.

AND....

in the second diagram we are inside with the HP, (the porch?) looking out...so we are still traveling East to West....

AND...

the key is that the Path of Wisdom is within and goes from East to West...and we are NEVER outside if we remain

Centered....or "within" .....guided by the HP.

right?

 

[Sophie]

the key is that the Path of Wisdom is within and goes from East to West...and we are NEVER outside if we remain

Centered....or "within" .....guided by the HP.

The whole Temple is within - and outside is exile. Most of the time we forget, we look outside, we rent that fragile veil...


...strangely, in the past few weeks, my inner place of centering has been a Temple.

 

[firemaiden]

Oh dear....

So...either way...we travel east to west on the path of Wisdom....with the RWS card, we are inside looking out toward the West with the HP.

I don't think you can go so far as to say there is a right or a wrong. I think it is clear that Waite did mean her to be on the outside greeting us as we go in. We entertained the opposite perspective for the sake of exploration, to see where it would lead.

The fact is that houses of God (like Notre Dame de Paris) in Europe all point toward Jerusalem, that is why they are pointed toward the East. So to travel in the direction of the east, is to travel towards God.

But this perspective assumes that you are located in the "West" = west of Jerusalem.

The reversal in polarity is interesting to explore: basically we asked what does it mean, if anything, if we do see the temple on the card from a non-Christian, non European perspective.

 

[tmgrl2]

The whole Temple is within - and outside is exile. Most of the time we forget, we look outside, we rent that fragile veil...

Lovely.

I just referred to this thread in your discussion on sexuality, Sophie....

so...true...we forget, or we walk outside the veil and it closes and we lose our barometer for what is spiritually right.

terri

 

[Aoife]

Arghhh.... I don't like it!

Look... I know its a metaphor. But in my head metaphors breed metaphors breed metaphors.

Okay, so I have a serious problem with claustrophobia...
And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
Relax said the nightman
We are programed to recieve
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave

I'll take my chances with The Hermit, thank you.
You see, I just don't buy this 'wisdom is within'. For me, wisdom comes from within in interaction with without.... it comes from interaction, from relationship, from acts of selflessness.
Trapped in a temple... with a bunch of precious wisdom-seekers with only the west wall of death and an endless cycle of repetition..... I'd go mad within a day.
Lemme out!
I wanna talk to La Papesse about this.

 

[tmgrl2]

Arghhh.... I don't like it!

And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
Relax said the nightman
We are programed to recieve
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave

Love this!! What is it from?

For me, wisdom comes from within in interaction with without.... it comes from interaction, from relationship, from acts of selflessness.
Trapped in a temple... with a bunch of precious wisdom-seekers with only the west wall of death and an endless cycle of repetition..... I'd go mad within a day.

I don't necessarily believe they are mutually exclusive...one can stay within...focused with Wisdom and interact ......we, the Temple, take the Temple with us (or not) as we interact and grow in Wisdom. Either way, I totally agree that wisdom

comes from interaction, from relationships, from acts of selflessness

....but since we are

being metaphorical here....(I think)

We can learn as we interact and relate...or

we can choose to interact from a place that does not "teach" us as we do.

Maybe we can both grab the HP and have a sit-down with her...LOL.

Oh dear, now you've got me thinking about the Hermit in a whole different light (no pun intended). If we look at the HP card and think about it as this thread is leading us....then, what metaphor would we use for the Hermit

(I know...that's for another thread)

terri

 

[Aoife]

Love this!! What is it from?

"Hotel California" The Eagles