A Little About Organizing Principles

Modern science tell us that physical reality consists of substance organized with immutable principles. There is no room nor need for magic, Divine intervention or supernatural influences. I agree with this assessment.

The ancient teachers taught virtually the same thing, but with the added characteristic of a nonphysical aspect of reality. Their understanding is usually expressed in terms more suited for the then current culture. If one normalizes the terminology, there is little difference in philosophy between contemporary science and ancient “science.”

The 22 Keys of the Hermetic Tarot illustrates this ordered sense of reality. The Keys can be arranged in three rows of seven with Key 0 set above. The first row represents powers or potencies. You can understand those as characteristics of sentient life. (https://ethericstudies.org/hermes-concepts/)

The middle row represent laws or agencies. You can understand those as organizing principles of the same caliber as physical principles.

The bottom row represent conditions or effects. For instance, Key 1, The Magician, (self-conscious phase of mental activity, intention) represents the power which works through the agency symbolized by Key 8, Strength, (authority over primal nature) to modify the conditions or effects typified by Key 15, The Devil, (erroneous belief in limitations).

There is no magic in the teaching but there is a nod to their then current god as first cause. Remember that the Keys were composed in the 1600s (as I remember) based on already ancient teaching. The important point to note is that for that time, the Tarot represented tried and proven science of the mind. It can also be seen as an illustration of the three aspects of a teacher.

The creative process is fundamental to the ancient wisdom. As a novelty more than dependable history, [i]The Emerald Tablet[/i] can be read as a teacher’s instruction to students about the creative process. It is known there as the “Great Work” in reference to transmuting a course, instinct-driven point of view to a discerning intellect driven point of view. The creative process is virtually the same. The Katha Upanishad can be understood in much the same way.

It is the urge for a Divine scapegoat that has corrupted what has been known into magical pabulum for the masses.