Arcanum 18

Now, let us study the Eighteenth Arcanum of Kabbalah. This is the Arcanum of the Twilight. It is necessary for our Gnostic disciples to profoundly reflect on the esoteric context of this Arcanum. We have been strongly criticized for not continuing with the already known Hebraic monotony. Indeed, we do not want to follow the same Hebraic monotony. We, Gnostics, are only interested in that which is called C-O-M-P-R-E-H-E-N-S-I-O-N.

We want our students to comprehend each Arcanum and thereafter develop it within themselves.

First, we want our disciples to discover each Arcanum within themselves, then subsequently within all of Nature. The Eighteenth Arcanum is Light and Darkness, White Magic and Black Magic. On the eighteenth card a dog and a wolf appear, howling at the moon. Two pyramids are found, one black and the other white, as well as the symbol of the scorpion at the bottom.

The number nine is found twice in the Eighteenth Arcanum, 9 plus 9 equals 18. Thus, the Ninth Sphere is repeated twice in this Arcanum. We already know that the number one is positive and that the number two is negative. Therefore, if we repeat the ninth sphere twice, we then have sex in its two aspects: the first being the positive aspect and the second the negative aspect.

Now our disciples will comprehend why the Eighteenth Arcanum is Light and Darkness, White Magic and Black Magic. The secret enemies of Initiation are found in the Eighteenth Arcanum. Beloved disciples, you must know that the Kundalini rises very slowly through the medullar canal. The ascension of the Kundalini, vertebra by vertebra, is performed very slowly according to the merits of the heart. Each vertebra represents certain virtues. The ascension to a certain vertebra is never acquired without having achieved the conditions of sanctity that are required for such a vertebra, which we long for. Therefore, those who believe that once the Kundalini is awakened, it instantaneously rises to the head in order to leave us totally illuminated, are indeed learned ignoramuses.

In the Eighteenth Arcanum, we have to endure bloody battles against the tenebrous ones.

Now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. - Matthew 11:12

Within the internal worlds, the tenebrous ones of the Eighteenth Arcanum violently assault the student. The devotee must endure terrible battles against these tenebrous ones.

The conquest of each vertebra in the dorsal spine signifies fights to the death against the shadow’s adepts. Fortunately, those who work with the Kundalini receive the flaming sword and they defend themselves with it. Sometimes the student, too weary, yet still holding the sword in his hands, achieves the entrance into the temple. Terrible are the efforts that the tenebrous ones exert in order to withdraw the student from the Path of the Razor’s Edge. This Path is full of dangers from within and from without. Many are those who begin, yet few are those who finish. The great majority deviate towards the Black Path; very subtle dangers that the student ignores exist within the Eighteenth Arcanum. The tenebrous gather in their temples in order to count the number of vertebrae conquered by the student. They represent each vertebra with a cup; thus upon the altar they place the same number of cups as the number of vertebrae conquered by the student. Thus, it is on this basis that they judge the neophyte and consider him a thief. The tenebrous ones’ thoughts could be formulated as follows: “You have stolen from us these cups. You are stealing powers from us. You are a thief.”

The tenebrous never believe themselves to be evil, on the contrary they believe themselves to be wells of sanctity. Therefore, when they attack the student they do it with good intentions because they believe the student to be a thief of powers and that is all.

Indeed, the abyss is filled with sincere but mistaken people; these are people with very good intentions. The number nine is positive and negative at the same time. Now we will explain the mystery of the Eighteenth Arcanum. In this disturbing Arcanum we find all the potions and witchcraft of Thessaly. Here is the cuisine of Conidia; we can read (in the times of Horaccio) how this horrible witch of Rome made all of her potions. The books of the grimoires are full of tenebrous recipes which are obviously related to the Eighteenth Arcanum, such as erotic magical ceremonies, rites in order to be loved, dangerous potions, etc... All of this is the Eighteenth Arcanum. We must warn the Gnostic students that the most dangerous potion that the tenebrous ones use in order to take the student off of the path of the razor’s edge is the intellect.

Bluntly we warn our disciples that out of the billions of people who live in the world, only a small handful of souls (which we could count on our fingers) will be worth the angelic state!

The rest, the great majority, is a lost harvest that will sink into the abyss forever. To become an Angel is very difficult, neither time nor the mechanical evolution of Nature can ever convert the present human being into an Angel, because this is a sexual subject-matter.

Adam-Christ

In order for the Christ to be born within us, it is first necessary for the Buddha to be born in us. When a person has engendered all of his internal vehicles, he then incarnates his Buddha and becomes a Buddha. We warn our students that the Soul is not Christ.

Many Buddhas exist in Asia that still do not have the Christ incarnated. Remember beloved disciples that the resplendent Dragon of Wisdom is beyond any Buddha. The resplendent Dragon of Wisdom is the Inner Christ of every human being that comes into the world. When the resplendent Dragon of Wisdom enters into the Soul, then he is transformed into the soul and the Soul is transformed into him. That which is called the Adam-Christ, the Son of Man is the outcome of this Divine and Human mixture.

Cosmic Christ

It is necessary for our Gnostic disciples to comprehend that the resplendent Dragon of Wisdom (the Inner Christ) of every human being that comes into the world, has no individuality. The latter is the outcome of the “I,” and the Christ is not any type of “I.” Thus, it is absurd to talk about the “I” Christ, when indeed the Internal Christ does not have any type of “I.”

The resplendent Dragon of Wisdom transcends beyond any type of “I” and beyond any individuality. The adorable one is absolutely infinite and impersonal.

Solar Internal Bodies

Indeed, present humans still do not possess their internal vehicles. Present astral, mental and causal vehicles that are used by humans are nothing more than mental formations that we need to disintegrate. Those mental formations constitute the human specter within which the “I” lives.

We need to engender the Solar Internal Vehicles in order to incarnate the Buddha and thereafter, the Christ. This is an absolutely sexual subject-matter.

Renowned Incarnations

Living Buddhas are renowned incarnations. These are the unique cases in which the universal Spirit of Life incarnates and reincarnates; within the rest of the ordinary people, only their values reincorporate, in other words, their “I”, their ego, Satan. Indeed, Satan (the ego) only reincorporates in order to satisfy its desires, and that is all. The only reincarnations worthy of admiration are the Living Reincarnations. The Ninth Sphere in its positive aspect brings living Buddhas into the world; yet, in its negative aspect it only brings memories (egos), specters of personalities that were physically alive and died; this is the fatal wheel. Now, you will comprehend the whole drama of the Eighteenth Arcanum. Positive nine plus negative nine is equal to eighteen.

The Embryo of the Soul

The embryo of soul lives within the specter and reincorporates together with the specter and with the “I.” It is necessary to comprehend that the “I” and the embryo of the soul exist within any specter.

We have spoken about this in former lectures, yet it seems that many students have not yet understood this. Thus we clarify that the Embryo of the Soul, which every human has within, is not the Christ, because the Christ is not incarnated within present human beings yet. Only those who reach the Venustic Initiation incarnate the Christ and no one can reach said Initiation without previously having incarnated his Buddha of Perfections.