Tarot and Kabbalah: Arcanum 13

Arcanum 13

In the Thirteenth Arcanum, death embraces two aspects. The first aspect is the death of all human beings, and the second aspect is from the esoteric point of view.

In the first aspect, all of the texts of occultism, pseudo-occultism, pseudo-Rosicrucianism, and Theosophy affirm that one is born at a certain hour and dies on a determined day, hour, and second in accordance with the law of destiny. This concept is not precise because the Lords of Karma deposit determined “cosmic values” into human beings. One can preserve that “capital” and life can be prolonged for a long time. Life can be shortened by squandering those values.

Life is prolonged by accumulating cosmic capital. If there are no good deeds, the Lords of Karma may prolong life but only in determined cases.

The Lords of Karma deposit a determined quantity of vital values into each one of our three brains:

  1. First: Thinking or Intellectual Brain; in the head.
  2. Second: Motor Brain; situated in the upper part of the vertebral column.
  3. Third: Emotional Brain; situated in the solar plexus and nervous sympathetic centers.

If one exhausts the vital values of the thinking brain by abusing the intellect, then it is clear that the death of this brain is provoked or a nervous type of sickness is contracted, such as neurasthenia, imbecility, or schizophrenia. Madness or manias are produced in people who have exhausted the values of the intellectual center.

If one exhausts the vital values of the emotional center, then psychic and nervous sicknesses related with the heart are provoked, as well as sicknesses related with emotional or emotive aspects. Many artists exhaust the emotional brain resulting in certain psychopathic, emotive, and or cardiac states.

Those who exhaust the vital values of the motor brain end up with paralysis or with sicknesses related with the muscles, knees, joints or with paralysis or damage to the dorsal spine, etc.

In general, all sicknesses are the outcome of the wrong use of the three brains. In other words, one dies by thirds, little by little. For example, football players, runners, and boxers are people who abuse the motor brain. These people end up ill. Their death is a result of the wrong use of the motor brain.

If one learns how to use the three brains in an equilibrated way, then the vital values that the Lords of Karma have deposited are conserved and life is prolonged. In Asia, there exist monasteries where the monks live until the age of 300 or even more. This is because they drive the three brains harmoniously; they preserve the vital values of the three brains in an equilibrated way. Then, what about the statement regarding the hour and exact date of life or death?

If one exhausts their vital values, one dies soon. If one preserves them, one prolongs life. It is clear that some have more capital than others. This capital depends upon the debits and expenditures of each one of us. When one believes that one has abused the thinking brain then one has to put the motor brain in activity.

In order to prolong life when one is in these esoteric studies, one has to negotiate with the Lords of Karma. One has to pay with the performance of good deeds.

Every human being who incarnates the soul can ask for the Elixir of Longevity. This is a gas of immaculate whiteness. This gas is deposited in the vital depth of the human organism. After resurrection, the master does not ever die again. The master is eternal.

We have the case of the Master Paracelsus; he did not die; he lives in Europe with the same body. He is one of those who “swallowed soil.” He remains as a vagabond and passes himself off as different persons.

The initiate Nicholas Flamel lives in India with his spouse Perenelle. He also swallowed soil along with his spouse. The Count of Saint Germain—who directs the ray of worldly politics—was working in Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries; Giovanni Papini found him a little while ago. The Yogi Christ of India, the immortal Babaji, and his immortal sister Mataji have lived with their physical bodies ever since millions of years ago. The immortals can instantaneously appear and disappear; they make themselves visible in the physical world at will. Cagliostro, Saint Germain, Quetzalcoatl, and many other immortals have made great works in the world.

Death is the crown in the path of life. This path is formed by the hooves of the horse of death.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is for those that are alive, yet are dead. It is necessary to know how to understand this book. It is related to the deceased initiates who already are dead, yet still are alive. They have already entered into the region of the dead, and they go out in sunlight in order to give their teachings.

The first thing that we must do in order to die is to dissolve the “I.” This “I” is a conjunction of demons, which the Egyptians refer to as the “red demons of Seth.” We must dissolve the “I” in order to awaken consciousness, in order to receive direct knowledge. The red demons of Seth are all of the demons that we have within. They are Satan. They must be killed. Horus must defeat those demons.

Seth has two aspects. His negative aspect is Satan and in his positive aspect he corresponds to the dorsal spine. This tenebrous and satanic Seth must be killed. This is the lunar ego which is constituted by thousands of demons and which Horus must defeat with the help of Isis, the Divine Mother. These demons must die.

Those “I’s” must be reduced to dust; their seeds must be scorched and then one must be bathed in the waters of Lethe in order to forget, and in Eunoe in order to fortify virtues, to then ascend to heaven. In order to ascend to each of the heavens one has to first descend into the infernos. That is not all. Tremendous battles come.

All of this must be studied at the foot of The Pistis Sophia.

The initiate must be converted into a “crocodile.” For this, one must destroy the body of desires, which is lunar, to then ascend into the lunar heavens. In order to destroy the body of desires, one must submerge himself; this signifies a frightful descent through enormous sacrifices. Thus, this is how the lunar body is discarded, which is disintegrated little by little. When the initiate has already discarded the body of desires, the initiate then emerges with the solar astral body.

Then one must pass into Mercury for decapitation in order to discard the lunar mind. Thus, the initiate cries out asking for his head, the head of Osiris. Nonetheless, the initiate has to pass through many killings. We must fight against the demons. In the same way that eight Kabirs exist, also eight Anti-Kabirs exist, two in each cardinal point who are the antithesis. The initiate must fight against the eight black Kabirs. One cannot ascend without descending.

One cannot enter into the Absolute “until passing through the Great Death” and submerging the Essence into the Being.

One must descend when one is on the path towards the Absolute. Here is where one is converted into a dead crocodile; then one has to ascend. That ascension is very difficult. When one has been submerged within the Being, one can say, “I am Horus.” One can talk in the language of the gods; one can be a living god before the sight of the red demons that constitute the ego.

The thirteenth card contains the gospel of Judas. Judas represents the death of the ego. The death of the ego is his gospel. The script that he performed was commanded by the great Master Jesus. Judas is now working with the demons in the infernal worlds in order to redeem them. He has succeeded with a few. When he finishes his work, he will depart with Jesus into the Absolute because he will have greatly earned it.

Synthesis

- One must convert oneself into the sacred crocodile Sebek through enormous ordeals and great sacrifices.

- Efforts are not enough for this, only super efforts.

- We must give form to ourselves. This requires super efforts through constant and intensive daily work.

- We must work in order to terminate anger.

- The dead live in the sphere of Yetzirah; the dead live in the world of Nogah (astral world).

- The deceased that were fornicators are cold and tenebrous. They live in the world of Assiah and are full of coldness and darkness.

- The disciples that have been chaste and have awakened the Kundalini are full of youth and fire after death.

- The thirteenth hour is intimately related with death. Resurrection cannot be achieved if there is no death. Liberation is the thirteenth hour of Apollonius.

- The twelve doors of mercy are the twelve zodiacal signs, the twelve worlds or twelve supra-sensible planes. Liberation is the Thirteenth Door in order for one to escape into the Absolute.

- One dies to the cosmos when one is born for the Absolute.

- One must die in order to live. One must die and resurrect.