- Remember that the towers appeared in the background of the Death
card, separated
from the foreground by a river. To cross the river and emerge at the
towers, the mystic
has been transformed into an aquatic creature. Jung might suggest that
this imagery
referenced the Archetypes of Transformation, with the underwater passage as
an aquatic
creature representing the “submersion” into the unconscious.
- The Golden Dawn assigned Moon to the Hebrew letter Qoph = English Q =
Enochian
Ger. Ger looks like a square cup with lips and may be suggested by the
tops, inner
surfaces of the towers, together with the valley between. The Enochian
alphabet can be
found on p 652 of Regardie, The Golden Dawn. However, see The Fool,
footnote 6 for a caveat about assuming that the Hebrew letters can be found
in the Waite-Smith designs.
- Waite probably saw the dog and wolf as dual aspects which must be
united in the
mystical experience. The alchemical Book of Lampspring (“Hermetic
Museum" p 285) shows a dog and wolf fighting. “They are full of jealousy, fury,
rage, and madness: one kills
the other...but when they are restored to life, they are clearly shewn to
be the Great and Precious Medicine.”
Based on original research by Robert V. O'Neill. To add to this collection of information, please email
Robert V. O'Neill.
