The Aeon:

 The Aeon:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

The thirty-first path on the Tree of Life is Shin, its element is fire and corresponds to The Aeon card of the Tarot. The card is a stylized representation of the Stele of Revealing, with the god Ra-Hoor-Khuit seated on a throne behind a transparent image of Horus (the god of the Aeon) together these images symbolize Heru-Ra-Ha. Hadit is the winged globe beneath these figures and represents the individual. Beneath the winged globe is the letter Shin, the letter Shin looks like three twigs with Yods attached like leaves to the ends, in the picture we can see three fetuses within the Yods at different stages of embryonic development. These fetuses are finally birthed to self-awareness and this is symbolized by the image of Hadit as the winged globe. Again, this is a reference to the previous card and is reflective of completion. At the top of the card is Nuit enveloping the gods beneath her, here is the whole celestial cosmology of Thelema present and indicates that the Aeon of Horus has been realized and brought into effect.

In the light of initiation, the whole world has changed, with this I am not just talking about the initiation of the individual but the world at large and one may even say that the whole universe has been affected by the Thelemic current and just like any initiation is marked by ordeals that necessitate adjusting one’s perspective, so too is this change in universal consciousness marked by extreme conflicts meant to bring mankind’s awareness in line with the 93 current. However, if a candidate doesn’t learn from his ordeals and doesn’t adapt his consciousness to accommodate the changes that have been fostered through the initiatory experience, he fails in his initiation. In this card Hadit symbolizes this change of awareness springing forth and the aspirant, enlivened by the first initiation associated with the Neophyte grade and as the picture suggests, the next phase is integrating this new conscious awareness with the universal consciousness and the world around, so that life may be experienced harmoniously. Again, the Temple may take on a different form than the Soul of the aspirant and thus the card may be interpreted within different contexts depending on the question, however harmonizing oneself within established circumstances is the main theme of the card.

As per the Neophyte initiation into the A.'.A.'., once rebirth occurs, the aspirant is on the path of Shin, which could be likened to the symbolism of a Pheonix rising out of the ashes. This path symbolizes the birth of Osiris presented in the Formula of I.A.O., but initiation is not yet complete along this path. The new ego is here reasoning with the world to find its proper place, like a child learning how to walk. Once this part of the initiation is complete, he is reborn, self-aware into the mysteries as an initiate, and finds himself along the path of Tav.

The Aeon connects Hod to Malkuth on the Tree of Life or the Elemental sphere with the sphere of Mercury, this connection indicates a need for learning as Hermes is the god of learning, making Hod an intellectual sphere. The enquirer must therefore learn from his current circumstances and by doing so, greater success may be achieved. Take the example of a new business venture, once the company has been established, everyday challenges serve to fortify one with experience, this is the nature of The Aeon card, our experiences may now be intellectually analyzed, so that our plans may work in harmony with the lessons we have learned, since what has been worked for is now securely established, we can start getting rid of those things that don’t serve our venture.

“Love is the law, love under will.”