The Devil:

 

The Devil:

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

The twenty sixth path on the Tree of Life is Aiyin and is associated with the Devil Atu of the TAROT. This path connects Tiphareth to Hod or the sphere of the Sun and Mercury respectively. This path is associated with creativity and especially creative pursuits, as Hod is associated with intellect and Tiphareth with creativity, it is interesting to note that Apollo was the god of poetry and is attributed to the sphere of Tiphareth. Apollo is also the twin brother of Artemis and corresponds to Yesod, Tiphareth’s direct reflection on the Tree of Life. This path is also representative of materialism, however it is within this space that the influence of the divine may be clearly expressed through the activities governed by this path, as consciously choosing to experience life as a sacrament we find that all things may equally express the divine qualities of existence.

The joy and beauty of life as a sacrament is also inherent in the symbolism associated with The Devil, and we thus fully embody its archetypal and symbolic nature when we are swept away in rapture (ecstasy) during what some may consider mundane or unspiritual pursuits. The Devil is associated with Capricorn and corresponds to the element of Earth via the card’s association with Saturn per way of Cronos and Rhea the latter having been the daughter of the Earth, both of whom are central figures in the myth associated with Capricorn. Here then is a link to the principle of spirit liberated in matter; a lesson that may be more fully realized through the contemplation of the nature of the path of Aiyin. The Devil affirms that there is none other like unto him “very god of very god”, it is the responsibility of every individual to come to the realization of his or her own unique godhead and within this path the intellect is emphasized as the driving force for transformation. There is an emergence of the divine influence upon this path emanating from the sphere of the sun. The influence of the sun upon this path and the corresponding effect of Mercury links the lower and the higher. Via this connection one's creative faculties are stimulated by the divine influence shining down from the Ethical Triad as reflected from Tiphareth, linking them to the intellect and will, reflecting one's unique place in the world.

The sign of Capricorn is associated with the myth of Amalthea. Zeus was the youngest child of the Titans, Rhea and Cronos, the latter used to eat his children in order to prevent them from one day overthrowing his rule, as had been prophesized. By the time Zeus was born, Rhea was tired of Cronos eating her babies and replaced Zeus with a stone, which Cronos swallowed thinking it was Zeus. She gave her baby to a goat named Amalthea to raise him, until he was old enough to kill his father and avenge his siblings. Soon after the betrayal Cronos realized what had happened and started looking for Zeus, this placed Amalthea and Zeus’s lives in danger and they ended up living in a cave. She hanged Zeus upside down in the cave supposing that he would thus be invisible to the Titans. The trials that Amalthea faced were many and it proved her worth via her ingenuity to be just as able as any of the gods. When Zeus was old enough, he murdered his father and freed his siblings who later became the gods of Olympus, thereby making Amalthea instrumental in the overthrow of the Titans. Her part in the gods’ victory over the Titans was immortalized when she was honored and became the constellation of Capricorn.

“Love is the law, love under will.”