The origin of the Tarot is unknown. It is often associated with the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries and is said to be a development therefrom. The oldest Tarot cards known today were prepared in 1392 for King Charles VI of France by Jacques Gringonneur, painter, astrologer and qabalist. In England the Tarot was known in the reign of Edward IV during the fifteenth century. The Gypsies say that their people originally brought the secret knowledge of the Tarot from Chaldea and Egypt into Israel and thence to Greece. In the Middle Ages, Tarot was often used for fortune telling, especially by the Gypsies.

    According to a famous tradition, the Tarot was created in the year 1200 A.D. This tradition states that the creators of the Tarot were a group of enlightened Adepts who met in the city of Fez which, after the great Library at Alexandria was destroyed, became the intellectual capital of the world to which came wise men of all nations speaking various tongues. Their meetings were made difficult due to the differences in their languages and philosophical terminology. So they determined to contain the most important of their teachings in a book made of universal symbols, based on the data of the Holy Qabalah. Although the historical and traditional theories differ, the Tarot is clearly influenced by the Holy Qabalah, and the Qabalah itself is said to be of Egyptian and Chaldaic origin.

    Court de Gebelin of the eighteenth century was the first to make the curious suggestion that the Tarot might be of Egyptian origin. The "Marseilles Deck" originated from the Tarot cards depicted in Gebelin's book called, "Le Monde Primitif," published in the year 1773 e.v. Tradition states that Tahuti, the Egyptian Lord of Magick, was the inventor of Tarot.

    Tahuti is Thoth in the Coptic, Hermes in the Greek, and Mercury in the Latin. Tahuti is the great Logos and Messenger of the Gods. Originally, Tahuti was a Lunar God, and Luna was looked upon as the great source of magical power in the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries, but later He became identified with the Planet Mercury, which is generally recognized as the Planet of Magick. Tahuti is the Ibis-headed God. The Ibis was a symbol of concentration because this bird was supposed to stand motionless upon one leg. Thus the Ibis represents the meditative spirit.

    In the language of Occult Psychology, Tahuti, or Thoth-Hermes-Mercury, represents the Superconscious or Universal Mind, the true and living source of all the Mysteries of the Universe. Each of the twenty-two Major Arcana cards of Tarot are called the Atu of Thoth, that is, the House or Key of Thoth. The Tarot is the Temple of the God Thoth, or the Universal Mind, wherein He speaks to the soul of the initiate. The symbols of Tarot are the language of the Universal Mind. By proper use of these occult symbols the initiate can make inner contact with the Universal Mind and expand upon his/her knowledge of the Universe, Nature and WoMan. Thoth-Hermes-Mercury is said to be the traditional founder of all the Sciences and Arts. In other words, he represents that Great Self in WoMan who is the inner source of all Wisdom and Creativity. The Tarot is his Ageless Book of Universal Symbols, designed to instruct the minds of men with the Ageless Wisdom of the Gods, of which Thoth-Hermes-Mercury is the Messenger and Scribe.

    In the circle of initiates, wherein is concentrated the illustrious spirit of the Ageless Wisdom, it is perceived that the Tarot is of ageless origin, for its symbols represent certain universal principles which are eternal in nature. The Tarot was never created and it shall never die, for it represents the Eternal Book of Life, of which all forms of Tarot are intended to symbolize. The Book of Life was formed out of the infinite, not as a material form, but as part of the infinite itself, partaking of its own nature, wherein it reveals its own Self or communicates its own Essence. To read into the Book of Life is to understand the operations of infinity and to commune with the Ageless Wisdom. This book is a record of all that was, is, and is to come, wherein are written letters of fire by the Great Scribe of the Gods, Thoth-Hermes-Mercury.

    In Tarot, the Atu called "The Magus" or "The Magician" represents Thoth-Hermes-Mercury. Yet every figure in Tarot, every archetypal image, is a hieroglyph of one of the cosmic aspects of Thoth-Hermes-Mercury in his divine function as the Messenger of the Gods. Thoth-Hermes-Mercury is the Logos, or the Grand Word, which is the Great Arcanum itself. The Great Arcanum is nothing more and nothing less than WoMan hirself. Thoth-Hermes-Mercury is the Perfected WoMan or, in Qabalistic language, He is Adam Qadmon, the Archetypal Man. He is actually an androgynous figure, a combination of male and female.

    The Tarot is the Hermetic Book of the Dead, with Thoth-Hermes-Mercury as its sole guide. By proper use of the Tarot, we can indeed pass through the various portals of the Underworld to attain the Sublime Life of Immortality. The Underworld is simply the Subconscious Mind within. Thoth-Hermes-Mercury is the Superconscious Mind or the Inner WoMan, which guides the soul through the various portals within and leads to the sublime heights of Universal Immortality and Eternal Wisdom.

    The Tarot is the most occult of all the Hermetic Sciences. Occult implies something concealed behind a symbol or form, but the symbol or form is what represents the concealed. Occult symbolism is used to indicate invisible realities or laws of Nature. The arcane symbols of Tarot denote invisible forces, which operate in the soul of WoMan, governing and influencing his/her every thought, word and deed. WoMan is the receptacle of innumerable cosmic forces and the universal symbols of Tarot represent those infinite forces in Nature. Thus the Atu of Thoth are powerful keys by which to understand the essence behind all form and symbol, to intuitively realize the inner meaning of it all.

    The images of Tarot are pictorial reflections of celestial archetypes in the Collective Unconscious, and by contacting and communing with these inner archetypes we can partake of the Sacred Gnosis, or the Secret Knowledge of the Gods. In Tarot can be discovered the inner mysteries of all things, the living facts of all that ever was, is, and shall be. Tarot allows us to extend our vision of the Universe, to perceive new dimensions of thought and reality. With Tarot, we can see the real and essential nature of things, hidden beyond the veils of matter; it is a most practical means to achieving the life of Light, Wisdom and Understanding.

    The images of Tarot can be studied and meditated upon to acquire a more creative understanding of each individual force in the self and Nature, for the symbols of each card of Tarot are material reflections of the spiritual forces operating within the psyche of an individual. By applying oneself to the proper study and meditation of each card, one can realize in consciousness the inner meaning behind every phenomenon, perceiving in that realization the cosmic order of all things; in other words, the Tarot is a Magical Link to the Universal Consciousness.

    The Tarot is a highly scientific, philosophical and psychological tool. It is designed for the initiation of mankind, and its mysteries are eternal in the Light of the Golden Dawn, in that Sublime Splendor wherein all initiates partake of the Supreme Sacrament of the Eternal Spirit. By applying Tarot correctly to the essential development of our own psychological and spiritual understanding of the forces of the Universe, we can indeed receive the Divine Influence of the Stars, to partake of its radiant Wisdom, to nourish our souls with the Secret Life of Thoth-Hermes-Mercury which is the Eternal Life of the Immortal Gods.

    Eliphas Levi, that Old French Magus, stated the following informative words concerning the Divine Science of Tarot: "The Tarot is a book which epitomizes all sciences, while its infinite combinations can solve all problems; a book which speaks by evoking thought; the inspirer and controller of all possible conceptions; the masterpiece, perhaps, of the human mind and undoubtedly one of the finest things which antiquity has bequeathed us."

    "The Tarot is a truly philosophical machine which prevents the mind from going astray, even while leaving it its own initiative and freedom; it is mathematics in their application to the absolute, the alliance of the real and the ideal, a lottery of thoughts, all of which are rigorously exact, like numbers; in fine, it is perhaps at once the simplest and grandest thing ever conceived by human genius."

    "The Tarot is a veritable oracle, and replies to all possible questions with precision and infallibility. A prisoner, with no other book than the Tarot, if he knew how to use it, could in a few years acquire a universal science, and would be able to speak on all subjects with unequaled learning and inexhaustible eloquence. The oracles of the Tarot give answers as exact as mathematics, and as measured as the harmonies of Nature. By the aid of these signs and their infinite combinations, it is possible to arrive at the natural and mathematical revelation of all secrets of Nature. The practical value of the Tarot is truly and above all marvelous."

    In the book "Morals and Dogma", by Albert Pike, we read the following on page 777: "He who desires to attain to the understanding of the Grand Word and the possession of the Great Secret, ought carefully to read the Hermetic philosophers, and will undoubtedly attain initiation, as others have done; but he must take, for the key of their allegories, the single dogma of Hermes, contained in his Table of Emerald, and follow, to class his acquisitions of knowledge and direct the operation, the order indicated in the Kabalistic alphabet of the Tarot."

    It has been suggested that the word Taro is derived from the Egyptian terms Tar (Way or Road) and Ro (King or Royal). Thus the Tarot is the Royal Road or Way of the King. It has further been suggested that the word Taro is derived from the Latin term Rota (Wheel), which is the root of the word Rotation. The Taro is the Rotating Wheel of Nature. It is the Wheel of Life. (See the example of the Wheel on the Fortune Atu of Tarot, Major Arcana X.) The name of the Angel who is set over the operations of Tarot is HRU. Consider the fact that this name HRU is identical with Heru.

    There are 78 Cards in Tarot. Of these there are 56 Minor Arcana or Lesser Secrets which represent the Ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life operating in the Four Qabalistic Worlds or Four Philosophical Elements (Cards 1-10), and the individual operation of the Four Elements in each of the Four Qabalistic Worlds (Court Cards). There are also 22 Major Arcana or Greater Secrets, which correspond with the 22 Paths on the Tree of Life. 78 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word MEZLA, which is the Divine Influence of the Stars, the Radiant Spirit of the Logos (Thoth-Hermes-Mercury). MEZLA is the Holy Spirit of the Great Archangel Metatron, and it is the descending Divine Influence of Kether. It is the channel through which Macroprosopus reveals Himself to Microprosopus. 78 is also the numerical value of AIWASS (AIWAS). In Thelemic Philosophy, AIWASS is MEZLA or the Descending Influence of Horus, the Crowned God of Kether, the Lord of the New Aeon.

    In Tarot, Wands represent Fire, Cups represent Water, Swords represent Air, and Pentacles represent Earth. The Minor Arcana that portray these elements represent those elements in various modes of expression, whereas the Major Arcana represent the inner mysteries of the so-called element of Spirit. The Minor Arcana correspond with the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, whereas the Major Arcana correspond with the Hebrew Letter Shin, which represents Spirit.

    The Ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life correspond in Tarot with the Minor Arcana. The four aces are Kether; the four twos are Chokmah; the four threes are Binah; the four fours are Chesed; the four fives are Geburah; the four sixes are Tiphareth; the four sevens are Netzach; the four eights are Hod; the four nines are Yesod; and the four tens are Malkuth. Each of these Minor Arcana cards represents the operation of one of the Sephiroth in a particular element. For instance, the Six of Wands represents the operation of Tiphareth in the element of fire; for the Wand is a symbol of fire. The Cup cards represent the operation of the Sephiroth in the element of Water; the Sword cards represent the operation of the Sephiroth in the element of Air; and the Coin or Pentacle cards represent the operation of the Sephiroth in the element of Earth.

    The Four Face Cards or Court Cards (Figures of Nobility) also correspond with the Holy Tetragrammaton (IHVH) and the four Magical Elements. The Knight (or King) is Yod and Fire, the Queen is Heh and Water, the Prince is Vav and Air, and the Princess is Heh final and Earth. These represent a family of forces symbolized by Father, Mother, Son and Daughter.

    The word Taro is composed of four letters. Four is the number of the Tetragrammaton, and ten is the number of its mystic extension represented by the Ten Sephiroth of the Qabalistic Tree of Life (1+2+3+4 = 10 = the Ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life). In Atu X is contained and written all the mysteries of Taro, that is, all the wisdom of the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. Proper and persistent meditation on this Atu of Thoth should yield infinite fruits of wisdom and knowledge, for in it are the keys to the attainment of the Universal Mind.

    The twenty-two Major Arcana (Major Secrets) of Tarot are the twenty-two Forces of Nature indicated by the twenty-two Hebrew letters and the twenty-two Paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Eliphas Levi of the nineteenth century recognized a subtle connection between the twenty-two Major Arcana cards and the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew or Angelic Alphabet. This fact constitutes a most important link between the Qabalah and Tarot.

    The twenty-two Major Arcana or Atu of Thoth are linked with the Ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life and the Twelve Astrological Signs. Twenty-two in Occult Mathematics is the number of the Circle. The Circle represents a complete manifestation and cycle of universal forces. The Circle is a symbol of the Whole Universe: it is the Wheel of Taro. There are twenty-two essential forces that constitute the Universe, which are the real elements of our conscious and subconscious lives. The Major Arcana are symbols of these real elements which we may use to penetrate the Veil of Isis, to partake of the Supreme Sacrament of Eternal Wisdom.

    The following is a proper listing of the Ten Sephiroth and their corresponding Tarot Trumps: Kether is The Fool; Chokmah is The Magus; Binah is The Priestess; Chesed is Fortune (or The Wheel of Fortune); Geburah is The Tower; Tiphareth is The Sun; Netzach is The Empress; Hod is The Aeon (or Judgement); Yesod is The Hanged Man; and Malkuth is the Universe (or The World).

    The following is a proper listing of the Twelve Astrological Signs and their corresponding Tarot Trumps: Aries is The Emperor; Taurus is The Hierophant; Gemini is The Lovers; Cancer is The Chariot; Leo is Lust (or Strength); Virgo is The Hermit; Libra is Adjustment (or Justice); Scorpio is Death; Sagittarius is Art (or Temperance); Capricorn is The Devil; Aquarius is The Star; and Pisces is The Moon.

    The Major Arcana have certain esoteric titles in the Golden Dawn. These esoteric titles should offer you more insight regarding the nature of each Atu. Atu 0 is called "The Spirit of the Aethyr"; Atu I is called "The Magus of Power"; Atu II is called "The Priestess of the Silver Star"; Atu III is called "The Daughter of the Mighty Ones"; Atu IV is called "Sun of the Morning, Chief among the Mighty"; Atu V is called "The Magus of the Eternal"; Atu VI is called "The Children of the Voice: the Oracle of the Mighty Gods"; Atu VII is called "The Child of the Powers of the Waters: the Lord of the Triumph of Light"; Atu VIII is called "The Daughter of the Lords of Truth: The Ruler of the Balance"; Atu IX is called "The Prophet of the Eternal, the Magus of the Voice of Power"; Atu X is called "The Lord of the Forces of Life"; Atu XI is called "The Daughter of the Flaming Sword"; Atu XII is called The Spirit of the Mighty Waters"; Atu XIII is called "The Child of the Great Transformers: The Lord of the Gate of Death"; Atu XIV is called "The Daughter of the Reconcilers, the Bringer-forth of Life"; Atu XV is called "The Lord of the Gates of Matter: The Child of the Forces of Time"; Atu XVI is called "The Lord of the Hosts of the Mighty"; Atu XVII is called "The Daughter of the Firmament: the Dweller between the Waters"; Atu XVIII is called "The Ruler of Flux and Reflux: The Child of the Sons of the Mighty"; Atu XIX is called "The Lord of the Fire of the World"; Atu XX is called "The Spirit of the Primal Fire"; and Atu XXI is called "The Great One of the Night of Time."

    The Paths of the Tree of Life also have esoteric titles in the Order of the Golden Dawn. These are derived from the Qabalistic text called the "Sepher Yetzirah" or the "Book of Formation." These are called the Yetziratic Intelligences of the Paths of the Tree of Life and give further insight into the nature of each Path and its corresponding Atu of Thoth. The eleventh Path of Aleph is called "The Scintillating Intelligence"; the twelfth Path of Beth is called "The Intelligence of Transparency"; the thirteenth Path of Gimel is called "The Uniting Intelligence"; the fourteenth Path of Daleth is called "The Illuminating Intelligence"; the fifteenth Path of Tzaddi is called "The Natural Intelligence"; the sixteenth Path of Vav is called "The Triumphant and Eternal Intelligence"; the seventeenth Path of Zayin is called "The Disposing Intelligence"; the eighteenth Path of Cheth is called "The Intelligence of the House of Influence"; the nineteenth Path of Teth is called "The Intelligence of the Secret of all the Activities of the Spiritual Being"; the twentieth Path of Yod is called "The Intelligence of Will"; the twenty-first Path of Kaph is called "The Intelligence of Conciliation and Reward"; the twenty-second Path of Lamed is called "The Faithful Intelligence"; the twenty-third Path of Mem is called "The Stable Intelligence"; the twenty-fourth Path of Nun is called "The Imaginative Intelligence"; the twenty-fifth Path of Samekh is called "The Intelligence of Probation or Temptation"; the twenty-sixth Path of Ayin is called "The Renewing Intelligence"; the twenty-seventh Path of Peh is called "The Active or Exciting Intelligence"; the twenty-eighth Path of Heh is called "The Constituting Intelligence"; the twenty-ninth Path of Qoph is called "The Corporeal Intelligence"; the thirtieth Path of Resh is called "The Collective Intelligence"; the thirty-first Path of Shin is called "The Perpetual Intelligence"; and the thirty-second Path of Tav is called "The Administrative Intelligence."

    The Tarot is a tool, which can be used to produce more exalted states of conscious awareness, as a means for achieving spiritual, mental and psychic expansion, for greater realization and knowledge in Light. Like all true systems of occult development, the Tarot represents a Way of Self-Initiation. It is designed to induce in the aspirant certain definite states of consciousness, which lead to greater self-awareness. The aspirant uses the Atu of Thoth to initiate himself into the Mysteries of the Ageless Wisdom; for they are keys to the Inner Sanctuary of the Universal Knowledge. Tarot is one of the most remarkable and effective of all the magical methods for initiating oneself into the Supreme Knowledge of the Gods, and it inevitably leads one to the Holy Sanctuary of Eternal Wisdom, where WoMan is immortalized in his/her soul.

    The twenty-two Atu of Thoth are forces of archetypal existence in the subconscious mind of WoMan. They are microcosmic and subjective. By experiencing each of these inner forces, in their various modes of psychological expression, we can extend our conscious empires of knowledge and experience and thus obtain greater progress in our dynamic endeavor to participate in the grand scheme of divine evolution. The Tarot is, to all intents and purposes, a book of Self-Initiation, that is, a method and means of realizing by oneself the essential wisdom of one's True Self without the guidance of a visible teacher, but by way of an invisible teacher who is, in fact, the One Teacher of which every visible teacher is only a symbol.

    But to properly divine with Tarot is to exercise divinity; it should be a sacramental act, a religious experience, a uniting of the mind with Universal Truths by way of occult symbolism and numbers. It should awaken creative insight and intuitive realization, bringing the self to a point of understanding its present relation with itself and its environment, and how best it may create its future in accordance with the conditions of its present. It should not be viewed as a simple means of foretelling future events; it should be viewed as a sacred means of exercising divinity, of helping us to evolve in the divine consciousness of MEZLA. By the Divine Influence of MEZLA we are able to truly divine with Tarot, thus only a true initiate may do so in the light of the fact that he is one with MEZLA, the Spirit of the Highest Unity. To divine means to communicate with one's God. To exercise divinity is to be united with divinity; to be united with divinity is to be one with divinity; and this is the work of the initiate.

    Consider these important words by Eliphas Levi concerning the Art of Divination: "One of the privileges which belong to the initiate of the Great Arcanum, and that which sums them all, is Divination. According to the vulgar comprehension of the term, to divine signifies to conjecture what is unknown, but its true sense is ineffable in its sublimity. To divine (divinare) is to exercise divinity."

    Moreover, the French Magus declared: "The Tarot, that miraculous work which inspired all the sacred books of antiquity, is the most perfect instrument of divination, by reason of the analogical precision of its figures and numbers. It can be employed with complete confidence. Its oracles are always rigorously true, at least in a certain sense, and even when it predicts nothing it reveals secret things and gives the most wise counsel to its querents."

    Before all divinations proper, let the Magician perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or the Ritual of the Star Ruby (Liber XXV), and a purification and consecration to detach him/herself from his/her personality and increase the sensitivity of his/her intuitive faculties. Then let him/her take hold of his/her cards in the left hand. In the right hand let him/her hold the wand over them, and say: "I invoke thee, IAO, that thou wilt send HRU, the great Angel that is set over the operations of this Secret Wisdom, to lay his hand invisibly upon these consecrated cards of Art, that thereby I may obtain true knowledge of hidden things. To the glory of thine Ineffable Name. Amen." When the Divination is complete, let the Magician duly perform a License to Depart, as in Chapter XVII of "Magick in Theory and Practice", by Aleister Crowley. Then let him/her perform another Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or the Ritual of the Star Ruby (Liber XXV).

    The Tarot is designed in such a manner to allow the aspirant to travel a Royal Road of Self-Initiation. In this case, there are twenty-two steps symbolized by the twenty-two Atu of Thoth and the twenty-two Paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Each Atu or Path is experienced in consciousness and assimilated into the very fiber of one's being. By this direct process of identification with each Atu and Path, the aspirant inevitably attains the goal of the divine life, which is symbolized by the Crown of Light, in the highest sphere of the Universal Mind.

    At this point in our lesson, I would like to communicate a brief account of particular magical events which occurred before and during my journey on the Royal Road of Self-Initiation, to demonstrate how the Tarot has influenced the whole of my life as a Way to the Crown of Attainment. Not only has Tarot been the foundation of my magical career, but also the Wisdom of Tarot is the basis of most of the Order teaching, and all is contained therein. This may seem a far-fetched statement to some of you, but when you consider the fact that Tarot is not only the Book of Life, but also the Book of Initiation, it shall become quite evident to you how true this statement is.

    This event aroused my curiosity in understanding the Tarot. I bought my first book by Aleister Crowley, that is, the Book of Thoth, and with it I bought the Tarot of Thoth. When I brought them home, however, a vain and foolish man told me that I should not read any books by Aleister Crowley and he lent me a book called "The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages." I attempted to read and understand both books, but to no avail, for I was not educated enough at this time in my life to read or write a proper sentence due to an extremely poor education. Yet, as I shall demonstrate, the Spirit of Tarot helped me in such manner to surmount my difficulty and I was able to reach a point in my life where I was able to educate myself and mature in my mental and moral nature. Let us progress with our account.

    It was at the age of five that I had my first occult experience. The location was Los Angeles, which is also the place of my birth. I was standing on top of a staircase eating a bowl of cereal when, all of a sudden, I experienced an awesome sensation as though I was falling rapidly from the Sky and I was sure that I would land on earth and die. But I landed safely on the bottom of the staircase, not as a human body, but rather as a Body of Light. All of a sudden I realized that I was in another body as well as in my physical body. With this realization came the direct perception that even though I was in two bodies simultaneously, I had but one consciousness or self. I was looking with my astral eyes at my physical body on top of the staircase at the same time that I was looking with my physical eyes at my Astral Body on the bottom of the staircase. My consciousness was one, but in two bodies simultaneously. After this quick realization, I assumed full physical consciousness again.

    At the age of seven, I was confronted with the Spirit World; and by experiences that developed later in my life, I am able to say with complete confidence that such a phenomenon as this was not a product of a little child's wild imagination; it was the product of many past lives in which I have been directly involved with the Spirit World, and I was only experiencing what was already second nature to me. I met with my first Spirit and He remained with me for at least two months thereafter. He often spoke with me and told me things about myself from the past; but I could never really understand Him; and whatever He told me always seemed irrelevant to me anyway since all I wanted to do was play with Him. His image was always male in form, never anything else. I remember that I always wanted to reform His shape into something small, like a little man of some type; but I would always end in frustration, since the Spirit would never change his original shape, which was very difficult for me to perceive, as though a thick veil surrounded Him. I believe this is why I always sought to transmute His image in my imagination, so that I could make Him into something that I could perceive as physically real, to play with Him, but always to no avail.

    When I first met this Spirit from the Beyond, He remained with me for a long time. However, every other occasion I saw Him was always short and sweet, like ten minutes at the most. I was very frightened when I first saw Him, but there was a deep feeling of inner security, which I could never really understand. His last appearance occurred when I was sleeping in bed, and when I was awakened by a Thunderous Voice that said my name, and I saw a very dark and indescribable figure standing next to me looking down upon me and laughing. I was terribly frightened by the event. It has been a recurring image all through my life, a thought for eternity.

    At the age of eight, I realized once more that I was not alone; I knew by instinct that there were many Spirits with me. With this realization came the perception that They could communicate to me and raise my arms and hands in the air if I so willed it. I then attempted the act of allowing them to raise my arms and hands in the air, and my perception proved correct; for my arms and hands were raised high above my head, and a great Electrical Sensation covered my whole body. Within a short time after this I started writing actual invocations to Spirits on paper, as though I was already versed in Magick.

    At the age of ten, I presented my first lecture on the Occult in my sixth grade classroom. I received an "A" insofar as the grade for my presentation was concerned, but all my friends thought I was a liar and a fool, and I was presented for the first time with the living facts of persecution. However, I continued to communicate with the Spirits. It was also at this age that I awoke one night from a Vision in which I was communicating with the Spirits in a Temple of some sort. I actually perceived images of Them. I do not remember what They said to me, but whatever They did say was very important for my inner mind to grasp. I do remember, however, that when They did speak to me it was in the form of symbols, which my mind interpreted into words. It was all very spontaneous and extraordinary.

    At the age of eleven, my communication with the Spirits was growing more intense. I realized that They were like an Invisible Brotherhood of some type; and that I was related to them in some strange manner, which I could not grasp at all. At this age I was also seeing a revolving Wheel in my mind's eye before going to sleep. This experience lasted for a long time, for at least two months or more.

    At the age of fourteen, I had a tremendous dream that radically changed my way of viewing life. It was my first nightmare; but also my first real prophecy. In this dream a World War was at hand in which the yellow people of the East were conquering all of the nations. This was all occurring on the night of Christmas Eve. All was total chaos; it was the worst feeling that I ever encountered. The first thing I remember is receiving a telephone call in this dream, and it was my Grandfather. He communicated with me for awhile and then asked me if he could talk to my Mother. As I advanced to tell my Mother that he was on the telephone, I realized that he was dead. I did not tell her knowing this fact. Instead I went back into my room which was being invaded by machine-gun bullets and a giant chain saw. Warplanes were everywhere outside bombing the whole neighborhood. At about this point a man walked into my room and showed me a mark on his wrist, and said: "Put this on your wrist, and you will have Peace." I then awoke completely frightened. I was totally numb and cold; I was not the same, for the impact of the dream was more tremendous than anything I had ever experienced up to that point in my life.

    After calming down I went back to sleep, and sure enough I had the same type of dream in another form. This time the scenery was outside, and a friend and I were running for our lives. The Oriental people were again conquering the world. I awoke again, but with a deeper sense of horror. All of this was so alarming to me that I contemplated death; but I perceived an Inner Voice say that I was here on earth to teach the Children of Light, and that I must live. This I did not understand at all, but it convinced me to remain in my body, for I knew intuitively that it was a truth of some unusual type that was uttered by my inner Spirit. A few months after I experienced the above dreams, a friend of mine gave to me a Tarot Deck and I began to analyze its symbolism. I was fascinated, especially by the Wheel of the Tarot, which I had experienced before in my mind's eye, and its Guardian Kerubs.

    At the age of sixteen, I was inspired by the Spirit of Tarot to commence a journey, to begin a Way of Life that I was in no manner consciously familiar with. I knew nothing of the Qabalah or Tree of Life, yet I knew intuitively that the Tarot was a Way of some type for me to follow. I took my chances, and I started what has come to be a much used system of Self-Initiation among members of the Order. On December 22, 1980 e.v., I bound myself in blood to the Great Work. I took a formal Oath, without any knowledge of what an Oath was. I was entirely dependent on intuition to guide me in my ways. And it worked! During the experience of my first path, I was inspired to educate myself. Fortunately, some neighbors across the street were conducting a garage sale and they had books on Yoga, Tarot, the Qabalah, Philosophy, Math, and other subjects of importance. I purchased them all and I obtained a large Collegiate Dictionary, which I began to study and memorize, and gradually I was able to comprehend parts of "The Book of Thoth" and "The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages". As I continued to go from one Path to the next, I was gradually refining and enhancing my mental and moral nature, and I was able to regain my balance and intelligence which had been so clouded due to an extremely difficult upbringing. I also obtained a copy of The Book of the Law at this age and I was completely fascinated by its magical content. It was at this age that I also witnessed one evening a flash of Red Light in the air immediately after calling upon Our Lord Pan to heal me of an overwhelming illness which was gone by the following morning.

    At the age of seventeen, I began to see glimpses of my True Will and I began to realize that I was one of the four Cherubim, but I did not understand the nature of this realization. Soon after this, visions of Angels came to me, and I was told by the Angels that I would soon see Flashing Lights in the sky. And sure enough, one night a vast Flash of Light, like a comet, appeared unto me while I was reading a book. I was greatly puzzled! Many more of these Flashing Lights appeared unto me after I convinced myself that I was seeing things, but they were much smaller in form. I did not know what to make out of any of this; I thought that it was a terrible illusion of some type, and that my mind was playing dirty tricks on me. I was not on drugs, and I was not enduring any extreme mental difficulty at this time. Some months later I invoked Horus, and a vast figure appeared unto me, and we were united as One. Shortly after this I obtained a copy of book 777 and other Qabalistic Writings by Aleister Crowley.

    At this age I also met an authentic psychic of some sort who told me that I was "one of the four" (a Cherub?), after I had already realized that my True Will was to be just that. She confirmed my Inner Vision, and I never told her a single thing about me. She also told me other things, which I never communicated to anyone. During the whole of the remarkable session with this woman, I remained in total silence. At the end of the divination session she asked me if there was anything else that she could do for me. My only response was for her to tell me anything of further importance. She then proclaimed, "Yes, you are one of the four!"

    Later I met with another woman in a public library who noticed that I had a copy of book 777. She introduced herself to me and invited me to her home, and during the course of our conversation at her home she said that she would like to give me a Yi King reading. I agreed; and I asked the question whether or not I should devote myself to Magick. The forty-fourth Hexagram was obtained; and she said that whatever I asked was destined to be. It is only now that I understand this event; for the number forty-four is the sacred number of Horus, and I was born 44 minutes in the Sign of the Eagle (Phoenix) on October 24, 1964 e.v. The Eagle is the Kerubic Hawk, and is a symbol of Horus. Moreover, the Eagle is the Kerubic Emblem of the new Golden Dawn, of the Rising of the New Sun of Liberty. In the Holy Book of Quartus Kerub, received by my own hand in the year 1988 e.v., it is proclaimed: "The Ox has been slain upon the Altar of the aeons; and an Eagle has arisen from the ashes of the sacrifice."

    At the age of eighteen, I obtained my first copies of Magick in Theory and Practice, Book 4, Magick Without Tears, The Law is for All, the Holy Books of Thelema, and other books of supreme importance. I determined to devote myself headlong into meditation and study. I remained in total isolation for most of this age, having only two friends and seeing very few people. During this stage of my life, I was enduring a great mental ordeal about my own Will. I wanted to know in detail who and what and why I was. I devoted myself to the quest of discovering the truth of my own True Will, and I eventually came to rename myself David Cherubim (Beloved Kerubim). I also attained the knowledge of my True Name. This name is Quartus Kerub, and it is the True Name of the Man that I am, for it defines and affirms my Magical and Universal Will as a Man. The sacred image of Quartus Kerub (Fourth Cherub) is the Eagle. It is this Name which became my Motto of magical aspiration in the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis), which I joined on 16 June, 1985 e.v. (Note: I officially resigned from the O.T.O. on 4 December, 1994 e.v.) Quartus Kerub is also a formula, from a more interior point of view, of my inevitable function as a Magus in this Aeon of Horus. This Holy Name is a symbol of the Logos, both Solar and Supernal. It is the mystical foursquare name referred to in Liber Legis, II: 78.

    At the age of nineteen, after reading for many hours "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie", by Eliphas Levi, and then lying down to rest my brain, I saw with my own eyes a pair of eyes without a head or body looking directly at me. I also met with a person who intuitively perceived that I was into Magick and the Occult. He approached me by asking me if I was into Metaphysics. When I told him that I was not, but rather was I into something more along the lines of the Occult, he then asked me if I was a reader of books by Aleister Crowley. He sort of caught me off guard, since most people would not talk about the Beast. I asserted that I did read his books, and he casually invited me for a cup of coffee. He later introduced me to the Ordo Templi Orientis in Los Angeles, and I attended my first O.T.O. Gnostic Mass.

    Before we end this lesson, let us all meditate upon the following words from Chapter 78 of The Book of Lies, by Aleister Crowley.

    Here ends our Thelemic Golden Dawn lesson on the Divine Science of the Tarot. May the Holy Influence of MEZLA descend upon you all. And may each of you be guided and fortified by your higher aspirations to attain the Ageless Wisdom, the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, and Perfect Happiness.