Hod
The Four Eights
The four Eights are attributed to Hod. Being in the same plane as the Sevens on the Tree of Life, but on the other side, the same inherent defects as are found in the Sevens will apply.
Yet one may perhaps urge this alleviation, that the Eights come as (in a sense) a remedy for the error of the Sevens. The mischief has been done; and there is now a reaction against it. One may, therefore, expect to find that, while there is no possibility of perfection in the cards of this number, they are free from such essential and original errors as in the Lower case.
The Eight of Wands is called Swiftness, as one might expect from its attribution to Mercury and Sagittarius. This is an etherealization of the idea of fire; all gross elements have disappeared.
(Let there be a short digression with regard to the signs of the Zodiac. In the case of each element, the Cardinal sign represents the swift, impulsive onrush of the idea. In the Kerubic sign, the element has come to its full balance of power; and in the other signs the force is fading away. Thus, Aries represents the rush of fire, Lightning; Leo, its power, the Sun; and Sagittarius, the rainbow its sublimation. Similar considerations apply to the other elements. See the Attributions section: The Triplicities of the Zodiac.)
In the Eight of Wands, fire is no longer conjoined with the ideas of combustion and destruction. It represents energy in its most exalted and tenuous sense; this suggests such forms thereof as the electric current; one might almost say pure light in the material sense of that word.
The Eight of Cups is called Indolence. This card is the very apex of unpleasantness. It is ruled by the planet Saturn; time, sorrow, have descended upon pleasure, and there is no strength in the element of water which can react against it. This card is not exactly "the morning after the night before"; but it is very nearly that. The difference is that the "night before" has not happened! This card represents a party for which all preparations have been made; but the host has forgotten to invite the guests; or, the caterers have not delivered the good cheer. There is this difference, though, that it is in some way or other the host's own fault. The party that he planned was just a little bit above his capacity; perhaps he lost heart at the last moment.
The Eight of Swords is called Interference. At first sight, it would seem easy to confuse it with the Eight of Cups; but the idea is, in reality, quite different. The card is attributed to Jupiter and Gemini; accordingly, there is no weighing down of the will by internal or external stress. It is simply the error of being good- natured when good-nature is disastrous. Gemini is an airy sign, an intellectual sign; Jupiter is geniality and optimism. This will not do in the world of Swords; if one must hit at all, a knock-out blow is best. But there is another element in this card; that of unexpected (the Eights, being at heart Mercurial, are always that) interference, sheer unforeseen bad luck. Trivial incidents have often altered the destiny of empires, brought to naught "the best laid plans of mice and men".
The Eight of Disks is called Prudence. This card is a great deal better than the last two, because, in purely material matters, especially those relating to actual money, there is a sort of strength in doing nothing at all. The problem of every financier is, first of all, to gain time; if his resources are sufficient, he always beats the market. This is the card of "putting something away for a rainy day".
Its attribution is Sol in Virgo; it is the card of the husband-man; he can do little more than sow the seed, sit back, and wait for the harvest. There is nothing noble about this aspect of the card; like all the Eights, it represents an element of calculation, and gambling is securely profitable if one has adjusted the cagnotte properly.
There is yet another point which complicates this card. The Eight of Disks represents the geomantic figure Populus, which is an easy-going figure, and at the same time stable. One thinks of Queen Victoria's time, of a man who is "something in the City" rolling up to Town with Albert the Good advertized by his watch- chain and his frock-coat; on the surface he is very affable, but he is nobody's fool.
Yet one may perhaps urge this alleviation, that the Eights come as (in a sense) a remedy for the error of the Sevens. The mischief has been done; and there is now a reaction against it. One may, therefore, expect to find that, while there is no possibility of perfection in the cards of this number, they are free from such essential and original errors as in the Lower case.
The Eight of Wands is called Swiftness, as one might expect from its attribution to Mercury and Sagittarius. This is an etherealization of the idea of fire; all gross elements have disappeared.
(Let there be a short digression with regard to the signs of the Zodiac. In the case of each element, the Cardinal sign represents the swift, impulsive onrush of the idea. In the Kerubic sign, the element has come to its full balance of power; and in the other signs the force is fading away. Thus, Aries represents the rush of fire, Lightning; Leo, its power, the Sun; and Sagittarius, the rainbow its sublimation. Similar considerations apply to the other elements. See the Attributions section: The Triplicities of the Zodiac.)
In the Eight of Wands, fire is no longer conjoined with the ideas of combustion and destruction. It represents energy in its most exalted and tenuous sense; this suggests such forms thereof as the electric current; one might almost say pure light in the material sense of that word.
The Eight of Cups is called Indolence. This card is the very apex of unpleasantness. It is ruled by the planet Saturn; time, sorrow, have descended upon pleasure, and there is no strength in the element of water which can react against it. This card is not exactly "the morning after the night before"; but it is very nearly that. The difference is that the "night before" has not happened! This card represents a party for which all preparations have been made; but the host has forgotten to invite the guests; or, the caterers have not delivered the good cheer. There is this difference, though, that it is in some way or other the host's own fault. The party that he planned was just a little bit above his capacity; perhaps he lost heart at the last moment.
The Eight of Swords is called Interference. At first sight, it would seem easy to confuse it with the Eight of Cups; but the idea is, in reality, quite different. The card is attributed to Jupiter and Gemini; accordingly, there is no weighing down of the will by internal or external stress. It is simply the error of being good- natured when good-nature is disastrous. Gemini is an airy sign, an intellectual sign; Jupiter is geniality and optimism. This will not do in the world of Swords; if one must hit at all, a knock-out blow is best. But there is another element in this card; that of unexpected (the Eights, being at heart Mercurial, are always that) interference, sheer unforeseen bad luck. Trivial incidents have often altered the destiny of empires, brought to naught "the best laid plans of mice and men".
The Eight of Disks is called Prudence. This card is a great deal better than the last two, because, in purely material matters, especially those relating to actual money, there is a sort of strength in doing nothing at all. The problem of every financier is, first of all, to gain time; if his resources are sufficient, he always beats the market. This is the card of "putting something away for a rainy day".
Its attribution is Sol in Virgo; it is the card of the husband-man; he can do little more than sow the seed, sit back, and wait for the harvest. There is nothing noble about this aspect of the card; like all the Eights, it represents an element of calculation, and gambling is securely profitable if one has adjusted the cagnotte properly.
There is yet another point which complicates this card. The Eight of Disks represents the geomantic figure Populus, which is an easy-going figure, and at the same time stable. One thinks of Queen Victoria's time, of a man who is "something in the City" rolling up to Town with Albert the Good advertized by his watch- chain and his frock-coat; on the surface he is very affable, but he is nobody's fool.
| Also see The Four Eights according to: | ||||
| Tarot de Marseilles (Gebelin) | Eliphas Levi | Golden Dawn (Regardie) | Aleister Crowley | Frater Achad |
777 for key 8
I
Key Scale 8
II
Hebrew Names of Numbers and Letters Hod
III
English of Col. II. Splendour
VI
The Heavens of Assiah Kokab
VII
English of Col. VI. Sphere of Mercury
VIII
Orders of Qliphoth Samael
X
Mystic Numbers of the Sephiroth 36
XI
Elements (with their Planetary Rulers) Water
XII
The Tree of Life 5th Plane, Left Pillar
XIII
The Paths of the Sepher Yetzirah Absolute or Perfect I.
XIV
General Attribution of Tarot The 4 Eights
XV
The King Scale of Colour (y) Violet purple
XVI
The Queen Scale of Colour (h) Orange
XVII
The Emperor Scale of Colour (v) Red-russet
XVIII
The Empress Scale of Colour (#) Yellow-brown flecked white
XIX
Selection of Egyptian Gods Anubis
XX
Complete Practical Attribution of Egyptian Gods Thoth
XXI
The Perfected Man The Lords of Kereba — the Reins. Nuit — the Hips and Legs.
XXII
Small selection of Hindu Deities Hanuman
XXIII
The Forty Buddhist Meditations Analysis into 4
XXXIII
Some Scandinavian Gods Odin, Loki
XXXIV
Some Greek Gods Hermes
XXXV
Some Roman Gods Mercury
XXXVI
Selection of Christian Gods (10); Apostles (12); Evangelists (4) and Churches of Asia (7). God the Holy Ghost (as Comforter and Inspirer of Scripture), God the Healer of Plagues
XXXVIII
Animals, Real and Imaginary. Hermaphrodite, Jackal [[Twin serpents, Monoceros de Astris]]
XXXIX
Plants, Real and Imaginary Moly, Anhalonium Lewinii
XL
Precious Stones Opal, especially Fire Opal
XLI
Magical Weapons The Names and Versicles and Apron The Perfumes and Sandals [[The Altar
XLII
Perfumes Storax
XLIII
Vegetable Drugs Anhalonium Lewinii [[Cannabis Indica]]
XLIV
Mineral Drugs Mercury
XLV
Magical Powers [Western Mysticism] The Vision of Splendour [Ezekiel]
XLIX
Lineal Figures of the Planets, &c., and Geomany Sephirothic Geomantic Figures follow the Planets. Caput and Cauda Draconis are the Nodes of the Moon, nearly = Neptune and Herschel respectively. They belong to Malkuth.
L
Transcendental Morality. [10 Virtues (1-10), 7 Sins (Planets), 4 Magick Powers (Elements).] Truthfulness
LI.II
Numeration of Col. LI. 90
LI.III
English equivalent of Col. LI. f, v
LXXXV
Angels of Briah Hisniel
LXXXVI
Choirs of Angels in Briah Beni Elohim
LXXXVII
Palaces of Briah H. Gonah
LXXXVIII
Translation of Col. LXXXVII P. of Serenity
XCI
The Saints or Adepts of the Hebrews Aaron
XCII
The Angelic Functions in the World of Yetzirah with two he was flying.
XCIII
The Heavens of Assiah Raquia
XCIV
English of Palaces (Col. XCIII) Firmament
XCV
Contents of Col. XCIV Sol, Luna, planets, stars, and 10 spheres
XCVII
bar Ruach
XCVIII
English of Col. XCVII The Intellect
XCIX
Archangels of Assiah Mikael
C
Angels of Assiah Beni Elohim
CI
English of Col. C. Sons of God
CIII
The Ten Divisions of the Body of God Left leg
CIV
Arqa
CV
English of Col. CIV Earth
CVI
The Ten Hells in Seven Palaces Tzelmoth
CVII
Translation of Hells Shadow of Death
CVIII
Some Princes of the Qliphoth Adramelek
CIX.I
The Dukes of Edom Teman
CIX
The Kings of Edom. Saul of Reheboth
CX
Elements and Quarters (Sepher Yetzirah) West
CXI
Sephirothic Colours (Dr. Jellinek) Reddish-white
CXV
Officers in a Masonic Lodge Junior Deacon
CXVI
Egyptian Attribution of Parts of the Soul Aib
CXVII
The Soul (Hindu) Prana
CXVIII
The Chakkras or Centres of Prana (Hinduism) Svadistthana (Navel)
CXIX
The Ten Fetters (Buddhism) Sakkya-ditti
CXX
Magical Images of the Sephiroth An Hermaphrodite
CXXI
The Grades of the Order. Praticus
CXXII
The Ten Plagues of Egypt Lice
CXXIII
English of Col. VIII., Lines 1-10 Deceivers
CXXV
Seven Hells of the Arabs Laza
CXXVI
Their Inhabitants Christians
CXXVII
Seven Heavens of the Arabs. Jannat al-Firdaus
CXXVIII
Meaning of Col. CXXVII. Garden of Paradise, made of red gold
CXXXVII
Signs of the Zodiac ☿
CLXXXIV
Numeration of Arabic Alphabet 900
CLXXXVI
Diseases (Typical) Nerve Troubles