Now, let us study the eighteenth ARCANUM of Kabalah. This is the Arcanum of twilight. It becomes necessary for our Gnostic disciples to profoundly reflect on the esoteric content of this Arcanum.
We have been strongly criticized for not continuing with the already known Hebraic monotony. Certainly, we do not want to follow that same monotony. We are only interested in what is called COMPREHENSION.
We want our students to COMPREHEND each Arcanum and thereafter develop it within themselves. First, we want our disciples to discover each Arcanum within themselves, then within all of Nature.
Arcanum 18 is Light and Shadow, WHITE MAGIC AND BLACK MAGIC. On the 18th Card appear a dog and a Wolf howling at the Moon. We can also see, in that illustration, two pyramids, one is white and the other is black. In this Arcanum the symbol of the CRAB [or Scorpion] is not missing. In Arcanum 18, the number nine is found two times, 9 plus 9 equals 18 [9 + 9 = 18].
The secret enemies of Initiation are found in Arcanum 18. You must know, Beloved Disciples, that the Kundalini rises very slowly through the Medullar canal, the ascension of the Kundalini, from vertebra to vertebra, is performed very slowly according to the merits of the heart. Each vertebra represents certain virtues.
The ascension to a certain vertebra is never acquired without having achieved the conditions of SANCTITY that are required for such a vertebra which we long for. Those who believe that once the Kundalini is awakened, it instantaneously rises to the head in order to leave us totally illuminated, are really ignorant people.
In Arcanum 18 we have to endure bloody battles against the tenebrous ones.
“THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN SUFFERETH VIOLENCE”.
“THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE”. (see Matthew 11:12)
In the Internal Worlds, the tenebrous ones of Arcanum 18 violently assault the student. The Devotee must endure terrible battles against the Tenebrous. The conquest of each Vertebra in the Dorsal Spine signifies struggles to the death against the ADEPTS OF THE SHADOW. Fortunately, those who work with the Kundalini receive the FLAMING SWORD and they defend themselves with it.
Sometimes the Student, too weary, yet still holding the Sword in his hands, achieves the entrance into the Temple. Terrible are the efforts that the tenebrous ones exert in order to take the student from the PATH OF THE RAZOR’S EDGE. This Path is full of dangers from within and from without. Many are those who begin, yet few are those who finish. The great majority of aspirants are deviated by the Black Path. In Arcanum 18, there are very subtle dangers that the Student ignores.
The Tenebrous gather in their Temples in order to count the number of vertebrae conquered by the Student. Each Vertebra symbolizes a cup for them. On the altar they place the same number of cups as the number of Vertebrae the Student has conquered. They judge the Neophyte on this basis and consider him a thief.
The tenebrous ones’ thoughts may be formulated as follows:
“YOU HAVE STOLEN CUPS FROM US.”
“YOU ARE STEALING POWERS FROM US.”
“YOU ARE A THIEF.”
The tenebrous never believe themselves to be bad. They believe themselves to be wells of SANCTITY. Therefore, when they attack the Student they do it with good faith. They believe that the Student is a Thief of Powers. That is all. Indeed, the Abyss is filled with sincerely mistaken people, and these are people with very good intentions.
The number “9” is positive and negative at the same time. Now we explain the mystery of Arcanum 18. In this terrible Arcanum we find all the potions and all the witchcraft of Thessaly. Here is the kitchen of Conidia. We can read, in the epochs of Horaccio, how this horrible Witch of Rome made all of her potions. The books of Grimoires are full of tenebrous recipes which are obviously related to Arcanum 18. Erotic magical ceremonies, rites in order to be loved, dangerous potions, etc., etc., all of this is Arcanum 18.
We must warn the Gnostic Students that the most dangerous potion that the Tenebrous use in order to take the Student off of the PATH OF THE RAZOR’S EDGE is the Intellect. Bluntly we warn our disciples that out of two million people living in this World, only a small handful of souls (which we could count on our fingers) will be worthy of THE ANGELIC STATE! The rest, THE GREAT MAJORITY, is a lost harvest who will sink into the abyss forever. To be an Angel is very difficult. Neither Time nor THE MECHANICAL EVOLUTION OF NATURE can ever convert a human being into an Angel. This is a Sexual problem.
ADAM CHRIST
It is first necessary for the BUDDHA to be born within us, then we can Incarnate the Christ. When Man has engendered all his internal vehicles, then he incarnates his Buddha and becomes a Buddha. We warn our students that the SOUL IS NOT CHRIST. Many BUDDHAS exist in Asia that still have not incarnated the Christ.
Remember, beloved disciples, that beyond the Buddha is the resplendent DRAGON OF WISDOM, the internal Christ of every Man who comes to this world. When the Resplendent Dragon of Wisdom enters into the Soul, then It is transformed into the Soul and the Soul is transformed into It. The outcome of this Divine and Human mixture is that which is called the ADAM CHRIST, THE SON OF MAN.
THE CHRIST “I”
It is necessary that our Gnostic Disciples comprehend that the RESPLENDENT DRAGON OF WISDOM (THE INTERNAL CHRIST) of every man who comes to this world, has no Individuality. The latter is the product of the “I”, and the Christ is not any kind of “I”. Thus, it is absurd to talk about the Christ “I”, when indeed the INTERNAL CHRIST does not have any kind of “I”.
The Dragon of Wisdom transcends beyond any kind of “I” and beyond any Individuality. The Adorable one is absolutely INFINITE AND IMPERSONAL.
THE INTERNAL BODIES
Really, Man still does not possess his internal bodies. The actual ASTRAL, MENTAL AND CAUSAL vehicles that human beings use are nothing more than mental forms that we need to Disintegrate. Those mental forms constitute the Human Specter within which the “I” lives.
It is Necessary for us to engender the internal vehicles in order to Incarnate the Buddha and thereafter, the Christ. This is an ABSOLUTELY SEXUAL problem.
RENOWNED INCARNATIONS
The LIVING BUDDHAS are renowned incarnations. Those are the unique cases in which the Universal Spirit of Life incarnates and reincarnates. In other cases, only values Reincorporate, in other words the “I”, The Ego, Satan. Really, Satan (The Ego) only reincorporates in order to satisfy its desires, and that is all.
The only Reincarnations worthy of admiration are the LIVING REINCARNATIONS. The Ninth Sphere in its positive aspect brings Living Buddhas into the world, yet, in its negative aspect it only brings MEMORIES (EGOS), AND SPECTERS OF PERSONALITIES that were physically alive and died. This is the fatal wheel. Now, you will understand the whole drama of Arcanum 18. Positive Nine plus Negative Nine is equal to 18.
THE EMBRYO OF THE SOUL
The soul’s embryo lives within the Specter and reincorporates with the Specter and with the “I”. It is necessary to comprehend that within every specter lives an “I” and an EMBRYO OF SOUL. We have spoken about this in former lessons, yet it seems that many students have not yet understood this.
Let’s clarify that the Embryo of the Soul which every human being has within, is not the Christ, because the Christ has not incarnated within the present Human Beings yet. Only those who have reached the Venustic Initiation incarnate the Christ. No one could reach such Initiation without previously having incarnated their Buddha of Perfection.
Samael Aun Weor
