The Palace of the Phoenix Read online

  The act followed the word and the master of the house said to me, "Have you stretched your neck up and have you seen what is done?"

  And I said that I had and he said to me, "This man of copper whom you have seen is the sacrificial priest and the sacrifice and he who vomited out his own flesh. To him was given authority over the water and over those men in mortification."

  And when I had seen these visions, I woke again and said to myself, "What is the cause of this vision? Is this not the white and yellow water, boiling, sulphurous, divine?"And I found that I understood well. And I said that it was good to speak and good to hear and good to give and good to receive and good to be poor and good to be rich. And how does the Nature learn to give and to receive? The copper man gives and the water-stone receives; the thunder gives the fire that flashed from it. For all things are woven together and all things are taken apart and all things are mingled and all things combined and all things mixed and all things separated and all things are moistened and all things are dried and all things bud and all things blossom in the altar shaped like a bowl. For each, by method and by weight of the four elements, the interlacing and separation of the whole is accomplished for no bond can be made without method. The method is natural, breathing in and breathing out, keeping the orders of the method, increasing and decreasing. And all things by division and union come together in a harmony, the method not being neglected, the Nature is transformed. For the Nature, turning on itself, is changed. And the Nature is both the nature of the virtue and the bond of the world.

  And, so that I need not write to you of many things, friend, build a temple of one stone, like ceruse, like alabaster, like marble of Proconnesus in appearance, having neither beginning nor end in its building. Let it have within, a pure stream of water glittering like sunlight. Notice on what side the entry to the temple is and take your sword in hand and seek the entry. For thin-mouthed is the place where the opening is and a serpent lies by it guarding the temple. First seize him in your hands and make a sacrifice of him. And having skinned him, cut his flesh from his bones, divide him, member from member, and having brought together again the members and the bones, make them a stepping stone at the entry to the temple and mount upon them and go in, and there you will find what you seek. For the priest whom you see seated in the stream gathering his colour, is not a man of copper. For he has changed the colour of his nature, and become a man of silver whom, if you wish, after a little time, you will have as a man of gold.

  Then, again wishing to ascend the seven steps and to behold the seven mortifications and, as it happened, one day only did I ascend the way. Retracing my steps, I thereupon ascended the way many times. And on returning, I could not find the way, and becoming discouraged, not seeing how to get out, I fell asleep.

  And I saw in my sleep a certain little man, a barber, wearing a red robe and royal garments, and he stood outside of the place of the mortifications and said, "What are you doing, Man?"

  I said to him, "I stand here because I have missed every road and am lost."

  He said, "Follow me".

  And going out, I followed him. And being near to the place of the mortifications, I saw the little barber man leading me and he cast into the place of the mortifications and his whole body was consumed by fire.

  Seeing this, I fled and trembled from the fear and I woke and said to myself, "What is this that I have seen?" And again I took thought and determined that this barber man is the man of copper. It is necessary for the first step to throw him into the place of the mortifications. My soul again desired to ascend -- the third step also. And again, alone, I went along the way, and as I drew near the place of the mortifications, again I got lost, losing sight of the path, and stood, out of my mind.

  And again I saw an old man of hair so white my eyes were blinded by the whiteness. His name was Agathodaemon. And the white old man, turning, looked on me for a whole hour.

  And I asked him, "Show me the right way."

  He did not turn toward me but hastened to go on the right way. And going and coming in this manner he quickly effected the altar. As I went up to the altar I saw the white old man. He was cast into the mortifications. O Creator-gods of celestial natures -- straightaway the flames took him up entire, which is a terrible story, my brother. For from the great energy of the mortifications his eyes became full with blood.

  And I questioned him saying, "Why do you lie there?"

  And he opened his mouth and said, "I am the man of lead and I am withstanding an intolerable force."

  And then I woke out of fear and sought in myself the cause of this fact. And again I reflected and said to myself, "I understand well that thus must one cast out the lead -- truly the vision is concerning the combination of liquids."

  And again I knew the theophany and again the sacred altar and I saw a certain priest clothed in white celebrating those same terrible mysteries and I said, "Who is this?"

  And answering he said to me, "This is the priest of the Adytum. He wishes to put blood into the bodies, to make the eyes clear, and to raise up the dead."

  And again I fell asleep for a while and while I was mounting the fourth step I saw one with a sword in his hand coming out of the east. And I saw another behind him, holding a disk, white and shining and beautiful to behold. And it was called the meridian of the Sun and I approached the place of the mortifications and the one who held the sword said to me, "Cut off his head and sacrifice his meat and muscles part by part so that first the flesh may be boiled according to the method and that he might then suffer the mortifications."

  And waking, I said, "I understand well that these matters concern the liquids of the art of the metals."

  And the one who held the sword said "You have fulfilled the seven steps beneath."

  And the other said at the same time as the casting out of the lead by all the liquids, "The Work is completed."

  How Does Nature Learn to Give and Receive?

  This question is one at the beating heart of the Palace of the Phoenix, which as you may have guessed whilst reading the above text, is none other than your own body. The Phoenix here is the spiritual self purged of its attachments and reborn, and the Stone is what is left once mortification is complete – a temple, a palace, which is a “pure stream of water glittering like sunshine” – your own awareness which arises from the very transformations of Nature, with no reflection other than itself.

  To ascend these final steps to the Palace of the Phoenix, we will turn back and draw together the previous Gates.

  The Palace of the Phoenix Spread

  Illustration. The Emerald Tablet.

  Take your deck and shuffle, recalling the previous work you have accomplished. Take out 3 cards for each question below as your divination:

  1. What is the “lovely gift” spoken of in the rhyme at the closing of the invitation of the Chymical Wedding? What is Nature presenting me to “come to the light?”

  2. And having seen that gift, how do I apply the lesson I learnt from Nature when I conversed with the Mystical Sister? What do I do in response to the gift?

  3. And in taking that response, how do I best utilize the inevitable presence of Sulpher? How do I maintain balance as Nature Gives and Receives?

  4. So at last I reveal the Philosophers Stone, the Pure Mercury. What is the Nature of Nature when it only reflects itself in and through my-self?

  These 12 cards represent 3 steps in 4 stages through the Alchemical process of the previous Gates. They should be used as contemplation pieces for a week if you choose, as they may not always be immediately obvious on first reading.

  If you require ideas for the meaning of the cards, download our free 22-page guide at www.mytarotcardmeanings.com.

  Do consider your experiences in each of the Gates as shedding light on each of the first three questions which derive from those same Gates.

  Conclusion

  We trust you have found this Alchemical experience through Tarot of interest and engaged i
n your Life. There are many avenues to pursue your interest in Alchemical symbolism – with Robert Place’s Alchemical Tarot, with Jungian considerations, or looking at the alchemical symbolism in the Thoth deck. You may like to read Mary K. Greer’s article on the latter in the special “Thoth” issue (#4) of Tarosophist International, free to members of Tarosophy Tarot Associations.

  Conclusion

  “The Sun and his shadow finish the Work”.

  An old Alchemical Saying

  We trust during this week-long taster experience you have been given a new angle on your Tarot, and look forward to welcoming you on our other Gated Spreads in the future.

  You can share your experiences in our social site, Tarot-Town, and ask questions. The site is free with membership of your national Tarot Association, with many other member benefits.

  Notes

  1. James Lawley & Penny Tompkins, Metaphors in Mind (London: The Developing Company Press, 2000)

  2. Clean Language Site, http://www.cleanlanguage.co.uk [last accessed 18th January 2010]

  Bibliography

  Katz, M. The Alchemical Amphitheatre: A 6-month self-study course in Alchemy. Forge Press, 2008.

  In Entrance to the Alchemical Amphitheatre By Marcus Katz, M.A. (Western esotericism) you will learn to live a Transformative life through Magical Alchemy! This book, reviewed independently on Amazon as “simply genius” is an Alchemy course in six monthly modules available as a download or paperback book version. In this thoroughly researched course, combining a range of learning styles, you'll experience four simple alchemical experiments using household materials, seven unique praxis meditations, the Ritual of the Dew for transforming your life, and Alchemical Adorations, amongst a range of readings and alchemical exercises. Suitable for beginners and adepts alike, using research of the highest academic level, informed through thirty years practical experience of teaching and western esoteric studies. Find out who wrote the Rosicrucian Manifestos, why Alchemy and Dreaming are related, the secrets of the Emerald Tablet, and much, much more!

  Katz, M. Tarosophy. Chang Mai: Salamander & Sons, 2012.

  Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Around the Tarot in 78 Days. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2012.

  Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Tarot Flip. Forge Press, 2012.

  Waite, A. E. Pictorial Key to the Tarot. London: Rider, 1974.

  Websites & Resources

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