Will Power

One of the most important meanings of number 7 is MASTERY. This means mastery over the personality and the conditions that make up environment. The power of WILL is the force that enables your real Self to exercise such mastery.

The occult conception of Will, however, is radically different from any other conception. Will is in no sense a human faculty. It is not something that strong-minded people possess and timid or so called weak-willed people are devoid of. Instead it is the living, motivating power behind the entire universe, and every person and thing in the universe has an equal share in it. Remember the affirmation of your Pattern number 0 which says, 'ALL the power that ever was or will be is HERE, NOW.' The difference between people is not the acquisition of greater amounts of Will power, but in their ability to express it more freely through their personalities.

The great mistake made by most teachers as to the nature of Will is that it is personal. As long as humanity suffers from the delusion that is has any will power of its own, just so long will it be held in bondage. It is even more absurd, if that be possible, than it would be for people to claim the air they breathe as their personal property, or as a personal attribute. Will is the power which man is able to express that frees him from blind fatalism.

It endows him with volition, the power to choose and discriminate.

While Will is above and beyond every human faculty, it nevertheless follows the development of the faculty of discrimination, or spiritual discernment represented by Key 6. Hence 7 logically follows 6 in the Tarot series. Will power cannot be utilized consciously without an inner discernment of its true nature. 6 stands for the process of equilibration. 7 is equilibrium, the result of 6, and it is the true secret of mastery. As long as we are buffeted about by the reciprocal activity of opposing forces instead of understanding how to balance their activity properly, we have not fully realized that ours is the victorious life.

Number 7 represents the diameter of a circle, because the ratio of the diameter of a circle to its circumference is as 7 is to 22, and the circle, the circumference of which is 22, has 7 for its diameter. The diameter of a circle is a line that connects its opposite sides. This is a graphic symbol of the fact that all opposites are in reality different aspects of one thing, just as the extremities of the diameter are but opposite points on one circle.

A circle circumscribes a definite area. This connects the meaning of the number with that of the Hebrew letter Cheth (pronounced approximately kayth) which means FIELD or FENCE. Both meanings imply the word ENCLOSURE. Primarily this field is the Universe, which includes all manifested objects and energies. In man the field is the personality, and the master, or cultivator of the personality is the true I AM, or Inner Self.

The idea of a field brings out the fact that personality is something which can be cultivated. That is to say, the potencies of Will power can be brought into active manifestation through the functions of a personality that has been properly prepared. Will power is the seed from which all possibilities are developed. It is also the fruition of these possibilities when they have been brought from latency into active manifestation. A little thought upon this idea will give you a flood of light upon the true purpose and function of the personality, and its value to man as an instrument for his own spiritual progress. But it must always be an instrument, never mistaken for a workman; always the field, never the cultivator. You are not your body, your emotions nor your intellect. If you were you could not apply the possessive case to them, for you do not possess that which you are.

A field is a definite, limited form. A word is a definite idea limited to a form that makes it intelligible to others. A word endows an idea with specific, definite meaning. Thus the human function of speech is attributed to Key 7. This refers not only to the spoken word, but to the unspoken language of thought. Thought always takes the form of words before it is intelligible to us.

Our habits of speech are the indices of our Will development. The words we use continually, every day, and the meanings they have for us, are the patterns of our life expression. This does not mean that people who use large and unusual words are expressing life more completely than those whose speech is simple and homely. Nine times out of ten such people do not know what they are talking about themselves, and if suddenly asked, 'What do you mean?' would find themselves at a loss to make themselves clear. They are word gatherers, not word users. Do not use words unless you know what they mean. Use your dictionary faithfully and continually. An enriched vocabulary is a fertile source of mental imagery that is both broad and deep.

Accuracy in the use of words, care in the selection of words so that they convey true meanings, choice of positive, strong, courageous words – these are among the most important requirements for the development of the Will. Such words result in correspondingly positive mental, emotional and physical states, but their opposites result in despondency, confused thinking and ill health.

In occultism there are certain special word forms which are used in a very practical manner. These words have special vibratory power when they are spoken or sung. Such words are the mystic syllable AUM, the various Hebrew divine and angelic names, and certain other artificial sound combinations which are symbolic. The use of such special word forms is what the Hindus call Mantra yoga, which plays an important part of Will development. Such word forms are not to be experimented with by anyone who does not know what he is about, and not without the supervision of a competent teacher. Of the power of sound, Madame Blavatsky says in her Secret Doctrine that it is “a tremendous force, of which the electricity generated by a million Niagaras could never counteract the smallest potentiality, when directed with occult knowledge.” Therefore, it is not exactly a plaything for people who want to see what will happen.

The zodiacal sign Cancer, the Crab, is attributed to Key 7. A crab is a shelled animal, hence has a direct relationship to the meaning of Cheth as a fence, and the meaning of 7 as safety and security. This sign is ruled by the Moon and the planet Jupiter is exalted therein. Our habitual subconscious mental states (the Moon) have definite rulership over our power of Will expression. The fact that the power of Will always expresses itself in some form of cyclic activity justify the exaltation of Jupiter in this Key. You will understand more about this when you come to the study of Key 10.

The title, The Chariot, relates to the letter meaning, since a chariot is a movable fence. Also it connects with the meanings of 7, and with astrological symbology, since it is a protecting shell, Cancer, which is a means of transportation, the Moon, which moves by rotations.

This Key is a graphic symbol of the constitution of man as individuality, or Inner Self, and personality, or outer vehicle. The rider is the true Self, and he wears the crown of the Primal Will and the wreath of Victory. He rides in the vehicle of the physical body, which is drawn by the sphinxes which represent the senses. These are guided by the reins of the mind, which are therefore invisible to the eye. The body is able to move by the rotational, vibratory activity of sunlight, the golden wheels, which is called in occultism Prana, or Ruach.

The crown of the charioteer is ornamented with three golden pentagrams. The pentagram symbolizes the dominion of the mind over the elements. They are five-pointed figures, referring to the faculty of spiritual intuition, Key 5, which a direct result of the expression of Will through the personality.

His fair hair is bound with a wreath, like that of the Fool, with whom he is synonymous. He is clad in armor, like the Emperor. The lunar crescents refer to the rulership of the Moon in Cancer. His cuirass is greenish-yellow to simulate brass, which is the metal of Venus, signifying the protection afforded by the right use of the power symbolized by the Empress. The square upon it symbolizes order and purity, while the three T's of which it is made up refer to the limiting power of Saturn, to which planet is attributed the Hebrew letter Tau. The skirt is divided into eight parts, and the units of design are geomantic symbols used in making magical talismans, or pantacles.

The sceptre is surmounted by a figure 8 which is combined with a crescent. This is a combination of the symbol over the Magician's head and the lunar symbol of the High Priestess. Thus the Charioteer's ensign of authority plainly indicates that his authority resides in the combination of self-conscious and subconscious activities.

The chariot, by its cubic shape and the material of which it is composed, which is stone, is the same as the thrones of the High Priestess and the Emperor. Four pillars, representing the four elements, support a starry canopy. The canopy represents the celestial forces whose descent into the physical plane through the elements is the cause of all physical manifestation. The shield on the face of the chariot symbolizes defense. The symbol upon it represents the union of positive and negative forces. The wings above it symbolize the element of air, which carries the power of the solar rays, represented by the golden orb between them.

The walled city in the background is clearly related to the fundamental meanings of the letter Cheth. The houses remind us of the letter Beth with its connotations of concentration and attention. The river, which flows behind the chariot, is the same stream of consciousness that began in the robe of the High Priestess. Trees growing on the river bank are of the same variety as those in the garden of the Empress, and symbolize the fertility of sub-consciousness.

Key 7 is the end of the first row of Keys in your tableau, and is the synthesis of all of them. It tells us that the chain of events leading to our ability to express Will power starts with the Magician. The acts of attention (Key 1) put to work the associative powers of sub-consciousness (Key 2) which results in the creation of concrete mental images and definite externalized conditions (Key 3). The observation and orderly correlation of these images, which present themselves to us as facts, is the faculty we call reason (Key 4). This enables us to test our intuitions (Key 5), with the result that we are able to make the discriminations between the real and the unreal, which, in turn, enable us to perceive the true nature of Will so that we can put it into practical application. The result is Victory, which brings security, safety and peace (Key 7).

This week spend some time in the deliberate attempt to realize that your Inner Self is something above and beyond your personality, something which is the true actor in your daily actions. Think of your personality as having no power of itself, but only that supplied by the One Will. This concept should become so habitual and natural that everything you say and do is influenced by it. In this way you will be taking an important step in the cultivation of your own personal field.

From now on pay more attention to your knowledge of words. If you have not been faithful in your use of the dictionary when you study, by all means use this important part of your practical work. Its value will be inestimable to you.

STRENGTH

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Astrological Chart

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