Rambling means: To wander around aimlessly (or simply for pleasure), or to talk or write without a point. The point is the purpose or goal of any topic of conversation. Aimless wandering, or pointless babble, is chaotic and unpredictable.

Ramble is related to the English word, ram, and the Middle Dutch, rammelen. Rammelen means to wander around in heat, and is a derivative of rammen. Rammen means to copulate or to join together. When we say we're ramming into something, we're talking about smashing up against something really hard. To get rammed is a slang term for having rough sexual intercourse.

While there are many meanings behind the symbolic cube, a few of them are known to represent physical manifestation or The Kingdom of matter. Matter originates from the Latin word, mater, which means mother. This is etymologically related to materia, which means substance. Substance literally means to stand under or understand. Understanding (Binah) is the third sephirah on the Tree of Life where the framework of the elemental Kingdom (Malkuth, the final sephirah) is first formulated. Within Mother Nature is a heirarchy of kingdoms: Mineral, vegetable, animal, human, and so on.

The cube also represents the alchemical Salt. This Salt is a symbol of the universal unconscious (or the subconsious). The fluidic, radiant, undifferentiated substance of the unconscious is what gives rise to the organized matrix of creation. This salty solution crystallizes and congeals into perfect cubes. A hexagon, for example, is a three-dimensional cube. A hexagon has 6 sides, a cube has 4 (resulting in 10: Malkuth).

Carbon-12, one of the primary elements of human DNA, has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, 6 electrons (666 - The Mark of the Beast). Carbon atoms are the foundation of almost all life on earth. They're stable enough to support life but also flexible enough to evolve into the myriad of lifeforms that we see populating our planet. Tau is the 22nd Hebrew letter, and means mark, covenant, or sign. It's assigned to the tarot key, The World, which is ruled by Saturn and is assigned to the center of the Cube of Space. Early variations of this letter resemble a cross or an X. A cross can be folded up into a cube.

On the northern pole of Saturn is a hexagonal cloud, located at around 78°N. This number is significant because it is the numerical value of both Hebrew words melach and mezla. Melach means Salt (inertia, the finitizing principle) and mezla is the influence which descends (the "lightning flash") from the Crown (Kether on the Tree of Life) to Malkuth. When we add 8 and 7 together, we arrive at 15, which further breaks back down into 6 (hexagon). 15 is also the number of the tarot key, The Devil, which represents matter and is ruled by Capricorn, Saturn's home sign. Saturn (Cronus or Father Time) represents space (3D) and time (4D - spacetime). To simplify, all time really is is motion, perpetuity, and change.

A tesseract (4D) can be unfolded into an 8-cubed cross. Here we see Salvador Dali's Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) as an example:

In astrology, both Saturn and Mars are considered to be malefics. Saturn is the cosmic disciplinarian. Saturn halts, delays, binds, restricts, and finitizes (temporal). Recall that 666 (carbon) is the number of The Beast, or Satan (Saturn). The 15th (6) key is The Devil (Saturn's home sign, Capricorn, which also exalts Mars). Carbon can form countless bonds (binding, "imprisoning" spirit on the cross of matter) with almost anything. One could say that Saturn curses, hexes, or bonds spirit (Above, Within, the Implicate Order, Noumena) with matter (Below, Without, the Explicate Order, Phenomena).

In tarot, the subconscious (both the personal and the Collective Unconscious) is represented by the High Priestess. In her hand is the scroll of cosmic memory -- the Akashic Records. Akasha, the alchemical quintessence, is the primordial substance of all things. Akasha interpenetrates, encompasses, and supports all things. This universal space is plenum (plenty, plentiful), indivisible, and absolute.

Nequaquam Vacuum

"According to Haramein, space, or the vacuum, is filled with an infinite amount of energy and not at all empty as the words imply. In fact, he demonstrates, by using the known measure of the Planck's length, that the entire visible universe could be compacted to fit into one cubic centimeter of this 'vacuum' energy. With all matter going to infinite density, which is the definition of a black hole, he goes on to create a model of how the universe creates boundary conditions around infinities to create matter. He found by using geometric fractals that are in perfect equilibrium, boundaries and infinities are indeed compatible." -Excerpt from Nassim Haramein to address One Heart Conference via celebrationoflove2013.com

This indivisibility is implied when we probe deeper into Path 13, to which the High Priestess is assigned, on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. This is the path of the Uniting Intelligence. Numerically, 13 is the value of Unity (achad) and Love (ahebah). So much more could be explored here, but to do so would mean rambling on and straying from the main point. The number 3 represents multiplication and 1 is unity and/or the first stirrings. Father-Mother-Son are the 3 in 1. In other words, 3 and 1 can also represent the appearance of the many (the multiplicity of appearances) in the 1 (the indivisible absolute). When we add these numbers together, we arrive at 4: The number of the elements, measurement (ratio, rational), order, and of reason.

Within the Akasha is the memory of every recorded impression -- past, present, and future. This includes all thoughts, feelings, and events impressed into the personal subconscious. This personal subconscious is but a wading pool contained within the ocean of the transpersonal (or universal). We see this symbolized by the scroll held by the High Priestess. The parchment itself represents the pure, virginal Akasha. The ink on the parchment symbolizes the imprints (or memories) which are inscribed into it. We will explore the Akasha more in depth in the upcoming article Part 2: Lyra the Harp.

Out of the first e-motional stirrings of this primordial ocean: The uncreated becomes created, the unconscious becomes conscious. All of the subhuman kingdoms are driven entirely by the universal subconscious -- the animals of the anima mundi. The Vegetable Kingdom is clearly more sentient, or responsive, than the Mineral, and the Animal more so than the Vegetable. Humans in a comatose (vegetative) state are often called vegetables. While they're still alive, with their vital organs still functioning, they're entirely unconscious.

This entirely unconscious state begins to stir into awakening as the indwelling spark (the Soul) ascends to the Animal Kingdom. The animal is obviously aware and no longer unconscious, but they're still driven by basic, mechanical instincts. There is little concept of individuality or separation, aside from the drive to survive and to procreate to insure the survival of the species since most have short life-spans. At this level, the maternal, nurturing, and protective traits of the Divine Feminine begin to emerge. While most animals can't reason, love and loyalty are awakened within them.

Through domestication and interaction with other species, including humans, the animal's evolution is sped up. A domesticated animal often begins to take on the traits of their human family members. They begin to express more humane qualities. An animal that loves its human family will naturally imitate or mimic their habits and behaviors to become more like them. This is lunar (monkey/moon key see, monkey/moon key do), which is another term for the subconscious. It's automatic or mechanical, very much like the vital functions of the body.

When that beloved pet dies, it might be because its essence has begun to individuate into self-awareness. When that happens, it graduates into a higher order of being, possibly even gaining entrance into the Human Kingdom. Humans differ from animals in that they can intellectually REASON. And this is the faculty assigned to the tarot key, The Emperor, which is ruled by Aries the Ram.

On the right, the description is: "Zeus Ammon seated on a throne flanked by rams." Zeus (Sky-Father, also called Jupiter) Ammon (Related: Amun, Amen, Aum).

Amen, in Hebrew, means faithful. And it is said by Paul Foster Case that "imagination builds faith". True faith is gnosis, or knowledge, of Self. To Know Thyself is to establish complete trust by eliminating doubt. This is done simply by recalling the truth: That all things are of and by God, and that nothing originates in the personality whatsoever. That all seemingly personal events are simply transformations of this One, Eternal Self upon and through itself. That the personality is merely a medium through which these transformations come to pass. Humbling, yes, but also liberating.

Libra is the Faithful Intelligence, the complement of Aries. Scorpio is the Imaginative Intelligence, the nocturnal house of Mars, with Aries being the diurnal house. Imagination is the faculty assigned to The Empress, consort of The Emperor, and the seat of the Imagination is found in Tiphareth (The Son/Sun of Christ Consciousness). The Sun (the heart) is exalted in Aries (the head), with Aries being the Constituting Intelligence.

Just as the subconscious mind is subordinate to the self-conscious, The Empress (ruled by Venus) is subordinate to The Emperor. Yet, he would have no authority (Jupiter keyword) without her ability to reproduce this mental stream of images. She is the bringer forth, and he is the mode of the self-conscious that has dominion over her bearings. His rulership, his very existential being, is entirely dependent on her motherhood.

The Light of Reason

We submit our imagination (image-making mind) to reason to make sense out of or understand it. Again, Binah (Understanding), is ruled by Saturn, and is the finitizing aspect. Senses refer to the body, the corpus (corporeal). So we can see that, just by examining our language, the mind and the body are inseparable. All that you think, or focus in on, has circumstantial (physical) ramifications. Just by focusing on some mental image, which arises from the depths of the subconscious, we are limiting energy creatively. Energy is forced to constrict and flow toward whatever is being focused on. This is Saturn (limitation) in action, and is what reason (The Emperor) does: It defines, frames, classifies, and puts into order these mental pictures.

To quote another article of mine:

"To focus is to narrow in on, limit, and define our field of attention. Without some definition, or limitation, nothing could be grasped or made tangible. And consequently, nothing could be sensibly known."

Libra rules the 11th key, Justice. Justice is the weighing out and the balancing of two, typically opposing, forces, or points of view. Justice also attempts to equilibriate action (cause) with reaction (effect). To justify something is to try to reason it. The reason for an effect is synonymous with the cause. To cause something is to initiate it. In a court of law, justice (fairness, equality) is acheived only through reasonable (or "sound") judgement. The Judgement key (ruled by Pluto) in tarot is assigned to one of three Hebrew Mother Letters, Shin ש. This is the Root of Fire seated in Chokmah.

In the Human Kingdom, we begin to develop divine qualities. An animal is horizontal, crawling around on all fours. A human, however, is upright or vertical, with the head elevating toward the sky. The horizontal beam represents earth (lunar) while the vertical is heaven (solar). The serpent fire of the kundalini is coiled up in the Saturn center and, when roused, ascends toward the heavenly crown. A crown directly exposed to the sunlight, within and without.

In several versions of the 4th tarot key, we see The Emperor seated upon a cube. In other versions the cube is, instead, a throne. In this example, they're interchangeable. They hint at Binah (the Queen). The throne represents the Saturn center at the base of the spine where the kundalini resides. The serpent of fire is under the influence of our own Divine Mother, our own subconscious.

When the matter in the Saturn center is sublimated and exalted to the upper centers, it is done so as a result of subconscious operations. In other words, the sublimation is entirely subliminal. It is the Woman's Work, but it is stimulated into arousal by self-conscious suggestion and prolonged attentiveness. Effective meditation is giving something our complete, undivided attention. Whenever we're deeply absorbed in some creative project, we passionately penetrate its depths with our laser-focused mind. During those moments, the world outside of us fades and all that exists is the project at hand. That's what it means to meditate. Contrary to popular belief, meditation is anything but passive. Here, I've blended together the meanings behind the 1st key, The Magician (ruled by "our" Mercury), as well as the 4th.

We can think of this flaming passion as the Sulphur of The Emperor. The Emperor is ruled by Mars, which is the exciting force found in the Sacral center. This is the center located just above the Saturn center (also known as the Root chakra). We see this devastating force exersized in The Tower card (ruled by Mars), as the lightning flash of enlightenment upsets erroneous egoic structures. So, The Emperor both stirs things up but only to put it into a higher order. Whenever angry or upset, we tend to see red. This furious, chaotic frenzy is the Sulphur that's stirred and set aflame.

Sulphur belongs to the second sephirah, Chokmah (Wisdom). Kether (Crown) is the Root of Air (Mercury), Chockmah is the Root of Fire (Sulphur), and Binah is the Root of Water (Salt). We see this mirrored (or, in reverse) below in the creative world of Beriah (Creative): Geburah (Mars) being fire and Chesed (Jupiter) being water. This same relationship is mirrored below, again, in Yetzirah (Formative): With Hod (Mercury) being water and Netzach (Venus) being fire. Sulphur represents the intense, active, RAw (War/Ram, Mars) force that enlivens and empowers (Emperor) creation. Aries is Cardinal Fire, so it initiates new cycles of growth and expansion.

The Emperor, as "our" sulphur or self-consciousness, is the headmaster or the director of our daily existence. But "our" sulphur is none other than the Sulphur of the One. "Our" personal will power is none other than the True Will of the One. So, does this mean that free will is really an illusion? Yes, but only if we identify ourselves with the personality. If our success in the Great Work, then, is entirely reliant upon God, then trust truly is power. While success is inevitable, whether in this incarnation or in another, we still must play the part and act as if it was all of our own doing.

There's another version of The Emperor worth a quick mention. This version is found in the beautifully illustrated Sailor Moon tarot deck. It's recommended that one does a quick internet search and pull up this particular key. It features a male character from Sailor Moon, named Tuxedo Mask. His outfit is black, red, and gold. These colors are significant. Black represents Salt, his red cape represents Sulphur, and the gold represents Sol (the Son, exalted in the Father, or the Sun exalted in Aries). Behind him, and crowning his head, is a bicephalous blackbird.

This bird clearly represents the twin hemispheres of the brain, but also all manner of opposites: Chaos and order, male and female, left and right, spirit and matter, and so on. Birds symbolize the element of Air (mind, Mercury), volatility, messages and communication, as well as spirit. Often, in fictional stories, we find birds to be the carriers of information. They transport letters and memos from one location to another. And what is the emblem of the United States Postal Service? An Eagle (a symbol related to Jupiter). The Language of the Birds, the Language of Light, or the Green Language are subjects worth researching.

The Scorpion (Scorpio) of Death becomes the Serpent of Wisdom (Chokmah), which becomes the Eagle of Aspiration, the Phoenix of Rebirth, finally culminating in the Dragon of Immortality. All of these are terms of the aforementioned fiery life force found in Chokmah. To borrow strength (Leo and Geburah) from the eagle (Chesed) is another term to indicate the arousal of the serpent of fire (kundalini).

Another interesting connection to note is the etymology of Kether's shadow, Thaumiel. Thaumiel is known as the Bicephalous One, and translates as Twins of God. Thaumiel resemebles Thaumaus, the mythological sea god. Thaumas will be discussed in future articles on Sagittarius. Thaumas is etymologically related to Thomas. Like Thaumiel, Thomas also means twin.

Returning to the Sailor Moon key: We see in his hand a staff with a globe of the Earth. This is synonymous with the globus cruciger that is seen in other versions. It signifies his dominion over the Earth and the elemental forces. His name, Tuxedo Mask, hints that the personality or appearance of form, is but a mask. At the bottom of this key, there's a cross encircled. This represents Malkuth (Kingdom) and is the alchemical symbol for Earth. The circle represents the soul and the cross represents the union of matter and spirit. It also symbolizes the four elements and the four cardinal directions.

In masonic symbolism, we see this same bicephalous bird with the Latin text, "Ordo ab Chao". This means Order out of Chaos. It has a downward-pointing triangle, representing spirit's descent into form. The number 33 actually represents the 33 vertebra of the spinal column. The dripping down of the Mezla (or the lightning flash) that descends from the upper centers triggers the ascent ("the return"/revolution) of the serpent coiled in the Saturn center.

In astrology, a Saturn Return takes place when Saturn has come full circle (one full revolution) around the Zodiac and returns to the sign it was in at the time of birth. The first Saturn Return occurs around 29 years of age, and is one of the most significant cosmic markers in a person's life. As a personal note, today marks the point in which Saturn moves into Capricorn, and out of Sagittarius. This concludes my first Saturn Return! It's worth noting that my kundalini initiations were first triggered during my Saturn Return.

Briefly, what is chaos? Chaos is entropy, corruption, and degeneration. But it also means disorder, disruption, uproar, tumult, and turmoil. This is the excited mental and emotional state one finds themselves in when their world has been upset by some event or world-shattering concept. Chaos can represent change (motion and transformation) or a period of shocking activity. Here we see how chaos is synonymous with the Exciting Intelligence of Mars. Degeneration (disorder) always results in the reconstitution of a new order through dissolution and putrefaction. The components of the old are broken down, melted, and amalgamated by the action of this heat. Liquify the dead to nourish the living. Cooling and coagulation follows.

"Jupiter omnipotens, audacibus annue coeptis."
("All-powerful Jupiter, favor my daring undertakings.")

"Novus Ordo Seclorum." "A New Order of the Ages."

To wrap up this article, there is a pop culture example I'd like to lightly touch upon regarding the concepts I have introduced. This means potential SPOILERS for anyone who hasn't seen the second season of Syfy's The Magicians. The two episodes concerned are, Ramifications, and the season finale, We Have Brought You Little Cakes.

In these episodes are two characters called Ember and Umber. Ember and Umber are twin brother gods that appear to be part-human, part-ram. In appearance, Umber has asymmetrical horns, but he is the brother that's obsessed with Order. His twin, Ember, is overweight, jovial, and unpredictable. He loves Chaos. Together, they balance each other out, and have the powers to create worlds.

As an aside, The Emperor is assigned to the 15th Path on the Tree of Life. This path is located in the Creative World (Beriah). Heh is The Emperor's corresponding Hebrew letter. This letter represents the 2nd and 4th letter in the Divine Name: YHVH. These two letters correspond to the Creative World (Beriah, the element of Water) and the World of Action (Assiah, the element of Earth). The Emperor connects Chokmah (the Father) and Tiphareth (the Son). The Supernal Triad of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah belong to the Archetypal World (Atziluth, the element of Fire).

Returning, now, to The Magicians: Ember and Umber are the creator of worlds. One of these worlds is called Fillory. The main characters are trying to save this world, and magic everywhere, after Ember (Chaos) polluted the magical wellspring (Yesod, Foundation) with his Divine Elimination (Libra). A while back, Ember and Umber had a falling out. Ember, along with everyone else, believes Umber to be dead. This, however, is not the case.

In search of a Grandfather Clock that will transport the two main characters back to the world of Fillory, they accidentally stumble into Umber's lair. Umber has disguised himself as a collector, collecting memorabilia about the allegedly fictional world of Fillory. But the two trying to return to Fillory catch on that all is not as it seems, and that this collector is aware that Fillory is a real world. As this confrontation and reveal is going on in Umber's living room, we see the television show, Law and Order, paused on a screen in the background.

Umber goes on to explain that he and his brother represent the duality of Chaos and Order. That, when they work together in balance and harmony, they can create incredible worlds. But when Ember is left to his own devices, all he creates is chaos and destruction. As the conversation continues, the two explain to Umber that they need to return to Fillory to save it, and request his aid. Umber tells them that this is futile. That it is pointless to try to save an imperfect world such as Fillory because they're not meant to. He also explains that the more they try to bring order to Fillory, as the crowned Kings that they are, the more Ember will try to interfere out of boredom.

Instead, he proposes that they abandon Fillory and visit his newly created world that he's named Cuba. The two inform Umber that there's already a place named Cuba, but Umber doesn't care. He shows them Cuba, from the outside, as it is like a pocket world that he can grant them access to. Cuba looks like a tiny cube inside a glass globe that looks remarkably similar to a snow globe. Later on, in the finale, we get an inside look at this world. In it, everything is incredibly linear, symmetrical, and perfectly balanced. There are no extremes and very little color. Everything is squeaky clean, and the food is described by the main character to be "bland".

In the finale, Umber and Ember are reunited in Fillory, after having been lured to a bacchanalian party of cakes (bread, manna, "the body") and wine ("the blood") in the Kingdom. But all does not end well between the two. Ember kills Umber and continues to wreak havoc on Fillory. Not only is this the apocalypse (Omega, the End of The World, Revelations) for Fillory, but it's also depleting magic everywhere, as the source of all magic resides in Fillory. The main character, who also happens to be one of the crowned Kings of Fillory, slays the God of Chaos. Following their demise, the Kings and Queens of Fillory reclaim the Kingdom by ripping out various pieces of past constitutions to form a new one.

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

"I SEE." = "I understand."

...to be continued in an upcoming Part 2. Constitutive rhetoric, imagination, and language as the power to bring forth (and tear down) worlds, will be discussed at a greater length in the second part. For now, I leave you this quote in closing:

"...to look at the world we ourselves inhabit, and as some very general questions: What is our own public speech-world like? What is its value? In what respects does it constitute an empire of force?" - James Boyd White, Living Speech: Resisting the Empire of Force