GRGR(11): Aries/The Emperor

[Lorentzen / Nicklaus]

"The great cusp-green equinox and turning, dreaming fishes to young ram, 
watersleep to firewaking, bears down on us". (p. 236)

Aries is cardinal fire: - extroverted aggressive power. 

The related Tarot cards are the "King of Wands" (- fire in fire) and, in the 
first place, "The Emperor". He is pictured sitting on his throne, "representing" 
the central form of male wordly authority. Alchemically, "The Empeor" is sulfur. 
On the kabbalistic Tree of Life he traditionally connects the Sefirot Tiferet 
and Hokhmah. Crowley, who claimed to be instructed for this by a Higher 
Intelligence, changed the tree positions of "The Emperor" and "The Star". So in 
his system "The Emperor" connects Netzach and Yesod.

Weisenburger (GR-Companion, p. 124) writes: "This transition is important in GR. 
Pisces dominated part 1, but Aries now takes over as the astrological sign under 
which events occur. As M. E. Jones (...) has put it, Aries symbolizes 'the 
absolute freedom from social conditioning', and Slothrop will shortly slip free 
(or, at least, think he slipped free) of 'Them'". Well, in general I think that 
an Emperor can't be "absolute(ly) free() from social conditions" 
(- Waite, according to Weisenburger Pynchon's Tarot source, describes "The 
Emperor" as "State conscious"), but concerning Slothrop this interpretation 
seems to be instructive. Don't you think?      

Since Libra (- cardinal air) has come on us, autumn storms are shaking the trees 
outside.

Yours, KFL