Hod

Hod (pronounced either "hawd" or "hoad") translates into English as "splendor; glory; majesty; beauty; and, brightness".  To this realm is attributed the bright, rapidly moving, hermaphroditic planet Mercury.  Astrologically, Mercury symbolizes communication of all kinds, rational thought, and all systems dependant upon communication between one part and another (bodies, machines, organizations, philosophies, etc.). 

In universal terms, as mind descends through the astral substance, it polarizes into force and form.  These poles are symbolized by the planets Mercury (form) and Venus (force).  [At a higher mental level, these same poles are symbolized by Mars (form) and Jupiter (force).]

In human terms, our emotions are the force represented by Venus.  Indeed, it is in Netzach that we will explore all the emotional archetypes.

Our ability to reason and tie things together into logical order is the form symbolized by Mercury.  And here in the Hod meditation we will be exploring Paul Case's statement, "#8: I look forward with confidence to the perfect realization of the eternal Splendor of the Limitless Light." 

Mercury represents our penetrating ability to connect one detail, one train of thought, etc., with another.  Again in universal terms, it represents the descending mind organizing the raw Venusian force.  This organization results in  the intricate complexity we easily observe in the universe -- as well as in the infinite complexity of our ability to observe complex things. 

There are also four horizontal levels: universal (1, 2, & 3); individual (4, 5, & 6); personal (7, 8, & 9); and physical (10).

Following the numerical order of the spheres illustrates the descent of the Unity into the plurality of matter.  As the universal descends into the individual level, it polarizes to right (4), then left (5), and then equilibrates (6).  The same is true as the individual descends into the personal realm -- it polarizes to the right (7/Venus/emotions/force), then to the left (8/Mercury/rationality/form), and then balances those two in Yesod (9/Moon/ personality).

In this series of meditations, we're following the reverse-numerical order and working our way up the diagram.  Thus far, our Temples have been stationed along the pillar of equilibrium, but now we are straying to the left hand pole of form. 

It's important to keep in mind that Hod is polarized, for to experience the whole of Hod we must bring to it a balanced understanding of our personalities.  Without that balance, it is easy to get lost in the minutia of Hod's complexity and conclude that the universe is a strictly rational thing after all.  Likewise with Netzach -- without a balanced approach, it is easy to be swept away by the primal emotions encountered there and conclude that the universe is completely irrational after all.  Both of these polarized perspectives are correct and at the same time incorrect.  Only when joined together do they accurately know that the universe is both rational and irrational.

The Hod Temple is known as the "Library of Hermes".  This library has eight (the number of Mercury) sides and is six (the number of the Sun) stories tall.  Each of the solar-six levels have 12 (the number of the zodiac) arched doorways paired with 12 bookcases.  Conversely, each of the mercurial-eight sides have nine (the number of the Moon) archways and bookcases.  There are thus 72 ( 6x12 = 8x9 = 72) archways with corresponding bookcases in total.  [This illustrates the Qabbalistic "72-fold Name of God" which, due to its overwhelming complexity, I won't elucidate here.]

The intention is to symbolize that all of human thought is gathered here in the library of Hermes.  Each archway leads to a chamber in which you can explore a rational understanding of a specific aspect of the universe's complexity.  The bookcase to the left, abutting the black pillar of each archway, is filled with books relating to that archway's explorable subject matter.

With familiarity, this library can become for you a busy, alive place.  Within each chamber you will find both students and teachers pursuing a specific subject.  There is even a librarian who will help you find your way around!

I say "with familiarity" because it usually takes several exploratory visits before one connects with this level of Hod and accesses the guidance that comes with it.  My first visits to Hermes' Library were solitary and somewhat confusing.  I couldn't read the writing in any of the books and didn't encounter either students or teachers, let alone a librarian!  Then one visit, I encountered a teacher  and from that point on, my awareness of other presences rapidly increased.

For our introduction to the Hod Temple, we will be choosing a specific book from a specific bookcase and entering a specific archway.  The book will contain Paul Case's statement, "#8: I look forward with confidence to the perfect realization of the eternal Splendor of the Limitless Light."  Within the chamber, we will encounter a teacher who will lead us in a rational exploration of this statement's meaning.

This illustrates one way of working with the Hod Temple -- select a book, pass through the archway with it, and access a rational exploration of the book's topic.  This works best if you know what book to choose and where to find it, but in the absence of this knowledge, this method can also be used to discover what an archway's subject matter might be.  For instance, you could select a book at random, pass through the archway with it, and then try to read it while inside the chamber.  Ask aloud for guidance and visualize the presence of a teacher to assist you. 

An alternate approach, especially effective if you don't know where to find something, is to seek guidance as to where to find the archway and bookcase corresponding to your chosen subject matter.  Simply stand in the center of the library and state your need.  Listen for and then follow your intuition (this inner voice is the "librarian" I mentioned) and you will be guided to the correct archway and book.

You can also search the library by teacher, asking for guidance to a specific teacher instead of a specific subject matter. 

Lastly, you can also just open yourself to the recommendations of Hod's inner guidance and ask "Elohim Tzabauth, what do I need to learn at this moment?"  This can lead to some amazing experiences!


MEDITATION #3: HOD

Begin as before: pass through the Cave Entrance, along the Tunnel passage, up the ten steps, and into the Malkuth Temple where I stand awaiting your arrival.

When all the participants have arrived, I will gather us together and cast a ritual circle. 

Once our circle is cast, we will spend several moments together in the center of the Malkuth Temple, holding hands in a circle and bringing our awareness of the presences of the other participants into focus.  As you look around the circle, try to sense the unique presence of each participant. 

At the appropriate moment, I will bring our focus to the East quarter altar -- our gateway to Hod. 

At the appropriate moment, I will bring our focus together.  Staying on the first floor level, we will then walk to the east wall of the Temple and extract a single book from the bookcase to the left of the archway.  Together, we will step through the archway and enter the hidden chamber. 

Here we find a low table upon which I place the book and then open it to a chosen page.  Look closely at this page and do your best to read the printed words there.  These words are Paul Case's statement -- "#8: I look forward with confidence to the perfect realization of the eternal Splendor of the Limitless Light." 

After we have each read these printed words, I will call forth a teacher for us.  Open yourself to perceiving this teacher in whatever way comes naturally to you.  For some the teacher will be seen as a person you can converse with, but for others, this might manifest non-visually as a feeling, an intuition, as something you hear, or as a train of thoughts that just pops into your head. 

Once the teacher arrives, we all sit down, holding hands in a circle, and silently meditate together upon the words we have read from the book.  The teacher will enter into and lead our meditations.  As I said, we may each perceive this somewhat differently so try to maintain an attitude of openness to whatever occurs naturally for you.

Feel free to probe and question and explore the various bits of information you access.  We will spend several minutes with this meditation on statement #8, so there is no rush. 

At the appropriate moment, I gather our focus together and we will thank our teacher for the lessons we've learned.  I will gather up the book, lead us back out into the Hod Temple, and return the book to its case.

Then we will take a few minutes to walk around the whole Temple, making our way up to the sixth floor and back down.  [The stairways connecting the floors are located on the west wall of the Temple and have not been illustrated in my east-facing graphic rendition.]  Along the way, we will poke our heads into three different archways and take a brief moment to get an idea of what subject matter each one concerns.

When this exploration is complete, I will gather us together at the center of the floor mosaic.  We will join hands and then together, as if with a single voice, we speak the word "Malkuth".  This transits us gently back to the center of the Malkuth Temple.

After a few moments of re-orientation, I will release the circle casting.  Participants will then exit the way they came: down the stairs, along the tunnel, and out the Cave entrance, ultimately returning to normal physical awareness.


Follow-up Work --

Return regularly to the Hod Temple and use this asset to increase your (rational) understanding of things.  Choose subjects which interest you and which are relevant to the self-crafting of your personality, and try pursuing them by yourself within the Hod Temple.  As you refine your (rational) understanding, apply what you learn in Hod to your work in Yesod and Malkuth.

Explore each of Hod's six floors and familiarize yourself with the layout of the library.  Use your imagination and discover also, the many different methods of accessing the information available in the Hod Temple.


Astrological Considerations --

Each of the planets assigned to the side pillars move around the zodiac in either a direct motion or a retrograde motion.  Direct motion follows the usual order of the signs, but retrograde motion is when a  planet appears to move through the signs in the opposite direction.  This however, is a trick of the earth centered perspective presented by astrology.  The planets obviously orbit the Sun, but the astrological perspective is that the planets (including the Sun) orbit the Earth.  This is based upon how things look from Earth.

When either Mercury or Venus orbits between Earth and Sun, it appears to move backwards through the zodiac.  To see the logic of this, consider the diagram above and think of Earth (10) as stationary.

Now move Mercury (8) along its orbit (the planets move counter-clockwise around the Sun).  As you move Mercury, observe the movement of that line-of-sight that runs from Earth, through Mercury and to the zodiac.  The point where the line-of-sight intersects the zodiac, moves forward until you reach a certain point in the orbit.  The moment Mercury comes around to our side of the Sun, that point of intersection with the zodiac appears to slow its forward speed, then come to a halt, and then begin to move backwards (clockwise) around the zodiac.  This appearance of retrograde motion continues until Mercury's orbit takes it around to the other side of the Sun.

Venus (7) has a wider orbit than Mercury, but still narrower than Earth's, so its apparent daily motion through the zodiac is slightly slower than Mercury's yet faster than the Sun's. 

Mars (5) on the other hand, has an orbit outside the Earth's, so its apparent daily motion is slower than the Sun's.  Jupiter (4) orbits further out than Mars so its daily motion is even slower than Mars'; and likewise, Saturn (3) orbits beyond Jupiter and has the slowest apparent daily motion. 

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all have apparent retrograde motions like Mercury.

Astrologically speaking, when a planet is retrograde, it is covering territory it has already covered during its period of direct motion.  The direct motion implies an external flow of the planet's energy, while the retrograde motion implies the internalized stagnation of that energy.  Thus when Mercury is retrograde, we usually experience difficulty in our communications or have problems with the systems we encounter.  For example, car trouble is a classic Mercury-retrograde experience.