Netzach

Netzach (pronounced "netz-awk", with a back-of-the-throat glottal "k" sound) translates into English variously as "truthfulness, uprightness, faithfulness"; "permanency, perpetuity, eternity"; "excellency, glory"; and, "completeness, entireness, perfection."  Paul Case, adding these meanings together, translates it as "victorious life" in his Statement #7.

Taken as a string of hieroglyphs, the Hebrew word 'Nun-Tzaddi-Cheth  combines the image of abundance (Nun="fish"), with that of self-nurturance (Tzaddi="fishhook") and that of the personalized life force (Cheth="fence").  Thus Netzach (the realm of Venus) is seen as the embodiment of the abundant, self-nurturing life force -- with the emphasis on force. 

This force cannot be defined rationally.  It cannot be dissected with logic, written down, and communicated with exactitude from one person to another.  There is no second-hand, intellectual way of grasping this force -- though in Hod, we could understand its form through ration -- this force can only be understood by experiencing it directly for oneself. 

In human terms, Netzach is the realm of personal emotions.  Or rather, it is the realm wherein the universal emotional archetypes intersect with personal expression.  This intersection is pre-rational.  It happens at an immediate, spontaneous, illogical, experiential level.  It happens so quickly, there is no time for ration to interject itself.  Ration can only intercede after the fact.

For example, when we encounter something, our first reaction is at an emotional gut level.  It is immediate and spontaneous and we have no conscious control over it.  Our ration then takes over and modifies the primary emotional response, crafting it into a more personal form.  Generally, our ration focuses not on the something we've encountered in and of itself, but upon the force of our own primary response.  Another way of putting it would be to say that the primary emotional response is the force which, generally, ignites the ration to action.  The action of ration being the giving of form to emotion.

Netzach is the realm of the force of Nature; Hod, the realm of Nature's form.  With logic we can understand her form, but logic fails us when we turn it toward the Mystery of her essential force.  The  Mystery cannot be grasped intellectually, it can only be experienced at a gut level.  Our Netzach Temple is that gut level.

The Mystery is attributed to the number 7.  Of the eight planetary numbers (3 through 10), seven is the only one which does not divide the 360 degrees of a circle with exactness.  360 divided by 7 equals 51.42857142857 with the last six digits repeating ad infinitum.  This means that a circle cannot ever be divided into seven exactly equal parts.  To draw a seven sided figure requires inexactitude, one has to estimate and judge by how it looks, and eventually let go of rational exactness. 

Hidden in this Mystery of 7 into 360, is the meaning of the primary manifestation of dimensional time-space: the point.  The point precedes the line.  It has no other dimension than its singularity.  It is both infinitely small and infinitely large.  If we follow the point towards its smallness, we encounter an experience similar to dividing 360 by 7 -- since it is infinitely small by virtue of the infinity external to it, and infinitely large by virtue of the infinity within it, we find that it encompasses an infinite smallness which would take an infinite amount of time and effort for us to define.

It is not till we posit a second point and draw a line between them, that we are able to give the point real definition.  Essentially, definition is a contextual illusion built upon the observable relationship of individually un-definable components.

Only through relationship is definition given to the point.  And such is the case with the force of Netzach: only through personalization is it clothed in manifest form.

Love, loving-kindness, mercy: this is the primary force, at least in human terms.  It is the dynamism of the point which, in its singularity, both encompasses infinity and is simultaneously encompassed.  Thus we associate the goddess Venus with this realm, for here she is taken as the archetype of the human understanding of love. 

This force of love itself has no opposite.  It is only in the transition into form provided by the intercession of ration, that negative manifestations of this force occur.  And these are found only in the humanoid heart and mind.  In the rest of Nature, in the realm where specifically humanoid ration does not hold sway, the love force manifests without negatively polarized form. 

This is due to the nature of different kinds of ration.  For example, the type of ration encompassed by a tree or a rock as it gives form to the force of Nature, does not allow said rock or tree to express that force as mean-spiritedness.  Human ration however, does allow such an expression -- it alone can divert or block the flow of love with as much ease as it can let love flow unhindered.  A tree's ration does not encompass this power to divert and block, so it has no power to do anything but express the flow unhindered.  But either result, be it human or tree, represents the giving of unique personal form to the same essential force.

While love itself does not have an opposite, it does, so to speak, have brothers and sisters.  So in this realm of Netzach we encounter not only the primary force represented by Venus, but also all of the other archetypes of humanoid emotion.  Here also are Mars, Phoebe, Jupiter, Artemis, Saturn, Astarte, Faunus, Pan, Kali, etc.  Indeed, all the mythological expressions of human emotions can be found in Netzach, though generally, one meets the archetypes one is culturally most familiar with.  This is another example of the 7 into 360 Mystery -- of the infinite diversity of uniqueness that is naturally manifest as force takes form. 

Our Netzach Temple is unlike the Temples we've encountered thusfar.  We will not transit directly to it from the Malkuth Temple; instead we will journey down a path which cuts through Nature's wild outdoors, eventually leading us to the Netzach Temple.  As we journey along this path, we will encounter a series of things which will elicit responses from us.  Each experience will be an exercise in looking beyond the secondary rational form, and striving to perceive the primary response in its unmodified state.  When we reach the Netzach Temple itself, we will strive to experience the even deeper level of the thing itself which incites our primary, gut level response. 

The form seldom matches the wholeness of the force.  In other words, our rational responses seldom look like our primary emotional reactions, and even less like the things themselves to which we are responding.  This can lead to misunderstanding of the thing encountered, an understanding based more upon self's response than upon the thing itself that we're trying to understand.  The journey to the Netzach Temple attempts to strip away these layers of rational obfuscation and brings one, step by step, from  the rationally modified response; to the deeper, emotional, gut level reaction; and on to the final destination of a non-reactionary perception of the unmodified force itself.

In the realm of Netzach, all roads lead to center, where the Temple is located.  The Temple, like all of Netzach, is itself alive and evokes a strong emotional response by virtue of its lush, verdant beauty. 

The Temple expresses 7 levels:

1) Ground level -- across which our path leads us, from which all life springs, and to which all life returns.  As we journey along this path, we encounter a series of beings.  Each one will elicit a response from us.  Our task is to reach deeply into the mechanics of our faculty of perception and let the rational form lead us to a perception of the primary, gut level reaction.  Then we follow the gut level till it leads us to a perception of the thing itself, the unmodified force.
 
2 thru 6) Five steps upward, each a level of clearer understanding.  These steps echo the incidents of the journey along the path to the Netzach Temple which strip away the rational obfuscations.  The number five implies willfulness -- these steps must be trod with conscious intention.  The sixth (solar) level is the ground to which the unmodified life force itself descends.
 
7) The seventh level is where we encounter the thing itself, stripped of rational modifications.  This seventh level is depicted here as a seven-sided font covered by a cupola formed by seven trees, supporting seven stained-glass heptangles, and surmounted by the sign of the planet Venus. 

If we have consciously stripped away the rational modifications which obscure our understanding of the root force, we will be granted a clear vision within the font's pool of water.  We can then, as Botticelli's famous painting suggests, call Venus forth from the water and experience her meaning directly.


MEDITATION #4: NETZACH

Begin as usual: 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 Netzach.  Upon the altar there now sits a beautiful work in stained-glass and behind it we see the same curtain and symbol we encounter at the Cave Entrance.
I light the candles upon the altar, then together, as with a single voice, we speak the phrase: "I-H-V-H  Tzabauth (pronounced "yawd-hay-vawv-hay  tzaw-baw-ooth"), please guide me to Netzach."

. . . We find ourselves standing at the beginning of a path composed of alternating black and white hewn stone.  It is a dark night and our only light comes from the stars which fill the sky.  The starlight allows us to see that our path cuts through a wild territory, full of dense bramble and oddly shaped, menacing trees.

Together, we begin to walk down the path.  Soon we hear the noises of wild animals crashing through the underbrush.  It sounds like they are huge and that they are coming up behind us in rapid pursuit. 

In fear -- for indeed these creatures are making fearsome grunts, growls, and snarls that communicate to us a clear sense of personal danger -- we try to out run our pursuers.

Oddly, each step we take down this path moves us forward, not only in distance, but also in time.  As we run, time passes quickly and the sky begins to brighten with the rising full moon.  We seem to have come several miles very quickly, and in the moon's light we see that before us looms an un-climbable wall.  Behind us we see our pursuers in the distance -- now in the moonlight, we can tell that there are two of them, still running after us. 

The path leads us to a heavy wooden door, the only way through the wall.  The wall seems to stretch as far as the eye can see to left and right.  We try to open the door but cannot.  We pound on it loudly in desperation, for our pursuers come closer and closer with each wasted moment.

Finally, we have no where to go: no where to hide and no way to make it past the wall which blocks our progress.  So, we turn to defend ourselves against our pursuers.  Just as we turn, they arrive.  Growling, they emerge from the shadows and step into a beam of moonlight. 

Ha!  In the bright moonlight, we see that they are only a couple of tail-wagging dogs and not the vicious, man-eating creatures we had imagined.  Our fear changes to relief as we greet these animals and find them friendly.

Just then the door in the wall opens and a tall, powerfully built man, dressed in skins and holding a staff, emerges.  He introduces himself as the guardian of the gate and tells us about his dogs.  They are the guardians of the path who carefully herd travelers to the safety of the gate.  While herding, they naturally bark and growl to keep the wilder beasts away from their flock of travelers.  At no time were we in danger from his dogs, in fact they were there only to assure our safe passage!

The guardian is friendly and guides us through the gate to the other side of the wall.  Here the path leads onward through a tamer territory.  The guardian of the gate sends his dogs with us as travelling companions and guides -- there is no longer a need for them to protect us now that we are on this side of the wall.  The full moon is now very high in the sky and we have plenty of silvery light to see our way.

With renewed vigor and joy, we continue down the path.  Time and distance pass quickly with each step.  We cross over a hill and descend into a great valley.  The views are breathtaking in the moonlight! 

Just as the moon is setting behind us and the sun dawning ahead of us, the path leads us to the banks of a river.  The color of the dawn reflects golden upon the river's surface.  We cannot see into the water to gauge the depth of its crossing, but cross it we must since the path disappears at the water's edge and reappears on the opposite bank.

To our left a few paces we notice someone in a dark overcoat, crouched at the water's edge, crying.  He wails that he is afraid to cross so wide and deep a river for fear of drowning.  Yet he mumbles about his longing to cross, about his longing for the goal of journey's end, which calls to him and causes him anguish.  He confronts his fear but does not penetrate it, and now he crouches weeping in frustration and powerlessness, torn between two pressing needs: the safety of self-preservation and the risk of self-growth. 

To our right, we see another person, this one is bathing herself at the water's edge.  She squats naked, close to the river's ear, and sings a prayer.  She asks the river to cleanse her of her fear and to please, please bless her crossing.  At this, she dives into the river and swims toward the opposite shore.  It is a difficult swim but she is strong and determined.  She is blessed by the river and emerges safely to continue her journey.  Perhaps we will see her again later.

As the sun peeks over the hills opposite and its first rays enter the valley, our dog guides give a bark and lead us right into the water at the end of the path.  They splash along playfully and without fear.  To our surprise, the water is only up to their knees and gets no deeper the farther out they go.  A ray of sunlight reveals that the path is just under the surface of the water and leads straight across with safety!

Realizing that there is no need for fear, we communicate this to the weeping fellow.  He arises and accompanies us across the river.  As we cross, we bathe ourselves in the water and sing our own prayers of thanksgiving.  The whole body of the sun crests over the hilltops just as we step onto the opposite shore.

In the sun's fullness, the formerly weeping fellow reveals his true self.  His dark overcoat unfolds as pure white wings and there before us stands our radiant friend, Raphael.  S/He, the Guardian of the East and the element Air, is guardian of the Water's crossing.  As the weeping fellow, he showed us a respect for caution; as the naked swimmer, she showed us respect for faith.  Together, they delayed us till the sunlight revealed our true path.  Here on the opposite shore, in the full sunlight, the two rejoin and reveal themselves to be Raphael.  We too have been blessed by the river!

We continue our journey down the black and white stone path.  Now we walk in the full light of day and can see the Netzach Temple, though it's still a fair ways off.  Not far to left and right, we can see other paths converging upon the Temple.  Here and there, we can see other beings.  Some are walking determinedly along a path; others seem to be wandering aimlessly between the paths; and still others seem to be engaged in focused activity, as if enacting some sort of personal drama.  Everywhere around us we see life and more than just seeing it, we feel it.

At last we arrive at the Temple.  The sun has progressed past its zenith and now slants into the Temple from the west. 

As you climb the five steps upward, review the lessons we learned from the incidents of our journey along the path.

We gather to hold hands in a circle around the central seven-sided font and I call out the name "IHVH Tzabauth".  We look into the font and there see Venus emerging from the water.  She wears our own faces, and yet she wears all faces at once.  Venus stands in the font and we bask reverently in the love she showers upon us. 

We each have our private words with her . . .

At the appropriate moment, I will gather our focus together and we will thank Venus for her graciousness.  Then together, as with one voice, we speak the word "Malkuth", which 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 as usual: down the stairs, along the tunnel, and out the Cave entrance, ultimately returning to normal physical awareness.


Follow-up Work --

As always, write down some notes summarizing your experience. 

In the days immediately following your Netzach meditation, pay close attention to the incidents of your life.  Try to see through their surface appearance to their underlying meaning. 

Return regularly to the Netzach Temple and seek counsel regarding the meaning of specific events in your life and of specific aspects of your personality.  As you follow the path from the Malkuth Temple, allow yourself to encounter whatever your journey presents.  Invariably, Netzach will speak to you through symbols in a manner similar to -- though more spontaneous than -- this scripted meditation. 

The Netzach Temple is an asset similar to the Hod Temple.  Here you can increase your emotional understanding of things.  Use this asset, just like you used Hod's rationality, to supplement your work of self-crafting your personality.  Pursue conversations with each of the relevant emotional archetypes available in Netzach and thoroughly explore this realm.