Tag Archives: position

TO KNOW, TO DARE, TO WILL, TO KEEP SILENT, are, as we have said elsewhere, the four qabalistic words which correspond to the four letters of the tetragram and to the four hieroglyphic forms of the Sphinx. To know, is the human head; to dare, the claws of the lion; to will, the mighty flanks of the bull; to keep silent, the mystical wings of the eagle. He only maintains his position above other men who does not prostitute the secrets of his intelligence to their commentary and their laughter.

Éliphas Lévi, trans. Aleister Crowley, Liber XLVI The Key of the Mysteries

Hermetic quote Levi Crowley Liber XLVI 46 The Key of the Mysteries know will dare keep silent four qabalistic words letters tetragram hieroplyphic forms sphinx human head claws lion flanks bull wings eagle

The Man-Who-Dies is the Tester or Questioner, the one who does not accept what is normally taken as truth without testing it himself. As such he is an object of fear to most people, who are happier with comfortable lies than uncomfortable truths, and is characterized as a devil, rebel, or dangerous heretic of one sort or another. His testing of accepted norms usually brings him into a position where he finds himself working to bring about change in the status quo so that new growth can occur, or to resist the excesses of an entrenched power. Traditionally he ends up being killed, imprisoned or otherwise punished by the guardians of the status quo, but with the advent of the anti-hero in modern literature, he often ends up conquering.

Benjamin Rowe, Tables of Correspondences for the INRI / IRNI Formulas

Hermetic quote Rowe Tables of Correspondences for the INRI / IRNI Formulas man who dies test questioner not accept truth without testing people happier comfortable lies uncomfortable truths rebel heretic

The Man-Who-Lives is the Solar Hero. As protagonist or opponent, his goals are to achieve a position of rulership and to either preserve the status quo, or twist the status quo to his own advantage. He is charismatic and depends on his projected image to gain him support from the public.

Benjamin Rowe, Tables of Correspondences for the INRI / IRNI Formulas

Hermetic quote Rowe Tables of Correspondences for the INRI / IRNI Formulas man who lives solar hero goal rulership preserve status quo advantage charismatic projected image support public