I came across an image of a 16th century depiction of the Kaaba, the holiest site to muslims. Mecca.
I was very much struck by the resemblance to the 4 disks in Thoth Tarot.
This in turn made me wonder about the significance of 4. It is worth remembering at this point that the Kaaba is a cube. (4 corners.) We could even perhaps bring in the Emperor here as he sits on his cube or even the hanged man with his legs crossed assuming the shape of the number 4.
In numerology the number 4's character is; stabiliser, faithful friend a capacity for focussed will & self sacrifice also putting ideas into form and firm foundations. Order, system & routine make dreams a reality.
In Islam there are 4 worlds; Nasut......world of mankind, Malakut......Angels, Jabarut......power and Lahut the divine world.
In nature; Warmth, coldness, dryness and humidity. The divine 4; life, knowledge, will and speech.
image of Sumerian Emperor.
We should not forget the 4 phases of the moon,an important factor in Islam and at the age of 4 years,4 months and 4 days one can recite for the first time from the Koran.
The cube reminds us of 'being of the elements & 'being' in the visible, physical and structured world.
It has occurred to me that 4 in Tarot is a place of hiatus. Rendered motionless we are caught between active and non active dynamics. Not quite in limbo but a place of holding that which is prominent in our being. Do we keep those aspects of the 4's in each suit of the minor arcana as our personal structure or do we let them be a transitory stage of building and growth?
Lon Milo Duquette in his book, 'Undersatnding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot describes the 4 disks as Sol in Capricorn. To the ancients, the greatest display of celestial power occurred each year when the sun entered Capricorn. Crowley himself describes this 4 as ' The fortress that is upon the frontier of the abyss'.
Duquette reminds us that this card leaves us with many mysteries unsolved.
The divinatory of this Thoth card is success, rank, dominion and earthly power.
The Kaaba was thought to be at the centre of the world, with the Gate of Heaven directly above it. The Kaaba marked the location where the sacred world intersected with the profane; the embedded Black Stone was a further symbol of this as a meteorite that had fallen from the sky and linked heaven and earth
Man's search for meaning, his desire to understand the chaos he was born into and his destiny to celebrate the Deity is part of the order of his dominion. The images above are a favourable reminder of our spiritual heritage and the quest for order and structure that gives this heritage a greater sense of purpose.
