I've been doing some digging into the Hexagram Rituals, and have come up with a point that I cannot seem to get my head wrapped around. I may be creating trouble for myself, but I'd like a head-check before I hurt myself. The traditional assignation of the Elements to their quarters is based on the 4 Fixed Signs of the zodiac in the Hexagram rituals is as follows:
Qtr...........Sign.......Element.......Kerub
EAST.......Leo...........Fire..............Lion SOUTH....Taurus.......Earth............Bull WEST......Aquarius....Air...............Angel/Human NORTH.....Scorpio.....Water...........Eagle
In the 23rd Aethyr of Vision and the Voice, this is seen:
"...there is a crowned eagle, also like the Assyrian eagles. And he cries: All my strength and stability are turned to the use of flight. For though my wings are of fine gold, yet my heart is the heart of a scorpion."
and in the 24th Aethyr, there's this footnote:
" The Beast and the Scarlet Woman at attributed to {Leo} and Water {Scorpio}. They are the two-in-one Chief Officers, of the Temple of the New Aeon of Heru-Ra-Ha. (Note: The Eagle Kerub in the 23rd Aire is Aquarius {Aquarius}. Scorpio is the Woman-Serpent. This is important; for the old attribution is of the Eagle to {Scorpio})"
This seems to make it pretty clear that the the Kerubs of West and North have traded places- Scorpio is now identified with the Scarlet Woman/Human Kerub, and Aquarius with the Eagle. Crowley enforces this in ATU XXI, by having Harris place the Kerubim according to this new scheme:
Qtr...........Sign.......Element.......Kerub
EAST.......Leo...........Fire..............Lion SOUTH....Taurus.......Earth............Bull WEST......Aquarius....Air...............Eagle NORTH.....Scorpio.....Water...........Scarlet Woman
So far, so good: but here comes the WTF!?
Crowley's implied reordering of the zodiac in the Book Thoth to accomodate the Tzaddi-Heh switch has the apparent side effect of fouling the elemental triplicities of Leo and Aquarius in the natural scheme .
Here's the natural pattern:
Aries..................Fire Taurus...............Earth Gemini...............Air Cancer...............Water Leo....................Fire Virgo..................Earth Libra...................Air Scorpio..............Water Saggitarius..........Fire Capricorn............Earth Aquarius.............Air Pisces...............Water
Keeping the signs and elements associated,Crowley's changes appear to give us:
Aquarius.............Air Taurus...............Earth Gemini...............Air Cancer...............Water Libra...................Air Virgo..................Earth Leo....................Fire Scorpio..............Water Sagittarius..........Fire Capricorn............Earth Aries..................Fire Pisces...............Water
...which throws off the Fire-Earth-Air-Water pattern of the traditionally ordered Zodiac triplicities, making it a bit wonky and unbalanced.
Given that it's unlikely that the astronomical Zodiac is going to reorder itself to accomodate this scheme, the easiest way to rebalance the pattern of the triplicities is to reassign the elements of Leo, Libra, Aries and Aquarius as follows:
Aquarius.............Fire ... Libra...................Fire ... Leo....................Air ... Aries..................Air ...
Which in turn implies that the Kerubim could now be assigned as:
Qtr...........Sign.......Element.......Kerub
EAST.......Leo...........Air..............Lion SOUTH....Taurus.......Earth..........Bull WEST......Aquarius....Fire............Eagle NORTH.....Scorpio.....Water.........Scarlet Woman
Or to preserve the Elemental Quarters, as such:
Qtr...........Sign.......Element.......Kerub
EAST.......Aquarius......Fire..........Eagle SOUTH....Taurus.......Earth..........Bull WEST......Leo............Air.............Lion NORTH.....Scorpio.....Water.........Scarlet Woman
Either way, I seem to have made hash here, and the implications for wider ranging effects get really weird- especially as I attempt to find justifications for the moves.
Can anyone help me make sense of this?
Updated:I finally heard back in email from wiser heads than mine, and confirmed that I did, in fact, dig myself a big hole where there shouldn’t be one.
It seems only emblems of the Kerubs change, and that I was trying to move too much around.
So, my thanks to Rabbi Lamed ben Clifford, Chicken Qaballist at large, for telling me what’s what.