*

The custom of calling a man "sister" originated also in the fourteenth century. In Italy, Guido Orlando addressed a sonetto to his fellow poet, Guido Cavalcanti, beginning with: "Onde si muove ed onde nasce Amore?" containing many questions about the nature of love. Cavalcanti answered with the now famous Canzone: "Donna mi priega, perch'io voglio dire, D'uno accidente * ch'e chiamato amore." (Lady asked me to talk about an accident * * called Love.) No less authority than Marsilio Ficino declared that this Cavalcanti was the best exponent in poetry of the mysteries of Platonic Love. Therefore, in all probability this word "donna" at the beginning was a warning to members of a fraternity to apply their own key. Neither is it hard to guess which fraternity. In the first chapter of his Vita Nuova, Dante calls Cavalcanti his best friend, also addresses as a greeting a sonetto to the "fedeli d'Amore." (The faithful to Love.) So we have here a name of the fraternity from which later on R. C. developed. In fact, Heinricus Khunrath, one of the important early Rosicrucians at the end of the sixteenth century, still signs himself "amator theosophiae," which does not mean an amateur, but a real amator, lover, in the above sense. The wellknown Johann Valentin Andreae finished his occult studies also in Italy, and so did, before him, Paracelsus, probably Luther, too.

The best evidence concerning the character of the fraternity with which Dante and his best friend Cavalcanti were affiliated, is to be found in the Divina Commedia, especially in the description of the Cross and the Rose, first given out by Dante. Only hints can be given here, but these will prove sufficient to such as, to use the expression of the Fama Fraternitatist, are "not altogether void of understanding." This cross appears on the surface of the planet Mars (Paradiso XIV), after the poet invoked Helios and offered a sacrifice. It appears even before the ardor of the sacrifice cooled off and is found by joining the four quadrants of a circle. "Il venerabil segno, che fan guinture di quadranti in tondo." Evidently an operation in the process called the squaring of the circle, during Sol in Ariete. His Rose-candida rosa, pur,

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or cather, that is, Puritan rose, is so immense (Paradiso XXX), that its circumference would make a girdle too large for the sun. See Zodiac. There are sitting like as in an amphitheatre-degrees of hierarchy-the brethren in convent or chapter (il convento delle bianche stole) in white clothes, that is, the now purified aura. They are all of "ours" (note this alchemist expression), who have returned from the earth: "Quanto di noi lassu fatto ha ritorno." Returned like the soul of Faust did, a process called by alchemists "reintegration." Another characteristic passage is contained in Paradiso XXIII. Beatrice warns Dante: "Why art thou so enamoured with my face that thou dost not turn to the beautiful garden blossoming under the rays of Christ? Here is the Rose in which the Divine Word made itself flesh * Nothing could be more orthodox, for Rome calls also Mary the Mystic Rose. But just compare it with the statement of the chronicler, Euthymius, the monk from Zigabene, who already in the first part of the twelfth century wrote concerning the Paulicians, from whom the Cathares, Albigenses or Ghibellini, to which Dante belonged, received their doctrine: "They say, that as many among them as are inhabited by the Holy Ghost are mothers of God (dei parentes) and called (et nominari) as such, because they conceive the Word of God and carry it (concipiant et in utero gerant)." Now the beautiful garden which blossoms under the rays of Christ, takes on a somewhat different aspect, especially when we consider that this so beautiful garden contains nothing but roses and lilies. It is sufficient that in the Magistery there are but two degrees, the white and red. Again by adding to these the green of the foliage we have the tricolor symbolizing not only the three cardinal virtues of theologians, Faith, Hope, Charity, but also the three cardinal virtues of a Mason, perhaps even the three currents of air, known to Kabbalists just as well as to Yogin. That is the reason why red-white-green figures preeminently in the Divina Commedia, in the Chymical Marriage of Christian Rosenkreutz, and even in our days in the decorations of certain Chapters. It is probably more than a coincidence that this "Kabbalistic rainbow" forms the na

tional colors of Persia, Bulgaria, Italy and Hungary, marking thus the historical way of passage of Gnosis from the East to the West.

That sentence of the monk from Zigabene sheds also light on the foundation on which all this symbolism of lady's gloves, daughters of Jehovah, sisters, was built up. It is a physiological process connected with the inner development of the soul. Consequently we find it, more or less veiled, in all esoteric systems. It is the basis of the allegory that the Apostles received the Holy Ghost in the form of flaming tongues. Francis of Assisi in the third canticle expresses the same process thus: "My soul transformed to a Christ is nearly Christ and God; she becomes divine, she ascends above all heights, and when Christ is everything to her, she is queen." Again the same idea is exposed even more clearly in a gayatri which, according to C. W. King in "The Gnostics and Their Remains," 2 Ed. p. 268, is contained in the confession of faith of the Brahmins: "This new and excellent praise of thee, O, splendid, playful Sun (Pushan) is offered by us to thee. Be gratified by this my speech; approach this craving mind as a fond man seeks a woman." Not much of a surprise then to find after all the very same idea, even the language, in Dante. For already King, though not an occultist, recognized him as the Arch-Gnostic. In the XXIVth canto of the Paradiso no less a personality than St. Peter himself examines Dante concerning the then very difficult question: What is faith? The poet, with subtle ingenuity gives a correct Gnostic exposition, but at the same time so adroitly circumnavigates every Roman rock, that no Inquisitor could catch him. So the Apostle expresses his full satisfaction with the essence of the answer as well as with the skilful evasion by saying: "The grace that holds sweet dalliance with thy soul so far discreetly hath thy lips unclosed." (Cary's translation.) Later on he crowns the poet with his own apostolic radiance, encircling with it the poet's head three times. Probably in order to show that Apostles do also know something about the administration of the Gnostic sacrament, called consolamentum. But

what Cary here translates with "sweet dalliance" is more robustly expressed in the original text: "La grazia che donnea con la tua mente." The word "donneare" derived from the language of the trovatori and fedeli d'Amore, was then a technical expression with all rhyme-makers, faithful to the gay science and had a stronger meaning than nowadays, when it means only courtship sweet dalliance. It is not without interest to the subject matter of this inquiry, that this XXIVth canto of the Paradiso begins with "O ye! In chosen fellowship advanced. To the great supper of the blessed Lamb. *** (Cary's translation.) Evidence that the well-known R. C. supper of the blessed Lamb was practiced already in the fourteenth century and even earlier.

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Such are some of the mysteries behind the simple symbol of a pair or two of gloves. There are some more.

THE SECRET DOCTRINE OF THE TAROT

By Paul F. Case

CHAPTER IX

S

INCE the Phoenicians carried their alphabet to the great centers of civilization in the ancient world, most of the symbols have undergone many alterations. To this rule, however, Heth, the eighth letter, is a notable exception. In the oldest records it consists of two uprights, joined by either two or three cross-bars. The character used in Greek inscriptions found at Thera, and in one of the earliest Latin alphabets, is composed of two rectangles, one above the other. A variation of the Aramaic script introduced into Western India after the conquests of Darius indicates Heth by two vertical lines with a single cross-bar at the top. A similar form appears in modern Hebrew. It is also interesting to find that as early as 500 B. C., in northwestern Arabia, a stele commemorating the establishment of an Aramaic divinity was written in an alphabet having a character for Heth identical with the modern "H."

The Phoenician pictograph probably represented a field, surrounded by a rectangular fence. It therefore suggests the same notions of particular location, inclosure, and specialized effort which are associated with the letter Beth. We may expect, on this account, to learn that the Tarot trump to be considered in this chapter symbolizes the same root-ideas that are brought to mind by the picture of the Magician.