10 Commandments of Moses and Senet Tarot

7/30/2019 10 Commandments of Moses and Senet Tarot

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Thoth and the Tarot (c) Douglass A. White, 2005 261

* The Ten Commandments of Moses and the Senet-Tarot

With our discovery that the Tarot Trumps derive from the Judgment Scene deities of

ancient Egypt, we realize that they have to do with the Cult of Osiris and Isis (Osar

and Aset), a sacred tradition that strongly influenced the whole ancient world. If we

accept the story of Moses in the Bible as based on true historical events, then Moses

grew up in the family of the Pharaoh and was deeply trained in all the sacred

teachings of Egypt. Since he did not know his parentage and was raised as a native

Egyptian, this was his native tradition. The Jews sojourning in Egypt retained their

Jewish heritage, but surely also were familiar with the Egyptian traditions.

It seems quite natural that when Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to be inspired by God in

ways to lead his people he might draw on his knowledge of the Cult of Osiris in

which he grew up. What if the Ten Commandments that he brought down from his

Conversation with God were just ideas taken from the well-known Judgment Hall

Scene that everyone in Egypt knew by heart? The Torah lists the Ten Principles for

Felicitous Living in Exodus 20: 1-14. Let's list them out and compare them to the

list of gods in the Weighing of the Heart Judgment Scene Senet Board.

# Commandment Egyptian Deity

1. No God before Me Ra (Sun-Source) with Thoth as his Priest

2. No Graven Images Tem (Tower) balanced by Maat (Justice)

3. No Name in Vain Shu (Emperor) with Anubis (Death) as consequence

4. Keep Sabbath Day Sekhmet (Strength) on vacation and Qef (Fool) has fun.

5. Honor Father, Mother Seb (Earth) is father and Nut (Sky) is Mother.

6. No murder Horus (Chariot) fights Set (Devil) but neither is killed.

7. No adultery Hathor (Empress) supports Nurse Rennt (Moon)

8. No stealing Isis/Nebthys (Priestesses of Holy Temple of All Things)

and Meskhnt (Judgment) who delivers babies

9. No false witness Osiris and Horus in the Womb bear only true witness.

10. No coveting Lovers love what they have with full appreciation.

* Notes on the Commandments

1. Ra is the Sun, the governor of our Solar System and the Source of all Life on our

planet. This symbolizes the Hidden Sun (Amen Ra), Pure Awareness, the Source of

All Possibilities that can manifest in consciousness. Nothing precedes Source.

2. Tem is the creative assertion of a definition onto Undefined Awareness. It

engraves an image onto the image-less. This is the Tower of Babel, the giant phallus


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that exploded by the absurdity of its own self-assertion of identity. This is the Big

Bang that gets the Game going. This commandment is a self-contradiction, because

it engraves a rule against engraving rules. So the whole thing automatically

self-destructs. But it is an entertaining game of illusion justified by experience.

3. Shu is the God of the Atmosphere. We can not make any sound without air to

transmit the vibrations. Speech is a form of breathing. Shu's feather is the sign of

air and the Suit of the Mind. God gives Adam (A-Tem) the task of naming all the

things in the Garden of Creation. This is Ha-Shem, the Name(ing). God becomes

countless particles (Atoms), all of which can be named. They all have vibrations.

Those vibrations ARE their names. This is the identity of name and form.

However, the utterance of a name ends when the breath runs out and the sound stops.

This is Anpu, the inevitable death and dissolution of every creation. In this sense

every name (Shem, Creation) is "in vain" -- that is, bounded in space and temporary

in time.

4. On the Sabbath day the Elohim (Neters) rested from their creative process and

revitalized their Strength. Qeftenu is the Monkey-Fool who deliberately does no

work. He just goofs around. Sekhmet (Tefnuts local form) was famous for going

off on a vacation. Ironically, to get her back they had to send Qeftenu, the goofy

monkey. The principle of the Sabbath is to take time and deliberately go on

vacation or just goof off. Take your mind off your work. This revitalizes you.

5. Seb, the Earth Deity, is the father of the famous quartet of siblings (Osiris, Isis,

Set, and Nebthys.) Nut, the Starry Sky Goddess, is their mother. Below we see

Shai, God of Destiny, and Ab, the Honest but Lonely Heart. The hint here is that by

honoring your parents you set up the good karma to become a parent yourself. Then

you will have the Fortune and companionship of family, offspring, and descendants.

6. Horus is the archetypal warrior and avenger. Set is the archetypal homicidal

maniac. In spite of this Set never succeeds in permanently killing Osiris, though he

tries twice. Instead Osiris advances to immortality. Horus fights great battles with

Set, but never actually kills him. Both sustain injuries and Set is "banished". So

from a cosmic perspective murder is impossible. Everything recycles, including

dead people.

7. No adultery -- this is a tricky one. The sexual issues are very sensitive.

Hathor is the Goddess of Love. She is a motherly goddess who loves everyone with

compassion and nurturing. She supports Family Values. Below her we see the

Nurse caring for the baby. Even Moses had more than one wife, so multiple

relationships are not the key issue here. The main idea is to create a stable home

environment for raising children. It is better for people not to go around disrupting

families. This commandment is not an injunction against making love. It does


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not even discourage having multiple partners or harems as Pharaohs and patriarchs

certainly did. But secret liaisons are probably not very practical, whether or not the

cheated partner is a married spouse. Love and nurturing are the theme here. The verb

NAP in the Hebrew text means prostitution, commercialization of sex. Sex is for fun,

family, and the evolution of consciousness. I do not think it was intended to be a

business enterprise. Unfortunately we often end up with suppression on one side of

the coin and promiscuity on the other. In between is a huge industry of exploitation.

Powerful vested interests like to keep the game going that way. Fun, family, and

higher consciousness seem to get left in the dust.

8. Isis and Nebthys are the Priestesses of the Divine Temple of All Things. From

this viewpoint no stealing is possible. How can you steal from yourself? If you

already have everything you need, what is the point of stealing? Why would people

create the belief that they did not have everything they needed? Oddly this is just

what Set did. He had Nebthys but was not satisfied, so he tried to kill his brother to

steal Isis. That only created alienation. The word GNB also means to kidnap.

Meskhnt is the Divine Midwife, who facilitates the birthing of our creations into

reality. Kidnapping babies and copying the creations of others are kinds of stealing.

Set also tried to kidnap or kill baby Horus. The idea seems to be to become Source

over your World and all its contents. Then stealing becomes ridiculous.

9. Osiris and fetal Horus remind us to breathe from the belly, be in the moment and

experience what is really happening rather than run off into imagination and fantasy.

False witness means that you see something or pretend to see something that is not

there. ONH is to testify. OD is the witness. These words begin with the eye of

Osir. SQR is lying, falsity. When you lie about experience you are making false

witness, you are lying to gain some imagined personal advantage.

10. The final commandment is about H*MD, burning desire for something. This is

the real meaning of coveting. This root comes from H*M and means Heat. It

can refer to chemical heat or the heat of rutting. Hermes uses this word to refer to

the Sun in the Emerald Tablet. D is the yoni. H* is the rope. M is the vibration.

Desire ties you to things. Sexual desire ties a man to the woman he desires. Some

people covet wealth, fame, or health. Probably most common is the coveting of the

ability to make love to a beautiful woman or to possess a handsome, capable man.

The two Lovers share their True Love and join together in the heat of their ardor.

They belong to each other and so they do not desire something that they already

imagine belonging to someone else. The secret to overcoming burning desire is not

to suppress it, but to satisfy it. The challenge is not desire, but lack of sufficient

creative energy to fulfill the desire in a manner that satisfies all. Perhaps the Lovers

must build a world civilization based on love, generosity, and tolerance.


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Moses apparently took the list of Gods from the well-known Egyptian Judgment

Scene along with the actions that they watch or perform in the Weighing of the Heart

and turned them into his 10 famous injunctions. He even followed closely the order

of the Witness Gods. To maintain the magic number Ten (the number of OSR

Osiris and abundance) he took the gods in pairs except for two triplets (Father, Mother

Fortune and Priestess, Temperance, Judgment). The Lovers form a pair by

themselves, and the Hermit Heart goes with all. The Judgment Hall Scene of the

Weighing of the Heart is a truly profound source for the Commandments. It turns

the Bible story into living history with a tradition that connects back many centuries

before the time of the Exodus. How far back before Moses the tradition goes

remains for archaeologists to help us determine.

To complete our set of 22 Trumps we recognize that, by creating his Ten

Commandments from the Judgment Hall Scene, Moses himself played the role of

Osiris, the Magician. In fact that is his main role in the Exodus story. He is also

the Hermit. Before becoming the leader of the Exodus he first discovered his

ancestry and then withdrew into the desert to search out his Heart. It is there that he

found his mission, his love, and his power as a Magician. He understood the

Weighing of the Heart because he had experienced it in his own life. He then

returned to the court of Pharaoh and demonstrated the superiority of the Magic of the

Heart over the Magic of Mental Pretense that was practiced by most of the Egyptian

priests of that era. In this role he became identified with the High Priest, Thoth.

Leading his people out of Egypt he shaped his own Destiny and that of his followers.

This was the Wheel of Fortune. The Great Sphinx H*u watched silently as Moses led

his people eastward across the Red Sea and the Negeb Desert to their Promised Land.

Now we know at least one thing that was in the Ark. In the box of goodies that the

Israelites carried with them out of Egypt and that Solomon later enshrined in his Great

Temple was Shai's little box -- or perhaps a couple of stone tablets -- with the Game

of Senet inscribed on it to shape the Destiny of the Israelites and their Qabbalah.

What does Sen mean? Sen is to Pass Over, to Go Beyond, to Transcend. Senu is

bread, the bread of Paut. Senni is a leader. Senit is an archetype, model, image, or

likeness. Sen is to smell or kiss someone or something. Sensen is to praise. Sen

is also a brother, and sensen is brotherhood. Senti is the bottom or foundation.

Sensen is to breathe. Sensen is to join, to be friends. Senti is the two halves of

Egypt.joined together. Senti is a pole or mast. And, of course, Senet is a box and a

Game. Can you find these elements in the story of Exodus?


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* Some Notes Concerning the Emerald Tablet

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus is an ancient document that forms one of

the foundations of medieval alchemy. This was a short text inscribed on a green

stone tablet that resembled emerald. Unfortunately the original tablet is lost, but

tracings of the text survive. They reveal a text written in a variant of the old

Phoenician/Hebrew alphabet. The text is short and profound and has important

bearing on the Qabbalah. As I shall demonstrate, it is also very relevant to the

transmission of the Tarot from ancient Egypt via the Semitic Phoenicians into the

Hebrew tradition and from thence into Europe as a part of Qabbalah and alchemy. It

is no doubt a genuine artifact going back at least to ancient times, although it is

difficult to date it precisely. Many translations exist. In my opinion none of them

are very complete.

The document that survives is probably a translation into Semitic of an original

Egyptian document that was written by Thoth. Some believe that the original text by

Thoth was formulated back in the times of Atlantis. Since we have no

archaeological evidence of such earlier versions, we can only take this as speculation.

The name Hermes Trismegistus (HRM TLT MH*$UT) appears to be a Phoenician

transliteration of a Greek name and title for Thoth. Hermes was the Greek name for

Tekhuti, and Megistos means "Greatest". TLT means three or thrice in Semitic, and

in Greek treis also means three. But in Greek telos also refers to the fulfillment or

completion of something. So TLT MH*$UT sounds like a title: Hermes of the

Greatest Fulfillment. However, the meaning of "Thrice Greatest" is definitely in the

title, because the text refers to the title at the end of the document and says that

Hermes is called "Thrice Greatest" because he "embraces all three parts of the

wisdom of the universe." If we accept the idea that this name and title is from Greek,

that would put the surviving document back into the period when Greek influence

dominated the Eastern Mediterranean. On the other hand, it could refer to Hiram,

the metallurgist who helped Solomon build the great temple in Jerusalem. We know

from the Bible that Hiram was a skilled chemist.

There is a tradition that when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and became

Pharaoh he found the tablet in one of the temples. He felt it was so important that he

placed a copy in his library at Alexandria and carried the original with him. After he

died in Baghdad the stone disappeared. According to this version of the legend, the

tablet was buried with Alexander in a hidden location. Apollonius of Tyana

travelled around the ancient world visiting the tombs of ancient worthies. Alexander


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had been a student of Aristotle, and had definitely made an impression on the world

(though not so much as a philosopher), so Apollonius wanted to find his grave.

According to the legend he found the cave tomb in which Alexander had been buried

and recovered the tablet. He then carried it about with him in his travels and made it

a central part of his teachings, thus spreading awareness of the tablet and its contents.

This also enabled a number of tracings of the text to survive. Before he died

Apollonius supposedly hid the stone somewhere in Egypt. Perhaps some day the

original will be recovered again.

In any case we find Arab scholars mentioning and quoting the tablet in the early

middle ages. Then a Latin translation appears in Europe. Sir Isaac Newton was an

avid student of Qabbalah and alchemy. We find in his papers that he personally

prepared his own translation of the text, probably working from the Latin translation.

What does the Emerald Tablet have to do with Qabbalah and the Tarot? The whole

gist of the document is that the universe is an integrated wholeness. There is a clear

reference to the four elements of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. These form the four

Suits of the Minor Arcana and the four tools of the Magician.

The connection to the Qabbalah comes in the form of subtle references to the various

Sephiroth. Some are very obvious. For example, in line 14 we find Foundation

(ISUD), and in line 30 we find Wisdom (H*KMT), and in line 25 we find Victory

used as a verb "to overcome" (T-NTzH*). Some references are indirect. For

example, we have mention of a king (MLK) in line 7. This suggests a Kingdom.

Other references are veiled. For example, Beauty (TPRT) occurs as "separate"

(TPRID, line 15), and Glory (HUD) shows up as KBUD (line 22). Strength shows

up as "great power" (GDUL) in line 17.

The other three are cleverly hidden in the text. Mercy or Compassion (H*$D)

occurs in the spelling of the title of Hermes -- M-H*$UT (line 29). This could be

read as "from or based on compassion". The root is H*$. MTQ, "sweetness" is a

further explanation of the Sephirah of Mercy, because it is balanced with the Great

Power of GDUL in line 17. Understanding (BINH) is hidden very subtly in the

mention (line 7) of the education of the king's son (ULD) in the One Theory (DBR).

In Hebrew son is also written as BN or BR. Finally we must find the Crown (KTR),

the most subtle and spiritual of all the Sephiroth. This word is beautifully hidden at

the end of line 7 and again in line 27 in the word "educates" or "educational structure"

(MORKT). The Tree of Life is a beautiful educational framework, the outline of all


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the teachings of Qabbalah in a simple picture designed with the essence of sacred

geometry. The Crown is the apex of the structure. Line 27 specifically refers to a

structure that has pathways. The structure is the Tree of Life, and the Pathways are

the 22 paths that form the Major Arcana of the Tarot. MORKT is an anagram for

OM-KTR. OM means the people, the nation. It refers to the Kingdom -- the

Sephirah at the Root of the Tree. KTR is the Crown of the Tree, the Fruit. The

great teaching raises the root to become the fruit by watering the root of the Tree with

the meditation (HGH) mentioned in line 6.

Thus we find all Ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life mentioned directly or indirectly in

the Emerald Tablet. The Tablet specifically mentions in lines 27-28 a structure with

a pathway (DRK) for using it. The expression "for using it" also contains the word

for "letter" (AUT). The 22 pathways on the Tree diagram are the 22 letters of the

alphabet, and, of course, the 22 Trumps of the Tarot.

Can we find the Trumps in the Emerald Tablet? There are some obvious clues to get

us started. Before reading on you may want to try your hand with the text and see

how many you can find.

For example, the text clearly mentions the Sun (line 8), the Moon (line 9), and the

Earth (line 11). That takes care of three Trumps right off the bat. With our

decoding of the Egyptian Senet Board Trumps we may be able to find them all.

Let's explore. Some are easy to find, and others are subtle.

Fool = Son, ULD (7); Sun-Fool, H*M (31), from Egyptian Khem = Fool, a name of

Men.

Magician = Truly, most veritable, AMN (1); Min (18) (Men); Transforms, TH*LIP

(26)

Priestess = Sweetness, MTQ (17); Subtle, DQ (16); 2nd Chakra is "Sweetest"

Empress = Mother, AM (9)

Emperor = King, MLK (7); Father, AB (8); Wind, RUH* (10)

Priest = Below, TH*T (3) (Tekhuti)

Lovers = Compassionate, M-H*$UT (29); Father and Mother, AB, AM (8, 9)

Chariot = Great Power, GDUL (17); Energies, AILUT (13); pathway, DRK (28)

Strength = Lion, ARI (19); Sekhmet, H*M (31)

Hermit = One Meditation, HGH AH*D (6); Wholeness, TMIMH (13)

Wheel = Belly Button, BT*NH (10)

Justice = Balance, SQL (17)


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Hanged Man = Hermes, H*RM (29)

Death = Obscurity, H*SKH (23)

Temperance = Separate, TPRID (15); Store Up, AUTzP (20)

Devil = Cobra/Monsters, TNINUT (19)

Tower = Structure, MORKUT (27); Earth, ADMH (11) [as Atum]

Star = Above, OLIT (2-3); Universe, OULM (26, 30)

Moon = LBNH (9)

Sun = Sun, ShMSh (8); Sun, H*M (31)

Judgment = Nurse (midwife), AMNT (11)

World = Earth, ADMH (11), ARTz (18)

There are several clues from the Egyptian Trumps that help us complete the list.

One is the identification of the Priest with Tekhuti. The Priest is down below and

communicates and identifies with what is above. Nut represents the Heaven above

and the Universe of stars and galaxies. Shu is the Wind, or atmosphere. The nurse

here is the midwife, Meskhent (Judgment). She delivers the baby from the hidden

world of Amenti into the physical world of Earth. The other Nurse, Rennt, who

functions as the nursing mother, is Moon (LBNH). She holds the baby to her Heart

(LB). This connects it to the Hermit and the One Meditation.

A major clue to decoding the Tablet is the repetition of the word Min (18). The

tracing of the original shows this can not be an accident. A document that is so short

and so important would not have a mistake like that. This is a deliberate wordplay

telling us there is a secret identification between Semitic words and Egyptian deities.

Min is the hidden (AMN) form of the Magician. The Magician Trump demonstrates

this because he traditionally imitates the characteristic pose of Min. This word MN

also occurs at the point in the text where the magical transformation occurs. The child

has come from heaven to take on physical form on earth. The Magical transformation

raises the Kundalini Energy and the Consciousness of the Fool-Child from Earth to

Heaven. This turns him into an immortal hero and restores to him the Glory of the

Whole Universe. Everything is purified and the Universe is renewed.

Here is a list of Egyptian deities that appear in the Tablet.

AMN = Amen

TH*T = Tekhuti

ASR = Osar

AB = Ab


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ADMH = Temu

HUA = H*u

MN = Men

H*M = Khem (another name for Men, the Fool), also Sekhmet, the Lioness

AMNT = Amenti

TNINUT = Tenen (Our number ten comes from this ancient deity.)

The use of the creation root BRA (line 26) specifically refers to the creation of

Heaven and Earth by the Elohim in Genesis I. Line 18 uses the same Genesis terms

in reverse (Earth to the Heavens = H-ARTz OL H-ShMIM), showing the return of

Man to Source. The expression "all day long is the same" (KL H-YUM AH*D) is

another subtle reference to the "Days" of Creation in Genesis. The wordplay

between "energies" (AILUT) and ALHIM then becomes apparent. The Song of

Solomon plays this word game even more intricately using identifications with

animals and plants. The "energies" become stags (AILIM) and does (AILUT)

bounding about in the King's Royal Park. (For a detailed discussion of this intricate

wordplay, see "Imagery in the Song of Songs", a paper I presented at the Prairie

Writers' Conference, 1994 -- available on request.).

Documents

10 Commandments of Moses and Senet Tarot