Ayin is the eye, attributed to Capricorn and the Devil.
Yod is the hand, attributed to Virgo and the Hermit.
Nun is the fish, attributed to Scorpio and Death.
The combination of Yod and Nun suggest a corrosive light, or knowledge that destroys and causes the knower to decay. This is beheld by the eye of Ayin, revealing an insight that leads to the death of the mind that conceives it (at least in its present form).
The light of revelation, which has its origin in the Neschamah, is shown in Hod upon the symbols and structures associated with the Mysteries, allowing them to be understood in the light of intuition. In this way is the inner nature of a given symbol revealed. This process is applied to symbol after symbol (through meditation) until the aspirant has come to a more than intellectual understanding of the entire arcana. Among the many symbols with which this process is carried out are the Tarot Trumps, which, in the Golden Dawn, were first given to the aspirant in the Practicus grade.
On the path of Ayin, this light is shone directly on the self, revealing the outer persona in all of its glory (or lack thereof). This brings to light the rejected portions of the persona, the so-called 'not-self' which has been projected out onto the external world and onto others. Only in this way can the fragmented self be healed and brought to a greater degree of integrity, represented by the sun in Tiphareth.
The lamp of the Hermit contains the light of primordial fire, the seed of infinite consciousness that contains all things and which is, ultimately, the true Self of the aspirant. In Crowley's Hermit card, the lamp has 8 sides, linking it with Hod and Mercury (which rules Virgo, to which the Hermit card is attributed). The light shone through the lamp is here beheld by the open eye (the symbol of the path), revealing the true nature of the structure of the self.
This path brings about the death of several cherished illusions. It is no longer possible, once this path has been fully traversed, to identify completely with the persona (which itself is greatly transformed on this path). Nun plays its part here in the death of the persona as the perceived king of the self.
In this path is a tremendous power. Freed from the confines of identification with the mask, the mind is able to rise to great heights, coming to know somewhat of its very source, its deathless nature. This is accomplished in three general stages. The first stage is the rending of the Veil of the Firmament, in which the aspirant transitions from Assiatic to Yetziratic consciousness, revealing the trans-personal self. The second is the rending of the Veil of Paroketh, in which the aspirant transitions from Yetziratic to Briatic consciousness, leading to the dissolution of the individual in the universal, destroying (at least for a time) the illusion of separate existence in the perfect bliss of Union with the source. The third stage is the rending of the Veil of the Abyss, in which the aspirant crosses over into Atziluthic consciousness, making their permanent home in the universal, freeing the mind at last from identification with the separate ego.
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