Peh is the mouth, attributed to Mars and the Tower.
Heh is the window, attributed to Aries and the Emperor.
Mars rules Aries, while Sol is exalted in Aries. The lightning flash that destroys the Tower is delivered at the command of a higher authority, here represented by the Emperor in his Solar aspect in Tiphareth.
Hod is the place of structure. In the Practicus grade, this structure is represented by the chalice, which in Hod is filled with the waters of understanding. Throughout the course of the Practicus grade, the light of understanding illuminates the names and symbols associated with the Mysteries, allowing them to be known in a way that transcends rational thought. This results in an interrelated system of symbols, grasped by both the reason and the intuition. This is the beginning of the knowledge of the soul, fluency in the language of the birds. At this point, the dynamic arcana of living symbols still exists as if in a vacuum, suspended in the depths of the mind as if in a glass case on display at a museum. This changes dramatically on the path of Peh.
Had not the structure been so meticulously built, had not so much effort been put into the construction of the tower, were it not a structure of great beauty and intricacy, then the tower's destruction would be in vain - it would not be an object worthy of sacrifice. From the destruction of the tower arises the means of great transformation. In order for the contents of the tower to be of any use, the glass case must be cracked open, the defenses must be broken. The window pane that separates the display piece from the messiness and chaos of the outer world, from life with all of its pains and passions and unpredictability, must be destroyed.
Netzach is the highest sphere in the triad of the personality (consisting of Yesod, Hod and Netzach). It opens up directly to Tiphareth along the path of Nun. Tiphareth in this context represents the beginning of the trans-personal self, which is a vehicle for a still higher aspect of Self. The trans-personal here is represented by the Emperor, who also represents spirit entering into the realm of the elements. The path of Peh also crosses directly over the path of Samekh, which leads from Yesod to Tiphareth, and thus passes directly below the Solar sphere.
Heh, as the window, allows the perception to pass into the inner essence of a subject (the subject, whatever it is in the specific, is generally symbolized by Beth, the house). As the aspirant moves from Hod to Netzach, crossing over the path of Samekh and directly below Tiphareth, the veil of the trans-personal self is pulled back just enough to allow the aspirant to perceive their ego in a different context that was possible before. The aspirant sees themselves the way others see them. The increase in the level of self-awareness shatters the existing self-image. This is necessary in order for the aspirant to enter into the sphere of Netzach, in which the self is experienced in a new way in relation to others.
In the Practicus grade, it is typical for aspirants to withdraw, as if protected from the influence of others. In Philosophus, there is a corresponding expansion as the life force that is stirred to awakening in the aspirant naturally seeks interaction with that of others. The heart is opened both to higher influences and to the feelings of others. Many of the hidden desires of the aspirant are exposed. This again is the effect of the window on this path.
Often the commanding voice of the Emperor is invisible on this path. The destruction of the tower may be experienced as senseless chaos and turmoil. Afterward, when the dust has settled and the work of rebuilding has begun, the sun arises and a new understanding dawns. Tiphareth represents the highest level of reality that the aspirant can grasp at this point, but in truth the command originates from the Chiah in Chokmah, the voice or the Yechidah, the True Will. On the Sephirothic Tree, the path of Heh brings the influence from Chokmah into Tihareth.
Using Crowley's attributions, the path of Heh is attributed to Aquarius and the Star. In this case, the Star is the Khabs, the house of Hadit. The symbolism is much the same. The Word is spoken from Chokmah, resulting in the destruction of the glass pane separating mental abstraction from raw experience. In Crowley's view, it is the mother archetype that delivers the Word as opposed to the father archetype. This is more consistent with Heh in the context of Yod Heh Vau Heh, and points perhaps to a more joyous experience. Rather than the stern authority of the father, which delivers a fiery bolt of lightning to shatter the current conception of the self, the eternal waters of the mother flow forth to break up and dissolve the walls of the tower, sweeping the aspirant up in their currents, carrying them out into the unknown, but always with the love of the mother for her child, and always for the joy of dissolution.
"This is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all."
Liber AL, I: 30
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