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The Thoth Tarot-ATU 16-The Tower
Introduction to Peh-the Mouth-of invocation.
Peh—the Mouth—is not only the symbolic lightning stroke of destruction in the Tower card but also the sacred organ of Invocation, making it the Logos of Reconstruction. Below is a rewritten blog-style entry that incorporates your observation, integrating the symbolism of Peh with the esoteric mysteries of the Word, the Kundalini, and the Tower path.
⚡️The Tower, Peh, and the Alchemical Power of the Sacred Word
By Eli — Tarot Comparisons & Hermetic Thought
In the Thoth Tarot, The Tower (ATU XVI) is a card of cataclysm and transmutation, feared by many but rightly understood as an initiatory fire. Central to its Qabalistic attribution is the Hebrew letter Peh (פ), meaning "mouth". But what is this Mouth, and why is it paired with an image of cataclysmic collapse?
The answer is both metaphysical and physiological. Peh, in its sacred function, is the Mouth of the Divine Magus—the organ of Invocation, Spell, and Word. And in Hermetic understanding, the Word is Power. Every magician knows this truth: to speak is to command, to call forth, to destroy illusion, and to rebuild with clarity.
The Lightning Flash and the Rising Serpent
The Tower is struck from above by lightning and burns from below with fire—a perfect image of the double motion of the Tree of Life and the spinal path of Kundalini. In Qabalistic tradition, the Lightning Flash moves from Kether to Malkuth, outlining the descent of divine energy into matter. Conversely, the Serpent of Fire rises upward from the base of the Tree, coiling through the paths toward Tiphareth and beyond.
The Path of Peh connects Hod (the intellect) to Netzach (emotion and instinct). It is a path where mental constructs must be shattered to unify reason and desire. It is here the Tower stands. And in this shattering is found the deepest alchemy: the Word (Peh) must break the old order to articulate the new.
The Word as Deconstruction and Reconstruction
Peh as the Mouth is not only the lightning-bolt that breaks down falsity—it is also the sacred utterance that calls truth into form. This dual current—the downward strike of lightning and the upward surge of serpent fire—is embodied in the magician’s speech.
In destruction, the Word is the shout that ends an illusion.
In reconstruction, the Word becomes the chant, the invocation, the sacred syllable (such as Abrahadabra) that reforms the fragments into a new Temple of the Soul.
To invoke is not merely to call forth—it is to shape. When the initiate speaks a Word of Power, they are engaging the divine force of Peh: breaking the shell of the ego, annihilating illusion, and forming a higher image—one closer to the God-Self.
Peh and the Purifying Fire of Consciousness
In the body, this corresponds to the activation of Kundalini, the serpent fire coiled at the base of the spine—the fire at the base of the Tower. Once stirred, it rises through the central pillar, burning away psychic toxins as it ascends. But if the ego resists, the fire becomes destructive, creating collapse rather than illumination. This is why Crowley wrote, “Break down the fortress of thine Individual Self, that thy Truth may spring free.”
Thus, Peh is the breath of the Dragon and the Song of the Phoenix. It is de-structive to the unworthy structure and con-structive to the soul that seeks renewal. The Tower, then, is not ruin but initiation by fire.
Final Reflection
In your own practice, consider:
What words are you speaking into your reality?
Do your invocations cut through illusion, or reinforce your Tower?
Are you willing to speak your truth with such force that the old shell must break?
For every true initiate, Peh is the blade of fire hidden in the tongue. Learn to wield it wisely, and you become not only the Witness of the Tower—but its Architect.
🜃 Ritual of the Lightning and Fire of Peh
Invoking the Destruction that Purifies and Rebuilds
Purpose:
To invoke the cleansing and transformative energies of The Tower and the Path of Peh — destroying inner illusions, breaking egoic structures, and initiating the alchemical fire that reconstructs the soul in alignment with True Will.
Tools & Symbols:
Thoth Tarot: The Tower card
Red candle (Mars/fire energy)
Lightning-shaped wand or dagger (symbol of the Divine Strike)
Sigil of Peh (see below)
Mars incense (dragon’s blood, cinnamon, or cloves)
Small black stone or obsidian (to ground after ritual)
Preparation:
Face East, the direction of Air and transformation.
Cast your circle in the traditional Hermetic manner or within your own sacred space.
Meditate briefly on your “Tower” — what egoic structure or illusion must fall?
Invocation of Peh (Vocalize Loud and Firm)
By the mouth of flame and the breath of Mars,
I call forth the Fire that Destroys to Purify.
O Tower of the False Self — crumble before the Word of Truth!Peh! Peh! Peh! Fiery Mouth of Ruach!
By the Path that binds Hod to Netzach,
Let the Lightning of Kether strike from above,
And let the Serpent of Fire rise from below.May my falsehood burn away,
May illusion shatter like glass,
That I may rise in reconstruction,
A vessel of the Solar Logos!I AM the Flame that consumes and the Seed that survives.
By Peh, I rise anew.
Visualization:
Imagine the Tower card expanding before you, engulfing your inner landscape.
Lightning strikes your crown (Kether), while red serpentine fire rises from the base of your spine.
The Tower falls within you — and from its ruins, a radiant Solar figure emerges (Tiphareth within).
Closing:
Ground with the obsidian.
Extinguish the candle and say:
The Tower is fallen. The Temple is revealed.
I walk now as the Flame reborn.
So mote it be.
🜏 Sigil of Peh – The Purifier
This sigil is derived from the Hebrew letter פ (Peh), combined with Mars glyphs and Qabalistic resonance of the Path between Hod and Netzach.
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-Eli
3 Western Hermetic Magick websites helping people become more magick and less tragic since 2010.