On one hand, the Tenebrous runic-tarot has features familiar to tarot and rune readers. On the other, though, this divination system that I’ve devised also has a number of unique features. Something I therefore wanted to do in my divination series was to provide additional commentary on the system’s omens. I’m continuing this examination with a comparison between the fours – i.e., 4 Attainment, 4 Communion, 4 Strife and 4 Innovation.

Introduction

The Tenebrous runic-tarot

For those who may haven’t yet read my book, it’s useful to first summarize some basics of my divination system.

What does Tenebrous divination have in common with tarot? It entails a similar number of omens, with similar meanings, arranged in a similar structure thus:

• My equivalent of the major arcana are called archetypes. There are 28 of these. 22 are closely analogous to the traditional tarot; titles and small nuances of meaning differ, but central meanings and order are little-changed. 6 are creations of my own that I have inserted into the traditional sequence. The intent is to capture aspects of a Satanist’s journey that I find inadequately represented by default tarot trumps.
• My equivalent of the minor arcana are called tropes. These are divided into four suits, which I call kingdoms. Each consists of numbered omens 1-10, which I call phases, and four court-card equivalents, which I call incarnations. Thus in my system, pages are called muses, knights are heroes, queens are witches, and kings are sorcerers. The meanings of all of these omens are broadly-speaking similar to the traditional minor arcana. As with the archetypes, though, nuances differ.

What does the Tenebrous divination system have in common with runes? That all of the above are represented via combinations of glyphs and numbers. Any practitioner can thus make their own set by acquiring wooden tokens etc. and marking them with the appropriate symbols.

At the same time, the system maintains tarot’s rich symbolism, by grouping the omens together into groups of three and representing each grouping with a vision (see Nine Keys for detailed descriptions) whose imagery combines those three omens’ meanings. Meditating upon these visions is recommended to deepen personal engagement with the system.

The current entry

The current entry will focus on a subset of the tropes of the runic-tarot: the fours. When summarizing the fours in general, my book states:

Fours… deal with the ebb of energy… Managing such ebb-and-flow gracefully is a prerequisite of flourishing and success, thereby evoking qualities of the Sun.

(Because of the way the system associates certain omens with others, Nine Keys discusses fours and muses – my equivalent of pages – together. The ellipses in the quote are where info about muses has been omitted to streamline things for current purposes.)

A passage elsewhere in the Sixth Key glosses fours as “an obstructive implosion of energy”. But references to ebb and obstruction do not mean that the fours are entirely negative. Rather, these descriptors speak to how the numerological qualities of four may be perceived from a Satanic perspective. Numerologically, four is associated with both stability and limitation. On one hand, it evokes a balancing of forces (e.g., the four elements) and the building of a firm foundation. On the other hand, though, it connotes an energy that transgresses no boundaries and thus becomes stagnant – a Satanic anathema.

Although the fours may appear at first glance to have widely divergent meanings, a common denominator unites them: each evokes a kind of short-term stability whose inertia imposes limitations on long-term flourishing. Such stability can have its uses, especially in small doses, and so is not inherently pernicious: as the Order of Nine Angles (ONA/O9A) would say, “enjoy a short rest, better than a long”. At the same time though, the fours warn against losing sight of fundamental goods amid current distractions. This emerges all the more clearly when we consider the fours through the lens of the Tenebrous distinction between Apollonian, Magian, and Faustian.

Apollonian, Magian, and Faustian – a brief explanation

Tenebrous Satanism uses the terms “Magian” and “Faustian” in a manner that overlaps with O9A’s, but is distinct from it. O9A defines these terms in a dualistic way: “Magian” is the bad “them” while “Faustian” is the good “us”. I, by contrast, understand these in terms familiar from my previous post on introverts vs. extroverts: they are circuits found in every human that only become problematic when we overapply them. “Apollonian” is another such circuit, distinguished thus:

• When operating in the Apollonian circuit: order is good, chaos is bad, and living harmoniously is the ultimate goal.
• When operating in the Magian circuit: social consensus is good, deviation from consensus is bad, and unity is sought above all.
• When operating in the Faustian circuit: evolution is good, stagnancy is bad, and prosperity is the shared fruit of freedom and willed self-improvement.

As with introversion/extroversion, here too I believe “we” (whether construed as individuals or societies) each favor a given circuit, but should be able to shift between them depending on which best serves our survival needs in the situation at hand. Humans are social animals; therefore, even the Satanist needs the Magian circuit. It’s Satanically-disastrous, however, for people and societies to get stuck in the Magian circuit – a condition I call Dogmagianism. Dogmagianism demands the world conform to a level of “Truth” that’s impossible to ever fully realize. It thus logically concludes in a world-hating nihilism that serves nobody.

Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness unpacks much more about all of these things. To the current point, though: Attainment’s four points to Apollonian limitations, Communion’s Magian ones, Strife’s Dogmagian, and Innovation’s four speaks to Faustianism. Reflecting upon these connections can deepen understanding of these concepts as well as understanding of the omens.

4 Attainment

In Nine Keys

Title: Vigilance

Representation: A youthful priestess in white gazes into a forest pool in which her own reflection and the evening sky above are visible. Her face is half in light and half in shadow due to the lantern beside her. This contrast reflects her attention’s division between innocent rapture at the revelation she stands on the verge of receiving, and premonition that the shadows of animals and cloaked men beneath the trees behind her pose some indistinct danger. These shadowy figures are the part of this vision corresponding to 4 Attainment.

Connotations: A situation wherein vague fear of the unknown manifests via fruitless fretting over more familiar matters. Danger is not necessarily imminent, but when it comes, one is liable to be caught off-guard regardless of preparations. What is needed is not yet-more-careful scheming, but an intuitive receptivity to the current moment.

Tarot equivalent: 4 of Discs

Element: Fire (contra earth in traditional tarot) – note: if my elemental associations are confusing, see this entry.

Elaboration

Attainment’s fiery energy is present here, but contained: amid reflection upon what one truly wants, the lamp’s fire sheds light, but to aid contemplation, not accomplishment. It is not a bad thing to pause one’s endeavors to reconsider whether what one seeks is worth the risks. But prudence demands that contemplation still culminate in action, lest opportunities slip by – or worse, enemies rally – while one ruminates.

How does this relate to the Apollonian circuit’s limitations? The Apollonian mindset parses the known as safe and orderly, the unknown as dangerous chaos. Demarcating the two creates a map enabling one to navigate the world effectively. Knowing when to check one’s progress through life’s Adventure against that map is one kind of wisdom; remembering that “the map is not the territory” is another.

A problem thus arises when one becomes paralyzed amid fixating on the map, wanting every detail fleshed out before proceeding. Individuals who fall into this trap become “all theory, no practice”. Societies analogously delude themselves into seeking “safety” by classifying people and controlling behavior. On both levels, the result is an outward semblance of efficacy concealing a rejection of the complexities of lived experience. Pretending that no chaos-beyond-the-system exists feels reassuring, but guarantees that one will handle such chaos poorly when it does inevitably emerge.

4 Attainment thus warns against treating the Apollonian circuit’s world-navigation-apparatus as perfect and finished. Something always lurks in the shadows, between the categories one thinks one knows. Advance overthinking will therefore not help when it comes to meeting the forces of chaos gracefully.

4 Communion

In Nine Keys

Title: Weariness

Representation: A cloaked rider on a black horse enters a walled garden that is falling into ruin. He delivers a message-scroll to its occupants: the couple from 3 Communion, now aged and discontentedly toying with a game set on a table between them. But they attend neither to him, nor to their fairy-winged child who plays make-believe with the flowers nearby. The worn-out couple are the part of this vision corresponding to 4 Communion.

Connotations: A relationship that once brought joy has gradually become stale and tedious. But insofar as a memory of past fondness lingers, its participants are reluctant to admit their growing mutual resentment. Passive-aggressive lip-service and feigned “getting along” prevail, whereas those involved would be better-served by letting go.

Tarot equivalent: 4 of Cups

Element: Air (contra water in traditional tarot)

Elaboration

4 Communion reflects what happens when one tries to preserve something precious and alive in an airless environment. All things die in time – hence O9A’s “never love anything so much that you cannot see it die” – but stagnancy tends to exacerbate this. And once dead, better to throw them out than let their decaying stench linger to poison other things.

How does this relate to the Magian circuit’s limitations? The Magian circuit is the most explicitly-social of the three thought-patterns. As I keep saying, humans are social animals, and we thus cannot afford total disregard for others. Any “deep” relationship will eventually confront one with elements that are grating, boring, etc., and dealing with this constructively can be essential to maintaining what is worthwhile in such relationships.

Naturally, the Satanist rejects enslavement to the making-nice-at-one’s-own-expense that social consensus so often demands. So of course, wasting energy on no-longer-beneficial attachments is something a serious Sinister-Path-walker is unlikely to tolerate. But far too many “normal” people squander large portions of their lives on 4 Communion dynamics. It can manifest in bad relationships, but also in adherence to a religion, political party, etc. whose character has gradually morphed into something unrecognizable and sharply contrary to one’s own interests.

4 Communion thus warns against clinging to mere belonging amid fear of what severing that bond may bring. You are not obligated to stay unhappy to placate the Magian “but we must get along!” part of your brain. That it serves a purpose at times cannot be denied. But the thought pattern’s purpose is to serve you – not the other way around.

4 Strife

In Nine Keys

Title: Respite

Representation: A stern woman bearing traditional attributes of justice (e.g., scales in one hand, sword at her side) stands before a waterfall, one hand raised in rebuke. The rebuke’s aim is an impish girl with black wings, prodding at a pile of moldering bones in the foreground. This mess of decaying remains and tattered rags is the part of the vision corresponding to 4 Strife.

Connotations: Something has ceased to be an issue, such that this is a good moment to catch one’s breath. Better to do this than to let indistinct fears drive one into creating new problems where there need not be any. Sayings such as “don’t beat a dead horse” and “let sleeping dogs lie” are apt here.

Tarot equivalent: 4 of Swords

Element: Earth (contra air in traditional tarot)

Elaboration

The recalcitrant energy of the earth element acts to one’s benefit in 4 Strife: inertia has slowed to a halt forces that would otherwise act oppositionally to oneself. One would thus be wise to exit in turn, and foolish to re-engage with troubles that the path-of-least-resistance leads away from.

How does 4 Strife touch on themes proximate to Dogmagianism? A significant motivator behind Dogmagianism is resentment toward the strife inherent to embodied existence. Life’s suffering, unfairness, divisiveness and futility are fundamental disappointments driving Dogmagian thinking. The logical conclusion to such a thoroughgoing “no!” toward life would be the euthanization of both oneself and others.

Interestingly though, the number of Dogmagians willing and able to consciously admit this is vanishingly small. Most instead embrace some kind of contradictory mental gymnastics to justify their continued existence despite existence being allegedly-terrible. “We must first fulfill God’s purposes here,” or “but if we just strive harder, we will attain utopia,” or whatever. Thus does the dog ever-return to its own vomit so that it can chew over the same bones yet again.

My point regarding 4 Strife thus pertains to a recognition that Dogmagianism is nearly impossible to live out with full consistency. Evil casts its shadow over all of existence and you hate it? Then leave: problem solved. Do not live a traitor to yourself, hating the world and yet still clinging to it. Analogously, in smaller matters too, those who’ve long desired release ought not to aggravate their own suffering by failing to walk away when the opportunity presents itself.

4 Innovation

In Nine Keys

Title: Distraction

Representation: Beneath a waning crescent moon, ocean extends all the way to the horizon, where two indistinct hulks lurk. Alone on a small raft, a bold young woman stands poised for battle against the leviathans that encircle her. Deep beneath the waves gleam seven jewels, as if the stars from 3 Innovation fell into the water and the armed youth considers trying to retrieve them. These jewels are the part of the vision that corresponds to 4 Innovation.

Connotations: A goal that is worthy to seek, but peripheral to more important matters that one should be focusing on. Spending energy on such an objective may prove detrimental toward one’s other pursuits. Not necessarily an omen of total discouragement, but reflecting upon one’s priorities, timing, etc. before proceeding seems wise to do.

Tarot equivalent: 4 of Wands

Element: Water (contra fire in traditional tarot)

Elaboration

4 Innovation’s ocean evokes the chaos of being, amid which numerous creatures strive, often at cross-purposes. Wading into this swirling mass of energies carries risks: will one enter into a favorable current, or lose one’s way amid a maelstrom? In the absence of a star’s guiding light, pursuing whatever looks most like a star does not necessarily promise success.

How does 4 Innovation bear upon the limitations of the Faustian thought-pattern? While Satanism often favors said circuit, it too can be overapplied. One manifestation of this is the person who acts as if action/progress is always a worthy end in and of itself, without thinking too hard about what this action/progress actually aims at.

Such behavior is not without its benefits, e.g., the leveling-up of skills and experiences sure to have applications in other contexts. The walker of the Sinister path must, however, be able to distinguish between what is central-and-essential – i.e., what O9A would call one’s “wyrd” – and what is peripheral. The latter may well have its own value – perhaps even enough to be worth a little sacrifice. One must, however, remain aware during such a pursuit that it is still a divergence. Otherwise, a small gain now can sow a later neglect of destiny.

4 Innovation thus warns against the Faustian tendency to confuse “constant action” with “evolutionarily-productive action”. Not every ebb in energy constitutes an obstruction best cleared by throwing oneself into immediate combat. Perhaps one may seize an opportunity here – perhaps even a good one. But the Faustian must also learn to realize when to pause to enjoy a moment of stability instead of throwing themselves at once into a new pursuit.

Concluding thoughts

To summarize the ground this post has covered:

• 4 Attainment illustrates an ebb in ambition as one pauses for reflection. It would be an Apollonian mistake to pave over uncertainties inherent in this moment by falling back upon established categories.
• 4 Communion displays an ebb in passion amid stale familiarity. The idea that it’s safest to tolerate this, and scary to disrupt it, evinces the Magian circuit’s overinvestment in consensus.
• 4 Strife portrays an ebb in adversity wrought by the dissipation of forces. Do not then be like the Dogmagian who complains incessantly about life and yet refuses to part from it: either leave well alone, or accept that whatever new troubles follow from your meddling are yours to own.
• 4 Innovation reveals an ebb in the flow of destiny, manifest in a moment wherein a parallel pursuit looks tempting. In response, the short-term functionality of the Faustian circuit urges, “dive in – forward progress is all!”. But whether such a decision best serves a longer-term Faustian trajectory deserves careful consideration.

The fours thus present a recurrent insight: just as with the introvert/extrovert circuits, the Apollonian/Magian/Faustian circuits are also things that we can get “stuck” in, to our detriment. Labeling one circuit “good” and its alternate(s) as “bad” is therefore unproductive; better to acknowledge that getting “stuck” in whatever sense is unproductive – and cultivate adaptability enough to cope accordingly.

Thoughts – especially from anyone who’s either i) tried the runic-tarot or ii) is familiar with traditional tarot enough to comment on how what I’ve described differs from the fours in that system? Let me know in the comments.