From the book Bafomitras’ Grimoire of Arcana.
Design by Dražen Pekušić based on my sketch.
If you want to buy this book (and deck), write to dorijan.nuaj@gmail.com
Design by Dražen Pekušić based on my sketch.
If you want to buy this book (and deck), write to dorijan.nuaj@gmail.com
The eighth arcana is named
Bektash. Its origin is Amhazar. Bektash, not by name but by role, points to a
Sumerian origin. The card is dominated by bright yellow and red colors. Bektash
is the guardian of the tower of trials, which is connected to Ishtahar. He is
depicted as a figure in a white hood standing in front of the tower. He never
enters it or indulges in its lavish rooms but lives in a modest nearby cottage.
The tower consists of seven floors and twelve rooms, each of which holds its
secret and a trial for the initiate. The numbers 7 and 12 point to the zodiac
circle, as seven are the old planets that rule over the twelve constellations
of the zodiac. It is precisely Ishtahar, in her seven and twelve
transformations, who serves as the tool of temptation. At the top of the tower
is a symbol indicating the victor’s balcony bathed in sunlight—representing the
one who has successfully passed through all that the tower conceals. In the
large and bright solar disk located just above the tower, a seven-pointed star
is imprinted. This arcana hides the key to solar catatonia as a form of trance.
Kabbalistically speaking, this arcana has elements of Netzach and Tiphereth.
The
message of the card is to go through trials, as it represents a test without
which there is no progress. In divinatory terms, it heralds troubles,
obstacles, trials, problems, challenges, and complex situations. Although the
name is masculine and points to the guardian in the white hood, the spirit of
this card is distinctly feminine but in a strict sense. She appears as a tall,
elegant dark-skinned woman dressed in black leather (though sometimes in red).
In her company is a dwarf in a white hood. This remarkable woman even has the
air of a dominatrix. She carries a massive black staff with a heptagram at its
tip. The spirit of this card is invoked when there is a need to reveal or
uncover a hidden truth, and also when one must face difficult trials. Additionally,
she can assist in confronting challenges. Her words are... (The words are given in the book).
