Paul Foster Case (October 3, 1884 – March 2, 1954) was an American occultist of the early 20th Century and author of numerous books on tarot and Kabbalah. Perhaps his greatest contributions to the field of occultism were the lessons he wrote for associate members of Builders of the Adytum. The Knowledge Lectures given to initiated members of the Chapters of the B.O.T.A. were equally profound, although the limited distribution has made them less well known.
The writings of Paul Foster Case outline his research and beliefs relating to tarot, Kabbalah and the Western Magical Tradition. His writings form part of the core teachings of Builders of the Adytum (BOTA), and are similar in many ways to the teachings of Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which Case was a member.
For further biographical details see the Paul Foster Case Wikipedia entry.
Paul Foster Case’s Concept of the Will
In Introduction to the Study of the Tarot Case states that Yod corresponds to “Intelligence of Will” and that it joins Chesed to Tipharet
Case identifies several aspects of Will:
- Primal Will – On the Tree of Life: Kether (primarily), with other correspondences in Chesed, and Malkuth.
- Infinite Will – On the Tree of Life: Chokmah.
- The Will of the adept (which may be considered an individual Will)
The Magician Tarot Card is perhaps the most important summary of Case’s understanding of the Will. In Introduction to the Study of the Tarot Case Writes: ‘’The primary manifestation of Spirit is Will, of which Attention-the wand-is the essence, and to which Memory-the wallet-is closely linked. Wisdom, having for its essence Imagination-the rose-is the secondary expression. Upon the progress of this vital principle in humanity depends the advancement of the sub-human forms, represented by the dog.’’
Case writes: “The Fool may be represented as a circle, the Magician as the center, and the High Priestess as the diameter, dividing the circle into two equal parts. The circle is Infinite Intelligence; the center is the Primal Will, and the extension of that Will toward the limitless circumference is the Line…” Compare this with Assagioli’s Star Diagram, with the self at the centre, surrounded by Will, with various emanations of psychological functions radiating from this circle.
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