The Crown of Creation

Meditations on the Nature of Being, the Human Condition and the Invitation Inherent in Life

This essay is an essential transmission, for my existing and prospective students, on the nature of being and an entry point into the core esoteric ideas that help us understand what it means to be human, how we relate to the Divine, and how our lives fit into the larger pattern of the cosmos. It looks at how existence is a dynamic process, how we are shaped by the world and how we determine the world or the reality that emerges, and how certain deeper principles give meaning to who we are, why we are here, and how everything around us is ordered.

This essay is supported by footnotes to provide definitions to key words used throughout.

Each human being is the embodiment, the essence and the ensoulment of several related but different potentialities.

HUMAN

The Form and Process of Man.

Human, or Man, is an archetype¹, a universal pattern or principle of conscious, embodied existence that reflects a union of the divine and material dimensions of reality. As an archetype, Human signifies not just an individual person, but the fundamental structure and potentiality present in all humanity, as a living, experiencing, participating bridge between spirit and matter, the eternal and the temporal, the divine and the mundane and the vehicle by which the Cosmos evolves and is capable of emodying the Divine.

Man is the crown of creation.

The second Hermetic principle, “As Above, So Below”, implies a necessary correspondence between form and function.

The first Hermetic principle, “The All is Mind”, implies a Supreme Intelligence; Supreme intentionality, a Supreme Will or Desire of Supreme Consciousness.

The two laws together suggest a teleological² purpose, indicating that the Form of Man is no arbitrary accident but a deliberate expression of an intentional deeper order. Man is dualistic in two ways: The Duality of Masculine and Feminine gender expressions, and the paired duality of Divine and material.

The human being reflects and embodies the creative intelligence of the cosmos, fulfilling a specific role within the greater pattern and serving as a locus where meaning, agency, and purpose converge.

Man is the crown of creation.

Crowning is an Emergent process.

Symbols of Emergence

BEING

Being is the fact of existing presently, a current process as it were.

To be is to exist. “Being” is the present participle of “to be,” implying the ongoing state or condition of existence. It describes existence as an active, continuous process rather than a static fact.

Being is a current process and thereby inseparable from Becoming.

A human being is thus a dualistic microcosm of both the eternal Divine Being and the material cosmic being, bound by fate and time, yet conscious, embodied, and ensouled. Material comes from the root word mater, meaning “mother”.

This duality reflects the union of the timeless and the temporal, the spiritual and the material, within each person, situating human existence at the intersection of the transcendent and the immanent.

The secret aim of all tension is transformation.

SPIRIT

Spirit’s trajectory is upwards, seeking individuation, unity, actualisation and expansion.

The Spirit is that dimension within us that is called to ascend and transcend, responding to the call of meaning, higher order, and greater actualisation.

Spirit is of the nature of Fire and Air.

• Fire, in the archetypal sense, is dynamic, aspirational, and transformative. Fire animates the movement toward growth and self-transcendence, seeking to rise above limitation and orient itself toward the highest expression of being. In this way, Spirit operates as the animating principle that both initiates and sustains the evolutionary journey of the soul.

• Air, in the archetypal sense, is associated with clarity, intelligence, and communication. It signifies movement, exchange, and the capacity for abstraction and reflection. Air enables the faculties of thought, perception, and understanding, connecting the inner world of the individual with the greater currents of mind and meaning. As an element of Spirit, Air imparts the qualities of openness, receptivity, and the ability to integrate new insights, allowing consciousness to expand, connect, and adapt.

Our purest essence is made of the substance of that Fire; our Quintessence³. It is no accident that this quintessence is represented as a pentacle, which is itself depicted as the archetypal coin, or currency in Tarot.

Air, we can say, is the aspiration of that Fire. Air in this archetypal context is the necessary ‘space that separates’, the realm and subtle substance of the ethereal⁴. The medium through which Light and Message travel. Hermes in the Greek tradition was represented with winged cap and sandals, carrying the Caduceus.

The Caduceus

Curiosity and Self-Permission are the two wings of the soul. Another word for Self-Permission is Sovereignty.

Together, Fire and Air represent the aspirational and cognitive dimensions of Spirit—the drive toward transcendence and the intelligence that discerns, orders, and communicates that movement.

Quintessence and Ether are related but distinct depictions of the so-called fifth element.

Ether is the raw, undifferentiated potential. Quintessence is the isness of a thing, the pure spirit by which it is impelled to be and become.

BODY

The body is what allows the embodied soul to experience emergent reality viscerally and participate immersively and integrally and relatively.

The body, shaped by both individual choice and collective context, serves as a quantum⁵ vehicle, each individual life representing a discrete, embodied event through which the ongoing evolution of the soul is expressed and furthered.

Quantum literally means “parsed into discrete parcels or packets”. It denotes a condition in which something is not continuous but exists in distinct, individual units. In physics, this refers to the quantisation of energy, matter, or information into fundamental, indivisible units. Applied more broadly, the term “quantum” indicates that something is constituted or transmitted in distinct steps or increments rather than as an unbroken continuum.

Here, “quantum” refers to the individuated and mortal nature of each body, which arises, participates, and passes, while contributing to a larger process of development.

This discrete, iterative progression reflects several of the Hermetic Principles:

• Rhythm, which governs cycles of emergence, growth, and return;

• Duality, which structures reality through correspondence and contrast and relativity, which in turn explicitly necessitate Polarity.

• Gender, which expresses the interplay of generative and receptive forces at every level; and

• Cause and Effect, which ensures that every manifestation is both a result of prior conditions and a seed for subsequent developments.

The ‘quantum’ nature of embodied existence reveals how each life is a distinct, purposeful event within the ongoing rhythm and patterning of the cosmos, shaped and informed by these perennial principles.

The human collective operates as a complex field, a medium in which the wave of teleological evolution propagates, guiding the soul’s journey across multiple lives.

Via this context, evolution is seen not as random but purposeful or teleological, with Spirit moving through body and collective in service of a higher, unfolding aim. Each individual life, though transient, is an active participant in this greater field, shaping and being shaped by the evolutionary movement of the whole.

SOUL

Soul’s trajectory is downwards and flowing, seeking connection, variation (multiplicity) and integration.

Soul is the psyche, the narrative egg—the seat of memory, feeling, and subjective identity.

Soul is of the nature of Water and Earth.

Water, in the archetypal sense, signifies depth, receptivity, emotion, intuition, and the capacity to adapt and flow. It holds the patterns of experience, absorbing and transmitting impressions across time.

Earth, in the archetypal sense, is stable, grounding, and formative. It provides structure, containment, continuity, and substance, allowing the soul to take shape and hold form through successive cycles of incarnation and experience.

Together, Water and Earth describe the soul’s capacity to hold, integrate, and transform experience, shaping the unique story of each life while rooting it in the deeper ground of being. The soul carries the record of each quantum event, storing both the lessons and the substance that inform the journey of Spirit through matter.

The body has its own soul by which it inherits ancestral memory. This somatic soul carries the imprints of lineage, encoding patterns, instincts, and lived experiences passed down through generations. Through this embodied inheritance, the body not only sustains individual life but also serves as a vessel for the memory and wisdom of the ancestors, grounding personal experience in a wider field of collective history and biological continuity.

GENIUS

Genius can be understood as the compelling, or directive intelligence or daimonic⁶ principle inherent in a given aspect of Being.

We consider the Genius of Spirit, the Genius of Soul, the Genius of the Body and the Genius of Place. Each of these is a local expression of intelligence within its respective domain, participating in the broader order (Kosmos⁷) and cadence (Nature) that shape the emergence of body, spirit and soul.

Genius, therefore, is not limited to the realm of mind or intellect but is the living pattern of intelligence present wherever spirit, soul, body, or place interact with and express the larger whole.

• Genius of the Spirit refers to the higher intelligence that guides ascension, transcendence, and the movement toward unity, actualisation, and purpose. This is the impulse of inspiration, vision, and creative will that seeks to align with destiny. It is the intelligence that animates growth, aspiration, and the pursuit of the highest order.

• Genius of the Soul is the intelligence of integration, memory, and belonging—the wisdom that arises from depth, flow, connection, and adaptation. It is felt as intuition, empathy, and the capacity to hold and transform experience. This intelligence operates at the experiential level. This genius manifests as the soul’s unique signature or character, shaping how one weaves meaning and continuity through the cycles of life and fate.

• Genius of the Body is the inherent intelligence within the physical form—instinct, proprioception, healing, adaptation, and the wisdom of lived embodiment. This intelligence operates at the visceral and somatic level, guiding the body’s rhythms, responses, and the practical negotiation of material reality.

• Genius of Place refers to the Intelligence or Spirit that inhabits and animates a particular environment or context. The ancient Roman concept of “genius loci” meant the innate Spirit that ‘pre-exists’. This can be understood as the unique pattern, memory, and field of relationship present in a place, shaping the possibilities for growth, belonging, and interaction.

To understand the Genius Loci or Genius of the Place, we turn to Alexander Pope.

Consult the genius of the place in all;
That tells the waters to rise, or fall;
Or helps the ambitious hill the heavens to scale,
Or scoops in circling theatres the vale;
Calls in the country, catches opening glades,
Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades,
Now breaks, or now directs, the intending lines;
Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs.

Alexander Pope

This passage expresses the idea that every place has its own inherent intelligence or guiding spirit, the Genius Loci, which shapes its form, flow, and potential. To work in harmony with the Genius of the Place is to recognise and collaborate with this intelligence, allowing the unique qualities and patterns of the environment to inform and guide one’s actions. This principle applies equally to landscapes, communities, and personal contexts, reminding us to attune ourselves to the distinctive genius that animates and orders every domain we inhabit or engage with.

This is what The Tao is. The poet David Whyte refers to the dialogue with such forms of genius as The Conversation.

To hold such Conversation meaningfully requires Discernment; the capacity to perceive, interpret, and respond to the intelligence and forms of Will at work within us and around us, namely the true relationship between Cause and Effect, which is how the Logos is incribed indelibly on the creation it seeds.

BEING HUMAN

Each human being is the embodiment, the essence, and the ensoulment of several related but distinct potentialities, a quanta of relative reality. This is the Web of Indra, where every individual consciousness is a unique dewdrop or jewel reflecting and refracting all others, each one occupying a singular point within an interconnected fractal field. The distinctiveness of each person’s perspective and presence and constitution of spirit, soul and body contributes to the coherence and complexity of the greater whole.

Each person experiences life and emergent reality at the precise coordinates of time and place they occupy, resulting in an utterly unique relative reality. This singular intersection of spirit, soul, body, and context shapes the field of experience, allowing each individual to manifest a unique expression of consciousness and possibility within the greater whole.

We shape our reality, and we are shaped by our reality. Being is a process and thereby inseparable from Becoming.

To be a Human is to inhabit the Divine Invitation to actualise—to Become.

THE INTEGRAL SELF

The Integral Self refers to the unified coherence of consciousness that arises when the different dimensions of being—body, soul (psyche), and spirit—are brought into conscious and intentional alignment and mutual coherence.

The Integral Self is the realised, coherent whole that emerges from the conscious composure of the initiate, a result of mediation, integration, and harmonisation of the instincts of the body, the narratives and emotions of the soul, and the aspirations of the spirit.

This is represented by the archetype of THE CHARIOT in Tarot, which symbolises the integration and coordinated direction of diverse forces within the self. The symbols embedded in THE CHARIOT card serve to enrich and deepen this understanding.

In Kabbalistic tradition, the Merkaba, literally meaning “chariot”, is also used as a symbol of this integrative vehicle. THE CHARIOT represents the capacity to bring together body, soul, and spirit under the guidance of conscious will, enabling the individual to navigate reality with mastery, alignment, and purpose. Both the Tarot’s Chariot and the Kabbalistic Merkaba point to the realised Integral Self as the one who harmonises and directs the energies of their being toward a coherent and intended path.

The Integral Self is the Charioteer, the locus of genuine sovereignty, enabling coherent participation in life and purposeful, conscious actualisation. It represents the state of Self-Mastery, a tensegrity⁸ in which a person is able to exercise agency, discernment, and will from a place of inner synthesis, rather than being driven by isolated or conflicting impulses.

DISCERNMENT AND THE GREAT INVITATION

Discernment is the way Will is exercised by Consciousness.

Will, understood as the volitional defining force of the Integral Self, refers to the capacity to direct attention, intention, and action according to what is consciously chosen rather than unconsciously inherited.

Discernment is a dynamic and pervasive principle by which Consciousness recognises itself in action.

Discernment is akin to the archetypal abstract concepts of Judgement, Understanding and Sovereignty.

To be Discerning is to possess agency and Sovereignty, the Will and integrity of a Self, and to navigate emergent reality by making choices from a place of clarity, coherence, and responsibility. This is the context of the Initiate, apprenticed to the Actualisation and Mastery of the Integral Self.

Discernment implies the capacity to engage with complexity, perceive underlying patterns, and act in alignment with what is genuinely meaningful and Beneficial, both in the present and with regard to the future one wishes to help bring into being.

Discernment is the singular difference between moving through life by default, accepting the scripts and conditions inherited from family, education, and culture as uninitiated souls, and having true navigational power.

Discernment does not merely help a human avoid misfortune; it attunes us to the finer patterns within our experience, showing us what is actually present and possible beyond the limits of our default awareness.

Discernment is the difference between seeing a single path and perceiving a wider topology of possibility.

Each act of discernment both refines and reveals will, unlocking choices that had no meaning until we developed the capacity to recognise them. What is available to us, and what we are able to bring about, is always a function of the level of discernment we bring to bear.

The greater the discernment, the more reality opens, offering options, consequences, and futures that are only available to those who can see and choose them. In this way, discernment is the universe’s test and measure of conscious will, the quiet but decisive faculty by which we shape the field of our own becoming.

Discernment is therefore essential for preserving the coherence and efficacy of any genuine tradition. It is through informed, disciplined discernment that one is able to recognise what is truly beneficial, integrate what is coherent, and discard what is maladaptive or misleading. This faculty safeguards the transmission of living knowledge and is a prerequisite for meaningful initiation, self-mastery, and mature engagement with the mysteries.

Discernment is the faculty by which one judges and identifies what is salient, what is of essence and what has meaning, and can tell apart what is sacred from what is banal. In the study and practice of Hermetics, Tarot, and allied esoteric traditions such as astrology, such discernment is therefore critical.

It enables one to recognise true value amidst a proliferation of diluted teachings and superficial claims, ensuring that energy and attention are directed toward what is structurally sound and existentially relevant. The institution of Initiation exists primarily to vet discernment and preserve the coherence of that which is the chariot of actualisation.

• In traditional tribal societies, initiation rites are designed to test and cultivate discernment, marking the passage from childhood to responsible adulthood and ensuring that only those ready to uphold the values and survival of the community are granted full participation.

• In a guild, initiation verifies both skill and judgement, allowing only those who have demonstrated genuine mastery and ethical alignment to enter the ranks of true practitioners, thereby maintaining the integrity of the craft.

• In the context of marriage, the ceremonial and often communal recognition of union serves as an initiation into new roles and responsibilities, demanding discernment not just in the choice of partner but in the commitment to mutual growth and the welfare of the wider family or community.

• In esoteric traditions, initiation operates as both a test and a transmission, ensuring that deeper teachings are entrusted only to those who have cultivated the necessary maturity, understanding, and alignment, thus preserving the integrity of the lineage and its transformative potential.

The Tarot Archetypes of THE MAGICIAN, THE HIEROPHANT and THE CHARIOT capture dimensions of this process and its embodiment.

• THE MAGICIAN embodies agency, will, and the capacity to direct energy with intention and skill.

• THE HIEROPHANT represents the role of tradition, initiation, and the transmission of structured knowledge within a coherent lineage.

• THE CHARIOT symbolizes disciplined movement and the coherence required to navigate opposing forces, carrying the vehicle of actualisation forward.

Together, these archetypes reflect the relationship between discernment, mastery, and the structured pathways that safeguard and transmit genuine wisdom. The 22 cards of the Major Arcana of Tarot depict this critical initiatory arc, albeit in a non-linear way.

Discernment is what safeguards coherence, integrity, and genuine advancement within a landscape otherwise marked by ambiguity and mixed motives.

An absence of Initiation results in an absence of Discernment.

EMERGENT THESIS

What do we make of this?

The emergent thesis in this essay is that to be human is to participate consciously and responsibly in the ongoing, teleological unfolding of the cosmos through the integration of spirit, soul, and body, actualised as the Integral Self. This participation is only authentic and efficacious to the degree that one cultivates discernment—the faculty by which will, agency, and sovereignty are exercised in alignment with deeper order, meaning, and purpose.

Discernment is a critical application of will and consciousness aimed at event horizon of emergent reality. It is the critical factor by which the Initiate moves from a passive default existence towards an active self-directed becoming. Without discernment, individuals cannot move beyond inherited patterns and unconscious scripts, and shape their own lives, the collective field of being and the emergent reality co-created in alignment with the Divine Logos.

Initiation, self-mastery, and the preservation of genuine wisdom traditions are all contingent upon this cultivated discernment, which serves as the chariot and safeguard of actualisation in a cosmos that is not random but purposeful.

All said, this thesis asserts that the evolutionary and esoteric vocation of humanity is fulfilled through the ongoing refinement and application of discernment, making the human being a conscious agent, participant, and co-creator in the emergence of meaning, order, and destiny within the cosmos.

What an Invitation.

—HaGesher

1. Archetypes are foundational structures of meaning that recur across time and culture, original thought forms that express deep patterns within human experience. Archetypes are not just literary devices; they are categories of intelligibility.

• They include archetypal characters like the Warrior, the Healer, the Fool; roles that organise the way we understand people and behaviour.

• They include archetypal abstracts like Justice, Law, Truth, or Chaos—principles that anchor our moral and conceptual orientation.

• They also include archetypal objects like the Anvil, the Hammer, the Crown or the Trophy; symbols whose significance transcends their literal use and points to deeper figurative meanings which all humans can relate to outside their purely literal context.

2. Teleological, pertaining to telos (Greek for “end,” “purpose,” or “goal”), describes processes, systems, or forms that are directed toward an aim or final cause. Teleology is the philosophical view that natural or cosmic order is purposive, rather than random, with events or forms unfolding according to inherent aims or guiding principles implicit in the Hermetic paradigm.

3. Quintessence (from the Latin quinta essentia, “fifth essence”) refers to the most refined, subtle, and essential substance or principle defining the essential expression of the four elements. Quintessence is the “pure spirit” that animates and perfects all matter, equated in Alchemy with the philosopher’s stone.

4. Ether (or Aether) originates in ancient Greek philosophy, where it was conceived as the pure, luminous substance filling the upper regions of the cosmos; the medium through which light and heavenly bodies moved. Aristotle described aether as the immutable, incorruptible element distinct from the four terrestrial elements and not subject to change or decay. This is the formless and boundless essential fundament of existence.

5. Quantum, from quanta meaning “packet”. While originating in physics to denote the smallest indivisible units of energy, “quantum” here is used analogically to mean any discrete, individuated parcel or event—something that is not continuous but occurs in countable, self-contained instances. The term is used to convey that incarnation or embodiment and the related experience and development of the soul or psyche occur as distinct, unique episodes, rather than as an undifferentiated flow.

6. Daimonic, meaning relating to the ancient Greek daimon, an intermediary or guiding spirit, neither wholly divine nor mortal. The daimon represents the innate genius, calling, or tutelary force that mediates between the human and the transcendent, serving as a source of inspiration, vocation, and creative direction, not to be confused with the negative connotation of “demon.”

7. Kosmos vs Cosmos. In classical Greek philosophy, Kosmos refers to the ordered, living totality of reality—an intelligible, harmonious, and ensouled universe in which all parts relate meaningfully. In modern usage, “cosmos” often refers simply to outer space or the material universe. Kosmos preserves the sense of a living order governed by intelligible principles.

8. Tensegrity is a structural principle that describes a system in which stability and integrity are achieved through a dynamic balance of tension and compression. The term, coined by architect Buckminster Fuller and artist Kenneth Snelson, combines “tensional integrity.” In a tensegrity structure, the components under tension (such as cables or tendons) and those under compression (such as rods or bones) interact to create a resilient, flexible, and self-supporting form. Applied metaphorically to the psyche or the Integral Self, tensegrity refers to a balanced state where the various forces, impulses, and dimensions within a person are held in dynamic tensional integrity. This allows for both stability and adaptability, supporting coherent agency and self-mastery without rigidity or collapse.