The Choice

[JustLikeYou]

In reference to the quotation, I can only say what βαθμιαίος has already said. Ra was speaking of a specific archetype of which purity is a fundamental feature.

In reference to the image of the card, I see the choice depicted in the eclipsing Sun. The heart of this choice is whether to radiate or to absorb, whether to open the heart or close it. The choice not yet fully made is depicted quite clearly in that the Sun, the image of the essence of the Spirit, is partially obscured, just as the shadow which would obscure the Sun partially reveals it. As the Fool moves forward, the Sun will either move further into eclipse or further out of eclipse.

Another suggestion of the choice between STO and STS is the two crocodiles at the bottom. The crocodile in Egyptian culture represented a voracious beast which was fed the heart of the unworthy (which I think would refer to those who fall into the "sinkhole of indifference"). The dual crocs therefore may be seen as that which must be sacrificed upon either the right or left-hand paths. Tying the Sun into this image, the heart open or the heart closed must be sacrificed, depending on which path you take. It is not easy to let go of compassion on the negative path, just as it is not easy to let go of control on the positive.