Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 1 Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool: A	Tantric	Reading	of	'The	Herne's	Egg	(1938)' Margot	Wilson Background This	essay	considers	Yeats's	The	Herne's	Egg	(1938)	as	the	journey	of	the	archetypal Fool1	of	Tarot	from	Indian	Vedic	and	Tantric	perspectives.	In	brief,	the	Tarot2	system begins	with	'0	=	The	Fool'	and	ends	with	'21	=	The	World'.	These	twenty-one	cards	are known	as	the	'Major	Arcana'	and	are	used	in	combination	with	four	suites	of	'Minor Arcana'	cards	that	correspond	with	the	hearts,	clubs,	diamonds	and	spades	of recreational	playing	cards.	In	Tarot,	these	suites	become	cups,	pentacles,	swords	and wands,	symbolising	water,	earth,	air	and	fire.	The	twenty-one	Major	Arcana	(twentytwo	including	zero)	comprise	three	cycles	of	seven,	the	number	seven	corresponding with	the	seven	inner	planets	'Sun,	Moon,	Mercury,	Venus,	Mars,	Jupiter	and	Saturn'; the	Sun	is	synonymous	with	the	bearing	of	life	and	Saturn	synonymous	with	the approach	of	death.	These	planets	also	relate	to	the	Vedic	system	of	chakras,	of	which there	are	seven. Each	card	represents	a	stage	of	the	cycle	of	life;	note	the	repetition	of	0	=	zero	and the	'0'	of	laurel	in	The	World	card.	This	represents	the	mathematical	expression	of zero	and	the	symbolic	image	of	the	Ouroboros.	The	first	card,	The	Fool	(0)	progresses to	the	Judgement	card	(XX),	after	which	the	final	stage,	The	World	is	obtained,	or	not. If	Judgement	falls	against	the	Fool,	he	returns	to	zero. 1	The	Fool	represents	the	archetypal	beginning	as	a	crossing	point	within	the	eternal	cycle	of	life. 2	The	first	known	Tarot	deck	of	playing	cards	arose	in	the	early	15th	century	between	1420	–	1450.	Tarot	in	its occult	use	came	later	around	1540.	Israel	Regardie,	The	Tree	of	Life	(London:	Rider,	1932). Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 2 The	Rider	Wait	Tarot:	'The	Fool'	and	'The	World' The archetypal Fool of Tarot sets out with his dog on a quest for the unknown; he knows not where he heads or why, but nevertheless takes a leap of faith. Through his personal odyssey, the Fool is awakened and matures to a fully enlightened and initiated being; such are the themes of the Indian Vedas and Tantra. Yeats was a user of Tarot and a scholar of the Vedas and Tantra. The	Rider	Waite	Tarot:	The	Major	Arcana The	Fool's	journey	commences	at	zero	and	concludes	with	the	final	Judgement	(XX) which	enables	the	Fool	to	experience	Unity	of	Being	(The	World). Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 3 Introduction This	exploration	of	Yeats	as	the	archetypal	Fool	is	presented	as	three	related	topics of	discussion:	first	is	a	brief	framing	of	what	Tantra	is	and	how	its	principles	are shared	across	esoteric	philosophies	and	creeds	such	as	Kabbala,	Hermeticism,	Vedic Vedanta,	Buddhist	and	Christianity;	the	second	section	provides	a	Tantric	reading	of The	Herne's	Egg,	drawing	from	Yeats's	revised	1925	edition	of	A	Vision	(1937)3.	The final	section	applies	the	Tantric	perspective	to	Yeats's	spiritual	approach	to	his writing	practice,	touching	on	the	common	Tantric-esque	ground	between	Yeats	and his	literary	associate,	Ezra	Pound,	and	the	subsequent	basis	of	Vorticism.	This concludes	with	an	alternative	Tantric	interpretation	of	The	Herne's	Egg	as	the	quest for	Yeats's	Unity	of	Being4.	In	the	'Introduction'5	of	The	Herne's	Egg.	In	the	1991 version	discussed	herein,	Alan	Parkin	acknowledges	the	Indian,	Buddhist	(Tibetan) and	Christian	influences	and	analyses	the	play	mainly	through	a	Christian	and	Celtic lens.	The	focus	here	is	Tantric,	which	teaches	practices	that	unite	the	corporeal	with the	divine. Yeats's	Metaphysics Yeats's	metaphysics	correspond	with	monist	Indian	Vedic	metaphysics,	leaning towards	Advaita	Vedanta,	which	in	the	19th	century	flourished	within	the	Western esoteric	school	of	Theosophy.6	These	Vedic	roots	correspond	with	the	orthodox Indian	Brahamanist	view	of	God	and	(hu)man	'as	One';	it	is	a	non-dualist	philosophy that	renders	everything	meaningful	and	nothing	meaningless.	Neil	Mann	similarly 3	W.B.	Yeats,	A	Vision,	(London:	Macmillan,	1962,	second	ed.	1937).	The	second	edition	will	be	referred	to throughout. 4	Ibid...'Unity	of	Being'	is	discussed	throughout	as	the	combining	of	the	human	gyre	with	God's	gyre. 5	The	introduction	to	1991	republished	Macmillan	version	was	written	by	Alan	Parkin	(copyright	The	Catholic University	of	America	Press,	1991) 6	The	Theosophical	Society	was	founded	in	New	York	in	1875	by	occultist	Madame	Helena	Blavatsky.	The	word 'Theosophy'	derives	from	the	Greek	'sophia'	(Divine	Wisdom).	The	order	was	strongly	influenced	by	the	Tantric teachings	of	Tibetan	Buddhism	and	applied	across	Kabbala,	Hermetic,	Christian,	Buddhist	and	Vedic	cosmic systems.	For	further	reading,	see	Antoine	Faivre's	Theosophy,	Imagination,	Tradition:	Studies	in	Western Esotericism,	SUNY	series	in	Western	esoteric	traditions.	Tr.	by	Christine	Rhone	(Albany,	NY:	State	University	of New	York	Press,	2000). Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 4 explains	Yeats's	monist	view,	replacing	Brahma	(God)	with	Yeats's	'Thirteenth	Cone', which	in	A	Vision	signifies	God.	'In	some	sense	we	live	permanently	both	in	our	own cycle	and	in	the	Thirteenth	[Cone],	but	are	largely	unconscious	of	the	latter	until	our final	initiation	comes...this	final	liberation	is	intrinsic	within	each	lesser	form'.7 (This 'final	liberation'	as	the	Tarot	Judgement	and	The	World	will	be	discussed	as	part	of the	analysis	of	The	Herne's	Egg.) In	Fifth	Century	BCE	India,	the	incumbent	monist	Vedic	point	of	view	was	criticized and	rejected	by	the	Buddha	who	argued	the	impossibility	of	a	self-created	thing within	a	'causal'	universe.	The	Buddha	went	on	to	reject	the	concept	of	a	concrete 'self'	or	'agent'	and	any	possibility	of	a 'First	Cause'	or	prime	mover.	He	proposed that	lack	of	freedom	is	rooted	in	the	conditioned	nature	of	the	human	senses	and brain,	concluding	that	ignorance	is	eradicated	through	disciplined	training	of	the physiology	(these	are	the	five	skandhas	[Sanskrit]	/khandhas	[Pali]	which	view	the senses	as	'aggregates';	these	include	form,	sensation,	perception,	mental	form	and consciousness).8 Alternatively,	the	monist	Vedic	teachings	present	a	top-down	direct	form	of conditioning	that	is	strongly	deterministic	and	conceivably	fatalistic,	due	to	the strength	of	dependency.9 Dependency	is	a	term	that	applies	to	strictly	causal environments	and	worlds	which	in	this	case	means	Brahma,	as	God,	who	conditions everything	because	he	is	a	prime	mover	and	signifies	the	First	Cause.	This	means	that Vedic	ignorance	differs	from	Buddhist	in	that	it	refers	to	the	subjective	illusion	of independence	or	separation	from	Brahma,	hence	the	terminology	of	Brahma	(God) and	Brahmin	(expression	of	God). Both	views	assign	the	qualities	of	ignorance	to	the archetypal	Fool	as	expressed	within	the	Tarot.	This	is	not	to	say	that	the	Italian- 7	Neil Mann, 'A Vision: Ideas of God and Man', in Yeats Annual, 8, ed. by Warwick Gould (London: Palgrave, Macmillan, 1991), p. 164. 8	For	a	succinct	introduction	to	the	khandhas,	see	Chapter	Three	of	Susan	Hamilton's	Indian	Philosophy:	A	Very Short	Introduction	(Oxford:	Oxford	University	Press,	2001). 9	Brahmanism	divides	this	top-down	triangle	or	cone	into	four	distinct	levels;	these	are	expressed	as	parts	of	the human	body	with	the	Brahman	as	the	head	and	the	Untouchable	as	the	feet. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 5 created	Tarot	card	system	grew	directly	out	of	Indian	esoteric	systems,	but	that	the components	of	Tantra	are	universal	to	most,	if	not	all	of	ancient	the	spiritual philosophies,	despite	their	monist	and	dualist	disagreements	about	causal	linearity	or quantum	cycles. Yeats	was	conversant	with,	if	not	expert	in,	both	monist	and	dualist theories	and	leaned	towards	quantum	cycle	theories	that	incorporate	reincarnation (Theosophy,	Hermeticism,	Kabbala,	Tantra	and	Tibetan	Buddhism). To	enable	communion	with	God,	the	archetypal	Vedic	Fool	navigates	his	way	from ignorance	via	the	initiated	archetypal	Tantric	Fool.	The	Tantric	Fool	emerges	through the	cultivation	of	personal	kundalini10	energy	as	a	cone	or	gyre,	mirroring	God's Thirteenth	Cone	or	gyre	as	stated	by	Yeats	in	A	Vision.	(1937) W.	David	Soud	proposes	that	Yeats	was	exposed	to	the	subject	of	Tantra	via	Sri Purohit	Swami,	in	particular,	chapter	one	of	his	teachings	in	An	Indian	Monk	(1932),1112 headed	'The	Kundalini.'	However,	Yeats	was	exposed	to	these	topics	as	early	as	1889 through	his	involvement	with	Theosophy	and	its	founder,	Madame	Blavatsky13	and also	Mohini	Chaterjee.	Purohit	states	''Kundalini	is	a	tantric	name	for	both	the Goddess	and	the	liberating	spiritual	energy	within	each	human	being,	which	is envisioned	as	coiled	like	a	snake	at	the	base	of	the	spine,	dormant	until	awakened. Spiritual	awakening,	or	saktipat	(the	descent	of	power),	usually	occasioned	through initiation	by	a	guru,	is	said	to	arouse	the	kundalini,	which	then	ascends	through	the 10	Kashmir	Saivism	describs	kundalini	as	the	Goddess	Durga,	divine	female	energy	called	Shakti,	expressed	in Tantrism	and	Shaktism. See	Kashmir	Saivism,	Vac:	The	Concept	of	the	Word	in	Selected	Hindu	Tantras	(New Delhi:	Sri	Satguru	Publications,	1990),	pp.	124–136. 11	Sri	Purohit	Swami,	Autobiography	of	an	Indian	Monk	(New	Delhi:	Munshiram	Manoharlal	Publishers,	1996). First	edition	printed	1932. 12	Yeats	collaborated	with	Shri	Purohit	Swami	during	1935	and	1936	when	he	worked	with	him	on	a	translation of	Ten	Principles	Upanishads	(1938)	and	received	a	copy	of	Autobiography	of	an	Indian	Monk	in	February,	1932, by	which	time	Yeats	was	already	proficient	in	Indian	philosophy	and	analysis	of	esoteric	texts,	having	started with	Madame	Blavatsky	and	Annie	Besant	in	1889.	(see	John	S.	Kelly's	W.B.	Yeats	Chronology	(Basingstoke: Palgrave	Macmillan,	2003). 13	Madame	Blavatsky	(1831	–	1891)	was	a	Russian	occultist	and	spiritualist	who	brought	the	Tantric	teachings of	Tibetan	Buddhism	and	the	Vedas	to	the	West.	She	described	Theosophy	as	"the	synthesis	of	science,	religion and	philosophy".	See	her	book	The	secret	doctrine:	The	Synthesis	of	science,	religion,	and	philosophy	(London:	The Theosophical	Publishing	Company,	1888). Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 6 channels	of	the	subtle	body,	eventually	effecting	liberation.'14 These	themes	are	systemised	as	monist	metaphysics	in	Yeats's	A	Vision,	in	particular in	the	updated	second	version	of	1937.	A	Vision	describes	the	sacred	nature	of	'The Great	Wheel'	in	terms	of	the	28	phases	of	the	Moon,15	divided	into	four	quadrants	of seven,	each	representing	the	stages	of	human	development.	These	are	Will,	Mask, Creative	Mind	and	Body	Fate.	Yeats	further	aligns	the	cardinal	signs	of	the	zodiac	as 'Will	(Aries/Mars),	Mask	(Cancer/Moon),	Creative	Mind	(Libra/Venus),	Body	Fate (Capricorn/Saturn).16 These	descriptions	are	derived	through	use	of	the	mythological zodiacal	and	planetary	archetypes;	such	is	also	the	case	with	the	Tarot	system. For	Yeats	then,	the	journey	of	the	Archetypal	Fool	embodies	both	the	Vedic	Fool	and the	Tantric	Fool. The	Vedic	Fool	moves	through	the	respective	stations	of	the twenty-one	major	arcana	Tarot	and	over	time,	matures;	to	do	this,	the	Vedic	Fool must	master	courage,	desire,	submission	to	his	guru,	and	free	himself	from	selfdeception. Over	time,	Yeats's	Vedic	Fool	is	educated	in	the	nature	of	monist	universals	as	the Unity	of	Being	(A	Vision),	particularly	powers	of	ecstasy.	The	ecstasy	concept	of Tantra	applies	to	most,	if	not	all,	esoteric	religious	orders,	but	particularly	to	Vedicrooted	religions	and	yogic	philosophies	that	hold	that	the	human	body	possesses seven	vortices	or	cones	distributed	between	the	base	of	the	spine	and	the	top	of	the skull.	These	vortices	or	gyres	are	called	'chakras'.17	In	order	for	the	Vedic	Fool	to	be 14	Shri	Purohit,	Swami,	An	Indian	Monk:	His	Life	and	Adventures	(1932;	repr.	New	Delhi:	Rupa,	2003)	pp.	105-6 sourced	from	W.	David	Soud,	Divine	Cartographies,	God,	History	And	Poiesis	in	W.B.	Yeats,	David	Jones	and	T.S. Eliot	(Oxford:	Oxford	University	Press,	2016). 15	These	are	known	in	Western	(Hellenic/Kabbalist)	astrology	as	'the	decanates'	which	symbolise	each	degree	of a	zodiacal	sign	comprised	of	29	degrees.	Both	the	degrees	of	zero	and	29	are	viewed	as	occupying	the	same	place as	an	oscillating	transition	point,	with	zero	corresponding	with	The	Kabbalist	Fool	of	the	Tarot	and	29 corresponding	with	Saturn	(Father/God),	the	mature	or	initiated	Fool,	which	necessitates	the	death	of	the	Fool of	ignorance. 16	For	further	detail,	see	chapter	3	of	A	Vision,	pp.	66	–	265. 17	Thomas	McEvilley	(1993)	explains	the	chakras	as	follows:	'There	is	likely	to	have	been	some	connection between	the	Indian	and	the	Greek	doctrines	of	the	identity	of	spinal	fluid,	brain	fluid,	and	the	penis;	of	the chakras	when	they	cross;	of	the	hierarchy	of	those	all	the	way	to	the	highest	chakra,	seen	as	the	proper	location Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 7 worthy	of	cosmic	sex	with	Yeats's	Thirteenth	Cone	(God/The	Great	Herne),	he	must attune	all	seven	of	his	bodily	chakras	to	God's	cosmic	song. The	Tantric	Fool	then becomes	the	Magus	and	Alchemist	(Kabbalist/Christian/Hermetic)	and	is	capable	of both	hearing	and	singing	God's	(The	Great	Herne's)	song.	Yeats's	odyssey	of	the	Fool in	The	Herne's	Egg,	then,	is	a	metaphor	for	the	Tantric	initiation	of	the	Vedic	Fool	with the	goal	of	ascending	to	God's	level	through	sexual	intercourse	with	God's	subjective 'mask'	as	the	Goddess	or	The	Priestess	Attracta. Attracta	attracts	Yeats's	Vedic	Fool	(Congal)	and	they	come	together	to	become	the kundalini	embodiment	of	the	Herne's	egg:	i.e.	two	combined	gyres	forming	a cosmic/corporeal	orb.	In	order	for	this	to	be	achieved,	Congal	must	marshal	his	six soldiers	to	perform	as	One.	The	soldiers	are:	Mike,	Pat,	Malachi,	Mathias,	Peter	and John	who	combine	with	Congal	as	seven	and	are	proposed	here	as	being	symbolic	of the	seven-cone	chakra	system,	the	seven	deadly	sins,	the	seven	harmonics	of Pythagoras,	and	the	seven	inner	planets	of	the	zodiac. Yoko	Sato	goes	so	far	as	to offer	a	'seven	dwarfs'	reading.18	The	Herne's	Egg	as	a	Tantric	metaphor	will	be explored	next. A	Tantric	Reading	of	'The	Herne's	Egg' The	Herne's	Egg	opens	with	Yeats's	stage	directions	that	present	the	conflicts	of	Man as	somehow	shapely	and	harmoniously	conditioned,	thus	reflecting	the	conditioned nature	of	the	cosmos	and	Earth. 'Many	men	fighting	with	swords	and	shields,	but	sword	and	sword,	shield	and sword,	never	meet.	The	men	move	rhythmically	as	if	in	a	dance;	The	battle flows	out	at	one	side;	two	Kings	are	left	fighting	for	the	centre	of	the	stage; the	battle	returns	and	flows	out	at	the	other	side'.19 of	the	sperm-marrow-soul;	and	of	the	association	of	the	marrow	with	a	serpent.'	See	'The	Spinal	Serpent',	RES: Anthropology	and	Aesthetics,	24	(The	President	and	Fellows	of	Harvard	College	and	The	Museum	of	Archaeology and	Ethnology,	1993),	p.	70. 18	Yoko	Stato,	'The	Hero	and	the	Fool'	"The	Herne's	Egg",	The	Harp,	10	(Japan:	IASL,	1995)	pp.	59-66,	see	p.	62. 19	W.B.	Yeats,	The	Herne's	Egg	(London:	Macmillan.,	1991,	first	ed.	1938),	p	41. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 8 In	Scene	One,	Congal	and	AEDH	(King	of	Tara)	discuss	their	battle	losses	in	terms	of loss	and	failure	being	a	natural	and	necessary	function	within	the	equilibrium	of	God. AEDH	states,	'Your	losses	equal	mine'	to	which	Congal	replies,	'They	always	have	and must'.	AEDU	goes	on	to	state	'And	all	[fifty]	were	perfect	battles'.	He	further	refers to	the	two	of	them	as	'Two	rich	fleas'	that	'retired	and	bought	a	dog'.	When	Congal asks	'What	kind	of	dog	they	bought,'	AEDH	replies	'Heaven	knows'.	When	pressed again	by	Congal	with	'You	must	have	thought	what	kind	of	dog	they	bought,'	AEDH repeats	'Heaven	knows'.	When	a	third	time	he	states	'A	fat,	square,	lazy	dog.	No	sort of	scratching	dog.'20	This	opening	exchange	between	the	protagonist,	Congal,	and his	adversary	AEDH	reveals	Yeats's	worldview	that	measured	conflict	is	a	necessary expression	of	cosmic	and	corporeal	harmony.	Conflict	in	this	sense	is	the	strife	that occurs	when	one	is	separated	from	the	truth	of	Unity	of	Being,	which	is	a	state	of ignorance.	The	dog,	which	is	depicted	in	the	Tarot	card	The	Fool,	may	be	read	as symbolic	of	ignorance	in	its	'squareness';	Yeats's	divinity	is	at	all	times	conical	and spherical.	Further,	as	the	concept	of	fleas	owning	a	dog	that	is	lazy	and	ignorant	sets them	as	successful	parasites	living	off	a	misguided	creature	who	is	out	of	kilter	(fleas owning	dogs)	with	how	things	really	are	(according	to	Vedic	monism). In	Scene	Two,	a	donkey	is	introduced	as	'a	chattel,	a	taker	of	blows,	not	a	giver	of blows'21,	which	in	the	end	proves	not	to	be	the	case	when	Congal	finds	himself affected	by	the	donkey	(via	its	copulation	with	another	donkey)	at	the	exact	same time	as	his	act	of	reincarnation. Next,	when	Corney	informs	Congal	how	to	summon	the	priestess	Attracta	by	playing a	flute	that	is	'carved	out	of	a	herne's	thigh',	Congal	pays	to	play	the	flute.	Attracta appears	and	Congal	orders	the	eggs	to	be	packed	onto	the	donkey;	thus,	he	is	openly disrespectful	of	Attracta's	warnings.	She	states	'There	is	no	reality	but	the	Great 20	Ibid...p	42-3. 21	W.B.	Yeats,	The	Herne's	Egg	Ibid,	p	43. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 9 Herne'	to	which	Mike	replies	'The	cure'. Attracta There	is	no	reality	but	the	Great	Herne. Mike The	cure. Congal Why,	that	is	easy	said; An	old	campaigner	is	the	cure For	everything	that	woman	dreams	– Even	I	myself,	had	I	but	time. Mike Seven	men. Congal This	man	of	learning	means That	seven	men	packed	into	a	day And	not	a	wealth-stained,	war-battered Old	campaigner	such	as	I, Are	needed	to	melt	down	the	snow That's	fallen	among	these	wintry	rocks. Attracta There	is	no	happiness	but	the	Great	Herne. Here,	in	the	second	scene	of	the	play	Yeats	has	laid	out	major	symbols	and	their relations:	these	are	1)	only	one	reality:	The	Great	Herne	/	Brahma	/	God	/Thirteenth Cone;	2)	The	cure	is	'the	old	campaigner':	Congal,	who	has	overcome	many	trials	to be	on	the	mountainside	in	the	presence	of	Attracta,	where,	as	'seven	men'	coming together,	'melt	down	the	snow'	through	the	generation	of	heat	as	the	combustive taking	of	Attracta.	In	all	Vedic	and	Buddhist	systems,	combustive	heat	and	fire	are synonymous	with	kundalini. On	the	face	of	it,	this	is	a	moral	story	that	portrays	the	rape	of	a	woman	by	seven ignorant	men;	most	guilty	is	Congal	who	meets	his	match	when	he	attempts	to	steal the	encapsulated	essence	of	the	universe	represented	by	the	eggs. However,	Yeats typically	avoided	moralistic	themes,	which	suggests	that	Congal	is	not	interested	in the	arbitrary	rape	of	Attracta	or	the	valueless	opportunity	of	gang	sex.	To	the contrary,	Congal,	as	the	Vedic	Fool,	aspires	to	be	a	Tantric	Fool	and	desires	all	that Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 10 the	archetypal	egg22	of	Yeats's	Thirteenth	Cone	God	contains:	its	knowledge,	its power	and	the	ecstasy	of	Unity	of	Being	with	The	Great	Herne	(God). In	Tantra	such Unity	of	Being	can	only	be	achieved	via	The	Priestess,	in	this	case,	Attracta.	In	the Tarot	system	The	High	Priestess	sits	between	the	Magician	(I)	and	Empress	(III)	and	is broadly	considered	to	represent	the	archetypal	bride	of	God	as	the	Virgin	Mary,	Isis, The	Holy	Mother	Church	and	Shiva. In	Freemasonry,	which	was	associated	with	The	Hermetic	Order	of	the	Golden Dawn23,	and	therefore	Yeats,	The	High	Priestess	resides	between	the	two	pillars	of Boaz	and	Jachin	created	by	Hirram	in	the	Temple	of	Solomon.	The	Hermetic	Order	of the	Golden	Dawn	also	had	a	spin-off	group	headed	by	Yeats	call	the	Stella	Matutina. Both	these	Orders	operated	on	systematised	degrees	of	initiation	and	include	ritual systems	both	mundane	and	esoteric	according	to	each	degree.	The	esoteric	rituals are	derived	from	Egyptian	Hermetic	teachings	and	esoteric	knowledge	within	the Jewish	Kabbala.	This	subject	is	vast	and	it	is	sufficient	here	to	acknowledge	that	Yeats was	a	high-degree	initiate	and	had	access	to	most	corpuses	of	knowledge	involving the	metaphysics	of	spiritualised	matter	and	the	necessary	steps	to	obtaining	the powers	entailed	within	a	'First	Cause'	mover	(God).	The	aim	at	all	times	is	to	inch one's	way	towards	the	final	initiation	by	the	Priestess	in	order	to	experience	the powers	entitled	only	to	God,	symbolized	here	as	The	Great	Herne.	The	pillars	of	Boaz and	Jachin	embody	such	symbolism.	What	distinguishes	(Hu)Man	from	God	is	that God	moves	and	Man	is	moved.	The	aim	of	the	archetypal	Fool	is	to	be	fully	receptive and	pure	in	the	state	of	being	moved.	Such	is	Unity	of	Being	and	divine	Love; everything	else	is	ignorance. Thomas	Troward	states 22	The	concept	of	a	cosmic	egg	arose	as	early	as	pre-Socratic	Orphism,	which	Pythagoras	later	embraced,	and occurs	also	as	the	Hermetic	Ouroboros	of	ancient	Egypt.	The	Ouroboros	is	symbolised	as	the	snake	with	its	tail in	its	mouth	and	corresponds	directly	with	the	uncoiled	snake	of	kundalini	and	the	root	principle	of	Tantra. 23	The	Hermetic	Order	of	the	Golden	Dawn	was	founded	by	three	Rosicrucian	and	Freemason	members,	William Wynne	Wescott,	William	Robert	Woodman	and Samuel	Liddel	MacGregor	Mathers	in	1887. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 11 '[w]ithout	pushing	the	analogy	too	far	we	may	say,	then,	that	Boaz	represents the	principle	of	redemption	in	the	widest	sense	of	reclaiming	an	estate	by right	of	relationship,	while	the	innermost	moving	power	in	its	recovery	is Love.	[...]	The	word	Yak	[interchanging	J	and	Y]	signifies	"one";	and	the termination	"hi,"	or	"hin,"	is	an	intensitive	which	may	be	rendered	in	English by	"only."	Thus	the	word	"Jachin"	resolves	itself	into	the	words	"one	only," the	all-embracing	Unity.'	He	also	states	'[t]he	former	is	Unity	of	Being;	the latter,	Unity	of	Intention:	and	the	principle	of	this	Dual-Unity	is	well	illustrated by	the	story	of	Boaz.'24 Two	elementary	things	are	at	play	in	The	Herne's	Egg;	first	is	the	issue	of	fate/free	will in	context	of	a	First	Cause	(mover/moved).	The	second	is	the	Tantric	concept	of perfection	and	the	attunement	of	absolute	harmony	attained	through	kundalinimediated	intercourse	(Attracta)	with	God	(the	Great	Herne),	the	primary	mover	of	all things. These	concepts	are	expressed	within	Yeats'	'gyres'.	He	states: 'The	first	gyres	clearly	described	in	the	Timaeus	which	are	made	by	the	circuits of	'the	Other'	(creators	of	all	particular	things),	of	the	planets	as	they	ascend or	descend	above	or	below	the	equator.	They	are	the	opposing	nature	to	that circle	of	the	fixed	stars	which	constitute	'the	Same'	and	confers	upon	us	the knowledge	of	Universals.	Alcemon,	a	pupil	of	Pythagoras,	thought	that	men die	because	they	cannot	join	their	beginning	and	their	end.	Their	serpent	has not	its	tail	in	its	mouth.'25 In	The	Herne's	Egg,	Congal	finds	himself	in	the	presence	of	a	self-created	force	(The Great	Herne),	thus	a	First	Cause	God,	and	its	power	to	create	and	procreate	(egg(s)). Yeats's	Herne's	egg	is	comprised	of	two	opposite	interlocking	cones	(gyres)	that	spin in	opposite	directions	such	as	in	the	Hermetic	symbol	of	interlocking	snakes	and	the Kabbalist	symbol	of	two-dimensional	interlocked	triangles:	the	Star	of	David26. As they	spin	together	they	form	the	shape	of	an	egg	capable	of	'turning	itself	inside out';	thus	they	manifest	subjectively	while	still	existing	as	a	whole,	objectively. Yeats states	in	A	Vision	that	Michael	Robartes	called	the	universe	'a	great	egg	that	turns 24	Thomas	Troward,	The	Hidden	Power	(1921),	at	sacred-texts.com.	See	pp.192-4,	also	published	(New	York: Tarcher	Putnam,	2015). 25	W.B.	Yeats,	A	Vision	(London:	Macmillan,	1962,	second	ed.	1937),	p.	69. 26	The	Star	of	David	may	also	symbolise	the	coming	together	of	the	Two	Pillars,	Jachin	and	Boaz. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 12 inside-out	perpetually	without	breaking	out	of	its	shell...'27	In	effect,	the	subjective (moved)	and	objective	(mover)	oscillate	in	such	perfection	they	are	experienced	from both	sides	at	one	and	being	in	two	places	and	states,	at	once	(mover/moved). This	is the	end	goal	after	many	arduous	lessons	and	lifetimes	as	a	Fool,	each	one	being	an odyssey	within	an	Odyssey,	and	each	journey	being	initiated	into	greater	God-like powers	of	being	a	primary	mover.	Such	motion	of	moving	and	being	moved	occurs	in the	form	of	the	gyres. Thus,	according	to	Yeats,	all	the	involuntary	acts	and	facts	of	life	are	the	effects	of the	whirling	and	interlocking	of	the	gyres,	but	gyres	may	be	interrupted	or	twisted	by greater	gyres,	divide	into	two	lesser	gyres	or	multiply	into	four,	and	so	on.	The uniformity	of	nature	depends	upon	the	constant	return	of	gyres	to	the	same	point, like	a	vortex	with	a	single	locus.	This	coming	together	of	gyres	may	not	be	able	to cease	'till	exhaustion	comes'28. Such	exhaustion	occurs	following	post-coital	sexual orgasm	which,	in	terms	of	Tantra,	is	a	coming	together	of	the	seven	gyres	or	vortices of	the	chakras,	harnessed	and	tuned	by	the	unifying	upward	kundalini	spiral	that intertwines	with	God's	downward	unifying	spiral,	hence	'as	above,	so	below'.	In coming	together,	the	subjective	multiples	combine	to	experience	the	objective	One	as Unity	of	Being.	Yeats's	Herne,	then,	is	God	and	Attracta	is	God's	subjective	mask	that 'attracts'	the	Vedic	Fool	to	the	opportunity	of	being	initiated	as	the	Tantric	Fool. ATTRACTA Custom	forbids: Only	the	women	of	these	rocks, Betrothed	or	married	to	the	Herne, The	god	or	ancestor	of	hernes, Can	eat,	handle,	or	look	upon	those	eggs.'29 27	W.B.	Yeats,	A	Vision	(London:	Macmillan,	1962,	second	ed.	1937),	p.	33. 28 W.B.	Yeats,	ibid,	p.	237. 'Sometimes	individuals	are	primary	and	antithetical	to	one	another	joined	by	a	bond so	powerful	that	they	form	a	common	gyre	or	series	of	gyres.	This	gyre	or	these	gyres	nor	greater	gyre	may	be able	to	break	till	exhaustion	comes.	Sometimes,	however,	a	single	relationship	will	repeat	itself,	turning	its revolving	wheel	again	and	again,	especially,	my	instructors	say,	when	there	has	been	strong	sexual	passion.	All such	passions,	they	say,	contain	'cruelty	and	deceit'.' 29	W.B.	Yeats,	The	Herne's	Egg	(London:	Macmillan,	1991,	first	ed.	1938),	p.	45. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 13 Further,	the	opportunity	takes	place	upon	the	highest	mountain,	reflecting	the highest	attainable	human	state	as	coming	together	of	gyres	as	One. When	read	as	a metaphor	for	the	Unity	of	Being,	the	rape	of	Attracta	portrays	the	coming	together	of all	seven	chakras	by	means	of	Tantric	unified	orgasm,	initially	sexual	and	eventually leading	to	the	human	partaking	in	the	perfection	of	God,	or	Yod,	if	employing	the Kabbalistic	term. Of	further	significance	for	Yeats	is	that	in	all	Indian	yogic	systems, the	Tantric	force	of	kundalini	is	also	recognised	as	two	interlocking	vortices	or	gyres that	spiral	upwards	from	the	earth	around	the	human	spine,	lifting	it	upwards,	and simultaneously	downwards	from	the	heavens,	grounding	the	spiritual.	The	entire process	aligns	and	effectively	recalibrates	the	seven	chakras	to	be	'attuned'	to	the Unity	of	Being.	Such	attunement	then	corresponds	to	the	metaphor	of	the	Herne's thigh,	which	will	be	discussed	in	the	next	section. Where	Yeats	is	leading	the	reader	(via	Congal's	odyssey	as	the	Vedic	Fool	enacting the	ritual	of	the	Tantric	Fool	through	sexual	intercourse	with	Attracta)	is	to	the	peril of	courting	power	for	power's	sake,	the	consequence	of	which	is	to	be	made	an	ass, precisely	what	happens	to	Congal.	This	lesson	is	not	a	moral	one,	but	a	reflection	of Congal's	state	of	ignorance.	In	seeking	to	be	a	mover,	Congal	found	himself thoroughly	moved.	This	occurs	in	Scene	Six	when	Yeats's	Vedic	Fool	protagonist, Congal,	encounters	an	uninitiated	but	self-confessed	Fool	called	Tom	Fool	who unknowingly	thwarts	the	aspirations	of	Congal,	a	wanabee	Tantric	Fool. Yeats	is playing	here	with	the	illusion	of	free	will,	degrees	of	being	as	mover	and	as	being moved.	Congal	misses	the	mark	because	he	has	been	unaware	of	the	significance	of 'Other'	gyrating	cones;	he	has	been	aware	only	of	his	own	gyre	within.	Thus	he	has forgotten	the	essential	monist	nature	of	everything	despite	Scene	One	where	he appeared	to	understand	the	conflict	of	opposites	as	dualist	illusion.	In	Tantric	terms, Congal	is	falsely	driven	by	his	own	central	locus	and	'ego'.	Thus,	he	thinks	because	he is	moving	at	a	certain	level	(symbolised	by	the	highest	mountain)	that	he	is	more	of	a mover	than	he	actually	is	(signified	by	becoming	a	donkey).	The	higher	one	climbs, Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 14 the	harder	every	task	is. Tantric	Consideration	of	Language	and	Lyric Returning	to	the	subject	of	the	'Herne's	thigh'	mentioned	earlier,	it	is	of	central importance	that	both	Yeats	and	Pound	maintained	personal	beliefs	in	the	potential attainment	of	higher	powers	of	agency	(mover/moved)	that	could	be	experienced directly	through	the	senses,	in	particular,	as	the	cadence	and	pitch	of	language	and music	through	the	medium	of	the	ear.	In	this	regard,	Pound	believed	Yeats	to	be	in	a league	of	his	own,	a	natural	product	of	his	Irish	mythology	and	folk	song	heritage, while	Yeats	regarded	Pound	as	failing	to	fully	understand	the	essential	nature	of	the cosmic	cycles	and	stages	of	initiation. In	expounding	in	A	Vision	his	theory	of	gyres	and	the	Thirteenth	Cone,	Yeats	is providing	a	metaphysical	framework	and	process	of	the	why	and	the	how	of	engaging the	Thirteenth	Cone,	and	he	drew	his	metaphors	and	lyrics	from	this	source.	Yeats then	is	the	Tantric	Fool,	formally	initiated	in	both	the	Kabbalist	(via	The	Golden	Dawn) and	Vedic	schools	(via	his	Indian	studies).	He	is	also	a	seeker	of	sacred	Tantric knowledge	from	Tibetan	Buddhist	sources30	and	practitioner	of	Hermetic	ritual	in	the form	of	magic	(via	The	Golden	Dawn),	all	towards	the	enablement	of	his	ability	to play	God's	tunes. Yeats	notably	deploys	'flute'	symbolism	in	many	of	his	poems	and	in The	Herne's	Egg: CORNEY A	flute	lies	there	upon	the	rock Carved	out	of	a	herne's	thigh31. Go	pick	it	up	and	play	the	tune My	mother	calls	'The	Great	Herne's Feather'	... Daniel	Albright	states	'Attracta	has	special	access	to	the	world	beyond	the	grave,	and 30	See	again,	the	works	of	Madame	Blavatsky. 31	May	also	refer	to	the	kangling,	a	Tibetan	flute	carved	from	the	thighbone	of	either	a	respected	teacher	or violent	criminal,	and	the	quena,	the	Incan	flute	made	from	the	similar	bone	in	a	condor. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 15 her	flute	can	summon	the	god;	but	she	conceives	the	immanence	of	the	Great	Herne almost	completely	in	terms	of	orgasm'.32 Albright	goes	so	far	as	to	link	Yeats's	gyres with	the	principles	of	'Vorticism'.	He	states: 'Modernist	poets,	particularly	William	Butler	Yeats	and	Ezra	Pound,	use	flutes to	depict	a	complicated	interaction	between	the	artificial	and	the	natural; between	the	celestial	and	the	sexual;	between	East	and	West.	There	is	in	fact very	little	of	the	West	in	Modernist	flute-poetics:	it	is	an	orientalizing	sort	of instrument,	as	if	every	Eastern	scene	came	decorated	with	a	flute	player providing	a	soft	continuo	for	the	proceedings.'33	He	further	states	'According to	one	of	Pound's	Vorticist	manifestoes	of	1914,	"The	image	[i.e.,	the	poet's pigment]	is	not	an	idea.	It	is	a	radiant	node	or	cluster;	it	is	what	I	can,	and must	perforce,	call	a	VORTEX,	from	which,	and	through	which,	and	into	which, ideas	are	constantly	rushing.	In	decency	one	can	only	call	it	a	VORTEX"	(EPVA, p.	207).34 He	concludes: 'Vorticism	pertains	to	the	bringing-to-bear	of	great	resources	of	energy	upon	a single	point:	and	the	flute-music,	and	the	fragrance	of	myrrh	and	olibanum, and	the	processing	banners	all	lend	their	strength	to	this	great	effort.'35 These	three	statements	bear	tremendous	synergy	with	Yeats's	theory	of	gyres	(as vortices)	and	the	Tantric	ritual	of	the	Vedic	Fool	(by	means	of	seven	chakra	vortices) combined	with	The	Thirteenth	Cone	(God's	vortex). Albright	refers	to	the	poem	as 'an	exercise	in	fugitive	[oscillating]	harmonies'36	and	draws	upon	Kutsu's37 description	of	the	prose	song,	referring	to	the	process	of	writing	as	assuming	'the role	of	artificer'	[Tantric	Fool]	while	he	'awaits	the	Emperor's	[God/The	Great	Herne] command	to	write,	the	nightingales	[Vedic	Fools]	aimlessly;	but	when	the	Emperor 32	Daniel Albright, Yeats, Pound, Asia, and the Music of the Body. The Meaning of the Flute in Modernist Music and Poetry (Hong Kong: Guangzhou University, 2010), p. 11. 33	Daniel	Albright	ibid, p.	5. 34	Ibid,	p.	7.	See	Ezra	Pound	and	the	Visual	Arts,	Ed.	by	Harriet	Zinnes	(New	York:	New	Directions,	1980)	p	207 35	Ibid,	p.	7. 36	Ibid,	p.	8. 37	Ibid,	p.	9.	Original	text:	'Kutsu's	prose	song	becomes	a	physical	object,	pasted	onto	the	sky,	"hung	with	the	sun and	moon."	While	the	poet	awaits	the	Emperor's	command	to	write,	the	nightingales	sing	aimlessly;	but	when the	Emperor	appears,	the	nightingales'	song	seems	to	relocate	itself,	get	enclosed	in	the	flute's	pipes:	the	flute arrests	the	lovely	birdsong,	puts	it	in	order,	assimilates	it	into	itself.	Then,	it	was	aimless;	now,	it	is	art.' Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 16 [God/The	Great	Herne]	appears,	the	nightingales'	[Vedic	Fools']	song	seems	to relocate	itself	[as	the	Tantric	Fool],	get	enclosed	in	the	flute's	pipes:	the	flute	arrests the	lovely	birdsong,	puts	it	in	order,	assimilates	it	into	itself	(The	Herne's	Egg).	Then, it	was	aimless;	now,	it	is	art.'38	39(Perfection/Harmony	as	the	Unity	of	Being) Pound,	a	proponent	of	Modernist	Vorticism,	was	also	a	music	critic	and	was	equally obsessed	with	his	own	mathematical	god.	He	drew	heavily	upon	Eastern	sources,	in particular	the	Japanese	Noh	theatre	and	Chinese	Taoist	philosophy	which	he	shared with	Yeats.	Taoism	is	also	an	initiation-based	system	with	its	own	Tantric	teachings. Unlike	Yeats,	Pound	did	not	subscribe	to	the	magical	and	spiritual	elements	of	Taoism or	Tantrism.	In	the	context	of	The	Herne's	Egg,	Pound	would	remain	an	uninitiated Vedic	Fool	in	ignorance	of	the	fruits	of	labour	awarded	to	the	initiated	Tantric	Fool. That	said,	Pound	openly	acknowledged	the	genius	of	Yeats	as	something	unique	that set	him	apart	from	the	crowd. Pound	associated	this	difference	with	Yeats's	Celtic	origins	and	Irish	folklore. '[...]	To	date	no	one	has	shown	any	disposition	to	supercede	him	as	the	best poet	in	England,	or	any	likelihood	of	doing	so	for	some	time;	and	that	after	all, Mr.	Yeats	has	brought	a	new	music	upon	the	harp...'.40 Yeats	not	only	was	blessed	with	raw	aural	talent,	but	achieved	this	exalted	position because	he	studied	to	the	fullest	degree	both	monist	and	dualist	esoteric philosophies	and	their	derivative	religions.	In	doing	so,	he	experienced	directly	the universal	nature	of	Tantra	in	every	conceivable	form,	especially	through	ritual-based sexual	and	non-sexual41	orgasm.	Thus	Yeats	concluded	a	monist	basis	of	objective reality	that	underpins	an	illusory	dualist	subjective	experience	within	which	agency	is a	matter	of	degrees	and	its	movement	cyclical/	gyrical.	To	encounters	the	gyre	of	God 38	Ibid, p.	9 39	Note,	my	square	brackets	throughout. 40	Ezra	Pound,	The	Literary	Essays	of	Ezra	Pound	(Toronto:	McClelland	&	Steward	Ltd,	1968),	p.	378. 41	Advanced	meditation	practices	invoke	the	Kundalini	effect	and	produce	orgasms	of	the	chakras	that	are	not directly	sexual	but	no	less	physically	consuming. Yeats	Considered	as	the	Archetypal	Fool:	A	Tantric	Reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg Margot Wilson	MPhil(R) MA	Creative	Writing	Dissertation	–	margotfwilson@gmail.com 17 as	the	Thirteenth	Cone	(and	The	Great	Herne)	the	Vedic	Fool	is	first	initiated	by Attracta	to	become	a	Tantric	Fool. Conclusion A	Tantric	reading	of	The	Herne's	Egg	enables	insight	into	the	supreme	monist	nature of	Yeats's	belief	system,	which,	though	on	the	face	of	it	a	hotchpotch	of	different theories	synthesized	as	one	(in	the	form	of	A	Vision),	Yeats	upheld	the	belief	that	a conditioned	mortal	(moved)	could	eventually	become	a	primary	mover	and	agent	of First	Cause	(mover). On	the	Herne's	mountain,	the	governing	laws	of	corporeal	existence	meet	the supreme	power	of	a	First	Cause	mover.	How	a	corporeal	moved	human	engages	with a	First	Cause	mover	is	by	means	of	a	dervish-like	spin	of	two	opposing	interlocked gyres	at	such	a	velocity	they	become	an	orb	of	oscillation. It	therefore	validates	Yeats's	claim	that	his	spiritual	practices	made	possible	his	poetry because	Yeats	truly	had	command	of	Tantric	practices	(meditation	and	Tantric	ritual and	chanting)	that	invoke	the	seven	chakra-gyres	to	play	as	One	instrument	and perform	God's	song.	Yeats	not	only	had	a	Tantric	'ear'42,	but	was	attuned	throughout his	bodily	seven	chakras.	It	is	interesting	that	he	claimed	he	had	too	busy	a	mind	for meditation;	however,	music	and	poetry	are	classified	as	moving	meditations. Yeats's The	Herne's	Egg	is	possibly	the	shortest-ever	epic	odyssey	penned,	and	efficiently conveys	the	Tantric	journey	of	the	Archetypal	Fool	from	being	a	moved	being (Human),	to	a	mover	being	(God	or	God-Like). 42	The	playing	of	the	flute	and	the	gyres	of	the	body	(chakras)	both	require	the	breath	and	ear	to	work	as	one, therefore	how	one	breathes	affects	how	one	plays.	Yeats	then	is	speaking	of	the	ecstasy	of	the	alignment	of	the body	to	be	played	as	God's	instrument.	This	he	also	stated	happened	when	his	wife	Georgie	was	channeled	as	a vessel	for	automatic	writing.	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