Transformation through surrender. Key 13 has been described in contemporary commentary as "Transformation," or "Reconstruction," but that is too simple. The confrontation with death brings with it an awareness of the reality and the universal nature of change. To the traveller on this path nothing is constant or permanent except change itself and this sense of transcience dominates the experience of the 24th path tying into the path symbolism at every point.
Path 24 merely shows the Cabalist the one future event each of us must someday face. It is a mere path of experience … and not a reality. It is a symbolic path … The Hebrew letter "Nun" means "fish," which is revealing. We see fish in their dead form more than alive. When they leave the water, and enter our world, they die. "Nun" can also be a verb, meaning to "sprout, or grow." Fish are prolific, breeding profusely.
The path is linked to the tarot image death …It is a disturbing card, especially to Westerners. In the Middle Ages, (or in less civilized cultures) death was/is a daily, common occurrence, unsanitised, and the symbols of this card were unequivocal. This is not just a "stronger version" of the Tower. It is transformation, yes, but more final than the Tower. Death is a reality we all must face, our own, and other people's. Human cultures have myths, rituals, and ceremonies to help cope with this powerful fact of life.
The "nun" is also the image of a kneeling, praying person. The humility of this path is a valuable tool for spiritual growth. Key 13 is the place where we can assemble our ideas about death, to contain them, and to deal with them. The Bible says "Death is the final enemy;" it also says "Conquer your enemies with love-" herein lies a profound truth.
With the work of the path of Nun, the Individual perspective completely fills the rational intellect, transforming and regenerating it. Every thought and every response to emotional instinct is permeated through and through with the Individual perspective. This, combined with the preceding permeation of the personal Netzach, vastly increases the initiate's spiritual (i.e., mental) powers. This transformation of the personal intellect is so radical that it resembles the death of an old self and birth of the new. The initiate cannot but look at their world through new eyes and from a new perspective.
It is an inescapable fact of the temporal universe that EVERY thing is temporary. From the personal perspective, this often brings sadness and fear, but the Individual Self understands that without this cycle of life and death, nothing would flourish. It KNOWS that the essence never dies. It KNOWS that for the essence to perfect itself and eventually return to its origin, it must pass through the cycle of life and death countless times. When this knowledge is impressed upon the rational mind by the Individual will, it frees the initiate to fully pursue their spiritual advancement without fear. In fact, it is this death of the fear-of-death that the Tarot image depicts.
In Hebrew symbolism, the fish (Nun) stands for the concept of abundance and fertility.
