Tarot Meditation 27: Five of Wands

In all four suits of the Minor Arcana, five represents some kind of struggle. In the Five of Wands, the struggle relates to work issues. While there is prosperity in the end, the battle to get there can be difficult. Do you know the Buddhist concept of "pushing the river"? The idea is that we sometimes make life more difficult than it has to be, and we forget that there is a rhythm and a flow to life, if we would but trust.

In its reversed position, the Five of Wands cautions us to be generous, and to remember that there is always victory if we follow the path the enlightenment kindly, gently.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 26: Four of Wands

This key reminds me of the Jewish marriage tradition in which the ceremony is performed under a canopy. Indeed, the Four of Wands can symbolize an upcoming marriage. It also represents new beginnings, a time to rest after hard work, peace and prosperity.

The Four of Wands is one of those Tarot keys in which the reversed position is not opposite the upright position, but rather is a degree of change in the key. Reversed, the Four of Wands means the same as upright, but with the blessings coming at a lesser degree.

This key also represents, for me, a person who has found joy within him/herself in terms of the work being done. To find harmony within oneself is a great gift.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 25: Three of Wands

Three of Wands completes what Two of Wands began - the figure also gazes out to sea, but this time in knowledge that goals are indeed attainable. Where Two of Wands calls for us to find balance, Three of Wands calls us to become more - a trinity of mind-body-spirit, father-son-holy ghost, maiden-mother-crone.

This Key denotes power and hope, but with a caution - when reversed - to be aware of pride and arrogance. There also is a warning for us to learn to be self-aware of who we really are and not to be dependent on others' views of us.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 24: Two of Wands

Once again, Tarot strives to teach us balance. In this key, a young man gazes out across the battlements of his castle to distant lands. In his left (feminine) hand he holds a flowering wand, signifying that growth and learning come from intuition. In his right (masculine) hand he holds a globe, telling us that all the world is ours, if we but ask. The second wand is stabilized by an iron ring, suggesting that, as we dream, we almost must be grounded in reality.

The battlements are adorned with red roses of desire and white lilies of purity, forming a equal-armed cross. Again comes the call for balance in our lives.

Most interpretations of this Key suggest a sense of boldness when embarking upon a new enterprise. For me, this Key often represents a desire for travel and adventure.

Reversed, this Key signifies a delay in a journey or an enterprise, a time to take stock of what we really want from life.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 23: Ace of Wands

All four Aces in the Minor Arcana depict a hand bearing a gift from the sky. Aces represent gifts given to us from Above, without our asking, and without our necessarily deserving. They also represent new beginnings. As we saw in several Major Arcana keys, the hand is accompanied by Yods, the Hebrew concept of Spirit descending to Earth.

Because of the creative nature of Wands, this Key may represent the beginning of a new job, a new enterprise, a journey, a new family member.

When this key appears revered (upside down to the reader) in a spread, it may indicate projects deferred or delayed.

If you have pulled this Key for your daily meditation, it's time to count your blessings! It also may be time to assess where you are along your career path. Is it time for a vacation, or a retreat in silence?

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation Interlude: The Minor Arcana

I wish blogs didn't publish in reverse order sometimes, because this entry will get buried as we move along through the four suits of the Minor Arcana. I hope you'll remember to scroll down to it periodically to refresh your memory on this part of Tarot.

I've spent months now guiding us through the 22 keys of the Major Arcana, following The Fool's journey to enlightenment. Now it's time to work our way through the Minor Arcana.

The four suits - Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, are the forerunners of our modern playing cards - respectively Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds. In Tarot, however, instead of a Jack, we have two keys - Page and Knight - and Aces are always considered the first card in each suit.

The four suits correspond to the four elements - respectively fire, water, air and earth. The four suits correspond to the four cardinal points - respectively south, west, east and north.

As in the Major Arcana, numerology, astrology, sacred geometry and many world beliefs come together to form the intricate symbology of the Minor Arcana. Additionally, each suit speaks its own language of symbols.

Wands, depicted with new growth, represent energy, enterprise and hard work. The animal associated most often with Wands is the salamander (a creature of fire and of the south), although lions (think Leo as a fire sign) are often represented. This is the suit of hard work, learning, growth and change.

Cups, depicted by a golden vessel, represent emotion, often love. This is the key of the unconscious, a key of fertility, beauty and dreams. The creature of Cups is the undine (a female water spirit), along with the Water Carrier (Aquarius). This is the suit of emotion, of connection between the conscious and unconscious minds.

Swords, depicted by shining blades, represent spirit, often in the form of our failure to connect with Spirit. This is the suit of the Warrior, regardless of the kind of battle being fought. The creature of Swords is the sylph (an elemental being of air), along with eagles. Think justice and Libra. This can be a suit of strife, but also of a reminder we need to connect to Spirit.

Pentacles, depicted by golden disc etched with a five-pointed star, represent man bringing magic to earth, particularly in material possessions. The creature of Pentacles is the gnome (an elemental being of earth), along with the bull (think Taurus as a earth sign). Think of the five points of the human body, as Di Vinci depicted in his Vitruvian Man, or Venus in her annual transit across the sky. This is the key of earthly possessions and connection to Mother Earth.

I hope you learn and enjoy our journey through the Major Arcana!

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 22: The World, Key 21

The Fool has finally come to the end of the journey. Or is it just beginning, once again? The road has been long and difficult in some places, light-hearted and joyful in others.



The World key, the last in the Major Arcana, is the reversal of The Hanged Man we saw so many keys ago. Here, the figure stands upright, the triangle formed by the legs forming a cross. Another triangle, formed by the arms and head, points upward, signifying that at last Spirit prevails. The two wands represent both involution and evolution, finding the balance sought by The Magician.


Some Tarot scholars maintain that, while the figure appears female, the scarf hides hermaphrodite features, indicating once again the need for balance of male and female energies. Psychologist Carl Jung would call this a blending of the anima and animus, the unconscious and the conscious, coming together in the superconscious, the destination to which all the keys have led.


The wreath surrounding the figure represents the world, and the red ribbon holding the wreath together is the lemniscate of eternal thought, as we saw in The Magician and Strength keys. The four beasts in the corners are the same beasts we saw in The Wheel of Fortune key, in a slightly different form. They represent the four elements - fire, air, earth and water.



Repeatedly throughout the Major Arcana we have seen the theme of balance (or the need for it). As The Fool has journeyed through physical, emotional and spiritual challenges, s/he has constantly sought this balance - in light and dark, red and white, water and fire, earth and air, mind, body and spirit. Here at last The World awaits The Fool on the Path to Enlightenment.


But wait! As in our lives, just when we think we've reached a point of illumination, there's more. Next week we begin our journey, along with The Fool, through the four suits of the Minor Arcana, beginning with Cups.


While the symbols of the Major Arcana have been deep and plentiful, there is much, much more to learn, in the symbols of the Minor Arcana. Just as in our lives, The Fool's journey never really ends, and the wheel spins again, and again, and again!
Be blessed
Deb