Tarot Meditation 17: The Tower, Key 16

In the Harry Potter series Professor Trelawney repeatedly says, "No matter how I shuffle the cards.... the lightning-struck tower!" She is, of course, refering to Key 16, The Tower of Tarot, as a card of destruction and fear, thus predicting Harry's demise. Some readers interpret The Tower as a key of dramatic, unforeseen negative change. I, obviously, see this Key in a different light.

Indeed, the image shows folks falling from a tower, flames leaping from windows, and lightning striking and crashing the tower's crown. One interpretation of this Key is that The Tower represents our connection to materialism, and how that need for the material should topple.

Another way, however, to see the Key is to focus on the Yods falling from heaven. Yods represent spiritual gifts given to us that we don't necessarily deserve, and certainly don't expect. Yods appear in other "gift-giving" cards in Tarot - the Moon and three of the four aces of the Minor Arcana.

Yes, The Tower represents uncomfortable, maybe even catastropic, change. However, this Key also represents the potential aftermath of such change - we don't change when we're too comfortable. The point here is the building anew of who we truly are through our faith in the eternal divine.

The Tower's number, 16, adds to 7, the number of mysticism in traditional numerology. Seven is a number of mystical completion of cycles in our lives. It is time to let go of the tower of our old selves and beliefs and to start a new cycle of connection and divinity.

I spoke with several Tarot readers after the horrible events of September 11, 2001, some of whom believe that this card was predictive of the fall of the World Trade Centers. My response was, "Even if that is so, then perhaps this is a lesson to us all to build a better, kinder, more gentle and peaceful world." Therein lies the true message of The Tower Key.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 16: The Devil, Key 15

This key is one of the most misunderstood images in Tarot. Other than the Death key, this is the key that most frightens querents when it appears in a reading. The Devil Key actually has a strong and positive message for us. While there are no "evil" keys in Tarot, The Devil is a reminder to us that negative forces DO exist, and that we need to live our lives in the Light. His hand is raised in the sign of black magic and in his palm is the sign of Saturn, the planet of inertia. These are a reminder to us to always move forward into the Light and positive thought.

Probably most often misinterpreted is the inverted pentagram above The Devil's head. Pointed upward, the pentagram is the sign of Paganism, just as a cross is the symbol of Christianity. In Paganism, the five-pointed star has many meanings, but most often is associated with the elements of Fire, Air, Earth, Water and Spirit. In the case of this Key, its position represents the misuse of our connection to nature.

The Devil's goat head and horns come to us from the Christian traditions that tried very hard to eliminate Pagan beliefs throughout history. The goat-headed devil (with horns) was the Christian way of overshadowing the Greek god Pan, the god of the woods, music, dance and revelry. Ironically, the Devil's horns and their representation of plenty live on today on many American Thanksgiving tables in the form of the cornucopia!

The man and woman chained to the cube of half-knowledge (only that which is visible) represent our bondage to the material, to the turning away from Spirit. For me, the most important aspect of the message of this Key is this:

We choose our own chains in our lives, and we ALWAYS have the choice to release ourselves from that bondage, just as the figures in this Key could easily lift off their chains.
Be blessed,
Deb

Tarot Meditation 14: Death, Key 13

Humble apologies for the break in writing this blog - sometimes life just spin around us, and our time seems out of control - which is what happened to me since the last entry. Ironically, for many reasons, the next key in the Major Arcana with which I resume this writing is Death, one of the most significant keys in Tarot, and a key all about control.

When I read for people who are new to Tarot, often Death is the only key with which they're familiar, and the key frightens them. "Ohhhh I hope I don't get the Death card!" is an exclamation I hear frequently. If the querant does draw Death, it gives me one of my best opportunities to teach about Tarot and the richness of its symbols. Rarely does Death mean physical death in a reading.

I often think this key should be renamed: Resurrection, Rebirth, Renewal, Transformtion, Transmutation are some alternate names that come to mind. This key ultimately is about letting go of that which no longer serves us, so that we have room in our lives for joyful abundance and new life.

We surround ourselves with so much that isn't for our highest good - too much stuff/clutter, people who are not supportive or who are "energy vampires", too much emotional baggage from our past - so much that weighs us down and literally buries us. As long as we fill our lives, hearts, minds with negativity and clutter, there can be no room for the positive, good energy that the Universe really has in mind for us.

Notice the flower on the flag Death carries: it is the five-petal rose of the eternal life-force. The water in the river that flows at Death's feet is carried up to the sky by the light and heat of the sun, and comes down again in the form of blessed rain: a reminder to us that the cycles of life are eternal and giving.

The fallen people at Death's feet - including the Bishop - are a reminder that there always will be endings in our lives, and there will always be beginnings. The cycle spins on and on. This Key, most importantly, represents the notion that Spirit is eternal.

So, I invite you to take inventory of what needs to "die away" in your life so that there is space for joy, happiness and all the gifts the Universe is waiting to bestow upon you!

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 3: The High Priestess, Key 2

The High Priestess is the first of the Major Arcana cards to clearly be male or female. She is the virgin daughter of the moon, representing the potentiality of the Divine Feminine. She is the manifestation of Isis in her maiden, or untried, form. She is spiritual enlightenment, inner illumination. Where The Fool and The Magician have the potential to create, The High Priestess carries within her the latent ability to manifest - she is the link between the unseen and the seen. This card is all about walking our journey in balance.

The symbols on this Key are some of the most important in Tarot. The High Priestess is seated on a throne flanked by two pillars of the Temple of Solomon. The black pillar of Boaz represents the unknown (negative) life force, and the white pillar of Jachin the known (positive) life force. These pillars represent balance that is required if we are to move forward on our journey. They also remind us that wisdom is open to us when we walk in balance. The veil behind her, between the pillars, is decorated in pomegranates (feminine energy) and palms (masculine energy). Her crown, the three phases of the moon, represents the phases of a woman's life - maiden, mother, crone. On the breast of her gown is an equal-armed cross, with the horizonal arms representing the Divine Feminine, the vertical arms the Divine Masculine - again, more symbols of balance. The High Priestess holds a scroll marked "Tora" in her lap, but the last letter, "h," is hidden - a reminder that we will never learn all the esoteric information in the universe.

At the edge of her gown, the crescent moon of potential balances as her gown flows out of the card. Remember the snow and ice-covered mountains in The Fool Key? As the snow and ice begin to melt, they create a stream of consciousness, here represented by the flow of The High Priestess' gown. The stream runs out of the bottom of this Key, then throughout most of the remainder of the Major Arcana Keys.

Additional study of this Key should include a study of Greek and Egyptian mythology, paying particular attention to the stories of Persephone and Isis. A study of Hebraic symbols also would be helpful.

The High Priestess reminds us to walk in balance - in our everyday life, in our spiritual journey, in our emotional life. She tells us that we ALL have potential to be mystics, psychics, and healers. However, we must remember The High Priestess carries forth the lessons The Fool is learning. Just as the Magician reminds The Fool to seek guidance from above, the High Priestess reminds us to use the gifts of discernment and balance as we move along our path.
Be blessed,
Deb