Tarot Meditation 21: Judgment, Key 20

Angel Gabriel emerges from the clouds of heaven, blowing seven notes from his trumpet, giving humanity the creative Word that connects us to the Divine. Attached to the trumpet is the equal-armed solar cross, reminding us to seek balance in all we do.

In the foreground of the Key is the pool of Cosmic consciousness, where all the streams we've seen in previous keys (beginning with melting snow in The Fool key) flow together to become One. Note the same snowy mountain-tops from The Fool key in the background. This is yet another of Tarot's attempt to help us find connection and balance in our lives.

The man, woman and child rise from coffins of world beliefs floating on the pool. This is the re-awakening of our connection to Nature through Spirit and of our connection of birth through death. The man represents the conscious mind, the women the unconscious, and the child represents our ability to regenerate through many lifetimes.

Numerologically, Key 20 represents our evolution through two complete cycles of 10, being renewed and reborn twice in the cycles of learning who we are physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

The Judgment Key is about the gift of decernment that comes from living successfully through challenges and obstacles in our lives. Here, finally, The Fool has found the secrets of living a full and joyful life through both knowledge and faith. The Fool now stands on the edge of blending with universal thought.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 20: The Sun, Key 19

Such pleasure there is in the light of the Sun! This key is one of celebration, joy, and accomplishment. The naked child rides the white horse of pure solar energy triumphantly from the walled garden cultivated human consciousness. The four sunflowers face the child, not the Sun behind them, indicating the elements of Fire, Air, Earth and Water are paying attention to the child's actions.

The child represents yet another step in The Fool's journey toward enlightenment. Like The Fool, s/he wears a wreath and a red feather in her/his hair, signifying s/he is gaining spiritual victory over the lower aspects of humanness. The nakedness indicates there is nothing to hide. Controlling the horse only with body movements shows the child has reached a balance between the conscious and unconscious mind. The red banner in the child's hand denotes action and purpose of thought related to the Sun's light (opposite of the reflective, quite light we saw in The Moon). Note the banner is in the child's left hand, an indication that purpose is driven by our unconscious mind.

This Key reminds us that, when we are who we are and are willing to share ourselves in gentleness and kindness, the world can be a joyous place. Speaking our truth quietly puts us in balance with All That Is, and within ourselves. There is joy in the process of coming into the Light.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 19: The Moon, Key 18

Apologies for delay in blogging - too many plates spinning in my universe this month!

I write this entry on the eve of the Full Moon in Pisces, or the Corn Moon as it is called by pagans. Grandmother Moon shines brightly tomorrow night as we celebrate the transition into the harvest season.

In traditional Tarot, The Moon Key is fraught with wonderful Goddess symbols. The Key depicts Moon in three phases (Maiden, Mother, Crone). The Moon is surrounded by falling Yods (as we saw in The Tower Key), reminding us that the Life-force from above always falls on those who seek guidance.

In the foreground of the Key is the pool of the Cosmic Mind, from which a crayfish (symbolic of the early stages of unconsciousness unfolding) emerges. From the snow-covered mountains in the background, the waters of intellect and reason merge into a stream flowing in the pool.

On one side of the stream stands Wolf, Mother Nature's untamed creation. On the other stands Dog, representing humankind's adaptation to the world around us. Halfway up the stream (path) are the twin towers humans have created to protect themselves from a hostile environment. These are not the same towers of spiritual strength seen in The High Priestess Key.

The Moon Key reminds us that Grandmother Moon watches over our spiritual journey toward enlightenment. Numerologically, Key 18 (1+8=9) is the Key of completion of the second phase of The Fool's journey (the first phase ended with The Hermit - Key 9). The Fool continues along the path, learning, growing, falling back, and learning again.

The Moon is the Key of intuitive ability, of dreams and premonitions. If we would only listen to the lessons of the subconscious, learn to trust our intuition, the path that carries us between the towers and to the mountaintop would not seem so steep.

Be blessed,

Deb

Tarot Meditation 18: The Star, Key 17

Much of Tarot symbolism is connected to balance, and The Star carries through this theme. A beautiful woman is poised on the edge of a pool of water, one foot on land (the conscious) and one in water (the unconscious). She is Mother Nature pouring waters of life onto the Earth. The five rivulets from the pitcher in her left (feminine) hand represent our five physical senses before they flow into the pool of Universal Consciousness. From her right (masculine) hand, the pitcher pours water directly into the pool, which is stirred to vibration by meditation.

The sacred Ibis of divine thought rests in a tree over her head, and she is crowned by eight stars, seven of which represent the seven major chakra centers of the body. The eighth, largest, star represents cosmic energy.

This Key is all about meditation, of finding balance in our everyday life - through our five physical senses and our seven major chakra centers - to be still in the pool of the unconscious long enough to truly listen to the divine.

The Star ultimately represents the sacred gifts that are always available to us, if we would but be still and wait for them.

Be blessed,

Deb

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 15: Temperance, Key 14

"Everything in moderation!" is the key to this Key! Archangel Michael, an angel of protection and fire-energy, pours the essence of life back and forth between the silver cup of the unconscious and the gold cup of conscious. This motion speaks to the ancient concept of "as above, so below."

The symbol on Michael's breast represents our four-square connection to reality, centered by the triangle of divinity. This also is the symbol of Tarot. The two symbols together resonate to the number seven, a number of divinity, mysticism and completion. This symbol also resonates to the seven major chakra centers in the body.

Michael stands, as do several other figures in other Keys, with one foot on land, representing connection to the conscious world, and one foot in the waters of the unconscious. The irises at the water's edge remind us of the Egyptian goddess Isis and the promise of the rainbow. The path behind Michael leads to the crown of mystery and attainment of spiritual knowledge.

In The Fool's journey toward enlightenment, his/her path carries him/her through the balance of yin/yang, subconscious/conscious, and so many other mysteries of finding balance in his/her life.

The Temperance Key is about trusting the process, being attuned to the gifts of the Universe, and treading lightly through the balance of every day.
Be blessed,
deb