LS Tarot of the Origins (Places & Structures / The Hunt)

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Mar 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	12 Mar 2003
Another pictorial subtheme in this deck is places and structures. Here are some first thoughts. Perhaps not profound but here they are: 7 of Nature (Era of Nature) LWB: "a man is on his knees in front of a tumulus more ancient than his race. The past." According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (COD), a tumulus is "an ancient burial mound". This card suggests: sacred space, respect for traditions, respect for one's ancestors. ------- In contrast we have the 5 of the Soul (Stone of the Soul) which on first blush should, based on its image, be similar in meaning to the 7 of Nature: 5 of the Soul (Stone of the Soul) LWB: "a shaman and a religious place made up of a circle of dolmen. The truth surrounds us." According to the COD, a dolmen is a "megalithic (Ed.: large stone) tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones". This card, being of the Soul suit, emphasizes the inner life. Is it saying that the truth is that of the cycle of life (birth, lifetime, death)? Is or it saying that we don't need to go very far away, to distant lands or landmarks, or to material affairs, to find the truth. Or is it saying that the truth is within the everyday, or within our inner being? ----------- XVI The Menhir (= The Tower) LWB: "the elevation of human intelligence. Represents Reaching upwards, to Construct, and to Define." A man is standing on top of the menhir. Back to the dictionary. :) A menhir is "a single, tall, upright, usually prehistoric monumental stone". Unlike the Tower of Babel, this menhir is not built to usurp the sky god's role, but rather is symbolic of mankind's yearning to define its own role. ---------------------- 10 of Nature (Environment of Nature) LWB: "a man heaves a sigh before solemnly advancing towards the rain horizon. A support." Pictured is a long tall statue depicting a god, the length of the card, with a man about one third the length of the card, with one hand up against the statue. The statue tilts 10 degrees left of top dead centre, towards the man. Is the man supporting the statue, or is the statue supporting the man? Not very clear as to which needs support. This card may be closer to tarot's traditional Tower card than is this deck's Menhir card. -------------- 5 of Jewels LWB: "a house built in a stone. To find shelter." To have ingenuity, creativity. Weathering out the storm. This raises the question I have long thought about concerning the RWS 5 of Pentacles. Why don't the down-and-out-and-out-in-the-cold duo enter the building? ------------------- XXI The World LWB: "all that which surrounded man, expressed in megalithic circles. Represents Complexity, Reward and Worth." Makes me think of the ruins of the complex ancient Mayan cities or the U.S. Pentagon. ---- Those who have this deck or the LS Comparative Tarot deck, I'd like to hear your impressions of these Tarot of the Origins cards. ================================ Edited from the OTHER thread... ;) One of the pictorial subthemes in this deck relates to hunters and hunting. It's interesting to combine the cards. The hunter follows the tracks of his potential prey (12 of Soul) and in the end locates it (XX Prey). But the prey seems him too; therefore, it's kill or be killed (12 Animal of Blood). Victory for the hunter! (8 of Blood). However, a hunter should never take victory for granted (as shown by the cautionary tale of an unlucky hunter in XIII Death). The kill is primordial to survival (6 of Blood). To deal with potential rivalry and jealousy (11 Child of Blood) and socio-economic justice and as part of social rituals, a hunter may share his kill with the village (VIII Abundance = Justice). A self-actualized hunter; a job well done (10 of Blood).

RiccardoLS	14 Mar 2003
I don't use the Tarot of Origins, even if I truly love it. So that's just my two cents :) Regarding the 5 of Souls. I think one of the menaing of the card should be "religion". Not religion as a cult, or as a specific divinity, but as the necessity of menkind to look at Spiritual matters, and define them, trying to understand them, to compress them into objects, rituals, places. I feel that not like the bad part of materialization of the infinite, but rather like an attemp of the men to translate spirituality into their everyday life. Riccardo p.s. by the way :) I think I had seen a similar post on Comparative, but I had lost it, and so I never answered.

The LS Tarot of the Origins (Places & Structures / The Hunt) thread was originally posted on 12 Mar 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.