Bells/Gongs

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Arnnaria	06 Jan 2005
I was meditating the other day and came across the image of a bell or a gong. I am trying to fit this symbol to a Major Arcana card but can't think of any besides Judgment. Does anyone have any suggestions?

jmd	06 Jan 2005
The bell can (and has) also been associated with the Hermit. Normally it is more the horn or clarion associated with Judgement.

Arnnaria	06 Jan 2005
Ah, thanks JMD. That makes so much sense. I was meditating on coming up with a symbol for my goal to stop "falling" for boys; to stop purusing love interests and wait to be pursued. The symbol that arrived was a bell. Now seeing that the card corresponding to that is the Hermit, it makes a lot of sense!

HudsonGray	06 Jan 2005
If the bell would be used as a wake up call, I'd put it with the Devil, myself. A clarion call to make one stop and take a closer look just seems to fit there.

Fudugazi	06 Jan 2005
Arnnaria wrote: I was meditating the other day and came across the image of a bell or a gong. I am trying to fit this symbol to a Major Arcana card but can't think of any besides Judgment. Does anyone have any suggestions? A gong reminds me of the round wheel of fortune. A reminder, perhaps, that things turn and you will become the pursued no longer the pursuer, if you let it happen. The bells remind me of the little bells on the Fool's costume in the Tarot de Marseille: so perhaps they are a way to tell you to let go, to jump into the unknown, to risk surrendering control (therefore - you don't pursue). In Tibet, bells symbolise the incarnated, the receptive, the feminine; and Wisdom, which is opposed to Method.

Fulgour	06 Jan 2005
Arnnaria wrote: I was meditating the other day and came across the image of a bell or a gong. I am trying to fit this symbol to a Major Arcana card but can't think of any besides Judgment. Does anyone have any suggestions? Since I am not among those re-creating The Hermit's lantern as a little hand bell (so what does a hermit want with a bell?) I'd say The Tower would be a good place to find a ringing bell. And there's the meaning: Ring out the Old and Ring in the New.

noby	06 Jan 2005
Fulgour wrote: Since I am not among those re-creating The Hermit's lantern as a little hand bell (so what does a hermit want with a bell?) When I think of the Hermit and a bell, I think of meditation chimes and bells, which ring with such a clear, resonant, and lasting sound, and which have the ability to help focus the mind. Quote: I'd say The Tower would be a good place to find a ringing bell. And there's the meaning: Ring out the Old and Ring in the New. Yeah, definitely.

Arnnaria	06 Jan 2005
So we've got the Wheel of Fortune, the Tower, and the Hermit. I like the idea of it being part of the Tower too.

lark	06 Jan 2005
There is a little bell hanging around the neck of the man on the 5 of Coins in the RWS deck. More of a warning bell.... The man may be a leper and contagious, so it may be there to warn others when he approches. And so have time to protect themselves.

Arnnaria	07 Jan 2005
More symbology for major arcana: Owls> What card best represents an owl? I thought the Hermit, but then got caught up with the fact that Athena's symbol was an Owl, and the Hermit didn't seem too Athena-esque. Mallets / Hammers> My gut tells me Justice. I'm thinking of a huge battle hammer that would be used to tear down a building [in particular a tower]. Any help is appreciated!

Fudugazi	07 Jan 2005
Arnnaria wrote: Mallets / Hammers> My gut tells me Justice. I'm thinking of a huge battle hammer that would be used to tear down a building The original suit of "wands" or clubs (bâtons) in the naïbis cards that evolved into the "minors" of the Tarot was a suit of mallets - specifically polo mallets, which were both used for sport and - you said it - battle. So I would guess your vision refers to the suit of clubs. If you saw only one, it would be the Ace. Great strength, creativity, outwardly-focussed activity and libido. Justice in the Tarot holds a sword and scales, but not a judge's hammer, - however you might have conjured it up as image association. What type of hammer was it? Small like a judge's or more of a mallet? I've always seen the owl as Athena's symbol -but I have read that in the Ancient world, as a nocturnal animal, it also represented sadness and solitary retreat - so the Hermit might be indicated. Different owls have different symbolism, it seems: we have two words in French: hibou for that sad owl, and chouette (the barn owl, I think), for the wise one associated to Athena. The latter owl has been linked with diviners, through the signs they interpret, therefore it could be one symbol for the whole Tarot - wisdom and divination based on symbolism.

Arnnaria	07 Jan 2005
The image I conjured up was the Emperor standing atop a Tower, tearing it down with a mallet in his hands. Perhaps it is the Ace of Wands...

The Bells/Gongs thread was originally posted on 06 Jan 2005 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.