EPIPHANY! A New Take on the Major Arcana

rwcarter

For any and all who are interested, I'm in the process of assembling all the relevant posts in this thread into a single Word document (The dangerdork file? :laugh:) that I'm happy to send to anyone who wants a copy. At least for me, it helps to have everything all in one place instead of having to go back and forth through different posts.

Rodney
 

tantricknite

Thats a great idea Rodney. I'm interested in getting a copy..........
 

rwcarter

tantricknite,

dangerdorkdoc (I love how alliterative that sounds!) has been sent.

Rodney
 

rwcarter

dangerdork said:
On top of that, Earth (Pents) and Fire (Wands) are friends, aren't they? As are Water (Cups) and Air (Swords?) SO these pairings seem good.

Actually, the way it goes in the Golden Dawn tradition is that Earth and Fire are NEUTRAL to one another, as are Water and Air. But in the GD tradition, neutral elements are considered to be friendly. That leads to each element having two friendly elemental interactions and one unfriendly interaction.

That system works for a lot of people, but it doesn't work for me. In my book, neutral means just that - neutral. So, in my personal system of Elemental Dignities, each element has one friendly, one neutral and one unfriendly interaction with the other elements. That seems more balanced to me, so that's the system I use.

dangerdork said:
And when I arranged them so, I noticed this. I have pretty strong associations with different suits to different seasons of the year. Swords - Air: Winter. cold, mental activity, death or senescence. Cups - Water: - Spring. Growth, flowing waters, freshness, courtship. Wands - Summer: Full foliage, sunshine, active life. Pents - Earth: Fall. The Harvest, the Bounty, fruits of your labors, completion of the cycle.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't really cared enough to pay much attention to seasonal and directional associations with the Minor Arcana suits. So the only thing I can say to what you wrote above is, "Makes sense to me." But then I say the same thing whenever anybody writes something about seasonal or directional associations. So somebody else could contradict you tomorrow and I'd say "Makes sense to me."

dangerdork said:
Another small numerological note of interest: There are 11 total rows in this configuration, and in the middle Station of the very middle row sits the card around which the whole mandala revolves - Justice. Which HAS to be the card you would choose to represent Cosmic Balance or Karma. Card number 11. No wonder the Golden Dawn folks moved it there.

Enjoy.
Mandala, huh? I gotta think about that one.

Rodney
 

rwcarter

dangerdork said:
Here's an exercise:

LAY OUT the 77-card pattern I've described on the floor (or grass, or REALLY BIG table). Contemplate what I've described. Walk across the room to regard the fullness of the Pattern. Pick up the Fool and take him with you. As you contemplate the pasteboard landscape and envision this new map of its territories, take the Fool and give him a flick in that direction. You've given him his inevitable push from the precipice. Now regard where he deigns to alight. Read that.
Sounds like you've almost created a 78 card spread based on the Seven Stations! Turn the Fool right side up to all the other cards and shuffle. Lay the cards out in some variation of the following order:

74 65 67 69 71 73 76
75 64 66 68 70 72 77 (Pents)
___________________

46 37 39 41 43 45 48
47 36 38 40 42 44 49 (Wands)
___________________

03 06 09 12 15 18 21 : PATH 3

02 05 08 11 14 17 20 : PATH 2

01 04 07 10 13 16 19 : PATH 1
___________________

32 23 25 27 29 31 34
33 22 24 26 28 30 35 (Cups)
___________________

60 51 53 55 57 59 62
61 50 52 54 56 58 63 (Swords)

When the Fool card appears, lay it down in the next position and lay the next face down card on top of it. That will tell you where you are on the torus. The other card will tell you what you have at your disposal to help you along the journey through the other 76 cards until you're back to the starting point for a new journey. (Somehow I don't envision this being a quickie spread to interpret....)

So that's a Majors-only spread, a Minors-only spread and a 78 card spread. How many more spreads do you have percolating in that brain of yours, huh? (Remember, we still need a spread in which any of the cards can potentially be drawn but there are far fewer than 77 positions and 78 cards to interpret!)

Rodney
 

scarletlight

Word document

I'd love to have a copy of dd's posts in a single word document ...

Thanking you kindly :)
 

Nimbus

I have just discovered this thread and am very impressed with not only the content, but the manner in which the ideas are being shared and how things are evolving. I had hoped to find a discussion of this caliber in my lurkings!

There is much to consider and it will take some time. I will be getting out my copy of Tarot Revelations and reading that, along with the information contained in this thread. This weekend I will be playing with my favourite decks (and a 'majors only' deck I have never used!) to complete some of the grids to better understand what is being discussed.

I agree, it is a terrific way to learn the cards as they relate to one another, as in a reading the position and it's surounding cards colour the meaning. It is the synthesis of the information contained in the cards that is the 'art' part of tarot (in my opinion) and this synthesis has always been the most elusive part for me.

Thanks very much, dangerdork, for your enthusiasm and willingness to share (and to put yourself on the line!) in your quest to develop your ideas. I have already learned a lot. I also think the contributions from eveyone else, along with the links to other threads, have been a great help.

Rodney, if possible, I would love a copy of the dangerdorkdoc!

So much to think about.... I can hardly wait!

~Nimbus
 

Seafra

I'd like a copy too, if possible. I've got some very empty hours at work coming up and could really work with it then. Haven't had time to review the whole thing but really was amazed by the process! - Sea
 

rwcarter

Anyone who wants a copy of the dangerdorkdoc should PM me with their email address and I'll be happy to send it off.

Rodney
 

Itika

dangerdork said:
This sounds really interesting. Could you discuss more the themes of the "ways" of these deities, and the basic color symbolism?
Thank you, for a question!
Forgive me, if my text is not correct – I do not speek English fluently...

In Isis-tarot the way of Osiris is the way of a God: The God (1) by law (4) executes his plans (7), he leads us and the Cosmos by rotatening of the Lifewheel (10) thru the Death (13) and ruin (16) to a perfect Life (19).

The way of Isis – the way of creatures: we have learnd from holy books and receive a promise, that the Gates of invisible World will be open (2); we have listened to spoken teachings (5) and we are weighd by fair/impartial judge and touchd the Truth (8); we have acquired power and skill to win the evilness or the bestial side(11); thru reincarnation we have lost a need to physical life (14); we are given itself to a God (17) and reachd the Immortality (20).

The way of Horus – the way of suffering or a spirit: A Spirit,whose intents are the highest peaks, where the Eagle flys (3), bring a human being in to condition to choose (6) a way of pilgrim (9); their loneliness become to a hopless and false picture of the world (12) and they must put up a fight against the lie and unjustice (15), against their inner chaos of cravings (18), before they will reach peace, clearness, entity, beeing one with God (21).

Those are old storys, quite religious. Dark grey ground on Osiris-way - the Light in darkness. Blue ground on Isis-way - wisdom or knowledge. Brown ground (mixd black and red) - earth and blood, the sign of a sacrifice.

These deities belong to Egiptian pantheon of gods and their "life-storys" are well discribed in many boocks on many pages. But those biographys have always at least three levels:
1. Creation of the Cosmos
2. Moral examples for evryday-life
3. Spiritual guide in secret/holy language of priests