Layouts for Studying Major Arcana

rwcarter

Raya,

Yes, the Tree of Life deals with the Kabbalah. That may be the same as "Crowely's Thoth-Kabbalah diagram." There are 22 paths between the 10 spheres on the ToL, and since there are 22 Major Arcana, one has been assigned to each path. Most of the decks I have that actually discuss the Kabbalah use the "standard" assignments to the ToL. The Navigators Tarot switches many of the assignments though.

I probably don't know enough about the ToL, but at least on the surface, it doesn't appear to me that studying the cards in that layout quite fits what I'm looking for.

Rodney
 

sharpchick

I love the lesson given by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gromm in the companion book to the DruidCraft Tarot. Very simple and for the beginner, a good way to visualize progression through the Fool's Journey.

First, you make a circle of the cards, with The Fool in the center, and the Magician at the top of the circle, moving clockwise with the remainder of the cards to close the circle. The first cycle (seven) cards in the circle represent developing awareness and building character. The next cycle is opening to the powers of the subconscious and the final cycle is the path to illumination.

Then you take the cards from the circle and lay them out in three rows, The Magician to Chariot (powers of the self), then under that, Strength through Fferyllt (the mysteries of time and nature), and finally Cernunnos through The World (the process of renewal that results in deeper experience of inner union. Looking vertically at those rows, you can also see the relationship between the three cards that run vertically.
 

rwcarter

sharpchick,

Gotta work today (UGH), but I'll give that a look see when I get home later.

Thanks!
Rodney
 

rwcarter

sharpchick said:
I love the lesson given by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gromm in the companion book to the DruidCraft Tarot. Very simple and for the beginner, a good way to visualize progression through the Fool's Journey.
sharpchick,

At first I couldn't find what you were talking about. I saw the diagram with the whole deck laid out in rings and I saw the suggestion for using the Majors as a Mandala, but I couldn't find what you had mentioned. That's a page or two before the idea about the Mandala, which is kinda what Raya was doing: (quoted directly from the DruidCraft Tarot companion book, typos mine)

[P]lace the Fool in the middle of a clear workspace to represent the core essence of your soul. Then place the rest of the cards around this core, not in a linear progression but as you feel moved to place them. By doing this you are creating a mandala - a pattern that may speak to you about your inner life, and the relationship between its different facets, in ways that would not be revealed if you felt constrained by a predetermined sequence."

I'm a Taurus (4 of my 10 planets are in Taurus) on the cusp of Gemini. My Taurus side is screaming "but I like patterns and predetermined sequences!!!!" while my Gemini side is screaming, "but I like to draw outside the lines!!!!" Welcome to my world. :laugh:

sharpchick said:
Then you take the cards from the circle and lay them out in three rows, The Magician to Chariot (powers of the self), then under that, Strength through Fferyllt (the mysteries of time and nature), and finally Cernunnos through The World (the process of renewal that results in deeper experience of inner union. Looking vertically at those rows, you can also see the relationship between the three cards that run vertically.
That's basically a 3x7 layout. I've seen the rows described as Body, Mind and Spirit, but never Power of the Self, Mysteries of Time and Nature and the Process of Renewal that Results in a Deeper Experience of Inner Union. Gotta think on that one, especially since I see they renamed the Celtic Cross spread to be the Chalice-and-Wand Spread. (WHERE are the Pentacles and Swords?) :mad:

Rodney
 

rwcarter

rachelcat said:
When I was first starting out, I learned alot from the Three Circles spread in the Motherpeace Tarot Playbook. I can't remember exactly how it goes, but it does follow the order of the cards, with the last three cards, Sun, Judgement, and World as the centers of the three circles. I seem to remember ascending and decending energy around the circle. (I will have to dig my book out of its box at some point to share it with you. Or if someone else has it . . .)
Here's a version of the 3 Circles Layout I did in Excel and turned into a bmp file. Hopefully it's not a mongo size.... Had to resize it. Hopefully it's not too small to be useful now....:confused:

Read a post on another thread earlier this evening from someone who commented about not posting when drinking. Should've taken his advice.... :party:

Rodney
 

Attachments

  • 3 Circles Layout.bmp
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rwcarter

Melvis said:
Interesting stuff, Rodney. That's the kind of thing I like to do, too! Excel is a wonderful tool, isn't it?

Have you ever read "Tarot of the Bohemians" by Papus?
Melvis led (dragged me kicking and screaming? ;)) to Papus, who discusses something that is explained in English I can understand by Mary K Greer in Tarot Mirrors as the Principle of Four. She writes:

"When the major arcana are placed as a series of interlocking triangles, so that the center (fourth) point of each triangle becomes the first point on the next triangle, we find that the points representing the beginning and the result (the first and fourth point) are in sequence...." She also shows that Hegel takes the Yod He Vau He structure of the Principle of Four and corresponds it to Thesis | Antithesis | Synthesis| Result (which is the Thesis of the next triangle).

She then applies the points on the 3 Circles (and this is one of the reasons I said she's the BOMB!) and associates them with the points on the Principle of Four.

So attached is another Excel spreadsheet turned into a bmp that hopefully isn't too small to be meaningful.

I haven't fully attacked Papus's Septenaries and Ternary diagram for the Majors utilizing Yod He Vau He designations. Hopefull tomorrow.

Rodney
 

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  • Principle of Four.bmp
    229.1 KB · Views: 147

Rosanne

If you should have the Visconti you could use what I use to study the 22 Arcanum. Bear in mind that I don't think the Visconti used the Tower or the Devil- so I put them together to the side. I call it the 5x4 layout
18**19**20**21***0 The Above/Reward/Outcome Cards

11**12**13**14**17 The Action Cards to deal with Time and Change

*6***7***8***9**10 The Mechanical Device Cards = Time and Change

*1***2***3***4***5 The Throned Cards =To whom we owe Tribute

The Lucifer/Fire cards XV and XV1 what happens when you get it wrong lol.

The first Row 1-V Parents, State, Church.
Second row V1-X Man made devices Sundial,Chariot,scales,hourglass,wheel
Third row X1- XV11 Doing things with hands, Strength, Patience, Mindfulness, Temperance and Hope
Fourth Row: Parents Sun and Moon, State of heaven Judgement and New Jerusalem, Man who makes the Body of the Church.

Hope you enjoy this Visconti aspect. ~Rosanne
 

rwcarter

Rosanne said:
If you should have the Visconti you could use what I use to study the 22 Arcanum. Bear in mind that I don't think the Visconti used the Tower or the Devil- so I put them together to the side.
Hi Rosanne,

I don't have a Visconti in my collection. But I like the idea of grouping like cards together. That's kinda what Skysteel did. It's a good approach for looking at the cards, but I don't think it's universal, which is what I'm looking for in a layout. For any deck, I can group like cards together by name, but I guess I'm looking more for layouts that groups cards by number regardless of which card is assigned to that number. Like the progression of 1-4-7-10-13-16-19-22/0.

Rodney
 

sharpchick

rwcarter said:
sharpchick,

At first I couldn't find what you were talking about. I saw the diagram with the whole deck laid out in rings and I saw the suggestion for using the Majors as a Mandala, but I couldn't find what you had mentioned. That's a page or two before the idea about the Mandala, which is kinda what Raya was doing: (quoted directly from the DruidCraft Tarot companion book, typos mine)

Page 95 in my book - The Inner Mysteries - The Major Arcana

There's a very in-depth discussion there.
 

Astraea Aurora

Hi folks!

Before I even try to get through all of what you have already provided to study the Major Arcana, may I ask if one of you knows the idea behind this layout?

.9........8........7........6.......5........4........3........2.......1
......................................10......................................
19......18.......17......16......15......14.......13......12......11
......................................20......................................
.................................00.......21............................

I remember that I found it somewhere on the net, only a couple of days ago, but for the hell of it I can't remember where. It has been laid out with a TdM if that's helpful.

If anyone could give me a hint or (even better) explain it to me, that'll be nice.

Thanks a lot! Astraea Aurora :grin: