Different Way to study Major Arcana

rwcarter

One of my focuses right now is looking at different ways out laying out the Major Arcana cards in numerological order to see how they interact with one another. I started a thread here to find different layouts people were aware of that weren't deck-specific. I've begun applying these layouts to the different decks I'm using/studying and thought I'd share since the Gothic is one of those decks.

The first layout is called the 3x7 Layout and looks like this:

.............0..............
.1..2..3...4...5..6...7.
.8..9..10.11.12.13.14
15.16.17.18.19.20.21

The Fool isn't actually used in this layout. The top line are powers and potencies and represent the Body. The middle line are laws or agencies and represent the Mind. The bottom line are conditions or effects and represent the Spirit. The columns are read down as "The powers/potencies of (card) work through the laws/agencies of (card) to modify the conditions/effects of (card)."

Here's what I came up with as a first pass through the Gothic Majors:

The powers/potencies of the Magician work through the laws/agencies of Justice to modify the conditions/effects of the Devil.
The ability to manifest that which one desires by focusing their thoughts (Magician) works through the idea of keeping a fair and balanced outlook (Justice) to keep one from the temptation of misusing their power and becoming addicted to it (Devil).

The powers/potencies of the High Priestess work through the laws/agencies of the Hermit to modify the conditions/effects of the Tower.
Relying on spiritual matters (High Priestess) works through the search for wisdom and/or the quest for mental and spiritual clarity (Hermit) to modify the effects of being forced to reckon with a truth the one has been avoiding (Tower).

The powers/potencies of the Empress work through the laws/agencies of the Wheel of Fortune to modify the conditions/effects of the Star.
Having the inner fire to attain one's goals (Empress) works through the eternal cycle of ups and downs (Wheel of Fortune) to modify the condition of relying on hope and faith to get one through (Star).

The powers/potencies of the Emperor work through the laws/agencies of Strength to modify the conditions/effects of the Moon.
Being confidant and in control (Emperor) works through having fortitude of mind, body and spirit (Strength) to modify the effects of emotions that override logic and reason (Moon).

The powers/potencies of the High Priest work through the laws/agencies of the Hanged Man to modify the conditions/effects of the Sun.
Staying true to one's traditional values (High Priest) works through undergoing a period of reflection on who one wants to be (Hanged Man) to temper the effects of good fortune and success (Sun). In other words, if one knows who they want to be and remains true to their values, they are less likely to be unduly influenced by success.

The powers/potencies of the Lovers works through the laws/agencies of Death to modify the conditions/effects of Judgement.
Accepting responsibility for the choices one makes (Lovers) works through the law of sudden and unexpected change (Death) to modify the effects of being held accountable for one's actions (Judgement). In other words, those who accept responsibility for the choices they make won't be caught by surprise whey they're called on to justify the things they've done.

The powers/potencies of the Chariot works through the laws/agencies of Temperance to modify the conditions/effects of the World.
Steering one's life in the direction they want it to go (Chariot) works through combining knowledge with action (Temperance) to make reaching the goal easier (World).

Anybody else wanna play? Have any input on what I came up with? Interested in seeing other layouts?

Rodney