juliecucciawatts
The Drowned Man
June 21-Summer Solstice
The Drowned Man depicts Isis searching for her missing husband Osiris. In the foreground we see the eyes of Osiris peering through the pillar at the palace of the King of Byblos. This card, known traditionally as the Hanged Man, is also known as the Drowned Man. The traditional meaning is surrender, a suspension of time, a stagnant time between two major events. The Drowned Man in The Journey into Egypt Tarot represents the sun as it passes over the Milky Way during the time of the winter and summer solstices. Solstice, from the Latin Sol stetit, translates to “sun stands still” and clearly illustrates the impression of being suspended in the heavenly refection of the River Nile.
The Trials of Isis Story Part 2
The story of the Trial of Isis continues at the Summer Solstice as Isis hears stories of the drowned man that children discovered at the side of the river. The Satyrs were the first to smell the body. Poor Isis pursues the trail the body down the Nile and out into the open sea where it eventually lands on the shores of Byblos where it is lodged in a tamarisk tree. Isis finds the tree growing at the shore and discovers her husband trapped inside. The tree is flourishing and beautiful. Isis sits by the tree and wonders how she will set Osiris free and restore him to life. Before she can fulfill her plans, the King of Byblos falls in love with the tree and wants to use it as a pillar in his palace. Horrified that she will lose Osiris again Isis transforms herself into a sparrow and flits around the tree chirping and making a great fuss hoping to deter the king. But her frantic actions are of no consequence and the tree is cut down for use in the Kings palace. In order to stay close to her husband, persistent Isis decides to find a way to live at the palace and she becomes a nurse to the queen’s baby. All the while Osiris remains trapped in the tamarisk tree pillar in the palace of the foreign king. Isis, compassionate and not wanting anyone else to know the pain she feels, decides to give immortality to the child of the queen by placing his mortal parts in the fire. This takes time so night after night Isis puts the baby in the fire. One night the queen interrupts the spell, horrified and not understanding what Isis is doing. She angrily sends Isis away but somehow Isis convinces the queen to give her the pillar containing her husband as well as safe passage back to Egypt. The queen grants her the pillar and a ship just to get this crazy woman out of her home and away from her child.
In ancient times the New Year is celebrated on the arrival of the annual flood. The first day of the season of Inundation occurs around the time of Summer Solstice and the disappearance of Sirius. The star Sirius is thought to be the tear of Isis as it drops into the Nile whilst she searches for the body of Osiris and is the cause of the flood.
In the ancient star religion, Orion/Osiris and Sirius/Isis merge with the sun for 70 days and then rise again, signaling the life-giving annual flooding of the Nile in the Ages of Taurus and Aries. At that time, the full moon is in Aquarius on the Summer Solstice. By the time the Julian calendar is created, the Egyptian New Year had already slipped to mid-July and today the star rises in mid-August.
The Full Moon in Aquarius occurs the month before the Autumnal Equinox though modern astrology still uses the artificially fixed sky of many years ago. Today the Aswan dam interrupts the annual flood so water can be regulated and utilized throughout the year. The ancient “sliding” calendar used by Egyptian priests has been replaced by modern European methods of time keeping. Still, the old ways are recorded in ancient stones and architecture. Today’s priest-less temples still align to the Solstices in effect keeping the rites alive as the southern stars march through the Great Year (Magnus Annus). Perhaps the stones themselves are calling back their ancient priests and priestesses as the Age of Aquarius dawns.
A similar story comes from an ancient black granite stone with language used in the Pyramid text called the Shabaka Texts:
“Osiris is not killed by the hands of Set but drowned in the Nile somewhere near Memphis. Memphis’ location is one that divides upper and lower Egypt. Geb, the husband of the Sky goddess Nut (mother of Osiris and Set), divides the land at Memphis giving the lower delta to Horus and the upper Nile to Set. After what seems to be a fair judgment Geb suddenly changes his mind and gives all of Egypt to Horus and the epic battle between Horus and Set begins...”
Stirred by The Orion Mystery by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert, the inspiration for this card of Osiris being the Drowned Man is that the two lands may relate to cosmic duality. The Nile, in which Osiris is drowned, represents the Milky Way. Osiris is the mystery of the Sun at night. Perhaps that intersection where this god crosses the Milky Way is the place where the Drowned Man can be found. Where does the sun cross the Milky Way? It is the point where the zodiac crosses the Milky Way, somewhere between Sagittarius and Imhotep/Serpentarius/Ophuicus, the thirteenth sign that shares space with Scorpio. Using this information, we can approximate the placement of the sun and full moon at the Solstices.
Card meaning: This card marks a time of life in suspension; it is a time of seeking. This card is also known as the unappreciated person. It may signify a period of rapid internal growth, though the external world may perceive it as such. This card also signifies a period of waiting and stagnation between two major events. In the “worst case” scenario the Drowned Man indicates a situation where you are cast into some humiliating life process with no choice but to surrender to it and endure the ordeal.
June 21-Summer Solstice
The Drowned Man depicts Isis searching for her missing husband Osiris. In the foreground we see the eyes of Osiris peering through the pillar at the palace of the King of Byblos. This card, known traditionally as the Hanged Man, is also known as the Drowned Man. The traditional meaning is surrender, a suspension of time, a stagnant time between two major events. The Drowned Man in The Journey into Egypt Tarot represents the sun as it passes over the Milky Way during the time of the winter and summer solstices. Solstice, from the Latin Sol stetit, translates to “sun stands still” and clearly illustrates the impression of being suspended in the heavenly refection of the River Nile.
The Trials of Isis Story Part 2
The story of the Trial of Isis continues at the Summer Solstice as Isis hears stories of the drowned man that children discovered at the side of the river. The Satyrs were the first to smell the body. Poor Isis pursues the trail the body down the Nile and out into the open sea where it eventually lands on the shores of Byblos where it is lodged in a tamarisk tree. Isis finds the tree growing at the shore and discovers her husband trapped inside. The tree is flourishing and beautiful. Isis sits by the tree and wonders how she will set Osiris free and restore him to life. Before she can fulfill her plans, the King of Byblos falls in love with the tree and wants to use it as a pillar in his palace. Horrified that she will lose Osiris again Isis transforms herself into a sparrow and flits around the tree chirping and making a great fuss hoping to deter the king. But her frantic actions are of no consequence and the tree is cut down for use in the Kings palace. In order to stay close to her husband, persistent Isis decides to find a way to live at the palace and she becomes a nurse to the queen’s baby. All the while Osiris remains trapped in the tamarisk tree pillar in the palace of the foreign king. Isis, compassionate and not wanting anyone else to know the pain she feels, decides to give immortality to the child of the queen by placing his mortal parts in the fire. This takes time so night after night Isis puts the baby in the fire. One night the queen interrupts the spell, horrified and not understanding what Isis is doing. She angrily sends Isis away but somehow Isis convinces the queen to give her the pillar containing her husband as well as safe passage back to Egypt. The queen grants her the pillar and a ship just to get this crazy woman out of her home and away from her child.
In ancient times the New Year is celebrated on the arrival of the annual flood. The first day of the season of Inundation occurs around the time of Summer Solstice and the disappearance of Sirius. The star Sirius is thought to be the tear of Isis as it drops into the Nile whilst she searches for the body of Osiris and is the cause of the flood.
In the ancient star religion, Orion/Osiris and Sirius/Isis merge with the sun for 70 days and then rise again, signaling the life-giving annual flooding of the Nile in the Ages of Taurus and Aries. At that time, the full moon is in Aquarius on the Summer Solstice. By the time the Julian calendar is created, the Egyptian New Year had already slipped to mid-July and today the star rises in mid-August.
The Full Moon in Aquarius occurs the month before the Autumnal Equinox though modern astrology still uses the artificially fixed sky of many years ago. Today the Aswan dam interrupts the annual flood so water can be regulated and utilized throughout the year. The ancient “sliding” calendar used by Egyptian priests has been replaced by modern European methods of time keeping. Still, the old ways are recorded in ancient stones and architecture. Today’s priest-less temples still align to the Solstices in effect keeping the rites alive as the southern stars march through the Great Year (Magnus Annus). Perhaps the stones themselves are calling back their ancient priests and priestesses as the Age of Aquarius dawns.
A similar story comes from an ancient black granite stone with language used in the Pyramid text called the Shabaka Texts:
“Osiris is not killed by the hands of Set but drowned in the Nile somewhere near Memphis. Memphis’ location is one that divides upper and lower Egypt. Geb, the husband of the Sky goddess Nut (mother of Osiris and Set), divides the land at Memphis giving the lower delta to Horus and the upper Nile to Set. After what seems to be a fair judgment Geb suddenly changes his mind and gives all of Egypt to Horus and the epic battle between Horus and Set begins...”
Stirred by The Orion Mystery by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert, the inspiration for this card of Osiris being the Drowned Man is that the two lands may relate to cosmic duality. The Nile, in which Osiris is drowned, represents the Milky Way. Osiris is the mystery of the Sun at night. Perhaps that intersection where this god crosses the Milky Way is the place where the Drowned Man can be found. Where does the sun cross the Milky Way? It is the point where the zodiac crosses the Milky Way, somewhere between Sagittarius and Imhotep/Serpentarius/Ophuicus, the thirteenth sign that shares space with Scorpio. Using this information, we can approximate the placement of the sun and full moon at the Solstices.
Card meaning: This card marks a time of life in suspension; it is a time of seeking. This card is also known as the unappreciated person. It may signify a period of rapid internal growth, though the external world may perceive it as such. This card also signifies a period of waiting and stagnation between two major events. In the “worst case” scenario the Drowned Man indicates a situation where you are cast into some humiliating life process with no choice but to surrender to it and endure the ordeal.
