dangerdork

Before you read this, you'll want some cards on hand. Specifically, the Major Arcana, in order, from the deck of your choice. Go on, go get them. I'll wait. If you don't want to bother right now, this post is going to be much less worth reading without a visual aid. So don't bother reading the rest for now. I'll wait 'til you have more time to join us with the required materials.

I recently discovered a book on Amazon called "Tarot Revelations" by Joseph Campbell and Richard Roberts. Yes, THAT Joseph Campbell. Turns out that Campbell only wrote a 25-page essay based on the Majors of the Marseilles deck, and the other 250+ pages are by Roberts, on the Majors of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. With that caveat, it's still a great book.

In his section, Campbell lays out the Majors in a grid (by Arcana Number):

xx - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 0
xx - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - xx
xx - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - xx
xx - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 - xx
01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - xx

So the Magician is at the bottom, offset one from the "grid," for which Campbell provides a compelling argument. Likewise the Fool is offset from the grid at the end. Then Campbell examines each of the rows in the four main columns from the perspective of the four stages of life described by Dante.

If that sounds interesting, get the book.

I had begun reading Roberts' section and discovered that HE laid out the Majors in a different grid:

01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09
10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18
19 - 20 - 21 - 00

For which he provides a lengthy Numerological explanation. Roberts' section is of much greater depth and interests for occultists, as he goes into deep specifics of numerology and symbolism. But I haven't finished the book yet, and here's why:

Roberts was describing the colors of the cards to help to visualize what he was talking about, so I laid out his grid. Seeing all the Majors laid out in order on the table in front of me made me say: "Hey! I want to play!" I wanted my OWN grid.

I wanted something that would connect the cards that I think of as Angels or Virtues: Strength, Temperance... So I noticed. There are 2 cards between Justice and Temperance, 2 cards between Strength and Justice... 21 is divisible by 3... Maybe if i made THREE columns instead of Campbell's four, it would bring together the cards I felt belong together:

19 - 20 - 21
16 - 17 - 18
13 - 14 - 15
10 - 11 - 12
07 - 08 - 09
04 - 05 - 06
01 - 02 - 03

But then, there really wasn't room on my table to make seven-card-tall COLUMNS, so for convenience's sake I rotated the whole thing 90 degrees. This is where you should get out your cards and lay them down:

xx - xx - 01 - 04 - 07 - 10 - 13 - 16 - 19
00 - xx - 02 - 05 - 08 - 11 - 14 - 17 - 20
xx - xx - 03 - 06 - 09 - 12 - 15 - 18 - 21

As you can see, the Fool is left floating off to the side, and we now have three rows of cards. The middle row has my cluster of Strength - Justice - Temperance, with BONUS Angel the Star. Wow! these 3 rows seem to really be groups that work together.

For those who STILL haven't laid the cards out, the three rows we have now grouped the cards into consist of:

Magician - Emperor - Chariot - Wheel of Fortune - Death - Tower - Sun
High Priestess - Hierophant - Strength - Justice - Temperance - Star - Judgment
Empress - Lovers - Hermit - Hanged Man - Devil - Moon - World

If these three groups have been described anywhere in the literature in the way I'm about to discuss, please let me know; because I really think I'm onto something.

I call them the Three Paths.

Seeing Judgment, Hierophant and HP all in the same line suggested a religious theme. I thought of the two major forces in the world during the origins of Tarot - Church and State - and rows 1 and 2 seemed to really gel.

Row One people follow the lead of the King, the Emperor - they follow the State; and Row Two people likewise are motivated by the Church (The Hierophant). So the Path of The Citizen vs. the Path of the Congregant. Then what about Row 3? The key is in the second column. A "Row 1 person" is driven by the Emperor (State), a Row 2 person by the Church (Hierophant), so a row 3 person is driven by... The Lovers? YES! For what do the Lovers represent but Choice... FREE WILL! Row 3 is the Path of the Individualist.

Here are some other possible descriptions of the 3 rows I've come up with, all loosely associated:

The Soldier / The Priest / The Rebel
Ego / Superego / Id
Dionysian / Apollonian / Hermetic
Body / Mind / Spirit
Social / Moral / Personal

So, basically I see the first row as a person defined by the EVENTS in their lives: The Chariot establishing balance and progress in the material world; Wheel of Fortune as sudden turn of events or circumstances in the material world, Death and the Tower again as EVENTS the seeker along this path inevitably encounters, and the Sun as their ultimate KNOWLEDGE, their version of enlightenment.

The second path? again, beyond the Hierophant, where the Seeker in Row one was defined and formed by EVENTS, is defined and formed by Virtues or QUALITIES OF CHARACTER. Strength, Justice, Temperance, Star, are all in perfect sync... and the final card of the row? JUDGMENT? Well, just as the Seeker in Row 1 sought knowledge and enlightenment as the result of the real-world experiences, so the Row 2 Seeker will ultimately be rewarded with eternal salvation at Judgment. Their ultimate goal is to become worthy of heaven. And as a side note, I LOVE how the placement of Strength / Justice in different decks has virtually no effect on this overall scheme.

And now the third row... the Individualist, the Rebel, the Id, Hermetic knowledge. Here is the Dark Side, the most difficult path to survive. Rather than listening to the Emperor or Hierophant, the Seeker has chosen to find his own way, learn his own truths, work out the Answers for himself. And when you look at it that way, it's the path most fraught with danger - ALL the Dark Night of The Soul cards lie along this path. The Hermit - he seeks his truths alone; The Hanged Man - I always focus on the "seeing the world in new ways" aspects, but as Campbell reminds us, this is also about social ostracism. Again with the Devil, the Devil I always see in this card is the one in the mirror... your "personal demons."

and next up... the MOON! Man, this 3-rows perspective is tight! For although we have not dropped the word yet, surely this Row 3 is the Path of the MYSTIC. And what self-respecting Mystic would be complete without the subconscious, the hidden, the unknown? And just as this path is most fraught with danger - so its reward is the most fulfilling and complete - The World. Seekers 1 and 2 desire Knowledge and Salvation, respectively, but this path leads to Closure, Fulfillment, Completion. Worldliness.

Those are the paths in a nutshell. I've taken a shot at defining each of the Columns from left to right (those of you who haven't laid the cards out yet, good luck with this):

Your Origin - Your Inspiration - Your Power - The Turning Point - Your Transformation - Your Epiphany - Your Goal.

And to cap it off, that would make a damn good seven card spread, now wouldn't it?

I think this perspective on the Major Arcana is worth considerable study and discussion - and as far as I know:

You Heard It Here First.

elvenstar

Interesting, I like it I think. How do the first cards in each row fit in? The Origin cards? Your discussion starts with the second in each row

Disa

Cool. The three paths make total sense to me. The first path seems like "society's rules", the second, "religious rules", the third- Me me me (and I'm sure quite a few others here, as well.) All of a sudden I feel justified. Cool.

Thanks for sharing.

Disa

Lillie

That's really interesting.

__________________
Throw it all away, let's lose our selves
because there's no one left for us to blame
It's a shame, we're all dying
And do you think you deserve your freedom?

blackroseivy

Be watching out for a book from our "DD" here...!!

__________________
God not only plays dice with the universe, he cheats.

- Stephen Hawking

mythos

In the system which Angeles Arrien (and Mary Greer too, I think) use for personality/soul cards, I am one of that group who has three cards. The Sun = personality, the Magician = Soul, and the Wheel of Fortune = Creativity. Arguably, then, using your system, that would place me firmly in the first row.

But, I am a third row person, and curiously, my Astrological card - Virgo = The Hermit is third row (GD system).

So ... where does that get us (for me, as the example of n=1 ... too small a sample size I know), it seems to me that in the first half of my life I tried and tried to 'fit' ... i.e. overt social roles dictated by the first row. Post mid-life transitions I found my third row status. It is not that I was unaware of it previously, it was more that I would dip my toe in ... freak out with the problems of facing being 'different' in a society and culture which demands and pressures us into sameness ... and then pull my toe out. Never comfortable with my Self.

I see the toe-dipping in the Temperance card ... Death (of the old) ... toe-dip (Temperance), face demons (Devil) like fear of losing other's approval, lack of self esteem, and zap back up to line 1 ... 'foolishly' out of fear.

In my midlife, I dove into the waters of the third line. I made that 'choice' ... it is a bloody hard path ... but, in spite of that, I am at home. You are right ... 'this path leads to Closure, Fulfillment, Completion. Worldliness', and more dark nights of the soul than one has sticks to beat them off with.

Your summation of Your Origin - Your Inspiration - Your Power - The Turning Point - Your Transformation - Your Epiphany - Your Goal.
really does fit exquisitely well.

You certainly seem to be onto something here. Back to First Row Arrien system vs Astrological correspondences ... it may be that each is tapping into different levels of who we are. Admittedly I have four Virgo in the 12th House my chart, so that would strengthen the astrological correspondence with the Hermit and the third row, and no doubt there are those who have a match between the Arrien system and the Astro-Row that they fit into. Maybe that split (in my case) is something that may be more prevalent in those who are row three people. Though this does not necessarily follow. Research comparing systems would be interesting ... though daunting.

I am reminded too that it is that time again ... the time to have another go at reading Roberts ... my brain aches at the thought (Huh! Humour!). He is hard work though.

I like your idea of the seven card spread. Would you use all 78 cards, or only the Majors?

You are definitely onto something here, in my not so humble opinion.

mythos

__________________
"...there is nothing so fatal to success as knowing your subject." P. D. James

Raya

Joseph Campbell's the man.

And dangerdork, not only do you have an awesome handle, but also
that's a really clever way at looking at the cards.

I sometimes like to rework the majors into alternative Fool's journeys, you know, start with Empress, which leads to Sun (mother to children) leads to whatever, but I never thought of breaking them into parallel paths. I'll have to try this at home.

__________________
And as for me,
I made up my mind back in Chelsea,
When I go, I'm going like Elsie!

Start by admitting
From cradle to tomb
Isn't that long a stay.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Only a Cabaret, old chum,
And I love a Cabaret!

SolSionnach

Awesome, Dangerdork!
I hope you don't mind if I cut and paste your post for further study (since I didn't get out the cards

I'm also a 19-10-1, and a Virgo as well. I can really identify with what Mythos wrote, too.

__________________
IDS - Greenwood

memries

I don't understand a thing but tonight out my cards come.. to do your thing and see how it goes.

I am not into much Astrology or Elementals but one has to begin somewhere. Can't wait and will report.

It sounds intriguing.