94stranger
Rainring’s division into sets
Introduction
To use the Rainring cards on the web does not require an understanding of the sets. However, it seems to me that to access the meanings of the cards, this grasp of what the sets comprise would be of great benefit.
A given spectrum colour represents both a particular wave-length of light, and also a particular modality of vibration: each colour has its character and its influence, including that upon us human beings. If, however, we were unable to differentiate beyond our nine colour groups, we would find ourselves with a very limited map of the cosmos and hence also of the psyche – 9 cards. On the other hand, if we want to further differentiate the energy present in a given colour vibration, how will we do it?
This class looks at the way the groups are subdivided into nine energy bands and at how these bands, the sets as we call them, are constituted.
(see upload-grid attached - at foot of post. Zoom to 125% to view)
Finally, it offers an example card from each set, to see how we incorporate not only the group, but also the set membership of each individual card into the construction of its meaning.
The set meanings
Given the importance of the set meanings in understanding the meaning of each individual card, we will now examine the sets more closely.
The first three are linked:
set 1 (always counting from the top) represents introvert imbalance, set 2 extrovert imbalance, and set 3 is the balance for sets one and two. If we take the first three cards of any group, therefore, they will follow this pattern. For example, in blue we have Inhibition, Exhibition and Interchange. Inhibition, in set 1, represents introvert imbalance in communication. Introversion refers to a neurotic internalisation of energy – a problem achieving an appropriate outflow of energy towards the world. Inhibition presents this problem within the context of communication – the timid individual who is blocked from expressing themselves in the presence of others. Exhibition, in set 2, is the opposite; extrovert imbalance, such that there is a compulsion to exteriorise oneself; an excessive energy flow outwards, producing those infuriating individuals who can’t stop drawing attention to themselves, no matter how much it is clear that their companions have had enough. Finally, Interchange, in set 3, is the name we give to the card which represents the balance or mid-point between these two extremes. Interchange describes the relations of two people in discussion for instance, where each really listens to the other and each speaks, but not excessively or compulsively. In other words, the communication between them ebbs and flows like a tide. It will be found the first three cards of every group (reading from the top of the grid) follow this pattern, and can be analysed accordingly.
The next two sets have a certain connection, since set 4 represents the personal archetypes and set 5 the fundamental ones. Taking these in reverse order, the fundamental archetypes represent the primordial forces operating in the psyche – they are the foundation energies upon which everything else in the psyche is built. The personal archetypes, by contrast, are as their name suggests a more personalised version of these. They may be idealised, mythologized portraits, but they are nevertheless that: portraits of the nine types of person in the human race. In fact, there is nothing absolute about nine: astrology recognises twelve; other systems use still other divisions. The number resulting depends upon the measuring instruments used: there is no absolutely correct figure.
To take an example, in the red group we have The Wanton as the personal archetype (set 4), followed by Desire as the fundamental archetype. The ‘personification’ of the energy of Desire is the type known as The Wanton. In other words, we take Desire to be one of the primordial forces of the cosmos, psychically-speaking. it is the force of desire which creates the space for Spirit to fill (e-motion = movement outwards). This force then manifests itself, in terms of its human prototype, into the type which we call The Wanton, the emotional woman par excellence. She is described thus: ‘the woman who lives out her desires and is, in turn, the most desired; the bold, alluring, magnetic woman.’ The Wanton is, like the other personal archetypes of set 4, a figure of mythic proportions. Although you will not meet her in the street, you will certainly meet women of her type – though, having said this, this type of woman has been so persecuted in the past, and still is in many societies, that she has been forced into a way of being far less ‘in your face’, far more toned down than would be her natural way.
Set 6 concerns the functions: this means the particular way in which our individual character manifests itself, or to be more precise, which chakra constitutes our habitual energy centre: do we typically respond from the heart, the head, the groin…? In the on-line version of the cards, we have made a significant change from the hard copy version. In the latter, what is illustrated on the card is not the function, but the feeling. This set is also the seat of what we think of as the feeling archetypes, meaning the major feelings which power human beings, as distinguished from the more minor, less dramatic ones. In the web version, therefore, we have named each card according to the feeling illustrated, not according to its true name, which appears only as a sub-text. If we take Despair as an example, here is the accompanying text: ‘the emotion felt when there seems no desirable or bearable outcome to one’s situation, circumstances or condition; the illustration on the card- Sensation: the function corresponding to the material dimension; the intelligence of the body.’
The cards of set 7 are referred to as representing art and life. This involves taking a very particular view of art. We feature it in the cards as the human activity which caries communication to its highest level. This means that in Rainring, art is felt to be an activity whose fundamental impulse is to communicate, whereas there are artists who maintain that their art is intended only to meet the promptings of some inner urge – to satisfy themselves, that is – rather than to do something for others. In fact, we’re not suggesting that great art involves writing, composing, painting etc FOR others: we maintain simply that, like every human being, the artist’s fundamental impulse is to be part of human society and to share her work with her fellow-beings. To take Resonance as an example, it refers to the way in which the theme of art and life is expressed in communication, or alternatively, taking the blue Communication group as the starting point, the contribution made to this group by the card of the art & life set. resonance is the phenomenon by which what begins in a modest way – as a little song, an image, a few words – can amplify its influence seemingly indefinitely through space and time, always provided it strikes a chord in those whom it reaches.
This takes us to set 8, whose theme we describe as love ways. In effect, set 8 involves the marriage of the two poles – violet (Spirit) and red (Will), male and female. This marriage can be either internal, as psychific experience, or external as conjugal relations. [note that in Rainring, no distinction is made between hetero- and homo- sexuality, on the basis that both involve a polarity between one male-sided and one female-sided partner.] Need is the love ways card of the Spirit group, the contribution made to Spirit energy by set 8. In essence, the card Need underlies our view that there is no such thing as individual fulfilment for human beings. This, in other words, is a direct contradiction to the position held by all the proponents of enlightenment as THE human goal: proponents who, it should be noted, are virtually all male. For us, ultimate fulfilment is through, and only through, the development and fusion of male and female energies. Enlightenment, for us, is a con trick: it wants us to use the (unacknowledged) female energy of desire to destroy desire – a self-evident nonsense! The state of Spirit without Will, male without female, is Need. However much denied, perverted, sublimated, detested, the female energy of emotion and desire cannot be eradicated from the psyche – it is intrinsic to the bi-polar cosmos. Spirit needs Will, and indeed vice-versa.
Finally, set 9 is constituted by another archetypal configuration: the nine stages of development of all psychific events, which we call the Process Archetypes. In Rainring, we view psychic processes as corresponding to a fixed schema, such that they will, if not aborted, invariably pass through similar stages. These are categorised as Projection, Resistance, Balance, Formation, Input and so on. To take Balance as an example, this is the stage which corresponds to the balancing of the energies of Spirit and Will, male and female, thereby enabling the next stage to take place: the realisation of these energies in form (Formation). This balance energy is represented by a young man advancing along a tightrope, in order to signify that balance functions as a dynamic energy – a constant readjustment required to maintain Spirit and Will within a harmonious configuration. Balance belongs to the green or Heart group, and represents the heart influence upon the process of psyche, or if preferred, the contribution which psychic process makes to the heart energy.
Summary Every card in the grid has, as we said in the first class, a dual identity. We can examine it in terms of its group membership and we can equally explore how it belongs within its set. A full appreciation of the card will of course require both views: the group perspective and also that of the set. In fact, the fullest possible appreciation of a card is that which we can derive from the consideration of all 17 cards which are members of its immediate ‘family’ as shown here for the card Radiance.
http://www.rainringcards.com/4MentionCards.aspx
From here, in the next class, we can go on to do a sample nine-card reading, in order to see this whole process in action.
Introduction
To use the Rainring cards on the web does not require an understanding of the sets. However, it seems to me that to access the meanings of the cards, this grasp of what the sets comprise would be of great benefit.
A given spectrum colour represents both a particular wave-length of light, and also a particular modality of vibration: each colour has its character and its influence, including that upon us human beings. If, however, we were unable to differentiate beyond our nine colour groups, we would find ourselves with a very limited map of the cosmos and hence also of the psyche – 9 cards. On the other hand, if we want to further differentiate the energy present in a given colour vibration, how will we do it?
This class looks at the way the groups are subdivided into nine energy bands and at how these bands, the sets as we call them, are constituted.
(see upload-grid attached - at foot of post. Zoom to 125% to view)
Finally, it offers an example card from each set, to see how we incorporate not only the group, but also the set membership of each individual card into the construction of its meaning.
The set meanings
Given the importance of the set meanings in understanding the meaning of each individual card, we will now examine the sets more closely.
The first three are linked:
set 1 (always counting from the top) represents introvert imbalance, set 2 extrovert imbalance, and set 3 is the balance for sets one and two. If we take the first three cards of any group, therefore, they will follow this pattern. For example, in blue we have Inhibition, Exhibition and Interchange. Inhibition, in set 1, represents introvert imbalance in communication. Introversion refers to a neurotic internalisation of energy – a problem achieving an appropriate outflow of energy towards the world. Inhibition presents this problem within the context of communication – the timid individual who is blocked from expressing themselves in the presence of others. Exhibition, in set 2, is the opposite; extrovert imbalance, such that there is a compulsion to exteriorise oneself; an excessive energy flow outwards, producing those infuriating individuals who can’t stop drawing attention to themselves, no matter how much it is clear that their companions have had enough. Finally, Interchange, in set 3, is the name we give to the card which represents the balance or mid-point between these two extremes. Interchange describes the relations of two people in discussion for instance, where each really listens to the other and each speaks, but not excessively or compulsively. In other words, the communication between them ebbs and flows like a tide. It will be found the first three cards of every group (reading from the top of the grid) follow this pattern, and can be analysed accordingly.
The next two sets have a certain connection, since set 4 represents the personal archetypes and set 5 the fundamental ones. Taking these in reverse order, the fundamental archetypes represent the primordial forces operating in the psyche – they are the foundation energies upon which everything else in the psyche is built. The personal archetypes, by contrast, are as their name suggests a more personalised version of these. They may be idealised, mythologized portraits, but they are nevertheless that: portraits of the nine types of person in the human race. In fact, there is nothing absolute about nine: astrology recognises twelve; other systems use still other divisions. The number resulting depends upon the measuring instruments used: there is no absolutely correct figure.
To take an example, in the red group we have The Wanton as the personal archetype (set 4), followed by Desire as the fundamental archetype. The ‘personification’ of the energy of Desire is the type known as The Wanton. In other words, we take Desire to be one of the primordial forces of the cosmos, psychically-speaking. it is the force of desire which creates the space for Spirit to fill (e-motion = movement outwards). This force then manifests itself, in terms of its human prototype, into the type which we call The Wanton, the emotional woman par excellence. She is described thus: ‘the woman who lives out her desires and is, in turn, the most desired; the bold, alluring, magnetic woman.’ The Wanton is, like the other personal archetypes of set 4, a figure of mythic proportions. Although you will not meet her in the street, you will certainly meet women of her type – though, having said this, this type of woman has been so persecuted in the past, and still is in many societies, that she has been forced into a way of being far less ‘in your face’, far more toned down than would be her natural way.
Set 6 concerns the functions: this means the particular way in which our individual character manifests itself, or to be more precise, which chakra constitutes our habitual energy centre: do we typically respond from the heart, the head, the groin…? In the on-line version of the cards, we have made a significant change from the hard copy version. In the latter, what is illustrated on the card is not the function, but the feeling. This set is also the seat of what we think of as the feeling archetypes, meaning the major feelings which power human beings, as distinguished from the more minor, less dramatic ones. In the web version, therefore, we have named each card according to the feeling illustrated, not according to its true name, which appears only as a sub-text. If we take Despair as an example, here is the accompanying text: ‘the emotion felt when there seems no desirable or bearable outcome to one’s situation, circumstances or condition; the illustration on the card- Sensation: the function corresponding to the material dimension; the intelligence of the body.’
The cards of set 7 are referred to as representing art and life. This involves taking a very particular view of art. We feature it in the cards as the human activity which caries communication to its highest level. This means that in Rainring, art is felt to be an activity whose fundamental impulse is to communicate, whereas there are artists who maintain that their art is intended only to meet the promptings of some inner urge – to satisfy themselves, that is – rather than to do something for others. In fact, we’re not suggesting that great art involves writing, composing, painting etc FOR others: we maintain simply that, like every human being, the artist’s fundamental impulse is to be part of human society and to share her work with her fellow-beings. To take Resonance as an example, it refers to the way in which the theme of art and life is expressed in communication, or alternatively, taking the blue Communication group as the starting point, the contribution made to this group by the card of the art & life set. resonance is the phenomenon by which what begins in a modest way – as a little song, an image, a few words – can amplify its influence seemingly indefinitely through space and time, always provided it strikes a chord in those whom it reaches.
This takes us to set 8, whose theme we describe as love ways. In effect, set 8 involves the marriage of the two poles – violet (Spirit) and red (Will), male and female. This marriage can be either internal, as psychific experience, or external as conjugal relations. [note that in Rainring, no distinction is made between hetero- and homo- sexuality, on the basis that both involve a polarity between one male-sided and one female-sided partner.] Need is the love ways card of the Spirit group, the contribution made to Spirit energy by set 8. In essence, the card Need underlies our view that there is no such thing as individual fulfilment for human beings. This, in other words, is a direct contradiction to the position held by all the proponents of enlightenment as THE human goal: proponents who, it should be noted, are virtually all male. For us, ultimate fulfilment is through, and only through, the development and fusion of male and female energies. Enlightenment, for us, is a con trick: it wants us to use the (unacknowledged) female energy of desire to destroy desire – a self-evident nonsense! The state of Spirit without Will, male without female, is Need. However much denied, perverted, sublimated, detested, the female energy of emotion and desire cannot be eradicated from the psyche – it is intrinsic to the bi-polar cosmos. Spirit needs Will, and indeed vice-versa.
Finally, set 9 is constituted by another archetypal configuration: the nine stages of development of all psychific events, which we call the Process Archetypes. In Rainring, we view psychic processes as corresponding to a fixed schema, such that they will, if not aborted, invariably pass through similar stages. These are categorised as Projection, Resistance, Balance, Formation, Input and so on. To take Balance as an example, this is the stage which corresponds to the balancing of the energies of Spirit and Will, male and female, thereby enabling the next stage to take place: the realisation of these energies in form (Formation). This balance energy is represented by a young man advancing along a tightrope, in order to signify that balance functions as a dynamic energy – a constant readjustment required to maintain Spirit and Will within a harmonious configuration. Balance belongs to the green or Heart group, and represents the heart influence upon the process of psyche, or if preferred, the contribution which psychic process makes to the heart energy.
Summary Every card in the grid has, as we said in the first class, a dual identity. We can examine it in terms of its group membership and we can equally explore how it belongs within its set. A full appreciation of the card will of course require both views: the group perspective and also that of the set. In fact, the fullest possible appreciation of a card is that which we can derive from the consideration of all 17 cards which are members of its immediate ‘family’ as shown here for the card Radiance.
http://www.rainringcards.com/4MentionCards.aspx
From here, in the next class, we can go on to do a sample nine-card reading, in order to see this whole process in action.
