Vinculus
Hello! This is my first post to the forum. I have a research-related question that I hope someone will be able to help me with.
In the Waite-Smith tarot deck, the four holy creatures depicted on the World card are a bull (in the lower left corner), a lion (in the lower right corner), an eagle (in the upper right corner), and an angel (in the upper left corner). They are said to correspond to the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, respectively. They are also said to correspond to the four classical elements of earth, fire, water, and air, respectively.
However, many occultists, such as Éliphas Lévi, assign the eagle to air and the angel to water. They assign Taurus and earth (rather than air) to spring, Leo and fire to summer, Scorpio and air (rather than earth) to autumn, and Aquarius and water to winter. As you can see, it is a metaphysical mélange.
Similarly, in the Waite-Trinick tarot, the four creatures depicted on the World are, again, an angel (at the top of the card), an eagle (on the left), a bull (on the bottom), and a lion (on the right). These presumably relate to the fixed signs of Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus, and Leo, respectively, as well as to the four elements of air (or, alternatively, water), water (or, alternatively, air), earth, and fire.
I would like to know how Waite himself would have assigned the elements, seasons, and directions to the Trinick World card. Would the angel at the top of the card correspond to Aquarius, water, winter, and north? Or would the angel correspond to air rather than to water? I think you must get the idea by now.
Waite was a Christian mystic and sacramentalist; I wonder if he wanted to communicate a baptismal allegory on the World card?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
In the Waite-Smith tarot deck, the four holy creatures depicted on the World card are a bull (in the lower left corner), a lion (in the lower right corner), an eagle (in the upper right corner), and an angel (in the upper left corner). They are said to correspond to the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, respectively. They are also said to correspond to the four classical elements of earth, fire, water, and air, respectively.
However, many occultists, such as Éliphas Lévi, assign the eagle to air and the angel to water. They assign Taurus and earth (rather than air) to spring, Leo and fire to summer, Scorpio and air (rather than earth) to autumn, and Aquarius and water to winter. As you can see, it is a metaphysical mélange.
Similarly, in the Waite-Trinick tarot, the four creatures depicted on the World are, again, an angel (at the top of the card), an eagle (on the left), a bull (on the bottom), and a lion (on the right). These presumably relate to the fixed signs of Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus, and Leo, respectively, as well as to the four elements of air (or, alternatively, water), water (or, alternatively, air), earth, and fire.
I would like to know how Waite himself would have assigned the elements, seasons, and directions to the Trinick World card. Would the angel at the top of the card correspond to Aquarius, water, winter, and north? Or would the angel correspond to air rather than to water? I think you must get the idea by now.
Waite was a Christian mystic and sacramentalist; I wonder if he wanted to communicate a baptismal allegory on the World card?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated!