EPIPHANY! A New Take on the Major Arcana

rwcarter

Moderator Note

All that being said, here's a random nother grouping of the Majors to meditate upon.

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1 Magician
2,3 Priestess, Empress
4,5,6 Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers
7, 8, 9, 10 Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune
11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil
16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judment, World.

These are all "clusters" of cards which seem to form groups of subject matter that belong together. Discuss.

Lukas,is hope this is adequate fresh material for now ;)
Technically, that's not the Seven Stations, so that discussion should occur in a new thread. Someone feel free to start one.
 

dangerdork

Technically, that's not the Seven Stations, so that discussion should occur in a new thread. Someone feel free to start one.
I'll let someone else run with that one. It was just a random thought. Thanks for keeping me on topic :)
 

Lucas Prince of Cats

Hi Richard! Thanks for joining us! Any and all critique of the concepts and conversation are quite welcome. I hope you will take the time to delve deeper into some of the longer posts here, I still propose that they can provide insights into tarot that may be useful to novices and experts alike.

Although I dabble in divination, that's not really what Seven Stations is about. It's much more of a speculation into, back in the day, SOMEbody had to put that group of archetypes together as a set to form the Trumps, and in that numbered order. Why those things? If tarot is so much about astrology, why are there no zodiac signs in the trumps? If it's Christian (virtues and Judgement), why is there a high priestess? what are the Wheel of Fortune and Lovers to do with all this? A CHARIOT? WTF?

It's a lot of fun to speculate about all of this, and there are plenty of historians and occultists who are way more devoted scholars than me, and who are quite happy to explain it to you. They'll all present plenty of evidence supporting that THEIR way is how it all shook out hundreds of years ago and everyone else is full of BS.

All that being said, I honestly believe that this method of grouping the Majors together provides quite a satisfactory organizational structure for developing your own mental model of tarot as a system. I've read (and forgotten for the most part) lots of books describing those other schemes, and this one hangs together for me as well or better than just about all of 'em. That's why I have remained so excited about it so as to sustain this thread for eight years (!) and develop a deck based on it.

At any rate, this thread is definitely no fun without other voices, dissenting or not ;) , adding opinions and shades of nuance.

All that being said, here's a random nother grouping of the Majors to meditate upon.

__________________________________

1 Magician
2,3 Priestess, Empress
4,5,6 Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers
7, 8, 9, 10 Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune
11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil
16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judment, World.

These are all "clusters" of cards which seem to form groups of subject matter that belong together. Discuss.

Lukas,is hope this is adequate fresh material for now ;)

Fascinating! :D But I geuss all thats left is the deck!
 

dangerdork

Fascinating! :D But I geuss all thats left is the deck!
Oh, there's plenty more. Just to whet your appetite, appearing here exclusively on the EPIPHANY thread for the Aeclectic community, is another of the Songs of the Arcana cycle:



VII. Song of The Chariot.

"Exhilarating motion,
Swift progress on the mission;
Steeds synchronizing their strides --

As wind and waves sustain us,
As bone and sinews bear us,
Certain triumphs are bestowed.

Twixt jet and ivory manes,
Determined course unwavering,
Gentle fists grasping the reins...

So harnessing momentum,
We dissolve all obstacles
To achieve our destined goal.

Yet more horizons beckon,
Our blood now roars to drive us
To further destinations,

For the highway is our home.
In further explorations,
Progress is its own reward.

So join in this procession
To gather new memories
And embrace the adventure."

-- Seven Stations Tarot
 

Lucas Prince of Cats

Ok, I need something from you, DangerDork! Also, I've never gotten that dangerdoc from Rodney. Anyways, recently I feel like dabbling in wiccan magic, and I want to use the tarot cards as a tool. I would like for you to post more of your card songs, so I can use them in spells. I recently did a reading for the month and got the empress (I interpretted as manifestation) as advice, oppurtunities for project and money as good things, and the knight of swords (undertaking a project) as a meditation (for this, it applies more as a spell) card. In another reading related to this, I got the sun, and our seven stations take actually made me figure that it means power and completion, so could you post songs or the emperor, magician, maybe emerperor, and cards that represent manifestation and wish granting such as the nine of pents, nine of cups, and cards representing taking action (I see the chariot), and success, like the knights?
 

dangerdork

Here's one for Uncle Al

On this day in 1875 was born rebel, poet and spiritual adventurer Aleister Crowley. Seven Stations Tarot salutes all outsiders and free thinkers everywhere:


XII. Song of the Hanged Man

“The misunderstood is feared,
Denounced, deposed and rejected –
Reversing all perspectives.

Yet this tranquil pariah
Retains the integrity
Of solitary vision.

"No impossibility,
Do What Thou Wilt,” he told me;
And I betrayed convention.

New Laws burst behind these eyes,
New colors have stained my soul -
They remain indelible.

Suspended, rapt in splendor,
Enthralling angels and gods,
I am poised in clarity.

Now witness this conversion,
Behold the one forsaken
As I bequeath my treasure:

Trapped in your cages of bone,
Awaken! Chant your anthems
to those who might still listen.”
 

dangerdork

I would like for you to post more of your card songs, so I can use them in spells. I recently did a reading for the month and got the empress (I interpretted as manifestation) as advice, oppurtunities for project and money as good things, and the knight of swords (undertaking a project) as a meditation (for this, it applies more as a spell) card. In another reading related to this, I got the sun, and our seven stations take actually made me figure that it means power and completion, so could you post songs or the emperor, magician, maybe emerperor, and cards that represent manifestation and wish granting such as the nine of pents, nine of cups, and cards representing taking action (I see the chariot), and success, like the knights?

That's very high praise and flattering, Lucas. I'm writing one poem for each of the Majors, and I have a scheme in mind in which they are all part of a larger framework reflecting the Seven Stations concept. Those who've followed the thread and get the Seven Stations idea should be able to look at the poems I've put out there so far and see what's going on.

I've only got nine of 22 written so far, and I hope to hold at least half back. That way, when the entire deck and song cycle is published, most of it will be brand new material that no one has seen before. In the mean time, I'll include one more below.

Shameless plug: Check out the Seven Stations Facebook and Tumblr pages.
 

dangerdork

XIV Song of Temperance

"From mystic transformations
The cosmic flowing essence
Inspires new infinities

To transcend harmonic spheres;
I have crossed between the poles
To turn and forge this vessel.

Astride all experience,
Through breath and flawless gesture
I bear my beautiful scars

To glide through quiet moments
With assurance and comfort:
Today, the Center shall hold.

Emerging here from darkness,
I've evolved in steady grace
Shining now with hallowed joy.

Quench now your thirst for wisdom,
Embrace all of those you love.
Forgive and share, be gentle…

One instant of perfection
Can crystallize this moment
Of this Mind, this Soul, this Day."