Tarot Meditation 009

Today's card is the 7 of Wands

This particular 7 of Wands comes from The Infinite Door deck by Pamela Love and Krys Maniecki.

What really leaps out at me from most of the Wand cards in The Infinite Door is just how much energy they seem to carry. The six staves in front look like they are glowing so brightly with heat and fire at the tips that they FADE down to merely red hot down their length. While the figure on the dune top, their face full of stars, is holding a lightning bolt at the top of their stave. Which begs the question: did the six at the bottom also transmute lightning into their staves.

The dune could as easily be a mountain top. The central figure stands up in the cloudy blue and white of the sky. They stand not only above the others but at a great height. They have the high ground ™ :Þ so to speak. They stand with one foot on either side of the central ridge which curves back and forth down the slope like a thin river. To the left, the figure's right, the dune is in shadow, while the other side is lit by the daylight. Interestingly, the figure casts a shadow in both directions.

The figures robe is being blown by the wind of the power amassing in their stave. The top of the white robe is blowing to the right, the figure's left, toward the lit side of the sand. The bottom blows the other way toward the shadow. Their limbs are each wrapped tight at the forearms and shins. Because of the way the winds are blowing, it looks like the light side pant leg is down and loose over their bare foot while the shadowed side is up and confined by the wrappings to be closer fitting just above their shoe. The hands are held in opposing positions as well. The hand of force (their right) clenches like a fist around the lightning stave. The hand of receiving (their left) hangs open and relaxed.

All together, the central figure holds a faulty imitation of the Magician's pose, rod to the sky in power, hand to the Earth for grounding and power. Their large neckband echoes the mage-ish feeling of them. It has a central eye, the blue of a typical evil eye, though the eye looks up instead of straight ahead as an evil eye would. On either side is a light blue infinity symbol that looks like a chain from a distance. Finally, at both ends, there is what looks like a red star but which I think is actually a bug, I want to assume a scarab but I'm not sure.

Only when I stop hyper-focusing on the central figure do the decorations on the front six staves come into consciousness. From left to right:

The staves seem grouped in two sets of three.

the first stave has a two headed snake, each head is on the opposite side of the body - no tail - and so consumes the staff in both directions, the downward head, on the right side of the staff, is red-hot, while the upward head is yellow-hot and has the top of its head pointed toward the left.

Second staff has two hands gripping each other at the wrists. Fingers curl left on the top hand and right on the bottom hand. Both are red-hot.

Third has a single headed snake, head on the left, pointed up, red-hot.

Fourth: single headed snake, head on the right, yellow-hot. The dune's ridge bends to finally pass out of sight at the point of this staff.

Fifth: same as the second, two hands gripping at the forearms of the other, but they are both yellow-hot but the finger tips of the lower hand are just tinging to red.

Sixth and final: All definitively yellow, it actually has the most yellow of all the staves, even the central figures has the yellow quickly flare upwards into white. It is also two hands clasping each other at the wrists. But this staff switches the hands' directions. The upward hand curls to the right while the downward hand curls left.

Whipping out my newest (and not entirely trusted) tarot book, the 7 of wands (or staves) represents a chance to develop into more than what we are or have. When it is blocked, it is a warning against unnecessary resistance and being a victim. As a spiritual instruction it is the metaphorical command to burn your ship when you have reached your destination: no going back. However, pushing too hard and too fast isn't helpful. What's important is careful carefully directed, unhurried effort toward progressing to the next level. As the card of the day: "Facts can be altered by what you do." The fact of the matter is that you matter -- and that's a fact!"

What I like about this book, The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot by Johannes Fiebig & Evelin Bürger (but which I don't trust because of their take on Boaz & Jachin) is that it has the 10 most important symbols/symbolic features of each card. It's a nice little layout.

I totally want to do that sort of thing for my analysis of cards. Also might cut down on my descriptions. Though, when I went to learn from Mary Greer, she said the first and most important thing is simply to describe the card. Tell as little story as possible and no advice at all, just look at the card and observe exactly what is there. I also simply haven't the wit-craft for brevity.

Another thing I don't like about the ultimate guide book is that it dismisses numerology. I kind of hate numerology but it is such a common and well regarded part of interpretation, I feel like it should, at least, not be dismissed. Though, more properly, if the numbers weren't important, why would the ceremonial magic based occultists of the Golden Dawn who made the cards have bothered to numbered everything. I don't believe THEY didn't think it was important for a second. Also, let's face it, our esoteric traditions are highly influenced by Pythagorean cultic ideas. You know, the guy who is famous for the Pythagorean Theorem (which he didn't invent, he stole it from the cultic knowledge of the Priesthood of Ra, where he apprenticed). So... numbers are kind of important. Especially when you start considering letters and numbers as the same sort of basic thing, which is another hyper-important detail that was stolen out of the Jewish cultic traditions. So... not impressed with the no numerology thing. I give the finger to that. Let's look at the numbers!

As a 7, this card falls under the influence of The Chariot.

Like the Magician, The rider of the Chariot, The Conqueror, holds a wand, this one longer than the magician's rod but shorter than the staves. The Conqueror stands in the chariot, which I'm told is actually supposed to be a stone tomb, not a painted wooden war vehicle. Wearing a starred and rayed crown, and golden moons (which are supposed to be the Urim and the Thummim which I know essentially nothing about that isn't in wikipedia) at the shoulders, with a panoply of starry night, the conqueror, though girded for war, powerfully represents: "As above, so below." Head in the heavens, feet in the underworld. He even wears the shining But doesn't hold the bodily position. He carries the signs, is arrayed in splendor, but doesn't quite know the moves. Before the chariot, under the conqueror's control but unleashed and unharnessed, are two sphinxes. The figure controls them by will and word instead. But note they aren't actually moving. They're at rest. The conqueror is enlightened (he KNOWS) but he lives in the perfection that can only be achieved in fantasy, he has never failed because he hasn't moved. They're all just sitting there. But had he ever learned to play the piano done any spellwork, he would be a true proficient! Magic begins with Death. Ideally, just a tiny little ego death, but it's flexible. The Chariot is ready for the great leap forward, all the necessary tools are there, the Conqueror just has to take the leap and charge ahead into their journey.

Now compare that to the minor arcana of the 7 of wands again. This is no theorist. This is already someone who has been through it and is still in it right now. They may not have all the tools and power like the Chariot does, but they have experience. They know what to do with what they have. He's proficient because he has been trained by life instead of having been guided by occult secrets. He is ON the journey. He's living it, ready or not. And he is taking on all the energies that life is throwing at him, holding his ground, and surviving.

Annnnnddddd, my best numerology book is hiding. I KNOW I saw it recently but I can't find it anywhere. So, second choice, my base 12 Numerology book states, at its simplest, 7 corresponds to the letters G, P, & Y and the act of Manifestation. It means Truth and has the positive aspects of Knowledge, Authenticity, Purposefulness, Devotion, and Spirituality. It has the negative aspects of Pretentiousness, over-thinking/analyzing, Skepticism, Preachiness, Fanaticism, and Elitism. Its place in the Dozenal Cycle: "Having found the joy and harmony that only love can provide, we reach beyond our ego to truth and higher knowledge."

Which all does kind of really fit with this card of the day, too. The figure has the heavens inside them and is manifesting their weapon/energy. The manifestation is divine as well, it's a lightning bolt, one of the key symbols of Deus Pater, King of the Gods and Lord of the Sky. So it's probably not Earthly love but Divine love. In this one, there's no triangle base but, LOOKING for a triangle, the dune makes one, showing the figure at the top. Heavenly might just barely touching the mundane.

If I were to read reversals, the figure becomes one among many, all hurling down their bolts of power but where they are all hidden in the heavens, this figure is barely clinging on by their toes - not the best grip. The lightning bolt is not coalescing but firing toward the world below, beneath the heavens. Hard not to see this as misuse of power hiding in plain, approved, sight. The hard truth: the abuse of power. This is the dark side claiming your path. What you're doing helps now, it might even be approved of. Now. But it is tainting the path forward. Keep walking this way and you are going to fall. And that's a hell of a drop to take. Time to ask yourself: how might you turn away toward something better? What is a better way to do what you are doing, especially if it is working?

Upright, you're in it but you are ready. As powerful as your opposition is, you have the power to stand up to all of them as an equal or a better. You're going to get hurt but if you stand strong, all those problems STILL won't be enough to overwhelm you. The heavens are on your side and within you. Count your blessings and march on up. Speaking of which, for the arduous climb and fight, what ARE your blessings? Count them, yes, gratitude is important, but more important, your blessings are your weapons, they are what will hold the way for you to pass your trials. That's no earthly weapon you hold. It is the lightning sword staff, it has leaped the gap from the Heavens to the Earth. Hold to them, be true to them, and you'll hold on to your advantage.

As today's card: STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AND GO DO YOUR THING!

My friend gave me a Tarot book. I started it tonight and, after reading just a little, I seriously distrust the information in it.

First red flag was it saying not to worry too much or put any real stock into the numerology of Tarot. And, excuse me, but: What the fuck???!!? You're shitting me.

But ok, maybe that's a US vs a European thing and I had just never heard that approach. So, I don't particularly like it but I'll run with it.

Second red flag, WAY bigger. Right away in the card descriptions, too. In describing the High Priestess, the first of the 10 most important symbols in the card says, and I qote:

And, again but louder: WTF??????!!!!!???????!!!!!!!!!!!!?????

Boaz, with a z, is this guy:

Solomon's great-grandfather. Whose name is composed of ב (be) meaning "in," "within," or "by means of" and the letter pair עז ('az), believed in this case to be a shortening of עזז ('azaz) meaning to be: "strong," "mighty," "powerful," or "fierce." The scholarly consensus, as far as I am aware, is that the word formed by those letters together means something vaguely like 'by means of the strength of God."

Jachin is said to be the patriarch of the יכיני, the Jachinites, an offshoot of one of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Simeonites, that were later reabsorbed back into the Simeonites. The name Jachin comes from the verb כון (kun), meaning to "set," "establish," or "fix." So probably means something like 'He will establish.'

Together the suggestion is the pair meant something like 'God will establish by the means of His strength.' So that the pillars represented something like the legs of God touching the Earth to make the Temple divine like the Tabernacle where God and His representatives among the Jews would meet so the representatives would receive His divine instructions.

It is not entirely clear whether what is being established is God's presence, the holiness of the temple, or the kingdom of Israel. Or all of the above.

You'll note that NOWHERE in all of that is Beelzebub who is a demon in the bible and was probably one of the gods of the Canaanites, most likely a competitor god to El, YHYW, and the guy whose name I can never remember before they were joined into a single deity.

The only place I can find Boaz as Beelzebub is within the roles of Skull & Bones induction rites. Which idea seems to come from here:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Maybe.

But it is the best I can find and the only reference my google-fu returns.

I have no idea why this book would make a similar assertion.

I've been going through my own books trying to find any connection and I've found bupkis. I can find no one else making this assertion or any reason why this assertion might be made.

Which really makes me not want to read the book because without some sort of chain of reason, I feel like there is no support for that interpretation, while there is extensive support for its contradiction.

It's also that Yin and Yang association. Which is absolutely not a parallel because there wouldn't have been a parallel being made by either side. At BEST you could make the argument that the right hand column represents the masculine, active principle while and the left hand column represents the feminine, receptive principle. But even that is stretching. Because that formulation comes WAY later. I could see it being a Golden Dawn interpretation but without attribution, I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Harrumph.

Tarot Meditation 007... 8?

Never watched the show but that laughter and expression seem like the right one for how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm just kind of laughing at my own ridiculousness.

I had an ADHD moment of thinking I had lost my favorite card (yes, I know it is also ridiculous to have a favorite card, sue me) so I started going through my deck to find it. And, because one the questions I get the most often about my Magpie Deck is 'how many cards are in it?' I was counting cards as I went.

AND

I had a leap out card, right about 100 cards in.

So I'm taking it as my card for today. Because, yeah, that sounds about spot on.

I think Overthinking is a LOT METRIC FUCK-TON of what I do in my life. Letting it all go and breathing is really NOT my cup of tea. Unless I'm Anima, but I haven't been her in days now. So, there's that, too.

I'll actually go through and do the whole thing later. After I do some more overthinking of EVERYTHING.

But I thought that was pretty darn funny. Possibly a little too accurate.