Sunday, June 24, 2012

KNIGHT OF SWORDS!

AQUARIUS TO THE RESCUE!

He dashes into the unknown without any fear. He goes against the howling wind defying traditional routes and methods using his large creative brain. He has wonderfully brilliant ideas and is able to devoid himself of emotions concentrating strictly on the cause. Such are the attributes of our daring knight, however his often violent and brash plans are not rooted in any solidity or any potential to come full circle to achieve a long-term goal. Since he never doubts himself or his abilities, he is the perfect person to implement innovative new ideas that others shy away from. 

Since he operatess in the element of intellect he is a perfect representation of the human mind and the large feather in his cap is to call attention to his large brain, typical of all air signs. His great thoughts and plans being without purpose, he goes off on a number of tangents long before completing any of them. His mind simply works too fast and too hard thus few of his plans reach full manifestation. He is the wind and the storm, kicking up the whirlwind of an arid desert kicking up the dust in a random spiral. He is brilliant but unattached to practical matters. Sounds like just the person to provide inspiration doesn't it?

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Lesson Plan Level II

I have recently developed a new lesson plan for returning students as well as first-timers to my class. It's called LEVEL II - GOING DEEPER WITH THE CARDS and I'll be debuting it at my next class this Wednesday the 20th in Palm Springs.....


Level II - "Going Deeper With The Cards"
Introduction about cards- metaphysical tool and artform, Rider-Waite, using reversals
Introduction to the Golden Dawn- Just who and what were the Golden Dawn? How did they affect the Tarot? Why is it important to know about them? 
Unique Major Arcana Card Combinations - The Fool & The World, The Magician & The High Priestess, The Magician & The Chariot, The Lovers & The Devil, The Wheel Of Fortune & The World
Card Associations - Learning to spot certain things about a card and making an automatic association with another card and linking the two cards for further meaning. 
Astrological Correspondences and why they're important. 
Using An Astrology book or Astrological delineator to add further meaning to a card. 
Interactive Portion
What's your sign? Then what's are your cards? 
Random card meanings- Everybody picks a card from their deck to ask a question about. 
The Celtic Cross Interactive Portion
The 10 positions of the spread in specific detail. 
The synergy between certain postions. 
"Segregating" the spread also known as summarizing the reading. 
"Pointing" 
Class members will be picked at random to do a spread in front of the class and everyone critiques.

Monday, June 11, 2012

THE BLASTED TOWER!

IF I HAVE TO FEAR ANY CARD I WOULD FEAR THIS ONE

It's hard to make a positive connotation from a card with this scenario. In the Tower (or Blasted Tower as it's called in some older decks) you have a tower being struck by lightning, it's on fire, there's people jumping to their death and it's cloudy, dark and grey. The card which is assigned to Mars represents the avenging force of Venus acting thru Mars upon Mercury.  When it shows up the card indicates a literal "shaking up" that is happening or about to happen but it has to take place and is taking place for a specific reason. Quite often from my experience this card will also show up to indicate a destructive matter related to the person's home or domestic situation. 

The interesting thing about this card is it's appearance and meaning operates on several levels- material, psychological, and spiritual. Mentally it symbolizes the beliefs which each person has built up through life since childhood- you know, the ones programmed at youth by our parents, teachers, peers and institutions. The Tower is built in this fashion, one brick, one belief at a time and is fortified in adulthood like a tower under siege. The Tower is protected by The Ego from attack by other belief systems that disagree with it becoming a closed armory shut against free flow of expression. The lightning flash which is Mars represents sudden illumination or realization causing the old realities to jump to their death and be changed forever. 

Spiritually the Tower can represent those dark inner practices and secrets inherent in all human beings. It also historically in the Tarot has been compared to the Tower Of Babel and trying to form a man-made way to God or the source which can only lead to destruction just like our sins. 

So what's the positive connotation from this menacing card? I always like to put it this way- after the storm passes and the place has been leveled, you can put the furniture back the way you want it. What's left of it at least. 

Thursday, June 7, 2012

TWO OF SWORDS

PEACE RESTORED

The Two of Swords is one of those cards that to understand you need to mentally approach it from different angles. Let's start with the two swords on her shoulders. The artwork seems to imply that she's just holding them there but A.E. Waite makes it clear in his Pictorial Guide that she is BALANCING them on "upon her shoulders." To physically be able to do that must be a bit burdensome to this lady and swords being air signs and representing thoughts and mental activity we can deduct that one of the meanings of this card is a reconciliation of two burdensome thoughts on the quarent's mind, probably of a contrasting nature. Quite a few of the sword cards depict burdensome scenarios and this is because our thoughts often get us into trouble. The number two usually represents balance as well as a duality and the two here brings equilibrium to the suit although a sense of tension remains. 

It is not surprising then that the astrological correspondence given to this card by the Golden Dawn is the moon in Libra and the little crescent moon in the card is a reminder of that. The moon is a very changeable planet which is stabilized by the effect of Libra. Both of these aspects together regulate and temper the energies of the Swords which are for the most part often negative and troublesome. As a result the feeling of this card is one of compromise, truce, and arranged peace with some tension implied. (There would be tension in our lady's arms and chest as she tries to balance those heavy swords on her shoulders)