The Act of Manifestation

by Catherine Buck

  When reading the cards, you must learn to trust your instincts. Step back and look in. Follow through and see if what you have read is true. Keep a journal of your layouts. Make notes of the pattern combination if it proves to be correct.

  You may find the reading you are giving could contain other people’s information as well as the person you are reading for. Usually, a reading is not just about one person. Realize that we are social animals who connect with others. Information can be picked up psychically by the person from other people. It could be that the person you are reading for may be worried about friends or family. If so, information can come down about them as well.

  I cannot stress how much meditation can help you. It opens creative channels and helps develop focus. Take a few moments of peace before reading. I have written a meditation for this book with techniques that personally help me. As time goes on, you will create your own system of relaxation.

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  INTUITIVE MEDITATION

  (Astral Exploration)

  Lay back. Close your eyes…take four or five slow, deep, even breaths. As your body relaxes, your hands and feet start to become heavy…

  Slowly, your muscles become limber. Your legs and arms feel like they are lying on a down pillow. It is as if your whole body is totally relaxed. Lying there, you picture the sun shining through the sheer window drapes by your bed…you smile…knowing it is a beautiful day…

  You begin to notice little things; the texture of the sheets that cling to your body…the coolness of the pillow under your head…your senses are fully open… you become one with them… feeling safe and secure…

  Gently, you feel your astral self rise from your body. The golden chain that binds your physical form is long and light. It allows you, in astral form, to move around the room. You are free from restrictions as your body rests and your day-to-day mind relaxes. Now that you have risen, you look down on the bed on your physical form.

  There is a slight chill of anticipation as you move around and… bit-by-bit, you notice all… the colors, sounds and shapes… take them in one at a time.

  Colors, once muted are now vivid and alive… sounds that were a jumble… clear. You wrap yourself around the shapes of things in your room… feeling the smoothness or roughness of the textures. Everything around you feels alive… and you are part of it.

  Slowly, you start to understand that you are also part of this energy around you. Open yourself to sights and senses you have never tried before… explore them and don’t be afraid. Understand that this is true reality… it is what you are… it is what the room around you is. All is familiar… even the harshness of your fears… but you are not afraid.

  All the things around you have been healing and good. But now, it is time to go back to your physical form. As you look again, at your outer self, you touch it… and see the power flow through and strengthen your mortal shell.

  You easily become one with your body and connect with the flow of your breath. When you are ready, you will open your eyes. You will feel refreshed and more attuned to who you are.

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  The Beginning Layout

  There are many ways to do the card spread called the Celtic Cross. It is one of the better beginner’s spreads. This layout is labeled below. The framework consists of ten cards.

  As you lay them out, we need to see if there are any connection points. These can be:

  1. A predominate suit

  2. Repeating numbers of pip cards (ex. 2-3’s, 3-4’s, etc.)

  3. Two or more court cards (King, Queen, Knight or Page)

  4. Two or more High Arcana (0 through 21)

  This sets up the beginning framework of the reading.

  If you understand what the majority of the suit is in a card spread (such as a lot of cups) as well as the numbers, then you can get an idea as to what the reading is going to focus on. Here’s an example:

  Look over the whole layout. Do you have a lot of the cups suit? If so, it could mean you will be looking at emotional issues. Then, look at your number pattern. For example, do you have two threes in the layout? This little number grouping could be interpreted as a change of relationship occurring. Two = relationship / three = change. How about three aces? This can perhaps mean a change of lifestyle. Three = change / ace = new beginnings. Predominate court cards are people and many High Arcana usually mean it is out of your control. A higher force is at work. Here’s more:

  Predominate suits in your layout:

  On layouts look at suite:

  Lots of Cups – Overwhelming emotion.

  Lots of Pentacles – Money or physical things.

  Lots of Wands – Work; Creative things; Frustration.

  Lots of Swords – Sickness, Illness anxiety. Mental stress.

  There are two feminine and two masculine suits in each deck.

  Cups and Pentacles – Feminine.

  Wands and Swords – Masculine.

  Once you start to connect the cards, focus and look at it through your own eyes and explain what you see. There is nothing to be afraid of. You may feel unsure at first but as you start telling the person who you are reading for what you see, it may shock them and you. It is also an exercise in intuitive perspective. Step away and look in. Connect the pieces and tell the story. The cards soon open like a book and you will read it. Keeping a journal helps if you use this exercise. Focus; take a moment to meditate. The information will open itself to you.

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  Part II. Advanced Studies

  1. Tarot and the Tree of Life

  2. Tree of Life

  a. Hebrew letters

  3. Breakdown of the High Arcana

  4. Technical Astrology

  5. Sample of Tarot Card Groupings

  6. Other Reading Layouts

  TAROT AND THE TREE OF LIFE

  The mystical concept of “worlds within worlds” has been established in most of the major religious. The Tree of Life is constructed of ten spheres or “sephiroth” and twenty-two paths. By connecting the paths and spheres, a system of thirty-two spiritual directions is recognized. This is considered the structure of our universe. These relate to sounds, colors, the senses, the elements and the heightened awareness of the soul. All is study, focus and faith.

  There are three “pillars” or trunks that support this tree. The one of the right is considered a pillar of force. This is called the Pillar of Mercy. The element represented by this pillar is the element of fire. The one on the left, the Pillar of Severity, is the pillar of form. Its element is water. The one in the center is called the Pillar of Mildness or Middle Pillar. The element it relates to is air. It is the pillar that balances the stress of force and form. It helps to create reality as we see it.

  The sephiroth and their paths are aligned on the tree in opposites or reflections of each other. In other words, they are a balance of opposites. Positive and negative forces construct our sense of what is real.

  From nine of these sephiroth, three triangles are formed. At the crown of the tree or top, the Supernal Triangle is constructed. This represents the Divine or spiritual plane.

  The “Mother” letters (Aleph, Mem, Shin) of the Hebrew alphabet are placed within this plane. They represent the elements of creation (air, water and fire). From these maternal elements, earth or physical form (Malkuth) is created. The spheres that connect to this plane are: Kether, Chokmah, and Binah. It makes up Atziluth or the Archetypal world. The letter Yod is represented here and stands for Primal Fire.

  This spiritual plane is connected by a bridge or hidden sephirah. It is known as Daath or the Abyss. It is conceived as a great desert that must be crossed in order to reach the Godhead. The Daath represents the throat chakra and its reverberation of sound.

  The Ethical Triangle is formed by Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphareth. This triangle represents an individual’s higher development in spirit. It is the struggles and lessons that Man must face in order to reach a state of spirit
ual self. In this triangle, the concept of “Christ Conscience” or the “Child of the Sun” is conceived.

  The Astral Triangle deals with the ability to interact with our intuitive selves as well as form our personality. Both the Astral and the Ethical triangles form the creative and the formative use of the mind. The Astral Triangle is formed by Netzach, Hod and Yesod.

  The base of the tree is called Malkuth. It is also known as the “Kingdom”. In it, our primal selves form and construct our reality. It is the world as we see it.

  The reason we introduced some of this background to you is to help you understand that the Tarot can open doors both seen an unseen. The cards have as many facets as the human personality.

  Those who study esoteric sciences, not only use the Tarot as a way of finding answers, but as a path working tool to understand us. Through study and meditation, we can learn to discover ourselves in a whole new way.

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  Tree of Life

  Each High Arcana in the Waite tarot is assigned a Hebrew letter. They are placed according to whether the card represents an element, planet or astrology sign. The Mother letters represents elements. The Double letters are planets. The Simple letters are astrological. Information about this is in the next chapter.

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  Breakdown of the High Arcana

  In order to understand this more completely, it would be helpful to have a deck of traditional Rider-Waite cards as you work with this High Arcana section.

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  0 THE FOOL - The Breath of Life

  Astrological Sign – None

  Planet Ruled By – Uranus

  Element – Air

  Hebrew Letter – א Aleph – Ox

  Kabbalistic Alignment – Because it represents the element of Air, it is considered a “mother” letter. It connects Kether to Chokmah on the tree of life and is the eleventh path of Aleph.

  Path color on the Tree of Life – Bright pale yellow

  Sound or Tonal – E-Natural

  The Fool represents the eternal spirit as well as mankind’s quest for knowledge. It deals with wisdom, folly and innocence.

  0 THE FOOL

  White Sun – Being in a higher plane; divine nature.

  The Yellow Sky – The creation of mental thought and ideas.

  The Wheel Design on his clothing – Wheel of Life.

  Color on His Clothes - Orange - life force Green – Fertility Yellow- Use of the mind.

  Feather in His Cap – It is a Phoenix feather. In the old traditions, the Phoenix is constantly reborn by sacrificing itself in the fire (spirit). It arises from the ashes to live again. The feather means that anything can be created by the mind and spirit of man.

  The Staff – Represents the measure of all things created.

  The White Rose – Purity of intention and spirit.

  The Knapsack – Our Karmic duties and responsibilities we carry through this life.

  Symbols on Knapsack –Astrological signs. These are powerful influences outside of ourselves.

  The Mountain Peaks – These represent the peaks of attainment of knowledge through experience.

  Blue on Mountains – Tranquility of spirit.

  The Brown Cliff – The building up and breaking down of the structure of Life and its beginnings.

  The Dog – Is this the beginning of man’s conscience? The Dog barks a warning for the Fool to step carefully.

  1 THE MAGICIAN - The Manifestation of Will

  Astrological Sign – None

  Planet Ruled by – Mercury

  Element – None

  Hebrew Letter – ב Beth – House

  Kabbalistic Alignment – Because it represents the polar opposites “life-death”, it is considered a “double” letter. It is positioned between Kether and Binah on the tree of life.

  Path Color on Tree of Life – Yellow

  Sound or tonal – E-natural

  The Magician represents the house in which the eternal spirit is kept. Known as the “dwelling place of the soul”, it deals with the manifestation of will and creation of physical form.

  1 THE MAGICIAN

  The Infinity Symbol – All things must come back to the source.

  The Yellow Background – The creation of thought; light and manifestation.

  Brown Altar Table– The plane of manifestation; the beginning of our physical reality. Growth and renewal. The table itself represents the boundaries in dealing with a manifested reality.

  Tools on Altar – Those and what the magician has in his hand represents the four elements of manifestation.

  The Cup: The element of Water; pentacle on the Cup – Represents the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water with the top-most point being Spirit.

  The Pentacle: The element of Earth.

  The Sword: The element of Air.

  The Wand in Magician’s Hand: The element of fire. Also, both the hand jester and the wand itself represents

  “As above, so below.”

  The Magician is seated before the altar of manifestation. His intense expression shows focus concentration. His hands are drawing energy from above and below in order to create physical reality.

  The White Magician’s Robe and Headband – Purity of intent. Red Stole on His Shoulders – The passion for Life. Intensity of purpose.

  His Belt – The Ouroboros- Snake eating its own tail – Re-creation and rebirth from the primal elements. Eternal life; The Teth.

  The Lilies and the Roses- Purity (white) and Blood (red) experiences of Life. Some encounters have thorns.

  2 THE HIGH PRIESTESS - The Guardian of the Gate

  Astrological Sign – None, but associated with all water signs

  Planet Ruled By – The Moon

  Element – Water

  Hebrew Letter – ג Gimel – Camel

  Kabbalistic Alignment – Because it represents the polar opposites “peace-war”, it is considered a “double” letter. It is connected to Samekh and Tau on the tree of life and together they form “the core” or “middle pillar”. It is the thirteenth path of intelligence uniting.

  Path color on tree of life – Blue

  Sound or tonal – G Sharp

  The High Priestess represents knowledge and the free will to choose a path into the unknown. She is the keeper of the gate that opens to the Abyss and is the teacher of women’s mysteries and occult knowledge.

  2 THE HIGH PRIESTESS

  The Blue Background on Card – The color of spirit; the throat chakra; the color placement for the High Priestess on the Tree of Life.

  The Gray Pillar – Represents the Pillar of Justice; it is light and masculine. It is the conscious and aggressive side of Mankind.

  The Black Pillar - Represents the Pillar of Severity; it is dark and feminine. It is the subconscious and passive side of Mankind.

  Both pillars create the structure and polarity of energy on the Tree of Life. Each pillar has the opposite color alignment on their structure to reflect the force that binds them together. They are opposite in polarity; the Tree of Life has also a Tree of Death.

  The Letters on the Pillars – Represents Boaz and Joachim, the words meaning strength and stability.

  The Cross- It represents the four elements and the spirit that creates reality.

  The High Priestess – She is the embodiment of the Middle Pillar. Her throne is the heart of mysteries and its structure. The heart of knowledge must be sought out.

  Her Crown – Represents the three phases of the Moon. Waxing, waning and full. It is the phases of womanhood and fertility; Birth and maturity.

  Her Gown – Blue – The color of the knowledge and spirit. White - purity.

  Designs on Banner – The Pomegranates – Fertility Palm Branches – Growth.

  Crescent Moon – The feminine; Water.

  The Book in Her Hands – The TORA – Law; The Book of Knowledge; It is the anagram of the word “Taro”.

  3 THE EMPRESS - The Great Mother N
urturer

  Astrological Sign – None

  Planet Ruled By – Venus

  Element – None

  Hebrew Letter – ד Daleth – Door

  Kabbalistic Alignment – Because it represents the polar opposites “wisdom-folly” it is considered a “double” letter. It connects Binah to Chokmah on the Tree of Life. It unites the Mother and Father aspects on the tree. Known as the “mother of life.” It is the fourteenth path of intelligence illuminating.

  Path Color on Tree of Life – Emerald Green

  Sound or Tonal – F-Sharp

  The Empress represents the abundance of life. She deals with love, marriage birth and care giving and beauty.

  3 THE EMPRESS

  The Yellow Color in the Sky– The source of thought, ideas bringing forth; creation. Revealing light.

  The Green of Plants and Pomegranates on Dress – The deepness of Life’s commitment to itself. Fertility.

  Trees in Background – Life taking root.

  The Wheat – Abundance; the goddess Demeter; Spring.

  The Blue Water – Spiritual realization in the physical world. The water is the ebb and flow of Life’s beginnings.