by Brian Clark
Earlier representations suggest the water pourer was female. In Greek myth, Hebe was the original cupbearer to the gods. In Celestial Tarot, Hebe pours the waters of life over mankind. Her urn is full of heavenly manna recycled from the abundant springs of life. She symbolizes renewal, hope, bright prospects, inspiration, and spiritual guidance. Hebe was the goddess of youth and beauty who restored life through administering nectar and heavenly manna to the gods, guardians of the psyche.
The Greeks associated the young Trojan prince and cupbearer, Ganymede, with the 11th zodiacal constellation. Ganymede would become immortal, forever to reside in the heavens as the constellation Aquarius. Zeus also made the young boy the cupbearer to the gods, dispensing nectar and ambrosia; the waters of life and the manna of heaven. Many mythic personalities associated with Aquarius are also connected with the sphere of heaven. Its ruler Uranus is the initial god of heaven. Prometheus, the first revolutionary cultural hero to storm into heaven exemplifies the humanitarian spirit of Aquarius. Heaven, an important ideal for the Aquarian, is a multi-dimensional symbol of transcendence and the spirit of the sacred, infinity, and eternity. It also represents awareness and creativity, as it pours rain over the earth. When the card of the Star appears, it illuminates a new perception, a transcendent ability to perceive the road ahead and intuition to inspire and guide us.
A common developmental urge for Aquarius is to transcend the earthly realm in order to serve the gods of heaven. Aquarius’ altruism and idealism often transcend the mundane sphere striving to bring the lofty ideals of heaven down to earth. In classical Athens, this archetype also refers to the dominance of the masculine polarity. In Aquarius, the dominant masculine theme is generally the valuing of intellect and scientific rationalism over feeling and intuition. As in the classical Athenian custom, which valued social advancement over Eros, the passion of Aquarius is intellectual and social, not exclusively physical. Ganymede is also emblematic of androgyny, a motif inherent in Aquarius as it exemplifies equality on all levels of the human experience. In Aquarius, the quest for equality seeks to be integrated into all its social experiences. Zeus’ erotic attachment to Ganymede is brotherly love, a central tenet of Aquarius.
Aquarius is progressive, altruistic, egalitarian, and ingenious in its wish to pour its creative gifts over mankind to inspire progress for all. The Star shines light on the path forward, full of hope and promise. On an oracular level, the Star implies that many of the worldly trials have been faced, the critical period is passing, and the destruction caused by the collapse of the Tower has ushered in a period of calm. The dreams and potential of the past can once again be addressed. Life is renewable and the Star suggests faith in the future. After an illness, a relationship breakdown, financial losses, or family crises, life begins again. This hope is not manufactured by the ego, but arises out of the wisdom gleaned through life’s experiential journey. The Star is the light of the Higher Self, which illuminates the inner darkness and heralds the dawn of a hope-filled future.
XVIII~The Moon:
The Womb of Pisces
Heavenly light began to shine through the previous Major Arcana card, the Star. Now we encounter two more great cosmic lights, the Moon and the Sun. The cosmic union of Luna and Sol, the alchemical Queen and King of the Heavens, reflect an archetypal process through the changing phases of their relationship. Every 29 1/2 days the Sun and Moon conjoin to initiate a new cycle. The ancients used the Moon’s evolving phases as a cosmic measuring stick to mark the passing of time and the rhythms of life. Long before man knew the scientific rationale, the symbol of the Moon was linked to the tides and the sea. Both represented the inevitability of change, impermanence, and return. Along with the Moon, the sea also became invested with the fabulous and the mysterious. Celestial Tarot links the symbol of the Moon and the sea together by representing the Moon card as Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac representing the vast watery domain of the sea.
Two fish swimming in opposite directions, connected by a ribbon of stars, is the design woven into the constellation of Pisces. At the beginning of the Christian era the vernal equinox became located in the constellation of Pisces, bringing the symbolism of the fish to the mythic forefront. Previously, the Babylonians and Arabians had projected the image of the fish onto this constellation, associating the pair with either two goddesses, or the fish goddess and her son. Hellenistic Greeks borrowed the mythic plot freely from their Indo-European ancestors using the mother-son combination of Aphrodite and Eros to weave their story into the constellation.
Celestial Tarot portrays two mermaids swimming in opposite directions. One mermaid heads towards the conscious realm, the future and its possibilities, while her sister swims towards the unconscious and the past. As a virgin goddess of the Sea, the mermaid reminds us of the fish goddess who governs the fertile water and guards its mysteries. As an image of Pisces, the mermaid personifies the lure of the deep. She enchants us with the promise of pleasure and the fulfillment of ideals, yet also threatens to destroy us. Lured into her spell, we dream new dreams and imagine new ways of being. All water signs can be located in their natural environment, and the sea situates Pisces as the vast, boundless, eternal symbol of the unconscious. The paired fish of Pisces remind us of the duality and paradox inherent in water. When this card appears, the Great Mother asks us to immerse ourselves in her realm and yield to the tide of feelings engulfing us.
As with ancient mythologies, Christian doctrine drew heavily on the symbol of the fish and the sacrificed son, echoing the tradition of mythic sons who were sacrificed to the world. Innana and Tammuz, Cybele and Attis, and Aphrodite and Adonis are associated with similar themes. Since the zodiac was also a seasonal calendar, the mythic motif could alert us to the phallic son being sacrificed so a new and fertile cycle of the Great Mother can begin, as it will at the vernal equinox in Aries. The Greek god who is sacrificed and reborn is Dionysus. Through Dionysus, the ecstasy and agony of union with the divine was experienced. Sacrifice and redemption underlie the ethos of Pisces. In Pisces, we may be lost in the sea of the Great Mother, or enmeshed with her in an all-encompassing relationship. Either way, the mythic images of the sign suggest a powerful fate that draws us into the service of the Great Mother.
Astrologically, the Moon relates to the tides. As an astrological image, it symbolizes innate emotional patterns, habitual responses, and underlying motives, which become clearer as we track the progression of the Moon. It marks the appropriate times to break old habits and discard old attachments, while symbolizing how to best nurture ourselves. The Moon’s changing rhythm religiously records, reflects, and reveals each heartbeat, every breath, and each nuance of primitive life. Like the sea, the Moon represents eternal cycles, instinctual habits, and invisible movements that weave the patterns of our lives.
On a divinatory level, this card suggests we are under the Moon’s spell. Perceptions may shift. Uncertainty, confusion, and ambiguity may be present, as we swim through the unconscious realms. We are in feminine precincts where outer world concerns are not as pressing as internal ones. It is time to trust in the process and revere the lunar way by listening to the inner voice speaking to us through dreams, feelings, somatic responses, and changing body cycles. We may feel as if we are under a veil of illusion and drawn away from our everyday reality. This is a phase of rest, patience, and waiting. In this card we also see the traditional symbol of the dogs baying at the Moon, reminding us that the light of the Moon is needed to calm the instinctual nature. We are in the night phase of the journey and need to be hypnotized and enchanted by lunar light. Guidance comes through the intuition and through the symbolic and magical realm.
XIX~The Sun:
The Radiance of the Sun
As her eternal companion, the Sun follows the Moon in the Major Arcana sequence, just as light follows darkness and day follows night. Symbolically, the Sun and the Moon are the world parents, the divine pair that represent th
e heavenly lights and the marriage of opposites. Psychologically, they mirror the dual realms of consciousness and unconsciousness and are metaphors for feminine and masculine modes of being.
Symbolic Aspects
THE SUN
THE MOON
active
passive
extroverted
introverted
objective
subjective
linear
spiral
thought
feeling
logic
instinct
yang
yin
spirit
soul
animus
anima
direct
reflective
substance
essence
brain
heart
north
south
rational
magical
Astrologically, they symbolize the archetypes of father and mother, while the Sun represents children. Therefore, the Tarot often depicts the Sun card as children, generally a male and a female mirroring one another.
Greek myth depicted the Sun god as brother to the Moon goddess. Helios personified the Sun and guided his solar chariot, drawn by majestic white horses across the heavens from East to West. His sister Selene, the Moon, drove her lunar chariot through the night sky, illuminating the dark with the reflected light of the Sun. By the later classical period, the twins Apollo and Artemis became associated with these two great luminaries. Phoebus Apollo was “the shining one”, the solar deity who also presided over the spheres of healing and divination in the ancient world. As the dispeller of darkness, the Sun represents health, spirit, and vision, permitting individuals to foresee their future direction more clearly.
In Celestial Tarot, Apollo the charioteer, pulled by solar steeds, guides the great golden ball of the Sun across the heavens. God of light and logic, reason and consciousness, Apollo reminds us that a new phase of life has emerged out of the darkness and new light can be shed on the past. As light bearer, Apollo is the daimon of the Sun, forecasting the dawning of consciousness and integration of what is past. As God of beauty and wisdom, Apollo harnesses the instincts to become more conscious, representing the archetypal urge towards consciousness and its accompanying spirit and power. When the Sun card is chosen it indicates that the individual has undergone a process of self-examination and has become more conscious of internal drives. The card encourages people to harness their energies towards their vision and goals.
The most commonly known aspect of an individual’s horoscope is his/her Sun sign. The ancients mapped the apparent path of the Sun in the heavens through twelve constellations, symbolic of the twelve phases of the solar hero. Therefore, the sign the Sun occupies at the time of one’s birth is emblematic of a heroic process vitally important to the individual. When the card of the Sun is drawn it would be wise to reflect on the strengths and resources of the Sun sign to enable the individual to be more conscious of his/her self-development. The Sun is not just a static motif of heroic attributes, but also symbolizes the development of consciousness. Astrologically, the Sun represents self-concept, ego-identity, individuality, and personal will. Like its mythological counterpart, the sun develops the ability to hold the reins on unconscious processes, desires, compulsions and reactions. The Sun is the agent for creative self-expression, confidence, and the ability to focus talents in order to realize the life purpose. When the card appears it suggests an upcoming phase filled with the potential for success and acknowledgment. The Sun suggests clarity of vision; the ability to think things through and arrive at a more enlightened decision. As in Apollo’s Delphic dictum, seek to “know thyself.”
As the radiant source of light, the Sun promotes optimism and vitality, encourages creative endeavors, and dispels the darkness. As the god of healing, Apollo is the life-giving energy of the Sun, and possesses the ability to heal old wounds, restore faith, and renew vitality and resources. The Sun suggests we are on the threshold of well-being with a renewed energetic response to life. On an oracular level, the card predicts a phase of creativity and personal growth since obstacles from the past have been left behind. Our desires and impulses are now in check and directed to a creative outcome. It is time to shine or at least, like the sunflower, turn our face towards the Sun.
The Sun card is No. 19 in the Major Arcana, a significant number in solar symbolism. The Sun’s cyclical relationship to the Moon has a grand cycle of nineteen years, known as the Metonic cycle. Every nineteen years the New Moon returns to the same zodiacal degree, reminding us of the eternal relationship of Brother Sun and Sister Moon. The Major Arcana’s developmental process that has taken us through the cosmic lights of the Star, Moon, and Sun, has promoted a sense of wholeness in preparation for the final stage of the journey.
XX~Judgment:
Pluto, the Inner Judge
While the majority of tarot decks identify this card as Judgment, some decks have named the 20th trump Aeon, signifying an immeasurably long period of time. In Hellenistic Egypt, Aeon was a god of time. Having three heads he was iconographically similar to Cerebus the guardian of the gates of Hades. Companion of Serapis, the Egyptian counterpart of Pluto, he was associated with the underworld, the psychic sphere brought to light during the initiation of the Sun. As the journey through the Major Arcana is now ending, preparation for an encounter with the final phase is underway. In Celestial Tarot, we encounter Pluto and face the future that we have created for ourselves over the past aeons.
This trump card urges us to confront the choices made on our timeless journey, including resources not used, roads not traveled, and lives not lived. We have arrived at a place where we are more able to clearly judge the wisdom, integrity, and authenticity of our past efforts. When this card appears, the individual is at the threshold of profound change. The initiate yearns to find greater meaning in life and is summoned to tend to the soul in the outer world. To accomplish this task, the essential aspects of self that have been repressed or forgotten must be redeemed. Here, we meet the god Pluto, judge of the dead and memory of the past.
In the Greek myths, Pluto is the lord of the underworld and the god of death. He rarely surfaced. However, when he did, his helmet rendered him invisible to the naked eye, therefore his presence went undetected. In most cases, Pluto draws us down into his world to confront the truth lying below the veneer of life. Looking at this card, we see Pluto facing us through the shadows of the underworld. His gaze is fixed and penetrating. Pluto demands engagement and honesty. In his presence, secrets are revealed, fears are vanquished, and shame is exorcised as initiates are compelled to face their truths. What was once necessary to repress, forget, or hide, naturally falls away. In his right hand Pluto holds his scepter, a symbol of his power and authority. In ancient Greece the scepter also represented the right to pronounce a judgment. On an inner level Pluto symbolizes the judgments we have made that shape who we are. More importantly, the god now delivers a further judgment to release us from the shades of the past. In his left hand the god holds a myriad of jewels symbolic of the rich primordial energy that lies buried under the surface. Pluto translates as “the rich one,” a euphemism for Hades, the terrible god of the underworld, who paradoxically enriches the quality of life with the resources that spring from underneath the earth. Psychologically
, the deity reminds us of the wealth in our own underworld, the untapped resources and riches awaiting release. What is buried in the underworld of the individual is awakening, ready to energize a new shift in direction and self-perception.
The Hanged Man began the process of descent into the underworld domain. Judgment marks the resurrection from this place. When the card appears in a spread it suggests the individual has undergone a process of self-analysis, involving a review of his or her intentions, motives, actions, and choices. Neptune is the spiritual deity of the Hanged Man and his brother Pluto rules Judgment. Astrologically, they co-rule the vast expanse of the unconscious. Neptune’s realm is the stormy sea populated by monsters, shape-shifting prophets, and beautiful seductresses symbolizing the elusive and tidal landscape of the feeling life. Pluto is the guardian of the shades and underworld ghosts who represent what has been denied and repressed, what is taboo and not able to be seen in the light. His underworld sphere contains the secrets, shame, buried passions, negative feelings, grief and loss that the ego cannot tolerate. Custodian of what has been buried alive, Pluto carries the complexes and patterns not adequately interred or psychologically processed. However, when the card appears it suggests that the past is exorcised through accepting responsibility for what has occurred. The shades symbolize what is being released from the underworld to clear the path forward.