by Brian Clark
On an oracular level, Judgment suggests that efforts and experiences of the past are becoming visible. However, it also confronts us with the need to be honest and sincere. While painful memories may be rekindled, such as losses reactivated or betrayals reawakened, they are called to their final judgment to be relinquished and transformed. The inner judge asks the question, “How true have you been to yourself?” Only the gods and we know the answer. The extent to which we can be honest with ourselves prepares the pathway to the final initiation of the world. While Pluto was always feared, in this card he holds the riches the individual can mine when venturing into his domain. This yields the ultimate wealth of self-knowledge and self-empowerment, which arise from the confrontation with the unconscious.
XXI~The World:
Saturn, at Journey’s End
At journey’s end we encounter Saturn, the Lord of Karma, acknowledging our hard-won triumphs and heroic battles. To the Greeks he was Cronus, the youngest son of the sky god Uranus who rose up against his father’s perfected and disengaged sphere in order to liberate his older siblings imprisoned in the underworld by the heavenly patriarch. A new age dawned under Saturn’s rule, bringing an epoch so peaceful and prosperous it was coined the Golden Age. The earth fulfilled all of man’s needs, there was no war or disease, and man was enveloped in a cocoon of grace. However, as humankind turned away from the gods and descended more and more into greed and arrogance, the Golden Age waned. Humans became plagued by the impermanence and drudgery of incarnation, striving to reclaim their connection to the gods. Saturn recycled the familial myth by becoming the devouring father himself. Mankind had lost its connection to the Anima Mundi, the soul of the world, which had previously enveloped its well-being. Saturn’s rulership of the world suggests the Fool’s journey has undergone a complete cycle from innocence and naiveté, through trials and initiations, to fulfillment and realization. When this card appears it suggests that the individual’s relationship to the world is being restored. Accomplishments will be acknowledged, and integrity will be honored. The individual is once again ready to be embraced and supported by the world.
In his right hand Saturn holds a sickle, the implement he used to castrate his father. In this context, the sickle is the symbol of resolution and differentiation that is needed for evolution to progress. To accomplish his tasks in the world the hero must cut through illusions and falsehoods. The sickle is also associated with the crescent Moon and is representative of agrarian deities, harvest cycles, death, and rebirth. The World card is suggestive of harvest, a time of self-renewal, endings and beginnings. In his left hand is the hourglass, an emblem of Saturn’s association with time. An hourglass measures the eternal passage of time. Once time has run out, it may be reversed in order to let time flow again in an opposite direction. The two halves of the hourglass joined together represent the intersection of the opposites and the coupling of the spiritual and material planes of experience.
The planet Saturn marks the edge of the visible solar system and reminds the pilgrim of his earthly and human form, his imperfections, fears, and limitations. Yet beyond Saturn lay the transcendent world of spirit, which contains the images of wholeness, androgyny, and union; the sphere the Fool separated from in order to experience his soul’s journey in mortal guise. Incarnating out of this world of spirit, the Fool’s path has now come to an end. At the culmination of his journey, the Fool stands at the threshold of the world, reflecting on his achievements and experiences in the incarnate sphere, now internalized as part of his soul experience. Guiding the final initiation of the Major Arcana is Saturn, mythological father of the Olympians, and the principle of autonomy and self-regulation. The World card represents the eternal return, as now the path of incarnation intersects with the path of spirit. This is the productive phase of the cycle when the essence of past experience is distilled into seeds for the next round of existence. This point in the spiral journey is an end, yet also marks a conception. When the card of the World appears it suggests the individual has gleaned enough worldly experience and knowledge to author his or her own script and face the consequences of those actions.
The last Major Arcana card depicts the sacred circle of the zodiac, the ring of life, encircling the World. With the World card the unconscious is directed to participate, cooperate, and be embraced by the surrounding world. The card augers a time when soul is evident in the world, not split off from it. On an oracular level, the card suggests the individual is symbolically being crowned; at this moment they are master of their world. The card also implies the individual may be acknowledged for their achievements, recognized for their contributions, or personally fulfilled by their hard work and dedication. The goals that have been set have been achieved, resulting in a triumphant and rewarding time. The card acknowledges the successful culmination of a process, even if the cycle embodies only a short amount of time. Saturn is the natural ruler of the mid-heaven, the symbolic pathway into the world and an image of the goals we strive to reach in life. As guardian of this domain, Saturn is the deity who helps forge our character in the world. When this card appears our role in the world will be brought into focus.
The Greater Mysteries do not end with The World. Our initiations into the sphere of the world have provided us with the potential of greater wisdom and insight, which are now internalized as valuable inner resources, able to be used on the next round of experience. Uranus as the Fool initiated our journey, whereas his son Saturn completed the process with The World. Astronomically, Saturn marks the edge of the visible solar system and the first planet lying beyond its orbit is Uranus, the threshold to the invisible realms. Therefore, having reached The World and Saturn, our journey into realizing the self recommences on another level with the rebirth of the fool.
THE COURT CARDS OF
CELESTIAL TAROT
In Tarot, court cards are multi-dimensional. They may represent a quality of a situation, the developmental stage of a project, or the phase of a current cycle, while also referring to a character type or a specific individual. In Celestial Tarot, the Princesses represent the seasons of the year, or the seminal phase of a new cycle. The Princes carry the mutable energies of discovery and learning. The Queens embody the fixed elemental signs, which contain, ground, and secure energy in order to consolidate the cycle. Finally, the Kings are Cardinal, the initiating energies that promote change, growth, and maturation. Each court card could be considered a type or function of energy and suggest a particular developmental stage or way of being. All sixteen cards represent profiles of situations or individuals we encounter in the course of our lives. When a particular court card appears it heralds a significant encounter with that character type and a maturing awareness about what this means for us.
Princess
MODE: Season
THE INNER SITUATION:
Learning and experimenting with feelings, an outlook that is innocent, fresh, and naïve. The youthful feminine (represented by sisters, friends, sweethearts) or the ‘inner child.’ Represents a season of growth and discovery in the self, as well as the willingness to be open to new pathways and opportunities.
THE OUTER INDIVIDUAL:
A younger individual who captures the spirit of discovery; someone behaving in a childlike manner who constellates feelings and memories. A muse or guide.
Prince
MODE: Mutable
THE INNER SITUATION:
The urge for mutable energies is to learn and grow. Involved and committed, the instinct is to express, experiment, and create. Changeable and adaptable but also scattered and restless—the youthful masculine. The Prince symbolizes the heroic venture.
THE OUTER INDIVIDUAL:
A youthful masculine energy which could be projected onto a brother, lover, friend, acquaintance, colleague; the individual who is learning to be heroic.
Queen
MODE: Fixed
THE INNE
R SITUATION:
The mature inner feminine. Fixed energy seeks to stabilize the situation, to protect and nurture what has developed. Represents the maternal instinct that governs, secures, and administers the feelings and the heart. Consciousness of the inner world.
THE OUTER INDIVIDUAL:
A worldly and mature woman, a mother, wife, feminine authority, administrator or caretaker.
King
MODE: Cardinal
THE INNER SITUATION:
Cardinal energy initiates, expresses, and sets something in motion. Kings embody the maturity, authority, and mastery of the environment they occupy as well as the rules and regulations of this dominion. The mature animus who is confident and supportive.
THE OUTER INDIVIDUAL:
The male authority as father, employer, or a guiding system. A mature male figure who represents a partner, friend, or helper.
PRINCESSES:
Seasonal Gatekeepers
In Celestial Tarot, the Princesses celebrate the spirit of the seasons. Each of the four princesses ushers in a new season, highlighting the cardinal cross on the wheel of the year. Appearing at the turn of the season, each Princess embodies a seminal phase of the cycle. Something new is emerging and changes in the atmosphere are imminent. Each season contains its own cycle initiated by the cardinal sign, followed by the fixed sign, and completed with the mutable sign. Sun signs as images of the seasons are common metaphors to show the cyclical development of the signs. Instinctively, each Princess knows the natural course of the unfolding cycle. Festivals mark the seasonal midpoints, and the process that was initiated in the cardinal sign at the beginning of the season takes hold in the fixed. The Princess of Wands celebrates Lammas in her fire sign of Leo midway through summer. Beltane occurs when the sun is in Taurus—the midpoint of spring when the Princess of Pentacles rejoices. The Princess of Swords honors the winter festival of Candlemas, when the sun is in the air sign of Aquarius. When the sun is in Scorpio, the Princess of Cups honors the festival of Hallowmas in her element of water.
To the Greeks, the virtuous Horae were the seasonal goddesses who presided over nature’s bounty as well as the annual cycle of growth and decay. As guardians of agriculture and keepers of the natural order, the Horae became representative of social, ethical, and political order. Since antiquity, the seasons have been metaphors of an orderly cycle of life. The appearance of one of the Horae signaled the course of natural growth and change. In Homeric epic, they were guardians of the gates to Olympus. As gatekeepers they signify a change of perspective and a different role emerging. By the Hellenistic period the trinity of the seasons expanded to four. In post-classical art the seasons were adorned with particular attributes. The dance of the Horae symbolized the natural course of the seasons. Princesses are the seasons’ gatekeepers, the muses to a new order naturally unfolding. Like the Horae, they signify time and herald a significant seasonal shift. Atmospheric changes are stirring in the individual and new images and energies are emerging. The Princess initiates the individual into a new season of being, unlocking the gate onto another aspect of her character.
The Princesses of Wands and Swords stand at the portal of the solstices, the times of the year when the sun stands still, and the day and night forces are at polar extremes. The summer solstice marks the culmination of the Sun, while at the winter solstice it reaches its nadir, or turning points in the annual cycle. The Princesses of Pentacles and Cups are the gatekeepers of the equinoxes, the times of the year when the light and dark forces are balanced. As embodiments of the threshold, the Princess augurs a period of transition into a new mode of being. When the Princess appears the psyche is aware that a new season of the self is emerging.
From an astrological perspective, each princess governs one quadrant of the zodiac. Each quadrant contains a trinity of signs, which represent a particular function in ego development. The first quadrant, represented by the Princess of Pentacles, characterizes self-development and represents childhood. The Princess of Wands is associated with the second quadrant of social development and adolescence, while the Princess of Cups corresponds to the third quadrant, the development of self in relationships. Finally, the Princess of Swords is associated with the fourth quadrant and development of the transpersonal self.
The Princess of Wands:
Summer, the Bountiful Season of Fire
At the summer solstice, the sun reaches its maximum height and appears to stand still in the sky, heralding the culmination of the year. Just as noon indicates the height of the day, and the Full Moon, the peak of the lunar cycle, the summer solstice marks the fullness of the annual cycle. The Princess of Wands embodies the summer phase on the wheel of the year. To the Athenians she was Carpo, the goddess of summer fruits. In Celestial Tarot, standing on a carpet of roses with the full beauty of nature behind her, she looks to the season of growth and development that lies ahead. Nature is at its peak of creativity. The sun is at its warmest, and when this card is chosen, it suggests the fiery budding of creative power. Imagination stirs and the urge to create and be self-expressive emerges. Vulnerability and beauty are present. Disseminating the seeds of the creative self follows a tentative start to the new season. Like the Vestal, she has the youthful charisma to channel fire and passion into the creative vessel. The fires of spirit motivate her to act out the creative impulses.
The Princess of Wands embodies the season of summer, embracing the zodiacal signs of Cancer, Leo and Virgo for the Northern Hemisphere. The sun is at its highest, marking a period of growth, warmth and light, innocence, and the fullness of life. Nature is abundant and creative. Similarly, when this card appears, the individual’s nature bursts with the potential to flourish and ripen. Characteristic of summer, this is a solar time of life, passionate and heroic. Ironically, as she opens the gate on the longest day of the year, the sun begins its descent. Therefore, the Princess of Wands stands on the threshold of her creative potential, which is destined to unfold. Whether this is disseminated through creativity, activity, relationship, or scholarship, she unlocks the gate to an abundant and fertile phase of life. The season begins at the Cancer solstice with feelings of insecurity and the need to give birth to the new. The self-expression of Leo follows from the emergence of creative potential, through to the final analytical phase of Virgo, which closes the season having created a sacred space for the creative self. When this card is chosen it reveals that a conscious culmination of a project or situation is in process. This will bring new discoveries and growth, but these developments need to be integrated into a more holistic lifestyle.
These characteristics may also be embodied by a youth eager to start new things and excited by life’s opportunities. When the card appears we need to be cognizant that we may be seeing the creative potentials in others, yet not in ourselves. As the Princess of Wands appears to us, she confronts us with the refection of our own potentiality and urge to begin a more life-affirming phase. On an oracular level, the Princess of Wands suggests that a more intuitive and visionary side of the self is emerging, allowing us to be farsighted about our life and more deeply in contact with the spirit of creative possibilities.
The Princess of Pentacles:
Spring,the Fertile Season of the Earth
To the Athenians, Thallo was the goddess who presided over the vernal equinox. Her name meant blooming and she became the embodiment of fertility and growth. In Celestial Tarot, she is the Princess of Pentacles the youthful feminine spirit who emerges at the vernal equinox when the Earth begins to vigorously display signs of renewal. Like sunrise in the diurnal cycle, or the First Quarter Moon of the lunar cycle, the vernal equinox marks the time for action, impulse, and risk-taking. The card displays an adolescent dancing in lavender fields of spring flowers. Her bare feet touch the earth and make her one with the fertile ground that contains the budding seeds of the new season. On an oracular level, the Princess of Pentacles augurs a time
when nature is abundant and the senses are awakened to new smells, sounds, sights, tastes, and feelings. The Princess embodies the urge to make things manifest and is becoming more aware of her own desires and more attuned to her own body and senses. On a pragmatic level, the card suggests the time to risk an investment, start a building project, and challenge the structures of security to provide more enjoyment of life’s pleasures.
Spring is sacred to Hermes, the youthful messenger god who, like the Princess of Pentacles, heralds a threshold crossing. From the chrysalis of winter, life emerges at the portal of spring. New possibilities exist in the world, and with them, comes the desire to manifest them. Similarly, the ancients told of Persephone’s return in the spring from the dark confines of the underworld. Garlands of flowers announce the season’s arrival, as does the ram and the lamb, the zodiacal representations of Aries, the sign of the spring equinox. Following the burst of restlessness and impulsiveness, the cycle begins to steady itself as the phase of Taurus takes hold. The season ends in the mutability of Gemini, as what burst into consciousness at the beginning of the season can now be communicated and shared. The Princess of Pentacles augurs the instinctive beginning of a new project or relationship. As the process unfolds, it brings greater consciousness of new needs and improved ability to communicate these needs to others.
On a psychological level, the Princess of Pentacles suggests a new awareness of personal values and inner security. The learning that takes place relates to creating material security and physical wellbeing. As an envoy of security, the Princess of Pentacles characterizes the sensual, warm, stable individual. As we develop these traits in ourselves, we may be drawn to other people who can model these characteristics. The Princess of Pentacles exposes a new relationship to the world, feeling more embodied and confident. This may also suggest a renewed awareness of our sensuality and physicality.