Tarot Inspire

by Marcus Katz

  6 of Swords: The only thing we can now do is take ourselves away from the world. It has nothing left to offer us, so we travel – literally or metaphysically – to new horizons. This is often inexplicable and unexplainable to others. It may begin to feel as if what we think we are is actually steering the course – and this is true.

  6 of Cups: Through this middle stage, we are wed to our highest angel. It is like childhood, like widowhood, like a marriage, like death. It is the most significant stage of our spiritual progression and is called “the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel”.

  6 of Wands: And after a long honeymoon, we make our way back to the city, back to the noise, back to the people and the places. However, we are fundamentally changed – we have been somewhere and make our return anew.

  5 of Pentacles: What follows in the spiritual journey – as seen through the Tarot and the initiatory system – is somewhat of a jolt. This is explained in Marcus’s After the Angel: An Account of the Abramelin Working and many other mystical biographies. The 5 of Pentacles shows the banishment, the ejection, rejection, the excommunication of the self that is experienced at this stage following the ecstasy of the Angel. This is a dark night of the soul.

  5 of Swords: Everything one thinks one knew is now stripped. Or flayed. “Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.” (Jacobs Ladder, 1990)

  5 of Cups: In the desolation of the Wastelands, only Chapel Perilous awaits across the bridge. It is time to decide what is real and what is not, to turn one’s back on the fictions of the former self and follow the Current of Creation. This is the time of great despair.

  5 of Wands: In one’s surrender to the Angel, and following from that event, values and spiritual concerns are utterly re-aligned, reformulated and re-established on a new system, a system not of oneself. The edifice of the self and all its relationships – the grand façade – is destroyed utterly and a new pattern of being arises. This equates to the grade of Adeptus Major in the western esoteric initiatory system.

  4 of Pentacles: Whilst this may seem the most mundane of material images, Waite says succinctly, in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, “He holds to what he has”. To the spiritual journeyer at this stage, this simple mantra embodies a whole mystical approach to life. It is one demonstration of how a sentence can be given which means nothing at one grade, yet at higher grades takes on a knowing significance. The whole of Dion Fortune’s Mystical Qabalah book is written in that same manner.

  4 of Swords: The mental faculties now go into retreat and re-align themselves. The mystical quest alights in the sanctuary and reviews all that has arisen. There is a simple clarity, as of light passing through a stained-glass window, a “veil of vibrating light” as Trinick calls it. In that window (in the Waite-Smith Tarot) is the word PAX. This refers to Chesed, the fourth Sephirah and our present stage in the journey up the Tree, which means “Mercy”.

  4 of Cups: All temptations are now refused and one becomes utterly divine-sufficient rather than self-sufficient. This is the last of the challenges before the Abyss. There is only the Trinity ahead.

  4 of Wands: The Abyss. There is no self on the other side of that invitation.

  3 of Pentacles: Now within the Holy Sanctuary, the Master of the Temple commences work under new management.

  3 of Swords: After fulfilling that work, the Mind (through that work, by which we are changed) becomes a tripartite form, with a heart that burns for the divine.

  3 of Cups: The people must be celebrated and their causes uplifted to fulfill the spiritual duty. There is no self in this, only service.

  3 of Wands: There is only a far horizon in sight, and all journeys now lead to divine service. In the clothing and head circlet of this figure (Waite-Smith Tarot) we see intimations of the Magician, who is the image of the archetype of spiritual service. We now take the step and commit ourselves to the light, whilst knowing even this is another journey, not the end.

  2 of Pentacles: Again, in contrast to its usual mundane meanings, this card embodies in our spiritual light a far more profound teaching. It is significant of the action of “Chockmah” in the World of “Assiah”, the “Wisdom of Action” which is the literal translation of those signposts. It is no more complex than that; this card signifies the ongoing wisdom-in-action of the Magus, the one who is existing in this eternal moment. As Crowley indicates, it is at this point that the Lord of Karma takes notice, and one’s books become audited and balanced in every moment. There is no cause-and-effect here, everything is connected now.

  2 of Swords: In this upper silence, the mind is stilled and held in singular balance. Beyond meditation (see The Hidden Teachings beyond Yoga by Paul Brunton) and beyond contemplation, the mind is blind unto itself. The tide draws out, the sun is eclipsed; our emotional world is withdrawn and our awareness vanishes. There is a period of divine emptiness, a holy moment like no other – the house is now prepared for the masters return.

  2 of Cups: And as is – and always was – promised, with nothing more than a touch, a kiss, a gesture, like the opening of a palm, the filling of a cup, the Great Secret is revealed. All that exists arises from that moment, this co-creation of soul and silence, man and woman, human and divine. The spirit and the flesh, all dualities are known by the one to arise in a third, a red winged lion, perhaps, atop the wand of healing and wholeness. And that lion, that sacred revelation, devours and consumes us utterly.

  2 of Wands: So it comes to pass, the journey is complete. Only the realm of the archetypes awaits; the Aeons, the realms and circles and zones and Sephiroth as they are known only in creation. We stand inbetween the pillars with the world as it began, all possibilities unfolding, no attachment, no particular perspective. In many ways, this is the ultimate depiction of the spiritual journey in this card. This is the outward Fool card in right relation to the Apparent World card. And the only outward sign of the journey is the Rose and the Lilly entwined. It is done. Tetelestai.

  The Four Aces now can be seen to embody the seeds of what G. I. Gurdjieff called the Four Ways or paths of spiritual enlightenment:

  Ace of Pentacles: The Way of the Fakir – the mastery of attention through asana, or physical work such as Yoga, dance, trance-work, etc.

  Ace of Swords: The Way of the Yogi – the mastery of self through mental discipline.

  Ace of Cups: The Way of the Monk (or Nun) – who works with the affections and spiritualizes the emotional worlds of faith and love as their path.

  Ace of Wands: The Way of Synthesis – perhaps this is the esoteric way, and was coined by Gurdjieff as his “Fourth Way” teachings.

  Meanwhile Back at the Beginning of the End

  Having seen how the Minors map our spiritual journey, we will return to take a look at the starting positions of each world, the four tens, to demonstrate how they reflect the four aspects of existence in four elements. This is the “Zelator” grade of the western esoteric initiatory tradition, where all work is done, and the beginning of the spiritual journey commences – by working through the lessons and transcending each of the attachments illustrated by these cards. We will also demonstrate how they each contain a trap and at the same time, their highest principle is also evident – “as above, so below”.

  10 of Pentacles

  The unity of the ten becomes at one between the Ten and the Ace of Pentacles. The aim is to get beyond the obstacles of the earthly pentacles thrown along the path, these will trip you up if you pause to want. The child in the 10 of Pentacles grows up at last to become the Fool in the pack. Earthly riches make the world go round but you will be caught on that Wheel if you become attached or fall asleep
in the garden of earthly delight.

  10 of Swords

  This is what I mean when I say I would like to swim against the stream of time: I would like to erase the consequences of certain events and restore an initial condition. But every moment of my life brings with it an accumulation of new facts, and each of these new facts bring with it consequences; so the more I seek to return to the zero moment from which I set out, the further I move away from it . . .

  Italo Calvino

  As Da Free John also puts it, “It is always already too late” to commence the journey. The moment of thought that enquiries is a paradoxical separation from which no unity can follow. This attempt to return to the “zero moment” of the Fool is also part of the journey of the Tarot.

  It may seem that we move further from it, but in actual fact we are moving circularly towards it in our journey, winding our way up the slopes of the mystical mountain of initiation. The Ten of Swords warns of the inertia that will inevitably arise from prolonged mental fatigue, when surrender is due. There is no more working out to do, the swords of emotional anguish do weigh heavily but your worst fears have materialized into reality.

  Acceptance is to be embraced and a still point resonates .There Is now the prospect of a new start and relief that will come when all turns full cycle. The old wounds of the battle of the swords from Ace to Ten are the very wounds that will heal and transform into the Ace of Swords.

  A transmutation can occur. The World spins and the Fool steps into existence again and so the cycle goes on - Hallelujah! In fact, in the Tarosophy Tarot, the Outer Deck Fool contains this word, for ‘Hallel’ in Hebrew means “somebody who acts madly”, and ‘Jah’ is “creator” therefore this uplift of the Fool is as Creator and the “madness” that is actually the transcendence of the reason. See George Fohrer. Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament, under הלל. Walter de Gruyter, 1973.

  In summary of the Ten of Swords, to quote Einstein, “Logic can only take us from A to B, imagination can take us anywhere”. Both of these dualisms have their traps, but from each we do (Swords) can (Pentacles), must (Cups) and will (Wands) escape.

  10 of Cups

  The nature of the cups is seen most evidently the Three of Cups, the Mitwelt, that is a ‘co- world’, where two figures are depicted, male and female, and a third entity that evolves, whether it is the creation of children, or the creation of creation. Perhaps the images on the card can correspond to the Mitwelt way of being, as it can personify many things; it is a growing changing entity.

  The Three of Cups may contain the ‘third entity’ with the manifestation of the below. All your wants, desires and hopes, and these find their completion in the Ten of Cups.

  Think about what you would like to have filling your ten cups. If you like, you may try shuffling the Major cards of the Tarot, and choose ten which can be read as filling the ten cups below. Ask what they symbolize for you, these archetypal energies in each of these ten emotional and spiritual contexts. Thus, you might pull the Hanged Man for Cup Three, “love of survival through community/society”. This might suggest you are tasked to work from a different perspective whilst remaining in mainstream society. The phrase “be in the world but not of it” might come to mind.

  Don’t leave anything out, be all-inclusive (4 of Cups). Don’t be afraid to let go of obsolete desires (5 of Cups). In doing so, you can honor your innocence authenticity whilst maintaining a mature perspective (6 of Cups). Also while selecting your ten cards do not be distracted by passing fancies only choose what has endured (7 of Cups). You will soon find yourself free of what has been and your past will rapidly be eclipsed by a future, and one worth walking towards (8 of cups). And in this making your choice - walking in the path of your own grail quest - there is true satisfaction (9 of Cups).

  And in the healing power of love, each of the ten cups contains a gift of divine exploration, as depicted by the previous Cup cards, from Ace to Ten, all each within another:

  Cup one contains love of coming into existence

  Cup Two contains love of the divine breath

  Cup Three contains love of survival through society (culture)

  Cup four contains love of your very own existence

  Cup five contains love of melancholy

  Cup six contains love of nostalgia

  Cup seven contains love of imagination

  Cup eight contains love of your worth

  Cup nine contains security

  Cup ten contains love of family

  All ten cups contain all you may ever need. Perhaps this explains why the 10 of Cups is the most spiritually idyllic image of human existence, it is indeed the idealized and realized Lovers card, that archetypal image played out in the real world. As leading astrologer and author Lyn Birkbeck commented “it will end as it began - in a garden”.

  We must absorb from the 10 of Cups; experience the osmosis effect of love and being loved.

  The Indwelling of Ten Cups Exercise

  Here is an exercise you might like to try; by placing the Ten of Cups by your bedside with the Ace of Cups, be aware of your emotions through that following day, then on the second night change the ace for the two, repeat this each night, until you have the nine and the ten of cups together.

  You may find this simple exercise opens your spiritual heart quest, it a way of connecting that flow of the ace into the ten. The most powerful magic is when you invoke the highest into the very far reaches of what is below.

  If you are interested in exploring more about the Path of Love, including how transference, ‘threeness’, and even Kaballah relate to this journey, see chapter 11, ‘Love’s Angel’, in Pilgrimage of the Heart: The Path of Romantic Love (Haule, 1992).

  10 of Wands

  This is the highest level of energy dropped into the lowest world; it shows what Crowley called “the force detached from its spiritual sources”. For us in our quest to redeem our own spiritual dignity, this card shows the worst result of misunderstanding the spiritual path. As Crowley says “The whole picture suggests oppression and repression. It is a stupid and obstinate cruelty from which there is no escape. It is a Will which has not understood anything beyond its dull purpose, its ‘lust of result’, and will devour itself in the conflagrations it has evoked” (pp. 194-5, The Book of Thoth). Where we see these characteristics in a person or a situation we know that it is far removed from spiritual dignity, which is ultimately characterized by the Ace of Wands.

  The Spiritual Journey in the Wands

  So from each of the Tens we can commence our spiritual journey as we have seen through the entire 40 Minors. Let us finally work through the Wands as a more detailed example and each see how they re-connect us when we feel lost from our spiritual source. You can recreate this detailed mapping with each of the other suits to show the way out of any dilemma in any world from a spiritual point of view. If you constantly struggle with your relationships, family and emotions, examine this journey in the Cups, if your finances and material work, the Pentacles, and if your education and thinking, the Swords.

  10 of Wands

  We begin by observation of where we struggle to “be spiritual”. This is always our first signpost. The spiritual path is characterized by the wrestling with one’s own Angel. There is always something more which must be discovered, always something presently preventing us being in the moment. The Ten of Wands calls us to step away from the struggle. Where we have patterns in our life that constantly weigh us down, these are each a potential Ace of Wands, repeating time and again to awaken us. That person in the Ten of Wands is carrying ten identical Aces, they just do not realize it.

  See Michal Conforti’s Field, Form and Fate: Patterns in Life, Nature and Psyche (2003) for a fascinating exploration of how patterns in our life collaborate creatively to provide us opportunities for growth.

  9 of Wands

  So we begin with Burden of attachment, so we must let this go, it literally does not (is not) matter. We stop struggli
ng and embrace our own wounds, as that is where we may become strong. We take it from the perspective that the process of scar formation and its life-long legacy is a protective mechanism to heal and protect us after harm. However after repair we are still ‘vulnerable’, as the replacement scar tissue is more fragile than our original tough skin; therefore, we need to be kind to ourselves and tread with care along the journey, and wisely choose who we entrust to help us to heal, whether it is friends, family, therapist or foe! It is tempting in emulating the Nine of Wands to ‘Tread carefully and carry a big stick’.

  From a Jungian perspective, the ‘wounded healer’ does not mean a ‘once wounded now recovered’ one, but one who is currently vulnerable as well (the latin word ‘vulnus’ means “wound”). We continue with our battle scars and wash them in the cave of wounds at dawn – a phrase that can be ritualized in the practice of the Greek mystery rites.

  The Nine of Wands can illustrate the impact of childhood wounds on our adult self, which in turn affect the way in which we develop our own unique spiritual path. As one therapist said, “we cannot choose our garden, merely the way in which we work with it”.

  This aspect of the Nine of Wands can be explored in Strong at the Broken Places by Linda Sanford (1991). Whilst this book illustrates the quite rightfully so-sensitive aftermath of the effects of child abuse/neglect, it is written from the perspective of how the wounded (vulnerable) become empowered and it refutes the belief of some that the abused must become the abuser. It is an essential book for those working in any therapeutic modality.

  The Nine of Wands teaches us that it is possible to escape our past. Or in the present moment “You do not have to attend every argument to which you are invited”.

  8 of Wands

  At this point, escaping from our own past, we must not stop. This card tells us to keep going, to ride the energy from whatever source it is conjured. Think of the power of lightning and the strength that it wields. As Eco says, “Initiation is learning not to stop”.