PW's 9 Majors

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pirbid
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PW's 9 Majors

Post by pirbid » Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:09 pm

:) Here are the first 9 cards Payewacker urged us to compare, as promised. Of course, I realize I am a bit late, but that's what we Spaniards are quite famous for, anyway.

I could see some traits shared by a few of them, but none I could link them all with. I finally connected 5 of them through the different stages of the day -this reminds me of that other post about timing issues in Tarot- and the other 4, very clearly connected amongst themselves, I laid on top trying to follow a similar pattern. This is what they looked like:

Image

The top 4 cards are people looking at us full on and not very active.
- The High Priestess looks quieter in an evening background and, with her moon signs -that is why I laid her over the night cards, Moon and Tower- and pomegranates on the veil behind her, stands for the most feminine yin side of our brain, the unconscious. Her white-blue robes reflect the mind rather than the body -they stand for purity in some religions-. She veils but lets us guess at the calm waters behind her -the emotional world, maybe?- and we can also peek at the title of her roll of parchment: probably the Torah. I am no expert on Cabala, like PW, but I am sure he can tell us the meaning of B and J on the columns. By the way, I am much puzzled by what looks like a Christian cross on her chest, unless it means she can unveil any and all religious mysteries for us -I tend to associate her more with very old pagan cults-.
- Justice, still sitting fixed but more upright and holding both sword and scales, is a more doubtful figure gender wise. But other decks depict her clearly as a woman with a blind over her eyes, which is the classical view in art works too. Why would Colman paint her with her eyes wide open? Her robes are red for the power to decide and she wears a crown -rulers had all the power of justice behind them for a long while, and also religion-. Another curious thing is that her veil is drawn tighter behind so that we have no idea what prompts her decisions, only that she tries to be fair and balanced. I dislike the sword in this card: does it mean justice is to be upheld by force, if necessary? -our social systems prove so-. Or can she be just to the point of heartlessness, like the king who proposed to hack a baby in two pieces in order to discover who was the real mother?
- The Chariot is a young male with great potential for movement but passive. You can clearly see where he comes from, does he know where he is going? He is crowned with a star for a prince -the sun is usually the king- and holds a scepter in a much more relaxed manner than either Justice or Magician: potential, once again. The winged symbol engraved on the front of the Chariot looks similar to that of Hermes, god of speed, messages and healing. And the two sphinxes are a lot like the High Priestess' columns: not only opposite non colors but even looking in opposite directions -wonder how well they pull together at the chariot?-.
- The Magician has no background but a bright sunny yellow,and is surrounded by flowers at the forefront: life and movement. His robes are both pure of intention -white- and red with power, and he is actively standing and holding his magic wand aloft while redirecting celestial energy -the power of imagination?- to the ground -reality?- by pointing down the forefinger of his other hand. He not only has the right attitude but also the means -the 4 suits represented on the table- to do anything he puts his mind to. He is like the sum of the 3 previous cards and can act more freely and unencumbered than the others.

The 5 cards beneath look to me like a 24h film:
- The Moon coming up with the fall of the night, crying yods between the 2 watchtowers, with the fretting animals -both yang, like dog and wolf, and yin, like the lobster, so our minds and emotions- seeming to give warning of what is to come next... This card always seemed sad rather than frightening to me.
- The Tower: at dead of night -they say it is darkest just before sunrise- a righteous shard of lightning overthrows the figures of power -Justice and Priestess? King and Prince? Power and religion?- from their high perch. Instead of flames, they seem to be engulfed in yods: divine intervention?
- Death walks in stately and sedately at dawn -although it could be dusk, I suppose- claiming the lives of those in power. All bow before her or perish. Payewacker, I have always been curious as to the meaning of Death's white flower banner: can you tell us, please?
- As the sun climbs higher during the morning, our inner child seems to rejoice in the freedom of being rid of the powers of society for a while: now the light red robes are his/hers to wave about and play with. The sunflowers in the background suggest growth and development once restrictions are lifted. And yet... this card has never looked fully happy to me. Look at the expression of the sun and even the horse: do they look... resigned? doubtful? How long can the child ride on alone without taking a fall? With nobody to watch over it all? Can society develop without any factional powers? Do we need some restrictions in order to grow in the right directions?
- The Lovers seem to have the sun in its zenith and they are no longer alone. Though still free of constrictions -like clothes- they are always watched by the powers above, to whom they may look for advice if they so wish. The card seems to suggest the yin or female side of our brain is more adept at communicating with the divine inside us, while the yang side needs to deal with the practical side of living. The serpent of knowledge and its fruits are on the yin side, while some compare the leaves on the yang side to the letter yod. I cannot assign a meaning to the mountain behind them: any suggestions?
Sunshine from the islands of eternal spring ;)

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pirbid
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Post by pirbid » Thu Oct 01, 2009 5:10 pm

:) Reading PW's subsequent posts on the 'How much...' thread, I see he had already answered some of my questions, like J and B standing for Jachin and Boaz, though I would still like to know what they mean.

I didn't know that a white rose stood for Jesus, either, or the Rosicrucians, since I know next to nothing of the latter, but the sense of renewal sounds good.

About the yellow crowns, I remember reading once that they started to use them to represent divinity: they were made of gold so they shone like the halo depicted on saints. That way it was easier to pull off the ruler's power coming directly from the divine will.

About my doubts on the Christian cross, PW says that those on the High Priest are not Christian, so I am not sure what to think about them anymore :smt017

I found it interesting when he talks of Egypt, the desert, the sphinxes and scorpions representing Pluto, the planet ruler of Scorpio and thus sex and death, although this is better discussed in the next thread.
Sunshine from the islands of eternal spring ;)

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Post by Cascade of Light » Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:41 am

What has to be remembered is that the trail of facts has been lost and so most of what you are saying is based on modern interpretations and personal views. If a student researches and investigates further back then the symbolism becomes much clearer. Bit it all depends on what you belief the Tarot to truly be and where and when it came from :) For instance the white rose was around long before any christian meaning was placed on it, likewise pomegrantes being harvested in hot countries for many thousands of years.
A cascade of light shone down on me, then the angels spoke, and set me free,
Cas x

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pirbid
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Post by pirbid » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:32 am

:) Mmm... You may be right. Maybe some of us don't have all the time required to properly investigate the Tarot's past, in which case we might never be in a position to discuss all these symbols.

Should we then abandon all attempts and just keep enjoying Tarot as we know it for its own sake? Or maybe just let the real specialists discuss it while the rest of us look on, which is what I suspect happened to this thread in the first place. Or maybe we should even have a specialized subforum in which only those with a History degree can post.

As for these threads I started, my humble goal was to discuss PW's points from a layman's perspective, just for the fun of it, to see if we could all see further into the cards than the previously learned meanings.

And, of course, I welcome anyone informed enough to shed light on the meanings which are obscure to the rest, be it PW or whoever has any relevant information. Since you mention the white rose and pomegranates, I hope you can give us their oldest meanings, for you seem familiar with them.

Thank you!  :smt002
Sunshine from the islands of eternal spring ;)

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