All Blessings Be! From my kitchen to yours.

"Lord of the Sun

and Lady of the Moon,

keep your good wheel turning

to our fortune.

Lord of the Sun

and Lady of the Moon,

bring us the best of summer

and its riches."

--Robin Skelton

And now we come to the final card. It is the final destination of the Triumphal Procession. It is in fact the very ground that the procession started on, only now the Fool can wear the wreath of kingship. This is the card called the World or the Universe (I suppose it shows an awareness of an expanding cosmos to call it one way or another).

This card is popularly depicted as an androgynous figure holding two wands, clad by nothing more than a sash, surrounded by a great wreath, and beyond that are represented the four basic elements of the universe...earth, air, fire and water. This is the Shamanic initiate, the perfected soul, forever ‘plugged-in’ to the divine.

Another depiction, that I am personally more fond of, is the four elements in more representational form: a cloudy firmament below a golden, fiery firmament, a green wreath that holds within it land, sea, and sky and all of the dwellings of man(?) and over this stands a female figure who could be an angel, she wears the the polygonal halo of an allegorical figure. She holds the scepter in one hand and a golden globe in the other. Perhaps she is Prudence? Whoever she is she holds authority over the wreath surrounded kingdoms that may in fact be the mythical kingdoms that exist in an eternal light...and she shares the wisdom gained in this mythical landscape with all who dwell in the “mundane” world. Perhaps within this wreath is the Heavenly City of Jerusalem, perhaps it is Tir Na Nog or Avalon.

Perhaps this is a remembrance of the “mundus” the circular trench that was dug at the site of new Etruscan cities that was filled with libations of corn, milk and honey and wine. This is also the trench that would have been made with a bronze plow to mark the city limit. The plow would be lifted wherever a gate would stand. This is the blade-cut circle of the Witch; the making of the Ring is an affirmation of the witch’s place in the greater world around him or her. It is the home of any individual or family, the hearth is the holy centre, the ‘circular trench’ where offerings are made.

In a reading this card represents completion, the attainment of goals, the winning of the ‘Crown of the Magi’, the attainment of all worldly mastery and wealth. The Fool has become the Master.
Negatively placed, this card still maintains a positive meaning, for it still represents ‘Cosmic Time’, and the final perfection of man.

All Hail the World, the Universe, the Great Cosmic Round that brings us All home...

In most Tarot decks we see the image of an angel blowing into a horn above the graves that now crawl with the naked reborn. This angel is thought to be the archangel Michael. He is a Solar as well as a Mercurial figure. From him we see the promise of the new light that will shine upon a reborn world. In him we see the figure of Hermes as pyschopomp, guardian and guide to the dead. These newly resurrected souls are seen to pray...the day of their doom is upon them...this is the point where their actions in life will be judged...no better time for good ol’ God-fearing.

In many other decks, especially where you see the presence of more Pagan-friendly themes, you will see the idea of rebirth (or reincarnation) emphasized and not so much attention being paid to the notion of “judgement”. The Robin Wood deck shows a naked witchy woman rising--like a phoenix from the ashes--from a great cauldron doing the horned salute with her hands--she is seeking, through repeated lives, the mastery of the Horned One. The Druidcraft Tarot shows one emerging, like an initiate, from a dolmen, a Druid blows a great horn to announce the rebirth. The Crowley Tarot emphasizes the Thelemic Aeon of Horus.

One could say perhaps that this card brings to completion the Triumphal Procession. It is the point of completion on the Fool’s journey.

In a reading this tarot is a card of completion or resolution of some matter. It also speaks to those new beginnings that shall come from this end. Negatively placed the card addresses those things that require completion in order for the querent to move on.

All Hail the Judgement, the Resurrection, the Rebirth, Day of Completion and New Promise...

*I’ve had trouble tackling this card. It’s most likely because there has been little solar energy in my life lately. The west coast of Canada has been gray, wet, and cool (if not down right cold) for so long now. Thankfully, a sunny morning, leaning against a tree, can be very inspiring!*

The next “Great Trump” is the Sun. It is that fiery ball in the sky whose constant presence over 4.5 billion years has made life possible on this planet of ours. It is an enormous nuclear fusion reaction whose power we can hardly fathom. It is so powerful and has always been recognized as such by all of mankind, that it is perhaps one of the closest physical things we have to best symbolize divine might.
Most of us in this day and age, who have ever taken a science class or two or watched any shows that talk about astronomy, will have a decent understanding that the sun is the centre of our solar system and that it is responsible for the rising up and maintenance of life on this planet. We relate to the sun in ways that are symbolic as well. One could say that for the majority of human evolution the sun has maintained a mostly symbolic meaning. It has been regarded as a god in fact, it has been seen as the “all-seeing eye of God”...and of course the meaning of this symbol changes depending on how near or far away from the equator you are: the summer sun to a Norwegian is a far more gentle and giving being than the sun in the Epytian desert.
The Sun of the Tarot is a powerful symbol for it represents another stepping stone in the Fool’s “ascension” or progress along the “Triumphal Procession.” Looked at Cabalistically we see that the Sun in the sphere of Tiphareth on the Tree of Life is “higher up” than the moon and we see that it is “lower down”, but shares the same “pillar” with the sphere of Kether, the ultimate reality or godhead. The sun is a kind of Vice-Regent of this greater reality.
The symbol of the standard-bearing child on horse back is itself a cabalistic symbol representing Tiphareth. Older images show two youths playing or two lovers. There will often, like in the case of the Moon, appear to be drops surrounding the sun. These are taken to be hebrew “yods” or some think that it exhibits how both sun and moon effect water cycles on the planet. My take is somewhat different as I once had a very powerful dream/vision where I stared into the sun and saw dripping from it drops of light that were at once white and separated into the various colours of the light spectrum. I could not tell you what these drops are but they do seem to speak somewhat to the reality that pure light is a very complex thing. This dream/vision is something I’m sure I’ll be chewing on for a very long time...the vision has been with me for the past twenty years, after all.
The sun is a symbol for treasure (gold is the metal of the sun, they say), or perhaps is closely linked to those legendary figures who have watched over hoards of gold...like the dwarf Alberich who watched over the Ring of the Nibelungs and the rest of the Nibelung hoard.
In a reading this card is always of a positive nature so great is its triumphal splendour. It speaks of health and wealth and joy. This card in a spread also sheds light on or “illuminates” the cards that surround it...thus altering their own meaning.

All Hail the Sun, Triumphant Light, Third of the Great Lights that guide the Fool...

What do you think you would see as you crawl up from the Underworld, as you emerge the reborn Fool? I for one could see being born into a moonlit landscape. It is through the Goddess that you have been reborn and it is the light of the moon that is her light. You are like some ancient creature (like the cray fish that is depicted in many tarot decks) crawling out of the pool of forgetfulness and into the growing light of awareness. You see two dogs howling at the moon. These two dogs, who are remnants of the Huntress’ pack of hounds, guard the way to the Underworld. Beyond the dogs you see two battlement topped towers or standing stones...these are the markers two uncharted waters, to new lands of promise...these may also be the cabalistic pillars of mercy and severity.

There is such great power in this second of the great lights of the Tarot. It rules the tides and the red surge of lunacy. It is a mirror shining on the brow of the Lady. It is Her light that the witch “draws down” to power spells of transformation, to wash over and refresh the initiate. It is associated with the habits of the herb-collecting witch. The artemesias, particularly the dreamy mugwort, are particularly strongly attached to the moon...they get their name from one goddess of the moon, Artemis. Other plants, fruits, scents are sweet aloes, pomegranates (for it’s roundness, blood colour and through association with Persephone and Juno) and lemon, and lily and jasmine.

In a reading some see this as a somewhat negative card because of it’s connection with “lunacy” or “fluctuation”. This may well be attached to the darker phases of the moon, but we must remember that the moon has three aspects the White Maiden’s promise, the Red Mother’s fecundity, and the Black Crone’s ancient darkness. Perhaps it is best to read this card as “fluctuation” but only in relation to the other cards of a layout...the reader’s intuition will guide her or him to whether the fluctuation is favourable or not. There is a gentle feminine quality to this “fluctuation” however...it is not like the fiery catharsis of the lightening struck Tower nor the worldly swing of the Wheel.
All Hail the Moon, the Silvery light of Her, the Gentle Changing....

*Again, I have been paying attention to the struggles many are facing in Japan. I have seen the tower blowing up with every bit of footage of the merciless tsunamis and with every image of grief stricken people and with the images of the failing nuclear reactors. While all of this happens I have been meditating on the Star. This card presents an image of hope. I hold this hope in my heart for the people of Japan and really for us all for we may all well have to deal with the consequences of the literal and metaphorical “fall-out” of this event.*

Here is the trump of promise, of rebirth, of salvation, of hope. This “star” may in fact refer to one of the brightest lights to be found in the early evening and in the time just before dawn...Venus. Much of the ancient world revered Venus as the power of new beginnings of a hopeful future. This may be the same “star” that guided the Three Kings, or Magi, to Bethlehem. Again we see that Jesus is in fact another iteration of the reborn god. This light is the burning light that marks the rebirth of Dionysus as Iacchus.

This card represents the light that shall follow the darkness...it is the “light at the end of the tunnel”. It is the light of hope that shall pull us through the shock of our stricken tower and our fall to the lowest lows. This star shall protect us from plunging ourselves into the depths of despair. I am reminded of this protection by the star that I wear around my neck...the star that so many other witches wear. Regardless of the difference in the number of points (the star dangling from my neck has five points while most depictions of the star on the card have it with eight points) this star is a powerful talisman for protection, rebirth, salvation.

The Fool who has been cast from the tower finds His hope and salvation in this shining “star.” He will dust himself off, sift through the rubble, no doubt feel great sorrow at what has been lost, and then he will follow the guiding light in the sky to a place of great promise. The main person in this card is usually depicted as a naked woman by a stream or pond and she pours water from two vessels into the stream or pond. She may be Mnemosyne who replenishes the pool of memory from which all seekers after the mysteries must drink lest they lose themselves in the underworld. This tells me that one must always remember that even when travelling through the deepest, darkest, most despairing places in hell one must hold to the memory of better times and hold to the the hope that better times shall find you.

In a reading this card is almost entirely a card of hope,no matter how it is placed. Rebirth is coming, rejoice! Many gifts of hope and renewal are on their way. Take great comfort in this knowledge.

All Hail the Star, Light of Hope, Protection and Rebirth!

*What a time to be pondering this card! A devastating “giant” earthquake has struck Japan, setting off a series of tsunamis that have swept away untold thousands of lives and left tens of thousands more without their homes and loved ones, utilities, food or clean water. To add to the catastrophe a nuclear power plant is failing horribly and spewing radiation. I pray for the dawning of a new day for Japan.*


My last podcast drew on the symbol of the Tower to illustrate the destruction of all human constructs, including spiritual ones. This card stands out particularly strongly for me for this Tower stands at the centre of my own cosmology. It represents that pendulum that swings from destruction to creation and back again. In this card we can see the retelling of every cateclysmic myth ever told. We see in it the Olympian gods overthrowing the Titans, we see the struggle between the Aesir/Vanir and the Giants of Fire and Ice, we see the destrucion of the Tower of Babel and the fall of Solomon’s temple.

If we back step somewhat and ponder what this tower actually is we can see that it is in fact the abode of the Dark Lord of the Underworld, the abode of the Tyranical Father of Time. It is the “Devil’s House” or the “Castle of Pluto”.  It is the Hellish realm that the shaman must pass through to be reborn and to bring good to his/her people. This is the “harrowing of hell” that Jesus had to undertake following his crucifixion. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross reminds us of many earlier figures (self-immolated  and otherwise) like Odin, Dionysus, Ahriman.

Something common in all of these accounts of destruction or sacrifice is the promise of rebirth: Odin returns renewed clutching the runes, Jesus is ressurected in shining raiment, Dionyus is reborn Iacchus, Spring is born from the bull sacrifice of Mithra. The heavenly fire, or lightening, that strikes the tower is the force behind destruction and within it is the seed of new creation...a renewed phoenix shall be reborn from the ashes. We see in this card that the Fool is the Old Father of Time destroyed by the fire...He shall be reborn!

The appearance of this card in a reading heralds a cateclysmic event in the querent’s life which may be for good or bad, depending on the card’s placement. This may be a catharsis, or “baptism of fire” that brings profound change to one’s life rather than complete destruction or utter collapse. One must remember that out of this destruction will rise a new creation.

All hail the Lightening struck Tower, the Hellmouth, the nest of the Phoenix...

Now who is this horned figure? Is it that obvious figure that one who has been raised in a Christian society is familiar with? Is he the Christian god of evil? Well, whatever you think he is this is the being that the initiating shaman (ie., the Fool) must come face to face with. Ultimately he who passes through the realm of the dead, the Underworld, must come to the court of this “King of Terrors”.

Now if you are a Pagan, you may be inclined to think that this “devil” is in fact, the Old Horned One. There is that notion, after all, that the gods of the old religions very often become the devils of the new--especially if they represent something not easily assimilated into the new religions framework. The devil is not easily assimilated because of his bestial nature--just look at his make-up on the card. On certain modern decks he is depicted as having the cloven hooves of a goat, multiple horns, furry legs, and leathery bat wings and he wields a torch or pitchfork which is a titanic symbol of power like Zeus’ thunderbolt. On certain other decks, like Dame Fortune’s Wheel we see a being who is very much like the tyranical Mithraic god Zervan--a Saturnine,frightening figure. Zervan was often depicted as being a mish-mash of components: wings sprouted from his back, he had the head of a roaring, fire-breathing lion, the feet were cloven hooves or eagles’ claws, and various faces of humans or animals peered out from his chest, or knees. On the Dame Fortune Devil card you have what appears to be the ass-eared Fool peering out from the Devil’s crotch. Baphomet, another horned figure who was said to be revered by the Templar Knights, may be a survival of this Mithraic cult figure. Whatever He was and now is, this is a frightening figure whose reality we must face: this is the being linked to the tyranny of time.

In a reading this card represents something unavoidable. The querent has no hope of ignoring something that is going to happen...much like one cannot avoid the passage of time or the influences of one’s fate. If well placed this is a harbinger of a happy occurence and it can be quite the opposite if the card is negatively placed. While the situation may be unavoidable the way you react or adapt is considerably more fluid.

All hail the Devil, Bestial King, Old Nick....

This is another of the cardinal virtues that the Fool must learn. This is the virtue that encourages moderation or self-restraint...this is the card that speaks of a need to avoid over-indulgence. This is not merely the finger-wagging tea-totaller...this is not any one person accusing you of enjoying too much the wine that was once water. There is a kind of balance that is achieved when one practices the virtue of temperance. An internal balance of sorts is acheived that makes other alchemic processes possible.

Whether you are looking at a juggling angel or whether you are looking at a female figure who is pouring liquid of some kind from one cup to another, you will see here the power that stands between “this” and “that”. And here, at this point between “this” and “that” there is the power to transform...water to wine...lead to gold. It is here that “that which is above” becomes ever more like “that which is below”.

This card in a reading speaks of the “resolution of opposites”. It may represent apparently opposing forces that find harmony, unification, consolidation. It may speak of an actual person who serves as a mediating power bringing “opposites” or people with apparently opposing interests together. Negatively placed this card may speak of the difficulty in bringing opposing forces together or in a poorly matched partnership made more difficult by unreconcilable differences.

All hail Temperence, the Transformer, the Peace maker...

This is the most dreaded of the Tarots. How many times has this card showed up in a cinematic reading...the soundtrack takes on an ominous tone--with much chaotic sawing of violins--as the bedraggled old gypsy takes in a shocked breath, the wide-eyed querent rings his or her hands, and...well...the rest of the movie’s plot is laid out for us, isn’t it? This is easily the most misunderstood of the major arcana. Yes, yes, there CAN be a quite literal meaning to the card, but this is far more the exception than the rule. Death has so many faces when you look at him, after all.

Who is this bony, scythe-sportin’ equestrian? Who is this being who is hacking down prelates and princes, paupers and pipers and plummers with equal abandon? Could it be the not-so-plump, but ever-so-stately Saturn? The Master of Time and Mortality? The Acheronian ferrie-man? How easy it is to be distracted from our fear of Death when we busy ourselves with trying to pin a name to “Him/Her” like Charon, or Moros, or Thanatos, or Ker, or Cerridwen, or  Morgan Le Fay, or Anubis, or Azrael. Whether we are having the flesh boiled off, or burned off, or torn off of our bones we are faced with the bone-white reality that is “transformation” or simply “change”.  It seems that at the heart of this “illusion” is the possibly simple reality that to come to alchemical gold we must pass through putrefaction, rot, or other kinds of “leaden” nastiness.

This card in a reading speaks of transformation. Though it may speak of literal death or one’s pre-occupation with it, when it comes down to it, maybe one is being faced with the need to “do-away” with, or “waste” one’s old values preparatory to actual transformation.  The Hanged Man (that bound upside-down Fool) has set himself up for transformation, whereas Death has actually stripped away any of the pretensions that are the cold, hard ground separating Him from the Underworld. Negatively placed the transformations one faces may in fact be somewhat “lesser” in nature...as with the other cards, context is everything.

All Hail Death, the Nameless,  Change itself...