 |
|
|
CONSCIENCE AND THE TAROT The Tarot is a means of awakening conscience. The awakening of a fully developed conscience in a human being is the key to any real work with the Tarot. By conscience is meant the ability of a human being to consciously be and do in the most complete and authentic way in any and all situations. "Complete and authentic" indicates that one knows and is able to respond from the most conscious essential source in oneself so that whatever action is taken will be truly the most appropriate to that particular situation. (Such knowing includes an equal dimension of the unknown within itself.) With conscience, meant here in the most universal sense, as the ground for one's being it is thereby possible to incorporate complementary universal impulses such as love, hope, faith, wisdom, mercy, justice, presence into the very fiber of one's life where these are no longer ideas but are the actual way in which a human being relates to and lives life. Conscience is the conscious intelligence connecting one to all possibilities. This is the very essence of how the picture book of symbols known as the Tarot was intended to be used by those who originated this form of teaching, and which tradition is preserved and practised even today in certain centers around the world. The Tarot is a guideline, a map of consciousness and the states that a human being can experience as a human being. This map transcends all social and cultural patterning and is connected directly to what a human being is potentially, as a possibility, before becoming conditioned into the limits of any structure whatsoever whether it be a family, society, or way of belief about reality. Through the pictures of the cards it is possible to recognize certain common states of action, emotion, thought and instinct which are common to all human beings. Once an individual recognizes and knows these experiences as states of being rather than as some sort of absolute, it is possible to transcend them and go on to new areas of conscious experience without having to have the same experiences habitually and mechanically repeat themselves whether one wishes it or not. The Tarot can be and is an effective means through which it is possible to know ourselves, our relationship with other beings, the universe and our true purpose in reality. The work with Tarot is an active process by which the transformation in conscious knowledge and understanding through being can be experienced on an everyday, "ordinary" level by anyone who is serious enough, willing enough and available enough to look into the reality of their own immediate existence. Above all it should be understood that the Tarot is a practical instrument through which a human being may attune to the consciousness that pervades and sustains all the possibilities that exist within this physically perceived, as well as all other universes. Through the attunement to all consciousness one no longer needs to be in doubt about one's place and ultimate purpose in the universe; one knows. And without fear, uncertainty, unconscious ignorance and pride, life once again becomes vital, fresh, vibrant and open to all possibilities. And life such as this is surely fun! Fun where everyone is having fun!!! And having conscious fun is where work with the Tarot begins...... So to begin....... There are numerous tarot decks available, with
more being produced every day it seems. Most are very idiosyncratic and
subjective, although some very workable models of the major archetypes
have been developed. The ones that seem to resonate the most readily with
the author are the ZeroInfinity deck (seen above), The
Enneagram Yantras deck, the Royal Fez Moroccan, The Rider/Waite, the
Fourth Way and the Thoth Tarot decks. It is not necessary to use any of
these, although a great deal can be learned from them. In essence, the
more complete and truthful a deck is for a user, the better. It is exactly
like selecting a work partner. Be as attentive and conscious as possible
because the more awake the interaction between you and your deck(s), the
more awake and beneficial the outcome of the work will be.
TAROT - READING LIST The tarot is a guide through the essence of all teaching of humanity, the universe and reality. It is not just a set of picture cards, but a symbolic relational way of understanding and living life in the most complete sense. Each archetypal image reflects a specific order of change or transformation in the being consciousness and is an entire book in itself. Although these books have been written and presented in many different forms under many differing conditions and at many different times throughout known and unknown history, the situation remains the same; awakening all being to the inherent knowledge necessary for its conscious evolution.... Read at least one title under each card heading. Don't be taken aback by the number of titles. In one form or another, these books contain a verbal description of that which the Tarot is able to express through the language of symbolic communication. Without exception, they are all extra-ordinary in their depth and clarity, with an emphasis on practical understanding. Have Fun! 0 - THE FOOL When The Shoe Fits - Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
1 - THE MAGICIAN Simulations of God - John C. Lilly
2 - THE HIGH PRIESTESS The Life and Liberation of Padma Sambhava - Yeshe Tsögyel 3 - THE EMPRESS The Path of Love - Meher Baba
4 - THE EMPEROR The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern (Aramaic)
Manuscripts
5 - THE HIEROPHANT Secret Talks With Mr. G - I.D.H.H.B/Gateways Publishers
6 - THE LOVERS Tantric Sex - Cybele & E. J. Gold
7 - THE CHARIOT - THE VEHICLE The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi - Ed. Arthur
Osborne
8 - FORCE Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism - Chogyam
Trungpa
9 - THE HERMIT The Center of the Cyclone - John C. Lilly
10 - THE WHEEL Time, Space and Knowledge: A New Vision of Reality
- Tarthang Tulku
11 - JUSTICE - EQUILIBRIUM The Mime Workbook - Samuel Avital 12 - THE HANGED MAN - THE GREAT SACRIFICE A Voyage to Arcturus - David Lindsay
13 - DEATH/TRANSFORMATION The American Book of the Dead/The Lazy Man's Guide
to Death and Dying
14 - TEMPERANCE - THE TRANSFORMER The Creation Story Verbatim - E. J. Gold
15 - THE DEVIL Beelzebub's Tales To His Grandson - G. I. Gurdjieff
16 - THE TOWER The Glorious Quran
17 - THE STAR Experience And Philosphy (contains Pathways Through
To Space)
18 - THE MOON Journey Without Goal - Chogyam Trungpa
19 - THE SUN Conference of the Birds - Farid Ud-Din Attar-C. S. Nott
20 - THE JUDGEMENT Joyous Childbirth - Cybele & E. J. Gold
21 - THE WORLD The Diamond Sutra - Nicholas Poppe and/or Raghavan
Iyer, Ed.
"Tarot" is simply another name for the "Great
Work". The "Great Work" is, basically speaking, the perfect realization
and fulfillment of every one's possibilities. When all attempts have been
given up at not doing that which one is ultimately here to do, then the
Great Work or Tarot is all that ever is, has been, or will be worth doing
and living for. And when the Great Work is complete Life truly is life,
not just another name for Waiting for Death.
THE TAROT MAJOR ARCANA
The Royal Fez Moroccan and the Rider/Waite Tarots were used for the following attributions. CARD WITH NO IMAGE
CARD 0
CARD 1
CARD 2
CARD 3
CARD 4
CARD 5
CARD 6
CARD 7
CARD 8
CARD 9
CARD 10
CARD 11
CARD 12
CARD 13
CARD 14
CARD 15
CARD 16
CARD 17
CARD 18
CARD 19
CARD 20
CARD 21
THE MINOR ARCANA Ace of Wands : essence of action; perfected action; unity of action with the rest of life; the Tao Tai Chi; dissolves hunger, lust & possessiveness Two of Wands : duality in action; indecision in action; stasis due to attachments and past (action) experience Three of Wands : acting according to intention (perhaps conscious intention); restlessness Four of Wands : premature exuberance over actions; immaturity; desire for sexual stimulation Five of Wands : uncoordinated, confusion; clumsiness; unconscious accidents Six of Wands : all victory is fleeting; acting as if one has done something one hasn't; organic significance Seven of Wands : foolhardiness in action; acting without concern for consequences; exhileration overpowering common sense; flying in the face of the odds; "over-acting" is an indicator of a partial picture or of a partial comprehension of one's situation; impatience to act Eight of Wands : when actions come back upon one; school of hard knocks; activity without an aim; result of impatience; physical sickness Nine of Wands : confident readiness to act based upon past successful experiences or skill; cockiness Ten of Wands : taking on too many things at one time; no coordinating or integrating focus for the activities one has become involved with, so that the net effect is a burden; compulsive mover Page of Wands : first conscious recognition of slavery to the undeveloped moving center; transition from slavery to acting with conscious intention Knight of Wands : getting the moving center under conscious control and the practical knowledge that is acquired by making these efforts. The beginning of understanding regarding the moving center. Queen of Wands : a development on the understanding of movement; one cannot DO all that one KNOWS (the theoretical aspect has not been fully developed), and thus the passive indication King of Wands : knows how to accomplish the intention and is able to do, to carry the intention through to completion; acting consciously; mastery over the physical body. Ace of Cups : unity; reconciler of the thinking and moving centers; seat of consciousness; meditation; dissolves hatred, anger and fear. Two of Cups : lover and the beloved; adoration; idea of duality in emotion; union, and the separation implicit in the idea of unity; obsession in the "other" Three of Cups : gaiety, especially arising from the "sameness" in the situation; creative emotions Four of Cups : brooding, melancholy; emotional dullness which because of its contracted, desensitized state misses the living grace already present in the situation; yearning; longing Five of Cups : depression; despair; self-pity; self-reproach; through the influence of "suggestibility," accumulating an attitude of an emotional downer without having applied one's full emotional potential Six of Cups : joyful innocence; "how touching!"; spontaneous openness Seven of Cups : euphoric phantasies; all phenomena is illusion; hypnotized by emotional projections (this state is sustained by mis-using sex energy for emotional possessiveness, the real meaning of "pornography"); desire for objects; hysteria Eight of Cups : feeling incomplete; determination to face harsh conditions to remedy incompleteness; yogurt in the lake; wandering isolated in emotional inadequacy and dissatisfaction Nine of Cups : feeling confident; smug self-satisfaction; emotional blackmail Ten of Cups : everything's coming up roses, roses, roses; the dream, or fact, of accomplishing one's "heart's desire"; reaching an emotional peak, yet "emotions" in themselves are still incomplete Page of Cups : transition state when one wishes to free one's self from "suffering"; the recognition of negative emotional states, what they do and the implications therein Knight of Cups : by means of Knowledge, actively working towards emotional equilibrium; actively receptive to higher influences Queen of Cups : can maintain emotional equilibrium in solitude but still requires a ground for emotional stability; calm-abiding; passive meditation King of Cups : mirror-like wisdom; mastery of the emotions; requires no grounding or technique for emotional stability; active meditation Ace of Swords : one-pointed concentration; perfect concentration; dissolves jealousy, intrigue, competition and aggression; clear-minded emptiness Two of Swords : conflicting thoughts due to passivity; impartiality to conflicting thoughts Three of Swords : thoughts attack the emotional center, introducing duality into the emotional center and siphoning off its energy; main source of personal suffering; cynicism and sarcasm; ability to suffer intentionally Four of Swords : peace from thoughts at the price of unconsciousness or death; the thoughts of "I, mine and me"; overwork of the mental center leads to complete exhaustion of the net situation; false identification with the body; result of pride and arrogance Five of Swords : dissipation; battlefield of the mind; the debate "winner"; contentiousness Six of Swords : temporary harmony in the mental center; the concentration and energy is minimal (or inadequate) and unless it is strengthened, is likely to fail before the task is completed; a reminder of the consequences of distraction Seven of Swords : scatter-brain; compulsive idea-snatcher - gets involved with every new idea that comes along; the habitual student who studies this-and-that just because it is interesting; too clever for one's own good Eight of Swords : wrapped up in one's thoughts due to imbalance or prejudice; mental disorganization to the point of stasis and the accompanying emotional state of weakness or frustration; attracted by some thoughts/repelled by others; lingering uncertainty Nine of Swords : mental anguish; anxiety; worry; such a disturbance in the mental center that it is no longer reflecting reality; paranoia; Ten of Swords : completely overwhelmed by thoughts; overwhelming hallucinations; chains of negative statements, pictures or ideas; "Here they (thought-forms) come, filling up the worlds with their ranting and raving and chanting." Page of Swords : willingness to set aside associative thinking; discrimination between automatic and conscious Knight of Swords : beginning concentration; ability to focus without being too distracted; penetrating insight; flashes of inspiration Queen of Swords : can concentrate when one is in a passive atmosphere; has cut the cord of associative thinking but can still be distracted by emotional imbalances King of Swords : being able to concentrate under any circumstances; all-discriminating wisdom; mastery of the mental center Ace of Pentacles : perfect integration; one's guide out of the wilderness; the unshakeable ground for one's conscious being; dissolves pride, arrogance and self-pity Two of Pentacles : in and out of the essence state; habitual duality; infinite change and instability; sex (as an object) Three of Pentacles : the three centers working together consciously; when everything comes out "right" - one accomplishes one's intention with steady concentration and feels satisfied with the whole process and its results; the beginning of a consciously directed impulse (the embryo of a "school"); reversed meaning - frustration Four of Pentacles : power-tripper; instinctive power grabber; big fish in a little pond; fear of losing control reflexing into intolerance and tyranny Five of Pentacles : essence state of "being deprived"; depriving one's self of the essential source of consciousness; hunger (for being); rejection and betrayal Six of Pentacles : results of one's efforts; real rewards come according to real efforts; covetousness Seven of Pentacles : spiritual laziness; dreaming of work one is going to do instead of doing the work at hand; fascination; inattentiveness; languor; boredom Eight of Pentacles : consistent work in essence; learning how to do one thing perfectly (through repetition) Nine of Pentacles : table-top philosopher; dilettante; spiritual timidity; titillation Ten of Pentacles : spiritual stagnation; wallowing in comfort; self-indulgence; running off one's past achievements and temporal power Page of Pentacles : the stirring of conscience; seeking for the meaning of life; the need to find real fulfillment in life; searching for knowledge or persons who have contact with the knowledge of how to develop one's potential Knight of Pentacles : completely looking-inside-essence-work; having stopped - no longer fascinated by the phenomenal; the activity of "know thyself"; actively collecting; developing a center of gravity; the knowledge of one's instinctive habits and patterns; searching for truth; the search for the Holy Grail Queen of Pentacles : the necessity to remain under directed guidance because one still cannot Do for one's self; the fertility of the intermediate stages in the development of the essence, when the correct integration of physical, emotional and mental energies are coalescing; the need to develop understanding of a more profound nature in order to actualize one's highest potential King of Pentacles : all the centers (1 2 3 4) in optimum order and functioning according to design, with all connections complete and harmonized; mastery of the instinctive center; knowing that one can flex the reflex, walk the walk, feel the feeling, and mentate the mentation. A Short Commentary On The Minor Arcana The root of the 4 Aces; the 4 Aces combined : the element of ether, the seed of all universal forces; dissolves all unconscious organic identity Cards 2 through 10 : the primal component of motion dissolves all reverberations of organic mind All Court Cards : represent Knowledge-holding entities (potentials); together these dissolve brute stupidity, inattentiveness and compulsive actions All Pages : contact with ideas about work on self All Knights : the exoteric circle of knowledge All Queens : the mesoteric circle of knowledge All Kings : the esoteric circle of knowledge The Entire Tarot - the transcendent wisdom that the Void truly is Void; Nothing Is Nothing Is Not Nothing Becoming Nothing |
