DISCOURSING WITH THE GODS The Art and Practice of Tarot Divination Stefan D. Schindler, Ph. D. Copyright© 2012 Stefan D. Schindler For Strider Schindler and Paul Kellman In fond memory of Rabbi Hillel Fine. Special thanks to David and Barbara Schindler, Robert Kellman, Elie Shupak, Esther Brandon, Lewis and Meg Randa and their children and grandchildren, William Cornwell, Severin Kitanov, Seth, Heratio, Lois Davis, Barbara Harris, Richard Oxenberg, Travis Cunningham, Maurine Myo'on Stuart, Toni Snow, Barbara Musoff, and Bob Sims. Published by The Educational Publisher www.EduPublisher.com ISBN: 978-1-62249-043-1 The Qabalistic Tree of Life and Knowledge CONTENTS PART ONE: ARCHETYPAL ADVENTURE 1 I THE JOURNEY 1 II TAROT AND TIME 8 III THE JUNGIAN PSYCHE 10 IV PARSIFAL AND THE GRAIL QUEST 14 V ELEMENTAL FORCES 20 VI THE CELTIC SPREAD 25 VII THE DIALOGUE METHOD 30 PART TWO: THE 22 MAJOR ARCANA 37 0. THE FOOL 37 1. THE MAGUS 47 2. THE PRIESTESS 55 3. THE EMPRESS 63 4. THE EMPEROR 67 5. THE HIEROPHANT 73 6. THE LOVERS 79 7. THE CHARIOT 85 8. ADJUSTMENT 89 9. THE HERMIT 95 10. FORTUNE 101 11. LUST 107 12. THE HANGED MAN 113 13. DEATH 121 14. ART 125 15. THE DEVIL 131 16. THE TOWER 135 17. THE STAR 141 18. THE MOON 145 19. THE SUN 153 20. THE AEON 157 21. THE UNIVERSE 163 PART THREE: THE COURT CARDS 167 Wands 167 Cups 172 Swords 176 Discs 180 PART FOUR: THE SMALL CARDS 185 Wands 186 Cups 194 Swords 202 Discs 209 PART FIVE: A TAROT READING 219 FOR THE NEW AEON PART SIX: THE NAPLES 231 ARRANGEMENT About The Author 245 PART ONE: ARCHETYPAL ADVENTURE I THE JOURNEY Aleister Crowley once said that Tarot is a book of wisdom disguised as a deck of cards. Egyptian magi, seeing dark ages ahead, closed the pyramids, and condensed their wisdom into symbols arranged in a pictorial journey beginning and ending with The Fool. The book of wisdom most closely approximating Tarot is The I Ching, the Chinese “Book of Changes.” The theme of both is that life is constant change, yet there are patterns woven into the flux, and these 1 Discoursing With The Gods patterns are the secret to self-knowledge. This returns us to Socrates and the Delphic Oracle: “Know thyself.” Consulting The I Ching or Tarot is like having a conversation with a mirror which peers into your soul. The patterns in the flux are called archetypes, C. G. Jung’s word for an idea stretching back through St. Augustine to Plato. Jung refers to archetypes as the contents – the forces – of the collective unconscious. Archetypes are the universal or “root” types of human experience, manifesting in our lives, relationships, dreams and myths. The purpose of this book is to show the archetypal stages on The Fool’s journey from innocence to wisdom, and to offer a guide to using Tarot for divination. The operating assumption of Tarot is that humans are more than Darwinian accidents stumbling into consciousness. Although, like a tree, we have our roots in the earth while growing toward heaven, it is more true to say that we have our roots in the heavenly. Tarot is a means for romancing the soul: recollecting the spiritual meaning of the human adventure on earth. Tarot divination is a method for clarifying the past, understanding the present, glancing into the future. It is a guide for enlightenment and decision-making. As the name indicates, Tarot overlaps with the study of Torah, the “law” – the Mosaic stories, prayers, rules and rituals forming the basis of Judaism, both exoteric and esoteric. Exoteric means social, public, traditional; on the surface; more or less easily accessible. Esoteric indicates the mystical undercurrent, hidden from public view; symbolic and magical; the path of the few; the study of the inner, multidimensional meanings behind the surface definitions of words and symbols. In short, the study and practice of Tarot is adventure into the esoteric. We shall necessarily invoke numerological, astrological and alchemical meanings in our study of the Tarot; yet our aim is mostly practical: understanding the cards in a way that enables one to utilize Tarot effectively as a divination device. Early in the twentieth century, Crowley designed a new deck of Tarot cards for The New Aeon: The Age of Aquarius, which Crowley calls The Aeon of Horus. Horus was a son of Isis and Osiris. Horus is 2 Discoursing With The Gods depicted as a falcon, or a falcon-headed Magus; he is also represented by “the Eye of Horus,” winged and all-seeing. Crowley roots his interpretation of Tarot in the wisdom and mythology of ancient Egypt. Crowley’s The Book of Thoth is his commentary on the cards. The book is subtitled Egyptian Tarot. Thoth, the Egyptian Ibis-headed god of learning and magic, was known to the Greeks as Hermes and to the Romans as Mercury. Hermes is messenger of the gods and guide of the dead. His magic wand is the Caduceus: the Western medical sign, Western Tao sign, symbol of The Middle Way; the twin snakes of yin and yang coiling around the seven chakras of the spinal totem pole; the journey of the fiery serpent Kundalini from base to crown reflecting the aspirant’s journey up The Qabalistic Tree. Qabalah means “to receive” and “to reveal.” Qabalah is the numerological study of Torah. The cards of Tarot are mapped onto the Qabalistic Tree. This Tree is a complex hieroglyph, a sacred symbol passed down through the ages as a revelation of the inner meaning and archetypal stages of the human adventure. If Crowley is our guide, Elizabeth Haitch is our muse. Haitch’s reincarnational autobiography, Initiation, narrates the tale of her life as Pharaoh’s daughter in ancient Egypt. It discloses some of the deepest mysteries of Thoth. As a secondary reference, I occasionally refer to her Wisdom of the Tarot. The 22 Trumps of the Tarot – also called Atu, or Major Arcana – correspond to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each trump constitutes a branch on the Qabalistic Tree: The Tree of Life and Knowledge. The words Tarot and Torah are linguistically intimate. The question might thus be asked: Is Tarot Egyptian or Hebrew? The question dissolves when one remembers that Moses was initiated into Egyptian mysteries before leading the Jews on their Exodus. What about the Gypsies, famous for introducing Tarot into medieval Europe? It was formerly thought that they came from Egypt, given the nature of their name. But studies eventually confirmed that they came from India. How, then, did they learn about Tarot? Elizabeth Haitch provides the clue, partly based on the sayings of Pythagoras: The Egyptians and the Indians both came from Atlantis. 3 Discoursing With The Gods Tarot cards are not a substitute for decision-making. They are a guide. Tarot has a sense of humor. If you work with the cards with diligence and humility, you will discover this playfulness. If you become overly serious or too dependent on the cards, they will show you The Fool. Would it not be folly for a tarnished prism to blame the rays of light for not producing a rainbow? Although I’ll here be using The Book of Thoth as a guide, I’ll mostly be sharing what I’ve learned from the cards themselves. My hope is that the reader will be inspired to embark upon their own “discourse with the gods.” NOTE: Referencing The Naples Arrangement The Qabalistic Tree of Life and Knowledge is the symbolic pictograph upon which the Tarot cards are mapped. The Tree exhibits ten points (circles or Sephiroth), twenty-two branches, three pillars, and four planes. I offer a provisional and introductory interpretation of this Tree, and the meanings of its various aspects, in the concluding chapter of this book: THE NAPLES ARRANGEMENT – The Metaphysics of The Tree of Life: A Short Essay on the Process of Cosmic Geometry. The chapter on The Naples Arrangement elaborates terms and insights referenced in the five chapters preceding it. I have placed it at the end for two reasons. 1) Because of its philosophic abstraction (its metaphysical sophistication). 2) Because the information contained therein is not crucial for knowing how to do a Tarot reading. The reader is encouraged to glance at this essay now, or prior to beginning Part Two: The Major Arcana. Thorough comprehension is not the point. Rather, the essay provides a working familiarity with various terms used in the book. That is its primary function. A quick perusal is all that is necessary. I have placed The Naples Arrangement at the end of the text in order to keep the book as a whole relatively simple and user-friendly. A FURTHER NOTE: On Words, Numbers, and Crowley’s Originality 4 Discoursing With The Gods The word Qabala means “to reveal” and “to receive.” Qabalism is the numerological study of Hebrew letters and words. These numerological meanings point to the mystic implications and wisdom behind the surface or literal significance of the letters and terms being referenced. In general, Qabala means mystical or esoteric Judaism; more specifically, the study of the deeper meanings of Hebrew letters and words. These deeper meanings are elaborated by their placement on The Qabalistic Tree: The Tree of Life and Knowledge. The Qabalistic Tree (see “The Naples Arrangement”) is the sacred hieroglyph at the core of esoteric Judaism. Qabala was systemized – or loosely codified – during the Middle Ages, thanks to the work of mystically inspired rabbis. It spawned dialogue and debate which continues to this day.