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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
1
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
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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
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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.
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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
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5
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.
The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet correspond to the 22
Trumps (Atu, or Major Arcana) of the Tarot. The 22 Hebrew letters,
and their corresponding Tarot Atu, signify the 22 branches on The
Tree, connecting the ten Sephiroth.
Qabalistic study “reveals” what is otherwise disguised and
hidden. It makes the implicit explicit. It allows us to “receive” the
esoteric wisdom veiled by exoteric knowledge and ritual.
Qabala has several different spellings. It can begin with a Q, a
C, or a K. It can have one or two “b”s, and is sometimes spelled with
an “h” at the end.
There are also various names and spellings for Sephira
(singular), Sephiroth (plural) – the 10 chakra-like, energetic “points” on
The Tree. In esoteric medicine, The Tree is a diagram of the human
body. “As above, so below.” The body as a microcosm mirrors the
macrocosm.
In some texts, bowing to the exigencies of English language-use,
Sephira is plural, and Sephiroth is singular. I have stayed with the
spelling indicated in the previous paragraph in order to conform
throughout this book to the terminology and spelling adopted by
Aleister Crowley in The Book of Thoth.
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6
“Chakra” is an Asian term for whirling energy-center. There are
10 chakras in the human body, usually simplified to – and illustrated as
– the primary 7. Chakra functioning is the key to good health. The
chakras are well known to practitioners of – and central to the study of
– acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, Tai Chi, martial arts, Qui Gong,
herbalism, herbal medicine, Kundalini, pranayama (breathing
exercises), and holistic, non-traditional medicine in general.
Chi (or ki) means “energy.” It also signifies power. The more
energy you have, the more power you have. The flow of energy
throughout the body – which determines your overall personal power –
is a function of the chakras: their health in general, the speed of their
whirling in particular, and the condition of the various and complex
channels in the body which connect them into an organized, organic
whole.
Although the basic structure of The Qabalistic Tree remains the
same, the names given to its various parts often vary, depending on the
author, and on whichever tradition he or she is inclined to favor.
Again, for the sake of consistency, I have stayed with Crowley’s usage
throughout this book.
Readers who engage in comparative analysis will note the
discrepancies just mentioned. Rather than think of them as
discrepancies, I prefer to think of them as varieties. In terms of names
and numbers, there is no single, one and only “correct” version of The
Qabalistic Tree. One is obliged to keep this in mind when reading
“The Naples Arrangement,” especially if one does so in conjunction
with other texts.
To illustrate, here’s one example. What I have called branch
number one on The Qabalistic Tree – the path or branch of The Fool,
connecting the first Sephira, Kether, to the second, Chokmah – is often
referred to in other texts as path or branch number eleven. This is
because those other texts think of the ten Sephiroth as constituting the
numbers one through ten, and the branches as signifying a continuation
of that numerological sequence. What I call branch number two, others
call branch number twelve; and so on, right through to the end. One
can easily see, therefore, that this is not so much a “discrepancy” as a
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simple matter of terminological preference. The essential significance
remains the same.
Crowley’s interpretation of Tarot is unique, partly because he
places various Atu on branches of The Tree quite differently than
traditional arrangements. Also, Crowley is not always consistent in his
own descriptions and graph attributions. That is to say, primarily: the
graphs illustrating The Qabalistic Tree at the end of The Book of Thoth
are not entirely consistent with the descriptions he offers in earlier
chapters. Advanced students of Qabala will find this both puzzling and
frustrating. My point is simply this: do not be concerned. These are
metaphysical, literary, and stylistic issues best left to scholars and
experts, and play no significant role in the tale I tell in Discoursing
With The Gods. Most of the information contained herein is fairly
straightforward and easily comprehensible, despite the occasional
poetic flourish. Relax, remain flexible, and enjoy the ride. This book
is a guide for Tarot divination; and with practice, patience and
perseverance, it will lead you into utilizing the cards with success: first,
most likely, for yourself, and then for others. Each reading – each
“throw” – lays a foundation for increased accuracy in the next. Think
of The Spirit of Tarot as a wise and playful goddess, who has made
herself available for aspiring students on The Path of Knowledge. The
most important student-quality is to approach Her with respect.
When doing a reading, one can express this respect by doing the
reading in a quiet, meditative environment, free of distractions. Apart
from that, all that is needed are an open mind, humility, seriousness of
intent, and gratitude.
8
II TAROT AND TIME
In his autobiography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Jung
narrates an out-of-body, near-death experience capturing the flavor of
what it means to be free of space-time. He describes his resistance to
returning to his body as not wanting to fall from bliss, back into the box
of matter’s crucifixional physics. The passage confirms what the
mystic tradition says about the soul, the relativity of time, and the
holographic multiverse.
Hank Wesselman – like Carlos Castaneda, a scientifically trained
anthropologist engaged in shamanic research – describes a near-death
out-of-body experience remarkably similar to Jung’s. Seth – a spirit-
entity channeled by Jane Roberts – says lifetimes are simultaneous.
Some incarnations branch into space-time; others branch into non-
physical dimensions.
Time is like an Uroboros. An Uroboros is a snake that eats its
tail. It is, accordingly, a mandala. A mandala is a sacred hoop; a
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symbol of returning, roundness, wholeness and simultaneity. Hank
Wesselman’s trilogy – Spiritwalker, Medicinemaker, Visionseeker –
narrates his adventures in conversing with a future self, just as that
future self converses with his past incarnation as Wesselman. Seth’s
The Education of Oversoul Seven nicely illustrates this notion of
incarnational simultaneity. Wesselman’s scientific training adds
credence to his story, and affirms the Sethian perspective.
Tarot’s special talent is focusing on, and speaking to, the life we
think of as ours, happening now: our conscious experience of ourselves
“in the present.” Tarot attunes herself to the limitations and parameters
of what we think of as past, present and future. Tarot adjusts her
discourse to the time-structured vocabulary of our experience. Tarot is
timeless, yet astoundingly adept at navigating time.
How does Tarot work? How can a mere shuffling of a deck of
cards produce an accurate picture of a querent’s life situation? The
answer is: Synchronicity. Synchronicity is a term coined by Jung as a
substitute for “coincidence.” “Syn” means “same,” and Chronos is the
Greek god of time. Synchronicity indicates meaningful simultaneity.
Events are holographically interconnected. Tarot, like The I
Ching, is a device for interpreting the interdependence of events.
Synchronicity is a name for psychic forces functioning in a holographic
framework. For a fuller explanation of these ideas, consult Seth Speaks
by Jane Roberts, The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot, and
two books by Ken Wilbur: Quantum Questions and The Holographic
Paradigm.
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