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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

Discoursing With The Gods

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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.


4

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


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.


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


7

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


9

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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