So instead of doing the work I'm "supposed" to be doing, I thought I'd come through on the promise to give the interpretation of this reading I did at the end of last week, which was presided over by the great nome sage, The Don-Tay. Today seemed like a very appropriate day to do so ;)
The overall quest of the reading was: "can you show me the path ManKind as a collective has been walking and is now going on to follow" [with one card being a more directed question, but I'll get to that]
So we begin on the left with the 4 of Discs (/ Pentacles) and I The Magus (Magician). As Sun in Capricorn and it's esoteric name being the 'Lord of Power' we see the Old Guard (Empire) clinging on desperately to whatever control they still have left in this whorl-D. In other decks the card often shows a miser, holding coins over his main chakra points, closing him off from any greater meaning to life other than the lust for power. Capricorn in this sense is cold, ruthless and willing to do anything to maintain its control. See what Daedalus, before redeeming himself, is willing to do to the bright young spark Talos, who threatens his position in society...
In this version - the Thoth deck - (our) energy is herded and diverted, via the broad way (vs the strait and narrow), through very imposing towers and gateway, into a system where it is pre-vented to flow on freely, and so amassing and stagnating in the hands of the few. The 4 towers of the square imply a mastery of the physical realm - the 4 elements are shown atop the towers - but there is limited/ no access to the 5th element (Consciousness). This is the state most of Mankind has been confined to through the scarcity that this card brings - when energy/ currency/ resources are dammed up, there is no room for (unsanctioned) creativity among the people, or for consciousness to expand into. Life becomes about survival, rather than the search for Meaning.
There is a very small exit at the North end, the end where the Sun symbol resides - both suggesting that only those who worship the [Black] Sun can syphon the hoarded wealth, but also that those who follow their inner SunSon (their genius/ Dharma/ Hero's Journey etc) can escape the clutches of the misers and parasites of this realm. Those who re-cognise their inner light and gift are not bound to serve the black cube and Saturn (Capricorn) instead works for and builds a greater purpose in life.
And this is where it seemed we were destined to remain, locked in an ever shrinking, ever tightening prison, where war, poverty, dis-ease (and all of "their" inverted "solutions", e.g. "healthcare" and economic "reform") culled their prey to more manageable numbers.
That is until... I THE MAGUS awoke.
In the Marseilles Deck, the Magus is named The Juggler and its meaning is more one of an illusionist and Trickster, rather than the enlightened initiate who seeks only The Good. One who is capable of being a great Sage and guide, just as Loki and Hermes can take you to the treasure that you didn't realise you were seeking, but also one who can get you lost, use double-speak, and throw out all sorts of decoys and distractions to fascinate the mind (this arcana is Mercury and so is very much about the power of thought and belief).
In this case, I see The Magus' appearance as firstly very unexpected - a surprising, mercurial character who bursts on to the scene seemingly out of nowhere (think end of 2016). Secondly. as one who is able to magically (which doesn't mean impossible, only that which is as yet unexplainable by rational means) release the bonds that held the many in the 4 of Discs; a Matrix; a prison that you cannot see or touch... a "prison of the mind" (~ Morpheus, who is another example of a Magus character).
As a Trickster and therefore as Mercury/ Hermes/ Loki, it is impossible to predict what this character will do... I can think of someone else, who today returns to his throne, who exemplifies this. Like the mythological personages mentioned above, he evades and escapes capture every time (trials/ impeachments etc). It seems no prison, mental or physical can contain this Magus.
And it's not only DT that this card refers to. Mercury as the messenger rules communication and the rapid spread of information. So this card is that surprising phenomenon that followed the initial 17 "drops": the taking up of the Promethean torch that had been lit and then tended for many decades before by those original, courageous stealers of fire (fire = greater consciousness) from (those who saw themselves as) the "gods".
I would also include Nikola Tesla (and all similarly ethical geniuses) in this archetype. After all, what better way to break the spell of the fear-mongers, the scarcity perpetuators, than to release all of the hoarded energy in their 4 of Discs whorl-d, with the revealing of Free Energy and other supressed technologies (which to the uninitiated would seem entirely magical).
At this point of the reading I decided to refine the question and ask "what is ManKind's main limiting belief at the moment, regarding this moment in our evolution?".
The 10 of Wands in this sense symbolises a couple of such limiting beliefs:
Firstly, that the liberation, the release from the heaviness and seriousness of these times is far off in some future. In the Rider-Smith version, the character is weighed down by his job, by his duties, by his loss of creativity (this is the final card of the creative process of The Wands), and from his belief that he is a slave to something he cannot escape. But if he would only look up he would see that his goal (release from his burden) is actually close at hand and the way is smooth and obstacle free. But to find respite from the depression that Saturn can bring, he has to veer to the right, towards his home, rather than to the left and the fields where more work awaits. This "right hand path" suggests that we need to balance the overly active left-brain with the right hemisphere, i.e. the meditative mind, rather than the ever-seeking, always doubting left-side, which needs solid "proof" that miracles can happen. It is the right side which is symbolically literate and which can see the signs of 'The Plan', the breadcrumbs of which are everywhere. So in this sense, Man's limiting belief is that there is no escape from the monotony, drudgery and slavery to something that does not fulfil our creative urge (as co-creators); that "their" energy-harvesting prison is perpetual and inescapable (see I THE MAGUS above).
Secondly, this card is Saturn in Sagittarius. So another implication is that the heavy, depressing, limiting influence of Saturn is always a bad thing. Sagittarius represents expansion, freedom, fortune and abundance - all great things to have, right?
But what if there were only growth? What if the tide only flowed out?
What if every "thing" had no refining, constricting force placed upon it?
If this were so, no "thing" would ever exist and there would be no form (Saturn) for "God"/ Source/ Brahman/ Whatever to experience and create in. If there were no death, there could be no transformation and no evolution. If there were no experience of hardship and having to struggle, there would be no experience of the freedom which only comes from moving beyond such restraints. There would be NO STORY - and this is what our Uni-Verse is; Uni = One, Verse = Story/ Song.
So then, another limiting belief is that this trial we are living through is only "bad" and that death experiences are only an ending, rather than the beginning of a new creative journey (the 10 is always an ending and a new beginning of a growth cycle). Were it not for the discomfort that this rite of passage brings, would there ever be a calling to begin a "new" (another iteration of The One) Story?
For a new Age to dawn, there must first be a clash between that which seeks to grow and that which would hold on to the way things were. A perfect allegory for this is Aragorn's challenge to Middle Earth's Adversary and his drawing out of Sauron's forces. Only through this courageous act - and I would suggest that this was also DT's role - that Frodo (all of us seeking to find meaning, rather than power) can complete his quest and transform Sauron's (Saturn's) tyranny into a return to his positive aspect: the Lord of the Golden Age.
Though not an "easy" or comfortable card, the 8 of Cups which follows is very apt, both for what our realm has been through throughout this birthing process, but also perhaps what may still unfold as a crescendo to this great Drama.
The 8 of Cups is largely about those experiences we face when all seems lost. When hope is "hopium" and "all other lights go out" (~ Tolkien). It seems to me that this is the place where most of ManKind has been for the last few years. Caught up in the webs of Shelob's fear, with no light to guide the way or to put faith in. All of their precious (gollum!) institutions which they could turn to in the past for their answers, were now being exposed as being only lies and corruption. This then, in my interpretation, shows us a death experience on a collective scale.
Throughout our lives we go through many of these death experiences. When a relationship ends, or we move into a new phase of life which means a permanent end to the previous - e.g. the death of an empire - there is grief and a sense of loss, even if that thing has been exposed as the primary cause of suffering and misery. Like Psyche, in the final of Aphrodite's trials, we have been asked to fumble our way through shadow, entirely convinced that to abandon all hope is the only way to continue. In other versions of this card the path away from the 8 cups which previously could be relied upon to provide some kind of meaning to life, is being followed by the character, even though there is no 9th cup in sight. They are having to find the faith that, even though the road ahead may be uncertain and dimly lit (if at all), there is no choice but to move away from that which has been seen through and can no longer bring satisfaction.
The lair of Shelob, that perfect representation of the Terrible Mother, is very appropriate here. Without Galadriel's gift - a Good Mother - of the light of Earendil - a Star & card 17, btw - the Ringbearer (us) would have been paralysed by fear, bound by unbreakable restrictions and finally drained of all life. Indeed, for a while in that smothering darkness, Frodo did despair. He forgot the legitimate gift of hope (not hopium) that 17 The Star could bestow, driving away The Beast, at least while he navigated his way through The Underworld and his ally could arrive (see the final card of the reading).
It is also interesting to note that this card is Saturn in Pisces, which is the sign our Saturn is just finishing up his two and a half year journey through. It is as almost as if this period were chosen to force people to question their blind belief (Pisces) in "authority" and the established order of things (Saturn). Saturn enters Aries in May and Aries (The Emperor) is the final card this reading will discuss... (told you it was an apt reading!)
I had no intention of making this the day (an inauguration) that I write this interpretation of last week's reading, but then that seems to be the case with much of my life; things just seem to work out that way.
The Emperor is the archetype of The King; realm-builder, protector, initiator and (when necessary) the warrior. DT and those around him did indeed act as an initiator, a call to action for many. The Emperor, though he still feels fear, is not paralysed or prevented from taking action (see the previous card), in-deed, he relishes the challenge. Aries/ Spring/ The Emperor sees the lifting of the veil of darkness, where new opportunities are seen, taken and a new cycle can be inaugurated.
In The Lord of The Rings, the Age of Man can only begin when the King returns and reclaims his rightful throne. Denethor, a man twisted by fear and under the spell of Sauron, was merely a steward (think "Biden") and chose death rather than give up his now illegitimate claim to power. "I don't even think that's him... Biden's shot; he's only got half his head..." (DT).
Aragorn, just as the positive Emperor represents, did not seek power for power's sake. Instead it is simply power held because no one else can and it is his duty to restore balance, peace and Sovereignty of the individual to Middle Earth. Sauron's dominion was one of fear, an enforced idea of collective unity based on violence (collectivism/ communism), and in which, just as in our realm, the most persecuted minority was the Individual. Aragorn's mastery was not over others, but over himself.
Just like Aragorn, DT was willing to sacrifice himself to the hordes of Mordor and especially to The Mouth of Sauron (the Medea). By putting himself in harm's way it gave Frodo - all those willing to face the lure of power in the whorl-D and especially in themselves - the opportunity to pursue their Hero's Journey. Just like Frodo, many of us knew that The King/ Emperor/ Divine Masculine (47) had returned, which is not limited to DT, but embodied by all those willing to boldly speak truth despite the potential consequences. Frodo did not know whether Aragorn would complete his own quest, but that he was part of a greater fellowship, united against slavery, is undoubtedly what convinced him to volunteer to follow the darkest of paths. He knew that there were others who were also willing to sacrifice (apparent) comfort in order to do what was right.
In this sense, Aragorn and all like him throughout Myth and in our reality are 'Christed', or can rightfully attain the title of 'Boddhisatva'. Remember, The Emperor is Aries - the lamb/ Ram of God. The SunSon who is willing to enter into the "great stor[y], Mr Frodo". The One who is born into life and seeming separation, rising from the womb of Pisces, despite knowing that it will be a difficult, Heroic Journey and one "full of darkness and danger".
So then, what new beginning lies ahead of us remains to be seen. But my heart tells me that there is reason to remain courageous and to keep fighting to ensure the end of The Age of The Orc and the dawning of something golden.
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