 |
|
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Astrologer's Notes:
Ask Carrin Martin,
Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Martin Lass,
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Erin Sullivan,
Astrologer
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
Monthly Horoscope:
Stellar Scopes
by Daija De Mornay
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
The BUT Doctor
Healing America's Real Crack Problem One Person at a Time
by Eddie Conner
Awakening to the
Miracle of Ordinary Life by Dennis Lewis
Avant-Gardening:
Insights by Frank &
Vicky Giannangelo
Bodymind Integration: A Psychology of Potential
by Kevin Roberts
Breaking Free:
Anne Brewer
Choices: The Art of Conscious Creation:
by Teri Harris Saa
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Memos From The
First Tabugian
Art Rosengarten, Ph.D.
The Path of Wisdom and Love
Dr. John Demartini,
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care
Feng Shui:
Wind & Water:
Carole J. Hyder
In Practice:
How to Create a Successful Holistic Practice- from Start to Success
by Shaun Brown,
CMT, BA BeWell Publications
The Business of Tarot
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Soulforest:
Tarot and Spirituality
Rachel Pollack,
Tarot Grand Master
Gateway to Tarot:
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Bonnie Cehovet's
Tarot Interviews
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Crystals, Gemstones & Minerals by Kristi of MoonCave
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Other
Novel Moments
Your Views
Interviews:
Erin Sullivan,
Astrologer
Healing & Alternative
Health:
"The Ancient Way of Chinese Medicine"
by Kevin O'Neil
Flower Essences
by Donna Cunningham
Herbology:
Ron Norwood
Living in Harmony-Astrology, Yoga & Ayurveda:
Venkat & Christine Machiraju
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Tools for Heartful Living
by Jackie Woods,
Healer & Spiritual Teacher,
Adawehi Institute
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
General Information:
Synopsis of Contents
Editorial Submission
Information:
Articles
Columns
Editorial Opinions
"Your Views"
General Content
Event Calendars
Graphics & Photos
Editorial Deadlines
Advertising
Information &
Opportunities
About
The Meta Arts
Magazine
Department
Contacts:
Publishers
Editorial
Advertising Sales
Graphic Design
Promotion Dept.
Employment
Contact Us
Legal Notices
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tarot
Gateway To Tarot
|
|
|
by Bonnie Cehovet
Tarot Master
|
|
|
Last month we talked about story lines, and how to develop the story through the levels of information held within the cards. This month we are going to look at a Comparative Tarot reading, and see how, after developing the storyline with one deck of cards, we can draw the same cards from one or more decks and both strengthen and expand our reading.
The spread that we are going to work with is a five card version of the Elemental spread. I choose this spread because it represents all of the elements, and is easily applied to specific areas of our lives.
4
3 5 1
2
1. East/Spirit/Fire
2. South/Physical/Earth
3. West/Emotional/Water
4. North/Mental/Air
5. Spirit - Representing the Spiritual Self of the Seeker, and affected by each of the Elemental directions.
The question that we are going to work with is: "What actions can I take to bring my life into balance at this time?"
The decks that we will be working with are: Tarot Of The Saints (Robert M. Place); the original Rider/Waite Tarot (A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith); and the Shining Tribe Tarot (Rachel Pollack).
From The Tarot Of The Saints I pulled the following cards (these will be the cards we will be working with throughout this exercise). I choose this deck as the base deck for this reading because it is based on Christian mythology, and the question being presented is one of a spiritual nature.
1. East - St. Elizabeth (Queen of Coins)
2. South - St. Therese (The Star)
3. West - Six of Staffs (Wands)
4. North - St. Helena (The Empress)
5. Spirit - St. Francis (The Fool)
Three out of five cards drawn are of the Major Arcana; one is a court card, which for me speaks of inner self; one is a pip of the element Fire, speaking of passion and will power. This Seeker is going through a time of transformation in their life, when things are happening quickly, and they really do not have much personal control. No wonder they are asking how to balance their life!
St. Elizabeth, The Queen of Coins (Pentacles) is presented in side view: a with a golden hood and royal purple robes, a lemnescate surrounding her head. Her arms are folded in front of her, holding three large coins. She gazes down, with a look of peace on her face. At her feet, and in front of her, we see a young male child, with his arms raised up to her. According to the text, this is St. Elizabeth delivering coins to a poor youth. St. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew the II and the wife of Louis IV. She devoted herself to charity - in good times she shared the largess of her family. After the death of her husband, her circumstances changed, but her life remained devoted to charity and working with the poor. She died in poverty at the age of twenty-four. With this Queen, we are looking at the world of abundance, and the need to care for those less fortunate. In the place of Spirit, the Seeker is being asked to take the action of sharing in all forms to bring balance to their life.
St. Therese, The Star, is shown facing us, gazing upwards, with her hands crossed in front of her. Her outer robe is yellow, her inner robe brown, as is her headdress. A lemnescate surrounds her head. The background is surreal - a light blue in the form of clouds surrounds a black egg shape containing white stars. St. Therese and her older sisters were all part of the Carmelite order. She died of illness at the young age of twenty-three. Not acknowledged in life, through her diary she was acknowledged after her death. She promised a "shower of roses" in the form of favors and beauty for the world. After her death, one of her fellow sisters ran outside and asked for a sign that the passing of Therese was noted. The clouds in the sky parted, to reveal a beautiful array of stars. The wisdom for the Seeker is that the action needed to balance their physical life is that of reaching out to the opportunities that become available to them - often out of the blue.
The Six of Staffs (Wands) shows a series of three sets of crossed Wands, in sequence. One of the unique aspects of this deck is the small scenes often found on the bottom of the pips. In this card, we see a representation of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecy of the coming of the messiah. Here we see honor and victory, even though, as the book states, the rejoicing may be only temporary. This card falls into the area of emotion for this Seeker. The action needed to bring balance to the Seeker's emotional life has to do with taking note of their success's and allowing themselves to see how far they have come. They know that this is only a step on their path, but they allow themselves a small respite, a small time out to enjoy what they have achieved.
St. Helena, The Empress, is shown facing forward and to the right of the card. She wears a red robe, with a yellow head covering, and a golden crown. Surrounding her head we see the lemnescate. She holds a large cross - taller than she is - in her hands (and leaning against her left shoulder). St. Helena, through a dream of Christ, uncovered the true cross, Christ's coat and the three nails of the crucifixion from the holy land. The Empress is the feminine principle, carrying the ability to attract things to her. This card falls in the area of mental ability for the Seeker. To bring balance into this area of their life, the Seeker needs to hold in their mind clearly that which they seek. They are being asked to look within themselves, as they will attract to them what they hold in their minds.
St. Frances, The Fool, is presented standing in the middle of a beautiful garden. Greenery abounds, and we see several birds in a tree branch coming into the right hand side of the picture. St. Thomas is standing, facing the right hand side of the card, He wears brown monks robes, and has a lemnescate surrounding his head. His hands are held up, palms out, showing the stigmata of Christ. There is a white rabbit at his feet, and a large dog at his side. In this deck, The Fool is seen as the first and the last card. The Fool is trust, and hope, and enlightenment. Place gives us a very good tip concerning this card - he asks that we note what the Fool is facing. and then considering how the Seeker, represented by the Fool, is dealing with this energy. In this spread, St. Francis, The Fool literally represents the spiritual self of the Seeker. The Fool faces St. Elizabeth, the Queen of Coins (Pentacles). For this Seeker, attention needs to be paid to their spiritual life, to how they choose to share their abundance (which can be material wealth, or wealth of the mind, or living a generous life in toto).
Now we are going to take the same cards from the original Rider/Waite deck, place them beside the cards from the Tarot Of The Saints, and see what new insights we have.
In the Rider/Waite Tarot, the Queen of Pentacles is seated, holding a yellow circle with a pentagram on its face. She faces to the front and left hand side of t he card, and her head is tilted slightly down. This Queen reminds us that she is very representative of her element - Earth, and that in balancing themselves spiritually the Seeker needs to be grounded and centered. Another big factor here is the reminder that part of her abundance comes from the earth, in a very physical manner - the plant life that the earth supports.
The Rider-Waite Star shows a female figure kneeling by a body of water. She is holding vessels in both hands - one is pouring water into the body of water, one is pouring water onto the earth, Above the figure we see one central eight rayed yellow star, and seven smaller eight rayed white stars. As in the Tarot Of The Saints, the stars are symbols for actual planets. Here we see a strong connection between the elements and the heavens, and the abundance that is there. The Seeker needs to keep both worlds in balance to maintain a balanced Self. How interesting that this card falls in the position of the physical (and our environment) in this spread.
The Rider-Waite Six of Wands shows a young male figure sitting astride a white horse. He wears a brown cloak and a green laurel on his head, and faces the right hand side of the card, denoting focus on the future. In his right hand he carries a wand, with a laurel attached to the top. Five upright wands, with green growth on them, are being carried in the background. We see the same honor and victory in this card that we see in the Tarot Of The Saints Six of Staffs, but I get a greater sense here of the importance of the victory, and w hat it means to the Seeker.
The Rider-Waite Empress is seated on her throne, facing forward. She wears a white gown covered with red roses, and in her right hand she holds a scepter which is topped by a globe of the world. A diadem of twelve stars sits on her head. In the background we see lush greenery, and resting against her throne we see a shield bearing the symbol for Venus. The feminine principle is certainly evident here, but we also see the creative abundance of the world around her. This is yet another sign that the Seeker needs to be grounded and centered in their actions and thoughts.
The Rider-Waite Fool us probably one of the most easily recognized figures in the deck. Here we see a youth, his loyal dog at his side, carrying a white rose in his left hand and a wand over his right shoulder, with a wallet on the end. His face is to the heavens, even as he move forward to the edge of the cliff. In the background the sun shines brightly. This Fool faces the left hand side of the card. While he peers into the future, we are reminded that he carries the knowledge of his past, and what got him there. With an open heart, and releasing all fears, he moves forward. This is the action that the Seeker needs to take. The card that the Fool faces now is the Six of Staffs (Wands). The Seeker needs to remember their victories, and how they got there, so that they can be a part of their future.
I choose to do a third deck comparison for this exercise simply because all three of these decks wanted to come out and play! It is not necessary to do more than one deck when using the comparative method, although you can use as many as you wish - space permitting.
The Shining Tribe Tarot is based on tribal and prehistoric art from around the world. Aside from renaming the suits (Wands becomes Trees; Cups becomes Rivers; Swords becomes Birds; Pentacles becomes Stones), one of the biggest changes in this deck is with the court cards. They become the Vision Cards, and their qualities change to reflect the qualities represented by the element of a given suit. In this manner we are allowed to work more directly with the elements, and elemental power.
Our first card is one of the Vision cards - the Gift of Stones, which loosely equates to the Queen of Pentacles. What a busy card this is! Subtitled "Gift Mother Dreaming", it features two temples in the middle of the card. The interesting thing is - they are very much shaped in the form of bodies. There are several other graphics, including a spiral shaped snail, a five pointed star made of shells, a butterfly within a butterfly and what Rachel terms two "Shining Vision" glyphs. You don't need to read the book to get the message of this card. It is decidedly feminine, and speaks of sharing, as well as intuitive knowledge. Many things in this card connect us with the element of earth, making the message of earth centeredness and sharing a strong part of the action that the Seeker needs to balance their spiritual self.
In The Star, we see a female figure (representing the Goddess Persephone) standing, facing us. Her skirt carries a green motif, and there is a flower on either side of her. She holds large vessels in each hand, from which she is pouring water onto the earth. In the background on the left we see a tree, on the right we see a building. Focused above the figures head is an eight pointed gold star. The gentleness of this card shines through the life giving waters and through the stance of the figure. Without knowing the background of this card, one would still get a sense of hope and optimism from it. This is what the Seeker needs to take into account when bringing balance to their physical environment.
The Six of Trees is a delightful card - full of color and light. On a light blue background, we see six stylized trees of varying sizes. Between two of the trees along the bottom of the card we see the figure of a dog. Between the next two trees we see the figure of a woman. In the middle of the three upper trees we see what appears to be a butterfly. On the trees, and in the butterfly wings, we see pairs of eyes. The trees are tree spirits - and under the feet of the woman we see forms and symbols of the underworld. A level of confidence and knowledge are indicated here. The victory needs to be acknowledged, and the action that the Seeker needs to take to bring balance into their emotional life is just that - acknowledging who they are, which releases the fear of leaving the victory and moving into the future.
The Empress in The Shining Tribe is a seemingly simple card that gets more complex as you study it. There is what is termed a "semiabstract" female figure in the foreground, in green and brown. Directly behind her flows a river. On the other side of t he river, and on either side of the figure, we see green trees. In the background we see two green mountains. In the middle of the upper part of the card we see an eight pointed star, with other stars surrounding it. On either side of the star we see the Sun and the Moon. This is a card of strength - the lines are clean, and everything has meaning. The message for the Seeker her is one of strength, as well as connection to the earth. In balancing their mental self, the Seeker needs to pay attention to their feminine strengths, as well as to their connection with mother earth.
The Fool in the Shining Tribe Tarot is someone we would all like to be! One look at this card, and I think - "Freedom! The freedom to fly as high as I want to fly!". The background is light pink, with brown hills in the distance and the foreground dotted with green masses. A blue bird is shown in flight in the middle of the picture. Below the bird, and following it, we see a female figure, with her face up to the heavens. This is our inner child. What joy we experience when we allow that inner child to take flight! In bringing balance to themselves, the Seeker needs to allow their inner child to take flight.
If you have these decks, take them out, place the cards as the spread indicates, and see what new elements you pick up from each deck. If you don't have these decks, you can do a comparable reading by using two or three of your own decks. You will be amazed at how different decks bring different levels of wisdom to the surface. The Tarot is willing to tell its story to anyone who will listen.
I have to admit that at this time, I have no clue what next months column will be about. Please join me on my journey. :)
If you have any questions, or suggestions for future columns, please contact me at: Crystalgate@aol.com.
May your paths be well lit and well traveled.
(c) April 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master, and Reiki Master/Teacher.
|
 |
Bonnie Cehovet is a Tarot Master, professional Tarot reader and Reiki Master/Teacher.
Bonnie has been reading the Tarot professionally for over ten years. She has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, including Secretary and Web Assistant For Links. She is currently Certification Director and Secretary for the American Board For Tarot Certification. Bonnie is also a founding member of the World Tarot Network.
Bonnie has had her work published in the ATA newsletter, in Geraldine Amaral's "Celebrating The Tarot" print newsletter, on the World Tarot Network and other internet sites. She is editor for her own monthly newsletter "Gateway To Tarot" (Yahoo Groups).
www.tarot.thecrystalgate.
com |
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory!
|
|
|
|
|
