Egipcios Kier - 68 Speculation and 51 Advice

As I shuffled the Egipcios Kier after my morning ritual, two cards fell out of the deck: 68 Speculation and a card we've seen before, 51 Advice.

The first card, titled 68 Speculation, makes me think of Betzalel Arieli’s Three of Pentacles, a card that emphasizes the biblical precept of keeping accurate weights and measures, as well as the virtue of being honest in all your dealings with others. Card 68 depicts a man weighing a stack of six coins on one side of a scale while a statue of an ox is on the other side of the scale. The shape of an ox head is the origin of the Hebrew letter Alef. (An earlier post attempted to explore the life wisdom encapsulated in the letter Alef.)

Three symbols have been drawn at the top of the cartouche that frames the image. In the space where there is usually a geometric form, a curved hook with a small circle at its top appears. Above that is a hieroglyph of a snake. Completing the triad is the Hebrew letter Vav, which means ‘hook.’

Drawn at the bottom of the cartouche is a fly, which in Mesopotamian culture, represented a malevolent demon lurking in foul places.

The card's title field incorporates the astrological symbol for Venus, a double LL (reflecting the deck's Spanish origins), and the number 5, alluding to chaos or adventure.

Kaplan’s commentary corrected my first impressions of some of the images. The hieroglyph at the top, I learned, portrays a snail while the one at the bottom represents a bee. I was also too literal in my understanding of the image: the ox represents the man's entire herd.

Kaplan points out that cattle were significant in ancient Egyptian culture and the government maintained a national herd tended by foreign captives and enslaved Egyptians. (This brought to mind Josef’s role as Pharaoh’s counselor and his family’s role in tending the royal flocks. Josef’s guidance eventually leads to government control of the “means of production” with the people obliged to sell themselves into slavery in order to obtain grain for food during drought.)

Kaplan reminds us that deities Amen and Hathor were represented with bull and cow heads, underscoring the spiritual significance of cattle. Drawing from my small knowledge of ancient Israel, it is likely that male animals were ritually sacrificed for the benefit of gods and people, while female animals were kept alive to provide milk and offspring; furthermore, female herd animals exhibit less aggression toward their owners and other members of the herd, compared to their male counterparts.

Kaplan mentions that bee’s were also sacred, believed to have been formed from the tears of the sun god, Ra. Ancient Egyptians were avid bee keepers, using honey for culinary and medical purposes. I wonder whether they too had a prohibition on offering honey in their sacred spaces, akin to the restriction observed in the tabernacle of ancient Israel.

Kaplan presents these upright meanings for card 68 Speculation: ingenuity, hard work, progress, successful dealing, speculation, and wealth.

His alternate meanings for a reversed card include anxiety, impatience, uneasiness, and imprudence.

Immediately upon seeing the second card, 51 Advice, I realized that I had failed to consider the idea of seeking or giving advice when I wrote about it earlier, although I did refer to it as a gateway to wise counsel. The card raises the question of whom to trust when we need good advise. How do we asses their counsel?

Together, these two cards offer a powerful message about the importance of balanced judgment, hard work, and seeking reliable guidance. They encourage us to navigate the complexities of decision-making with wisdom, sincerity, and a discerning mind. As we embrace the upright meanings of 68 Speculation and remain cautious of the potential pitfalls highlighted by 51 Advice in its reversed state, we can navigate our journey with confidence and clarity, making informed choices and pursuing our goals with integrity.