Card 44 Expressiveness portrays expression and artistic mastery. It includes the astrological symbol for Saturn, the Spanish letter Ñ, and the number 8, representing stability. In this image, we witness the skillful hands of an artisan wielding a chisel and mallet to create a stone sculpture. Slowly, but surely, a majestic pharaoh begins to step forth from the stone.
Three symbols float above that scene. A hand, symbolizing human action and human connection, reflects the artisan’s dedication to his craft as well as the power of his artistry. To the right can be seen three lines that connect, forming a Pi-like shape or a dolmen (a portal tomb), each ending in small circles. Lastly, the Hebrew letter, Dalet, the Hebrew letter for door, hints at gates and gateways awaiting his exploration. Beneath the image, a hieroglyphic-style representation of a man’s head with a goatee, evokes of the stereotype of an artist.
Stuart Kaplan notes that in Ancient Egypt, sculptors were revered as “masters of life,” their creations believed to endure forever. Carving a name into the base of a statue ensured the immortality of the soul that it represented. In the realm of the afterlife, statues placed within tombs provided refuge if the mummified body became an unfit dwelling for the soul of the deceased person. Furthermore, likenesses of the deceased, dedicated to a temple, enabled him or her to partake in sacred offerings. In this image, the statue represents a Pharaoh, the embodiment of royal power and divine authority.
Kaplan states that the card symbolizes an articulate individual, the fulfillment of a creative endeavor, mastery in shaping events, and the fruits of focused application and concentration. In contrast, the reversed card implies difficulty expressing one’s true feelings or thoughts, mimicry of other people, waning enthusiasm, apathy, and impatience with long-term projects.
The card invites us to consider how to express our deepest selves and how to channel our creative skills to infuse the world with regal and divine qualities.
Turning our attention to the second card drawn today, 51 Advice, we encounter a gateway to wise counsel. Its title features the astrological symbol for Venus, the letter U, and the harmonious number 6.
Within this image, we witness one figure kneeling before another. Standing before the inquirer is a bald man in ornate clothing, suggesting that he is a priest. The priest is either reading from a scroll using a pointer, or inscribing the scroll with a brush.
Four symbols float above the image. Three of these suggest votive offerings: a curved line ending in delicate circles, a hieroglyph that evokes the idea of an offering plate, and the Hebrew letter Kaf, which means the palm of the hand. The fourth symbol is a cartouche containing three hieroglyphs: a feather, symbolizing truth and balance, a half circle suggesting the rising sun, and a man’s head crowned with the Uraeus serpent of Wadjet and the feather of Ma’at.
Beneath this captivating scene, the mysterious silhouette of a jackal is encased within a cartouche. These desert dwelling creatures frequented the burials along the Nile, lending them an air of other-worldliness. Interestingly, the silhouette is also reminiscent of our canine companions, sometimes called “man’s best friend.”
Stuart Kaplan identifies the standing figure as Imhotep, a healer, sage, and trusted counselor to the pharaoh Zoser. He was the architect of the Step Pyramid and the High Priest of the sun god Ra at the Temple in Heliopolis. Though his original papyri have been lost to time, his wisdom lives on in aphorisms attributed to him. Centuries later, the Greeks would connect his worship with that of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, ensuring Imhotep a kind of immortality.
Kaplan assigns the following meanings to the upright card: an individual immersed in the healing arts, wisdom applied to practical ends, the manifestation of ideas into tangible works, healing through relaxation and restoration, the end of suffering, and a recovery from illness. Conversely, the reversed card suggests lingering illness, impracticality, unwelcome advice, imprudent counsel, and the burden of insomnia.
Together, today’s two cards encourage us to express our deepest selves through creativity, infusing the world with regal and divine qualities. They also urge us to seek wise counsel, applying practical wisdom to bring wholeness and sanctity into our lives.
The ideas raised by the images on these cards lead me to consider my personal connection to Judaism, community, and the study of Jewish texts, I still long to regain the ability to express myself, which was quashed in childhood. I remember the feeling of pleasure and wholeness I experienced the first time I was able to clearly put on paper my thoughts and feelings. I attributed that ability to my exposure to Judaism, community, and the study of Jewish texts, history, and culture, as well as admiration for the community’s rabbi whose heart and mind worked together in dealing compassionately and wisely with people. The cards remind me of the power of self-expression and the desire to learn from outstanding individuals.
These cards beckon us to make our lives sacred journeys in which our decisions and actions are steeped in reverence for the divine and a desire to infuse the world with wholeness and sanctity.
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