Egipcios Kier - 51 Advice

Each Egipcios Kier card features a cartouche divided into three sections, representing various triplicities such as the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. This card is colored pink at the top, gold in the center, and blue at the bottom.

Card Imagery and Symbolism

In the central portion of the Advice card, one man kneels before another. The kneeling man, bare-chested and wearing a long belted skirt, lifts his hands in a gesture of reverence. The standing figure, dressed elaborately in a green over-robe that folds into an apron, a yellow underskirt, and a scarf bearing insignia, holds a scroll with an unusually long left arm while referring to the text on the scroll with a pointer in his right hand. Both men are barefoot; one wears a wig, and the other is bald. According to Kaplan in the deck's accompanying pamphlet, the standing figure is Imhotep, advisor to King Zoser, designer of the first pyramid, a sage, and a physician. The title of the card, Advice, suggests the kneeling man seeks guidance from the scribe.

Other Symbolic Elements

Upper Portion: Contains the Hebrew letter kaf (כ), an angelic letter with a curved line ending in two circles, and a hieroglyph resembling a shallow bowl with a handle (perhaps an offering bowl), identified by Kaplan as a knife. Additionally, there is a cartouche containing three hieroglyphs: a crowned figure with a feather and serpent, a half-circle suggesting a rising sun, and a feather. The Hebrew letter kaf and hieroglyphs reinforce the supplicant's desire to accomplish good works and seek the truth.

Lower Portion: Features another cartouche with the silhouette of a jackal, symbolizing the god Anubis.

Title Field: Includes the symbol for Venus, the Latin letter U, and the Arabic number 6.

Interpretations

Kaplan assigns the following meanings to the upright card: a person in the medical field, sagacity, wisdom applied to practical ends, ideas manifested in words, healing through relaxation, end of pain, recovery from illness. For the reversed card, he suggests: lingering illness, impracticality, unwanted advice, imprudent counsel, insomnia.

The title and imagery lead me to think that the supplicant is seeking personal guidance, asking to understand who he is, what goals he can reasonably strive for, and what role he can play in society. Anubis, an underworld god, reminds him that life is finite, and he wishes to spend his remaining time usefully and meaningfully. He seeks the regenerative powers of Anubis to restore significance to his life. The Hebrew letter kaf, meaning "hand," suggests that his hands can do good work in the world. The three-hieroglyph cartouche shows him crowned, facing a new sunrise, and pursuing truth. He has turned to someone who has explored the boundaries of knowledge to find out the rules, his options, and his potential.

Comparison with RWS King of Swords

The RWS King of Swords is clear-headed wise judge and seeing the card, we feel as if we are approaching King Solomon, holding his sword at an angle tilted toward mercy, with a compassionate and understanding heart, rather than interpreting the law literally. He is a truth-seeker and rational thinker.

Meanings for the RWS King of Swords include: a fair judge, clarity of thought, creation of appropriate boundaries, a good communicator, and determination. Reversed, it can mean: stubbornness, tyranny, or bullying.

Summary

The Advice card in the Egipcios Kier Tarot may represent the act of seeking guidance or the presence of someone who can offer helpful and wise counsel. This card encourages us to look for mentors or advisors who can help us understand our path and potential. By embracing wisdom and clarity, one can navigate life's challenges with a sense of purpose and direction.

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, reminds me of Betzalel Arieli’s Three of Pentacles, which emphasizes the biblical precept of keeping accurate weights and measures, as well as the virtue of being honest in all your dealings. The Speculation card depicts a man weighing a stack of six coins on one side of a scale, with a statue of an ox is on the other side. The ox head shape is the origin of the Hebrew letter Alef, which I explored in an earlier post.

The word speculation can refer to investment, but it also means reflection and attempting to sort through information to make a good decision. At the top of the cartouche framing the image, three symbols appear: a curved hook with a small circle at its top, a hieroglyph of a snake, and the Hebrew letter Vav, which means ‘hook.’ 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 includes 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 images. The hieroglyph at the top represents a snail while the one at the bottom depicts a bee. I was 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 with the government maintaining a national herd tended by foreign captives and enslaved Egyptians. This reminded me of Josef’s role as Pharaoh’s counselor, eventually leading 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 a long drought.

Kaplan reminds us that deities Amen and Hathor were represented with bull and cow heads, underscoring the spiritual significance of cattle. (Cattle seem to have been of significance in many ancient and prehistoric human cultures.) In ancient Israel and presumably other ancient cultures, ritually sacrificed male animals for the benefit of gods and people, while female animals were kept alive to provide milk and offspring and because female herd animals exhibit less aggression toward their owners and other members of the herd.

Kaplan notes that bee’s were considered 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 their culture, like that of ancient Israel, had a prohibition on offering honey in their sacred spaces.

Kaplan presents these upright meanings for card 68 Speculation: ingenuity, hard work, progress, successful dealings, speculation, and wealth. His reversed card meanings include anxiety, impatience, uneasiness, and imprudence.

The second card, 51 Advice, raises the question of whom to trust for wise counsel. How do we assess their advice? Together, these two cards highlight the importance of balanced judgment, hard work, and seeking reliable guidance. They encourage us to navigate decision-making with wisdom, sincerity, and a discerning mind. By embracing the upright meanings of 68 Speculation and remain cautious of the potential pitfalls highlighted by 51 Advice in its reversed state, we can pursue our goals with integrity.

Nelise Carbonare Vieira associates Egipcios Kier card 68, Speculation, with the Page of Pentacle, which upright signifies awe, opportunity, learning, scholarship, focus, or a message. Reversed, in may indicate a lack of planning or progress, and lack of understanding of what is valuable.

Egipcios Kier Tarot - 44 Expressiveness and 51 Advice

Today, we’ll explore two cards from the Egipcios Kier Tarot. The first card, 44 Expressiveness, reveals the realm of artistic mastery and discernment. It depicts a skilled artisan sculpting a majestic pharaoh from stone, emphasizing not only the power of human action, but also the wisdom required to see clearly and choose what to bring forth from many possibilities. In the second card, 51 Advice, we encounter a gateway to clarity and wise authority as a figure kneels before a priest, seeking guidance grounded in truth and reason.

Card 44 Expressiveness portrays artistic mastery and the disciplined expression. It includes the astrological symbol for Saturn, the Spanish letter Ñ, as well as the number 8, which represents stability and boundaries. 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 emerge from the stone. Like Michelangelo, this artist removes what is unnecessary in order to reveal the figure he has discerned within.

This act of sculpting closely mirrors the energy of the Seven of Cups in traditional tarot. Upright, the Seven of Cups speaks of discernment, looking ahead, knowing what you want, creative visualization, and choosing wisely among many options. The sculptor stands before what could be infinite potential forms within the stone. Yet he does not attempt to create everything at once. He chooses and commits to one clear vision

Three symbols float above the scene: a hand, a doorway, and the Hebrew letter Dalet. The hand, symbolizing human action and connection, reflects the artisan’s dedication to his craft. To the right are three lines forming a π shape or dolmen, a portal tomb, each line ending in small circles, suggesting multiple pathways or possibilities. The Hebrew letter Dalet, meaning “door,” hints at gateways awaiting exploration. Yet, like the Seven of Cups, the card reminds us that not every door should be opened. Discernment is essential.

Beneath the image, a hieroglyphic-style representation of a man’s head with a goatee evokes the archetype of the artist, one who must balance imagination with grounded execution.

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 immortality of the soul it represented. Statues within tombs provided refuge for the spirit. In this image, the statue represents a Pharaoh, the embodiment of royal authority and divine order, suggesting that what we choose to shape in our lives carries enduring consequence.

Kaplan writes that the card symbolizes an articulate individual, fulfillment of a creative endeavor, mastery in shaping events, or the fruits of focused application and concentration. Through the lens of the Seven of Cups, this mastery arises not from fantasy but from clarity.

Reversed, the Seven of Cups warns of fantasy, wishful thinking, delusion, and being carried away by emotion or daydreams. In the context of Expressiveness, reversal may indicate scattering one’s creative energies, imitating others rather than honoring one’s own vision, or becoming overwhelmed by too many possibilities. The sculptor who cannot choose will never complete the statue.

This card invites you to know yourself deeply so that your choices are rooted in clarity rather than illusion. By cultivating boundaries and disciplined focus, you can shape your life with intention and bring forth something enduring and authentic.

Turning to the second card, 51 Advice, we encounter a gateway to wise counsel and intellectual authority. Its title features the astrological symbol for Venus, the letter U, and the harmonious number 6. Yet beyond harmony, this card now resonates strongly with the archetype of the King of Swords, the fair judge, the strategist, the clear thinker.

Within the image, one figure kneels before another. Standing before the inquirer is a bald man in ornate clothing, suggesting a priest or sage. He appears to be reading from a scroll or inscribing it, symbolizing knowledge preserved and transmitted with precision.

Four symbols float above the image. Three suggest votive offerings: a curved line ending in delicate circles representing spiritual flow; a hieroglyph resembling an offering plate; and the Hebrew letter Kaf, meaning the palm of the hand, emphasizing intentional action. The fourth symbol is a cartouche containing Maat’s feather of truth and balance, a half circle suggesting new beginnings, and a crowned head with serpent and feather, evoking wisdom and divine protection.

Maat’s feather is especially significant in light of the King of Swords. Upright, the King of Swords represents clarity of thought, authority, boundaries, strategic thinking, and strong communication. He is a fair judge who weighs truth carefully. The kneeling figure seeks reasoned, principled guidance.

Beneath the scene, the silhouette of a jackal is encased within a cartouche. Associated with burial grounds, the desert dwelling jackal carries an otherworldly aura, but also keen instinct and watchfulness. The silhouette is also reminiscent of our canine companions, sometimes called “man’s best friend” whose senses and instincts we often rely on. Like the King of Swords, it suggests alert awareness and the capacity to perceive what others overlook.

Stuart Kaplan identifies the standing figure as Imhotep, healer, sage, architect of the Step Pyramid, and High Priest of Ra. As counselor to Pharaoh Zoser, Imhotep embodied intellectual mastery applied to practical ends. His later association with Asclepius ensured his legacy as a symbol of wisdom and healing. Here, he stands as an archetype of disciplined intellect and ethical authority.

Kaplan assigns meanings such as wisdom applied practically, manifestation of ideas into tangible works, healing, restoration, and recovery. Through the lens of the King of Swords, these qualities arise from clarity, sound judgment, and well-defined boundaries. Advice is not merely comforting; it is incisive and strategic.

Reversed, the King of Swords can indicate stubbornness, tyranny, manipulation, misuse of power, or rigid thinking. In the context of this card, reversed energy may warn of advice given without compassion. Authority without integrity becomes oppressive.

This card urges us to seek counsel from those who combine intellect with ethical balance, and to cultivate that clarity within ourselves.

Together, 44 Expressiveness and 51 Advice highlight the interplay between discernment and clarity.

The sculptor (Seven of Cups) must choose wisely from many possibilities and commit to a clear vision. The sage (King of Swords) must think strategically, communicate truthfully, maintaining strong ethical boundaries. Creative vision without discernment dissolves into fantasy. Authority without clarity devolves into tyranny.

When these energies work together, we gain the ability to envision our path and then evaluate it with reason. We shape our lives not from illusion but from conscious choice, guided by wisdom and truth.

The ideas raised by these cards lead me to consider my personal connection to Judaism, community, and the study of Jewish texts. The Seven of Cups energy speaks to the many possible identities and paths that once lay before me and the discernment required to choose a spiritual direction that felt authentic. The King of Swords lives in my memory of a rabbi whose heart and mind worked together, offering guidance grounded in wisdom and integrity. I still long to fully regain the ability to express myself, which was quashed in childhood. I remember the pleasure and wholeness I experienced the first time I could clearly articulate my thoughts and feelings. That clarity could be compared to carving something true from stone. These two cards remind me of the power of self-expression and the desire to learn from outstanding individuals.