Contemplative Tarot - Seeking Victory

In stillness, seek the spark that wakes your mind.
Embrace the body with joy-- it is the source of soul.
Surrender to the unfolding of life, and seek vision in the divine.

The Four of Cups

A man sits against a tree, arms and legs crossed in a closed posture. Three cups rest before him, while a fourth is offered by a hand emerging from a cloud. His eyes are shut; he’s unaware of his surroundings. This card speaks to introspection and emotional withdrawal. Is the figure lost in apathy—or is he consciously turning inward, like the Buddha under the fig tree? The image invites us to consider whether our stillness stems from resistance or deep reflection.

The Empress

A beautiful woman reclines against cushions, dressed in a flowing gown patterned with pomegranates. She sits in a field of ripening wheat, with a forest and waterfall behind her. A heart-shaped shield marked with Venus rests nearby. A crown of stars and laurel wreath adorn her head, and she holds a scepter topped with a globe. This card represents fertility, abundance, and loving care. The Empress reminds us to nurture what we love, to live in harmony with nature, and to honor the cycles of growth and creation.

The Hanged Man

Suspended upside down from a living tree, the man hangs by one foot, his other leg bent. A halo surrounds his head. His shirt defies gravity, suggesting a choice rather than punishment. The tree is vibrant with green leaves. This card embodies surrender and new perspectives. The Hanged Man shows us that insight often comes when we let go. In moments of powerlessness, we may gain clarity by accepting what is and viewing life from another angle.

Reflection

Notice where discontent or emotional numbness is blocking your growth. Then gently shift your attention toward what brings you peace, beauty, and gratitude. Care for your mind by seeking inspiration; care for your body by grounding yourself in pleasure and vitality. Life will never be fully in your control, but your perspective is always yours to choose. Begin where you are, and seek the kind of victory that restores your strength and renews your spirit.

Two spreads for selecting a spiritual counselor

I just scheduled an hour-long spiritual counseling session with someone I've watched on YouTube a few times. Our appointment isn't for another sixteen days, which has given me time to second-guess my decision.

So I tried to create a spread to determine if working with this counselor would be beneficial. (I selected The High Priestess as the counselor's significator, because she's a guide and because she has very black hair.)

First reading

These were my questions: 

• As I approach, does she want to help me? 5 Swords
  Not a pretty card, it usually indicates a mean person, a "sore winner," who enjoys inflicting both defeat and humiliation. This doesn't look like the image of a spiritual counselor; maybe it's saying more about me as I approach her. Is there any indication that my situation would make me an "attractive" client to her?A positive spin would be that she wants to take negative thoughts (swords) from me.
• Does she have the resources to help me? Queen Swords
  Her rank indicates she has the experience to help, her sword indicates she has the knowledge and communication skills to help, and her open hand may suggest that she wants to help. But what might she do with the sword in her right hand if I reach for her left hand?
• Can she intuit what help I need? 6 Wands
  The card suggests that as long as I’m cooperating with her, she’ll be able to successfully intuit any needs that I am unaware of or unable to articulate.
• Will working with her put me on the right path? Tower
  This can be a terrible card, but could be interpreted positively, as enlightenment and recognition of what part of my foundation needs to be replaced.

I realized that, in the first reading, I'd committed the cardinal error of asking yes/no questions, so I did a second spread, which included a significator for myself, the Four of Wands, which appeared in a reading earlier today. I understood it to mean that my energy and creativity are restricted.

Second reading

These were my questions for the second reading: 

• What does the counselor want from me? 10 of Pentacles
  The cynical part of me answered: 'She wants my coins.' The more creative part of me thinks she's seeking wholeness, both for me and for herself.
• What do I want from her? 8 Strength
  Self-awareness, inner strength, a connection to my feelings, the integration of my conscious and unconscious.
• What can the counselor offer me? 7 Chariot
  Encouragement to get back on the horse and move forward, and an idea of what direction to go.
• What can I gain from working with her? 3 Empress
  Creativity, self-love, and a sense of self worth.
• What she cannot give me: 8 of Swords
  She cannot free me; I have to do that myself.
• Outcome of our work for me? 2 of Swords
  Usually a negative card, but here it might mean recognizing what my choices are, examining my feelings and intuition, and then balancing those with rational decision making, so I can get off the ruin and move to a better place.

The second reading seems fairly encouraging. And the outcome card (for each reading) could be positive, even though I most often assign "negative" meanings to The Tower and the Two of Swords.

EDIT: Oephebia had some additional ideas about both readings. In summary: Make sure the counselor is a compassionate person. Avoid being rigid; I must be willing to change and move forward without looking back.

Clarity of Vision and Purpose

Fountain Tarot

Today's card is The Magician. Rather than discuss the imagery of the card, I am going to explore its occult significance. I will be relying on attributions put forward by Donald Tyson. This topic is new to me so I'd appreciate comments.

Most often, The Magician is associated with the Hebrew letter bet. Bet, which also means house and begins the word for blessing, would seem to belong to The High Priestess, the temple keeper. Tyson links The Magician to the letter gimel.

Tyson's attribution immediately poses a problem. In the Zohar, the letter gimel is paired with the letter dalet. So you would conclude that The Magician (associated with gimel) and The Empress (associated with dalet) must also be a pair.

This connection is unexpected since The Magician, usually described in terms of the conscious mind, is often contrasted with the unconscious represented by The Priestess. The association of The Empress with dalet is more unexpected. Gimel is called a benefactor and dalet is called poverty. This seems counter intuitive because The Empress is the card of abundance and creativity; she is the one who nurtures all life.

When the Holy One desired to create the world, each of the letters came before Him and said, may it please You to create the world with me... The letters Dalet and Gimel entered [together]... He told them also be satisfied with being with each other, because there will always be poor men on Earth, and they should be given a benefactor. The letter Dalet is poor because it is called Dalet, from poverty (Heb. dalut), and the Gimel reciprocates as a benefactor (Heb. gomelet) to Dalet. Therefore do not leave each other, and it should suffice you that you sustain one another.

Universal Waite Tarot

(Gomelet, benefactor, is feminine here. We are used to the phrase gomel chasadim tovim-- who bestows kindly goodness-- being directed to a male divinity in the first blessing of the Amidah.)

So, the Empress has no wealth of her own and requires a benefactor. If The Magician is her benefactor, from where does he acquire the abundance that he shares with her?

Perhaps he receives it from The Priestess, the card immediately preceding him. That card's letter is bet, which means house or temple. The Empress's letter, dalet, means door. The Priestess tends the supernal temple, dwelling place of the Divine, and the Empress is the door of this world. The Magician stands between them, channeling blessings from the heavens to the Earth. The Supernal Mother, not Mother Earth, is the ultimate source "from whom all blessings flow."

The lesson of The Empress may be that we possess nothing, but what is the lesson of The Magician? Does he point to the the ultimate source of all abundance? Is he a reminder that to do our best work in the world, we must allow ourselves to be channels of a higher power?

Robin Wood Tarot

Those possibilities seem to be reflected in stance of figure in the Waite deck, his arms directing energy from the heavens to Earth. In the Fountain Tarot (top of post), the infinity symbol above the suit symbols could also be interpreted in those ways, but I am captivated by the eyes of that magician. They remind me of a recent parasha in which an older Joseph's clarity of vision helped him understand dreams, recognize his brothers, and act with the knowledge that god was guiding events.

It seems that contemplating the Kabbalistic associations to interpret the cards can be fruitful, too. My limited knowledge of Kabbalah, Hebrew, and astrology will prevent me from delving deeply into this side of tarot. So relying on the imagery of the cards to stimulate my intuition will probably remain my preferred method of reading the cards, but it is fun and interesting to pull some Judaism from the depths of my memory while playing with tarot cards. 

Learning to Wait

Faith, Attention, and Empowerment

The central card, the Seven of Coins, certainly represents me. It expresses my impatience. When will my aliyah be approved? It tells me that I must continue working; instead of expecting immediate results, I must take pleasure in the preparations. My goal isn't simply to make aliyah; it's to make myself and my life better.

The Empress shows that I was inspired to recognize the abundance in my life and to relinquish security for the opportunity to grow.

The Magician advises me to recognize that I have the life experience, tools, and ability to make my life what I want it to be.

Together, these three cards speak of transforming material abundance into spiritual abundance.