Arieli's Two of Goblets

Month: Tammuz (Days of Sun)

Numerology: The number two indicates choice, duality, and the attempt to find balance. In Pythagorean philosophy, the number two (dyad) is the principle of separation and creation. Twos suggest dialogue, communication, and the potential to create something. According to Joanna Powell Colbert, mean balance, receptivity, attraction, or a test of choice. The second sefirah on the Tree of Life is Chokhmah, Wisdom.

Arieli’s Two of Goblets: The Two of Goblets shows a flowering olive tree with a twisting trunk, standing in the middle of a green field. In the distance are more trees. Below the tree are two metal goblets, one seemingly empty and the other filled high with green olives. Olives were one of the Seven Species on the Land and were cultivated for food, soap, and for lamp oil. Fresh olive oil was burned daily to light the menorah in the Temple. In ancient times, an olive branch was a symbol of peace throughout the Mediterranean. When the Temple stood, the ceremony for announcing a new month was held on the Mount of Olives where Jews have buried their dead for over 3,000 years.

Arieli assigns these meanings to the Two of Goblets:
Upright: a partial realization of expectations, a sign that the work being done is just halfway there
Reversed: an unequal distribution of resources

Arieli’s description of the card: Under a sprawling olive tree there are two bowls: one is filled with olives, and the other is empty. Olives, and the light produced by their oil, symbolized wisdom. In a Talmudic discussion of the verse, “God gives wisdom to the wise,” it is said that the full vessel is filled even more, and the empty one remains empty. A full mind can hold more than an empty one. In other words, in order to increase wisdom, one must first have some. [I have been unable to confirm Arieli’s citations to Daniel 2:21 and Brachot 40.]

The RWS Two of Cups: A young couple is joining in marriage. They are on a stage and the backdrop shows a house is nestled in the rolling countryside. Each person wears a laurel wreath and holds a chalice. The man is stepping forward and reaching one hand toward the woman. Between their cups is the Staff of Hermes and above that is the head of a winged lion. The winged lion may be a reference to Ezekiel’s chariot vision. The symbol below the orange lion is often mistaken for the Rod of Asclepius the Healer; it is actually the Staff of Hermes, which signifies commerce and communication. Marriage is a contractual relationship. For now, it is the honeymoon period; we only hope the staff is a herald of blessings to come.

“Let the winds of the heavens dance between you.” — Khalil Gibran

Traditionally, the Two of Cups card signifies: a formal partnership agreement, union, communication, trust, fondness, or “the interrelation of the sexes.” Twos indicate balance or choice and Cups indicate emotion; thus the card may indicate the choice to commit to a relationship. Reversed, it may suggest: imbalance, inequality, failure to resolve a disagreement, or the breaking of a contract.

Comparison between the cards: The RWS card shows a perfect moment in a relationship. The Arieli card shows that life is not fair.

Hebrew Letter Correspondence: The numeral 2 is the letter בּ, which the Sefer Yetzirah connects to the moon and wisdom.

Relationship with Major Arcana: The Two of Goblets is related to the second sefirah on the Tree of Life: Chokhmah, wisdom. Wisdom is the bride of God and was present when heavens and earth were created. She is a female figure in Jewish literature.

However, 16th century Lurianic Kabbalah, linked Chokhmah with Father and Binah with Mother. Perhaps that is why Arieli has assigned the Two of Goblets and his Magician card to Chokhmah.

Tarot has a couple of bizarre twists on mathematics. In one system, you add the digits of a card to reduce it to a single number. In the other system, you reduce a card’s number by ten. Thus, each of the following cards has a value of two:

2=2 Arieli’s Magician (RWS High Priestess)
11=1+1=2 Arieli’s Wheel (RWS Justice)
20=2+0=2 Arieli’s Sun (RWS Judgment)
12=12-10=2 Arieli’s Justice (RWS Hanged Man)
22=22-10=12-10=2 Arieli’s World (no RWS card)

The only visual connection between Arieli’s Two of Goblets and his Magician is the tree in one card and the inconspicuous potted plant in the other. The Wheel, like the Two of Goblets, shows the vagaries of fate and harvest time. Arieli’s Justice card shows the Book of Life and the Book of Death, which are sealed on Yom Kippur, and beneath them, the scales of justice.

In the RWS deck, the Hanged Man indicates a pause; so too, a wedding is a moment suspended in time, with the future unknown. Robin Wood’s High Priestess might preside over this significant moment. Many Tarot books speak opaquely of The Masculine and The Feminine (as does much of Kabbalah). In the Robin Wood Tarot, a pagan-inspired deck, the artist may have intended for the Two of Cups to represent a marriage between The Magician and The High Priestess.

Magical uses according to Tyson: to achieve a happy marriage and a harmonious home; for any pleasure in life.

Tarot Cards and Sacred Signs

For some tarot readers, certain cards are signs of direct communication from a beloved deity or spiritual guide. Inspired by this, I decided to find which cards Hestia might use to get my attention. Over the course of several days I pulled cards, sometimes finding immediate insight into Hestia's choice, and sometimes being left with questions that I know will be answered in time.

I continued this experiment with other beings: Ganesha, Lara the Protector of my Spirit, Shekhinah-Asherah, HaKadosh Barechu, Sarah Immeinu, Holy Mother Leah, and others.

When I asked Hestia which cards would serve as her sign, the Queen of Wands seemed an obvious and fitting choice for the Goddess of the Hearth. 

Shekhinah-Asherah selected thought-provoking cards. Each card offered glimpses into beginnings, transformations, and endings.

As I sat with the cards that will indicate communication from HaKadosh Barechu, I felt a sense of rightness. It will take time for their significance to dawn on me.

Two pair of cards drawn for Ganesha, made me wonder. Each pair included an image of a difficult situation as well as a picture of joy.
 

Sarah Immeinu's card, The Wheel of Fortune, mirrored the ups and downs of her remarkable life. 

Leah's card intrigued me. The King of Cups was more enigmatic than ever, only leaving me with questions: does it signify her love for Yaakov, her recognition of God's power, or her journey to emotional maturity?

Lara revealed a symbol of authority and true power. That message was very clear, telling me to embrace my own strength and assert my influence in the world.

I had encountered Ulmo and Nienna in The Silmarillion when I was in my early adolescence. Those two have continued to resonate with me throughout the years. 

Nienna is the goddess of lamentation and her card which can symbolize a wedding, where a glass is broken under the chuppah because, as was explained by Rabbi Alan Berg, if we can remember our greatest sorrow at a time of joy, then we will be able to remember our greatest joy in a time of sorrow.

Ulmo, Tolkien's God of the Sea, cared deeply for Elves and Men. His realm extended up through all waterways to lakes and streams, so he could hear their prayers and aid those who called to him.

They say everyone has a spiritual guide. Eager to meet mine, I pulled two cards. They are joyful cards whose significance still eludes me.

Over time, I will continue pull cards to find connections to other divine beings.

The Mary-El Tarot

Nine years ago, writing in a post called Tarophilia, I focused on two cards in the Mary-El Tarot that I had found particularly fascinating: The Hierophant and the Three of Swords. After all these years, I considered purchasing the deck today, only to discover that those two cards (as well as two others) have been changed!

The Hierophant of the first edition was intriguing because of its cleverly disturbing imagery. Perhaps because it was so unpopular, the artist, Marie White, replaced it with a new card. 

The imagery in the second edition Hierophant does not make you draw back in shock. It may even draw you in. Nice touches are the two tablets and bronze serpents. The single key is more prominent in this edition (which key is it?) and I wonder if that's a bee hive on top of it. Once again the figure is female and I wonder why. Those would be some of the questions to explore if I purchase the second edition.

The new card is more accessible and should allow for positive as well as negative interpretations. I can reluctantly accept the revised Hierophant since it would allow the reader to explore more than just the shadow side of religious tradition. This card could grow on me.

The new Three of Swords, however, is deeply disappointing. In the first edition, the card was an original piece of art showing a bird's flight hampered by the three swords (wounds) he clings to-- or perhaps showing a bird that has caught the swords before they could pierce him. 

None of the Minor Arcana cards in the first edition are RWS clones, but in the new edition, the Three of Swords has reverted to the usual, silly imagery of a heart pierced by three swords. Boring and cliché! (Tarot creators, please note: it only worked for Pamela Colman Smith.) Red roses have been thrown into the mix as well, with a rose bud growing from the left auricle.

Two other cards have been changed. They are Judgment and The High Priestess. Judgment is now a more fiery Phoenix. It may be an improvement, but not an essential one. On the other hand, the new High Priestess is amazing! She may even compensate for the desecration of the original Three of Swords. 

The original High Priestess was odd, its disparate bits of symbolism never really forming a single, coherent image. The first edition High Prietsess was too slender to be a Willendorf Venus as obviously intended, her fingers were like tree branches growing downward (but not from heaven), her headdress exploded into stars, the sefirot drawn in their original circular form on her broad, flat, naked belly made her look like a wheel of fortune, and there was all sorts of oddness just above the sea at her feet. (Maybe the guidebook would have helped me understand and bond with the card.)

 

Overall, the first edition High Priestess was jarring without adding depth to the meaning of the card. This card was one of the reasons that I did not purchase the deck.

The new High Priestess card is brilliant nod to the RWS, but takes the imagery in a more powerful direction. 

As in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, there are the two pillars of the Temple on either side of her, drawn in greater detail than in the RWS. A pomegranate curtain hangs between them behind her (screening a burning sun in a black sky). Her flowing robe, which begins as a veil over her head, merges into the reflective waters at her feet. 

What makes the image so much more powerful than the RWS, is that her hands caress and support Torah, the fire that burns within her. (Lo b'shamayim, it is not in the heavens.) The image connects the ancient tradition of Torah (black fire on white fire) with the more primal imagery of welcoming flames inside a sheltering cave.

This deck will remain on my wish list. Eventually, I may be extravagant and order a copy from the U.S. Before I decide, I'll have to review the images of the the Minor Arcana on her website and come to terms with the Aces and some of the courts. (Check out the sevens! And the decaying Queen of Pentacles!) 

I like that the Major Arcana cards seem to blend two concepts that have never been clear to me: "The Masculine" and "The Feminine."

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