THE MAGICIAN (I)

TODAY’S CARD IS The Magician (I). This version is from the beautiful Gaian Tarot, by Joanna Powell Colbert and is used by permission:



Here’s The Magician in the Rider/Waite/Smith Tarot:



THE MAGICIAN: I have always found a strong association between The Magician, and music and musicians. So when I saw The Magician in the lush Gaian Tarot I was especially delighted.

DIFFERENT TAKES ON THE MAGICIAN (I):

Can refer to music and/or a musician.

You are in some sort of transition, possibly stuck in it.

Loneliness (only the “I”).

You did the best you could given the skills and tools you had.

Charisma, possibly used selfishly.

As much as one learns, one does not know it all, ever.

Can indicate a person with mediumistic abilities; or that a deceased person wishes to communicate; or thoughts about the afterlife or a deceased person.

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Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

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Resource: The Colman-Smith Tarot, you can download this psychedelically re-colored version of the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for free here.

‘til next time, keep learning and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****

MEDITATION ON THE EMPEROR CARD IN THE XULTUN (MAYAN) TAROT DECK

The Emperor (IV) in the Xultun (Mayan) Tarot by Peter Balin

Below is a transcipt of a meditation I did several years ago, that I think illustrates the power of symbols to move and teach us. I always recommend meditating on a deck’s cards in order to develop a personal relationship to the deck's symbols, above and beyond the meanings assigned to them by any accompanying literature.

I should mention that in the Xultun Tarot, the Major Arcana can be laid out to make one large picture, as at one point I talk about it in relationship to the High Priest card. The Resource link at the bottom is to Aeclectic Tarot where you can see more of the cards from this beautiful and unusual deck.


"MEDITATION ON THE EMPEROR CARD IN THE XULTUN TAROT:

I chose The Emperor card to meditate on tonight because he gives me trouble, this archetypal patriarch with all his stuff hanging around him. Whereas the High Priest seems to have his possessions in proportion, The Emperor is weighed down by them. He almost looks immobilized, imprisoned. His hands look as if hand-cuffed and his feet as if manacled: a prisoner of his materiality. Yet I yearn to redeem him! The jaguar cloud of the High Priest's speech seems to reach him, and he appears to listen to and even look toward the High Priest. This is hopeful. But he needs much softening and lightening up in order to be approachable, at least by me.

On a whim, I turn The Emperor card upside down. The green feathers on his head-dress appear to strain upward now, strain to grow, to be heard or seen. He appears more to hold a necessary heavy burden in the crook of his arms: a load of firewood for the house, or a bunch of toys for his kids, or a wonderful new tree for his wife's garden. He is pausing to catch his breath. It's been a long hard day of building, and at the same time, of trying to keep those green feathers from growing too obvious. They disturb him. Tenderness is not something he is comfortable with. Hard work, logic, deep thinking, yes; but not this tickling at the base of his skull, where he can't quite get a grasp on it. Maybe the wife will give him a good neck rub when he gets home. “

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Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

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P.S. The post for today on Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm is also about Tarot (link at bottomof this post).

Resource: Sample Cards from Xultun Deck on Aeclectic.Net; overall, this is one of the best Tarot sites I’ve found on the web.

‘til next time, keep seeing things from new angles and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****

THE NINE OF SWORDS

TODAY’S CARD IS the Nine of Swords. This version is from the Maat Tarot, by Julie Cuccia-Watts and is used by permission:



Here’s the Nine of Swords in The Rider/Waite/Smith Tarot:



THE NINE OF SWORDS: I chose this card to look at today because it is pretty much how I’ve been feeling on and off (more on than off) for several months. I.e., trying to wake up from a very bad dream.

DIFFERENT TAKES ON MEANINGS FOR THE NINE OF SWORDS:

The evil or intense difficulty is only temporary.

In general, the nines in The Tarot can indicate something that will pass quickly (as opposed to the tens which may be more stable and completed).

Trying to be in total control is exactly how things get messed up.

Keep it light! It’s not as bad as you fear.

Detach as much as possible from the situation or the person(s) involved; they are weighing you down and making clear thinking less likely.

Still “in bed” with the past.

The nightmare is in how you are thinking about it, not the situation itself.

A “heart stopping” moment, but things are really OK.

You’ve dealt with it for now, but the pattern may repeat if you haven’t dealt fully consciously.

Surprising generosity from some quarter.

Stop dreaming about it and do it!

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Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

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Resource: Joan's Reviews and Resources, a wonderful Tarot site where you can see some side by side comparisons of various decks; also has links and lists of e-zines.

‘til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****