THE SIX OF CUPS

TODAY'S CARD IS The Six of Cups. This version is from The Feng Shui Tarot, by Eileen Connolly and Peter Paul Connolly:



For comparison, here's The Six of Cups in the Rider/ Waite/ Smith deck:



THE SIX OF CUPS: As to the Feng Shui Tarot's corresponding of the suit of Cups with the Phoenix, the little white book that comes with the deck does not explain this odd correspondence (water = fire?). It simply states that of the two schools of Feng Shui, this deck "employs visual depictions of Form school Feng Shui as a means of balancing a site and its environment within a particular card." So I googled but found other Taroists as confused as I. I hope that the book that has been published to go with the deck explains this. (The other suit correspondences make more sense, at least to this reader.)

Now for some Tarot synchronicity (or more likely, suggestion). One of the meanings for The Six of Cups is childhood abuse, which I did suffer. I drafted this post yesterday and last night had a dream about which I just wrote this haiku:

close to home
the child foils
a stalker

I like very much that the stalker was foiled. :-)

Another Six of Cups traditional meaning is nostalgic pleasure. So I'm going to indulge in a little here. Many years ago I studied both Tarot and Gnothology (numerology) with Eileen Connolly. During one of those courses I had the great delight to see some of the original art work in progress for the lovely (and now long published) Connolly Tarot. I also got to meet the artist, her son Peter Paul Connolly. I was star struck -- Tarot pun definitely intended!

DIFFERENT TAKES ON THE SIX OF CUPS:

Addiction issues; alcoholism.

A wish to have it all "handed to you on a silver platter."

Overly sentimental or sweet.

Reactionary attitudes; clinging to what was at the expense of what is.

There's something to be learned from your childhood that when you do will be a gift.

Time to be playful, to have fun, to do what gives you pleasure.

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Resource:Robert M. Place's Web Site, the prolific Tarot artist, and author. (See my review of one of his books that I posted yesterday.)

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

‘til next time, keep having fun 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.****

REVIEW OF "THE TAROT: History, Symbolism, and Divination," by Robert M. Place

THE TAROT: History, Symbolism, and Divination

by Robert M. Place
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin; 2005; ISBN 1-58542-349-1

I first studied the Tarot over 30 years ago and have since read a great many articles and books on its history. Many of them rehashed the same information and a few presented something new or an intriguing slant on the old (at least to me, as I do not consider myself a Tarot scholar, just a passionate devotee). Place’s book is unique in his examination of the evolution of the Tarot symbols themselves. It was this aspect that drew me to the book and initially kept me captivated.

However, Place does not only cover the evolution of Tarot art/symbols, but goes into depth on the underlying philosophies that influenced these designs at any given time. After these chapters, he then examines the classic Rider/Waite/Smith deck’s evolution, making a good case for more important contributions to their design by the artist, Pamela Colman Smith, than she is usually given credit for. In the subsequent chapter, Place examines each of the Rider/Waite/Smith cards, which ultimately revivified the deck for this reader.

Place ends his book with a chapter on reading the cards and offers original layouts. In effect the book has by this point run the gamut from Tarot origins, to evolution, to a classic deck, ending in specific methods of use – effectively grounding the intellectual research in the practical use of the cards. This is an amazing accomplishment, especially as he does not give short-shrift to any of these areas.

Place’s scholarship is evident. He synthesizes information from art history, philosophies, and other Tarot scholars to offer a compelling picture of how the Tarot most probably evolved. I also kept recalling as I read that he has designed four Tarot decks (The Alchemical, The Saints, The Angels and The Buddha Tarots) with a fifth (The Vampire Tarot) soon to be published, and is therefore an artist himself. And what moved me literally from the beginning of the book was that his Tarot calling was presaged in a dream. (My three passions are dreams, poetry and Tarot. See my other blog for dreams and poetry; link at bottom of this post.) It is this combination of scholarship, artistry, and intuition that made the book such an intriguing and gut-trustworthy read for me.

This book is, in essence, a compact course on the Tarot, with an emphasis on the history of its art and symbols. It would be intriguing to people interested in art history of any kind. A person new to the Tarot could find it useful if starting at the chapter delving into the Rider/Waite/Smith deck card symbols and meanings, followed by the chapter on layouts, and then reading the rest of the book from the beginning. But most of all, I believe Place's book belongs in the Tarot library of every serious Tarot afficionado.

* * * *

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

‘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.****

THE QUEEN OF WANDS

TODAY'S CARD IS the Queen of Wands. This version is from The Thoth Deck, painted by Lady Frieda Harris:



For comparison, here's the Queen of Wands in the Rider/ Waite/ Smith deck:



THE QUEEN OF WANDS: Initially I wanted to post any one of several Queen of Wands that are more unusual or newer than the one in The Thoth deck. However, as I mused on the Queen of Wands I recalled the below amazing story from The Tarot Handbook, by Angeles Arrien, that is about the Thoth Queen of Wands:

"...[S]he represents ... a woman who, before she knew who she was, had black hair and walked with a panther by her side. As she began to discover who she was her hair turned brown and the panther changed to a leopard. When she fully realized who she was and began to manifest who she was in the world ..., her hair turned fiery red. At this stage of self-knowledge, she pinched the growth marks of the leopard to prevent it from transforming into a beautiful lion to match her self-knowledge because she wanted a reminder of the dark places from whence she had come (the spots on the leopard)."

After looking up this story so I could quote it here, I found myself re-reading "The Tarot Handbook," mining gem after gem I'd forgotten in the sixteen years since I first read it. Thank you, Thoth Queen of Wands, for shedding your light on this long-shelved book!

DIFFERENT TAKES ON THE QUEEN OF WANDS:

A controlling person.

Repression or denial.

Someone who will not, or should, let go of the past. Or, someone who is ready to move on and just needs encouragement and support to do so.

Someone in the past (living or dead) is attached to the querant and needs to be released.

"Keep the focus on the self," as is said in 12 Step groups. E.g., pay attention to one's own issues, and don't project onto others or get caught up in others' issues.

Something in one's past needs healing ... or ... Something unfinished in one's past is being agitated by this present situation ... or ... Something is only an echo from the past -- acknowledge it and let it go.

This is an odd one, but a friend and I have often seen this card indicate dental problems.

Physical detoxing. I've seen this card many times when I've just begun a diet or fast.

Get as up-to-date with your life's various projects as you possibly can.

I've always seen a hidden likeness to Medusa in this card (wands are sometimes corresponded to serpents), in the sense that a woman's power can sometimes be seen as fearsome. In a reading I've seen this mean: Due to the limitations of the situation, a temporary voluntary damping of one's power and drive is necessary.

* * * *

Resource: Thoth Web Gallery, has some original drafts of Lady Frieda Harris's designs for the Thoth deck.

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

‘til next time, keep recognizing where you come from 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.****