The Royal Road to Being a Messiah – A Reading from the Book of Tarot for April 5, 2012

Illustrations from the Albano Waite Tarot@deck reproduced by permission of US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. Copyright c 1990 by US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT. Further reproduction prohibited.

Two Tarot cards have been pulled to practice the inducement of synchronicity. The intention is for you to watch for the consciousness these cards represent to be reflected in the events of your day. This practice, known as Yoga of the West, is designed to build a bridge of intuition between your unconscious and conscious mind: a bridge to wholeness.

SAMEKH

The first card is an archetype card chosen according to the numerology of the day. Each archetype card in the Tarot represents a path on the Tree of Life (Kabbalah). Today is 04, 05, 2012, or number 14: Temperance, also 5: The Hierophant. The path the Hierophant is that of spiritual leader. I’m going to break with my recent pattern of reaching for the higher consciousness.  With Easter approaching the Crossroads that is embodied on the path of Temperance is particularly important to pay attention to. The path SAMEKH that represents this consciousness is shaded on the diagram provided. This path leads directly to Messianic consciousness.

The path of Temperance is one of holding balance in the face of overwhelming events outside of your control. This path is the Crossroads of music legend that has to be crossed in order to create with the muses. The angel depicted on this card is said to be a hermaphrodite (child of Aphrodite and Hermes). In India this dual being, two sexes united in one personality, is the primal force, the Light from which life emanates. This symbolism is repeated on the hermaphrodite’s forehead in the symbol for the center of infinity: emanation or first cause. Human creativity soars to rainbow heights at this crossroad. The figure has one foot rooted in the water, feelings, and one foot planted on green earth, living form. This path balances sexuality (creativity) and love (creation). Art, creation, brings feelings into living form. The water flowing between cups in the angel’s hands is actually flowing from the lower cup to the higher cup symbolizing rising to a higher consciousness. Higher conscious also symbolized by the golden road that leads out of the water and to the  “crowned” mountain peaks in the background, Temperance is a path of direct transcendence to whole consciousness; to being a Messiah. 

The second card is a face card. Each face card in the Tarot represents an aspect of personality. There are four personality types: feeling (cups), thinking (swords), intuitive (wands) and sensate (pentacles). Each personality type has four levels of consciousness that correlate to maturity, or level of consciousness: page, knight, queen and king.  Who is highest consciousness, the King or the Page is in contention in different Cabals. Regardless, all of us, male and female, have the capacity to realize all of these aspects of personality and levels of consciousness. The paths of the Tree are four-dimensional. Each level of personality travels its own dimension on each path simultaneously.  A whole human being fully conscious realizes all levels of all personality types on all paths

Today’s face card, or aspect of personality to watch for is the King of Swords. Watch for a master of just thought.   Swords, fire, have to do with intellect, the Thinking personality.  The King of Swords is the only king that looks straight at us.  He asks us, “Is your life a life of truth?”  This king has his sword in his right hand fully revealed but note it is angled.  This king’s justice is tempered by compassion. The ring of power that this king wears on his left hand further symbolizes his compassionate understanding. There are butterflies of transformation on his throne, joined by an angel whispering in the king’s ear, and a winged angel’s head decorates his crown. These winged beings tell us that this king’s humanity has elevated his thinking to celestial realms.  The two birds in the sky are the bird of justice flying in the company of the bird of expedience. This king is not quick to judge and condemn, he considers extenuating circumstances. The King of Swords reminds us that wholeness requires us to rule with our heads above the clouds, wholeness requires us to be practical.

Please note:

People also consult the Tarot as an oracle. Caution is advised. An oracle opens the door to spiritual deception as easily as spiritual truth. To read more about Yoga of the West go to http://bit.ly/9BiovO

The Highest Consciousness on the Tree of Life – KETHER – the 1st Path- The 10th Absolute in Choosing Honor

Illustrations from the Albano Waite Tarot@deck reproduced by permission of US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. Copyright c 1990 by US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT. Further reproduction prohibited.

The 1st path in the Yoga of the West tradition, Kabbalah, using the Tarot, is the path known as KETHER, the path of pure being represented by Aces. The power on this path is often referred to as the “hand of God.” Each Tarot card’s image is dominated by a hand extending from clouds delivering or offering gifts. The gifts are consciousness that exists before words. Wands and Cups are brought to us by left hands while Swords and Pentacles are delivered via right hands. The balance of right and left hand power is repeated throughout the symbolism found on the Tree of Life. The right hand refers to severity and material form. The left hand refers to compassion and oneness. KETHER is the seed of consciousness, as we know it.

KETHER

KETHER is the path used to define the 10th Absolute found in my book, Choosing Honor.  10) All of creation is one creation. All of creation is one connected whole powered by the Light. The same frequencies of attraction hold all and bring all of creation into form

Each circular path known as Sefirot is represented by the corresponding numerical suit card in the Tarot.  Each suit represents a personality type. Your astrological sign determines your personality type.  Pentacles represent earth signs. Cups represent water signs. Swords represent fire signs. Wands represent air signs.  It should be noted some Cabals differ over the fire and air signs. Some think swords are air and wands fire. I don’t.  Jung didn’t either. I follow Carl Jung on this.

Whole personalities according to Jung are born dominated by one out of four personality types. These types are four parts of a circle of wholeness that is a fully realized personality. Jung’s theory is that a person dominant in one type is usually lacking the most in the aspects of the type counter clockwise on the circle. A person’s suppressed or lacking aspects are the key to personality disorders. Realizing full consciousness, to be whole, is to realize a full balance of all four personality type consciousnesses on all ten sefirots or circle paths on the Tree of Life.

For Sensate personalities experiencing KETHER is to realize the gift of our incarnation. This card represents our material consciousness. The material world we are delivered into is a garden; all that we need is available. The archway out of the garden is rounded thus mystical. If we move out of the garden, our safe and familiar material incarnate place, we move to a place of higher understanding. Note this is the one Ace card that does not have symbolic floating letters or seeds. The sacred seed in this Suit is the pentacle itself. The sacred is in the material form in this aspect of our being.  The Pentacle is the symbol for the material teaching that our bodies are the temple of God.

KETHER for the Feeling personality overflows with feelings. The imagery on the Ace of Cups incorporates mankind’s major religions. Christian “knowing” and communion is seen in the dove, host, and chalice. Hinduism and Buddhism rising from the dark depths into the light, is seen in the lotus flowers floating in the water at the base of the card.  Hebrew symbolism is seen in the floating letters, Yod, “cause of all being,” floating all around the five streams of water, our five senses, which “floweth over.” From this Cup we receive reverent awe, unremitting joy and spiritual freedom with every sense of our being.

The Ace of Swords symbolizes the thinking aspect of our personality on KETHER. Here we find the peak power of intellect. The crown on the sword tells us that human intellect given to us by the hand of God is our crowning glory. The sword pierces the crown, to show us that above all truth reigns supreme. Hanging from the crown we see laurel leaves for victory and palm leaves for peace. These leaves tell us that the best use of the intellect is to divine balanced victory, the win-win situation in which everyone walks away satisfied. Intellect of the Sword cuts to the truth. Truth in turn invariably reveals solutions that are for the good of all. 

The Ace of Wands is the seed that drives the intuitive personality. The card depicts God gifting us with the wand of knowing. Wands are the suit most closely aligned to sexuality. This Ace wand is the big bang of creation. The leaves bursting off of the wand are the abundant seeds of creation. From these seeds nothing becomes something.  From the seeds of the wand we receive the power of knowing,the power to create something out of nothing: the power to create the castle on the peak in the distance.

Please note:

This reading is meant for the practice of Yoga of the West, a Tarot meditation designed to build a bridge of intuition between the reader’s unconscious mind and the symbolism found in the cards.  People also consult the cards as an oracle. Caution is advised. An oracle opens the door to spiritual deception as easily as spiritual truth. To read more about Yoga of the West go to http://bit.ly/9BiovO

Mary T. Ficalora, is the author of the award winning book, Choosing Honor: a philosophical treatise that applies the symbolism found on the Tree of Life to reveal an unpredictable tonic for what ails America. For more on Kabbalah and how it relates to the tonic prescribed in Choosing Honor go to http://bit.ly/f0VOAX

Crossing Over to Freedom – A Reading from the Book of Tarot for February 25, 2012

Illustrations from the Albano Waite Tarot@deck reproduced by permission of US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. Copyright c 1990 by US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT. Further reproduction prohibited.

Two Tarot cards are profiled. These cards have been pulled to induce synchronicity. The intention is for you to watch for the consciousness they represent to be reflected in the events of your day. This practice known as Yoga of the West, is designed to build a bridge of intuition between the reader’s unconscious and conscious mind; a bridge to wholeness.

The first card is an archetype card chosen according to the numerology of the day. Each archetype card in the Tarot represents a path on the Tree of Life (Kabbalah). Today is 02, 25, 2012, or number 14: Temperance. The path this card represents is shaded on the diagram included. The consciousness on this path is known as SAMEKH.   This is the bridge over trouble waters on the first crossroads into higher consciousness.

I always think of Temperance as the path on which we make our pact with the Devil.  For to cross over this path is to enter the level of  consciousness on the tree that shares the path of AYIN, the Devil. The path of Temperance is one of holding balance in the face of overwhelming events outside of your control. This path is the Crossroads of music legend that has to be crossed in order to create with the muses. On the consciousness induced at this crossroads we discover the first need to choose honor or dishonor in regards to standing for the good of all or for our self in the face of events outside of our control. The angel depicted on this card is said to be a hermaphrodite (child of Aphrodite and Hermes). In India this dual being, two sexes united in one personality, is the primal force, the Light from which life emanates. This symbolism is repeated on the hermaphrodite’s forehead in the symbol for the center of infinity: emanation or first cause. Human creativity soars to rainbow heights at this crossroad. The figure has one foot rooted in the water, feelings, and one foot planted on green earth, living form. This path balances sexuality (creativity) and love (creation). Art, creation, brings feelings into living form. The water flowing between cups in the angel’s hands is actually flowing from the lower cup to the higher cup symbolizing rising to a higher consciousness. Temperance is the path of direct transcendence to wholeness, the golden road on which the muses lead us to highest consciousness..

The second card is a face card. Each face card in the Tarot represents an aspect of personality. There are four personality types: feeling (cups), thinking (swords), intuitive (wands) and sensate (pentacles). Each personality type has four levels of consciousness: page, knight, queen and king. All of us, male and female, have the capacity to realize all of these aspects of personality. We are all both male and female and we are all a balance of every personality type. The paths of the Tree are four-dimensional. Each level of personality travels its own dimension on each path simultaneously.

The Queen of Swords is the fully realized free feminine ruler. This Queen is a freethinker as symbolized by the single bird in the sky, and the butterflies on her crown and throne.  This Queen is a single minded, focused, and powerful person. Her head is above the clouds. She enjoys clarity and objectivity; she wants truth.  The Queen’s left hand is up and welcoming, she is willing to listen. Her sword is straight up; you will get a fair hearing.  But, note the frayed, or tasseled rope on her wrist. In a number of earlier Sword cards you see powerless female figures with their arms bound and eyes blindfolded. This figure has broken free. She is unbound. In life,  she has been there, and done that. She has survived, do not mess with her, do not attempt to feed her any lies. The cross to wholeness for this figure is seen in the child on her throne, it is just a head, pure intellect. This queen can be a harsh critic; she doesn’t give herself or anyone else any slack. The path to wholeness for this person requires realistic tolerance that finds value in what is, without the need to look for what isn’t.

 Please note:

People also consult the Tarot as an oracle. Caution is advised. An oracle opens the door to spiritual deception as easily as spiritual truth. To read more about Yoga of the West go to http://bit.ly/9BiovO

Follow the Muse Across the Troubled Waters – A Reading from the Book of Tarot for February 6, 2012

Tarot, kabbalah, meditation, tree of life, consciousness, being, wholeness, yoga of the west, transcendence, mindfulness

SAMEKH and TIPHARETH

Two cards are profiled. Each card corresponds to a path on the Tree of Life (Kabbalah). These paths are highlighted in the pictures provided. The combination of what the cards symbolize and the placement of the paths they represent on the Tree will reveal what you need to see this day.

 

 

The first card, Temperance is an archetype card chosen according to the numerology of the day. Today is 2, 06, 2012, or number 14: Temperance.  The second card is the 6 of Swords, a random draw seeking the ideal card to contemplate in relation to current events this day.

 

The path of Temperance is one of holding balance in the face of overwhelming events outside of your control. This path is the Crossroads of music legend that has to be crossed in order to create with the muses. The angel depicted on this card is said to be a hermaphrodite (child of Aphrodite and Hermes). In India this dual being, two sexes united in one personality, is the primal force, the Light from which life emanates. This symbolism is repeated on the hermaphrodite’s forehead in the symbol for the center of infinity: emanation or first cause. Human creativity soars to rainbow heights at this crossroad. The figure has one foot rooted in the water, feelings, and one foot planted on green earth, living form. This path balances sexuality (creativity) and love (creation). Art, creation, brings feelings into living form. The water flowing between cups in the angel’s hands is actually flowing from the lower cup to the higher cup symbolizing rising to a higher consciousness. Temperance is the path of direct transcendence to wholeness, the golden road on which the muses lead us to highest consciousness..

 

The Six of Swords falls on the 6^th Path, Tiphareth. The 6 all Suits in the Tarot combined represent the 6^h path in this Yoga of the West tradition, Kabbalah. The 6^th path is the path of heart, the Messiah. In the East it would be called the Bodhisattva consciousness. A good metaphor for the energy on this path that is represented by the 6 of Swords would be the loneliness of Gethsemane. The 6 of Swords can also be summed up in the saying, “when the going gets tough, the tough get tougher. The figures depicted on the card are in a boat, the boat’s captain is left hand up; he knows, and right hand down, doing the work; bringing about the change. Wholeness requires that we move through or across the troubled waters (note the ripples in the foreground) with determination and strength of will, even if we have to do it alone and or without help.

 

 

Please note:

 

This reading is meant for the practice of Yoga of the West, a Tarot meditation designed to build a bridge of intuition between the reader’s unconscious and conscious mind.  People also consult the cards as an oracle. Caution is advised. An oracle opens the door to spiritual deception as easily as spiritual truth. To read more about Yoga of the West go to http://bit.ly/9BiovO