Thoth – Rider-Waite

Victory: Triumph/Accomplishment, Group Pride/Acclaim, Lasting Order

The Six of Wands. Victory. Triumph. Acclaim. Pride. Nationalism. Accomplishment. Lasting order. The Six of Wands corresponds to the Sefirot of Tiphareth: Conscious Harmony. Whereas Kether is the original harmony of the Suit – the unconscious harmony – Tiphareth is the conscious harmony, which comes to understand that Chesed and Geburah are two sides of the same thing. This revelation brings about Tiphareth, which is in many ways like a toned-down Kether; if one looks at the Tree of Life, you can see that Tiphareth is the only Sefirot other than Chokmah and Binah that receives any energy of Kether. As such, after chaotic motion of Geburah, the light of Kether brings about realization and a conscious, explicit harmony to the Suit of Wands. In the Naples Arrangement, 6 is Experience; the Experience that brings about harmony.

The Six of Wands, then, is the combination of the Four and Five; of Completion and Strife, given a positive, enlightened spin. Conflict (Five) is brought to Order (Four) to bring Triumph and Accomplishment. Adversity (Five) comes together with Celebration (Four) to bring people together into groups, and the sense of Accomplishment (as a Group) and Group Pride rise out of this. Competition (Five) allows for the best to rise to the top, and Security (Four) provides for everyone else, giving everyone Lasting Order. Tiphareth restores balance and stability (as can be seen in the card’s meaning of Lasting Order) to the Suit of Wands and Element of Fire through experience and realization. As the center of the Tree of Life, the Sefirot of Tiphareth also represents the central balance of the suit, as all of the energies above Tiphareth flow into it, and Tiphareth flows into all below it (save Malkuth). As such, in many ways, Tiphareth represents some of the best the suit has to offer (the Sefirot Yesod performs a similar role). It is at this point that the previous elements of the Suit of Wands all come together: the power of the Ace and Dominion, the qualities of Virtue, the joy of Completion and the conquest of Strife.

As such, Victory represents group accomplishment, pride, unity, overcoming adversity, security, and permanence. In many ways, this card is a (weaker) and more stable version of the Chariot (VII). This card showcases many of the best aspects of the Suit of Wands.

The Rider-Waite art shows a very Caesar-esque figure, upon a horse with an ivy wreath upon his head and holding aloft a wand proudly, surrounded by others doing the same, illustrating and stressing the fact that this card is not about individual accomplishment, but rather that of a community or group. The Thoth illustration depicts six wands crossed in a grid, with a steady flame – not violent emanations any longer – burning in the squares of each, telling of strength through unity and stability. It is also interesting to note that the Wands with bird-like heads here are facing up now instead of down (like they were in the Five of Wands) – looking up to Kether’s influence.

In a reading, the Six of Wands indicates that you should be looking to those around you to help you overcome your mutual goals, and have a sense of pride in terms of where you are and what you’ve accomplished with those around you. Embrace your group identities and work with the team; through teamwork and passion you will overcome adversity and achieve victory, and one that will last. Reversed, this card asks you to look at how you may be focusing too much on your individual pride and accomplishments, and to instead look at how you fit in with the pride and accomplishments of those around you; maybe you have achieved a victory, but its effects will not be permanent, or you will have done it by yourself so that you will not have the joy of truly sharing your triumphs with those around you.

Thoth – Rider-Waite

Strife: Conflict, Adversity, and Competition

The Five of Wands. Strife. Conflict. Adversity. Frustration. Disagreement. Competition. Struggle. Disharmony. The Five of Wands corresponds to the Sefirot of Geburah, and is the first card that can really be interpreted as negative. The Sefirot Geburah corresponds to upset – essentially, the destruction of the balance of Chesed. As such, the four Fives – all of which correspond to Geburah – are primarily negative cards, and represent the stable energy of their suit being destroyed – and the destruction of stability (particularly the “good” stability of Chesed) is rarely positive. In the Naples Arrangement, 5 corresponds to motion – those actions matter can take once it has come into being. These motions, however naturally upset the previous state of stability and balance, and so Geburah also represents to the first strong appearance of chaos and disharmony, particularly among Wands. The passionate energy of Fire and Wands is shifted from the realm of the positive to the realm of the negative. In particular, the Five of Wands represents a form of chaos in the form of conflict and disagreement; the opposite in many ways of “order.”

The Five of Wands has the distinction, as I said, of being the first “negative” of the Wands. The previous harmonious energy of Wands is thrown off and upset by the motion of Geburah, and so the suits energies now relate to its unstable aspects. As the suit of Passion, situations and individuals charged with the energy of Wands often have strong feelings about things and are very stubborn, and so often might come into conflict, which is the word that best describes this card. When many diverging opinions move (Geburah) and come together, all backed up by passionate and driving wills, discord, disagreement, and competition all will come to the fore, and it is in situations like these that the energy of the Five of Wands is revealed.

A second aspect of the Five of Wands – though related to the first – is the idea of frustration and adversity. Why can’t others see your point of view? Why is this so difficult? With regards to adversity, this card primarily refers to struggles and frustrations with regard to the actions of others, as opposed to the hassles that characterize cards like the Eight of Swords, Interference. Interpersonal conflict leading to conflict, competition and feelings of annoyance and frustration define the Five of Wands: the coming together of passionate, opposing wills.

The art on the Rider-Waite card shows a group of men fighting and struggling against each other, and I believe covers the meaning of the card very simply and with little need for explanation. The Thoth illustration shows, like many of the other Wand cards, crossed wands (signalling strength and passion) on a field of flame. Notice that the emanations coming from the wands are much more subdued than those of the previous cards, and the bright yellow background contrasts greatly with the darker reds of the main picture, signalling opposition. The birdlike heads of the upper back wands also seem to me to be menacing, threatening the wands below them.

In a reading, the Five of Wands asks you to review your current situation with regards to opposing, negative relationships with others; are the causes of your frustrations the actions of others? Is there discord in your group of acquaintances or coworkers? How is competition playing a role in your life? The idea of competition here is the least negative; sometimes from competition and strife, stronger individuals emerge. But sometimes not. In reverse, this card indicates perhaps a lesser disagreement between people, or that you feel like being argumentative but manage to hide it. It could also be that while you feel like you’re in a competitive and strife-filled environment, others don’t – or perhaps others see the environment as that way and you don’t!

Thoth – Rider-Waite

Completion: Order, Celebration, Security

The Four of Wands. Completion. Order. Fulfillment. Security. Law. Friendship. Celebration. Festivity. The Four of Wands corresponds to the Sefirot Chesed: condensation, stability, and growth. The energy of Wands, when it flows through the Sefirot Chesed, is then solidified and made stable in a way that none of the previous Sefirot do. In the Naples Arrangement, four is the first appearance of matter. One is the divine spirit and the point, two is initial manifestation and distance, three is he birthing ground of the idea and the plane, and four, then, is when we as humans can finally fully experience and understand the energy of Wands as it shows itself in our world, as finally there is matter. Completion is the stable, healthy, growing aspect of the suit of Wands, and represents how its positive energies show themselves in our lives.

The Four’s aspect of Order and Law represents that order and law that is given to the people by the individuals described by Dominion and Virtue: these people, driven by the element of fire, go forth and define the world, and so through their actions the energy of Wands trickles down to those who do not necessarily possess the fiery passion of Wands themselves. To go along with this, the Four’s aspect of Security is again provided by the visionary, passionate leaders who shape the world and lay out the law for the protection of all.

And when one is secure, what should one do but celebrate? The festive aspect of the Four of Wands completes circle that brings completion and fulfillment: the joy of celebration and friendship and the security of law and order, coming together to provide a safe place for passion to be expressed. The Four of Wands is the solid manifestation of the energy of the element of Fire, and demonstrates how it plays a role in our lives every day.

The Rider-Waite art depicts a merry group of friends celebrating, emphasizing the festive nature of the card. The Thoth illustration, on the other hand, emphasizes the idea of completion and security, with four wands surrounded by a thick-walled circle, both providing fulfillment and protection – in a way, like a toned-down World or Universe (XXI).

In a reading, the Four of Wands asks one to examine how friendships, security, order, the law, and the passionate joy of celebration (similar to the divine drunkenness of Lust, but toned down significantly) are influencing your life. Reversed, this card tells you to examine how these energies in your life may have become blocked or twisted – is your security really secure? What are the qualities of your friendships? Do you feel complete? Do you go out and celebrate the joy of life enough?

Thoth – Rider-Waite

Virtue: Conception, Foresight, and Leadership

The Three of Wands. Virtue. Spring. Blossoming. Conception. Foresight. Leadership. Setting an example. The Three of Wands – or Virtue – corresponds to the Sefirot Binah, which represents duality, passivity, and the feminine. As such, the Three of Wands meets a form of contradiction here; it is the water of fire. It is where the active energy of the Wands meets the passive energy of Binah. As such, the themes of the suit of wands are expressed in more concrete terms here; Chokmah is the energy and force of the duality of Sefirot two and three, and Binah is the interpretation and receiver of that energy, and reflects it back as something new. As the head of the Pillar of Severity, Binah also serves the role of restricting, for the first time, the energy of fire.

As such, while the Two of Wands describes active characteristics in a person, situation, or object, the Three of Wands describes more passive characteristics, yet still reflections of the energetic suit of Wands. Creativity is represented by the “gentler” force of conception and brainstorming, the forces of Will and Drive are represented by replaced by the more passive quality of Foresight, and at the crux of the card as seen in its name, Power and Control are replaced by the idea of leadership, particularly by virtuous example. It takes a man or woman of passion to lead, and so the energy of Wands is expressed most through this aspect of the card.

The Rider-Waite art shows a man standing above a cliff-edge, somehow placed above the world but also looking down on it; he can see into the distance (foresight) better than most can, and at the same time exudes the gentle air of a thinker; he embodies, as the receiver and interpreter of the energy of Wands, how the best of the Suit of Wands and Fire can be seen in the world. The Thoth illustration shows three crossed wands, and while behind them one can still see emanations of power, they are much more subdued than those of the Ace and of Dominion. The Three of Wands, then, represents the “soft” side of the Suit of Wands, while the Two is the “Hard” side – both cards represent one half of the duality of the characteristics of Wands, and one who can harness the power of both will certainly be strong.

In a reading, this card emphasizes the importance of foresight, and can also indicate renewal and blossoming; in this way, one can draw parallels to the Fool and in some respects to the Sun, with their ideas of rebirth and leading out of the darkness. The Three of Wands, also with reference to the feminine Sefirot Binah, also can represent spring and caring to some extent. The card of Virtue additionally tells us about the inherent nature of something about the situation; to look for how it – or perhaps ourselves – can lead by example, or just take on the role of leadership in general. It advises us to look at how the qualities of leadership play roles on our lives. In reverse, this energy is blocked somehow; look at how you are not using foresight, how perhaps others being leaders are overshadowing you (or if this works for you, how this is benefiting you), or perhaps how conceptual and brainstorming energies are being blocked or inhibited.

Thoth – Rider-Waite

Dominion: Will/Drive, Control/Power, and Creation/Destruction

The Two of Wands. Dominion. Strength. Will. Boldness. Drive. Exploration. Power. Control. Force. Destruction and Creation. The card Dominion corresponds to the Sefirot of Chokmah; the active masculine, creativity, and wisdom. Chokmah is the first of the Sefirot to be made of something other than the pure, abstract force of the suit; it is the pure idea; however, rather than just being the idea, this is the first manifestation of the idea that we can see; as opposed to the more abstract concepts of the Ace, we can see the effects of the Two upon our world much more easily.

The Two of Wands shows how the suit of wands first appears in our lives, and is the original harmonious idea of the suit. Like the Ace, the Two is mostly abstract, and instead of being an emanation, like I said, is a manifestation. The suit of Wands and the element of Fire in their pure idea form are molded into personality traits and characteristics in the Two; the creative force of the Ace becomes the act of creation and destruction, the active force of the Ace becomes will, control, and power, while the passionate force of the Ace becomes also will, drive, and exploration. The Ace’s aspect of pure courage becomes the somewhat less abstract boldness, as well.

Essentially, the two of Wands is like a diluted version of the Ace; still with many of the ideas, but slightly more tangible and toned down. It still has great power, however, and a special place as the first manifestation of a suit’s energies. As Chokmah, the two also represents the line, and the first concept of distance. The point of Kether is an abstract concept in the nothingness, infinitely small, but the line represents the first thing that can be measured and seen, and these qualities express themselves in the Two.

In a reading, the Two of Wands generally points to the issues of power, boldness, acts of creation and/or destruction, and will or drive. It also can indicate the desire or need to explore new paths or territories, to travel down uncharted seas in the journey of life. Reversed, the Two indicates to me that these energies are struggling to be expressed, or advising that they have become too dominant in you and suggesting you to tone them down.

The art of the Rider-Waite card depicts a man holding the world in his hands suggesting power and control, while simultaneously looking out to sea; which to me always suggested exploration. The Thoth illustration is not quite as easy to interpret, and my interpretation of it comes mainly from Crowley’s theories and the Sefirot; two crossed wands with lines of power coming from them; a sign of strength, control, and power.

Thoth – Rider-Waite

The Origin: Passion, Action, and Creativity

The Ace of Wands. It corresponds to the element of fire, and the Sefirot Kether. Kether is the eternal spirit, perfection, unity, purity, force, emanation, and the seed. In terms of the Naples Arrangement, Kether is the point; the first manifestation of the idea of position in nothing. As the first emanation and appearance of the suit of Wands – and the element of Fire – the Ace of Wands represents the unified ideal of the suit of Wands in its most spiritual, pure, and abstract form.

So then, the Aces of Wands can be said to represent the pure idea of the suit of Wands. What, then, is this pure idea?

Wands represent fire. Fire, in turn, represents passion, action, and aggression. It is in many ways the opposite of Cups (Water), representing one half of one of the two dualities that define the four suits (Action/Passivity, Abstraction/Practicality). The Ace of Wands is the beginning of the path that the suit of Wands will take down the Sefirot, and is untainted by the influences of the Sefirot below Kether.

The Rider-Waite illustration shows a hand coming forth from a cloud – emerging from the realm of the eternal spirit (Kether) to give the bearer the Wand – this symbolizes the pure, untamed nature of the Ace, and its origins as outside of the world (not to mention the idea of the ace as the origin of the suit). The Thoth illustration of the card shows a very red, yellow, and orange (the colors of fire) wand, with zig-zagging, lightning-like emanations coming from it, representing the force, power, and otherworldly origins of this card. The presence only of these fiery hues also represents the card’s purity.

Now, the abstract is all well and good, but practically, what words best represent this card? If it comes up in a reading, what does it mean to me? Of course its meaning depends on its position in the spread, but generally, this card to me means Passion, Action, and Creativity. It represents the most powerful and pure form of extreme passion, the active manipulation of one’s surroundings, and the burst of energy associated with the first forays into the act of creation (Creative Force). There is nothing negative about this (or indeed, any of the aces), as they represent perfection. To a lesser extent, this card also symbolizes courage, confidence, and enthusiasm, though these qualities appear at the “lower” end of the card, nearer to the influence of the other Sefirot.

When used as practical advice, the Ace of Wands office is encouraging the querent to exemplify the qualities of the suit of Wands – encouraging them to be active, creative, and passionate – or to look at how these qualities are affecting their life, and possible acknowledge their presence if they are there already.

A reversed Ace of Wands (I read reversed cards as “blocking” the flow of energy of the card, so that the energy may be there, but will be lessened, hidden, or distorted somehow) could indicate a need to scale back the qualities of the suit of Wands, or that the energy of this suit is struggling to express itself but somehow finds itself blocked – or that the pure energy of the Ace of Wands has become twisted somehow, and that one should see if they can correct the twist.

The Sefirot of Kether also has an elemental association with fire, which makes the Ace of Wands the origin of fire of fire, which earns it a special place in the Tree of Life and the Tarot. To me, the Ace of Wands is also the ultimate origin; it most purely represents the Sefirot of Kether, the divine spirit and perfect emanation. The card itself represents the divine spirit and energy, and can be said to be behind Afflatus Divine, the passion of the act of sex, and the dominating will of God. The Ace of Wands, then, is truly the start of the Tarot, and the origin of the rest of the cards, containing more energy than the others, that allow it to give birth to the Tree of Life.

The Tarot are representatives of our life-course and the world around us. In the Tarot Challenge, I will be going through each of the seventy-eight cards and explaining to my fullest ability what each card means to me. As the cards are largely subjective, they mean different things to different people. My thoughts on the cards come from two major sources: the first is my interpretations of the deck I learned to read Tarot with, the Rider-Waite deck, and the second is my interpretation of the Thoth deck and the cards’ relation to the tree of life. For the more practical interpretation of each card, I lean more on the meanings of the simplistic artwork of the Rider-Waite deck, but for the more abstract and deeper voices of the cards, I lean more on Crowley’s Thoth deck and his (and my own) interpretations of the Tarot with regards to the Sefirot and the Tree of Life.

The way that I envision the Tarot is as a divided representative of the Tree of Life; the Kabbalistic idea of how the divine energy of EinSof flows from heaven to earth, manifesting itself. Each numbered card in the suit, 1-10, represents one of the ten Sefirot; Kether, Chokmah, Binah, Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hog, Yesod, and Malkuth. The meaning of each of these Sefirot and how they apply to the cards, as well as words on the organization and nature of them, will be delved into in more detail after I finish discussing each card. The suits of each card shape the way that each numbered card manifests the Sefirot they represent. Additionally, each Sefirot represents a number in the Naples arrangement: Position, Line, Plane, Matter, Motion, Experience, Bliss, Knowledge, Being, and Reality. Essentially, each Sefirot represents one level of the world’s – and life’s – basic construction.

The four court cards in each suit correspond to a particular Sefirot as well: Kings are Chokmah (the active male), Queens are Binah (the passive female), Princes are Tiphareth (Experience), and Princesses are Malkuth (Reality). Again, the suit of the court cards also reflects how they express each Sefirot; each court card also represents distinctive personalities we may see in ourselves and those around us, and between them all cover most aspects of personality that we see.

The Major Arcana, on the Tree of Life, are placed between each of the Sefirot. As such, they represent the paths the energy from EinSof must take to reach the Earth. In this sense, they also reflect the natures of the Sefirot that they connect. Additionally, when number 0-XXI, they tell the story of one’s life from a baby to their integration with the world.

Keep in mind that throughout this whole challenge I will be referring to “male” and “female” dualities and characteristics. Due to my sociological training, this is hard for me in many respects, so here I would like to emphasize that I acknowledge that gender is not binary but rather is a spectrum, nor is there any “right” way to do gender. I am merely using the antiquated terms philosophically.

Right, so I got some time to do a Tarot reading. Earlier, I made a post in which I analyzed the uprising in Egypt using the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread. Now, I aim to analyze the Middle Eastern situation as it currently is – using Joan Bumming’s Yin Yang Spread. Educate yourselves. The question: what are the opposing perspectives in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East between governments and the people? using the Thoth Deck:

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Central Matter One: The Empress – Unity. Caring. Motherly. Nurturing. Sensual. Sexual. Nature. Passion. Interesting, as I don’t see this card represented at all really in the situation except for the last. The card isn’t reversed, either, so this card is not representing a lack of something – but the presence of it. I think, in this case, we should be looking at passion, then – which certainly can be seen, especially in Libya, with civil war, a leader desperately clinging on to power, and the people trying to take it from him. The card could also represent the people’s desire to be a nurturing figure to country as an abstract principle; by overthrowing the Western-backed dictators, they are doing a good deed for the country, and allowing themselves to nurture it back to its full potential.

Central Matter Two: Queen of Cups. A personality, most likely, as this is a court card. Cups – emotion figures into it. Queen – the “feminine.” The water of water. Reflectivity, passivity, dreaminess, fantasy. But… this could also indicate distortion of reality – on the parts of the dictators? Qaddafi certainly is guilty of this, with his ideological trickery, and his denial of the unrest – and Ahmadinejad is as well, with his denial of the Holocaust. They project peace to hide the turmoil that lurks within; and indeed, the figure on the card is obscured partly by smoke. Truth being hidden by powerful personalities strikes me here, as tranquility is transmitted – but in the end, the true nature of the country will be reflected when the ripples on the surface of the water cease.

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Government Official Stance/Desired Impression: Five of Disks – Worry. Instability. Strain. Helplessness? Could this indicate that the stance the governments are taking is that the people are bringing instability to the previously stable countries? This could be argued to be true; maybe the situation was terrible before, but it was stable. The governments might also be arguing that the country has hit upon hard times, which triggered this unnecessary revolution; but whatever it is, unrest and worry is part of the government’s stance. Likely, squelching this worry is also part of it. Alternatively, the government could be expressing worry and concern about this unrest, taking the card’s name literally, and trying to come off as putting the interests of the people at heart, though this may be false; a distortion, perchance?

Government Conscious Thoughts/Ideal Goal: Knight of Swords – Fitting that a court card be here, as the governments are typically strong individuals (dictators). This card, the fire of air, indicates ferocity, managed violence, clever subtlety, and an ideological drive. The dictators in charge certainly are ferocious and violent, but manage these parts of themselves in such a way that they appear only to be acting in the best interests of the people – certainly a manifestation of ideology, yes? And subtle and clever their propaganda and manipulations have been as well, to remain in power for so long. In this position, the government is conscious of these actions, and might even embrace them. However, this card can also represent fragility – the government, having seen others topple, knows that its rule is not unshakable. They can be toppled. As an ideal, the government will take on these characteristics even more so to increase its power.

Government Unconscious Thoughts: The Hanged Man. Things not being as they seem. Suspension. Letting things happen. Perhaps, somewhere deep down inside, the governments have resigned themselves to their fate, and though trying to put off their loss of power, know that it is inevitable, and that things will be turned upside down; and perhaps they also realize that the only way for them to win is to step down peacefully and let the country grow again, though their conscious thoughts prevent this from manifesting.

Government Guidance: The Eight of Cups – Indolence. In order to “fix” the situation, the most relevant meanings of the cards here seem to be surrender and moving on – the government has lost, or will lose. Tying in with the Hanged Man, they should just accept this and move on.

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The People’s Official Stance/Desired Impression:  The Princess of Disks. A persona – the Earth of Earth. Potential, beauty, the ability to create and give birth. That is exactly the image the people want to have – they want to remake their country, to give birth to and create something beautiful;to make it sublime. They see themselves as holding the future, and will make the world a better place.

The People’s Conscious Thoughts/Ideal Goal: Three of Wands – Virtue. Blossoming. Conception. Morality. Leading by example. Foresight. At the forefront of the peoples’ thoughts is the fiery passion if new birth and growth – the development of a new nation, ruled not by the whims of petty dictators, but ruled with the long-term goals of the people in mind; ruled with foresight. This card could also represent that the people are concerned with the morality of the constant situation, and seek to bring an element of humanitarianism in with them. Achieving this state of virtue is their ideal goal.

The People’s Unconscious Thoughts: Princess of Cups [Reversed]. Interesting; to me, a reversed card in an unconscious position reinforces the fact that the thought is unconscious – and perhaps even being suppressed. Another court card, the personality this represents is one of perpetual rapture, romance, inner exploration, and gentleness. These qualities certainly aren’t being expressed; perhaps they indicate suppressed desires? Perhaps the people aren’t looking into their own motives for overthrowing the dictators? Is it that the people want to be able to be happy and live in the wild and joyous abandon of the Princess of Cups, but can’t, which is why they are attempting their revolt? This card is probably the least clear to me – but I am not good with court cards.

The People’s Guidance: Five of Cups – Disappointment. Unexpected disturbance. Triumph of matter over spirit. The latter seems most relevant to me; in the end, though their cries and chants are often ideologically defined, what drives the revolutionaries and will lead to their success is the admittance that what they want is material; they want material, tangible benefits denied to them by the dictator. The question is; will they get these benefits, or will the be disappointed; like they have been Egypt so far with the military? They should be wary of disappointment; they might not get what they expected or wanted.

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Guidance for Both: Ace of Cups. Emotional force; the birth of emotion. Intimacy. Love. Intuition. Seems simple(ish) to me, and very generic and kind of cheesy; they need to understand and respect each other (intimacy, love). The government should acknowledge the peoples’ wishes, and the people should acknowledge the government’s stake in the matter, and what will be lost. Will this happen? Likely not. Should it? I myself am divided on this. Emotion will play a key role in resolving this conflict; people’s ways of life will change, and with it, emotions will run high. Acknowledging and using these emotions will benefit both sides.

Outcome if Nothing Changes: Three of Disks – Works. Teamwork. Planning. Construction. Competence. A pretty good card, if I might say so myself. If the situation doesn’t change, construction will begin – but construction of what? I took this to mean of new nations, as “construction” does not imply “renovation,” which would have indicated the regime holding on to power. The people will cooperate and work together to build a nation that will function and work well (competence). Maybe, then, the situation should carry on as it is. The government will suffer, but the people will not in the end.

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So there you have it. Lots of court cards; personalities and strong characteristics of populations will play large roles. They could be indicating the roles of dictators. Lots of cups as well, indicating the charged emotions involved. Also note that the cups that appear (other than the Queen) are in the positions for “guidance” – all sides should, then, perhaps, let their intuition guide them to reach the best possible outcome. Disks are present in both sides’ public images, interestingly; both sides want to be seen as offering the practical solution, and to be seen also as being grounded in reality. When thinking about this reading, I was drawing mostly in Libya – were my thoughts guiding me to the next major site of change in the Middle East?

Well, there are my thoughts on the matter reflected in the cards. Think about it while I get some sleep.

A bit earlier than I said, but the writing update will come later. I recently just tried two new spreads, and was happy with one and not so much with the other.

The one I was not so happy with was a fifteen-card spread I decided to try based on the little booklet included with my Thoth deck – with five groups of three cards, one representing the heart of the matter, two representing different futures, one indicating the implications/psychology of the individual querent, and the last telling of larger forces. The main problem I had with it is the presence of the two futures indicate more divination than I am comfortable with, and the whole set-up just seems too simplistic, and the presence of three cards for each issue makes things murkier than they need to be. It was neat, however, to be able top modify the strengths of the central cards based on the influences of the flanking ones. I had a few interesting readings, but in the end, it didn’t call to me.

The second one I tried was Joan Bumming’s Yin-Yang spread. I asked the same question of this one (I tried the question with Celtic Cross, Fifteen-Card, and Yin-Yang), and I felt like it gave me the better answer. It was clear, concise, helpful, and very well-designed. Interpreting the cards came with no real difficulty and it almost seemed as if the spread was tailor-made for the conflict I was examining. I think I may have a new spread to often use along with the Celtic Cross I think. I will be examining this one further, then seeing what happens when I look at some of Raven’s spreads.

I’ve moved the site and set it up here! Yay! I took off most of the information about the Juxian Mythos – for now. As more books and stories are released, more information will be put up on the site!