Good morning and Welcome! to The Fool’s Tarot for 13Jan2017, our first Friday the 13th of the New Year. Today I am using the three-card “What IS it?” spread (my naming) for my usual 2 MA and a Court card. They represent the Masculine current in my life today, the feminine current, and finally the catalyst between the two energies, either as a person or as an energy nexus, a Court card or an Ace. Sulfur – Mercury – Salt. Today’s deck is a favorite, *The Rosetta Tarot* by M.M. Meleen, she of Tabula Mundi fame. This is one of her earlier decks, and I really like it, I just don’t use it enough. I’m going to try it as my personal deck for a couple of weeks to milk its goodness yet again. It is an A. Crowley style Thoth deck, and always gives me insight. Alright, let’s get out of the harbor and on to the high seas, so to speak. As Sulfur, I have received XII the Hanged Man. The card illustration is magic, but the spirit behind the card is actually one I embrace fondly. It is “self-sacrifice,” of a sort. In this system, he is called The Spirit of the Mighty Waters, and is the Elemental trump of Water. Its Hebrew letter is Mem, meaning water. He’s on Path 23 of the Tree of Life, connecting Geburah to Hod. In this Age of Horus, ruled by Fire, sacrifice has no place, that it is a holdover from the Age of Osiris, and the element Air. Now it is “the opposition of the forces of fire and water [which] must be united in opposition as in a marriage.” (*The Book of Seshet* by M. M. Meleen; Atu House, Barre, 2011.) The white light of Kether streams from his tied ankle, and behind him are the Enochian tables that list the secret names of God & thus the energies of Nature. It is a powerful tool he wields. He is hung on Yggdrasil, the Norse World-Tree and below him is the Pool of Wisdom, so like Odin, he must sacrifice for Wisdom. The hanging heart in the tree is his former Lust, exteriorized now, and he symbolizes acceptance and letting go, which brings redemption. It is time to see things in a new light, and to remark upon the descent of spirit into matter. So-o-o, that is where my Sulfur, my masculine energy is today, and I’m good with that, I have no troubles with this card or concept, as I both understand the necessity and appreciate the reward. Been here, done that, and am willing to rinse and repeat. So, moving right along I come to the feminine current in my life today, running at the side of, and not opposite, Sulfur; she is XIV Art (Temperance) as Mercury this morning. Blending, evening, balancing, etc. yes, all true, She is known as Daughter of the Reconcilers, & The Bringer Forth of Life. She follows on the footsteps of XIII Death, after all! She is Sagittarius, with Jupiter ruling and the Dragon’s Tail exalted. Her letter is Samekh, meaning a support, a prop. She is on Path 25, from Tiphareth to Yesod, Beauty to Foundation.
The androgyne is surmounted by a rainbow bearing the word “Rectificando,” from the alchemical motto V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem,) meaning “Visit the interior parts of the Earth: by rectification thou shall find the hidden stone.” (Ibid) This is the final step in the alchemical marriage. I have been old, old friends with Temperance for decades now, so this small change in nomenclature and costume doesn’t bother me. I know her, intimately, and she has ALWAYS been a balm for my soul. I’m glad to see her here today, running the “anima machine” with her usual calm and beneficent nature. And lastly, the energy that is going to be present, the catalyst today for the two currents, the Salt needed to catalyze the Sulfur and Mercury, is a true powerhouse of sizzling energy, the Ace of Swords, Root of the Powers of Air. He rules Capricorn (oddly enough, this brings to mind the song “Jesus Was A Capricorn,” which THEN brings to mind what Jesus was purported to have said, “I bring you the sword, not the ploughshare.” Hmmm.) Along with Cap, he rules the Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces quadrant above the North Pole and the area of the Americas. The sword is the Great Sword of the Magician, with Thelema inscribed on the blade in Arabic. Rather than the static being of the birth of energy which usually signifies this card, this card differs in that in this deck it represents “actively invoked forces, “There are lightning & fire & commotion to suggest the energetic activity of neurons and synapses, as well as the geometric platonic solid
that represents Air. “Power on tap, fella! Fill ‘er up?” I can ALWAYS use extra energy; I am at a low peak of production right now, at this stage of my corporeal life. I seem simply tired, all the time. I address it from the medical standpoint, of course, with appropriate medication & diet, but the INNER lassitude isn’t so easily banished. I become bored when things take a pause on my inner landscape; I get antsy. “It’s a fault currently under departmental oversight; don’t you worry, General Warbucks, sir, we’ll pin it down, by Odin we will!” Well, that’s all fine, but I’m a bit more deft at handling a sword than that! Give me some credit! I particularly like the way the Sword has been rendered here; you SEE the energy it brings you. SO, I have a superabundant supply of “energy” today to succeed in the catalyzation of my two energies; “Sacrifice, but not too much, and keep your head about you, is that clear? And for the Light’s sake, don’t dally!” Message received, chief. You know, I’m not an adept in Crowley; I don’t aim for direct communication with “my Holy Guardian Angel (HGA),” a conversation Crowley spent most of his life pursuing; it is an open question how many times he actually succeeded, if he did at all. Belief is everything, as they say. However . . . I get hands like this, and it reminds me SO much of a “teaching” voice coming into my life (upon invitation, of course!) and like a good head manager, letting me know the state of the machine and places where I, as the owner, need to be paying special and/or extra attention. I like that, it really helps, it does, as well, oddly enough, it soothes my ego with its reply of “Yes” to my question “Is there any reason out there for all of THIS?” Now that I am on the Path, and have been for a decent amount of time, I can see my life for what it is; consequently, I take myself much less seriously in the here & now. I have been able to reorient my life for years now to my real purpose, my real quest: Enlightenment, Illumination, Nirvana, call it what you will, I am consciously working to arrive at my destination. And I am SO DAMNED HAPPY TO BE DOING SO, you have no idea. Or perhaps you do, having been once a very intelligent but cynical person, as I was. I ask the Cosmos today to give us ALL a sense of the beauty apparent in the processes of our lives. Be Well, Blessed Be!