Aleister Crowley Tarot TAROT MIRROR OF THE SOUL TAROT MIRROR OF THE SOUL Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot Gerd Ziegler L2J S A M U E L WEISER, INC. York Beach, Maine First trade paper edition 1988 by Samuel Weiser, Inc. Box 612 York Beach Maine 03910 Fourth printing, 1991 First published in German in 1986 by Urania Verlag, Sauerlach, W. Germany under the title: Tarot: Spiegel der Seek ©1984 Urania Verlag English language edition © 1986 Samuel Weiser, Inc. and Urania Verlag All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechani- cal, including photocopy, without permission in writing from Samuel Weiser, Inc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ziegler, Gerd Tarot: mirror of the soul 1. Tarot. I.Title BF1879.T2Z54 1988 133.37424 87-34087 ISBN 0-87728-683-3 MV Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS Foreword 1 X The System of the Tarot 1 The Crowley-Thoth Tarot 3 The Use of the Tarot 5 The Major Arcana H 0 The Fool 13 1 The Magus 16 II The Priestess 18 III The Empress 20 IV The Emperor 22 V The Hierophant 24 VI The Lovers 26 VII The Chariot 29 VIII Adjustment 31 IX The Hermit 33 X Fortune 35 XI Lust 37 XII The Hanged Man 39 XIII Death 41 XIV Art 43 XV The Devil 45 XVI The Tower 47 XVII The Star 49 XVIII The Moon 51 XIX The Sun 54 XX The Aeon 56 XXI The Universe 58 The Court Cards 61 Knight of Wands 63 Queen of Wands 65 Prince of Wands 67 Princess of Wands 69 Knight of Cups 71 Queen of Cups 73 Prince of Cups 75 Princess of Cups 77 Knight of Swords 79 Queen of Swords 81 Prince of Swords 83 Princess of Swords 85 Knight of Disks 87 Queen of Disks 89 Prince of Disks 91 Princess of Disks 93 The Minor Arcana 95 Ace of Wands 97 Two of Wands 99 Three of Wands 101 Four of Wands 103 Five of Wands 105 Six of Wands 107 Seven of Wands 109 Eight of Wands H I Nine of Wands 113 Ten of Wands 115 Ace of Cups 117 Two of Cups H 9 Three of Cups 121 Four of Cups 123 Five of Cups 125 Six of Cups 127 Seven of Cups 129 Eight of Cups 131 Nine of Cups 133 Ten of Cups 135 Contents I vii Ace of Swords 137 Two of Swords 139 Three of Swords 141 Four of Swords 143 Five of Swords 145 Six of Swords 147 Seven of Swords 149 Eight of Swords 151 Nine of Swords 153 Ten of Swords 155 Ace of Disks 157 Two of Disks 159 Three of Disks 161 Four of Disks 163 Five of Disks 165 Six of Disks 167 Seven of Disks 169 Eight of Disks 171 Nine of Disks 173 Ten of Disks 175 Systems for Using the Cards 177 Commonly Occurring Symbols 191 FOREWORD Just as we use a mirror to observe our exterior, we can use the images of the Tarot to approach our inner reality. An adventurous expedition! The images of the Tarot are a mirror of the images in our souls. The longer we look inward, the more we discover about ourselves and our lives. A mirror reflects visible reality without judging it. It shows the beautiful and the ugly, the pleasant and the unpleasant. It cannot do anything else. We can put it aside or shatter it if we don't like our reflection, but doing so won't change our appearance. The images of the Tarot describe spiritual conditions. In using the cards we see our inner reality from new perspectives. The images are neither »positive« nor »negative«, neither »for« nor »against« us. They simply offer hints and clues. We can examine them, choosing either to discard or consider, ignore or use them. Many people are afraid to confront their inner reality; they may find ugly or unpleasant aspects of themselves. They pretend to know them- selves, often believing they really do. They expend enormous amounts of energy in maintaining an illusory facade; the more illusory, the more desperately they defend it and the greater their underlying fear. Yet each defensive action, each denial, reveals, rather than hides, the under- lying insecurity. Fear, narrow-mindedness, repression, constriction and a sense of isolation result, and the true inner reality remains unknown. Surprisingly, we learn to accept and love ourselves only when we stop trying to hide, and hide from, our inner reality. We can only share with others those parts of ourselves which we had discovered and accepted, and can only change those unpleasant aspects in ourselves which we have thoroughly examined, and recognized as needing change. Self-exploration can be risky at times. Newly-won perspectives can upset old habits and attitudes, and shake the very foundation of our belief systems (see The Tower). Yet this is an essential step in any transformational process. The »rewards« of such an internal cleansing process are great. Each time we reveal and let go of one of our illusions, we come one step closer to our own true, boundless and enduring selves. What we let go and lose in this process never has been really ours; what is destroyed never has been rooted in our true being. In letting go you arrive at the still place in yourself where you and the stillness are one; you arrive home and you and your home are one. This book offers suggestions for playing with and increasing your understanding of the Crowley-Thoth Tarot. It will help you in your work with the cards, sometimes guiding your inner exploration, some- times pointing the way in daily situations and difficult decision-making processes. Tarot means, above all, subjectivity, and maintaining a vital readiness to being touched. The Tarot's images, as mirrors of our own unconscious impulses, unlock and make these impulses available to our conscious mind. And we learn to interpret the messages of the cards, as we might interpret a muddled dream, we can discover new inner realms, and gain a glimpse into the mysteries of the Universe in its all-encompassing cosmic order. Waakirchen, August 1984 Zolling, July 1985 THE SYSTEM OF THE TAROT The Tarot is an ancient system of knowledge which has been taught over the centuries in secret Mystery schools. This wisdom is presented through paintings, the symbols often hidden in esoteric images. Each card embodies the energy of the symbols on it, reflecting and imparting that energy to the user of the deck. The Tarot was originally a book of wisdom, similar to the Chinese / Ging, and was looked to for advice in many different matters. The Tarot is a tool that can be used for orienting oneself on the path toward greater awareness, - a vast path with many turnings. It is a guide to the realm of inner transformation, revealing hidden messages and enlarging one's vision of the self and the cosmos. We can use the Tarot as a map, drawn in symbols, indicating the roadsigns on the inner path. Correctly used, it gives insight and new perspectives about any unclear situations. It possesses intense transformatory power which can lead to valuable breakthroughs, increased clarity and deeper perceptions regarding areas of life which are most meaningful to us. If we are ready to see and accept, the Tarot will give us information that points to special strengths as well as uncovering blind spots. The 78 cards are divided into 22 Major Arcana (numbered 0-XXI), 16 Court Cards and 40 Minor Arcana. Major Arcana cards give us answers or messages regarding the question or situation at hand. At the same time, they offer higher universal teachings based in Cosmic Law. These teachings provide an answer to the immediate question, while also providing a lesson which can be generally applied in every-day life. Court Cards generally are related in some way to people who are important in our lives. They show us also what we have to learn and what we wish to master, as well as any special talents we may have. Minor Arcana cards concern the smaller, more direct lessons of life. They are divided into 4 suits, with ten cards in each. The suits are: Wands, ruled by the element Fire. These cards stand for energy in general, especially sexual energy (the Yang or male aspect), perception, intuition, insight and activity. Cups, ruled by the element Water. These reflect our inner emotional reality. Their realm includes love, feelings, interaction in relationships and sexual energy (the Yin, or feminine aspect). Swords, ruled by the element Air. Cards of the Sword suit generally reflect our spiritual or mental condition, processes or attitudes, including possibly, meditation processes. This level of our being is most susceptible to disturbance. We are repeatedly challenged to prove that what we have achieved on this plane is real. The Sword cards also show us what energies we are using (usually unconsciously) to shape our lives. Disks, ruled by the element Earth. These indicate our external, material, physical reality. The external mirrors the internal. Dealings with the earth realm include health, the body, nutrition, clothing, possessions, finances, poverty and wealth. THE CROWLEY- THOTH TAROT The creation of this Tarot deck has its roots in the activities of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an English Rosicnician society which Aleister Crowley joined in 1898. The Order offered a systematic and clear approach to the Mystery Traditions. It is said that one of the goals of the Order was the transformation of Western social systems through its work with symbolism and ancient wisdom. Aleister Crowley's life's work was an attempt to extract and unify the essential Truth of all the traditional schools of Wisdom and religions, and make that Truth available in one complete system to help modern Humanity in the search for God-realization and Oneness. Crowley originally intended his deck to be a correction and updating of the classic medieval Tarot. He planned to spend three months working on the designs which Frieda Harris would then paint. Instead, the project grew into a deep exploration and integration of the esoteric symbolism of different traditions of Ancient Wisdom. The work lasted five years and was one of Crowley's last projects before he died in 1947. Crowley wrote at one time that it was only through the dedication and genius of Harris, who was herself an Egyptologist, that he became more and more deeply involved in the evolution and creation of a wholly new deck. Harris worked from Crowley's rough sketches or verbal descriptions, and although she was not very familiar with the Tarot herself, her intuitive understanding and knowledge influenced and complemented Crowley's ideas. She often painted a card repeatedly until she was satisfied. There are 1200 symbols included in the 78 cards. The most commonly occurring ones are described in the last part of this book. Neither Crowley nor Harris (who died in 1962) managed to publish the deck during their lifetimes. In 1969, Major Grady L. McMurtry, who had helped Crowley publish The Book of Thoth in 1944, had the paintings photographed and published. THE USE OF THE TAROT Drawing a Card from the Deck The drawing of a Tarot card should always be preceded by a small ritual. When turning to the Tarot for guidance in important questions, give the moment a beautiful, meditative flavor. Keep the cards in a special box or wrapped in a beautiful cloth of one solid color. Shuffle the cards carefully in an attitude of stillness, and then fan them out on the cloth. A candle, incense, flowers, the picture of a beloved person or any other personal object lends a special and ceremonial flavor to the proceedings. Before drawing any cards, shake your hands briefly (or if necessary more energetically) to relax any tension and allow the energy to flow more easily. You will always use the left hand, the one related to the unconscious and intuitive side of the brain, for drawing the cards. The next important consideration is the question which you want the Tarot to answer. The wisdom which lives in each of us has been lost in great part to the conscious mind, and can be rediscovered in the process of working with the Tarot. Questions asked of the cards are questions asked of our own unconscious. The more definite and precise your questions are, the better the Tarot will be able to function as a clear mirror of your inner wisdom. Before and while drawing a card, your eyes may be closed. Some people find the cards visually, however. The breath flows gently and deeply to the heart, and the consciousness is directed fully toward the question. Now just trust the hand that seeks the card! The most important factor in understanding the images is your first, spontaneous reaction. Only after you are genuinely aware of these should you look to the book for further assistance. Here you may find suggestions which will give you a fuller understanding of the symbols. At the end of each explanation you will find more »personal« hints, questions, suggestions and affirmations, which are intended as guides for your own further work with the Tarot. If the questions and sugge- stions do not apply exactly to your own situation, you can use them as patterns, if needed, for devising your own. Affirmations are life- affirmative, positive statements of self-acceptance which make us aware of any self-limiting ideas, feelings of resistance or negative patterns. Repeating affirmations aloud daily to ourselves helps replace these old negative beliefs which prevent our change and growth. Why This Card? When discussing the drawing of a particular card, it may help to consider the concept of synchronicity. This expression was coined by C.G. Jung, who made a life's work of studying archetypal images and symbols of the mind. In his years of study and experimentation with the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ging), he repeatedly came up against a phenomenon which he called synchronicity. Synchronicity, by no means fully re- searched at this time, is the apparently inexplicable co-incidence of events which cannot be logically proven to be connected. We all know about coincidence from our own experience. For example, you are just about to phone a friend when the phone rings and it's your friend calling you. Or you read in the newspaper about a big fire that happened in the night and realize you had a dream about a burning house at the time of the fire. When you turn on the TV to see a football game, suddenly you know, without knowing how, which team will win, and it does. The examples are endless. The knowledge necessary for understanding such phenomena is for the most part lost to us. Sometimes the messages coming from within seem encoded in ways which make their meanings indecipherable to us. The Tarot can be used as a key to the images and conditions of our spiritual realms. The paintings on each card you draw from the deck reflect an aspect of your interior at the moment you pick the card. When we carry the principle of synchronicity further, it means that our entire perception of the exterior world, the totality of our experience, is synchronized with our interior. In this case, each person creates his or her own reality anew every moment. If you recognize and accept this, you are ready to take full responsibility for yourself and your life. The pictures and symbols of the Tarot play the role of a go-between. The same card will have totally different meanings for different people, and even different meanings for the same person at different points in time, in different situations. The card you draw reveals something about your mental/spiritual condition and energy at the moment you are drawing the card. The card expresses and bears the energy of the symbols on it. These are synchronous with your own energies. As your hand, a channel for your energy, moves above the cards, it will be drawn to the card with the corresponding (synchronous) energy. How to Meet the Tarot Everyone who plays Tarot decides personally what meaning this picture- book of wisdom has for her or him. This is revealed by the attitude, the outlook with which we approach the cards. Is it pure curiosity? Scepticism? Readiness to experiment? Whatever our conscious motives are, it is important to meet the cards playfully and with humor, never in deadly earnest. The Tarot reminds us again and again that life is a play, and is to be lived playfully no matter how serious our situation may seem or how identified we may feel with the conditions facing us. Tarot helps us see the world with a certain distance. It teaches us to see from different perspectives, and with a broader vision. If you are prepared to accept and approach the Tarot as an advisor, come with openness and loving respect, as you would to a good, wise friend. It will then be possible to develop vital, intimate communication with it. You will never cease to be amazed by the directness with which the Tarot answers, laying open obscure or hidden aspects of your life. The highest goal of working with cards is an ever-growing trust in the perceptions from our inner reality, learning to hear the voice of our own hearts, discovering our own inner guide. The Art of Asking Questions The quality of the question you ask the Tarot determines the quality of the answer you receive. Some examples follow that will help you learn the art of formulating questions.