Four Pillars Society Tarot: Justice

Notes on Justice

(It Comes and Goes)

Artist’s Notes on the Card:

The wheel is in motion and we chose to either spin it or spin on it. The question is this. Are we willing to take the consequences of our actions? For me, the concepts of Justice and Personal Responsibility tend to be entwined. Everything we do has consequences and none of our actions takes place in a vacuum. That being said, we all have the freedom to do anything we want. As long as we are willing to take responsibility for it. In the end, everything becomes part of the balance.

Yes, there is humour in this card. The Goddess of Justice is shown to be a chameleon, still blind and if you want to know her name, pay attention to the colours of the card. Those are the colours of this particular dream.

The ancient Egyptians believed that after they died, the jackal-headed god Anubis would weigh their hearts (representing their sin) against the weight of a feather. If the heart was too heavy, the afterlife would be rougher. Interesting how the only sins that count are the ones that weigh heavily on our hearts. Here, in place of the heart is a pregnancy test showing positive. Given how messed up, the average person in today’s age is around topics of sex and pregnancy, it seemed an appropriate representation of those sins.

About the Archetype:

When we find ourselves on our own in this world we are faced with a number of choices. Even the smallest decisions can have lasting ramifications on our life. Occasionally we will make ones that seem to damage us in some way. We choose the wrong job or partner or develop habit-forming indulgences. We end up having to face the consequences of these decisions either circumstantially, emotionally, or mentally. Do we learn from our past missteps and take more responsibility for our choices armed with that knowledge? Do we overcompensate by choosing the exact opposite only to suffer a different set of consequences? How do we find a balance between the two and take full charge of our lives? This is the lesson of the Justice card.

In the long run the decisions we make really don’t matter as much as our willingness to claim them. Life will work with whatever we give it to teach us the lessons we need and growth is unavoidable. The greater our ability to take on the responsibility for our own spiritual and emotional growth, the faster it will happen. By accepting what life has taught us so far and using that to govern our further actions we find that balance within ourselves.

There are certain things that will happen to us such as natural disasters, injury, or sickness that we aren’t responsible for yet still have to deal with. Part of learning responsibility is realizing what is and isn’t our fault. While we might not be able to control these events, we can still control our response to them instead of falling into pits of self-pity or remorse. It is both in the act of response and how we respond to everything that we face in life that determines our growth. How fast can we adjust to the changes and regain our equilibrium?

Astrological Correspondent:

Libra (♎︎)-Libra, symbolized by the scales, is the sign of harmony and balance. The Libra energy wants things to stay in balance and on an even keel and will do anything possible to reestablish things that have gone awry. Libra works best when it is in tandem with another. The Libra energy is intensely curious, especially about others and can be extremely charming. At times tho there is a tendency towards gossip, perhaps causing a bit of disharmony that can later balance out. Libra’s planetary ruler is Venus and love and beauty are strong motivators. The sign is the diplomat of the zodiac and works hard to find the best compromise between disputing factors. As an air sign communication is one of Libra’s gifts and it will talk its way out of difficulty.

In a Reading:

When Justice turns up in a reading it can often mean that things are working out in a fair and balanced way. The querent is facing the natural consequences both positive and negative of his actions. It would benefit them to realize exactly how their past choices have brought them to this point. It can also mean that the querent is facing a decision that will have both major and minor consequences for them and they need to be very conscious of the direction that they choose. Justice means that it is time to be honest with oneself and others and encourages the querent to be fair in their dealings. It is a great opportunity for self-knowledge. It can also mean that there are legal issues at hand for the querent and that the outcome will be a fair one.

Inversed or badly aspected, the Justice card may indicate that there are ways in which the querent is being dishonest with himself and others. It may mean that they are refusing to take responsibility for what is happening and seeking to place the blame elsewhere. It may mean tho that the querent is facing dishonesty or unfairness from an outside source and is trying to deal with it as best as possible. Reversed Justice can mean that they need to take the high ground and act honourably even if others around them aren’t. It may also mean a legal decision that is not in the querent’s favour.

Fate’s Whisper:

Karma originated as a force to assist the agents of death in judging souls after they died. This being would later be adopted in many cultures as many reincarnated souls would tell their recount in their encounters with this being. Born as one of the many tools the Spider of Fate used to enact change in its wake. While controversial among the higher brass nothing could be done since it was used within the confines of Energy’s Will.

If you will notice a pregnancy test took the place of the heart on the Scales of Judgement. In modern times this became the object of determining a time-chosen responsibility. Regardless of how it was made, just like Karma’s position to its creator, it is time whoever is involved it faced with a choice. To take responsibility for your actions and take the current state of consequences, or run and potentially make the end result better or worse based on your actions. Look at your options before you act after all justice is watching you carefully.

Four Pillars Society Tarot: Wheel of Fortune

Notes on The Wheel of Fortune

(Wheels Within Wheels)

Artist’s Notes on the Card:

To exist in space and time is to be caught up in cycles. There is the cycle of the seasons that is a reflection of the zodiacal cycles. There are the cycles of Morning, Noon and Night and cycles of the Moon. Each of these cycles comes with high points and low points and where we are in our own personal cycle can often feel like it is a random chance. Yet, if we can follow the signs and keep our wits and our humour about us, we can more easily navigate through the hard times and even enjoy their lessons. We can also deal with the easier times without expecting them to last or allowing them to make us soft for that is also a challenge. The more we can keep our inner selves in balance, the less we become slaves to circumstance.

For ultimately we embody the cycles as much as we are prey to them. This is as true in the greater game of life as it is in the games of chance that we play. Ultimately we make and generate our own luck as long as we realize that no matter how high a peak we reach, the nadir is just as low.

About the Archetype:

There are many cliches about the cyclic nature of life. How season follows season and how what goes around comes around. One day we are on top of the world with a great job and relationship and the next this has all disappeared. These expressions like all cliches have a good deal of truth to them. Action follows consequence (and sometimes vice versa). Shiva continues his dance and the cycles continue. This is the lesson of Fortune’s Wheel.

Life is always in motion. Everywhere we look things move in a cyclic way. Whether it be our own biorhythmic cycles, seasonal changes, political changes (the rise and fall of countries and kingdoms) nothing stops. We need to accept that our lives work in a similarly cyclic way and try to gain perspective from outside the wheels that we find ourselves on. Otherwise too often it may feel like we are hamsters forever on the wheel subject to blind instinct and blind fate.

It is difficult at times to perceive our own responsibility in the constant spinning. It is our hands that often keep the wheel in motion and our actions or lack thereof may determine the consequences.

Astrological Correspondent:

Astrological Correspondence-Jupiter (♃)– Jupiter guides our fortune and the areas in which we can be the most successful. Its energies point to the areas of interest that make our hearts sing. Jupiter’s location in our charts can be a strong indicator of where we wish to expand and our interests of exploration and study.

Jupiter encourages us to think deeply about our lives and to see where our strengths are. It helps us to determine our personal philosophy and spirituality. Jupiter is the force that encourages us to question deeply and to search for answers. It is an optimistic force that encourages our growth, expansion, and sense of adventure and play. Jupiter encourages us to experiment with ways of expanding our consciousness either chemically or with techniques such as yoga, tantra, or other forms of ritual. At its worst Jupiter can lead us to over-indulgence. It is at times associated with weight gain.

In a Reading:

When the Wheel of Fortune occurs in a reading, it normally means that things are cycling around for the querent and that their circumstances are changing. Perhaps they have found themselves busy with little time for fun and now their schedule is opening up. Perhaps a relationship or a job is ending. How do they accept the changes that life brings them? This idea of acceptance is a major lesson of this card. For people who like to feel in control, the Wheel can be a bit uncomfortable as it means that the changes are unlikely to come from anything that they are doing but rather from forces outside of their control. Yet it is when the querent can roll with whatever has come around for them and they can keep their equilibrium no matter what happens that they can find themselves the happiest. Most often tho when this card is upright, it means that the changes are beneficial ones. Even when they do not seem so based on other cards in the reading or position, patience is always advised for the wheel never stops spinning.

Inversed or badly aspected, the Wheel can mean that the querent is struggling against the changes in their life. There seems to be a run of bad luck that can be due to either past choices that the bill is coming due for or outside interference. Either way, it is best to accept the change in circumstances and deal with how things are rather than try to recreate the past. This does not mean ignoring the examination of the sources of the change as much as it does dealing with the present. Reversed the Wheel can also mean that the querent needs to take responsibility for their lives as opposed to letting circumstances happen as they will. This can mean an examination of how the querent may be causing their own fortune or misfortune and seeing how any action may have far-reaching implications.

Fate’s Whisper:

Every civilization and race or being is given the same cycle to redeem itself. When it is in the paradise phase, a time when prosperity is at its peak for everyone, the Dragon of Reality will send an emissary to gently warn of the danger ahead if a troublesome action keeps occurring. The Descent Phase, a time when the rift between beings isn’t as obvious but is more apparent in comparison to the previous phase, is when the Fish of Time sends prophets to instil fear so the event can be possibly be prevented words alone won’t solve anything. The Usurper Phase, a time when emotions are present about the rift between beings is noticeable but not at a problematic peak, is when the Tiger of Chance will awaken the insecurities of those who are struggling to bring a change for the better due to their circumstances. The Judgement Phase, a time when change is needed no matter the cost due to extreme stagnation being present, is when the Spider of Fate indiscriminately starts purging all living beings using anything and everything till the needed change happens.

Regardless of how big or small, we are all given a personal cycle. Some need harder measures to break out of these cycles while others learn quicker. Identifying what you cycle is key to your growth. After all the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When change is needed this card can show you are working in the same cycle you have been running in. While this is neither good nor bad stagnation will eventually bring about problems regardless of how sweet the circumstances are. Change and grow into your personal “Infinity” there you will find the greatest source of fulfilment.

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: THE HERMIT (PEAKS OF SOLITUDE)

Notes on The Hermit

(Peaks of Solitude)

Four Pillars Society Tarot by Gary Rosenberg (GAR) and Nyxsaurius Fallsong

Artist’s Notes:

The Spider weaves his web in solitary. It is both a product of everything that he contains within himself and a tool by which he can learn more. The Dragon may be affected by the web, he may even learn something from the placement of the strands and yet he cannot alter what the spider has wrought without destroying it completely. Who wants to bring that down upon their heads?

From time to time, we all feel the desire to get away from our present reality and sit and spin (or whatever our equivalent of that maybe). Doing so may yield the answers we seek. At the very least we have created something of beauty that we may leave behind but that others may enjoy.

When it is time to re-enter our lives, we come to it with a refreshed perspective. There is an old adage that contains a grain of truth as most do: “You cannot step in the same river twice.” Once we take our hiatus, what we return to is not the same reality we left.

GAR

About the Archetype:

There are times when the outside world and its demands on us start to feel overwhelming. Perhaps we have become disgusted with the superficial aspects of our day-to-day existence and want to take a break from it and focus on ourselves. We know that we are capable of far more than what we have shown so far and are looking for ways of developing these aspects of ourselves. This is the energy of the Hermit trump.

In many myths and legends (especially ones that follow Joseph Campbell’s hero cycles), there is a wise ancient who appears and guides the hero to the next step of his journey. Often this guide will take the hero to the start of his next challenge and leave him to undergo it on his own. No one can take the journey of another tho many of us need either internal or external guidance to get there. The Hermit represents that guidance. He has withdrawn from worldly pursuits to gain wisdom and knowledge. He spends his time in study and meditation to learn what he needs to in order to guide others along the way. He is the initiator of consciousness in others and has undergone many internal challenges of his own.

His lantern contains a star with six points. This indicates his dual purpose of withdrawal for his own development and his willingness to show the way to others. For what good is knowledge or wisdom if they remain unshared?

Astrological Correspondent:

Virgo (♍︎) – The Virgo energy is exacting and detail-oriented. Its strongest desire is to be helpful and has very definite ideas on the best way to do this. Virgo’s behaviour may seem unemotional and controlling to others but only with the best intentions in mind. Virgo lives mainly in its own head and can be very withdrawn. It is a restless mercurial (its planetary ruler is Mercury) energy that wants to get things done in the most efficient way possible. Virgo has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong and can be fairly inflexible and somewhat narrow-minded. It has put a lot of thought and energy into maintaining its viewpoint and hates the idea that all of that work has been wasted. Virgo is as critical of itself as it can be of others and may need help getting past this.

In a Reading:

When the Hermit comes up in a reading, it may mean that it is time for the querent to withdraw from his normal day-to-day activities for a period of reflection and/or meditation. This withdrawal may be a physical one but it can also be an emotional one. It may be a period where while things feel stagnant or in a holding pattern for the querent, there is a lot happening below the surface. By shifting their concerns to what is going on inside, it may hasten clarity of purpose. The Hermit can also represent a teacher, guide or mentor showing up in the querent’s life who will help them come to the next stage in their development. This guide may be internal rather than external. It may be a time of initiation for the querent who has been inwardly preparing to go to the next level in whatever arena the reading pertains.

The Reversed or badly-aspected Hermit may also mean withdrawal from the day to day but the motives are more in question. Is the querent using the time away to work on themselves or are they avoiding something they don’t want to deal with in the outside world? It may mean that too much focus has been on the study and internal work and now it is time to take a break, relax and integrate what they have learned into their lives. It may mean that the querent has become a bit too self-absorbed and/or self-indulgent. The Hermit Reversed can also mean immaturity and a refusal to grow up.

Fate’s Whisper:

Among all the Major Arcana this one holds a special place in my heart. Growing up with nothing gives lots of walls to overcome but what one lacks in abundance becomes wisdom of immense depths. All legends aside at first every trial will seem like a mountain. Only through countless times of us falling do we learn the value of failure. Every failure molds us a little stronger when we get back up till those mountains become foothills.

When things get hard take a step back. This act alone is the essence of hermit the ability to push one’s limit by looking inward and facing that which you struggle with and fear. Failure is bound to happen what matters is that you stand back and become stronger. Tied to the sign Virgo it shows the importance of perfecting oneself till one day we not only overcome but become the peaks that others seek

to surpass. Till then keep growing after all time heals all wounds so what is there to fear?