Four Pillar Society Tarot: The Sun

NOTES ON: THE SUN

(Heavenly Aspiration)

Artist’s Notes :

The Moon with her lessons taught has set and a new day has begun. Everything seems so much clearer now. Blindingly clear, as a matter of fact. I hear tell in mythology about the silver apples of the moon and the golden apples of the sun but then the golden apples lead us to Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord. Slighted by a forgotten invitation she rolled her apple into the halls of goddesses, a golden one with the word “Kallisti” on it (For the most beautiful). Several of the goddesses and probably more than a few of the gods started arguing to whom it rightfully belonged. They decided to hold a pageant and selected Pari s to be the judge of which goddess was indeed the fairest. As a reward, he got whatever he wanted and he chose Helen of Troy and so started the Trojan War.

What an amazing feeling to know that you can have anything that you want and indeed on a beautiful sunny day, that is exactly how it feels. Of course, the curse of getting what you want tends to be twofold. Once you get what you once wanted. Two, you have to live with the consequences. But let’s ignore that right now and just adore that beautiful golden light.

About the Archetype:

After the long dark night, we have the Sun. The shadows resolve themselves as we see that we are the ones who have cast them in the first place. The Sun trump means that on many levels we have reached and integrated our shadow selves and are able to live realized and complete lives of joy and laughter. It does not mean necessarily that we have realized what it is we must do with our new understanding. That comes later. It means tho that we have everything in perspective in a truly golden moment. We see ourselves as spiritual beings with a strong central core of self and with that understanding very little can phase us. We have regained our inner sense of innocence. it is not by coincidence that most portrayals of this card show garden imagery as in a sense we have regained the garden and can now play both with child-like wonder and renewed understanding of who we are.

It is good to remember though that the sun at once illuminates and blinds. In showing us just how wonderful the world of manifestation can be, it can blind us to what lies beyond.

Astrological Correspondent:

The Sun (☉) – Essentially the Astrological Sun is who we are at the core of our being. It might not be the self we show externally to the world or even ourselves, that is the ascendant. The Sun is our central nature, our core being. It is this reason why so many people, guided by newspaper and magazine columns tend to believe that their sun sign is the be-all and end-all of the astrological influences. Other planets govern such things as our aspirations, who and what we love and fight for, our desires, and our dreams but our Sun is our basic identity.

The sun influences our health and vitality. It is connected with royalty and with one’s paternal influence. It also has an influence on our personal leadership style.

In a Reading:

When the Sun comes out in a reading, it indicates a time in the querent’s life where they are filled with confidence and the Sun is truly shining. It seems like even things that would normally be distressing are taken in their stride. Laughter and abundance are present and realized. This may often come after a time of confusion when the positive aspects of life were difficult to realize. The Sun is always shining even when there is the illusion of night. If the Sun shows up in a past position it may, depending on the other cards mean either that the querent is trying to recapture that positive feeling or has let themselves be thrown by whatever has come up that is obscuring that sun. In a future position, it may easily mean that good times are ahead even if it doesn’t feel that way in the present. There is clarity and simplicity associated with the Sun card. The Sun may also mean that the querent has realized or will realize a new level of understanding and insight as if they have been handed a new key to understanding. The Sun may have the simple mundane meaning of travelling to warmer, sunnier climates.

When the Sun is reversed or badly aspected, the positive energy is still present, tho the querent cannot see it. Either worry about the outcome of the present situation or lack of self-confidence may be obscuring the view. This may happen because the querent is overcomplicating the situation and jumping at shadows. Perhaps what is missing for the querent is clarity and some inner work is needed to allow the sunlight in. The inverse sun may also indicate that the querent is being too optimistic and Polyanna-like in their view of things and they are missing things that they should be paying attention to. It may also mean that the querent needs to simplify their lives and remove things that are blocking their sunlight and causing undue complications and stress. Perhaps they need to go within and meditate on what’s positive in their lives so they can see it more clearly.

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

It started with a bang. One instant every minor energy bias fought for power, the next they were given life and form. Though it was never intentional, the reality was born from the clash of the four absolute biases. This would become the first form of worship as each bias had its inner void filled by this act. To show their appreciation they offered to help this new balance prevail. Some energy sought this through destruction others chose creation. With all these moving forces it became impossible to see it all.

This sense of blindness we all start with is but the first of many double edge swords. while the radiance is nice it can blind us to the subtle parts of our growth. The glory and praise feel good after an eternity of torture but can make one soft if left in excess. What will you do with your moment? Shine or Stagnate?

-NF

Four Pillars Society Tarot: The Moon (ii)

NOTES ON: THE MOON

(Guiding Shadows)

Artist’s Notes:

In this card, Diana’s Full figure and a shadow animal to guide us on the path. You look out at the waters and all manner of illusions can be seen half-cloaked in shadow. Yet still, if you trust your guide you will learn things from this night’s journey. The funny thing is that we can learn as much from the appearance that things take as we can from what they actually are, perhaps even more. After all, are they not cloaked in the guise of our own inner symbolism and language? If we do not understand the language of our unconscious, then how can we learn how to manipulate it? This key to inner knowledge may be the greatest gift of the Moon archetype.

About the Archetype:

At night, by the light of the Moon (particularly when it’s waning), we can see a lot less of our external surroundings than we can by daylight. Things appear shadowed and hazy and any light may seem blinding. Our imaginations have full play and we try to fill in the darkened spaces with a combination of intuition and imagination. What we see and how we interpret it can tell us a lot about ourselves if we are open to it. The Moon in this way illuminates our interior selves.

The Moon trump shows us our fears and dark desires. It can give us a deep understanding of our hidden longings or it can send us reeling into insanity, beset by fears and emotional demons that we have repressed and refused to face. When we find ourselves least able to cope with this psychic and emotional shitstorm, the best that we can do is endure, knowing that night inevitably gives way today.

When talking about the greater cycle of the Fool’s Journey or the Great Work, the Moon comes at a time when we have bravely made it through most of our shadow work, and what’s left is some of the really dark repressed stuff that we were not yet ready to face. Under the influence of the Moon it becomes revealed and with courage, will, and endurance we will survive.

Astrological Correspondent:

Pisces(♓︎)-Pisces is an inward-dwelling intuitive energy. It lives in its dreams and then brings them to the surface. Like an iceberg, three-quarters of what Pisces feels is hidden and it prefers it that way. Pisces is sensitive and compassionate and feels things deeply both for himself and others. This can sometimes lead to self-pity or an over-sympathetic approach.

Pisces would rather face happy dreams than unhappy reality. When it sees external life falling short of its dreams it tends to withdraw or may indulge in self-destructive behaviour. It looks for direction from other more self-directed energies. The Piscean energy can all too easily lose its identity as it takes on the characteristics of those it admires or who can get them through the stormy seas. It is self-sacrificing in the extreme and this can lead to loss of self as well. Pisces is ruled by Neptune and is mutable in its ways.

In a Reading:

When the Moon shows up in a reading it may indicate that the querent cannot see the way ahead clearly and needs to trust their intuition rather than logic to find their way. The card may mean that the querent is beset by fears and imagining the worst in everything and everyone. Everything that once seemed bright may seem dark now. This is what many refer to as the dark night of the soul. When one is going through this, the best advice may be to just endure it until it’s over. There is value in seeing what one’s fears are and daylight will come eventually. Sometimes one has to feel the feelings until they stop and then move forward.

The Moon may also be telling the querent that they need to trust their intuition even if they don’t feel that they can see things clearly. They need to accept what their perceptions are and move beyond them, as difficult as that may sound. When one has lost their way in the woods, it is not what they imagine that matters but what signposts they can find that will lead them out.

The card may also mean that the querent is dealing with emotional issues that they have been repressing.

The reversed or badly aspected Moon may be telling us that we need to learn how to better discern between our intuition and our imagination. Things may be seeming a bit brighter and they may be seeing things more as they are and less how they fear them to be. It may mean that they are struggling against integrating recent lessons about themselves into their life and regressing a bit. The Reversed Moon may indicate that the querent is caught up in a frenzy of day-to-day activity to avoid taking a good look at emotions and thoughts that they are repressing. The card may also mean that someone has their psychic channels activated but due to their own lack of clarity is unable to distinguish between what’s real and what’s an illusion.

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

Vicious echos assault our minds every moment we live. These can be traumas, fears, and many other things. These can manifest horrors that mean tearing us down from the inside where no one can help us. These forces were made to empower us by breaking away the parts we no longer need. This process, very rarely, can be pleasant but most of the time it will tear us down.

Many will only realize this year if not decades after the fact. The idea we shed our skin to grow into our greater selves is very important. It is this realization that we are that much stronger that empowers us up to unfathomable heights. Who are you to your shadow? Master or slave?

–NF

Four Pillars Society Tarot: The Moon (I)

NOTES ON: THE MOON

(Crone’s Moon)

Artist’s Notes:

The Star’s energy has healed us and now we pushed forward. Having been through trials, we move forward with confidence that we can survive what will come our way but a bit more carefully, with a heightened awareness of what goes on around us. The moon lends some illumination, yet it is the darkening moon that Hekate lends her aspect towards, waning towards full dark. We see shapes that are indistinct and our mind plays tricks. Symbols appear before us and we must interpret them in ways that we can comprehend.

There is an advantage to moving in dim moonlight as opposed to the sun’s full light, however. The sun has a blinding reality that is hard to move past wherein the moon’s shadow we may find symbolic knowledge that reveals while it conceals as we learn what each new encounter may add to our path.

About the Archetype:

The Moon trump shows us our fears and dark desires. It can give us deep understanding of our hidden longings or it can send us reeling into insanity, beset by fears and emotional demons that we have repressed and refused to face. When we find ourselves least able to cope with this psychic and emotional shitstorm, the best that we can do is endure, knowing that night inevitably gives way today.

Astrological Correspondent:

In a Reading:

When the Moon shows up in a reading it may indicate that the querent is living in their imaginations quite a bit. This can be very positive if they are finding a way to express their imagination but can also have the negative connotation of jumping at shadows. The card may mean that the querent is beset by fears and imagining the worst in everything and everyone. Everything that once seemed bright may seem dark now. This is what many refer to as the dark night of the soul. When one is going through this, the best advice may be to just endure it until it’s over. There is value in seeing what one’s fears are and daylight will come eventually. Sometimes one has to feel the feelings until they stop and then move forward.

The card may also mean that the querent is dealing with emotional issues that they have been repressing.

The reversed or badly aspected Moon may mean that the querent is recovering from a period of emotional stress and delusion. Things may be seeming a bit brighter and they may be seeing things more as they are and less how they fear them to be. It may mean that they are struggling against integrating recent lessons about themselves into their life and regressing a bit. The Reversed Moon may indicate that the querent is caught up in a frenzy of day-to-day activity to avoid taking a good look at emotions and thoughts that they are repressing. The card may also mean that someone has their psychic channels activated but due to their own lack of clarity is unable to distinguish between what’s real and what’s an illusion.

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

There was a time when witches ruled the mundane world. They would rule with their iron grip and punish any who opposed them. It was only ended when a Faction called the Hunters appeared. They hunted and reminded the witches of the fear they once abandoned in their cruel reign. However, instead of making the same mistake they vanished and chose to protect the balance from the shadows.

Many of us will have our ruling ego that will run unchecked. It can be both external and internal. However, balancing of that ego is one of the most challenging things one can undertake. It takes a great level of integrity to realize how to apply that ego to ourselves in a healthy manner. How are you in regard to your hidden ego?

–NF

Four Pillars Society Tarot: The Star

NOTES ON: THE STAR

(Healing Starts With a Cry)

Artist’s Notes :

How do you express it when your world comes crashing down around you and you start to doubt everything you know? Do you play the stoic and say “it’s just a flesh wound ma’am” and soldier on, allowing your wounds to fester as long as no one can see your pain? Do you get angry and rage at the world, driving people away from you until you either expire or heal? What would happen if you tried neither of those things but cried out your honest pain and need for solace to the universe?

Other beings tend to respond to actual need and honest emotion, not only on the physical but on the higher planes as well. There is a grace that can be found when we have truly hit our dark night of the soul. Sometimes all it takes to see that grace and that healing is to admit to the need for it.

True healing always begins with admission and understanding of how deep the wound is.

About the Archetype:

When we get hit by the Tower force, it is devastating. Much that we believed was true has turned out to be false and we don’t know what’s left. At our lowest point, we can hear a voice telling us that it’s going to be ok. We still have our essential selves and can rebuild. If we are open to it, we feel a sense of hope and renewal. Even if we have gone through the fire, we can make it and come back stronger than ever. It is then that we feel the healing energy of the Star. It is known in many cultures as the idea of grace or hope and was the last thing left in Pandora’s box after she let loose the evils of mankind.

The Star inspires us when we are at our lowest. It puts us back in tune with ourselves and allows us to feel once more a part of life. It is a feminine energy that liberates us from our despair and shows us that there are still positive and worthwhile things in life and that love is possible. At times we may feel resistant to the Star’s energy but it is always there.

Astrological Correspondent:

Aquarius(♒︎)-Aquarius is the energy of social justice and change. It wants to make the world and the people in it better. Symbolized by the water bearer Aquarius wishes to pour its healing waters onto the earth, starting new discussions and finding new paradigms. Aquarius is very interested in group dynamics, realizing that while one person can make a difference, it takes a concerted effort to effect change.

The Aquarian energy may also be a stubborn one with little patience for opposing viewpoints and methods. It also becomes bored with anything that is routine or that has been done before. Aquarius would much rather innovate better methods to solve problems. Aquarius is unsell-conscious in its approaches to just about anything and wants nothing more than freedom of self-expression. This self-expression can be anything from physical nudity to visionary art to inventing new devices that will enable mankind in new ways.

Aquarius’s somewhat aloof manner may be off-putting to some but this comes from living mainly within its own very active head ever looking to strengthen the flow of new ideas and new intuitions.

In a Reading:

When the Star turns up in a reading, it normally indicates a time of healing and renewal on all levels. It is often that this healing comes after a period of extreme turmoil as in the kind suggested by the Tower card. The Star is a card that signifies the grace of the universe and is a time when intuition is flowing and things look somehow better and brighter than they did before. The card can often signify a transformative time and a time of reinvention of oneself. The Star is often telling the querent to be open to the energies coming in and to the personal changes that one is making. It is all too easy to resist making the changes necessary but it will never be easier. It may also be telling the querent that they need to go back to basics or where they were before the previous upheavals happened in their lives. Take what they have and as long as they have their own being, they have quite a lot and build from there. The Star may also be telling the querent that they can turn things around before disaster strikes if they are willing to drop back and accept the needed lesson beforehand.

Reversed or Badly Aspected, the healing energy of the Star is still present. The querent tho is blocking it for some reason. Possibly in their minds, they feel unworthy to receive this grace because of their actions in the previous period. Perhaps they are so filled with bitterness and anger that they are not allowing the healing to happen. If anyone deserves another chance in their lives then everyone does and the healing of the goddess (or the universe if you will) is open to all. It may be that the querent fears beginning again, particularly in the aspect of opening themselves up to the possibility of new failure. The reversed Star may mean that the past with all of its disappointments has become more of a focus than the possibility of building a new future.

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

The origins of the stars are said to be the fragments of the dragons who die to the first use of the Word of Power Death. To escape their demise they shattered their entire being and scattered far and wide. Though deep down each dragon wanted to be whole once more.

Each becomes a star to guide their own to become whole once more.

Everyone will fall to their mistakes at one point or another. What matters at that point is standing up once more and learning what went wrong. So what have you done to begin healing once more?

–NF

Four Pillars Society Tarot: The Tower

Notes On: The Tower (Lessons Untold)

Artist’s Notes:

“Life is what happens to you when you’re making other plans” is a quote that has been attributed to many and I have found it to be quite true. We make plans and we live our lives according to what we believe we know about the way the universe works. Most of us have some clues but as the universe tends to be bigger and more complex than we believe, at least some of the assumptions we work with will prove to be false. What we believe one day to be a worthwhile investment of time, money and effort may turn out in time to be less worthwhile. This has turned out to be true of relationships, investments, political and spiritual beliefs as well as jobs. We believe we build our lives of concrete, wood and metal when in reality what we build are houses of cards. The farther our assumptions veer from what our inner truth is, the higher we build, and the harder will be the devastation when the tower comes crashing down.

The Tower is a wake-up call from the universe that can show us exactly where our false assumptions have been. From the perspective of spiritual growth, it is one of the most positive cards that we can get. Wouldn’t we rather live our lives in accordance with our truest highest self (our true will) as opposed to what we believe we want at any given moment?

The question is after the collapse what do we do? Do we rebuild according to a more experienced view of reality or do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over only to face another collapse? Most of us tend to repeat the same cycles until we grow tired of having to clean up after our own messes. That is when most of us start rebuilding on more solid principles.

On a more personal note, the cards that comprise this tower are either decks that I have created myself or decks that were my go-to’s for readings for many decades before my first deck, components with which I have built (countless times) my own Tower, each time more stable and unassailable.

About the Archetype:

For many of us, our lives are akin to a house of cards. We build them up based on how we believe life to work, adding card to card higher and higher. Since at least some of our assumptions are mistaken, however, the houses (or towers) that compose our lives tend to be unstable. As we build higher and higher, the instability increases until finally there is an inevitable collapse. This may result in our relationships or jobs falling apart or some kind of loss. We have met the Tower force full on.

Astrological Correspondence:

Mars is the planet that influences our passions. This passion can be creative or destructive. It can be incredibly sexual as Mars is the planet of sexual energy. It can also be martial as Mars is the planet of war. In an esoteric sense, the Mars energy involves the sacrifice of our spirit to incarnate into the physical as well as the desire to release that energy back into the higher planes. Mars has that tendency to push us to destroy that which is more illusory for that which is more real and vital. In the rulership of Aries, that creative pushing forward energy can be seen and in the rulership of Scorpio, that push towards the death of the personality and the rebirth into a more spiritual higher form. Mars also influences the vitality of the physical body particularly the bloodstream. Mars provides that passionate vital spark that energizes us to go after what we want most either in a way that will enliven us or as the moth towards the flame.

In a Reading:

When the Tower turns up in a reading, it normally indicates turmoil in the querent’s life. Usually, this comes when they have been living their life under a series of false assumptions, such as the stability of their job and/or relationships and life is handing them a wake-up call. It could mean that they have been approaching a particular problem in a certain way under the false assumption that it has been working only to find out that while it may have worked in the short term, in the long term things have proven disastrous. The good news is that this destructive force has given the querent the chance to find a new more reality-based approach that will work better. The card may also mean that the disaster has not happened yet but is approaching and it might be a good idea for the querent to take a look at how they are approaching things. Are they perceiving what is really going on or are they working on the assumption that all is well and ignoring the warning signs?

The Tower can also mean that the querent is receiving or is about to receive a call to wake up to a deeper reality than they have known up to this point. They may be on the brink of a peak experience or about to receive news that will make them see their lives in a totally different way. This may also feel destructive but sometimes you have to destroy in order to build.

When the Tower comes out reversed or badly aspected, it may mean either that the disaster that the Tower force has brought into their lives has not been a total one or that they have started rebuilding their lives back up under the same set of false assumptions on which they have built before. This is often seen in patterns of abusive relationships where the person finds the same type of partner who has abused them before, convinced that this time will be different. The reversed Tower can also mean that the querent keeps ‘shoring up’ the problem areas rather than facing what may be causing them in the first place, therefore, putting off the inevitable collapse. The reversed card also may mean that by proper action, the querent may be able to avoid disaster altogether if they act quickly and honestly.

— GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

“Every empire falls the same way it rises”

These words were spoken by the Spider of Fate when he cast his first judgement. When an empire rises through conflict it is determined that that leader will die fighting. While that isn’t always the case initially it has been recorded to end the same even if the last leader had no part in that rising. This wisdom taught the dragons that for their legacy to last they had to build slowly and firmly. However, the higher one climber the mightier the fall is when it happens.

The Tower is a card about lessons and self-control. The idea is that we as beings will make mistakes and when that happens how will you handle looking at the remains of what you once built? Will you make the same mistake again because your ego can’t accept it? Or will you adjust and make due and start building a sturdier tower?

–NF

Four Pillars Tarot: The Devil

Notes on The Devil

(Awakened Indulgence)

Artist’s Notes :

The Fool Falls and awakens the Magician’s Will to Power and begins their journey

The Chariot rider brings the outer circumstances of their life under control only to find that their passions will provide them with a much tougher challenge (Strength)

With Temperance, we have learned how to ride the balance of our passions after loss, sacrifice and renewal, but then we hit the Devil.

Our personal devils are always with us.

As Strength speaks to our wants, the Devil speaks to our needs

What is the difference between a want and a need anyway?

When we want something, it is very specific. we want it and we want it now!! No, nothing else will do except that particular thing that we want and we will wait patiently or otherwise for the right specific thing to come along until we get it

A need however is not that specific but it is so much more immediate.

“I need it, man, I’ll take it any way you can give it but please I can’t go without it. No, please man, I’m not addicted I just need it for right now”

Those needs are what chain us and it is only once we realize what our needs are that we can either satisfy or transcend them

That knowledge of what we need is the Devil’s gift

About the Archetype:

It makes sense that for many the Devil is a frightening card. It speaks of vice and temptation and excess and being chained by your own desires. While the card can mean that for some in reality it is the representation of Pan and the pure enjoyment fulfilment and use of the sensory world in all of its aspects. Many of us fear the desires and kinks that we carry around and bury them deep. We can all too easily become so terrified by the shadow selves that we repress ourselves and hide them away. Repression is the true trap for something that is too contained cannot expand and pressure builds up until it explodes uncontrollably. By enjoying ourselves and the world around us to its fullest and by deciding when and how we explore our temptations we give ourselves room to grow. The Devil tells us that we are material beings with a sensual nature and that we should delight in this. Our physicality is not something we need to transcend but a valuable tool in our arsenal. It is when we are incarnate that we can best grow and evolve. Learning to channel the carnal material energy that we have can lead us farther than denial ever can. It is only through the physical that we can bring the forces of our subconscious and superconscious into full awareness and manifestation. It is a force of responsibility because if we go to excess, it is up to us to recover and go forward.

It is only by going forward, accepting the darkest parts of ourselves that we can achieve true growth and true power for the treasure of our deepest selves lies beyond that.

Astrological Correspondence:

Capricorn(♑︎)-Much like the goat that is its symbol, the Capricorn energy leaps to the top of whatever field it is involved in. In material matters, it is hard-working, ambitious, and practical and has no problem making it over any obstacles in its way to get to where it’s going. It may be considered a ruthless energy in some ways tho Capricorn is always willing to take responsibility for its actions. Spiritually (for Capricorn while grounded has an extreme spiritual aspect and has the ability to manifest its spiritual goals) Capricorn will do the work necessary to reach the heights and the depths with a keen appreciation for every stop along the way. Capricorn has a competitive side and likes to win. It can tend towards the conservative side but uses whatever it needs to get to where it wishes to go. The Capricorn energy has a very sexual side and again there it knows how to get what it wants. Its planetary ruler is Saturn which in its slow-moving way gives Capricorn both patience and an awareness of the limitations it must overcome.

In a reading:

When the Devil turns up in a reading, it can often indicate that one is facing the shadow side of themselves. Perhaps they are feeling tempted by desires they are uncomfortable with. It is only by understanding the need and how to satisfy it that the querent can move past it. The Devil may also indicate that a relationship that the querent finds themselves in maybe damaging in some way tho it is very enticing. Perhaps it is with someone with an air of danger or ‘the forbidden’ to the querent. At the very least it may mean danger to them tho danger is not always a bad thing and can often be an amazing learning experience. The card may also refer to a feeling of being trapped or constrained by either circumstances or desires. This feeling is somewhat delusional and maybe a way of the querent avoiding taking responsibility for their own actions when they can release themselves at any time by making the decision to do so and following through with it. Another meaning of the Devil is obsession or focusing on one area at the expense of others. Excess may lead to wisdom or loss, it is up to the querent.

When the Devil turns up reversed or badly aspected, it often is asking the querent if what they currently have in their lives is what they want. They may be coming to an understanding of how they are trapped by their addictions and desires and are preparing to throw off their chains. The reversed card can also mean that the querent is ready to end a relationship that feels destructive. They may be understanding more and more how illusory that feeling of being trapped or constrained by another person in their lives is. It may also be a realization that they have been over-indulging in some area of their lives and it is time to put it aside for a while. The Inversed Devil may also mean that it is time for the querent to detach.

–GAR

Fate’s Whisper:

In the recesses of our mind, we have chains that hold us back. Ancient dragons once said, “for each being to shine brighter their shadow must grow with it.” What happens when that chain breaks though? After all, what the chain holds back isn’t all the big things but instead the small ones. The more one lives the more those smaller things build up. Everything we swept off with excuses, every shame we ever felt, and many other things. The release of that chain brings may bring out our greater pettiness and hate for everything around us. How will you act when your chain is broken?

–NF

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: TEMPERANCE (II)

Notes on Temperance

(Spurred to Evolve)

Artist’s Notes on the Card:

We may strive for balance and may even attain it, yet as soon as it is attained, the balance shifts. Our path of growth and ascension tends never to be straightforward as much as a constant cycle of transmutation. We transmute our innocence into the experience as we transmute our never-ending potential into realization, with each cycle and movement growing further. We are each our own catalyst and our own kiln in which the clay of our being becomes something new.

At the same time though, we need to continue having the intent to grow and to balance both our natures and that of our environment for if we don’t, the whole thing may either come crashing down or we may become delusional (another word for unbalanced) and believe we have already reached the pinnacle of a mountain that has no end.

About the Archetype:

In the trump the Lovers, we become aware that there is an existence outside of our own and sensibilities very different from ours. It is this difference that makes us start to question our lives. With Temperance, we learn to synthesize these differences and consciously incorporate them into our own being. Temperance or Art is the card of Balancing Transformation. It is connected by many with the art of Alchemy. When many people think of Alchemy, they think of the Philosopher’s stone which results in the ability to change lead into gold. The Alchemist’s true goal was to change the lead of coarse matter into the gold of spiritual awareness. This was done by blending and combining the contrasting elements within one’s being. Combining in other words who we are with who we are not, our shadow selves to become something greater. The tiger in the card stands in contrast and admixture to the water that surrounds it By being aware of who we are and who we are not, we can consciously acquire new talents and abilities, blend the two and become something greater, the being who we wish to be. Just as the alchemist followed very specific methods with very specific ingredients, this transformation does not happen in a wild and uncontrolled form but through self-examination and meditation and quite usually through ritual (even the ones we create for ourselves).

Astrological Correspondent:

Sagittarius (♐︎)-The Sagittarius energy is an exploratory one that hungers for the freedom to search out the truth. It is an enthusiastic fiery energy and one that shifts in viewpoint and location to further its understanding. Its symbol is the hunting centaur (denoted by the centaur’s arrow). The centaur is part man and part horse and partakes of the nature of man and beast and masters the blending of them both. Sagittarius’ ruling planet is Jupiter and has an optimistic and expansive aura. It is an energy that takes risks in its desire to do more, know more, and understand more and it becomes what it needs to in order to achieve this end. The Sagittarius influence is one that focuses on self-truth, personal integrity, and self-perfection. Sagittarius brings back what its arrows aim for.

In a reading:

When Temperance turns up in a reading, it can indicate that one’s life has reached a state of balance. The querent may be at a stage where they allot enough time to do the things they want to do and the things they have to do. They work when they need to and have enough time for family and leisure. It may mean tho that it is time for them to examine their lives and figure out how to bring this state of balance about in a conscious way. Temperance may also show in a spiritual sense that the querent is undergoing a transformative experience and that they have made it through the trials and are integrating it with their conscious awareness. The card may be cautioning the querent against going to extremes and learning when to assert themselves in a conscious manner. A keynote for the card is taking responsibility for one’s life in a conscientious way. In a situation where the querent feels torn between two different paths, it suggests finding a synthesis of the two

Temperance reversed or badly aspected, refers to the imbalance in the querent’s life. It could mean that they are going to extremes, first acting in one way and then acting wildly the opposite in order to try to balance the two. This may be because they lack any long-term plan or purpose for their lives and they need to take conscious responsibility for it. It may refer to passive-aggressive behaviour on the querent’s part. The reversed Temperance may also refer to someone being so cautious and afraid of their own actions that they hesitate too much refusing to act at all. The card reversed may also refer to someone who is unable to integrate recent changes in awareness into their lives possibly out of fear of how others will react.

Fate’s Whisper:

“The Seed of Infinity lies in the hearts of those beneath us.”

These were the words of one of the oldest dragons as he watched reality grow. Once one has begun their journey to ascend it can be easy to forget where every being starts. Regardless of if you are a God, Daemon, Djinn, Dragon, or any other species, we all begin knowing nothing. Despite this, we all are all given our own unique seed that is our responsibility to foster. If you feed it poor energy and are always malnourished it will only know that. This isn’t absolute, however. Once we get sick of being on the bottom that seed can give birth to great strength. Like Shani is pushing you, you begin to overcome that which once oppressed you. At this point, you are left with one question. What will you nourish your seed with next?

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: TEMPERANCE (I)

Notes on Temperance

(Dragonic Alchemy)

Artist’s Notes :

So much of Fool’s Journey deals with the relationship between our expressed and suppressed selves. The more we can utilize the parts of ourselves that we have kept only in potential, the closer we can come to self-actualization. This, in many ways, is the essence of what is known as Shadow Work. So many people fear the parts of themselves they keep hidden. It is rather like those ancient maps that displayed the lands that had been explored and then in the parts still unknown and yet to be sailed, the words “Here there be Dragons”

Many of us like to stay in our shallows, the areas of ourselves that we know best. That is the area in which we are comfortable. Yet very little growth happens in the comfort zone and if we stay within it too long, it becomes a swamp. Early on, (as far back as the Lovers card) we became aware of the Other, which exists both externally and internally. The external, of course, are those others with whom we relate, even though many of them are in one aspect or another, quite alien to us. Even more surprising was that there was something within us that could relate to those differences. When that happens, one of three things may occur. We can automatically see the difference as something to be feared or revolted by and we fight it and so our shadow grows. We can embrace the differences wholeheartedly and so either deny or lose our original qualities; this way also leads to our shadow self growing stronger. The third way, however, looks at the difference with critical eyes, see the value in it as well as the value in the current self and learns to forge a new self that is the best of two worlds, fully embracing the value of each. This alchemical practice directly ties in with the idea of the Temperance card.

About the Archetype:

In the Lovers, we become aware that there is an existence outside of our own and sensibilities very different from ours. It is this difference that makes us start to question our lives. With Temperance, we learn to synthesize these differences and consciously incorporate them into our own being. Temperance or Art is the card of Balancing Transformation. It is connected by many with the art of Alchemy. When many people think of Alchemy, they think of the Philosopher’s stone which results in the ability to change lead into gold. The Alchemist’s true goal was to change the lead of coarse matter into the gold of spiritual awareness. This was done by blending and combining the contrasting elements within one’s being. Combining in other words who we are with who we are not, our shadow selves to become something greater. The tiger in the card stands in contrast and admixture to the water that surrounds it By being aware of who we are and who we are not, we can consciously acquire new talents and abilities, blend the two and become something greater, the being who we wish to be. Just as the alchemist followed very specific methods with very specific ingredients, this transformation does not happen in a wild and uncontrolled form but through self-examination and meditation and quite usually through ritual (even the ones we create for ourselves).

Astrological Correspondent:

In a reading:

Fate’s Whisper:

When looking at inner Kundalini workings, it eventually becomes apparent that our ascension is linked to our shadow work. The balancing of our impact is based on our actions and how we cope with said impact emotionally. Just as these two sides hold importance they each have their own unique pull we need to stay vigilant of. All of this is topped off by the fabled Flower of Nirvana to finalize all our transformations so that we may begin anew as who we are now.

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: Death

Notes on Death

(The Innocence of Death)

Artist’s Note on Death:

Death to me is a child eager for life. It wants to understand both the gift it gives and the gift it takes.

To others, it is a skeletal figure upon a white horse.

All will view Death differently, whether as a Threat or as a blessing or perhaps as just one more challenge to surpass and by doing so to grow

With each person, a key is involved

How easily the key will move all depends on how open each person is to change,

Death, The Persona of Transformation is everchanging. Yet it is also one of the rare beings who can be said to be constant

About the Archetype:

In the Rider-Waite tarot deck, Death is shown riding a white horse. In its wake are the destroyed remains of a king and in its path is a praying clergyman, a young maiden with her body supplicating itself to the rider while her head is averted, and a young child offering death a flower. All of these are indicative of the various ways and stages in which we react to major life-altering changes. The king, by power and position, thinks he can command Death to stop only to get trampled. The Priest believes that prayer can avert the need to change and he is next to get trampled. The maiden offers herself to Death but only half-heartedly. She won’t survive so well either. It is the child who accepts whatever comes with an open heart that will survive.

Death is the transformation to a new stage through the purification of the old. We all go through these transformations. Our jobs become obsolete. Our relationships end. Our viewpoints and our lifestyles evolve as we grow. We have spiritual experiences that transform us. We fall in love. How we accept these changes goes a long way towards determining how far we can grow as people and as spiritual beings we are. The more we resist change, the harder the changes tend to be when they come, and the more we stagnate. It is only by being open to the flow of these changes that we can be open to the flow of life and spirit itself.

Astrological Correspondent:

Scorpio (♏︎)-The Scorpio energy is one of intensity. It is passionate and lustful and yearns for knowledge. It is a secretive force and has a strong attraction towards the transformative. As such it has an attraction towards the mystical and may be drawn towards the mysteries of sex and death especially. While the scorpion with its regenerative powers and sting is well known as a Scorpio symbol, the snake and the eagle also are used to represent this energy. The snake represents both the sexual energy and the knowledge of life and death and the eagle which represents the spiritual life beyond transitory form. Scorpio is known for both its ability to see things through and its ability to see through things, penetrating them to their core.

In a Reading:

When Death turns up in a reading, it usually indicates a major transformative change in the querent’s life or circumstances. Usually, one that demarcates a new chapter in their lives. These changes may include a peak experience, a divorce or break-up, the death of a loved one, or even a near-death experience itself. What is important is how the querent deals with the experience. Do they fight to kick and scream to hold onto life as they have known it or do they accept the changes and move on? Usually, when the Death card shows up it is a change that the querent cannot alter so coming to terms with it is necessary. The card can also indicate a fear of dying on the part of the querent. Carlos Castaneda’s teacher Don Juan, among many others has suggested that we keep in mind that we all will die someday and use our Death as an advisor and indeed it is just one more stage. Seldom tho does the card refer to the querent’s own Death tho it can often refer to the ending of a stage of their life. It can refer to a need for the querent to release the life they have lived to now in order to embrace the life they have.

Death reversed or badly aspected can often show a dramatic resistance to change. The querent may have grown complacent and lazy in their life holding back on living fully in order to stay safe and comfortable. It may also represent the querent refusing to acknowledge changes that have already happened and move on. It is almost as if they are haunting their past rather than living their present. It thus indicates the necessity for change. The reversed Death card can also represent a feeling of loss and grief. In this instance again it is mourning for the way things were.

–GR

Fate’s Whisper:

Life and Death have always been dance partners who were inseparable. The aspect of life was usually depicted by a feminine figure while the aspect of death was usually represented by an asexual or masculine figure. Just like a dance, there is an equal push and pull as it persists. The idea of reincarnation was birthed from this philosophy. While it is argued what happens after death not a lot of physical proof exists to back a solid claim.

While it is obvious we will all die eventually it is overlooked that we have an enormous amount of micro deaths while we live our lives. Every change for better, or worse, requires we lose something so we can make room for it. This means every change we undergo is the death of part of our being or ego. This card shows that a part of our life is coming to an end. So this begs a question. How are you changing for better or worse?

— NF

Four Pillars Society Tarot: The Hanged Man

Notes on The Hanged Man

(Sacrifice and Surrender)

Artist’s Note on Card:

The last trump Justice had more than a little to do with the idea of Personal Responsibility and the necessity of owning up to our past so that we can transcend it. The Hanged Man takes that idea and moves forward with it, asking if we are willing to give up what we have to get to where we want to go.

The card depicts a man hanging upside down from a tree suspended over water. His reflection almost seems to be coming out and emerging though that surely is a trick of the mind. After all when hanging upside down with blood rushing to your head, can you trust anything you sense? Most likely, before too long you would find yourself in a state of heightened reality.

Odin sacrificed an eye and hung upside down from the world tree for nine days and nights in order to receive wisdom and for his sacrifice of himself to himself, he received the wisdom of the runes. That is an interesting turn of phrase, isn’t it. Sacrificing oneself to oneself. Isn’t that something we each do in order to grow and develop almost every day? We sacrifice who we are for who we may become. It is only when we refuse to make this sacrifice and try to avoid growth that we find ourselves in difficulty. We start to stagnate and become caricatures of ourselves. The operative word there, being become for in the refusal to accept change and growth, we still change as we degrade further and further. Instead, let us die each day or even each moment so that a better us can constantly evolve.

–GAR

About the Archetype:

The Hanged Man is one of the most powerful images in the Major Arcana. In Norse mythology, Odin hung upside down from the world tree for nine days and nights in order to achieve wisdom and received the runes as a reward. In Christian lore, Peter insisted on being crucified upside down because he didn’t feel he was worthy of dying the same way as Jesus. The Hanged Man implies the sacrifice of the self to become something more. In many religions, there is the idea of the sacrificed deity that brings about the redemption of his followers.

What does sacrifice mean? It means giving up something to achieve something more. In this case, we give up something of ourselves to reach some kind of understanding.

If the Lovers represented the first meeting of the opposites in a relationship, then the Hanged Man represents the knowledge that in the relationship we must be willing to sacrifice who we are to join with our beloved and become something more. The ‘I’ must give way to the ‘We’. If the Lovers represents leaving home and building a life outside of the society we grew up in, the Hanged Man takes it to a deeper level where we must examine our internal values and determine which of them come from cultural conditioning and which are truly part of ourselves. In order to become who we truly are and who we are meant to be, we must be willing to sacrifice who we were. The self-reflected in the water symbolizes the image of who we could be if our external self and life truly reflected the internal. Thus in many ways, it is the realization of a need to change which leads to the path of enlightenment.

Astrological Correspondent:

Water(▽) Planet Neptune (♆)-The Hanged Man, like The Fool and Judgement (or Aeon) cards, has a double astrological attribute, a planetary one and an elemental one. One of the reasons for this is that in the Hebrew alphabet (used in the tree of life) the letters are split into three groups. These are the three Mother letters (Aleph, Mem, and Shin which represent the elements Air, Water, and Fire), Seven Double letters (Beth, Gimel, Dalet, Koph, Peh, Resh, and Tau which represent the seven known planets Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and Earth) and twelve Simple letters which represent the 12 signs of the zodiac. It all works rather nicely. However since these assignations were made three more planets were discovered in our solar system Uranus (whose astrological nature fits well with Air), Neptune (a planet with a decidedly Watery nature and influence), and Pluto (a fiery influence). Some readers, deck designers, and students of the tarot have connected the three planets with the three elemental cards. Since there is such a close fit and examination of any correlation can bring insight I include both possible influences in this writing.

Neptune’s influence is dreamy and illusory and governs among other things, insight and awareness that comes from a state of heightened or altered consciousness. This can be double-edged resulting in transformative experiences but also in its more negative form can lead to addiction and hitting the well too many times with little to show for it. Neptune influences our spirituality and beliefs and our intuition. It’s important to develop the discernment to know the difference between when our intuition and heightened states reveal the truth and when it reveals a message that is personal to our own development. Neptune also influences psychic receptivity and visions.

Water is the elementary influence over the signs, of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Water has an emotional, sensitive influence with hidden depths and currents. It can be dreamy and moody, compassionate or brooding, empathetic or self-indulgent all in its cycle. It flows into everything around it and can be boiled by fire (or extinguished by it), damned by earth (or interdependently nurturing towards it), and dispersed or interwoven by air.

In a reading:

The Hanged Man in a reading may indicate someone who is very independent with a unique take on the world. It may refer to someone who is breaking free of old conventional ways of being and becoming themselves. The Hanged Man can also mean that there is a delay and hold up in plans and the querent may need to reflect on whether what they are hoping for is really true to themselves or not. It may also indicate a transformative relationship for the querent where they will have to surrender a bit of how they see themselves in order to make the relationship work. This does not mean becoming someone who they are not but more a realization of how by bending they may become something more than they had known. The Hanged Man may also mean that the querent has to sacrifice something in order to get another thing that they want. In all of these cases, there is a vulnerability but also an opportunity for growth if one is willing to stretch and bend. The card can also represent delayed rather than instant gratification or surrendering of momentary pleasure for joy.

When the Hanged Man comes out reversed or badly aspected in a reading, it may indicate someone who is conforming to social expectations rather than living their more unconventional dreams. It may refer to inflexibility or moving forwards. It may also refer to the querent feeling as if they are sacrificing a lot and having nothing to show for it. It may mean a time in the querent’s life when they are reacting passively, waiting for life to happen rather than making it happen especially if they have to give up the comfort of their everyday life to do so. The inversed Hanged Man may also mean that someone is dwelling at the shallow end of their life and needs to find a deeper purpose.

Fate’s Whisper:

A lot of mystery surrounds the Astral Planes. Like any piece of complex machinery, we must understand that it is not a single construct but a series of smaller ones that work in harmony. Each realm, resident, and the part has a function to play in maintaining the balance of it all. When things don’t work their part it causes a ripple and chaos in its wake. To keep the chaos and order in check things are sometimes sacrificed to keep them in balance.

As you can see in the card a being’s projection is split in two and mirrored. Caught in the web he/she must sacrifice something to get out. The idea of getting out without consequence is not an option here. In life, we are faced with a decision to make a choice. Every option will take something from us so we must ask what do we want in the end. By looking at it this way we can choose the path that best suits us. The greater the height we strive for the more we will have to sacrifice to reach it. So what path will you pick?

–NF