Astrological Associations
The goddess of justice holds the scales of balance-the emblem of the sign of Libra. The iconographic imagery links the card to Libran concepts of balance, equanimity, and grace, both personal and political.
Libra rules the seventh house of the zodiac wheel, where astrologers look for information about marriages and partnerships. Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of love and beauty.
On a related note, Venus is associated with the Empress card.
Libra is an air sign.
Literary Archetypes
Justice can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the Amazon, the anima, the gatekeeper, the goddess, the guardian, the judge, the ruler, and the teacher.
Justice and Your Writing Practice
As a writer, you know that the pen is mightier than the sword. When the justice card appears in one of your readings, you might be called upon to use the power of words to fight for truth and justice, and defend those who have no voice.
On a more practical level, the justice card might suggest that you need to use a double-edged sword to cut through confusion, eliminate excess verbiage, or get straight to the point.
Writing Prompts
Write about:
• balance and equilibrium
• a courtroom
• a legal case, lawsuit, or trial
• a lawyer, judge, or jury
• one of the less recognized people in the legal system, such as a file clerk or a stenographer
. a whistle-blower
. a bail bondsman
. karma
. a goddess in modern times
. the view from the top of a courthouse
THE HANGED MAN MIGHT BE the world's first writer. According to one interpretation of the card, he's the Norse god Odin, who hung himself on the World Tree for nine days. The Norns of destiny rewarded his sacrifice with the gift of written language; they gave him the runes, an ancient alphabet that now dates back more than 3,000 years.
For centuries, Odin's runes were carved on stone, etched into metal, and burned into wood. The crudely shaped letters of the runic alphabet had literal meanings, like "ice" or "cattle." More importantly, the runes had symbolic significance. In fact, a rune master who knew the secrets of the written word could invoke the power of the Norse gods. (In the wrong hands, that power could be deadly.) Some rune masters carved stories, poetry, and descriptions that have lasted for centuries, guaranteeing them the immortality that most writers can only dream of.
Generally speaking, the Hanged Man card symbolizes contemplation and self-sacrifice. In a story reading, the Hanged Man may represent a student, writer, political prisoner, philosopher, or mystic.
Key Symbols
A New Worldview. The Hanged Man card certainly offers a new perspective. He sees the world from a viewpoint that is radically different from the norm. From his unorthodox position, he can think of new solutions to old problems.
Time Out. Suspended in midair, the Hanged Man is able to suspend the ordinary cares and concerns of everyday life. When he lands on his feet, normal life can resume.
Altered Reality. Even though he's hanging upside down, the Hanged Man doesn't seem to be suffering. He looks peaceful, even happy; there's a halo around his head, signifying divinity, and he's in a mystic trance. He seems to be entering an altered state of being, and possibly even a state of enlightenment.
A Symbolic Death. Ultimately, the Hanged Man is a mystic. He won't suffer a physical death as a result of his time in the tree, but he will undergo a spiritual initiation through a symbolic death and resurrection. Once he's back on his feet, he'll experience a resurrection of sorts.
Going Down. The position of the Hanged Man's head sometimes represents a descent into the underworld. Lucifer, the dark angel, was said to have been cast out of heaven headfirst, straight into hell. The upside-down posture might also remind you of an unborn child, suspended in the womb. In fact, the card occasionally symbolizes rebirth and transitions from one life to another-and in initiation ceremonies, new members of mystical groups are sometimes suspended upside down.
"T" Time. The leafy branches of the tree form a T-shaped cross, like the Greek letter Tau-an ancient symbol of eternal life that's sometimes connected to a symbolic death.
Cross Your Legs. The Hanged Man's legs are often crossed in the shape of the numeral 4, just like many versions of the Emperor. The pose is designed to suggest stability, even though the ground is swept away.
Numeric Significance. The Hanged Man is the twelfth card in the Major Arcana. The number twelve is a reminder of other significant "dozens," such as the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve apostles, the twelve months in a year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Keywords
Upright: Sacrifice, withdrawal, restraint, foresight, wisdom, meditation, rebirth, transition, initiation, isolation, separation, patience, enlightenment, perspective, alternate reality, reversal
Reversed: Unwilling sacrifice, martyrdom, punishment, imprisonment, treason
Myth and Legend
The most famous hanged man in history is Jesus Christ. In a bizarre twist on the crucifixion story, however, the Hanged Man is sometimes compared to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver. In fact, some versions of the card actually depict Judas, hanging upside down, with coins falling out of his pocket or purse. The Hanged Man has also been compared to Saint Peter, who insisted on being crucified upside down to avoid being compared to Jesus.
Historically, the card was sometimes called "The Traitor," because traitors like Judas were hung upside down. The practice isn't dead, either: as recently as World War II, the Italian leader Mussolini was hanged upside down for his corrupt rule.
Astrological Associations
The Hanged Man spends hours-or even days-in a trancelike state of suspended animation. He is in perfect synch with Neptune, the planet of spiritual and psychic enlightenment.
The Hanged Man's consciousness transcends the physical, just as Neptune itself seems to escape the ordinary bounds of physics. After all, the planet is composed mostly of ethereal mist and gasses. It's a planet of dreamlike illusion, and existence removed from the limitations of physical concerns.
Neptune rules the twelfth house of the zodiac, where astrologers look for mystic secrets. Neptune also rules Pisces, the sign of psychic ability.
On a related note, Pisces is assigned to the Moon card.
Literary Archetypes
The Hanged Man can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the divine child, the martyr, the messiah, the mystic, the outlaw, the poet, the writer, or the scribe, the psychic, the rebel, the seeker, the shaman, the visionary, the wanderer, and the wounded healer.
The Hanged Man and Your Writing Practice
Written language truly is a gift. It takes patience, perseverance, and sacrifice to master. As Odin discovered, writing also calls you to see the world from new and unusual perspectives.
Writing is magic in its purest form. The ancient rune masters knew that written language gives form to abstract concepts. The simple act of writing makes ideas become real; it gives them physical existence.
It's practical magic, too. Think about the spellbinding possibilities you can manifest the next time you write a grocery list, and then stand back in amazement later, when you find your refrigerator full of food.
Writing Prompts
Write about:
• a mystic
• a traitor
• a hangman's noose
• a man frozen in time
• a woman in a trance
• an out-of-body experience
• a 180-degree change in perspective
• a landmark tree
• an alternate reality
• a mysterious alphabet
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE Death card isn't a bad omen. It's not a portent of doom or imminent destruction. Instead, it's a card of transition; it heralds th
e completion of one chapter of life, and the exciting new start of another.
The Death card almost never refers to an actual, physical death. In practical terms, it's more likely to suggest a release, a change of form, a transformation, or the little deaths of sex and sleep.
When the Death card rears its ugly head in a tarot reading, it could also refer to a death that's already transpiredespecially if that passing has gone unnoticed or unacknowledged. It may call for the release of old habits, old patterns, and old relationships that have served their purpose and now should be relegated to the pages of history.
In a story reading, Death may represent a dead person, grieving survivor, health worker, hospice aide, medical examiner, mortician, or spiritual guide.
Key Symbols
Grim Reaper. Death is the proverbial pale rider on a white horse. He marches across the battlefield of life, mowing down all those in his path. He is the ultimate equalizer, a democratizing force, and he will eventually conquer the king, the bishop, the maiden, and the child alike.
Thermodynamics. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy is never created or destroyed-it's simply converted from one form to another. While the Death card does suggest an ending, it also promises a new beginning.
Don't Pollute. Death has been this way before: the field is littered with body parts on their way to the recycling bin.
Dry Bones. The skeleton has always represented the bare bones of the matter.
Farm Tools. A scythe can only mean harvest, even if it refers to the harvest of souls.
Armored for Battle. Death wears armor of black steel, the familiar battle wear of a king's knight. This warrior, however, has nothing to lose. He knows that his victory is inevitable.
Mystic Rose. Death carries a black banner emblazoned with a mystic white rose, a symbol of life and resurrection.
River Crossing. The small ship in the background is sailing on what seems to be the River Styx, the mythic landmark that separated the land of the living from the land of the dead.
Sunrise, Sunset. The rising and setting sun has symbolized death and resurrection since the time of ancient Egypt.
Passageways. The sun is stationed between two pillars that are reminiscent of the pillars behind the High Priestess, Justice, and the Moon. In every case, the pillars represent a gateway, or a passage to another world.
Numeric Significance. There are thirteen lunar months, or thirteen full moons, in every calendar year. Thirteen is sometimes thought to be an unlucky number, because there were thirteen diners at Jesus' last supper. In the tarot, the Death card is number thirteen. Thirteen can also be positive; there are thirteen items in a baker's dozen, for example.
Keywords
Upright: Transition, transformation, rebirth, recreation, regeneration, change, alteration, mortality
Reversed: Destruction, corruption, loss, failure, annihilation, inertia, sleep, lethargy, loss of hope
Myth and Legend
The Death card, like all of the cards in the tarot deck, is an allegorical image. It's probably based on similar images that were developed during the fourteenth century, when the Black Death swept across Europe. It suggests the danse macabre, the allegorical images of dancing skeletons that were generated as a result.
Even now, the black-robed figure reminds some people of the priests who perform last rites at the bedsides of those who are very ill. The Grim Reaper is also a variant on the ancient psychopomp, a conductor of souls.
The card also hints at the myth of the Phoenix, the mythical bird that burns and then is reborn from its own ashes. The bird is a symbol of destruction and purification by fire and subsequent rebirth from the ashes. It's a metaphor for transformation and change, metamorphosis and rebirth. It doesn't represent the loss of energy; instead, it symbolizes a conversion.
Astrological Associations
While most people fear death, those who are born under Scorpio's influence are unafraid of darkness. In fact, they're fascinated by the interconnected mysteries of death and sex.
Scorpio rules the eighth house of the zodiac chart, where astrologers look for information about sex, death, and other people's money. Scorpio, in turn, is ruled by Pluto, the planet of death, regeneration, and unavoidable change. And on a related note, Pluto is assigned to the judgement card.
Scorpio is a water sign.
Literary Archetypes
Death can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the destroyer, the fates, the gatekeeper, the guardian angel, the guide, the judge, the psychopomp, the shadow, the shaman, the sorcerer, the thief, and the trickster.
Death and Your Writing Practice
While most people dread the sight of the Death card in a tarot reading, writers tend to celebrate its appearance. That's because the Death card can portend a dramatic shift in a story. It can introduce an element of danger: it's dramatic and life altering.
As a writer, also keep in mind that you are a type of psychopomp-a conductor of souls, and a guide to hidden worlds. No land is too dark or too frightening for you to explore.
On a practical note, the Death card can also remind you to eliminate words, phrases, scenes, and chapters that don't move your story along. "To be a good writer," Iris Murdoch said, "you have to kill your babies." When the Death card falls in the course of your writing practice, it might be time to cull the herd.
Writing Prompts
Write about:
. someone who is on his deathbed
. someone who has died
. someone coming back from the dead
. a killer
. a psychopomp
. the Grim Reaper
. life after death
. communication with the dead
. a ghost
. how your characters will die, even if their deaths have nothing to do with the story you're developing
THE TEMPERANCE CARD DEPICTS MICHAEL, the archangel of healing. He straddles the divide between two worldswater and earth-and demonstrates the curative powers of balance and moderation.
Temperance was one of the five cardinal virtues in ancient Greece, and it's one of the four cardinal virtues of the Catholic Church. While the word describes the process of cutting wine with water, its most current interpretation usually implies a total abstinence from alcohol. The word also refers to a mechanical process: just as steel is tempered by fire and ice, people are tempered-made harder and more durable-by time and experience.
Generally speaking, the Temperance card symbolizes harmony and grace. In a story reading, Temperance may represent a winemaker, pharmacist, nutritionist, cook, doctor, nurse, or holistic healer.
Key Symbols
Mix and Match. The Temperance card could be a literal depiction of the temperance process: the archangel Michael might be watering the wine, an ancient practice designed to keep drunkenness to a minimum. On a more symbolic level, Michael is actually pouring the essence of life from one chalice into another-and in the process, he's blending the elements of fire, water, earth, and air.
When Worlds Collide. While most tarot cards depict extremes-between black and white, day and night, hot and cold-Temperance symbolizes the importance of merging and combining two conflicting forces. He is a unifying presence in a world of opposition and duality.
Alchemical Magic. To some degree, the card also illustrates the principle of alchemy, a magical philosophy concerned with the transmutation of base metals into gold. The two chalices in Michael's hands may symbolize the sun and the moon, or a man and a woman. The water flowing between them represents a shared bond and an exchange of energy. According to tarot tradition, the water is rising from the lower cup up to the top, violating gravity and laws of nature.
Shore-Footed. Michael divides his time between two worlds, with his left foot on the dry land of logic, and his right foot submerged in the water of emotion. His pose harmonizes the spiritual and physical realms of our existence.
The Long and Winding Road. In the distance, a windin
g path leads to a mountain range. The image suggests bridges and pathways to other worlds of mind and spirit.
Body Adornment. In many versions of the card, Michael wears the astrological glyph of the sun on his forehead, and the square and triangle of the septenary on his chest. The septenary represents the seven theosophical principles of man: higher self, spirit, mind, animal nature, life force, etheric body, and physical form.
Flower Power. Two yellow irises are blooming on the shore near his feet. Iris was the goddess of rainbows, and rainbows were thought to be a bridge between this world and the next.
Immortality. The mountain path leads to a peak where the sun is rising, crowned in the glory of eternal life.
Keywords
Upright: Temperance, economy, moderation, frugality, management, combinations, unification, balance
Reversed: Intemperance, imbalance, mismanagement, irreconcilable differences, enablers
Myth and Legend
The iris flowers growing along the shoreline symbolize Iris, the Greek goddess of rainbows. Rainbows symbolized a bridge between heaven and earth, which probably inspired Iris' role as a messenger of the gods.
Whenever the gods argued, Zeus would also send Iris to the Underworld to fill a golden jug with water from the River Styx. Each god was required to drink from the jug. If he or she had lied, they would immediately fall over breathless for a year, and subsequently be cut off from councils and feasts for the next nine years.
Astrological Associations
The archer of Sagittarius is a wily creature, a restless adventurer and ersatz philosopher. Half man, half horse, he's a seamless blend of man and beast-which makes the sign a good fit for the Temperance card. Both concepts embody a skillful blend of opposites. The analogy even extends to the bow and arrow that represent the centaur: the symbol is a combination of motion and stillness, an arrow propelled by a stationary bow.
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