Celestial Tarot Book

by Brian Clark

  Contemporary astrological images of Scorpio have been influenced by its monstrous legacy and its placement in the sector of the zodiac where the heroic battle with darkness took place. At the beginning of the Mesopotamian culture Scorpius marked the autumnal equinox, when the night force became greater than the day force with the diminishing power of the Sun. From this epoch, Scorpio became linked with darkness and death. A popular theme in all heroic stories focuses on the hero’s battles with the monstrous forces of death and darkness. In Scorpio, these are characterized by the battle with dark feminine forces like the Gorgon, the Hydra, and Scylla. Psychologically, these monstrous forces symbolize what is repressed, denied, taboo, or shamefully hidden away. Scorpio marks the time in the cycle when the hero is called to journey into the nether world, the region of shades and ghosts, in order to face and redeem these aspects.

  In Northern Hemisphere myths, the Sun passing through the constellation of Scorpio heralded the triumph of the dark as the dying Sun waned and winter approached. Another motif was the heroic descent into the underworld to face the demons of death. When the Greeks wove their myth into this constellation, they linked it to the hero who was stung to death. Orion, the hero stung by a giant scorpion emblematic of this sign, is an enigmatic figure in myth. Many differing and obscure versions of his myth exist. Homer mentions that it was Artemis who killed Orion with a shower of arrows. Her motives are unclear, but later poets suggested jealousy or outrage, classic Scorpio reactions to abandonment or betrayal.

  When the Death card is drawn, an ending is indicated and a period of change is imminent. It presents an opportunity to let go of habits, emotional patterns, psychological complexes, and relationships that no longer serve our journey forward. There may be a dark night passage to face our fears and terrors. The card suggests a guide is invaluable and it may be wise to seek counsel on the best route forward. Scorpio represents self-mastery and the emergence of a more authentic self. The card of Death suggests a powerful initiation through the experience of loss and endings, the precursors to a renewed energetic response to life.

  XIV~Temperance: The Spirit of Sagittarius

  Zodiacally, Sagittarius follows Scorpio as it represents the rebirth into the realm of spirit. Sagittarius embraces spiritual ideals, morality, ethics, justice, and temperance—virtues at the core of the Temperance card. The Greeks associated Crotus, the inventor of archery and a favorite of the Nine Muses, with Sagittarius, whom Zeus honored by elevating him into the constellation. This myth was a later edition, but nonetheless places the arts and sciences, represented by the Muses, under the auspices of Sagittarius. The pursuits of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are virtues for Sagittarius. As a goddess of nature and the wild, hunting, and childbirth, Artemis is also associated with this sign. With the bow and arrow in her capable hands, she is an ideal personification of Sagittarius. Artemis, like many personifications of Sagittarius, is poised between the instinctual forces of nature and spirit. A common theme underlying Sagittarian myths contrasts the barbaric, stormy, wild side, with the pursuit of higher vision, knowledge, and ethics. Similarly, the card Temperance implies moderation and balance, finding the middle path, and discerning between right and wrong.

  Over time, the constellation evolved into a hybrid of animal and man, holding a bow and arrow. The Greek archer Crotus was a satyr, an amalgam of man and goat. The hybrid figure was alternatively depicted as a Centaur, the main totem associated with Sagittarius since the Roman period. Centaurs were marginalized creatures; wild, unpredictable and barbaric, brandishing tree trunks, boulders, and firebrands as their weapons. They inhabited a threshold between the primitive past and the civilizing present. These instinctual creatures were intolerant of culture and disrespectful of its laws and social customs, including marriage. In the Greek tradition, they opposed the emerging pursuits of beauty, culture, and refinement. The mythic motif of the battle with the Centaurs portrayed Sagittarius’continuous conflict of opposites: culture versus nature, civil versus savage, man versus beast etc. When the card Temperance appears, it denotes a struggle between instinctual desire and social morality.

  Roman mythographers also equated the constellation with Chiron, the wise and gentle Centaur. Chiron is not from the same lineage as the other Centaurs, and is distinguished from them by his vision and knowledge. Like the other Centaurs, Chiron made his home in the mountains of Thessaly on Mount Pelion. Here, he practiced his healing vocation, becoming well known for his skills at surgery, herbal medicine, and natural healing. He also became a mentor to many of the solar heroes, training them in the arts of warrior wisdom, healing, herbal medicine, astrology, prophesy, hunting and riding. Sagittarius not only seeks wisdom but also becomes the teacher, mentor, healer, and guide in the heroic process of individuation. Chiron’s wisdom, tolerance, and temperance represent a complete contrast to the wild and combative Centaurs. On an oracular level, the card denotes a time of civilizing the instincts and becoming more attuned to ethics.

  Artemis contains the wild instinctual forces the Centaurs could not, channeling them into higher pursuits. On the back of a magnificent and powerful horse Artemis rides forward into a new cycle. As goddess of childbirth she has presided over the re-birth following Death and protected the soul through its critical life transition. Her right hand holds the bow steady, while her left hand is poised to release the arrow. About to burst into life, the arrow is pointed towards the center of the galaxy and at the heart of truth, ready to pierce any illusion, fracture any falsehood, or split open any misconception. Symbolically, the arrow represents the potency of thought and its ability to discriminate and judge the situation clearly. It suggests the capability to intuit beyond the mundane aspects of the situation to seek synthesis and a higher perspective. This is the spirit of Sagittarius, to reason and judge clearly, not from a self-interested perspective, but from a holistic point of view. The spirit of Sagittarius is infused with the spirit of right action and ideal participation in the community of life.

  On a divinatory level, the card Temperance suggests a phase of spiritual awakening and learning. To move forward, temperance and reflection are needed to discern the appropriate action. Balance is also required, as there are conflicting forces drawing the individual in opposite directions. One is regressing back to the instinctual life, the material world, the ego and its desires. The other direction progresses towards the spiritual life. What matters are motives, intentions, and ethical actions. To discern the right course the arrows need to be pointed at the heart of the situation. We are called to differentiate the barbaric from the refined, the wild from the moderate, and to choose the path aligned with our highest ideals.

  XV~The Devil:

  Capricorn’s Instinctual World

  “Great Pan is dead,” shouted the mysterious voice that called out to the pilot as he steered his ship along the western coast of Greece. As the legend of the cloven-footed god’s demise spread throughout Tiberius’ Roman Empire, the Christians interpreted it to mean an end to the pagan era. Great Pan was the shepherd’s god, wild, lustful, insatiable, epitomizing the sinful shadow of Christian purity. This expression has now come to symbolize institutional collapse, the nadir of the cycle, or the end of an era.

  Pan represents the Major Arcana card of the Devil, associated with the 10th zodiacal constellation. As the adversary of life, the Devil confronts our capacity to choose freedom over bondage. No doubt Capricorn is an “old goat”, as the zodiacal constellation of either a horned goat or a sea goat was recognized as early as the second millennium b.c.e. While known as a goat to the Persians, Syrians, and Hindus, it was the Babylonians who identified it as a goat-fish and connected it to their god Ea. However, it may have been the Assyrians who first superimposed the image of the goat-fish onto the constellation around the mid-7th Century b.c.e.

  The Greeks mythologized the stellar image of the horned goat-god Pan who, when frightened by the monster Typhon, jumped into the s
ea and transformed himself into a sea goat. The ancient Greeks also connected the constellation with Amaltheia, sister of the god Pan. Amaltheia was the goat-nymph who nursed the young Zeus when he was in hiding from his father Cronus, the Titan king. She was immortalized in the heavens as the constellation of Capricorn by a grateful Zeus who also took one of her horns and filled it with the fruits of the harvest. This abundant and plentiful symbol connected to Capricorn became known as the Cornucopia, the Horn of Plenty, an emblem of abundance. As a bountiful mother substitute, she constellates the polar opposite of Cronus, the devouring father also known as Saturn, the deity who astrologically rules Capricorn. Cronus’ rulership of Capricorn reflects the rigidity and anxiety underlying the authority complex that underscores this myth. Here, we meet the devouring and limiting aspect of the Devil. Fearful of progress and change, the Devil imprisons his own creativity and potentialities in a world that offers no possibilities or choices.

  In the tropical zodiac, Capricorn is the northern winter solstice that marks the turning of the sun, when the year’s darkest moment has passed and the torchbearer, the new solar hero, emerges. In many ways this announces the ending of the old order. At the darkest point another cycle begins. Psychologically, as we approach the nadir of any cycle, the ego reacts by imposing sanctions and limits to remain in control and insure the situation remains ‘safe’, static, and unchanging. This reaction is the work of the Devil as it considers life from a state of fear and homeostasis, which imprisons the individual in depression and powerlessness. While tradition and the past should be honored, they should not prevent changes from emerging.

  The goat became an iconographic representation of evil and lust. In religious depictions the head of the goat represented the accursed, who misused power and wealth to influence the innocent. Goats were often used as sacrificial animals. In Hebrew tradition a goat carrying the sins of the tribe was cast out into the wilderness as a ‘scape-goat’. After centuries of sin projected onto the goat, it became aligned with the Devil, who was depicted with the horns and feet of a goat, similar to Pan. However, Pan was not evil. When he was born with the feet of a goat, two horns and a beard, his father Hermes was filled with joy. Proud of his new son, he introduced him to all the other Olympian immortals who rejoiced at his birth, naming him Pan, meaning all.

  Enchanted by the sweet sound of the reeds, Pan tied them together to make his beautiful instrument, the panpipes. Pan’s music reminds us of the creativity that is part of our nature. Unexpressed creativity keeps the individual locked in a materialistic world where power is derived through status and possessions. Imprisoned by that world, ‘pan-ic’ arises, leading to compulsive behavior. On the other hand, creativity inspires the imagination and promotes the freedom to pursue a new way of being.

  On an oracular level, the card may suggest that the individual is stuck in a dissatisfying job, bound to an endless cycle of despair, trapped in a loveless relationship, or driven by compulsions. The card challenges the individual to live out unexpressed creative possibilities and break free from the cycle of depression and lethargy. To break from the bondage of the Devil, the individual needs to be inspired to move beyond everything that imprisons, both literally and figuratively. Pan’s excesses do not make him the Devil. He has come to be associated with the Devil through our projections of unlived potentialities and creativity, which should now be expressed.

  XVI~The Tower:

  The Will of Mars

  The image of the tower is now firmly imprinted upon the human psyche since the events of September 11th when the twin towers of the World Trade Center were hit and destroyed by planes hijacked by terrorists. Witnessing the devastating tragedy repeatedly on television branded the terrifying image of the collapsing towers on the human psyche. This violent act chillingly recreated the themes of the Tower, the Major Arcana card bridging the Devil and the Star. As a mythological theme, the tower’s collapse had previously been linked to the destruction of the Tower of Babel. The original inspiration for the tower may have been the Mesopotamian structures known as the ziggurats, an early image of a stairway to heaven. To the Old Testament scholars, these towers represented hubris for trying to reach heaven through solely materialistic means and the human folly of attempting to raise mankind to the level of the godhead. Hence, Jehovah destroyed the Tower, ending the phase of expansion and empire building in the outer world.

  An alternative title for the 16th Major Arcana is The Lightening-Struck Tower. In the Rider-Waite deck, the structure is depicted as having been struck by lightening, with the crown at the top dislodged. Fiery flames are shown raging out of the crater, where the crown has been toppled, and two people are being hurled out of the tower. Ancients revered lightening as the awesome fire from heaven, which struck swiftly and unexpectedly, either to destroy or to fertilize. Lightening symbolized both the god’s destructive face and his awesome powers of renewal. In Celestial Tarot, we meet Mars the war-god, both destroyer and tower of strength. Representing the lightening bolt striking the tower is the sword, another symbol of power representing either destruction or discrimination. No longer bound by the Devil, the initiate is free to break down the old structures that no longer serve his journey forward.

  The Greek god of war was Ares, who was also associated with aggressive behavior and sexual instincts. The Romans embraced him as Mars, amalgamating the Greek god of war with an indigenous agricultural deity, often associated with spring or the rising of the sap, fertility, and new growth. Sacrifices were made to Mars to avoid natural calamites, promote a bountiful harvest, and encourage prosperity. In classical astrology, Mars is lord of two zodiacal spheres, Aries and Scorpio, reflecting the dual paths evident in the Tower. Aries heralds spring and represents the renewal of life, beginnings, adventure, and self-motivation. Aries has the will and the instinct to continue forward and, like the Emperor, carries the sword of power and discrimination. Scorpio is the season of autumn when nature dies and goes underground. It represents the portal to the underworld and all that lies beneath the conscious experience of life. Like Death, we may need to re-enter this phase of experience to embrace shadow aspects of the self, which may still be holding us back.

  This card’s message also echoes another tarot tradition. Some decks refer to this card as the “House of God” while others entitle it the “House of the Devil.” When the Tower appears in a spread, the unconscious reveals an important crossroads. For some it may be the time to journey forward as the old structures have liberated a more authentic path forward. Having journeyed into the shadow regions of the psyche and confronted the Devil, the individual is now empowered to move beyond the material world. As a guide, Mars represents the aspects of the psyche we can invoke at this time: aspiration, courage, enthusiasm, energy, and will. For others, it may suggest a time to reconsider their position and what needs to be relinquished. It may be necessary to delve deeply into the self to face the terror of what keeps them bound to the collapsing structures around them. Here, we invoke Mars and his sword of discrimination to sustain our battle with the shadowy aspects of the self, which hold us back.

  Mars also symbolizes brute strength and aggressive instincts. The individual’s warrior attitude and skill is paramount at this point, as Martian strengths can also be directed towards entrapment rather than liberation. During the Middle Ages, the planets Mars was dubbed “the star of evil,” reminding us of this regressive path. On a divinatory level, the appearance of Mars as the Tower suggests that an instinct is operating to tear down old structures that may have been supporting an established way of being. The more rigid the structure the more violent the upheaval needed to dislodge it. In addition, the Tower card also implies that it is time for the collapse of the old, whether we resist or cooperate. Having encountered the Devil, the initiate is ready to destroy the imprisoning defenses and structures and turn towards the future, the Star. The sword of Mars strikes the Tower of the past, breaking up complacency and rigidity to
create a more energetic and creative future.

  XVII~The Star:

  Aquarius and the Manna of Heaven

  The 1960s ended on high note when the musical Hair was released. Its musical anthem, “Aquarius,” promised “mystic crystal revelations and the mind’s true liberation”, consistent images of the sign as we have come to know it. The revolutionary sixties were ushered in by the seven personal planets, which squeezed into the sign of Aquarius in February 1962. In contemporary astrology Aquarius has come to represent change, revolution, and rebellion. Hence, the first Greek cultural revolutionary, Prometheus, has become associated with the sign.

  Aquarius was not always associated with revolution and social change. To the ancients, Aquarius was the power of flowing, and often flooding water. To the Babylonians it was an overflowing water jar and later a female water divinity. The flood of water was connected to the rains, which would come when the Sun transited Aquarius, the ancient herald of the winter solstice. The Star represents both strands of Aquarius. It heralds a revolutionary new way of life after a period of turmoil or suppression, and also represents a wellspring of hope and renewal. Aquarius’ innovative and creative new vision is reflected in the Star, a welcome downpour after the disruption and chaos of the Tower.