This alternative way of viewing the Major Arcana can be illustrated by the ancient Hindu story of The Two Rulers. In this story, there are two kingdoms and, of course, two rulers. One is a King and the other a Queen. Both kingdoms are governed in the name of Lord Krishna. Well, it happened one day that Lord Krishna decided to visit both kingdoms to see how they’re being governed, and whether they’re doing good or bad things in His name. In both cases, the actions and attitudes of the inhabitants of each kingdom were a direct reflection of the attitudes of their rulers.
Lord Krishna first gives the king, reputed as being a cruel, competitive, and jealous man, a task: He commands him to search within his kingdom for a genuinely virtuous person. Upon return, the king confesses to Krishna that although he found many people who performed what could be called "virtuous deeds," he also discovered that these people, ultimately, did these things still for their own egoistic gratification. In the final analysis, these people were no different from those who were considered vicious. *(See: The Chariot)
Lord Krishna then visits the queen, well known for her mercy, compassion, and grace, and gives her a similar task, but with a slight difference: Krishna commands her to search her kingdom for a genuinely vicious person. The queen searches but eventually comes back empty handed. She tells Lord Krishna that although she found thieves, liars, and other such people, she could only conclude that they’re not genuinely vicious at all, but only misguided. They needed wise counseling and compassionate understanding, nothing more.
With the above story in mind, we can see whether we’re being "genuinely virtuous" rulers of our own lives or misguided egoists by how many of these "face cards" come up in a reading above particularly negative (or reversed) "non-face cards".
"Face cards" are distinct from "non-face cards" in that the former represent definite functions, whereas the latter deal more with cosmic, biological, and karmic forces (apparently) beyond your control. As each "face card" comes into contact with each "non-face card," the consequences will vary according to the intention and degree of conscious thought and action. For example, The Fool, when paired with The Lovers, may be "just another a fool in love," or else he may represent someone who’s gotten hurt many times and yet has not lost his or her ability to trust others. As always, you should experiment to see what works best for you and the person for whom you’re reading. Even more important than this is how you react to the information presented.
The Lovers
(Some Interesting Correspondences)
(Thanatos="giving up the ghost." [See: Art—The caput mortuum, The Universe, Death, and The Hanged Man.] This is the formula of I.A.O., of birth, death, and rebirth; the ability to die to the old and be reborn to the new—the "I am that" of the Hindu. In fact, we can stamp the I-sis on the figure of The Empress on the right [The Hermit, as Virgo, also corresponds to the forces of Isis], the A-pophis on the figure of the snake entwined around the Orphic Egg [symbol of Heart], and the O-siris on the figure of The Emperor. For more information on this subject, consult Aleister Crowley's, "Magick"—Book 4, pg. 144—147 "The Principles of Ritual", and Chapter V., pg. 158—165 "The Formula of I.A.O." It should also be remarked that The Lovers has been symbolically expanded to include Aleister Crowley's amelioration of the present Formula; that is to say, I.A.O. is, to Crowley, V.I.A.O.V., to include The Devil and The Hierophant. The Devil and The Hierophant refer to one's hidden motivations, those generated by the Shadow [The Devil] and Superego [The Hierophant] respectively. For those unfamiliar with the clandestine world of occult terminology, the aforementioned book is a must read.
To give an illustrative example of the above formula, it’ll open many doors to imagine that the caricatures in The Lovers are not just saying "hello," but "goodbye" also. The path of Samekh—home of Art—reveals The Lovers as entwined. Now, this path leads to Tiphareth, the Sephira wherein the marriage of The Lovers symbolically takes place. From the standpoint of "moving up on the Tree," [psychospiritual Evolution] these two cards—Art, and The Lovers, —represent a "dance of consciousness" wherein the birth of tomorrow lies in the womb of today [goodbye/hello]. Once again, we see the operation of converting yet another card back to the Zero of The Fool, for this Zero is the only state worthy of the perfection of Hierogamy, or union with the Lord and Lady. *("Hierogamy" is a love intoxication that elevates the object of adoration to the level of Deity.)
Moving on, we see that Samekh, translated from the Hebrew means, "Support," or "Prop," and is more accurately described as a "springboard," initiating this Dance of Love. The Art trump actually takes place within the Orphic Egg seen at the bottom of The Lovers trump and contains the Arcanum of Love as "sublimated passion"— (The Devil) Energy that builds up in Swadisthana Chakra— (Orphic Egg) and unites Manipura Chakra— (Lust) with Anahata Chakra— (The Lovers/The Hierophant). This energy can be sublimated even further when raised to Ajna Chakra— (The Priestess) at which point sexuality in the physical sense disappears entirely, giving rise to what's been called the "U3 experience"—the expansion of consciousness described in the Kabbalistic system as Neschamah, which in turn opens the door to the Chiah, or "divine insight," (the Lamp) which in turn opens the door to the Yechidah, one's true Self as nondual Ground.
The Animitariograph
(An Integral Tarot Spread)
We've learned that each trump, and Tarot itself, can be interpreted along selfish, social, and global lines. In my approach to Tarot, called Animitariomancy, I first show the querent each trump, one at a time, and ask her to pick the cards that provoke an immediate reaction. I'll then have the querent write down, in one word, what that reaction is. I'll then ask her how she feels about that reaction. Then, based upon those reactions and the nature and tone of her question, I'll get an idea about which developmental level her question is coming from. Because none of us occupies one specific level of growth one hundred percent of the time, there are bound to be aspects of the querent’s personality that are higher and lower than the level from which her question arises. A skilled Tarotist will be capable of provoking conversation between these various modes and levels of the querent's overall self (providing the querent has access to all three).
As we’ve seen, the worldviews associated with the three growth-phases are:
•Selfcentric
•Sociocentric
•Worldcentric
These are the three basic worldviews, and a Tarot reading can contain elements of all three.
The so-called Theocentric worldview, which is the brightest side of the moon these twenty-two fingers point at, is actually the rarest mode of interpretation a Tarotist encounters in a reading. Still, it's really the highest level of interpretation of the cards, and I've tried to present it in a way that highlights the essentials of its architecture.
Having come this far, and having said so much, it's probably going to come as a shock when I now say that Tarot is not, could never be, will never be, Integral. It's not in the nature of things. For as anyone familiar with the Integral approach will tell you, tools like Tarot, Yi Ching, Runes, etc., may indeed be capable of targeting various levels of growth (worldviews) and lines of intelligence (more on this below), but such tools are out of their depth when it comes to the exterior dimension of just about anything. Tarot cannot, for example, and under no circumstances should it ever, take the place of an MD or qualified therapist. Tarot can’t accurately diagnose physical illness or tell how me how much money is in your wallet right now, although coincidences do abound. What it can do is explain the behavior of those events that have an interior correlate by mirroring back that which dwells behind the scenes of a question or event. Of course, a doctor or therapist can most certainly use Tarot as a therapeutic tool, but the main point is that Tarot doesn't diagnose, it interprets.
Animitariomancy interprets Tarot in an Integral way.
Let's imagine that Chris is a serious meditator. He's been at it for some time and is beginning to enjoy the results of his practice. One night,
while sitting on his meditation cushion, he has a profound experience of blinding interior light. At first, he thinks nothing of it, but the next time he meditates the interior light appears once again, only this time Chris doesn't dismiss it as coincidence. He grabs his journal and promptly writes down every nuance of the vision. There's one thing about Chris that we haven't mentioned:
He's also a skilled Tarotist.
As such, Chris knows that every experience demands interpretation. What Chris doesn't know is that every interpretation has subjective and objective components deeply embedded in unconscious structures which he can't, by the very nature of things, be immediately conscious of. So Chris might dutifully interpret and record his experiences of interior illumination, but he’ll do so while remaining deeply unconscious of the source of those interpretations. He quite simply can't unearth that source without a map to guide him. Furthermore, he can't truly ground his insights without first checking them against the cultural, medical, and political/economic/ecological dimensions of his bodymind. Without doing so, his interpretation is bound to be shallow, biased, and molded by forces he can't even see.
Now let's assume that Chris becomes aware of some form of Integral model. Let's say that he's read this book or another like it and therefore knows that worldviews unfold from Selfcentric (me only) to Sociocentric (my race/religion right or wrong) to Worldcentric (all sentient beings only) to Theocentric (Spirit only). He then re-checks his journal entries on his experiences of interior illumination and discovers something remarkable:
By interpreting these profound experiences in an Integral manner, Chris learns that he's been interpreting his so-called "spiritual" experiences along wildly selfish lines!
Journal entries bearing the title of "The Day God Spoke Specifically to Me" abound, and he quickly begins to realize that, even if the experience was in fact one of spiritual and godly light, that experience was reduced to a one-sided interpretation.
But there's hope for Chris!
Instead of restricting his spirituality to the meditation cushion, he can expand it by checking each of his reactions to the events in his life-world, whether mystical, familial, vocational, political, romantic, and so forth, and measure them in light of the Me, You, and It domains. For example, while tracking the progress of his biased interpretations, Chris can simultaneously check in with his doctor for a possible physical origin of his experience of interior “godly” light. In addition to this, Chris may examine the very roots of his propensity to meditate in the first place! Perhaps he read it in a book? Or maybe a friend turned him on to it. Or perhaps he's meditating just to piss his Christian parents off!
The good news is that Chris is now armed with a map against which he can check his progress from Self to Social to Global to Godly, and in this way, Chris can evolve. The main point is that if in a reading you get, say, the Fool and the Star, and you reflexively take the former to mean that you're spiritually free and the latter to mean that you're spiritually gifted, you may want to get a second opinion! It's infinitely more important to walk away from a Tarot reading with a deeper understanding of your worldview than to merely interpret the cards in your favor and be done with it. Indeed, interpreting those two cards in an Integral way may put an entirely different spin on the meaning of those two cards. Then the Fool may come to mean not that you're not spiritually free but psychologically immature, and the Star may simply be pointing out your potential to move beyond that immaturity.
With this in mind, we can now proceed with an exemplary spread:
Separate the 40 Small cards and 16 Court cards from the Major Arcana. Put the Trumps aside because we will not be using them here. Now separate the small cards according to suit, making a pile for Wands, one for Cups, one for Swords, and one for Disks. Next, take the 16 Court cards and separate them also according to suit.
Now, using a scale of 10-1 for each suit---10 being the most infantile and 1 being the most mature---lay out a spread in ladder form as follows
•Wands
•Cups
•Swords
•Disks
Starting with Disks, shuffle the stack of cards and have the querent draw one using any method of her choosing. This card represents the physical line of development and includes anything from diet and exercise to sex and overall bodily awareness.
Moving on to Swords, have the querent shuffle the stack of cards and draw one. This card represents her rational line of development and can signify intellectual interests, moral development (indoctrination), critical outlook, and organizational/problem solving skills.
Moving on to Cups, shuffle the stack and draw. This card represents the emotional and affective line of the querent's development. Included in this category are social bonding, listening skills, empathy, love, friendship, acceptance, and her capacity to forgive.
Wands, finally, represents the visionary line of development. Have the querent shuffle and draw a card. Included here are her outlook, aspirations, inspiration, spirituality, ultimate value, religiosity, etc.
Returning now back to our 10-1 scale, let's say that numbers 10-9 are Selfcentric; 8-6 are Sociocentric; 5-3 are Worldcentric; and 2-1 are Theocentric:
•10-9 (Selfcentric)
•8-6 (Sociocentric)
•5-3 (Worldcentric)
•2-1 (Theocentric)
What we want to do is get a general picture of where the querent is in the overall growth of her being. We can then step back and see from which level most of the querent's responses are generated. Does she primarily respond from a selfish or social center of gravity? Does spirituality hold any special interest for the querent? With this Integral psychograph we can initiate a "proposition/response" process in which Tarot says one thing and the querent either validates or refutes the information presented. Whether or not the information is accurate is of secondary importance to how the querent responds to it. The value of a Tarot session is not to be found in its prognostic efficacy but in its capacity to entice the querent to inquire into the deeper dimensions of her life. It helps to conduct the session in the presence of individuals directly associated with the querent, as this helps validate the information via the collective reactions of those closest to her.
Once you've assessed the querent's worldview, It's now necessary to pinpoint her Type. Which is to say, does she translate in a feminine or masculine voice? After all, there is a Yin to every Yang, and what we wish to do here is find out which voice speak loudest in each respective line of the querent's development. It's important to understand that there are masculine and feminine aspects to both men and women, usually with one more prominent than the other.
Beginning with Disks, have the querent shuffle the Knight, Prince, Queen and Princess, and then draw two cards from the stack. Now place the cards on the right and left-hand side of the small card. Continue in this way with the suits of Swords, Cups, and Wands. The positions of these Court cards are not important. The objective is simply to get a picture of the stronger and weaker voices in these four general lines of development. The Knights and Queens represent a very mature masculine/feminine outlook, whereas the Princes and Princesses represent "fixations" or developmental arrest.
We can see an example of how this works by looking at Amy's Animitariograph:
Starting with the suit of Disks, we see that Amy views her physicality through the lens of social comparison. She hears talk of rampant obesity, heart disease, and poor hygiene, and responds with a fairly well-thought-out-plan of personal physical maintenance. And that's all fine and dandy. The problem, however, is that Amy leans too much toward the lazy end of the spectrum. Notice that she regards her health from a mature masculine and feminine Type (Knight and Queen of Disks). Unfortunately, these two characters are starting to feel the effects of their age! Both the Knight and the Queen look pretty idle, to say the least. Needless to say, this makes for a fairly ineffective exercise routine.
Looking now at the rational/moral line of development (Swords), we see t
hat Amy isn't very altruistic. She rates a #10 on the scale and is operating from a masculine Type, with the Prince demanding service (manipulating the man-drawn plow) and the Knight ready to go it alone: an ambivalence that rarely has a pleasant (or fair) outcome!
Moving on to the affective line of development (Cups), we find that Amy is actually a rather social creature by nature and holds those closest to her in the highest regard (Ace of Cups). But looking at her Typology on this level, we see the seeds of her moral dilemma:
Amy emotional reticence on one side (the Prince comes close without actually touching the water of mutual regard), and her very real (but unconscious) willingness to offer herself emotionally to another person (Princess of Cups). This more than likely results in Amy reaching out to the other person, the other person reaching out to her, and Amy recoiling back to defend herself from what she imagines is a threat to her emotional autonomy; a relational double-bind.
Finally, as regards her visionary/spiritual line of development (Wands), we see that Amy struggles with her religious identity (5 of Wands). She may be an atheist on the one hand but spiritually inclined on the other. The problem is that Amy doesn’t have an interpretive framework upon which she can base that inclination, so we also have a spiritual double-bind. She needs a socially based spiritual community and yet scoffs at the very notion of community. In one sense Amy's religious reticence is justified, as she needs to feel that she's in control of her own spiritual growth (Queen of Wands), but this spiritual pride is the very root of her spiritual double-bind, for she cannot grow an inch if she thinks she's already got it all figured out (Prince of Wands)!
Predicting The Present Page 31
