Tarot and the Gates of Light

by Mark Horn

  While the people in the Ten of Pentacles seem to be oblivious to the Sephirot shining in the air all around them, today, after all our work, we begin to apprehend the sparkling nature of reality. Seeing things through the eyes of Love, we see that all the world is filled with Royalty and that we are, ourselves, Kings and Queens.

  When we embody this Love in Nobility, like the man in the Four of Pentacles, we are holding up a sign, we are modeling for others how to live in the world. And we also help others see through the veil of the material to the star in the pentacle that shines in all of us.

  Questions for reflection and contemplation: Day 43

  1. (Wands) Think back on times when you have “come down from the mountain” to everyday life. What were your feelings? How did you relate your experience to others? How can you bring or keep the consciousness of the summit to life on the ground?

  2. (Cups) How has your relationship to the Flow of blessings changed since you started this practice? Where do you see Flow active in your life? How do you participate in the Flow of blessings?

  3. (Swords) What are the defenses that you’ve worked on most consistently in this practice? What is your experience of their softening? How can you use your experience working with these defenses to help others?

  4. (Pentacles) In what ways do you embody Sovereignty? How do you treat your body that demonstrates your understanding that your body is a gift from the Divine? How do you interact with other “bodies” that expresses your understanding that they are both Sovereign and Royal?

  Day 44: Gevurah of Malchut

  Self-Discipline and Restraint Define Sovereignty

  Today is the forty-fourth day of the Omer, which is six weeks and two days of the Omer.

  The word Sovereign, one of the descriptors for Malchut, has several definitions, including “someone who has supreme power, such as a king or queen.” When used to describe a nation, it refers to that nation’s autonomy, meaning its independence, that its people are self-governing. The idea of self-governance dovetails perfectly with the Discipline and Restraint that are defining qualities of Gevurah. And in Malchut, Gevurah is essential, since there are so many leaders in the world who believe, and act, as though they have undisputed and supreme power. And when disregard for Law is modeled at the top, you get a lot of people on every level of society who don’t believe that the rules apply to them either.

  One of the reasons in a democracy that character has always been an important part of a candidate’s resume is that we believe that a person’s ability to regulate his, her, or their own desires and emotions means this person may be better able to Discern and Judge what the best policies and courses of action are. Restraint in this situation means that this person is able to listen to others and take their ideas and concerns into consideration rather than acting like a monarch with no checks on his, her, or their power.

  Here at the forty-fourth day, we are close to the end of this spiritual Discipline. One that you have taken on voluntarily. By doing this work of character refinement and soul cleansing, you are revealing your inner Sovereign. By living the virtues of the Sephirot, rather than trying to impose them on others, you model Leadership.

  Day 44: Gevurah of Malchut in Atzilut

  The Five and Ten of Wands

  _________within_________

  Like a city with broken walls is a person without self-control or restraint.

  PROVERBS 25:28

  I was watching a panel discussion on a news show recently when the moderator stepped back from his role. As one panelist challenged another, the man who was challenged lost his temper and tried to interrupt the other before she was through. He completely lost Control of his emotions (which is hilarious and sad when you consider that men say that it’s women who have no control over their emotions). Then the others all jumped in, interrupting and talking over each other in an attempt to take Control of the discussion and have the last word. I thought of that fracas again when I looked at the Five of Wands today.

  The people in the card are fighting over who gets to be the leader, but their very lack of Discipline in themselves demonstrates that none of them is worthy of Leadership. You could think of the man on the left with his staff raised straight up as trying to rally the others and stop the fight. However, like the moderator of the panel discussion that descended into chaos, his attempt to take Control with the force of his personality or some appeal to reason has failed.

  We all have areas where our Discipline and Restraint are strong and areas where they’re weaker. The fiery nature of Wands as a suit suggests that the first place we look at is our anger, and that’s exactly what came up for the hapless panelist. And ultimately, that quality that we have no Control over—whether anger, eating, sex, money, how we use our time—is the thing we become enslaved to. And of course, one goal of the spiritual Discipline of Counting the Omer is to free oneself from the mind-set of slavery, to free ourselves from our inner Egypt. Unfortunately, in this pairing, in the Ten of Wands that is the result we see: slavery. Unable to rule himself, not the Sovereign of his emotions, the man is burdened down by the results of his actions.

  In these last days of the count, it’s a good time to look at which areas in our life are still in need of better governance and make the commitment to continue that work.

  Day 44: Gevurah of Malchut in B’riah

  The Five and Ten of Cups

  _________within_________

  Excessive mourning. Unbridled joy. What do the images in these two cards have to do with each other? The people in both cards are not seeing the full picture and are focused on something that is transitory. What do they have to say to each other? Let’s see.

  The figure in the Five of Cups has their attention on what is lost, the “spilt milk” of the overturned cups. The figure in the card is so overcome with emotion that the two remaining cups are overlooked. This figure only sees loss, and this is not a true reflection of reality.

  The figures in the Ten of Cups have their attention on the rainbow of cups in the sky. They’re filled with joy and love. But there is no indication that they understand that their joy is evanescent and, like the rainbow, will disappear as conditions change.

  In this way, both cards show how easy it is to get caught up in an emotion, and as the wisdom of the twelve-step world teaches, feelings aren’t facts.

  The people in the Ten of Cups would tell the figure in the other card to turn around and celebrate what remains. The figure in the Four of Cups would tell the family in the other card that their joy is illusory. Both are right. And both are wrong.

  As the wisdom of Solomon tells us, “To every thing there is a season . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”1 And while the great Hasidic teachings tell us our basic orientation should lean toward joy, here in the world of Malchut, where everything is transitory, learning to Govern our emotions—not to repress them, but to know their Limits—is essential. Learning equanimity in the face of change is the middle path, not only of Buddhism but also in Judaism.

  Day 44: Gevurah of Malchut in Yetzirah

  The Five and Ten of Swords

  _________within_________

  The Restraint that is Gevurah is a virtue in moderation. But this pairing shows us what happens when someone walks away from Responsibility. It is one thing to have humility and to cede or share Authority, but bad actors depend on an appeal to this essential fairness to take advantage of others.

  I was on my way home from a Society for Creative Anachronism tournament (before the days of Renaissance fairs, this group held medieval events in full costume, with authentic food, dancing, and duels) with a group of friends, some of whom decided to remain in full costume as we made our way back to the suburban train station to go home. This got the attention of some local teens, who decided to bully us. They shouted insults, they threw bottles, but they kept a distance, since after all, it appeared to them that in the scabbards some of us carried there were real swords. A
s one of the teens came close enough to throw a punch, one member of our party grabbed his scabbard in a show of defense to scare him off. The teen, sensing that the sword would never be drawn, called him out, saying, “You wouldn’t dare use that thing.”

  My friend, instead of daring him back by saying, “Try me,” replied, “I wouldn’t dirty the blade.”

  Very noble. Very witty. Very stupid. It was an admission that the teens could attack us with impunity, and they all immediately did, turning the scene into a melee. Someone in a nearby store called the cops, and with the sound of sirens in the distance, the hooligans dispersed, leaving us a little bloodied. Of course, the police, upon seeing a group of people carrying what looked like serious weaponry, advanced with their guns drawn. Luckily, no one was shot, none of us was arrested, and despite some scrapes, none of us was seriously hurt in the fracas.

  When you have Strength, Restraint is called for. But in the face of a bully who does not understand Restraint, it is the height of irresponsibility to hold back. This was the error of the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. And the result of his (and the rest of Europe’s) weakness in support of the Sovereignty of Czechoslovakia, Hitler annexed a part of the Czech territory he called the Sudetenland. We will never know what would have happened had the European nations stood together against this aggression, but many historians agree that this demonstrated to Hitler that he could continue on his path of violating agreements with impunity, ultimately leading to World War II.

  You can’t reason with bullies. They only understand one thing. And when you’re unwilling to recognize when it’s time to sheathe one’s Restraint and unsheathe the sword, the results aren’t going to be pretty, as the Ten of Swords shows. It’s just as true for individuals as it is for nations; as President Teddy Roosevelt said, “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.” And I might add, don’t be afraid to use it.

  On the intrapsychic level, this pairing asks us once again to consider any ways in which we bully ourselves. To examine if there are any voices we have introjected that cause us to walk away from standing up for ourselves. It also tells us in no uncertain terms that we must remain vigilant and aware of ourselves and our surroundings, whether because of external threats or because of internal defenses that can roar back to life when we let our guard down. This is something I deal with since there are things that can trigger a deep anger in me that can strike out inappropriately. In all these cases, the mental sharpness and Discernment that the suit of Swords and Gevurah represent, vigilance and awareness, are essential. Don’t drop your sword.

  Day 44: Gevurah of Malchut in Assiyah

  The Five and Ten of Pentacles

  _________within_________

  Malchut is identified with the Shekinah, the Divine Feminine, who has been homeless since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. Additionally, because Malchut has nothing of its own—it only receives the Sephirotic energies from above—it is the Responsibility of a serious Kabbalist to study the origins of poverty, to recognize the Shekinah among the poor, and to support her. The Zohar makes it abundantly clear in many places that it is not possible to have a mystical experience without taking action in the world of Malchut, the material world—in particular, helping the poor with their material needs.2

  There are those who say that Tikkun Olam as social justice is a recent innovation of people with a political agenda. Those people are looking for an excuse to avoid the Responsibility that the Torah, the Talmud, and the Zohar all agree that we all share. And in this pairing of the Five and Ten of Pentacles, we see the result. As people gather in the marketplace, they have ignored the poor. If I have not been forceful enough in discussing this earlier, I must tell you again that charity is an essential spiritual practice.

  This sounds more like a subject for Chesed or Tiferet of Malchut rather than Gevurah of Malchut. So why is it here? Because in this case, we are seeing the shadow of Gevurah in Severity. We are being reminded that the world looks away from the poor and that we must not look away. Jesus said as much himself. And this pair tells us look we must and act we must.

  Of course, there is also the inner landscape and how we punish ourselves in the material world to consider. Judaism does not believe this world is an illusion to be transcended. The Divine is immanent in the world, and the Ten of Pentacles shows us this, with the God energy of the Sephirot sparkling unseen in the air around everyone. But there are traditions where one takes a vow of poverty, and sometimes even mortifies the flesh, as a path to the Divine. And because the dominant culture holds some of these values, it’s hard not to have them introjected inside us.

  When I first moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the 1970s, there were many elderly people who appeared to be living in poverty. There was a man who lived on the streets, wheeling around a shopping wagon that seemed to hold all his worldly possessions. As it turned out, that wagon had a suitcase in it that was filled with cash—more than $100,000. For whatever reason, many of the people I met fit this description: they had stowed away a lot of cash but did not use it to live decently, much less comfortably or extravagantly.

  There are many people who are exactly the opposite: they have nothing and spend as though they have everything. But here I am interested in the ways we punish ourselves, whether by being miserly with ourselves or by taking jobs where we underearn, where we live below our potential. Often this is due to some internalized Judgment. And this pairing is telling us to drop it right now.

  Questions for reflection and contemplation: Day 44

  1. (Wands) Which emotion is the most difficult for you to restrain? Why? In what ways does it rule you? How might you gain better Control of this emotion?

  2. (Cups) Between the extremes shown in these cards, where do you fall on the spectrum of optimism versus pessimism? How can you better Ground your optimism or lighten up your pessimism?

  3. (Swords) How can you stand up to your inner bully? What is your experience with bullies in your life? What Boundaries do you need to set?

  4. (Pentacles) Commit to a regular, Disciplined charity practice. Choose an organization or cause to give to on a regular basis, with either time or money. Are there ways in which you are miserly with yourself? Are you living up to your earning potential? What can you do to change things?

  Day 45: Tiferet of Malchut

  Leadership Sets an Example through Compassion

  Today is the forty-fifth day of the Omer, which is six weeks and three days of the Omer.

  The ability to keep one’s Heart open (and brokenly whole, holy broken) while remaining Sovereign, the ability to remain Self-Possessed without shutting down one’s empathy, these are requirements for one who seeks to Lead through Compassionate action in the world.

  On this day, we’re looking at two of the Sephirot on the central column, and the healing of the relationship between these Sephirot is meant to reflect the joining of the Messiah with the Shekinah in the repair of the world. Harmony and Balance, two of the facets of Tiferet, are essential qualities for someone who wishes to be a Sovereign of the self. And they are equally essential for someone who wishes to be in a Leadership position in any sphere of life.

  Truth, one of the other facets of Tiferet, is not any less essential. One must see the Truth of one’s motives as a Leader and the Truth of any situation. And one must be an example of Truth that is lived daily with all those one would Lead. Just as the psalmist asks the Divine to “Lead me in Your truth And remember Your lovingkindnesses,” so too must we lead ourselves and others in Truth and Compassion.3

  The Hebrew word for “truth” is emet, which is spelled with the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and this has been interpreted to mean that Truth contains everything: the ultimate Truth leaves nothing out. And because Truth encompasses all, there is no place where Truth can be left out. This makes knowing and speaking Truth another practice that defines Leadership.

  Day 45: Tiferet of Malchut in Atzilut

&n
bsp; The Six and Ten of Wands

  _________within_________

  This pairing shows an essential Truth of Leadership. Even as it calls for empathy and Compassion, Leadership is ultimately lonely. It sets the Leader apart as someone who has burdens that cannot be shared. A good Leader knows how to delegate, certainly, but some things can’t be passed along to another.

  The open Heart of Tiferet in the Leadership of Malchut was on view when President Obama went to Newtown, Connecticut, to meet with the grieving parents of the children murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School and spoke to the nation not only as the president but also as a father, with tears in his eyes. These are the kind of tears that don’t cloud the vision: they help a person see more clearly. These are the kinds of tears that reveal Nobility of spirit.

  You can see this same Nobility on display in the letters of condolence that President Lincoln wrote to the parents of soldiers killed in the Civil War. As you read these letters you can feel the weight Lincoln felt; he knew that the decisions he made had serious consequences for the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

  This is the secret of the cross in the Six of Wands: taking on the role of a Leader means you must be willing to feel the pain of others and endure your own suffering even as you make decisions that will be hard for many to bear. The man in the Ten of Wands shows both the burden of the Leader and the burden of those who follow and serve a Leader.

  Tiferet is the open Heart that is willing to descend into the world of manifestation that is Malchut: it is the light that descends into the darkness of the world where the light of Divinity is most veiled. And in its Compassion, it brings acceptance when faced with the dark mystery we all face: death.

  May we always deserve Leaders who can reflect our highest ideals and our deepest Compassion. And may we all rise to Lead with Truth and Compassion when we are called on.