CHARIOT
By Mareth
SummerWind
I examined the Chariot card from the Herbal Tarot (Tierra & Cantin) for this description and interpretation.
The first thing that I noticed was that there is a castle-like structure in the background. This indicates to me the qualities of strength, defense, and fortitude. The driver of the chariot appears quite virile and confident. He wears a purple (a color I associate with spirituality) hat and cloak. The hat has a pentagram on it, which I see as a perfect balance of the energies of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. There is a large, red plume in the hat, which signals strength. He has a sword at the ready, indicating his ability to defend himself if necessary. His chariot is yellow, which is a very positive color; I associate it with success and knowledge. On the chariot is a yin/yang symbol, another indicator of balance (this time of the male and female principles).
The driver is holding a cyperus (no typo
here; it's *not* cypress
It seems to me that the Charioteer has
it all under control. His energy is
balanced between the physical and the
spiritual. As long as he maintains this
balance, his chances of success are
good. From Prairie
Let's see, you covered: strength,
defense, fortitude, virility,
confidence, spirituality, balance,
defense, success, knowledge, control,
middle path, functioning as a whole.
What can I add to that? Only the thought
that sometimes, the Chariot can actually
mean a journey, whether it be an actual
physical journey, or a journey in
spirituality, consciousness, or
whatever. But, definitely a sense of
movement.
Balance is also a key issue here. You
covered that in a couple of places. A
lot of the major arcana have balance
figured into them, but this is one of
the more important cards for the
concept.
You did an excellent job, Mareth! Thank
you!!! STRENGTH ~~~~~~~Strength~~~~
~~~
This card is gentle, soft, and full of
power.
This card is , I feel, every humans
great desire, or at least one of them.
If I had the strength to all that is
spirited, knowing that "I CAN", I am the
strong one, I would be in a much better
place ! However, being patient, dealing
with "stuff", accepting things as they
come, gives us the strength to conquor
these things.
I feel that being compassionate, as the
Woman is with the gentle Lion, her
touch, her love, is what gives
strength.
As I look at this card, it teaches me to
find strength in all that I do. I lack
patience, I am hasty at times, I shout.
I must learn to tolerate what bothers
me, understand what may be bothering
others, and I must learn to accept
inperfection.
For this, I need deep inner
strength! THE HERMIT The Hermit stands alone
on a mountain top, lantern in hand,
awaiting seekers of knowledge. The
Hermit has attained his spiritual
pinnacle & is ready to share his
knowledge. The astrological
correspondence for this card is Virgo,
detail-oriented, strong analytical
faculties, perfectionism. The number 9
signifies accomplishment,wisdom, the
attainment of goals, as well as the
search for truth. The rune is Perdhro.
The star in the lantern is a 6-pointed
star, the Seal of Solomon, a symbol of
wisdom. The lantern is the Lamp of Truth
containing the star of wisdom. The staff
he carries is the patriarch's staff, a
symbol of the narrow path of initiation.
(Another religion has its god carrying a
shephard's staff. Same meaning.) The
snow at his feet represents the heights
of spiritual attainment. He wears the
gray cloak of invisibility. His secrets
are not for everyone, only for those
earnestly seeking them, and willing to
climb the heights to wisdom. Meditating
on this archetype teaches you to honor
the wisdom within yourself. Through
meditation & visualization, the Hermit
allows you to get in touch with the
inherent wise person within yourself.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
I am using the Haindl tarot, a rather
elaborate and richly symbolic tarot
deck.
It shows the wheel of course, and in the
middle a hand that makes a sort of
grabbing motion. This to me represents
the key-issue of the wheel: the
possibility to take a chance, to grab
your destiny.
I see it as a positive card, it will
certainly open a door to a new life, but
it is up to you if you want to take that
chance. You are given a choice: remain
in your old position or make a boost
forward, possibly to an uncertain
future.
The Haindl wheel shows the face of a
father-figure above and the face of a
motherfigure below, both of them in a
very strong position, in their strength.
Along the wheel there are 3 animals
positioned: a turtle, a unicorn and a
snake. To me the turtle tells you about
age (it gets very old) and doing things
in your own pace. The unicorn speaks of
the moon and emotions, it tells you not
to fear the hidden emotions in you and
also not to fear diving into the
unknown. The snake is famous for
shedding his skin and starting again
with a fresh skin.
This sums up: the wheel in a reading
tells you of a pivot point in your life,
where new options become possible, that
are distinctly personal and it may
require making a first step on a new and
unfamiliar path.
If you have Wheel in a reversed position
in a reading, I generally read it as a
possibility that change has become a
stressor. It is possible that the person
resists change, that he/she is trying to
stop events from running their course.
The hand becomes more like a closing
fist.
One of the foremost qualities of the
wheel is that it TURNS. Everything has
to stay in motion, ebb and flow of life.
It is in the nature of everything in
this life and here on earth. So why try
to stem the tide? Go with the flow, jump
on the boat when it passes your house!
There will always come a time to jump
off again!
When I signed on for this card, I said
the Wheel seems to play an important
role in my life. It does, I made a lot
of new carreer-decisions and just today
landed myself a new job, a more
interesting job with more possibilities
as well.
And I think this is only the beginning
of a number of changes! From
Carissa JUSTICE Ok guys bear with me.
I've never done this before, but this is
my fav card so will jump in anyway.
I am using the Russian Tarot of St
Petersburg illustrated by Yury Shakov.
Instructions by Stuart Kaplan.
The book says the sword is the sword of
retribution and the arch symbolizes the
celestial sphere.....
Basic meanings are: reasonableness,
justice, balance, harmony, equity,
righteousness, virtue, honor, virginity,
just rewards....the eventual outcome,
whether favorable or unfavorable, will
be truly fair to the person
concerned....equilibrium, poise,
impartiality. Reverse meanings: bias,
false accusations, bigotry, severity in
judgement, intolerance, unfairness,
abuse. To me this card signifies the
basic right and wrong, if it comes up I
tend to believe that, although it may
not lead to the answer the person wants,
it will be a just decision and it will
be the right thing for that person at
that time.
I see Justice as the basis of all that
we do and tend to believe that this card
shows if we are moving in the right
direction. If it comes up in reverse I
tend to believe that, depending on where
it is in the layout, the person has
either been judged unfairly or is
judging a situation or person without
learning all the facts....also believe
it means they should reevaluate the
situation and what it means to them. I
like very much what it says about
outcomes: that although I may not like
the outcome, or the querant may not like
the outcome, that it will be fair and
just. THE HANGED MAN The Hanged Man in some
decks is Odin, who hung on the world
tree for 9 days & received the runes.
The tree is Yggdrasil, the living World
Tree (notice the living branches),
rooted in the underworld & supporting
the heavens. The number 12 is a higher
octave of the number 3, careful planning
& orderly growth leading to spiritual
development. 1(beginning) + 2 (the
reasoning force)= 3 (the product of
rebirth). The rune is Nied. The ruling
planet is Neptune, the planet of
self-sacrifice & idealism. He is hanging
on the tree of his own will. Notice the
serene expression on his face. His legs
are bent to form a cross, while his arms
form an inverted triangle.This is an
alchemical symbol meaning overcoming the
personality & transmutating the lower
passions into pure spiritual gold. Red
pants represent human passion & the
physical body. Blue coat for knowledge.
Yellow (gold) shoes to represent his
high ideals. The halo showing spiritual
attainment, with the grey background
suggesting invisibility ( a good
reminder to not flaunt your
spirituality). This is the archetype to
meditate on to help break old patterns
of behavior & bad habits that restrict
you. DEATH
One further piece of symbolism - The horse, ridden by the members of the wild hunt is commonly thought to carry the souls of the dead to the next world. From Armande
To me it speaks of transformation, a psychological letting-go. When this card turns up in a reading it is time to give the issue at hand a closer look and see to what part you are clinging on that you can do without. It depicts a current winter, but you get to decide whether and how it will be spring again. That is why I like the card: it opens new doors and possibilities. From Prairie TEMPERANCE Ah, Iris, the lovely Goddess of the rainbow! I have to admit, Temperance is my favorite card in the deck.
The rune is wunjo, the rune of joy. The astrological sign is Sagittarius, the teacher of truth, enthusiasm, tolerance & beauty. The angel is actually a hermaphrodite (the child of Hermes & Aphrodite), showing a balance between the sexes. The triangle inside the square on her (it's) robe represents the female (triangle. trinity. Goddess) being protected by the natural law. (Hmmm.. maybe that's why I like this card so much) :-) The cups are the sub & super conscious. The water flowing between them is actually going from the lower cup to the higher one, signifying raising from a lower plane to a higher one. Notice the path in the background, leading to the sun.The flowers are Irises, of course, sacred to the Goddess of the rainbow. The angel has one foot on dry land (the material world) & one foot in the water (the watery place of the subconscious).
Invoking Iris in your meditation can assist you in integrating two or more important issues in your life. She can assist your process of experiencing your life as an art form that is both tempered & balanced.
Where to go from here
Fool through Lovers
B*B,
-Mareth
Mareth~
I just got my herbal deck. I love
them!
By
Krystlhawk
In every deck, I have, I see a Lion,
which feels masculine, and a glorious
woman, holding him, near him. Both
appear to be at peace, rolling on the
forested floor.
Love,
Krystlhawk
By
Prairie
By
Armande
Bright blessings,
Armande
Wonderful lesson,
Armande! You said it.. the Wheel Of
Fortune is about CHANGE and the
progression of life. You can't stay in
one place or phase of life forever.
It's all about cycles...each thing comes
to us and then passes in its own
turn.
By
Steff
This is my favorite deck and reads very
true for me....
This card is Justice XI
Mine is a picture of a woman holding
scales in her right hand and a sword in
her left. She is standing in an archway.
She wears a crown but I see it more as
symbolic of her ability to judge things
than as something giving her power over
others.....
By
Prairie
From Raven
Sorry this is short.
The card that I have chosen is the Death Card from Lewellyn's Legend, The Arthurian Tarot. The Death card from this deck shows Gwyn ab Nudd the Welsh Wild Huntsman and gatherer of souls riding with his band of warriors over a desolate landscape. The hills are bare and there is a ruined castle overlooking a river. It is Winter, the Season of Rest and Re-birth. The river running through shows the promise of Life to plant and animal alike. There is a lightning storm brewing over head and the sparks of electricity also symbolize life (ala Frankenstein) bio-electric energy impulses are what keeps us alive but can also kill.
I must say I always kinda like the Death-card, despite its bad image.
Armande
Armande and Raven~
Exactly!! The main thing to remember here is that the Death card means drastic change. The "death" of the old way of doing things, in order to prepare the way for the new way.
From Prairie
Devil through World
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