My Experiences with EA’s Mastering Divination Course: Redux

[ashtkerr]

Many may remember a time when I was cataloging my experiences of working with EA’s Mastering Divination Course and I got to the end of the ideometric forms of divination which he taught. So, the next step in the course is Tarot.
My new deck recently came in the mail and what I will be doing is a twice a day charging and meditation of a single Tarot card from my deck. I will be posting the information here and after I have gone through all 78 Tarot cards I will be opening up the floor for divination requests.

A link to the original thread:

My Experiences with EA's Mastering Divination Course

So, as the title states, I’m going through EA’s Divination Course, I’m starting from the bottom and pathworking through, taking my time. Because I want to grow my divination skills. I want to be able to enter a trance and answer any question that I may have, I don’t want to be confined to reading Tarot my entire life, I want to BECOME the Tarot, and Runes, and the I Ching. So, I rebought the course and today is my first day of practical activity. First was using a spirit board (I know EA calls …

Thank you in advance for all the practice that I will receive from you.

[ashtkerr]

The Fool:

Here, he stands upon an hourglass which is at the start of its cycle. With his left hand he holds a jack-in-a-box which foretells his future, the path he is to take. And he eagerly reaches out to this future with an extended right hand. This right arm of his also ties him to his canine companion who hangs on for his life, the Fool is this dog’s lifeline. The world is literally at the Fool’s feet.

Meaning: The Fool is about beginning and new adventures, this adventure could be physical, mental, or spiritual. His innocent and curious nature is leading him down a path with potential for growth.

Reversed Meaning: The Fool Reversed is about bad beginnings. This Fool has truly acted his namesake and done a very foolish thing and moved out into a very tumultuous venture. It is best for the Fool to abandon his new path as it only leads to destruction.

Elemental Association: Air

Planetary Association: Uranus.

Gifts: Spontaneity, faith, fresh starts, wonder, innocence.

[MVS]

Presuming that you’re aware of the almost endless litany of methods on reading reversed (inverted) cards… e.g., whether or not to read them; added layers of ‘dimension’, etc. What I have experienced (my experience is just that, nothing more) over the years is that a ‘negative’ meaning is least likely to be correct; but rather that perhaps the inverted is one (are ones) to which particular attention should be paid. For what it’s worth.

Go well on your journey.

[ashtkerr]

That’s fair, I don’t necessarily think of reverse as negative, but as the opposite meaning. Just like how The Tower had a very negative meaning, if I saw The Tower Reversed, I would say that someone has recently gotten out of a disastrous situation, which is more positive.

[ashtkerr]

The Magician:

Description: We come upon a scene of a magus controlling the elements in a practical manner, through his control of lightning. He has his two hands, each with six fingers, one above the sphere and the other below: as above, so below. He wears a hat which has stars on it, which mirror the stars from The Fool. And on his chest is a symbol of the Sun.

In the background is a library, and four books have markings on them. On the top shelf are two books stacked atop one another, Magnum Opus is Latin for “Master (or Great) Work” and it’s a reference to the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone. Below it is Chrysopoeia, a word which means to transmute into gold (from the Greek: khrusos, ‘gold’, and poiein, ‘to make’). Then in the shelf below that is a book labeled CM to the left of the magician which are the initials of the creator and artist of this card, Ciro Marchetti. And to his right is a book bearing the name Eliphaz Levi, who’s most famous writing, “Dogme et Rituel” is the cornerstone of modern Occultism.

And moving to the foreground is the results of the learning that takes place in the background. There are three vials with the symbols for Mercury (equilibrium), Sulfur (expansion), and Salt (contraction). The three base elements of Alchemy.

Meaning: The Magician is in control of his world. He is a learned man who uses his learning to further what he is passionate about. He is a true master of his art. He is a reminder of the power of theory and praxis working together to strengthen and empower each other.

Reversed Meaning: The Magician Reversed is all talk no bite. The vials of Mercury, Sulfur, and Salt all fall out without a covering, as well as all the other inventions and containers he has on the table, all that remains are his books. Gone is his life of praxis, now he is only a man who is intelligent about an area but who does not put this knowledge into practice.

Elemental Association: Air

Planetary Association: Mercury

Gifts: Manifestation, effective communication.

[Aluriel]

I can’t wait for these posts, I missed this

[nikki]

What deck is this? They are works of art!

[ashtkerr]

Legacy of the Divine by Ciro Marchetti. It’s my absolute favorite deck, and it’s the third most popular deck in the world (first is Rider-Waite of course, and second is the Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley).

[ashtkerr]

High Priestess:

Description: We are caught by the sight of a hooded figure with a combination of the Horns of Hathor and the symbol of the Triple Goddess giving forth a brilliant light. These are two sacred feminine deities and this woman who is in touch with her own sacred and divine femininity possesses a golden headdress which is reminiscent of a halo, scattered within this golden headdress are blue dots of light, which mimic stars.

The High Priestess come out of the water which is a symbol of the subconscious mind and she offers a pomegranate in her left hand, a symbol of fertility and abundance, as well as the identity of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (which would make it another form of wisdom). And in her right hand she offers a scroll of hidden, arcane, and profane wisdom. Behind her, is a an owl, a symbol of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and this symbol of wisdom sits upon the High Priestess’ golden headdress, the symbol of her divine and sacred femininity.

Above the High Priestess’ head is a stone disc with a circle inside a pentagram inside a pentagon inside a second circle which itself is inside a third circle. The pentagram is a symbol of the five elements. And above that disc is a full moon casting it’s light upon this open temple. The moon is a second symbol of the unconscious mind.

Meaning: The High Priestess is the inner voice. It comes out of the subconscious and is illuminated by that very same subconscious to bring you wisdom. The High Priestess could also be a close friend or a spirit of some kind.

Reversed Meaning: The water that the High Priestess had arose from is now tumbling down upon her, silencing her mouth and restricting her gifts, in addition to this, the owl flies away. A Reversed High Priestess means you are silencing your inner voice of wisdom, and refusing to believe that anything sacred or divine dwells within you. You look at the world as people tell you and never question it nor seek a deeper meaning. You have reached the Wizard of Oz and eagerly listen to his pleas to ignore the man behind the curtain.

Elemental Association: Water

Planetary Association: Moon

Gifts: Intuition, insight, seeing below the surface, investigation.

[ashtkerr]

Empress:

Description: In the middle we see a parturient woman who is wearing a silk cloth that is blowing to the left while she blows off the seeds from the dandelion which is a reproduction metaphor. This card is filled with fertility symbols, it would be far too time consuming to name them all individually, we have rabbits, eggs, fruit, seeds, flowers, and leaves. And the whales and swans with their young represent nurturing love. And the rest of the animal kingdom shows the results of such fertility and natural love, the butterflies, a mouse, a stag, a jaguar, an octopus, and a jellyfish.

Meaning: Pregnancy, whether literal or figurative pregnancy (that is pregnant with inspiration), the Empress means pregnancy. The Empress appears to show that these pregnancies need protecting, because they are so fragile when they are infantile.

Reversed Meaning: The swans fly away and the ocean disperses causing the whales to swim away. The large bush remains but the two eggs to fall away, as the Empress struggles to protect her child from falling and dragging her with it. The Empress Reversed is a self-indulgent woman who may be promiscuous or caught in infidelity. The symbols of nurturing love are absent and she no longer nurtures, she smothers. She is superficial and vain and does not allow the infantile time to be infants.

Elemental Association: Earth

Planetary Association: Venus

Gifts: Growth, life, bounty.

[nikki]

They are beautiful! I’d love to have a deck.

[ashtkerr]

I bought it online from Amazon for about $30, it comes with a book Gateway to the Divine that has a story about the creation of the deck (which is pretty awesome) it has an interpretation of all the cards by Ciro Marchetti and Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone (Proprietors of The Tarot School and organizers of the Tarot Readers Studio), James Ricklef (author of Tarot of the Masters, Tarot Tells the Tale, Tarot Affirmations, The Original Tarot Coloring Book and Tarot: Get the Whole Story) and Leisa ReFalo (owner of Tarot Connection).

[ashtkerr]

Emperor:

We see a male figure who is a cross between an Egyptian Pharaoh and a Roman Emperor, both symbols of great power. He has two tattoos of the sun, one upon his forehead, and the other upon his solar plexus. Upon his chest there is an ankh, a symbol of the Egyptian Pharaoh which is held by chains to two sun symbols which hold together his cape. In front of him are two eagles upon two pillars, symbols of the Roman Emperor. Below him is a mirrored floor, reflecting back at him is throne room. Behind him are four pillars representing the four elements, from left to right: air, water, earth, and fire. Behind those is a second sun symbol and all this is illuminated by Aries, the Ram.

Meaning: The Emperor is the law and order of society, all that is created by the Empress, is ruled and governed by the Emperor. He may also be a father.

Reversed Meaning: The mirror version of the throne room becomes the dominant form as the Emperor is reversed. This is a man who, instead of being filled with law and order, in impotent to affect change. He is far too emotionally charged to be an impartial judge of the law.

Elemental Association: Fire

Astrological Association: Aries

Gifts: Confidence, command, presence, authority.

[ashtkerr]

I suppose I should share what I do when I charge and empower my cards.

Firstly, I hold it in the open palm of my right hand (right gives, left receives) and I study the card itself. Then, I put it down, I place my left palm over it and I read the meanings of the card (this deck comes with its own book, so I just read that). When I finish reading the meanings I then breathe on the card (breathing life into it) and I touch it briefly to my Anahata (Heart) Chakra, for a connection to me, and my Ajna (Third Eye) Chakra for a connection to my divinatory abilities.

[ashtkerr]

Faith:

Description: Instead of The Hierophant, which normally takes up the place of the Fifth Major Arcana, Ciro Marchetti has rebranded it, “Faith”. Expanding it from it’s traditional depiction of a Catholic Pope to a much more archetypal rendition.

We see four religious figures with words of prayer in their holy languages (technically, the Catholic one should be Latin and not English, but I digress). On the right side we have a Catholic Cardinal (you can tell from the hat) praying the words of the Our Father. Above him is a Jew who is donning the tefilim and the tallit gadol to recite the Shema written here in Hebrew, which I was able to translate myself. On the left side we see a Muslim saying a prayer of blessing in Arabic, it is transliterated as, “Wa alaikumus-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh”, and it means, “And may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you.” Above him is a Tibetan Monk, I asked around Reddit but I was saddened to find out that this prayer is written in a dead language that hasn’t been in use since 1360, the 'phags-pa script. And so, this remains the only prayer to be untranslated.

But, between them all is a golden pillar, the essence of the divine. It is not their ritual, their orthodoxies, or their traditions which enliven these religions, but their devotion to their understanding of God.

Meaning: The meaning of Faith is eponymous, it is both a positive look at the necessary role that traditions, orthodoxy, and the rituals of religion play in our society as well as a look at the deepest common unity of faith and devotion to the divine, however that term is understood.

Reversed Meaning: When reversed, the words of the prayer are unintelligible, it is a person who possesses faith, but not the religious kind. To this individual, the orthodoxies and orthopraxies of religion are incomprehensible and cumbersome. Such an individual prefers to devote itself to the divine in their own way and with their own words.

Elemental Association: Earth

Astrological Association: Taurus

Gifts: Devotion, tradtion.

[ashtkerr]

The Lovers:

Description: We see the heads of two lovers, they are quite literally on the wings of love as they are each held aloft by a single wing they approach to kiss. Their shape is reminiscent of the symbol we have associated with hearts. It is in their union that they will be made truly whole. One whole heart, one being with two wings. There are Celtic love knots on the pillars around the room, showing how intertwined these lovers are.

From the heavens comes an arrow from Eros, God of Erotic Love, more commonly known by his Roman name, Cupid. This arrow has passed between our lovers and is headed for the Fruit of the Ttree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, depicted with a serpent coiled among the branches. And this tree is rooted into a sun themed carpet beneath them all.

Meaning: The Lovers is about a soulmate kind of relationship. Two people meant for one another, The Lovers is literally two people who make a whole by their unity. This relationship may not necessarily be erotic, it could be partners in business or best friends, but the main point is that without one the other cannot function at their fullest potential. Eros’ arrow heading to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, is symbolic of love taking us out of our comfort zone and challenging us to become mature, in the same way that our first parents left paradise to become like God. The Lovers depicts that journey to theosis.

Reversed Meaning: The Lovers Reversed is a couple that has fallen out of love. Eros’ arrow is returned to him and The Lovers are no longer pursuing theosis. There is divorce, infidelity, coldness, projection, and mistrust. The Lovers have become star-crossed.

Elemental Associtation: Air

Astrological Association: Gemini

Gifts: Intimacy, union, connection.

[ashtkerr]

The Chariot:

Description: We see a crowned feminine figure crossing the turbulent waters. She holds aloft a staff which illuminates the way forward. The chariot has wings on the sides and the Astrological symbol for Cancer in the front. The two horses which have been yoked together are two different colors and they are running in opposite directions from one another.

Meaning: The Chariot is about self-discipline and self-actualization. You have obtained victory over the seemingly opposing forces in your life and are using them to go in the direction of your will. This card can also mean literal travel.

Reversed Meaning: The Chariot Reversed is a life in disarray. The turbulent ocean is now above The Chariot, it crashes into the chariot, breaking it and scattering the horses. You are living a reactionary life, and instead of having victory over the opposing forces of life, you are now at their mercy.

Elemental Association: Water

Astrological Association: Cancer

Gifts: Drive, momentum, vision.

[ashtkerr]

Strength:

Description: We see a woman clothed with red garments dwelling in a temple of some sort. She she pets a tiger and a light shines on its crown. A cheetah and a lion both also have shining lights on their crowns as well.

Meaning: What The Chariot is to the environment, Strength is to the self. This is a person with the self-knowledge who is acquainted with their weaknesses and possesses the strength to control their vices.

Reversed Meaning: Strength Reversed is a person who’s vices control them, the lights upon their crowns go out and the woman is left with their fierce inner demons.

Elemental Association: Fire

Astrological Association: Leo

Gifts: Self-discipline, courage.

[ashtkerr]

The Hermit:

Description: We see an aged and burdened face shrouded in a cowl which disappears into the foreground of the sky and mountains. Around his neck is the symbol of Virgo and in his hand he holds a staff with a crystal set atop it. The winding path through the valley beckons the soul to journey and enter the isolation that only self-exclusion can provide.

Meaning: The Hermit is a temporary solitude in which one is looking for knowledge and wisdom. It’s meditation, a vision quest, and it’s temporary. The Hermit uses the staff in his hand to illuminate the way in the darkness of ignorance as he seeks the hidden truths that lie deep in himself for some deep introspection.

Reversed Meaning: The Hermit Reversed makes the staff upside down, but you can’t illuminate much if your source of illumination looks only at the ground. This is a person who is misanthropic, paranoid, and lives a life of unhealthy self-isolation.

Elemental Association: Earth

Astrological Association: Virgo

Gifts: Circumspection, introspection, contemplation.

[ashtkerr]

The Wheel:

Description: Here we see the same figure we met back in The Fool card and he’s riding The Wheel. Around this wheel are also four elements of the symbols a coin, a wand, a sword, and a cup. Inside that circle is the order of the constellations of the Zodiac. And inside that circle are the letters T, A, R, and O, which could be read as tarot, taro (road of life), rota (wheel), orat (to speak), or tora (teaching). And in the background we see Jupiter hanging in the night sky, Jupiter is the planet of good fortune, and success.

Meaning: The Wheel means that The Wheel of fortune is now turning in your favor. Success and good luck are to come. Just remember, “This too shall pass.”

Reversed Meaning: Jupiter is no longer at the top of The Wheel, but the bottom. The Wheel of fortune is now turning out of your favor. Bad luck and failure are to come. Just remember, “This too shall pass.”

Elemental Association: Fire

Planetary Association: Jupiter

Gifts: Good luck, fortune, timing.