Tabula Mundi Tarot – Page 14 – an inspired Thoth based tarot deck by M.M. Meleen

The Quartered Circle (aka Circled Cross) and how it means just about everything

Some of you know that I’m a co-host of a podcast called Fortune’s Wheelhouse, along with my friend Susie Chang, where we talk about the esoteric symbols in tarot. Recently Susie and I were interviewed by Ryan Peverly, the host of another occult themed podcast called Occulture. You can check out his Patreon page or find him at all the podcast places. Episode 70 comes out on March 6th, 2018 and in the episode we talk about all sorts of topics like esoteric tarot, colors, magick, art, divination, and the use of symbols. We talk a little about this Quartered Circle, or Quartered Cross symbol. Oddly enough, all three of us on the show have been drawn to that symbol and have stories about it, so have a listen. We will put a link on our Fortune’s Wheelhouse Patreon site too.

The Quartered Circle (aka Circled Cross) and how it means just about everything

For the Tabula Mundi Tarot, I was given the inspiration to use the quartered circle as its logo. It seemed to be one of those things that was received divinely, or from the muse, which is the same thing. But what does it mean, or mean to me? I’ve been asked that and what it comes down to, is that it means everything. It just might be the oldest known divine symbol.

So I was inspired to try to write down exactly how it is that I can say that this symbol means everything. Here is an attempt to list some of the ways.

“Establish thyself firmly in the equilibrium of forces, in the centre of the Cross of the Elements, that Cross from whose centre the Creative Word issued in the birth of the dawning Universe” (Liber Librae)

Everything that is part of a natural order, that is about Creator/Creation, or is about wholeness, is usually divisible into four aspects, or four stages.

the four elements
the four directions and four winds
the four seasons
the four suits of the tarot and the four court cards and their familial relationship
the four Qabalistic worlds
the four fixed signs or Kerubic beasts
the four Royal watcher stars
the four powers of the Sphinx (who is Man): to Will, to Dare, to Know, and to Keep Silent
the four solar stations of Liber Resh: sunrise, noon, sunset, midnight

Crowley spoke of Liberty, Love, Life, Light; transmuted to Law. If you mirror and rotate them, these four L’s combine to form the quartered circle: the sun cross or the earth symbol of Malkuth. The four powers of the Sphinx gradually build the four sides of the Pyramid of Initiation, in ever higher and subtler manifestations until reaching the apex. These powers are developed on the material plane (Malkuth), which is both a beginning and an end.

There is also something of the “circle squared” about it; the circle combined with four corners, but on the inside.

Keep in mind that whenever all four divisions are present, a fifth element of unity is implied, at the center. This idea of a stillness at the center of everything is part of the meaning. It’s the hub at the center of the wheel.

This Quartered Cross symbol looks much like a wheel. It’s been called a Sun Cross, Sun wheel, or solar wheel. If you look at the symbol of the Sun, a dot within a circle, and imagine that dot as a point of light radiating out towards the circumference, it becomes the quartered circle.

The quartered cross is also the shape an astrology chart is drawn on, with the four arms representing the ascendant-descendant axis on the horizontal, and the Midheaven/Nadir axis on the vertical. Rotated so the circled cross is on the diagonal, it is a symbol of the Part of Fortune, which in Astrology is composed by combining the three most important parts of an astrology chart: the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant. Fortune also reminds me of this card’s connection to the tarot card Fortune, the Wheel. That card’s number is 10 – a one and a zero, a line and a circle, or in roman numerals it is X – a cross. A 1 and a zero – an axle and wheel, a cross.

Because the quartered circle or circled cross is a combination of circle and line, or 0 and 1, we also might want to consider the cards of the Fool and the Magus. The Fool comes out of nothing, the great zero or void, and the entire sequence of the rest of the tarot is contained within the Fool or emanates from him, just as from the point of Kether the rest of the Tree of Life descends. The Fool’s seemingly empty bag is said to contain the four winds or four elements.

As the first step in the Fool’s Journey, he transmutes into the Magus. The Magus has on his table, the four suit symbols of the Wand, the Cup, the Sword, and the Disk. He wields these four powers by the force of his Will.

Call to mind the Hebrew letter of the Fool: his Hebrew letter is Aleph, meaning Ox. The letters O and X, or a circle and a cross. Aleph is also shaped like the thunderbolt or swastika, a solar symbol that when swirling, traces this sign.

A circle and a cross is also implied in the rose cross, and the Ankh ,the crux ansata Egyptian symbol for life. If again we think of a line and a circle, we can think of the circle as a circumference, and the line as a point, extended through space. Like the idea of Nuit, Hadit, and Horus. The Star, the Hermit, the Aeon.

It can also represent Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur: Nothing, Nothing Without Limit, and the Limitless Light.

One could also think of this symbol as the union of male and female, the pillar in the void, or a zero, a plus sign and a minus sign.

+1 -1=0 ⊕

Universe Tabula Mundi Tarot — Tabula Mundi Tarot The Universe – © M.M. Meleen

This symbol is also a symbol of the Universe card. Take a look at almost any Universe card, in any tarot deck, and you will see a maiden within an ellipse, a sort of circle, surrounded by the four Kerubic beasts. The Hebrew letter of the card is Tau, the cross. Once again, a cross within a circle. The Universe or World card, is not only Saturn (Binah) but also Earth.

In astrology, the Earth is symbolized by the quartered circle. It’s the point directly opposite the degree of your Sun in your astrology chart. This symbol of Earth, the quartered circle, also represents Malkuth, the sephira of Earth and the material plane, and the Princesses of Tarot, otherwise known as us.

One can imagine being a divine being at the top of the Tree of Life, in Kether, peering down at the lowest world of Malkuth, and seeing the circle quartered, representing the four Qabalistic worlds. If you have Tabula Mundi Tarot, take a look at the card backs. That’s the viewpoint.

The quartered circle is also a symbol of LVX or NOX, depending on how you rotate it: light in extension and the darkness of the great sea of Binah. It also looks like a crossroads. If we think of it as a cross roads symbol over a circle, one could think of crossing the circle of the Abyss.

This quartered circle symbol of the cross roads was also placed at the center of ancient Roman encampments. This design was placed where the north-south path (Cardo Maximus), crossed an east-west path (Decumanus Maximus) at the center of the town, and was considered a holy place. It represents sacred space at the center, a great glyph for the light within.

If the straight up circle cross and the rotated one with the cross at a diagonal are combined, it can also represent the eight directions of the compass, and is similar to the eight rayed star symbol of Chaos magick, a symbol meaning “infinite possibility”. The eight spokes of the wheel of the year are the sabbats of the Year: the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter holidays.

Speaking of Chaos Magick, the circled cross is the most useful symbol in the history of sigil magick. For every single letter of the alphabet can be traced on it, and most of them in both capital and lower case form. Think about it. Instead of writing out your intention ie “It is my will to have the strength of a tiger”, crossing out the repeated letters, and drawing a complicated sigil, all you need is the quartered circle, for any phrase whatsoever. How better to allow yourself to forget what each sigil represents? It’s the most powerful sigil, and the most meaningful symbol, in the world, encompassing all.

In a sense it means everything, from the beginning to the end. It’s the light, and the darkness, going from the Fool to the Universe, from Aleph to Tau, from space as the four corners of the world, and in time as in the passage of four seasons of a year.

Matter and Spirit series; Queen of Wands: The Red Queen’s Virtue and Fire’s reflection

Queen of Wands and the three cards of her decans, from Tabula Mundi Tarot by M.M. Meleen

Matter and Spirit: Deconstructing the Court cards and our Solar Year

Part VI of XVI, the Queen of Wands: The Red Queen’s Virtue and Fire’s reflection

March 10-19 last decan of Pisces Satiety
March 20-29 first decan of Aries Dominion
March 30-April 9 middle decan of Aries Virtue

The Queen of the Thrones of Flame bears as her court crest a leopard’s head winged. She is shown in a pose of reflection, eyelids lowered, gazing at the fires within. Her hand on the leopard’s head shows her control of the primal desires and passions. Her face is described as “beautiful and resolute.” The Book T description also says that her Throne has “steady flames beneath.”

Flames are used as a language in the Thoth tarot and in the Golden Dawn teachings to convey a message. The steady flames show a Queen’s receptivity and unshakable inner strength. As a Queen, she embodies stability and the will-to-form. Fire is active, but Queens are more passive. Water of Fire. Form of Force. Though she is enflamed with Shakti fire, she radiates a calm inner power. This is the power of Dominion, the composure that comes with absolute authority.

With the Queen of Wands we think mainly of Aries rather than Pisces, as like in all the court cards, the leading and middle decan of the element of the suit define the a large part of their natures. Since this is the suit of Wands, and Queen’s are Cardinal signs, we look to the cardinal fire sign Aries to tell us more about her. Fire signs are generous and impetuous. Aries is the first fire sign, and the first sign of the zodiacal sequence. It is the sign of the warrior and the pioneer. She can be vain and vengeful, ruthless, self centered, and impatient. But she also has the potential to be a true leader.

The sign Aries is at the head of the zodiac, the Ram heralding spring in the Northern hemisphere. At this point at the 0 degree of Aries is the “double Mars” point of the 36 decans, the only point in the tarot sequence that any planet repeats sequentially. Mars thus is the ruler of the decan for two of her cards: the Ten of Cups and the Two of Wands. Then she has the Sun as the ruler of the decan for the Three of Wands. Mars, Mars, Sun. The Spark, the Ignition, and Solar Fires of Spring. The Queen of Salamanders has both cards around the hinge point of the year known as the Vernal Equinox on March 20, Mars straddling either side. This is also the Thelemic celebration date for the Equinox of the Gods, the anniversary of the start of the Aeon of Horus in 1904. This date begins the 22-Day High Holy Season ending April 10th, so encompasses two of her decans; the first and second decans of Aries, ruled by Mars and the Sun – perfectly appropriate for Horus!

Of the three cards she rules, the first card (Ten of Cups) is actually the card for the last part of the preceding season, the final degrees of the last of Pisces heralding the end of winter.

In the last post on the Knight of Cups, he as the Knight of Pisces has the first two decans of the sign. Like all Knights, he looks ahead, but towards her decan at the very end of the zodiac, a place I call The Well at the World’s End. This is tarot card Satiety, the shadow decan of the Queen of Wands, or her place of retreat. In times of stress, she longs to dissolve fully into bliss and give up control. She drinks from the Well at the point of sweet oblivion.

But she climbs up again, stronger than ever. She is charismatic, magnetic, bold, and fierce, and with noble dignity of purpose and strong position. Her main two decans of Aries have her cards as Dominion and Virtue. The unquestionable authority wielded for good. Dominion is a card of Aries, whose decan is ruled by Mars, the planet that rules the sign Aries. No doubt about rulership here. The Emperor and the Tower. And in the sephira of Chokmah, the heavenly father with merely the entire zodiac as his domain.

When she rises she is a force of nature. She has true creative passion. She also has the middle decan of Aries, the stable part of the Aries sign. This is the Three of Wands, called Lord of Virtue, or Virtue in the Thoth Tarot. The decan is ruled by the Sun, which is exalted in Aries. Exaltation is arguably just as good as rulership. In some ways better. The Sun in its glory, exhibiting its full royal potential – in the sephira of the form of the great mother Binah. It is here that shows how she wields her power for altruistic purpose, when she looks within and is aligned with the inner light within her darkness, her highest self.

(To read about her consort the Knight of Wands, you can refer back to the first post of the series.)

Tabula Mundi Tarot, In Minima and Rosetta Tarot, Pocket Box

A picture of the world, writ small…

Coming March 6th,2018.

Ask and you shall receive! Enough people asked for a Pocket Size edition of Tabula Mundi Tarot, so here it comes: Tabula Mundi, the In Minima edition. I asked you all in February to vote in two polls. One was for the size, and one for the container. The results are in! And they match what I thought was the best choice too, even though I also want to do the others some day!

For the size, the “same size as Pocket Rosetta” won out. For the container, the “extra sturdy box to match the full size box” won out. You can see the poll results at the bottom of this post.

So, why do I think that this was the best choice for now? Well, I do think the mid-size version sized like the small Thoth Tarot, is a great idea, and I hope to do that someday. But I wanted these to be truly an exquisite little pocket size, perfect for carrying in your bag or pocket, and the right size for small Tarot magick lay outs, as described in the book “Portable Magic” by Donald Tyson. The mid size deck is a great size, but it really is about the size of many full size decks; it isn’t really that portable. But the wee one is just right for that.

As far as the “tin-vs-box” question, the mini-me box was the right choice for these. Not only is it much higher quality than a tin, and far more beautiful, but the cards will fit precisely into the custom made box. The stack of cards were just too tall for the tins that were available to me for this size deck, as the card stock used, is thicker than it was when the mini Rosetta-in-a-tin was printed. The stock for the Tabula Mundi In Minima is the same as the full size Tabula Mundi, and the full size Rosetta Papyrus. But when the original Rosetta and Rosetta-in-a-tin decks were printed, a thinner stock was used. That stock is no longer compatible with the machine that my printers use. Their new machine is awesome, and the colors are so much better in the new Rosetta, so it is no loss as the stock is just right now.

Rosetta Tarot edition in a tin – sold out now

If I ever do the mid size decks, I did find tins that would work and are tall enough. But I did not really like the way those tins were constructed, as they had a quarter inch tall lip around the bottom, that made the tin take up more room than needed and made it uncomfortable in the pocket. So, for those reasons, though I did not vote in the poll, my vote would have been the same as the results.

By the way, the mini Rosetta-in-a-tin deck is now SOLD OUT as of yesterday. It needs a mini-me box and a printing on the new machine too! I think a mini box for a new edition of those might be in order. Now both decks will have matching mini-me boxes!

I got a sample of the mini Tabula Mundi deck. It is adorable! Not weird at all except you think you are seeing double. Exactly like the full size decks in every way, including the holographic rainbow bling on the card backs! But, in miniature! There really is something compelling about things exquisitely formed in a tiny size. What is even cooler, is that the holographic effect is even more pronounced on the little ones, as relatively, the “flashing” shapes are larger as compared to the rest of the card. It is really hard to photo, but here is a photo – and even better, a 22 second video to show the bling in motion on the wee decks.

And in case you are wondering, will these boxes be sturdy for travel, like a tin? The answer is yes, and I think even better. While it is true the tins are nearly indestructible, any sticker on the outside of a tin gets roughed up pretty quickly, and the metal of the tins does scratch easily. The boxes are just as durable as they are made just like the full size boxes, but in an even thicker weight of chipboard. The paper on them is pretty tough too. But just to make sure they are truly portable with no fears, they will come inside a little bag of suede-like fabric that the box fits perfectly into!

I have a picture of the boxes! They are just like the full size boxes, same lovely foil embossed paper, same satin ribbon linings. Just smaller!

There won’t be an option to add the expansion pack though. Doing those would have required the box be made a full quarter inch taller, reducing the portability factor and leaving unnecessary extra room in the box for those who did not want them. It made the decks more like a little brick, and not as easy to slide into a pocket. I would have loved to do those too but under the circumstances I decided not to add them. Since I opted for the blingy backs and boxes instead of tins, I also had to reduce cost on this project somehow, as it is hard to fund. The bling is outrageously costly (but so worth it, I think) and the boxes cost more than tins. Oddly, the mini boxes cost more than the full size ones. But again, worth it. The business person says no to what the artist says yes to. Thank god I wear both hats!

So when will these be available? Very, very soon. As in, probably next week! Those of you who are signed up for the newsletter will hear the date first, as well as those of you who have asked to be “on the list” who will also get an advance email with the exact date and time they go up as well as an email with a live link after they are up. So you guys will get first dibs at them. Once the listing is up and you have been notified, only then will I post any links elsewhere. But feel free to spread the word: the minis are coming! So check in at http://www.tarotcart.com in a few days!

Try the Hot Pockets; they’re breathtaking!

update:

Due to popular request, I added one more card to the pocket size Tabula Mundi In Minima: Lust, In Nomine Babalon. I had to contact the printers and have them set up the machine again do a separate run of that one card, since the decks were already being shrink wrapped. So it will come as a separate add on, but anyone who orders in the first few days beginning on launch 3/6/18 will automatically have it free as my gift to you. I’m so glad you asked for her to be included.

Fortune’s Wheelhouse podcast, and a few selected T-shirts

Fortune’s Wheelhouse: a podcast about esoterics and the tarot

Check out Fortune’s Wheelhouse, a podcast about esoteric tarot – and though I’m more than a little introverted I actually agreed to cohost it with my friend and fellow Tarotista Susie Chang. We have done episodes on all 22 of the Major Arcana, comparing the symbols in the Rider Waite Smith to the Thoth deck, and we even bring in the Tabula Mundi sometimes in the Majors episodes. Now due to popular request, we are doing all of the Minor Arcana too, and this time we are comparing Rider Waite Smith to the Thoth to the Tabula Mundi minors too in every episode! We just finished the Six of Wands, and on Valentine’s Day the Seven of Wands will be released for subscribers (and for everyone, the day after.) Don’t worry if you have not been listening all along. The content is there, you can listen to any episode at your leisure, and refer to them again and again. You won’t believe how much you can learn about a single card.

It’s FREE via iTunes or Google Play or Stitcher and it is available through all other podcast places….you can listen FREE or decide to subscribe via Patreon .

If you choose to subscribe via Patreon, it is only a small contribution of your choice per episode, and you not only get access to free content, but automatically are entered in our once a week episode give aways! Even if you don’t want to subscribe, there is some FREE educational content not locked, and available to all, on the Patreon page, so check it out. Or just listen free via iTunes or Google Play or Stitcher or anyplace you get podcast content.

You could be entered to win all sorts of things, like the Tabula Mundi or Rosetta Tarot decks, matted art prints, posters, or T-shirts. You can also get Fortune’s Wheelhouse tee shirts, featuring several card designs from Tabula Mundi here at RedBubble. Right now, the Fortune’s Wheelhouse tees come in several options: The Fool, The Magus, The Chariot, or Fortune. Each comes in several colors and shows that you are a hero of the astral plane.

Tarotdice!

These are specialty dice, put together for a reason. Tarotdice! With these, in one roll you can randomly generate any of the 78 tarot cards. Take your dice instead of your deck, and no one will know you are practicing divination.

I have a few sets of these for sale. I didn’t really intend to make them to sell, but bought a bunch of dice to play with, so now I have some extra sets of these that I’ll sell at cost. Get a set while they last! All the work is done for you, and the elemental pyramid dice are hand painted with enamel. I even wrote up instructions and ways to use, but I bet you don’t need them. They come in a tin, but you can just put them in your pocket, or get a little tiny bag for them.

I was messing around, trying to figure out how to generate any Tarot card with a roll of dice, in an easy way with no counting or memorization required, and came up with this system. With these dice, you can see at a single glance which card you rolled. You can probably figure out how they work, but they come with complete instructions.

Pocket size Tabula Mundi Tarot poll

I’ve been getting requests for a pocket size version of Tabula Mundi Tarot occasionally. Being a fan of small, portable decks myself, well, I’d love to accommodate that request so that I can have one. But I’d like your input on size, and on container type. Let’s start with size. On left is the standard size Tabula Mundi Tarot. The smallest size in the image above, is the same size as the Pocket Rosetta in a tin , about 3.25″x 2.25″. The middle card is about 4″ x 2.6″, which is the same size as the small Thoth Tarot deck. Please vote for the size you prefer. Or you can say, “happy with either.”

The next poll has to do with containers. Originally I planned to put the Tabula Mundi pocket deck in a tin, no matter which size it is. Since this is a small edition independently produced deck, I have to make do with tins that I can buy premade, rather than having a large quantity especially manufacture for me. I have tins for either of the pocket sizes above. They won’t be custom tins, but they could have a sticker of the circled cross symbol. They both work, but both tins have a thing that make them less than ideal, both fit and use wise. If most really prefer a tin, well these will work all right even though I would change a thing about either of them if I could.

So I have a new option to offer, if people would like it. I can offer the pocket decks in a custom made box, in a super heavy duty shipboard, almost as strong as wood. It would be exactly sized to the size of the deck, and what’s even better, it will be a match to your full size deck, in a similar gorgeous burgundy box with the Tabula Mundi circled cross symbol on it. Like a little “mini me” of the full size deck.

The box for the pocket deck would use an even heavier grade of board than the box for the full size decks. The full size deck boxes are already extraordinarily sturdy, actually sturdy enough for travel themselves, but this heavy weight board would make the pocket size boxes structurally nearly indestructible, or at least not in the least crushable, which is just what you want in a portable container. In fact, they are so strong an average size person can stand or sit on them, and not do much damage.

So, which do you prefer – or would you love either?

Voting is open, only for a couple of days in February. ONE vote only is allowed so choose wisely!

Want to be notified when the Tabula Mundi pocket size comes out, so that you can get one of the first copies? Just send an email to info (at) Tarotcart.com and say “pocket size me”.

Matter and Spirit series; the Knight of Cups: Parzival’s Quest and the Rites of Spring

Matter and Spirit: Deconstructing the Court cards and our Solar Year

Part V of XVI, the Knight of Cups: Parzival’s Quest and the Rites of Spring

This is the story of Parzival’s great quest for happiness. He faces trials and moral perils, but after passing through the Rites of Spring, he spies ahead the Well at the World’s End. He has a vision of himself there where he can drink from the sacred spring, and achieve the Grail.

The tarot Knight of Cups rules the heavens from the last decan of Aquarius thru the first two decans of Pisces, or 21 degrees Aquarius thru around the 20th degree of Pisces. Pisces is a somewhat passive sign, and very watery. But this is a Knight, and all Knights are associated with the force of Fire. Fire of Water is a strange combination; you could call it the “Force of Form” which doesn’t exactly feel comfortable. Water is mostly seeking calm, while Fire is instinctually swift and active.

The Knight of Cups is associated with Hexagram 54, the “Marrying Maiden”. The image is “Thunder over the lake: The image of The Marrying Maiden. Thus the superior man understands the transitory, in the light of the eternity of the end.” Keeping sight of the goal, while understanding the transitory nature of all things, is one of the lessons of Pisces. The hexagram reads:

‘The maiden marries: setting forth to bring order – pitfall.
No harvest in having a direction to go.’

While at first we may wonder what this marrying maiden has to do with a Knight, remember that the Knight of Cups is setting forth on a quest. Marriage is symbolic of the fulfillment of his destiny. Along the way, there are pitfalls. But what about “No harvest in having a direction to go”? Ultimately, his goal is Happiness. Sometimes though, we don’t quite understand what will truly make us happy. We think we know what we want. But sometimes what we thought was beautiful didn’t have the real beauty. If we are lucky, Fortune smiles upon us and brings us what we need to be happy instead.

‘The Emperor Yi marries off the maiden
The first wife’s sleeves were not so beautiful as the junior wife’s sleeves.
The moon almost full.
Good fortune.’

The Book T description of the Knight of Cups reads: A BEAUTIFUL, winged, youthful Warrior with flying hair, riding upon a white horse, which latter is not winged. His general equipment is similar to that of the Knight of Wands, but upon his helmet, cuirass and buskins is a peacock with opened wings. He holds a cup in his hand, bearing the sigil of the scale. Beneath his horse’s feet is the sea. From the cup issues a crab.

The crest of the tarot Knight of Cups is the peacock, with opened wings. The peacock, with it’s iridescent plumage, symbolizes the active, fiery part of water as it sparkles and fluoresces. These are the churning waves and driving rains, the newly discovered springs that gush forth, and the power of water as an alchemical solution.

As Fire of Water, this Knight is creative and inspired, tuning in to the vibrations he receives. He is a sensitive, artistic soul and has a certain poetic gentleness, almost otherworldly in the purity of his divine quest. He believes in his visions. The Knight of Cups is the swift rain, and the briefly overflowing stream from the snowmelt. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac. His waters don’t run deep, but they have motion. The Pisces season heads towards the vernal Equinox through the last degree of Pisces, the Well at the World’s before the Aries point where things begin again. The last degree of Pisces is the vision of the place the visualizer visualizes. It’s the vision or inspiration of a goal or an ideal that molds our lives. This Knight doesn’t have that last degree of Pisces in his purview, but it is in sight, and the Graal he chases.

As the last and most mutable of mutable signs, the fish sometimes lack direction, swimming lazily back and forth with a certain degree of disinclination to rouse. But the Knight of Cups is receptive to inspiration, and that keeps him moving towards what he desires. As the old souls say, Spring always comes. Perhaps the crab peeking from his cup is an indication that he pursues, or should pursue, his goal indirectly, “without lust of result”, sidling as the crab, yet always moving like the fish he is.

Looking at the first decan of the sign of Pisces in his domain, we have the Eight of Cups, the Lord of Indolence (Abandoned Success). On every quest there comes a moment of losing heart, a dark night of the soul where we lose pleasure in everything. Our will to continue is thwarted. The ship runs aground, and the cups don’t hold water. We are emotionally unfulfilled and not motivated to continue. What should be moving and flowing, has become dry and rigid. The Knight of Cups on his quest must realize this for the danger it is, and not abandon the ship.

The other danger on his quest is shown by his shadow card, the Seven of Swords, Lord of Futility (Unstable Effort) which is the last decan of Aquarius. It shows how the Knight of Cups can collapse and give in to a sense of Futility when he is outnumbered and overwhelmed. Here there is disenchantment, and frustration that things are not going his way. Rather than be deceptive, he should be more clever than his opposition, and use that hidden Aquarian power. Instead he is in danger of giving in to passivity, figuring if he doesn’t actually try it cannot be said he failed. Yet this is not his true nature, and should be avoided as his Will is sacred, and should not be squandered.

If he succeeds in passing these trials, the cup of happiness awaits. The middle decan of Pisces shows his goal, the true goal, as by the time we get to the Ten of the suit of Cups, it is overripe, and ready to pass away. This is the Nine of Cups, Lord of Happiness. Fortunate Jupiter, the ruler of both the decan and the sign of Pisces, offers a drink from the mazer, and the Merrythought grants the Wish. It is a Nine, the penultimate and thus fullest expression of Water, that of emotional satisfaction. The Nine of Cups is often called the Wish card, because when it appears, the heart’s desire is granted, the Holy Grail achieved.

(Here is the previous article in the series on the Princess of Swords and up next is the Queen of Wands.

Matter and Spirit series; the Princess of Swords: manifesting the power To Know

Matter and Spirit: Deconstructing the Court cards and our Solar Year

Part IV of XVI, the Princess of Swords: manifesting the power To Know

The Princess of the Rushing Winds; The Lotus of the Palace of Air

In this series, each of the Princess tarot cards will follow the post of the Prince of the same element, as the sign they are most associated is the fixed sign of their element, like the Prince. The Prince in his chariot, like the Chariot major arcana card, is tasked with a duty to carry forth and protect a precious object. That precious thing is the bud of elemental power that will flower in the Princess. If you have not yet seen it yet, here is a comprehensive article on the Princesses, and their role as mediator Between Heaven and Earth.

Yet the Princess cards rule over a quadrant of Space, rather than a quadrant of Time, so they don’t have decanic Minor cards associated with them in the same way. They rule over three entire signs of the Zodiac, centered around the “Kerubic” or fixed sign of their element. They are also said to be the “thrones” of the Aces, and the flower of what the root of the element, the Ace, draws from. Thus the Princess wields the elemental power from that throne of the Kingdom of Malkuth, and wears the Crown of Kether of their elemental world.

Her associated card is the Ace of Swords. But we can also associate her with the four trumps associated with the three signs in her quadrant: the Devil, the Star, and the Moon. But centered on the Star. One can almost picture it: the Devil with his cloven hooves planted firmly up the earth, guarding the Gates of Matter, with the dark waning moon of witchcraft hidden somewhere in the sky. But since it is the dark of the moon, the stars are that much clearer and brighter.

The Princess of Swords wields the power of Air, which of the four powers of the Sphinx, is Scire, or To Know. From the Ace of Swords, Root of the Powers of Air, the Lotus of the Palace of Air unfolds and blooms forth in full glory. The Princess of the Rushing Winds is also the Empress of the Sylphs and Slyphides, the air spirits or elementals of air. Her quadrant of space centers around the fixed air sign of Aquarius, and includes the sign preceding (Capricorn) and the sign following (Pisces). While she includes those signs in her sector, she is mostly identified with the air sign.

Each Princess takes up a sector of space, dividing the circle four fold. This division of space into four quadrants can be seen in the symbol for Malkuth, the sephira of the Tree of Life she resides in, which is the circled cross. The circled cross is also a symbol of Earth, as Malkuth is the sephira of Earth, or the material world we live in. All of the Princesses are the Earth, or matter, of their suit. They are us! This one is Earth of Air.

Her crest is the head of Medusa, with serpent hair. Here is an excerpt from Book M: Liber Mundi, the guidebook for Tabula Mundi Tarot:

The Princess of the Rushing Winds, Lotus of the Palace of Air, has as a crest the head of Medusa with serpent hair. The name Medusa comes from the Greek word for “guardian, protectress”. She was a Gorgon, from ancient Greek word gorgós, meaning terrible or dreadful, that comes from the Sanskrit word “garğ” which is a guttural sound similar to the growling of a beast. The Gorgons were three sisters with hair of venomous snakes. Looking at their flashing eyes was said to turn one to stone. In ancient Greece, the Gorgoneion was a stone carving of Medusa’s head placed above doorways and used as an apotropaic amulet to ward against evil. The Medusa head design also was used by Athena as an aegis on an animal skin mantle, and sometimes on a shield. The Aegis implied divine birth or protection; doing something “under someone’s aegis” means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, and benevolent source. The Princess of Swords is the earthy part of Air, smoke, and she represents the wrath of the gods and the influence of Heaven upon Earth. She has the power of settling controversies, and is stern and avenging. Hers is the grounded action taken in response to Idea. Her battle is on the astral level; she is the warrior of the mind. She battles to liberate herself from delusion.

When she comes up for you, like all court cards she can represent a person. But often she is you, and a sign that it is time to wield that elemental power. So when you see this Lotus of the Palace of Air, know that within your grasp is the power to stand strong, fully and of yourself in your own power To Know.

Matter and Spirit series; The Prince of Swords: the Star seen through the Pylons

Matter and Spirit: Deconstructing the Court cards and our Solar Year

Part III of XVI, the Prince of Swords: the Star seen through the Pylons

(the previous article on the Queen of Disks can be found here)

This is a story of the Star and the Dove, the Sextant and the Orrery, and the rug of the Tao in the vault. The Prince of the Chariot of the Winds sets forth from between the Pylons, in pursuit of the star in sight.

I may be a little too close to this guy, as in my personal astrological chart, both my ascendant and Moon fall within the decans of Aquarius he rules. But I’ll try to step back, with Aquarian logic and detachment, to see the bigger picture and the longer view. Writing this post is also difficult as so much has happened in my life since I put up the post for the last card, the Queen of Disks, and none of it has been easy. The time from Solstice until now has been bruising. In fact I’m quite heart sore, but keeping on. So though I should have a lot to say about this card, this might be a shorter post as I’m a bit shell-shocked.

Around January 11th the Sun passed into the last decan of Capricorn, and stays in the sign until around the 21st. It’s a time of consolidating our power, perhaps even hoarding it a bit. The Sun may very well be undying, but the sap is still underground here. There is a sense of guardedness. This is the shadow decan of the Prince, the fortress he retreats to in times of trouble. This rigidity is not the normal state of this most airy of cards; for how can there be a breeze in a vault? The Four of Disks, Power, tells a tale of the Devil and the Sun in his strong-room, transforming him into the Green Man that guards the Gates of Matter, the dragon that sits upon his pile of gold.

This Prince carries a sword and a sickle; with thought he can create (with the sword) or destroy with the sickle of Saturn, Aquarius’ traditional ruler. Aquarius says “I know” and exemplifies the best and the worst of intellectualism. He’s an idealist, a humanitarian, and a visionary; though he can be unreliable, unrealistic, and too much “up in the air”.

The Prince of Swords is one of the four court cards that personifies a letter of the divine name YHVH. These are the Knight of Wands (Fire of Fire) as the Yod, the Queen of Cups (Water of Water) as primal Heh, the Prince of Swords (Air of Air) as Vau, and the Princess of Disks (Earth of Earth) as Heh final. This is the Prince of Princes! The Sword of Swords. As such there is a connection to the HGA. His Hexagram is 57 “Wind, Gently Penetrating”. This hexagram is associated with both power and gentleness, which is interesting considering two of his decans: the Four of Disks, Power, and the Five of Swords, Defeat, which is a card of Venus the gentle dove. Yet even the subtle and gentle passage of air can wear down a mountain given enough time, revealing a star on the horizon. There is no need to meet violence with violence, but one must remain steadfast, ever moving gently towards the goal. The Tau Te Ching says “The Way of Heaven is not to contend and yet to be able to conquer. Not to declare its will and yet to get a response. Not to summon but have things come spontaneously . . . .Tao produces all things . . . . It produces them without holding possession of them and raises without lording it over them.”

The next decan, from around the 21nd of January until the around the 30th, is the first of the sign Aquarius, shown by the Five of Swords, Lord of Defeat. The Dove on her nest is attacked by a rapacious raptor. Pacifism and gentleness are fine things, but one also has to stand up to the Nihilists, thugs, and tyrants or they will piss on your rug, even if it is a case of mistaken identity. The Dude abides, yet he wants his fucking rug back. It really tied the whole room together. This aggression will not stand!

Interestingly, in the movie the Big Lebowski, the Dude tells Maude that he was one of the Seattle Seven “that was me…and, uh, six other guys” who drafted the Port Huron statement, a political activism manifesto written in the 1960s. Here’s an excerpt:

“Men have unrealized potential for self-cultivation, self-direction, self-understanding, and creativity. It is this potential that we regard as crucial and to which we appeal, not to the human potentiality for violence, unreason, and submission to authority. The goal of man and society should be human independence: a concern not with image of popularity but with finding a meaning in life that is personally authentic; a quality of mind not compulsively driven by a sense of powerlessness, nor one which unthinkingly adopts status values, nor one which represses all threats to its habits, but one which has full, spontaneous access to present and past experiences, one which easily unites the fragmented parts of personal history, one which openly faces problems which are troubling and unresolved; one with an intuitive awareness of possibilities, an active sense of curiosity, an ability and willingness to learn. This kind of independence does not mean egotistic individualism–the object is not to have one’s way so much as it is to have a way that is one’s own. Nor do we deify man–we merely have faith in his potential.”

Sounds like Aquarius to me. In the middle decan of Aquarius (Jan 31st thru Feb 9th), Lord of Science, we set our course for the star on the horizon, using our mental and moral faculties to move towards that which is ideal, the hope of humanity. The sextant shows the way and the orrery the positions. As Magus’, we can plot our path through the starry night, for the powers of reason and expansiveness can prevail. With clear views we can achieve every possibility. In spite of it being Winter here, this is one of my favorite decans of the year, as here we get a little glimmer of hope upon the horizon, that Spring will indeed come.

There is a Thelemic holiday called the Feast of Stars, that celebrates the birth of Nuit. It corresponds to the pagan holiday Imbolc in this period, falling around the secular celebration of Groundhog Day around February 2nd. This is the time of quickening, a stirring of the soul as all else still slumbers. You can read more about it in the post below from the same time last year, called The Feast of Stars.

Until then, “take ‘er easy” pardner, for “One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides forever.”

The Feast of Stars: Nuit, the Maiden, and the Holy Harlot

PS In the latest newsletter, I mentioned the circled cross symbol found in the ruins of the lost city of Ucetia, but forgot to give you a link.

To read the next article in the series on the Princess of Swords, go here.

A Roman Mosaic with the circled cross (the Tabula Mundi logo!)

Roman mosaic recently discovered in Uzès, France inside what was the ancient and legendary lost city of Ucetia.

I’ve always loved learning about archeological discoveries. Imagine my surprise when I discovered an article on the discovery of a long thought lost Roman city, and saw this mosaic that immediately reminded me of the Tabula Mundi logo, a circled cross symbol of Earth and Malkuth. The first few articles said very little about this particular mosaic, as it was one of the smaller ones in an odd location of the much larger ones. After doing a little digging, I discovered more about what the archeologists think that it may represent.

At least 5 roman roads estimated to be from the beginning of the 1st century BC were excavated at the site, as well as many artifacts. One of the roads goes from east to west and crosses the entire site. It may be the Decumanus Maximus, or main road running from side to side or from gate to gate of a city or military encampment. Near this road and inside the large room where the main and much larger mosaics were discovered, this smaller but very unusual mosaic has been excavated. It is speculated that the circled cross design may indicate the Templum, or center of the town, considered a holy place. When Romans settled camps or towns, they used to draw two paths: a north-south path (Cardo Maximus), crossing an east-west path (Decumanus Maximus). The horizontal line of this mosaic is parallel to the east-west Roman road of this lost city.

Reading a little more about this site, I learned that the mosaics of this lost city were discovered in 2017, but that a part of the site had actually been found in 2013. This was the discovery of a hypocaust, a hollow space under the floor of an ancient Roman building, into which hot air was sent for heating a room or bath. It was surrounded at the four corners by four dolphins. Sadly, it was removed, probably stolen from the site by an unscrupulous subcontractor, probably to sell to someone very rich on the black market. Thus ever the tyrants.

After the 2013 discovery of the hypocaust, a second campaign of excavations was undertaken in 2017, when the beautiful mosaics were discovered. The other larger mosaics discovered at the site are equally enigmatic. The largest mosaic has a central motif that looks to me like a compass rose, though it only has 28 rays rather than 32. At the center, it looks like a sun glyph, surround by five red indeterminate shapes (a five petaled rose?), then the rays outside of that. At the four corners are four creatures. While this makes me think a little bit of the World/Universe card, the four creatures are not the kerubic beasts but rather an owl, a duck, an eagle and a fawn. Well, the eagle is there at least. The curving shapes at the outermost edges at the border are said to be stylized waves.