The Lovers - Wonderland Tarot

Valentine's Day is approaching, and it is with pleasure that I turn the blog over to Helen Howell for one of her fabulous rambles.

Love is in the Air:
A Ramble through the Wonderland Lover’s Card
by Helen Howell
The Wonderland Tarot was designed by Christopher and Morgana Abbey, based on the illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, and published by U.S. Games Systems.

The Wonderland Tarot (U.S. Games Systems)

"Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle!
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.
Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar-barrel!
Which frightened both the heroes so,
They quite forgot their quarrel."
Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
Now you may be thinking what an unlikely pair Tweedledum and Tweedledee make to represent the Lovers Card. I grant you that on first sight I too had to think about it. But the answer lies in the poem up above and that last line ‘They quite forgot their quarrel.’

Here we see the couple standing together arms around each other's shoulders. I grant you that the look on their faces is grim, but hey that’s how they always look! Above their heads the crow that broke up their battle hangs in the sky and behind it the sun shines down.

Did they forget their quarrel or did they choose to forget? The thing about this image on this card that got me thinking, is that there is more to this than first meets the eye. It seems to say it’s how we choose to interact with each other that brings us together. The Wonderland tarot emphasises to me at least, that love can be expressed by true friendship.

If I look at the colours in this card then I get a sense of the deeper meaning: The yellow representing positive mental activity and awareness. The crow itself is black with purple edged wings. It is a bird and flies in the air, so I put this colour combination to mean something from the higher consciousness—here we have the wisdom of the subconscious emerging into the day light. Blue is a colour that often symbolises reflection, and as a sky colour, can indicate the balance of the spirit and body. Purple again on the mountains (mountains can represent changes in circumstance and or goals) could indicate the wisdom to meet those changes/goals that a relationship offers. And finally the green grass where their feet are firmly planted can represent growth, balance, expansion and adaptability.

It looks like Tweedledum and Tweedledee had enough self awareness to recognise that their relationship was worth more than a little quarrel, in order to overcome the challenge of a disagreement. Perhaps it sometimes takes an unexpected change, e.g. the crow turning up, to make people realise that they always have the choice of how to interact within their relationships.

I think the biggest message the Wonderland Tarot delivers with this cute image of the tubby boys is the importance of interaction and how we express our love towards our family and friends. From a more personal point of view, its message deep down is fundamentally about the reconciliation of opposites, or dualities, whether it be with another person or within oneself.

So Tweedledum and Tweedledee
are now the best of brothers.
With their friendship so secure,
They're now the Wonderland’s Lovers.
ditty by Helen

"They looked so exactly like a couple of great schoolboys, that Alice couldn't
help pointing her finger at Tweedledum, and saying 'First Boy!'

'Nohow!' Tweedledum cried out briskly, and shut his mouth up again with a
snap.

'Next Boy!' said Alice, passing on to Tweedledee, though she felt quite certain
he would only shout out 'Contrariwise!' and so he did.

'You've begun wrong!' cried Tweedledum. 'The first thing in a visit is to say "How d'ye do?" and shake hands!' And here the two brothers gave each other a hug, and then they held out the two hands that were free, to shake hands with her."

~ Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll

Week at a Glance: The Empress

The purpose of drawing a "Week at a Glance" card is to get a sense of the sort of energy, circumstances, or personal qualities I might need to be aware of during the upcoming week.

For the week of February 3, 2013 I am using the Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt (Llewellyn Worldwide).

My card is: THE EMPRESS

Like last week, a Major Arcana card has come forward, suggesting that I am looking at energy at a "higher" or "deeper" level than usual. The card depicts the Greek goddess Hera, who presided over women, marriage, and childbirth. This is in keeping with the traditional interpretation of The Empress (Trump 3) as representing mothering, nurturing, fertile energy.

When The Empress appears I get a sense of a powerful creative force that brings something important to life. I also see The Empress as a signal that I may be more involved than usual with people who act as a "mother" to me or to whom I act as a "mother."

Astrologically I link The Empress with the planet Venus. Just for fun, I took a look at Venus transits to my birth chart to see what might be going on there this coming week. As it turns out, Venus is in the sign Aquarius, entering my Fifth House (House of Joy, Creativity, and Self-Expression).  

I think I'm going to like this!

Five-Ten-Fifteen / Bruegel Tarot

Time for an update on what area(s) of life need my attention at this time. For the FIVE-TEN-FIFTEEN SPREAD, I shuffle the deck then count down to the 5th card in the stack and turn it over. Next I count down to the 10th card after that and turn it over. Finally, I count down to the 15th card after that and turn it over. Is there a significance to five-ten-fifteen? I don't know. It just sounded good to me!

These three cards go into the following positions:
1.....2.....3
(1) Urgent. Deal with this right now.
(2) Important but not urgent. Can be set aside for now, but don't forget.
(3) Not important. Not urgent. Let it go. Forget it.

Das Bruegel-Tarot by Guido Zibordi Marchesi (Lo Scarabeo) volunteered for this round, so here we go.

(1) Urgent. Deal with this right now.
TEMPERANCE (Adaptability. Equilibrium)

The proverb given in the Little White Book for this card is: "The burden becomes light for those who know how to carry it. (Everything has a right way of being confronted.)"

Okay, I am being told to deal with something that is out of balance or going to one extreme or another in my life. I need to do a better job of blending diverse elements of my life so that I create a pleasing, beneficial whole. And yes, the key to doing that is knowing how to "carry" or "confront" the various demands, challenges, and responsibilities that are placed upon my time and energy.

(2) Important but not urgent. Can be set aside for now, but don't forget.
FIVE OF WANDS (Ambition)

Proverb: "Those who rise too high often fall. (It's easier for those who rise too much to fall.)"

Oh dear, am I being too ambitious? Am I in danger of setting myself up for a fall? I sure hope not! Perhaps this card is telling me that I do need to be competitive in certain areas but not to the point of a knock down, drag out fight. Also, I think this card often refers to internal conflicts that need to be acknowledged and addressed to restore peace and calm to my life.

(3) Not important. Not urgent. Let it go. Forget it.
EIGHT OF SWORDS (Conflict, Bad Luck)

Proverb: "Two wives in one house cannot get along. (Only one person can be the boss.)"

The illustration on this card is quite a departure from the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith version, which depicts a bound, blindfolded woman surrounded by a ring of swords stuck in the ground. However, if we look at the issue of "control," we can see some similarities in the interpretation from the Bruegel deck.

The two women on the Bruegel card are fighting over who gets to be boss -- who gets to be in control. The woman on the traditional Eight of Swords is under the control of someone or something. I need to think about how much or how little I control an area of my life and what, if anything, I need to do about that. Since this position is "not important, not urgent, let it go, forget it," maybe I need to just let someone else be in control of something and not try to take charge.

All three of these cards are "positive" or "active" from an elemental standpoint (Temperance and Wands = Fire; Swords = Air). Not much sitting around and sipping tea here! But I get the distinct impression that I need to choose my battles (or activities) wisely and carefully.

Journey through My Decks: Page of Swords

In this series of posts, I plan to discuss all of the Tarot cards in order, using a different deck for each card. Today I'm exploring the PAGE OF BIRDS from The Merlin Tarot by R. J. Stewart, illustrated by Miranda Gray (The Aquarian Press).


The Merlin Tarot uses Tree of Life associations as well as a system of Three Worlds and Three Wheels as its foundation. The suit of Birds is the equivalent of Swords in other decks. It is associated with the element Air and the direction East.

The Page of Birds is shown with a large bow (as yet undrawn), a full quiver of arrows, and a sharp dagger. The Page appears to be about to remove the bow from his or her shoulder, presumably to use it.

The Page of Birds is one of the "People of the East," described as "a child of Spring moving into Summer." (Stewart) The Page of Birds is also viewed as "Earth of Air." John Michael Greer tells us that Earth is negative, cool and dry -- its nature is stability. Air is positive, hot and moist -- its nature is separation. Earth and Air are considered weakening, incompatible, or antagonistic to each other.

When Earth combines with Air, "all the fine qualities of Air are weighed down, suppressed, suffocated" (Crowley). Earth gets in Air's "space." Air can't pass through Earth, so it has to go around it. Such an inconvenience when Air has so many important places to go! Of course the limitations imposed by Earth help Air take form and direct its energy toward specific goals, but Air is reluctant to acknowledge that benefit. Earth under the influence of Air can behave in an uncharacteristic manner: Tornadoes can uproot trees and send heavy objects flying. Air sculpts Earth as it blows across deserts and plains, over hills and through valleys -- creating changes that are alternately beneficial and destructive, depending on point of view.

Small wonder, then, that the keyword for this card in this deck is "Difficult." The obvious youth of the person on this card coupled with the keyword automatically makes me think of the expression "a difficult child." Stewart taps into that idea, discussing the Page of Birds as possibly obstinate, willful, or demanding yet also possibly highly intelligent -- "perceptive beyond his years" -- a child to whom less intelligent adults have no adequate response. This Page can have "inner conflicts that will only be resolved with maturity and experience."

Waite describes this Page (the Page of Swords in his deck) as vigilant, a quality that requires both mental activity (Air) and an awareness of physical surroundings (Earth). The appearance of this Page may alert us to get Earth and Air "energies" in balance within ourselves, so that they complement each other instead of opposing each other. Awareness of the limitations and opportunities afforded by my physical (Earth) environment  will help us make our ideas (Air) a reality. The challenge is to see things as they really are, not just the way they appear to us in our mind.
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Sources:
- The Merlin Tarot Handbook by R. J. Stewart, illustrated by Miranda Gray. The Aquarian Press.
- The New Encyclopedia of the Occult by John Michael Greer. Published and distributed by Llewellyn Publications.
- Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris (Illustrator). Publisher: Samuel Weiser, IncB - The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite. WeiserBooks.