Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day - The Lovers

The Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day is:

Trump 6: MR. & MRS. J.H. WATSON

In The Sherlock Holmes Tarot by John Matthews and Wil Kinghan (Sterling Ethos), The Lovers card honors Dr. Watson and Mary Morstan. Ms. Morstan was Holmes’ client in The Sign of Four, and the object of Watson’s admiration from that point forward. She and Watson eventually married.

The Holmesian Wisdom for this card is “She is the daintiest thing under a bonnet on this planet” from A Scandal in Bohemia. *

Keys for this card, upright, are “marriage of minds and hearts, love (sexual and spiritual), the vision of inner beauty, emotional ties, trust, platonic friendship, fulfilment of desire.” Reversed, the card can suggest “poor choices, broken promises, disillusionment, immaturity.”

The book that accompanies this deck also provides interpretations under the headings “The Game” and “The Fog.” The former elaborates on the upright keys, while the latter expands on reversed meanings. An example from “The Game” for Trump 6: “The way you explore or fail to register loyalty and commitment defines your relationships.” An example from “The Fog”: “You are likely to engage in a struggle for dominance. Unrequited love may dominate your life.”

As a Card of the Day, Trump 6 encourages us to look at unions of all kinds and the choices we make about potential relationships or partnerships. We need to be on the lookout for jealousy, possessiveness, and poor choices that can endanger stability.

* The quote is not Watson talking about Mary but Holmes talking about Irene Adler. Holmes follows his comment with “So say the Serpentine Mews, to a man,” making it clear that he is repeating second-hand information rather than expressing his own personal opinion.

9 of Swords: Astrological Associations

Astrological associations for the Minor Arcana cards typically involve a planet, a zodiac sign, and/or a house. The attributions established by the Order of the Golden Dawn (OGD) are by far the most commonly used. However, there are other associations out there. As a professional astrologer, I find it interesting to compare and contrast these associations. (The use of astrological associations with Tarot is completely up to the reader. This is intended to be interesting and fun!)

Credits for the decks and books mentioned in this post can be found HERE.
-----------------------------------

NINE OF SWORDS

Thoth Tarot

Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley

For Crowley and the Order of the Golden Dawn, the Nine of Swords is linked with Mars (representing passion, force, and aggressiveness) and the sign Gemini (a mutable Air sign known for being intellectual).

Crowley titles the card "Cruelty" and notes "It is agony of mind. . . crude rage of hunger operating without restraint; although its form is intellectual, it is the temper of the inquisitor.” He also writes: “There is the acrimonious taint of analysis; activity is inherent in the mind, yet there is always the instinctive consciousness that nothing can lead anywhere.”

Hajo Banzhaf and Brigitte Theler (in Keywords for the Crowley Tarot) describe the energy of the card as: "merciless harshness (Mars) and heartless calculating attitude (Gemini).”

Whispering Tarot

The Whispering Tarot by Liz Hazel

Liz Hazel's astrological associations for the Nine of Swords align with those of Crowley and the Golden Dawn: Mars/Gemini. Hazel's DMs for this card include: "fear, danger, disasters, attacks. Mental torment and terror. Nightmares, haunting visions. Physical pain from injuries, surgeries." Ill-dignified DMs include: "Mortal wounds. Death immanent – for a person or situation. No help in sight. May indicate the imminent collapse of a physical structure, especially from above.”

One World Tarot

One World Tarot by Crystal Love

Crystal Love associates the Nine of Swords with the second subdivision of Aquarius (natural ruler Uranus; subruler Mercury). She writes: "The inventive genius of Aquarius is given intellectual capabilities by the presence of Mercury. . . Math, astronomy and occult research are indicated.” She notes the following Traditional Interpretations: "Success and gain after persistent effort. Cruelty, unreasonable passions, anxiety. Misery. Quarrel. The card of the martyr.”

Mandala Astrological Tarot

The Mandala Astrological Tarot by A.T. Mann

Mann associates the Nine of Swords with the energy of  Venus in Gemini. Mann calls Swords Eight, Nine, and Ten "The Vibrations of Gemini," and links the Nine of Swords with the period between June 1-10. Green is the color associated with Venus and orange is associated with Gemini on the King Scale of Color.

Mann's divinatory meanings for the Nine of Swords: "Desire for variety in social life and work can be unsettling. It is necessary to be accommodating and open with friends, but feelings of loyalty should be sustained." Reversed: "Despair caused by inconstancy or resignation in affections, and bizarre values in emotional contacts.”

Universal Waite Tarot

The Tarot and Astrology by David Thornton
(illustrated in this blog by the Universal Waite tarot deck)

_David Thornton_  associates the Nine of Swords with the placement of the planet Venus in the Third House (House of Environment and Perceptions, Communication, Siblings, Short trips). The Third House in astrology is associated with the sign Gemini.

Thornton's description of the energy of the Nine of Swords is: "Charm, courtesy, a cooperative attitude, the ability to accommodate oneself to circumstances. Superficial love contacts can lead to conflicts.”

_Tarot Dynamics System_ by Anna Burroughs Cook
(illustrated in this blog by the Universal Waite tarot deck)

Anna Cook links all Nines to Astrology’s Ninth House (Sagittarius), representing the philosophical and the foreign, higher education, religion, spirituality, long-distance travel. She associates the Nine of Swords with the second decan of Gemini. In Cook's TD system, Subject Card Nine signifies Understanding. The keyword for the suit of Swords in this system is Challenging, which gives us Challenging/Understanding for the Nine of Swords.

Cook applies the keyword “Worry” to this card, noting: “Whether you have a strong desire to go into seclusion to escape the confusion in your life, or feel overwhelmed by a burning desire to be the best or first in everything, or you’re allowing other people’s opinions, problems (or both) to consume your life, your preoccupation is doing you more harm than good.”

A.E. Thierens, PhD. (Astrology & the Tarot)

About the Nine of Swords, Thierens writes "On the house of Sagittarius, the Ninth, the element of Earth must of course relate to the earthy side of religion, i.e. the material expressions of it, to the more heavy, earthy, materialistic mind and its ideas about religion, ethics, etc.” He goes on to state: “It is not very flattering for priesthood in general. . . It is fairly sure, that from the essence of this card arises inquisition and every sort of intolerance, religious intolerance above all. . . so this card may also indicate all sorts of hard judgment, rigid attitudes of mind, orthodoxy.”

His keywords for this card include: "Dogma, scholastic mind, creed. . . The ‘fear of God’ may well be turned into hatred of mankind."

(Note: If you are interested in learning more about this system put forth by Thierens, I recommend the book referenced above.)

Speaking strictly in astrological terms, for the Nine of Swords we have:

• Crowley and Hazel with a Mars/Gemini association
• Mann with Venus/Gemini
• Love with Aquarius/Uranus/Mercury
• Thornton with Venus/3rd House (Gemini)
• Cook with the 2nd decan of Gemini, also referring to the 9th House (Sagittarius)
• Thierens with Earth/9th House (Sagittarius)

Clearly Gemini dominates the associations made by these various Tarot writers. I tend to identify with Mars as the planetary association, and I particularly like Crystal Love’s inclusion of “unreasonable passions” among her “Traditional Interpretations.” I get a strong sense of the passion and aggressiveness of Mars playing havoc with Gemini’s ability to be reasonable, logical, and rational (qualities linked with Air signs). “Unreasonable passions” also applies to the idea of the Nine of Swords as a “nightmare card” or case of anxiety and worry that may or may not be justified. In the Rider-Waite version of the card, the Swords hang above the woman but do not touch her, suggesting a perceived threat that might not be real.

“Cruelty” resonates with this card in my mind as well, for we all know what lengths people can go to when gripped by “unreasonable passions.” I am fascinated by the references to “inquisition” and Thierens’ comment that “the ‘fear of God’ may well be turned into hatred of mankind.” This makes a great deal of sense when we acknowledge the relevance of the Ninth House to the Nine of Swords.

Journey Through My Decks: Page of Pentacles (Disks)

Tarot of Northern Shadows

Bube der Scheiben / Page of Discs

In this deck, the Court Cards of the suit of Discs feature Irish Celtic personalities. Howard Rodway tells us that our Page of Discs is Daoine O’Sidhe, an heroic Irish faerie.

According to Edain McCoy in her book Celtic Myth & Magick (Llewellyn Publications), “Daoine Sidhe” (pronounced Deeny Shee) is a label or name generically applied to all the faery races of Ireland and Scotland. Other names include The Little People, The Wee Folk, The Gentry, and Them That Prowl. The original word sidhe meant “peace.”

The face of this Page was inspired by a young friend of the artist who described to her a series of visionary dreams. In honor of the boy’s 18th birthday, Sylvia Gainsford depicted the imagery of these dreams in the card. In the background we see the youth’s red-haired spirit guide, dancing with upraised arms. The symbol on the spirit guide’s shirt is the _Othila rune_, emblem of home, inheritance, parents, experience, fundamental values, and spiritual heritage.

Dangling from the Page’s right hand is a cord with three spheres on it: red, blue, and yellow. These are the primary colors from which all other colors are created.

The Page’s shield bears five symbols which express the cycles of nature and life:

• Symbol of the Horned God (top)
• Cycle of nature (life, death, rebirth) - upper right
• Essential balance of nature (lower right)
• Four cyclic seasons (lower left)
• Raw forces in nature - perfection, simplicity, cyclicity, infinity (upper left)

And yes, those are little horns forming on his head!

Ambitious and opinionated, the Page of Discs has a strong to desire to learn. He is serious and scholarly and has great respect for knowledge. In keeping with the association of the suit of Discs with Earth (material or physical world), this Page is focused on following a path that will lead to the finer things in life. Concentration, meditation, and reflection will serve him well as tools along the way.

Reverse meanings: “A person with unrealistic and illogical views. Failure to recognise the obvious. Luxury. Dissipation. Prodigality.”
---------------------

Tarot of Northern Shadows (deck) by Sylvia Gainsford (Illustrator). LWB by Howard Rodway. AGM AGMüller. 
Tarot of Northern Shadows (book) by Howard Rodway, with illustrations by Sylvia Gainsford. AGM AGMüller. 

Yes or No? Should I? What about the Future?

In the Celtic Lenormand section of her _Inner Whispers_ blog, Chloë McCracken recently offered suggestions on using the Lenormand to answer Yes-No questions.

For one of the systems Chloë describes, we use the playing card associations that are often printed on Lenormand cards. We might arbitrarily decide that reds are taken as a yes, and blacks as a no – or vice versa.

Or we might use a method proposed by Lisa Frideborg over at _Tarotize_ : For each reading, flip a coin to decide if red or black (or odd or even numbers) will provide you with yes or no. Heads means that odd numbers are 'yes' and even numbers are 'no.' Tails means that odd numbers are 'no' and even numbers are 'yes.' (Of course, you can reverse that as well, depending on your whim.)

Okay, moving right along… I am using Chloë McCracken’s Celtic Lenormand deck, with artwork by Will Worthington (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) I’m not going to flip a coin this time, but will simply declare that reds will be taken as a “yes” answer and blacks as a “no.”

What will the question be? There is a lot of discussion among tarotists about Yes-No questions – whether they should be asked at all and if so, what guidelines we should follow? Some readers feel you should not ask “Should” questions, as in “Should I” do this? Others avoid questions that call for a prediction of the future, as in “Will I get the job?”

Personally, at this point in my Tarot reading career, I view the cards as offering an indication of whether current energy supports or does not support a particular answer.

For a “Should I” question, the answer might be “The energy surrounding this situation indicates support for taking that action” or “The energy surrounding the situation does not indicate support for taking that action.” The cards would then reveal more about why or why not.

If the question is future-oriented, the answer might be “The energy represented in these cards suggests that it is likely / not likely to occur.” Again, the cards themselves can reveal why or why not. If it sounds like I’m hedging my bets, I am. The future is not written in stone. There are lots and lots of variables that come into play, including the free will decisions of everyone involved in a situation.

After that rather lengthy preamble, perhaps we can finally get to the reading! My question is: “Will we get an offer on Mom’s house this month?”

And the answer is:

Snake - Shedding (Queen of Clubs) - black

Birds - Songbirds (7 of Diamonds) - red

Lilies (King of Spades) – black

So we have two cards that indicate “No” and one that indicates “Yes.” To me, this suggests that there is a very slight chance, but it is unlikely that we will get an offer on Mom’s house this month.

How interesting that Snake – Shedding can represent a woman (including a mother) making changes in her life. The Affirmation for this card is “I shed that which no longer serves me.” And so we have my mother “shedding” her house, which she put up for sale almost two years ago now. She is more than ready to let it go, having already moved into another place. However, the Snake card can also indicate difficulties or disappointments, perhaps even lies or deceit.

The Songbirds can represent siblings, and interestingly, there are three birds on this card. I am one of three siblings helping Mom sell her house. Yes, there has been and continues to be communication among us about this issue. We recently agreed to lower the price on the house and to take steps to “spruce it up” and make it more attractive to buyers.

Snake plus Birds often points to negotiations or compromises. Perhaps more of that will be necessary before we see an offer on the house.

Finally, the Lilies can represent (among other things)“family,” “elders,” or “parents.” The card is often said to refer to an “older man.” I am not getting an obvious association for that. My 61-year-old brother could fit the description, as could my 65-year-old husband. Our realtor is a woman. The Lilies card suggests a slow pace – and heaven knows, being on the market for almost two years, the pace has been (to say the least) slow. Perhaps we can expect more of the same. I hope not.

Birds plus Lilies may indicate a senior-level person, perhaps a consultant, or possibly serious discussions. That makes sense, too.

So not this month, then. And maybe not very soon at all. Concerning timing, in some Lenormand systems, the Snake (7) is linked with the month of July, the Birds (12) with December, and the Lilies with the season of winter. So we get a similar message to the one delivered by two black and one red: Not likely to be this month.