#rws deck

well, guys, I'm really happy to announce that I FINALLY bought my toth deck.

I know almost nothing about crowley, but i had amazing readings with this deck some time ago and I felt really attracted to it. I was barely studying my RWS at the time, so I knew that getting involved with the toth deck would be too much for me. I was also refusing to study the correspondences on RWS back then lol

when I opened myself up to study the correspondences related to astrology and kabbalah on the RWS, I suddenly felt like the doors were open for me and the toth. I couldn't believe it.

I only have it for two days and I already feel like I want to look at these cards and study them all the time. I don't know, it feels really different from the relationship that I have with my RWS.

I asked what result would I have if I use the toth deck as a tool for my spiritual development: 2 of cups (negative aspect/obstacles) + 8 of disks (answer) + the hermit (positive aspect)

same question, but about using RWS: the world (negative) + 4 of wands (answer) + ace of pentacles (positive)

well... Lol now I understand why I felt so called by the toth deck. with the RWS I will be able to develop, yes, but I won't reach my full potential. but when we talk about toth.... it's not going to be as cute as my RWS can be with me (so so cute), but it's going to be worth it. it's going to take some time because I need to study it for awhile, but I'll be able to learn it and to evolve spiritually.

I'm really excited to do it, because I found out that crowley practiced enochian magic and I feel like this is going to be a really good practice for me in the future (because rn I'm focusing on something else already and I need to prepare myself for a more advanced practice).

I asked what will be the result on my spiritual development if I practice enochian magic and:

RWS - The Empress + 9 of Pentacles

Toth: The Star + 8 of cups (Indolence)

with Toth, I felt like there was a huge potential for being intimate with the cosmos, but a risk of never starting this practice because of the 8. when I added up the number of the cards to get an advice (like hajo banzhaf taught), the result was the 7 - Chariot: "Focus on your goal and get on your way immediately." what felt like a good slap on my face lol

I asked if watching the enochian masses would be a good start for my practice: The Chariot.

o.m.g

Major Arcana XI-XXI

Remember to keep note of how you feel about the cards (i.e. if you like them or not).

Please only scroll down once you’ve done this!

Major Arcana XI – Justice

This is one of the most complicated cards to understand emotionally. Once understood, however, it changes your life. (It was after finally connecting with this card that my teacher stopped working as a surgeon and dedicated her life to metaphysical work.)

Most people think of justice as “being blind”, because then justice is fair... You will see that she doesn’t wear a blindfold – because nothing is fair. Things simply are.

~This is what is represented by the tapestry hung behind her. We humans are in front of that tapestry, begging to be let to the other side, where we will know and understand and see the big picture... But if we cannot accept that nothing is fair... We can never move past her and go beyond the tapestry.~

This is the card of understanding.

Major Arcana XII – The Hanged Man

If you remember from what we said about the Fool, Tarot is a journey – now that you have moved beyond the veil and accept that things simply are, you see the world differently... 

Welcome to the realm of the Hanged Man.

Notice that his clothes aren’t following gravity. That he seems at peace with the moment. Even beyond seeming peaceful... He is serene. He is happy.

It hurts. Things being does not mean that they will not cause pain. Pain is real and pain will befall. But there is a reason. Rejoice in that.

This is the card of new perspectives.

~Try to see other people’s viewpoints... Changing your world view also changes the way you look at people.~

Major Arcana XIII – Death

With this acquiring of a new perspective, there is a clear break. You BEFORE, and you AFTER – a piece of you has got to go to move on. Remember – this isn’t a bad thing; it just is.

It’s hard to let go, and that’s okay. But to move on, you have to – rid yourself of this “woe is me” energy that you’ve been carrying for thirteen cards. You will be so used to it that you will be afraid and that you won’t know what is left beyond that. 

And that’s scary.

~But it’s better to let it go than to hold on and to drown in it.~

This is the card of moving on.

Major Arcana XIV – Temperance

NOTE: Despite temperance usually meaning moderation, the word is used more in the sense of transformation.

Observe the angel. The water is doing something that should be impossible. And yet, the angel is making it happen anyway. 

Observe the angel’s feet too – water signifies emotion, and earth being grounded. The angel is finding the balance between both... And look at them. They are glowing. Their wings are spread – they’re at the best.

This is the card of transforming your pain.

Everything that has hurt you? There is nothing you can do about it now. 

But it has transformed you – you are never the same after pain. Use that. 

Take your emotional pain and ground yourself in it. Channel it. Choose HOW it transforms you. Grow into a bigger, better person. 

Not despite your pain, but because of it.

Major Arcana XV – The Devil

NOTE: Do the two figures seem familiar? This card is numbered 15 (1+5 = 6... And VI is the Lovers card. You guessed it! It’s thelovers.v2)

The Lovers are immobile, stuck in the Devil’s realm. (addiction? vice? self-loathing? etc.)

But look at how loosely they are chained. Their heads could easily fit through the loop of chain and walk away. 

It is up to them to leave. 

You can always choose to move on – it’s not easy, that’s true! Because despite the chains being loose, you are at the Devil’s feet, and the Devil will do anything and everything to make you feel alone, seperate, isolated, ostracized. Look at how the lovers are placed indentically, and yet feel worlds apart...

But again, they aren’t. It’s a lie. You are never completely alone – and you can ALWAYS break the cycle.

This is the card of looking at your self-destructive beahviours.

~Develop the courage to admit that you have them, and learn to move on.~

Major Arcana XVI – The Tower

NOTE: Notice the “squiggles” of flames? They are actually the Hebrew letter “yod”, which represents the first letter of “God” (it also means “breath of God”). This does not solely correlate to the Jewish interpretation of a singular god: it is the concept of something beyond us humans, of the universe, etc. Take that as you will.

The yods are everywhere in this card because it is showing you that despite you falling out of this tower, the universe is right there holding you, supporting you. It might be terrifying a process, but you will be alright.

This is the card that reminds you that you have nothing to fear.

Major Arcana XVII – The Star

Notice the woman’s foot and knee... They aren’t touching the ground or the water: she is hovering – she is beyond being controlled by her emotions and material things. It is also why she is naked... She has nothing to hide, she has nothing to fear.

Look at how the water flows so freely around her – she lets herself feel all of her emotions, but they have no control over her anymore. She is serene and hopeful.

This is the card of wishes and hope.

Major Arcana XVIII – The Moon

NOTE: Do the towers in the background seem familiar? They are the same as in the Death card.

Observe our little friend at the bottom of this card: this is a crayfish, which is a bottom-feeder. It is telling you to dig deep, to dig up those things that are hard and scary to look at.

The yods appear again to remind you that again, there is nothing to fear about doing so. It is important for growth.

This is the card of looking deep within oneself.

Major Arcana XIX – The Sun

Once one has had the time, the patience, and the courage to truly look at oneself and work on those things that are less than great... There is a pure joy that fills one’s soul – hence the small smiling child, who seems to be radiating nothing but happiness.

This is the card of innocence, awe, humility, and joy.

Major Arcana XX – Judgement

Observe the brightly coloured angel playing its trumpet down to the almost zombie-like people below. 

~It is crying out: “You have done all of this work on yourself, it’s time to reemerge, to come back to the world. Go! Awaken!”~

This is the card of urgency.

Major Arcana XXI – The World

This is a complex card, but to shorten it for a 101 course...?

Things have come full circle.

Notice that it is a woman, the opposite of the male Magician (circle). She is holding wands (just like the Magician, circle – but holding two, because you not only know that first superficial side of you... You now know the second side of yourself). She is flying, completely in control (opposite of the Magician, not only standing grounded, but was also hiding behind his clothes and his desk.

This is the card of everything being as it should, of things being complete.

All is well that ends well.

If you have a deck on hand, I would suggest doing your first pull with the first twenty-one (21) cards – ask the cards what you should be paying attention to as you shuffle, and pull. If it’s reversed, flip it back upright for now: again, this is Tarot 101.

As I’ve noted on previous things I’ve written, this post is wildly academic in tone. I’d say I was sorry but I’m mostly not because I’m also extraordinarily proud of having finally managed to articulate something that has bothered me for close to a decade so bear with me (or feel free to skip this one)(but also don’t because it’s really freaking good). Also I will be posting this again with a Read More option tomorrow morning to give people a more rebloggable version while still keeping the full version visible on my blog. Thank you! -C

The Major Arcana is made up of cards that represent complex archetypal ideas that in order to be understood and applied to readings, are often overly simplified into their commonly understood meanings. One of the ones that suffers the most from this over simplification, in my mind, is The Devil card. Whether it’s because what the card represents can be difficult for people to integrate, or possibly because the imagery used carries a heavy connotation, this card is almost exclusively casted as a “negative” card. This simplification bothers me on a number of levels but mostly because the kind of work the Devil card offers shouldn’t be shunned or avoided but embraced and delved into more depthfully than the simplest of meanings allows for.

It also stands as an opportunity to break down the binaries that so strongly control the conventional meanings of the Majors. If we start to break down the barrier between what the Devil appears to mean on its surface and what the Devil offers once one starts to peel back the layers, we can start to shift the entire structural underpinning of the Tarot away from one that is controlled by hierarchical binaries.

I was originally planning on explaining the Devil as though I were speaking to people who don’t read Tarot but I’ve decided not to. I don’t know how to make this a solidly cohesive thought AND not make this an insufferably long post so we’re gonna ditch the basic level analysis of the card. Suffice to say, the main thing you should know about the Devil (if you are not a Tarot reader or new to reading) is it is most often assigned a meaning along the lines of addiction, materialism, overindulgence, and attachments.

I take two major issues with this simplification of the Devil card: it continually reinforces a demonization of the body and positive experience with our physical form AND it plays into the light/dark binary in a way that makes it seem like engaging with our own “darknesses” is a bad thing rather than a powerful tool.

Let’s start with the first of these. It’s important to note that materialism was used intentionally by writers like Waite and other occultists of the era to describe anything dealing with the physical world. Now we tend to think of it as being desirous of “things over experiences” and linked with monetary gains but at its base the language is the same: we are culturally taught that the best people don’t want just material things, that desiring more is a moral problem. This language was used previously as a way of making the poor or lower-rung occupants feel better about hierarchies because they were “closer to God” and is currently used to reinforce the cultural norm of things like fat-shaming and slut-shaming, as well as the unpinnings for basically any “moral” argument. And this becomes a problem when we start to pull apart the meanings of the Devil card because we lose a layer of meaning when we start to place hierarchical values on the body.

When we reground the meaning of the card in its older terms we get a card that is on one hand is about embracing the physical experience of the body and the physical world and on the other is vilified and seen as indicating a problem. This places a lot of power in the body, which makes sense, both because of how we understand the world through our physical forms and because of how the occultists, who solidified the meanings of the cards, viewed the body as a seat of power. It also casts this power as a problem and I think this at least in some way is connected with how sex and sexuaity is viewed culturally.

The greatest problem that I have with the occult associations with the power of the body comes with the idea that this energy is innately sexual. The problem with this does not arise from sexuality itself but rather from the controlling narrative that continues to portray sexuality and the body as being defined as acceptable along a specific spectrum and always with an outward focus. The sexuality that states the viewer holds the power and control in the dynamic.

Sex is only a powerful energy in this set up for the person in control of the sexual encounter. This presents a dual problem in the case of the Devil: only some sexuality is viewed as power (or rather only sexuality within very specific parameters) and all of these powerful experiences are bundled up in the negativity of the card.

What if we were allowed a space where an ecstatic experience of the body didn’t come viewed through this lens of sexuality but rather through a more personal experience? What if we were allowed a space where the fact that the figures in the Smith illustration of the Devil are not bound but actively choosing to stand in their positions gives them power rather than makes them subservient? If we allow the narrative to be shifted away from the viewer as powerful and towards the participant as powerful we create a structure that allows for spaces where connection to the body is not bad or evil but sacred. This also allows space for an ecstatic experience of the body that does not have to come coded in sexuality, opening the door for personalized connections with the physical body in ways that celebrate the experiences of being human without boiling them down to our ability to gain pleasure. This also allow space for a deconstruction of the idea that our physical bodies are the problem that must be solved. This opens us up to the possibility that great things can come from have a positive, loving relationship with body, depthful things that would, perhaps, forward the journey of the Major Arcana towards greater heights.

Now let’s take the second half of my problem with the simplification of the card: the light/dark binary and our own “darknesses” as bad. I think at this point we can all agree the light/dark binary is a problem at its very face because it’s based on a racist paradigm. That alone is a problem, especially when one decides to try to unpack the fact that this card is sometimes referred to as the Dark Lovers. Yikes.

When we start to delve deeper into this binary and try to see the places it has a hold on our mentalities, the whole idea of light as good and dark as bad very quickly unravels. If you want a tarot based example, consider for a moment the imagery and intention of the High Priestess card. This whole point of that card is about being allowed to pass into spaces of “darkness” to gain wisdom.

So then why does the darkness of the Devil get coded as “bad”?

What if instead we allowed ourselves to consider the parts of ourselves that reside in the darkness without needing to us truth values? What if we could approach them without judgement? What wisdom do we contain within our own beings that we avoid learning because it requires time spent listening to the void-dark space inside of us?

If we connect this back with my first problem we begin to see a pattern: things inside of us our dark or bad or a problem and we “free” ourselves by getting outside and away from ourselves.

I propose that we keep the meaning of the Devil card, to an extent, but shift the connotation away from the negative and towards a more positive and uplifting tone. What if when the Devil appeared in a reading it was time to connect with your physical form in a loving manner? To spend time with your inner spaces without passing judgement on the parts of yourself that you find less tasteful? This kind of introspection is a significant part of personal growth and when it comes coupled with a soft acknowledgment of the power we contain solely within our own physical being it allows us to develop a grounding in ourselves that transcends the individual experience while keeping it firmly grounded in the body.

It also starts to shift the kinds of meanings of the cards around it. Consider now what the shattering of the Tower means if we realign the Devil? Could this shattering be instead of simple chaos and failure, the needed shift that allows an opening up to the powers of the Star, Moon, and Sun? What if the Devil is not the low point before the fall but the gateway that must be passed through?

On the back of the old man’s robe are hidden the letters ‘A E W’ for Arthur E Waite, who commissioned the deck. Hard to see.

Tarot 101 will start up again on December 30th~

We will finish up the Major Arcana descriptions (XI - XXI);

Then we will move on to describing the four suits that make up the minor Arcana (pentacles, cups, swords, staves);

We will continue on with the numerology of the cards (what does the Ace [1] of any suit mean, what does a 2 mean, etc.);

And then, if there’s interest, we will go through the four suits and explain every minor Arcana card in the deck! 💕 xx

Thank you to everyone for being so patient!

I’ve forgotten who wanted to be tagged when I started the class up again, so let me know if you want a tag on Monday 💕✨

Major Arcana I-X

Remember to keep note of how you feel about the cards (i.e. if you like them or not).

Please only scroll down once you’ve done this!

Major Arcana I – The Magician

~You’ve jumped through, and you’ve landed in another realm. In front of you is a table.~

If you look closely, the four suits are on the table (wands, cups, swords, and pentacles).

You have everything you need to succeed in life right in front of you. All you have to do is pick up the tools.

This is the card of focus.

Do not waste your energy on meaningless things, like jealousy… Focus your energy. Take the tools. Move on.

~Once you’ve got your focus, you move to the next realm… Which you can do, now, since you have all the tools you need.~

Major Arcana II – The High Priestess

(she’s a couple with the magician btw)

This is the card of knowledge, both classical knowledge and spirituality.

Notice all the the symbolism around her:

The moon (Wicca)

The crescent (Islam)

The cross (Christianity)

The Torah (Judaism)

The headdress (Egyptian mythology)

And, one that most people will gloss over… The embroidery on the veil behind her is shaped in the Kabbalah’s tree of life… As are the two columns on each side of her. (not super important rn, this isn’t a class on Kabbalah ha)

Now, the other thing that is super important to notice… She doesn’t seem to be in movement, is she? She is still – almost statuesque.

This is also the card of stillness.

She asks us to stop spiraling, to go still and to collect knowledge before acting and reacting. It is not easy. At all. But once we do this? Then we can keep growing.

She also requires us to go inside… And when we start looking, we realize how little there is outside. The way we see the world is just that, the way WE see the world. It’s all projection. If we were completely objective, there would be no pain. Things would just… BE. We are human, though, and whilst we can never be the High Priestess, we can try and emulate her more – to find the balance.

Major Arcana III – The Empress

The Mother.

She can be nurturing, giving… But she can also be choking, smothering.

Just like how cushions can be comfortable, they can be too soft and suffocate you. Depending on your question, you might want to try and relax more, or notice that you’ve relaxed too much.

You must find the balance between her and her husband…

Major Arcana IV – The Emperor

The Father.

Look at his throne, and how different it is from the Empress’ cushions. His is cold, rigid, uncomfortable.

He is the representation of discipline, making decisions, and logic. This is not a bad card, despite what most people see it to be. Just like the Empress’ comfort, in small doses, this is necessary to life. Too much of it, and we suffer.

ONE IS NOT BETTER THAN THE OTHER.

You need both in order to live a fulfilling life. You must develop the one that is harder for you – balance is key.

Major Arcana V – The Hierophant

(N.B. ALL 5 CARDS ARE TRICKY!!!! I will post about numerology at the end... also, hierophant means some kind of priest/pope~)

Notice the main character, who holds power and truth. Notice now, that there are two monks kneeling before him. Are they listening to the authority? Or looking at the keys on his throne and preparing to take them and leave to listen to their own voice?

…Or are you the Hierophant himself, believing that you are always right?

Usually, Tarot asks for introspection, to look within yourself for answers, but this is the one card that screams: “look outside. Look at your environment.”

I know that the different interpretations are tricky, but it all depends on your questions when you finally get to spreads. When we get there at the end of this course, you can definitely ask questions as to what the HECK he means.

Major Arcana VI – The Lovers

Whilst the man is admiring the woman’s body (passion, also represented by the tree on fire behind him), she is looking up at the heavens. ~Only through your “feminine” (your open, intuitive side) can you achieve ascension.

SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE

Pixie and Waite did not believe in the binary social coding of gender as is still perpetuated in most Western societies. They believed that, as we in the universe are all made of the same things, and therefore are one, there was no gender. However, they represented different facets of humanity by the binary, female and male, yin and yang, etc.

This is the inner marriage card.

You have to access ALL of these parts of you to move on in life, to grow.

P.S. if you pick this card in any spread, you should immediately pick out two other cards and ask “which two parts of me aren’t getting along?”

Major Arcana VII – The Chariot

Pay attention to this card. Really look at it. What’s wrong with this picture?

The “chariot” doesn’t seem to be moving, does it? There are no reins, no wheels, and it seems to be made of a block of concrete. The sphinxes also seem to be pointed in two different directions.

This is the card of will, of alignment.

No matter how difficult, you CAN make that chariot move. Align all the parts of you (sphinxes represent the “male” and “female” again), and WILL the chariot into moving.

If there’s a will, there’s a way – but, if you fall out of alignment, you will stay stagnant.

Major Arcana VIII – Strength

Look at the woman and the lion. Whilst lions are traditionally represented as strength….. who really seems to be in control here?

She is. Strength does NOT equal force.

This is the card of “gentle” strength.

The lion has also traditionally been used to represent one’s Shadow, and gentle strength is the only way you can learn what it is and how to overcome it. If you attack the parts of yourself that you hate, your Shadow only becomes stronger. TAME your Shadow, just how she is taming the lion.

Only then can you become Master of your path.

Major Arcana IX – The Hermit

What’s different about this one?

It’s all grey – very different from the previous cards.

Alone (but not lonely) stands this man on top of a mountain (knowledge). He hold a stick, which represents endurance, patience, and resilience.

The is the card of looking inside oneself.

The issue that you are facing has nothing to do with the outside, with your environment. You have a wound, and you must find it.

Only then can you heal and see with more clarity and objectivity what is actually going on outside.

Major Arcana X – Wheel of Fortune

Disclaimer: one of the hardest cards in the deck to undedrstand, so please don’t feel bad if you don’t really get it. This is tarot ~101~ after all.

Imagine this wheel being your life. This wheel, just like life, keeps turning, no matter what you try and do. You have no choice.

Or do you?

If you stand on the outside, it can, and will, crush you. But, you can make the conscious decision to stand on the inside of the wheel – and at the very center, is stillness.

This is the card of reactions.

When you are on the outside, you react to everything. You get hurt easily, and you blame the wheel.

But you can control how you react – not everything has to hurt as much. Step inside the wheel, and you will see that what’s on the outside doesn’t really matter.

If you have a deck on hand, I would suggest doing your first pull with the first eleven (11) cards – ask the cards what you should be paying attention to as you shuffle, and pull. If it’s reversed, flip it back upright for now: again, this is Tarot 101.

There’s a little bit of homework! 

It’s not complicated, and it’s not long, but this only works if you really do this. Everything will be explained at the end, I promise!

Before reading any description of any card, please write down how you feel about every single card (there are 78):

do you like it?

do you not like it?

are you indifferent?

Don’t spend much time looking at the card... Just go with your gut feeling!

AND DON’T CHANGE YOUR OPINION ONCE YOU’VE READ THE DESCRIPTION~!

~got your notebook? then we’re ready to begin!~