the · pdf filewhile learning the tarot, use the standard rider-waite pack, as it shows the...
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The Tarot Your Guide to Tarot Mastery
Edition 3 Autumn 2011
She is an Earth Mother
and a Tarot Goddess: she is
The Empress. The Empress is more than just the wife of
The Emperor. She is a representation of all the
goodness and warmth that the Tarot holds.
In the mundane world, an empress is a
monarch. She is not just a figurehead of
sovereignty though, she has more power, honour
and rank than a Queen.
The Empress of the Tarot is not the ruler
of an empire; she rules the hearts of the characters
in the Major Arcana. She teaches you about caring
and nurturing yourself and others.
Plush, ripe, fertile, abundant; these are
words that sum up the card called The Empress.
She is sensuous, fertile, fruitful and creative. She
embraces the fullness of life and symbolises
fulfilment of potential.
The sign on her shield is a symbol for
female and it also represents the astrological
significance of the planet Venus, which helps you
to express beauty, and to draw love and friendship
into your life. The Empress exudes the qualities of
the celestial Goddess Venus, and manifests this
grace and desire in the earthly realms.
In the Rider-Waite Tarot, The Empress is
an attractive, young, motherly figure sitting upon
a plush lounge in a cornfield. She rules the land
with gentle authority. She is the embodiment of
the Earth Mother. In this edition of the Tarot newsletter, we'll
look at the qualities of The Empress and see how
they can be guidelines for life in the everyday
world.
Tarot blessings,
Page 1 - Editorial
Page 2 - The Original Rider-Waite Tarot
Page 3 - Book Review
Page 4 - The Empress of Today
Page 5 - Future Events
Page 6 - Difficult Cards
www.MisterTarot.com
The Rider-Waite Tarot
Edition 3 Autumn 2011
Did you know that if you
buy a new deck of Rider-Waite Tarot cards, the
images could be different to what was originally
drawn by Waite's artist, Pamela Colman Smith?
Unfortunately for Tarot readers, the
original printing plates of the Rider-Waite deck
were destroyed. The Rider Publishing Company
had the cards redrawn by copyists a number of
times between 1910 and 1940. I guess this was for
the purposes of printing clarity, but it's
disappointing because some of the original (and
significant) details have been lost, e.g.,
expressions on the faces of characters.
One interesting aberration is the extra
squiggly line in the card called The Sun. It seems
that Pamela Colman Smith intended to draw 11
curved rays, and 11 straight rays from the sun,
making a total of 22, thereby linking it to the 22
cards of the Major Arcana. However, it seems she
ran out of room when she had to fit in the Roman
numeral at the top of the card, so she left only one
side of a curly line. In one of the early editions, a
copyist left out this 'mistake', but by the time U.S.
Games took over the publishing rights for this
Tarot deck, it was reinstated. Later editions,
however, such as the Universal Waite Tarot have
covered over it with their colourisation of the
deck.
Black and white outlines of Smith's
original artwork were printed in a book called The
Pictorial Key to the Tarot, written by A. E.
Waite. The standard Rider-Waite deck has been
faithfully reproduced from these illustrations, but
the colouring of the cards received some subtle
changes, which sometimes makes card
interpretation more difficult than it should be.
In the Universal Waite Deck, two cards
which have suffered from artistic indulgence
during the copying stage are Temperance and the
King of Wands.
In the original line drawings of Temperance,
it's easy to see that on the top of her gown, just above
the square and triangle (written in Hebrew from right
to left) is the divine name, Yod He Vav He. In the
Universal Waite cards these letters simply become
folds in the material. Seeing this lettering means that
we pay more attention to the spiritual qualities of this
card.
In the original Rider-Waite card called King
of Wands, at the base of the throne is a salamander.
Although they resemble lizards, fire salamanders are
amphibious and they are black with yellow, orange
or red stripes and spots. This creature is a symbol of
the fire element and reinforces the fiery nature of the
character in the card.
However, in the Universal-Waite deck, the
artist has given us a green lizard. It's cute, but it
doesn't correspond to the elemental nature of the
card. It doesn't give another clue to the
interpretation of the image; it brings
confusion instead.
While learning the Tarot, use the standard
Rider-Waite pack, as it shows the symbols and
details of the image as the artist and designer
intended. Stylistic versions of this deck might be
more aesthetically pleasing, but I'd suggest leaving
them until you are familiar with the original designs.
Book Review
Whatever the reason for wanting to improve your
intuitive abilities, Paul Fenton-Smith's new book
'Intuition' can help. It's his tenth personal
development book and it's full of psychic
development tests, entertaining games, and powerful
self-awareness exercises for improving your
intuitive gifts.
For 33 years Paul has been teaching psychic
development, and he has distilled his knowledge
into this beautifully presented book. Inside its
stunning cover and within the lavishly illustrated
pages, he describes the difference between animal
intuition and spiritual intuition, techniques to
become centred, and ways to nourish yourself
spiritually. He claims that intuition 'is not a magical
gift, it's your spiritual birthright.'
My favourite chapter was on 'Living an Intuitive
Life'. In this section of Paul's book he says that
living intuitively, 'combines an acceptance of the
limitations and opportunities in the physical world
with an awareness of the deeper meaning or purpose
to our lives.' He also writes that it, 'offers you the
chance to ask for guidance when overwhelmed by
obstacles.' But there is a cost—your increased
sensitivity may mean that you'll have to avoid
circumstances where you'll feel drained by others.
For example, sensitive, intuitive people may
discover they can no longer frequent places such as
crowded shopping centres and bars.
This a useful, nicely structured book that has been
designed to help you discover your intuitive
strengths and weaknesses, improve your psychic
abilities, and guide you towards the inner voice that
wants to steer you along your spiritual path. Paul
says that by developing your intuitive abilities, 'you
can combine observation, logic and intuition to
make effective decisions and enjoy a more
rewarding life.'
RRP: AUD $34.95
Available through: www.paulfentonsmith.com
Edition 3 Autumn 2011
Insights from Tarot Gurus
She is motherhood, love, gentleness. At
the same time she signifies sexuality,
emotion, and the female as mistress....
The Empress is pure emotion...Only
through passion, can we sense, from deep
inside rather than through intellectual
argument, the spirit that fills all
existence...In readings The Empress
represents a time of passion, a period
when we approach life through feelings
and pleasure rather than thought.
- from “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom”
by Rachel Pollack
Venus is the goddess of love, and love is
unity. So open your heart to her love.
Like the Oneness of The Fool, she is the
doorway back to unity. But in a different
manner. Meditate on The Empress to
constructively improve your powers of
imagination.
- from "Tarot - the Royal Path to Wisdom"
by Joseph D. D'Agostino
Symbols of The Empress The Empress wears a tiara of twelve stars, representing the twelve signs of the zodiac, and a pearl necklace—there is one pearl for each planet in our solar system. She holds a sheaf of corn as a symbol of authority and fertility. Here's a quote that sums up the abundance shown in the card called The Empress... 'There was a meadow full of young hay, and all the summer flowers in great abundance. Blue cornflowers, scarlet poppies, gold buttercups, a veil of speedwells, an intricate carpet of daisies where the grass was shorter, scabious, yellow snapdragons, bacon and egg plant, pale milkmaids, purple heartsease, scarlet pimpernel and white shepherd’s purse, and round this field a high bordering hedge of Queen Anne’s lace and foxglove, and above that dogroses, palely shining in a thorny hedge, honeysuckle all creamy and sweet-smelling, rambling threads of bryony and the dark stars of deadly nightshade. It was abundant, it seemed as though it must go on shining forever. The grasses had an enamelled gloss and were connected by diamond-threads of light. The larks sang, and the thrushes, and the blackbirds, sweet and clear, and there were butterflies everywhere, blue, sulphur, copper, and fragile white, dipping from flower to flower, from clover to vetch to larkspur, seeing their own guiding visions of invisible violet pentagrams and spiralling coils of petal-light.'
- from Possession, by A. S. Byatt
Edition 3 Autumn 2011
The Empress of Today In today's world, The Empress of Suburbia is a caring woman who mothers her children (and anyone else's children who happen to wander by) with kindness and sensitivity. In the Rider-Waite deck, The Empress is the embodiment of womanhood. She is an expression of Mother Nature, an Earth Goddess who is shown as a symbol of fecundity, ruling the physical realm with calmness and poise. Some Tarot decks show her as being pregnant, and this makes sense as the scene around her is always bountiful and rich with life. In Waite’s image of The Empress, a stream flows through the background, representing the surging vitality of life itself. In front of The Empress is a field of corn, another symbol of growth and sustenance. From The Empress we can learn the feminine qualities of warmth, patience and respect for self and others. She asks us to listen to the words of wisdom that tumble along the stream; to hear the truth that whispers through the treetops on the soft breeze; to know the possibilities of self expression that lie within the dormant seeds of vegetation; and to feel the ageless knowledge of the earth as it expresses itself in the harvest of fruits and grain. One of the greatest lessons from the Tarot is to make time to listen to the wisdom that each character can teach us. As The Empress of the Tarot reclines on her plush lounge, she expresses the nurturing quality that we crave from Mother-figures. From The Empress we learn to appreciate this nourishment to the soul, and if it is not available from our own mothers, then by attuning to The Empress we can receive the benefits of being valued, encourage and loved through this archetypal Mother Goddess.
Future Events
The Readers Studio
Hundreds of tarot readers, teachers, authors and
artists will gather for three extraordinary days of
Tarot study and play at The Readers Studio.
April 29 to May 1, 2011 at LaGuardia Marriott Hotel, New York
see: http://www.tarotschool.com/RS11/index.html
Tarot Convention <History and the Esoteric>
Held in France on 23rd to 25th September 2011 in a
semi-remote, mediæval village not far from Brittany.
Cost = €190
Book now!
See: http://association.tarotstudies.org
Tarot Tours
Imagine yourself watching condors in flight above the awe-inspiring Colca Canyon,
experiencing the energy of the still, deep waters of Lake Titicaca, the majesty of
Machu Picchu, the festive atmosphere of Cusco, exotic flora and fauna in lush
rainforests in the Amazon Basin. Into the mix throw tarot cards, cocoa leaf readings,
meditations and other spontaneous spiritual activities. That's the adventure you could be
sharing with like-minded people from 28 September - 16 October 2011
See: www.tarotjourney.com.au
If you have a request for specific Tarot
information, please contact me by email:
My Website: When I've met some of you at
public talks, I've had some lovely feedback
about Real Tarot and The Workbook. If you
have found the books useful, I'd really appreciate it if you could write a comment or
testimonial on the Guest Book at my website.
Hopefully your comments will inspire others to
take the Tarot journey too. You can leave your
message on my blog: www.MisterTarot.com
Links of interest
www.numberswork.com
An Adelaide-based school of numerology.
Learn how to combine Tarot and Palmistry in an innovative, five week
course, held once a week at Hahndorf, South Australia. Only $150
Email Trevor: [email protected]
Edition 3 Autumn 2011
Difficult Cards
It's amazing how many people interpret the Five of Wands
card as "struggle and strife". What's overlooked is that the people
in this card are just boys. Look at the over-sized Wands and their
youthful expressions; they are playing, not fighting. Waite
described this card as, "mimic warfare", in other words, they're
having a play fight, not a serious one.
In a reading, if this card is shown in relation to a workplace
or home environment, some conflict may be present, but it is petty
rivalry, not a severe threat.
As the Wands in this card are raised, they form the
beginnings of a pentagram. This shape represents the triumph of
spirit over matter. I prefer to see this card as healthy competition,
rather than severe conflict.
Interpretations for The Empress
The Empress reveals the innate wisdom of
nature. She is fertility, natural growth, abundance,
fruitfulness, serenity, patience, and creativity. She
is the cycles of life, the rhythm of the land, and the
song of the seasons. The Empress is Mother
Nature herself.
She can represent the fullness of life,
domestic stability, generosity, contentment,
creative imagination, and potential fulfilled. This
card can sometimes even signify marriage or
motherhood.
The Empress is a supporter and nurturer.
She is emotional, sensual and gentle too.
When this card turns up in a reading, it
suggests a time to care and nurture self, family and
friends. It's a card reminding us to love ourselves,
and to be willing to cherish others.
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Copyright on all articles in this newsletter belong
to Don McLeod unless specifically stated otherwise.
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www.TarotSecretsBook.com www.MisterTarot.blogspot.com/
Edition 3 Autumn 2011
The bait is the means to get the fish where
you want it, catch the fish and you forget
the bait. The snare is the means to get the rabbit where you want it, catch the rabbit
and forget the snare. Words are the means
to get the idea where you want it, catch on
to the idea and you forget about the words. - Zhuangzi, Chinese Daoist
philosopher, 4th century, BCE