The Lovers

I strongly recommend coloring your own Tarot. Having to color every element of the card forces you to see in detail every element of the card.

Being old and my teachers being old when I was young, many of them knew the people originally involved in the Tarot and the Golden Dawn. Those people were their very real teachers. As in any group, there was always gossip and rumor, but some things were apparent. Rider strongly wanted to convey something with the cards, supposedly the Fools journey through a life of seeking spirituality and meaning. He was a devout Christian but being anything else was a ticket to a noose or the flames tickling your feet. You certainly were not going to remain wealthy or in power if the cross wasn't shackled to your neck and yet you would have to be blind not to see the pagan elements in the cards.

Crowley soon learned the Golden Dawn was more interested in gathering knowledge than using it in those days or if they were using it, not for the intended purposes. I now wonder if Crowley's insanity was due to his practice of these “occult arts” or a massive psychic attack because he refused to tow the line and conform.

The Fool is supposedly the everyday man, having no idea what he is getting into, heading off in search of spirituality and the meaning of life. The parallel to King Arthur and the Round Table is obvious. What everyone seems to overlook is that the latter story is the rise of Christianity over paganism and magic. Only is there a brief respite when the King realizes the connection between the ruler and the land is magical and absolute. Knowing this, he saves the land, hides the power he used to save the kingdom and sends the knights off on a false quest for the Holy Grail that doesn't exist. Is the Tarot the same story?

The Fool is all innocence, happily stepping off a cliff holding some very pagan symbols, a bag with his most cherished possessions on a staff, his dog and a rose. Is the Fool really a young Pagan?

His first encounter is with the Magician. One thing about the Magician, he is honest. All things are possible in this card but he holds a candle burning at both ends in one hand and points to the Lily of Death with the other. Love, friendship, strength and money sit on the table just waiting to be claimed. The Magician is the conduit of power perfectly balanced as shown in the infinity sign but as long as he maintains the balance, he cannot claim anything on the table. His belt is the snake who will soon return in the sixth card. For now, the snake is tamed, biting its own tail. Knowledge is contained, easily used.

But now the Fool stumbles into the High Priestess, the embodiment of purity, at the entrance to the Temple of Solomon the wise. Behind her are all the symbols of fertility which she cannot partake of and the Moon is at her feet. The Moon is always pagan. Is it the symbol of the phases of the moon on her head or a Fool's hat, that of the jester? Her cross is an equilateral one signifying a crossroad, a major choice.

Now we see the choice.

He enters the Temple and meets the Empress, the mother of all things, but amid every symbol of fertility sits a very bored lady. She has seen it all and heard it all. She promises every comfort but without her soul involved. She is the pagan goddess of fertility reduced to a symbol. He moves on.

Moving on he meets the Emperor with the sad eyes. He still wears his armor and blood stained cloak sitting on a very uncomfortable stone throne. He has all the symbols of office. The Aries Rams decorate his throne telling you not to mess with this guy. Punishment will be quick and without deep thought. Although a lovely river meanders through his kingdom, nothing grows there. He is the Patriarch, the conqueror of all and in doing so, has killed all things.

Trying to leave this land, probably very quickly, the fool now encounters the Hierophant. This card was quite a challenge as artists always strives to make things look realistic and everything in this card is fake. The Priest holds court over two monks in threadbare clothing while he sits amid luxury, but is it. His clothes are new. Even his white slippers say he never does any work, not even walking. His crown is ostentatious but fake. Everything is designed to look like it is edged in gold but it is just clever coloring. Even the pillars, unlike the ones at the entrance, are painted fakes trying to portray real knowledge. He sits on a throne that is too small for his bloated form. The keys at his feet are fake and the crosses are on his shoes. He is walking all over the real meaning of spirituality.

Here is where I noticed the cleverness of Christianity and what it set the world up to do. In Paganism, to attain spirituality you descend into darkness and then arise to the surface transformed. In Christianity every symbol down to rapture is being pulled into the sky, into a golden sun. Yes, even the streets are paved with gold. The halos are gold. The white robes are trimmed in gold. You are going to get the gold. What a lovely set up to teach people to value gold, wealth and materials things over spirituality. You don't transform at all. You just ask and get forgiveness and all the gold is yours.

But what happens to the poor Fool? That is contained in card six which is miss printed at IV in the coloring deck. He runs away with the High Priestess when fleeing the temple and seeks the approval of an angel? Look closely my friends, that is no angel.

Have you ever seen an angel or Cupid with leaves for hair? No, that is the Greenman with whom they are seeking refuge. Something is wrong here. The Greenman's leafy hair is turning the color of autumn leaves and he sprouts wings, wings that are never white like an angel's. There are two trees, one with our old friend the snake offering the fruit of knowledge and the other the tree of longevity. That tree is burning. Even the grass at their feet is dying. Is the Greenman blessing their union or is he saying he can't help them. Look closely at his hands. He offered them eternal life and the tree is burning. He offered them knowledge and now the snake is loose making promises it doesn't plan to keep. Is the Greenman really the Magician who lost control of the magic because no one listened to his warning that you can't have the magic of life and the tools of wealth at the same time. You can't buy spirituality.

Let's see what the Chariot tells us next week.