Saturday, April 18, 2009

“These studies are a spur...


...to the young, a delight to the old; an ornament in prosperity, a consoling refuge in adversity; they are pleasure for us at home, and no burden abroad; they stay up with us at night, they accompany us when we travel...” - Marcus Tullius Cicero

Two of my all time favorite authors are Jean Shinoda-Bolen,M. D., who wrote "The Goddess in Every Woman", and Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D, who wrote "Women Who Run With Wolves". Both are Jungian analysts. After reading them, I had to read the master -Jung. He found the Tarot's Major Arcana to be a set of archetypes.

archetype –noun
1.the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.
2.(in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.

So I went searching for a set of archetypal figures that fit the cards, and I found the Titans. The first set of matches is most likely, and very tidy, But some titan's have little mythos left to read, unless you can reliable give them their summerian names, and so I made a second list with names that may seem more memorable or harmonious. And after all, an archetype by any name, is likely still the same.

22 Major Arcana -

0 - Fool - Any man or woman

1 - Magus - Epimetheus, he and his brother created beasts and man.
2 - High Prstss - Pandora, her box is both funerary and womb - speaking about rebirth

3 - Empress - Rhea, her name means ease, and flow
4 - Emperor - Zeus

5 - Heirophant - Oceanus(he is pictured as a man-fish or man-serpent and is wise like Ea
6 - Lovers - Tethys, she draws the waters up from the earth or down from the sky

7 - Chariot - Crius/aries, his name means Ram
8 - Strength - Eurybia means wide strength or force

9 - Hermit - Coeus/Polus ("the inquirer"and north Pillar)
10 - Wheel of F - Phoebe as queen of the turning heavens

11 - Justice - Themis/Libra
12 - Hanged Man - Prometheus

13 - Death - Cronus/Khronos
14 - Temperance - Uranus

15 - Devil - Iapetos ("the piercer" and west pillar)
16 - tower - Klymene("fame")

17 - Star - Aphrodite, seaborn of Uranos

18 - Moon - Theia Euryphaessa as Moon goddess
19 - Sun - Helios Hyperion ("watcher from above" or "he who goes above" east Pillar)

20 - Day of J - Mnemosyne - "memory" - keeps the waters of Memory as opposed to Lethe
21 - World - Gaia

The above are mostly in pairs, husband and wife, or mother and child.

More Memorable -

0 - Fool - Epimetheus - "after thought" He was called a fool in Olympian times, for several reasons
1 - Magus - Hermes - as psycho pomp
2 - High Prstss - Hecate or Persephone, as she who allows the dead rebirth
3 - Empress - Rhea - Mother
4 - Emperor - Zeus - Father
5 - Heirophant - Oceanus/Ea - Teacher
6 - Lovers - Pandora, Helen and Paris - Choice
7 - Chariot - Crius or Athene - Force or Power
8 - Strength - Eurybia/Leo - Tame the animal nature
9 - Hermit - Coeus ("the inquirer"and north Pillar) - The Observer
10 - Wheel of F - Fortuna - Fate, Genetics
11 - Justice - Themis - Law, Natural law
12 - Hanged Man - Prometheus or Dionysus - Midlife crisis, spiritual rebirth
13 - Death - Cronus - to heal from the past and do away with it.
14 - Temperance - Atlas or Apollo - the wisdom gained by resolving the past creates virtue/temperance
15 - Devil - Pan(panic, fear) - That fear which keeps us within the sphere of what is known, rather than evolving.
16 - tower - Menoetius or Nemesis - Death, if you can't defeat the challenge of the devil card
17 - Star - Aphrodite(Venus = morning star = sirius/Sothis) - light at the end of the tunnel
18 - Moon - Selene as Moon goddess - Heaven #2, the earth bound realm
19 - Sun - Hyperion - Heaven #3 visible light
20 - Day of J - Mnemosyne - "memory"- the light or life review. On the day that the soul is healed of its shame and guilt and anger, it is pure and may pass to higher heavens. This only happens if the person "drinks not of the waters of Lethe"
21 - World - Gaia - the four higher heavens

Thus we see that the Major Arcana, as well as describing the archetypes also tell the tale of a person from before rebirth to after death, or to the transcendence of death which happens if the person is able to defeat the challenge the Devil represents. To this second person the Tower is the alchemical reduction of all that person's remaining dogmas, judgments, prejudices... essentially all that remains of the human animal. The Star then is the birth of Christ consciousness. All of the heavens are open to them, and when the soul is reviewed it is found spotless.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Carl Jung is always a facinating read and his commentaries were nothing short of profound. Though I never studied the man's words, I have been compared to his logic many times by many others.....even professionals. Tooting one's horn appropriately always brings a sense of accomplishment. Too much false humility is degrading.

If you haven't yet read Runic literature on Guido Von List....you should. He is no longer acceptably read as a runic scholar because of the use of his material and insight by the Nazis.
It is unfortunate when the public becomes confused by MASTER instruction from mis-interpretation by secular interests. The same an be said of Freud. Instead of being referred to as a Oedipal plagiarist and tossed aside, as I've seen many do, his work in the field of psychotherapy through consensus and conjecture was masterful. The unpopularity of his sexual opinions just reinforce the long-standing Victorian "hangover" the western thinking societies suffer.

Lily Wyte said...

I have read that Hilter was privy to some very great spiritual knowledge. The fact that he took it to 'the dark side' doesn't change the knowledge itself.

btw - toot away and I will too.

Unknown said...

how interesting. i think it would be interesting to come up with a set of modern figures...

Unknown said...

I wrote something for you on your comment at my site I'm sure you'll be interested in as well.

wylde otse said...

i like the way Jung 'took on' God and the Devil over the mal-treatment of Job. he determined the crucifixion of Christ was one atonement. (one more to go?)

Lily Wyte said...

Annie -
0 - Fool - Dorothy Gale
1 - Magus - Pres. Obama
2 - High Prstss - Mrs. Obama
3 - Empress - The Queen
4 - Emperor - A Rotheschild
5 - Heirophant - Ramtha
6 - Lovers - Sylvester the Pussycat with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.
7 - Chariot - the Good Terminator
8 - Strength - The Cowardly Lion when Dorothy slaps him
9 - Hermit - Dali Lama
10 - Wheel of F - Vanna White
11 - Justice - Dirty Harry
12 - Hanged Man - The Scarecrow
13 - Death - DEATH(for any Terry Pratchett fans)
14 - Temperance - Martin Luther King Jr
15 - Devil - Ray Wise
16 - tower - New York Stock Exchange
17 - Star - Glinda, the good witch of the north
18 - Moon - Roseanne Barr
19 - Sun - Harry Potter
20 - Day of J - Louis Armstrong
21 - World - A deep space picture of forever.