Active and Passive Dynamics
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The next major milestone on the road to mastery for the neophyte tarot reader after internalizing the card meanings (as opposed to merely memorizing or looking them up) is to begin synthesizing the interpretation of all the cards in a spread to form a seamless narrative. (I often describe early efforts in this direction as the “Lego-block” principle in which the individual meanings are “stacked up” but not effectively integrated.) Here are a few thoughts on the subject.
In his book The Tarot, French tarot writer Joseph Maxwell characterized the odd-numbered cards as unbalanced and therefore “active” in striving to return to a state of equilibrium. He observed that the even-numbered cards exhibit a condition of “passive” harmony (a quality of their binary nature) and prefer to remain that way, offering little incentive for growth. In his book, The Way of Tarot, Alejandro Jodorowsky — upon whom both Maxwell and Paul Marteau had considerable influence — discusses active and passive cards in combination, with reference to the order in which they appear in a reading: the consequence of an odd-numbered card followed by an even numbered card is not viewed in the same way as its even-odd complement. In one case the emphasis moves from an attitude of projection (odd) to one of reception (even), while the opposite scenario begins in an accepting mode (even) and is galvanized into purposeful action (odd). He notes further that “This dynamic reading work is a key element for reading a tarot spread as a whole and not as a succession of isolated elements.”
My own take on Jodo’s comments is that we might consider an “active” card following a “passive” one as “reaping the harvest” sown by its more settled partner, while a “passive” card succeeding an “active” one may frustrate its predecessor’s initiative by its steadfast inertia. In either case a “tension” is formed that must be resolved in the interpretation. I don’t believe this should be limited to the pairs, triplets and quads that Jodorowsky describes, but can be extended to spreads of any length, which will almost always display “peaks” and “valleys” of active and passive energy, terminating with an expression of one or the other in the “outcome” position. As the “advice” card, the final card in the series will reflect whether the querent should take an assertive or acquiescent stance in dealing with the matter. Where no outcome card is assigned, this role might be assumed by the card of either persuasion that is highest in rank or most sensitively placed. We could also reach this conclusion by identifying a preponderance of odd-numbered or even-numbered cards in the entire layout, and with shorter spreads it would be possible to see a rising or falling slope in active or passive potential. But I believe special significance should still be accorded the outcome (or other dominant) card as the “trigger” which precipitates the querent’s response.
In practice, I would not treat active and passive qualities as the sole determinant of a reading’s dynamics, but would fold them into the larger picture involving the cards’ inherent nature, suit or element, numerological significance, astrological correspondence and positive or negative polarity. They would acquire greater relevance when closely aligned with other factors, but could just as easily be eclipsed by more powerful indicators that are contrary to their temperament. In even-numbered but elementally positive cards like the Tower there is little passivity to be found, while despite being odd-numbered, elementally negative cards such as the Empress are the soul of composure and tranquility. Thus, the polarizing distinction is overridden by the more prominent “personality” of the cards. As I see it, this method would work best with the “pip” cards of the Tarot de Marseille because they are of primarily uniform, unremarkable import, without exaggerated characteristics that monopolize their profile. However, as Jodorowsky proposes, it is a very good technique with which to begin stringing any series of cards together in a coherent way.
