Polar Opposites and the Pendulum of Contrasts
AUTHOR’S NOTE: An interesting aspect of esoteric metaphysics is that there are no unconditional “black-and-white” polarities in terms of active/passive, positive/negative or masculine/feminine principles; everything is on a sliding scale and varies in proportion according to the circumstances. The result is a pendulum-swing of contrasting energies, quite often discordant themes that converge momentarily on a transient point of agreement before once again flying apart (but only to the end of their mutual tether before gravitating back toward that elusive and short-lived harmony).
Fractional contrasts with collaborative potential abound between the contentious extremes of any polar estrangement. Two reciprocals can circle around one another like wrestlers looking for an advantage, but in truth they are bound by a common objective that in its particulars only feigns intransigent opposition. In business this kind of wary maneuvering ideally engenders successful negotiation, while in a bad marriage it has been observed that sex — a kind of “demilitarized zone” — is one of the last aspects of the union to fail when all else is in ruins. The pendulum touches down there like clockwork, at least for a while.
It is becoming apparent that the most-viewed post on this blog is the “dysfunctional relationship” spread that I designed around the concept of a “needs pendulum” that alternately highlights the interests of the two parties involved. The premise is that, while their tactics may be at odds, their contrasting agendas — assuming they are sincere about rapprochement — are complementary in that they want the same thing but don’t see eye-to-eye on how to go about achieving it in an equitable manner. The looming collapse becomes like an “invisible elephant in the room” that the couple can’t comprehend in full measure although it is plainly visible to everyone else affected by it. (I’ve linked the original post below.)
The idea of complementary contrasts (which I picked up from Ethan Indigo Smith in The Tao of Thoth) is nowhere more useful than in the practice of reading reversed cards. Traditional wisdom is that the meaning of an overturned card is exactly opposite that of its upright expression, but this is seldom the case in practice. Mystical justifications aside, reversal is an accident of orientation that is trying to tell us something unexpected about the nature of the situation. I’ll borrow Aleister Crowley’s description of the Fool to illustrate this phenomenon: “it represents an original, subtle, sudden impulse or impact, coming from a completely strange quarter.” In other words, it can sneak up on us while we’re looking the other way.
If we figuratively squint our mental optics and step back a couple of paces, we can assume it to be an anomaly of perspective, a distortion that only imparts interpretive “cant” to the normal definition without negating it. (I once contemplated placing reversed cards at a 45-degree angle.) I think it’s fair to say that a card’s itinerary targets the same destination regardless of whether it is upright or reversed, but the latter offers an alternate route that may be more roundabout (or, if you’re an optimist, more “scenic”) while also requiring more diligent philosophical mapping (in a lighter vein, I might refer to this as “cartomantic cartography” of the admonitory “Here be dragons” sort).
In general reading, any two cards that have customarily been treated as antagonistic can be reimagined as complementary contrasts. I’ve already gone down this road by redefining pairs of cards that the Golden Dawn labeled elementally “neutral and supportive” to become “complementary opposites” in that each supplies what the other lacks. In this way there is no ambiguity regarding the degree of cooperation expected of them: they are inherently indifferent to one another but will step in to fill a void when called upon. They are neither friend nor foe, but merely allied parties that, at least in an elemental sense, have minimal impact on the thrust of the reading except in those instances where a little judiciously-applied “lubrication” can make a difference; then they can step in as the pragmatic “fixer” in a showdown.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on November 5, 2024.
