Qabalistic Constellations: A Reading Template
AUTHOR’S NOTE: As does religious mysticism with its unproven “origin” theories and moralizing allegorical screeds, esoteric metaphysics exhibits a long history of “making stuff up.” In the world of tarot, the British “Occult Revival” of the late 19th Century produced the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the chief proponents of such inventive apocrypha, although they were standing on the shoulders of Continental mages like Eliphas Levi and even earlier Hebrew sages. I’m not immune to the pull of such imaginative fabrication, and the Order’s work with the Qabalistic Tree of Life has been a target of my revisionism for some time. In general, I have no quarrel with the Hermetic worldview and its goal of revealing hidden wisdom, but when it comes to merging it with the tarot much of the outcome seems rather fanciful. Here is a little iconoclastic “pretzel logic” of my own.
As an experiment in “outside-the-box” thinking, I selected the trump cards that in my (admittedly radical) estimation best convey the esoteric principles of the sephiroth on the Athanasius Kircher version of the Hermetic Tree of Life. I’m using them as a “hub” for expression of the cards that bear the number of those sephiroth and, where applicable, the numerically-related court cards. I’ve also described how these arrays might be used in a tarot reading. Note that my unorthodox assignments have nothing to do with the traditional correspondences between the trumps and the paths on the Tree. Since there are only astrological planets and no trump cards attributed to the sephiroth in the Golden Dawn system, I went entirely off the page although some of these may not be my last word on the subject. (All images are from the Thoth Tarot, copyright of US Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT.)
In each case, the trump card at the center of the array supplies the theme or environmental backdrop of the pattern. The clockwise movement of the surrounding cards emulates the diurnal motion of the Sun, with the matter in question growing in intensity from its Ingress (Dawn) through a culminating Increase (Noon) and a gradual tapering-off at its Decline (Sunset) to its enervated Release (Midnight). The theme card in each case “invites” the card (or if applicable, cards) matching its element to kick off development of the situation at the Ingress, and the sequence advances in the classical order of the elements (Fire-Water-Air-Earth).
To perform a reading with these arrays, identify the theme that best aligns with the circumstances of the question and lay out the “baseline” cards as shown in the pertinent photo. Shuffle the deck and deal cards face-up on top of the foundation series, beginning with the thematic trump position, then working clockwise from the Ingress point and laying cards from the inside out when there are two cards in a position. Read the center card as the background of the situation and the rest of the cards as the evolving narrative.
As you go, determine whether the baseline cards are cooperative with the random cards by dignity or inherent nature; if they are harmonious, that aspect of the matter should progress without interference, “for good or ill” depending on the combined temperament of the cards. If there is discord between the cards, progress will be hindered, once again “for good or ill.” These qualifying statements (courtesy of the Golden Dawn’s “chief adept” MacGregor Mathers) acknowledge the fact that “bad” cards can be strengthened in their malevolence by sympathetic pairings and “good” cards weakened in their benevolence by unfriendly matches, as well as the other way around.
Constellation #1 (Kether): The Magician/Magus (Mercury, the “solar messenger;” esoterically, the Primum Mobile or Pluto, the “cosmic messenger”), the Aces and the Princesses located around the Celestial Pole; the geometric “Point.” Theme: The inception of a matter that requires skill and talent as well as initiative, innovation and keen awareness to make the most of it.
Constellation #2 (Chokmah): Judgement/Aeon (one of the “numerological counterparts” of the Priestess; Primal Fire; esoterically, the Wheel of the Zodiac or Uranus, the Father of Saturn); the Twos and the Princes; the geometric “Line.” Theme: An important turning point that requires sound judgment and decisive action that gets right to the point and doesn’t look back. (Aleister Crowley described it in part as “always represents the taking of a definite step.”)
Constellation #3 (Binah): The World (one of the “numerological counterparts” of the Empress; esoterically, Saturn and elemental Earth), the Threes and the Queens; the geometric “Triangle” or “Plane.” Theme: An opportunity for growth and development that requires patience and perseverance to reach the goal.
Constellation #4 (Chesed): The Emperor (esoterically, the sign of Aries), the Fours and the Knights; the “Law;” the geometric “Square.” Theme: A matter of authority and integrity requiring “right action” and fair dealing in the name of stability and honor, although at the risk of employing highhanded tactics while attempting to enforce the rules.
Constellation #5 (Geburah): The Tower (esoterically, the planet Mars) and the Fives; the “Pentagram.” Theme: A disruptive state of affairs that bodes ill for any kind of rapprochement. If there is an epiphany here, it is that the forecast looks bleak even after the dust settles.
Constellation #6 (Tiphareth): The Sun (esoterically speaking, the astrological Sun) and the Sixes; the “Hexagram.” Theme: A state of harmony and comfort that promotes general well-being at the risk of becoming overly complacent.
Constellation #7 Netzach): The Empress (astrological Venus) and the Sevens; the “Heptagram.” Theme: Although Seven is the number of Venus, here it creates spiritual discord that threatens the peaceful equanimity of the Empress. She is hemmed in on all sides by uncomfortable realities that demand her attention, and she may be too accommodating to bring them to heel; forbearance is not her friend in such cases. (Segue to the old Chiffon margarine commercial, with the Empress intoning ominously amid peals of thunder “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!”)
Constellation #8 (Hod): Justice/Adjustment (astrological Libra; esoterically, Saturn exalted in Libra) and the Eights; the “Octagram.” Theme: Although Eight represents the fullest expression of the equilibrium promised by the binary Two (2x2x2=8), these cards are a mixed bag of anxiety and serenity requiring a good deal of deliberation and the judicious intervention of Saturn to steer them right in any situation where a measure of justice must be served. (The 8 of Cups has Saturn in Pisces on-board, but that mainly drags it down).
Constellation #9 (Yesod): The Priestess (esoterically, the Moon) and the Nines; the “Nonagram.” Theme: The number Nine was called the “Third Completion” by early Greek philosophers and was considered a number of perfection and fulfillment. The Priestess exemplifies the exercise of prudent wisdom within the changeable realm of the Moon, and here she is rewarded in all of the suits except Swords, where the Nine is resistant to any kind of mystical pacification. The 9 of Swords is shedding tears of blood all over the Priestess, who appears to be raising her arms to catch them (inadvertent Holy Grail symbolism?)
Regarding my assumption that the incorruptible lunar Priestess can be connected with the ninth (lunar) Sephira of Yesod, I came across a neat bit of accidental syncretism between that notion and ancient Chinese cosmology. In her book, I Ching, The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes, Benebell Wen describes the “Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens” (or in this context it might be the alternative, “Ninth Heaven”). The pertinent text is worth quoting verbatim:
“She is often invoked for dispelling evil, subduing violence, thwarting harm, providing protection magic, and most important of all, enacting justice. She is strongly associated with justice.” (As an aside, although I’m not using it for illustration here, the High Priestess [2] of the Waite-Smith tarot is the other “numerological counterpart” of Justice [11] since 1+1=2.)
Riffing on this idea, I might say that the Mysterious Lady descends from the solar sphere of Tiphareth through the lunar vapors of Yesod “in the prefect image of a priestess” (paraphrasing Bob Dylan) to assist in our mystical and magical affairs. There is also the contribution of the “Queen Mother of the West” (the Lady’s immortal patron) to factor in since in many systems of esoteric thought the West is associated with elemental Water. Wen notes that burning incense is sacred to the Lady, and I’ve always found it to be a singularly “solunar” act.
Constellation #10 Malkuth): The Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter) and the Tens; the “Decagram” or the “Circle.” Theme: The Wheel of Fortune is a card of serendipity that operates outside the realm of conscious initiative, so there is a sense of inevitability to these cards that squares well with their suit symbolism. They represent a squandering of energy that is overkill given the perfection of the Nines, fostering an uncomfortable feeling of misspent force or “luck running out” that leaves them stranded, offering no hope of redemption any time soon (even the jaded 10 of Disks suggests wealth for its own sake with nothing more stimulating beyond that).
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on April 22, 2024.
