Reverse-Engineering an Alternate Outcome
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is another novel application of the Golden Dawn’s system of astrological correspondences for the tarot cards as presented in the annotated figures of the “Chaldean” zodiac. (See the diagrams below.) In this model, each card has a complementary opposite across the wheel that is of the same polarity (positive or negative) and dynamic signature (active or passive) but of a different elemental quality (Fire opposed to Air and Water to Earth) that nonetheless energizes its counterpart. (In astrology, the opposition aspect often shows awareness of an opportunity to interact cooperatively and not an outright conflict; like my approach to opposites in this exercise, “one supplies what the other lacks.”)
Reverse engineering is a manufacturing ploy by which a company cleverly copies (aka “steals”) a competitor’s ideas and uses them in its own similar product. A design team is tasked with carefully measuring and testing the technical attributes of the target item and then replicating them with just enough deviation to avoid the legal pitfalls of patent infringement. Consider the rise of the crossover vehicle: how many “soccer-mom” cars of different make but nearly identical shape and color can you positively identify at more than 100 yards without being able to read the nameplate? I know I can’t tell them apart, and I see a lot of such cars while driving. As the saying goes, function dictates design, and some commodities must be identical in all of their critical details if they are to meet their intended purpose (one of which is to sell more than the other guy).
A tarot reader will often receive cards in a reading that are extremely difficult to fit comfortably into the context of the question or topic. The best we can do is try to think our way out of the box by translating the cards’ influence into something that is more meaningful and constructive for both the querent and the diviner. It might be a dramatic, highly-charged card like the Tower or the 10 of Swords showing up where one would least expect to see it, or a reversed card when there is no obvious reason to anticipate anything other than a straightforward conclusion. After a bit of puzzled head-scratching, we must envision an alternate perspective for such cards and then mentally navigate our way to that vantage point. Intuition can help, but it may amount to little more than inspired guesswork.
Although I’m not proposing that imaginatively reshaping the interpretation of a tarot card’s meaning to be something less inscrutable bears a close resemblance to reverse engineering, here I’m floating the idea that there is an existing architecture by which to find useful counterparts for most of the cards in the deck: the Golden Dawn’s “Chaldean” wheel of astrological correspondences. That layout correlates every “pip” card with its antipodal partner of the same number and complementary suit; every court card of the same rank in two elementally-friendly suits facing one another across the wheel; and every trump card of zodiacal significance and compatible element, Fire to Air and Water to Earth in contraposition. Only the seven planetary and three primary elemental trumps escape this pattern, but there are ways to work around that limitation as I’ve discussed in the past.
Much like the concept of “moving lines” in I Ching divination that produces a new hexagram, the premise would be to substitute the diametrically-opposite card for the one in the spread that won’t cooperate, thus creating a new reading with a parallel trajectory. Ideally, this circuitous path to understanding will be illuminating and won’t wind up being even more confounding than its predecessor. (As a side note, unlike the I Ching transition that swaps passive yin lines for active yang lines and vice versa, the replacement card will not be of the opposing polarity but rather of the same positive or negative energy, providing some continuity to the narrative.) While I’m not entirely on-board with all of the Golden Dawn’s esoteric assumptions, there is enough credibility in them to make for a reasonable working model.
Here is a brief example reading:
The querent wants know what the next chapter will be in a situation that has recently “gone flat.” The gist of the initial pull is that he has “lost his mojo” (10 of Swords) and despairs of ever getting it back.
The Ace of Disks reversed in the Recent Events position shows that his best shot for taking the initiative has passed. I think of this as the “golden opportunity” card when it’s upright, but here it looks like he may have missed his chance.
The 9 of Wands (Strength) reversed as the Present Status indicates that he is no longer operating from a position of strength; perhaps he has given away his power.
The 10 of Swords (Ruin) as the Next Chapter suggests that his mental equanimity will be in disarray, but it is more a low-voltage state of existential angst than a virulent attack on his peace of mind. The energy of the Ten is nearly exhausted, so it looks like his prospects will flat-line and he will just have to be philosophical about it for the time being. Things will be at a standstill and not a breath of air will be stirring. This becalmed condition is not where he wants to remain for long or he could become fatalistic about it; hence, the need to reexamine his options going forward.
The polar opposite of the 10 of Swords is the 10 of Wands, implying that the heat and pressure in the situation could begin to creep up despite originating at a low level with a slow rate of increase, potentially reaching a “hot-button” point of frustration. But there is nothing to be gained by acting rashly, so he should not waste his energy on fruitless effort and instead just wait for the right moment. By vacating the 10 of Swords and engaging the 10 of Wands, we create a natural progression between that card and the 9 of Wands, although the reversal of the latter could make any recovery anemic; at best there is no longer an Earth vs. Air “elemental quarrel” going on between the two peripheral “modifiers” to further degrade the reversed “principal” card (9 of Wands), since the Ace of Disks and the 10 of Wands are “neutral and supportive” to one another.
This alternate scenario holds slightly more promise than the 10 of Swords, if only in the hope of eventually exiting the “road to ruin” and regaining momentum. Anticipation may notch up but realization won’t immediately follow suit; a good deal of impersonal (that is, coincidental or circumstantial) resistance could be encountered as well as a setback or two. He should not take any such downturn to heart and should not give up just yet. I view the numerical progression of the Minor Arcana as an ascending spiral and not a circle; the next card in series after the Ten is the Ace of the next suit, so the Ace of Cups following the 10 of Wands could give him the inspiration to reinvent himself emotionally once the oppressive interlude is behind him.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on September 28, 2024.
