Rhythmic Attunement: Harmony and Discord in Tarot Reading
“Proper rhythm forms and flows with the situation . . . “
- Ethan Indigo Smith, from The Tao of Thoth
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Those tarot readers who work with esoteric correspondences know that the elemental alignment of Fire, Water, Air and Earth cards in a spread has a lot to say about the natural rhythm of circumstances — either well-disposed toward or misaligned with the querent’s intentions — as shown by their mutual “attunement” in terms of friendliness or unfriendliness.*
In a five-card line, there will be either an enhancement or an erosion of cooperation, and thus a shift in tempo, if three or more cards in a cordial or hostile configuration dominate the action, even if they’re scattered and aren’t all “pulling together” in series. Momentum builds with several friendly cards of a favorable nature, flattens with neutral cards, subsides with unfriendly cards, and can reverse direction if they are both elementally mismatched and inauspicious. In a nutshell, any card is empowered by cards of the same element; otherwise, Fire loves Air, is neutral to Earth and loathes Water; Water is similarly disposed to Earth, Air and Fire; and Air and Earth are inimical.
An abundance of active and positive Fire and Air might be seen as emanating a high-pitched frequency that exhibits a compact wave-form with small amplitude and short wavelength (although the inherently averse nature of any individual cards in those elements can conceivably introduce friction, causing attenuation that lowers expectations). Whatever comes, it comes on quickly with little time to vacillate since things are moving right along. (Sorry about the pseudo-science lesson, but it fits the occasion.)
A preponderance of passive and negative Water and Earth, on the other hand, can deliver more enduring crests and wider, deeper troughs of activity over a more relaxed (i.e. longer-period) wavelength. They aren’t so much lazy in their interaction as “taking their sweet ol’ time,” much like the scouring action of a glacier that produces lakes surrounded by bluffs.
Cards joined in an unfriendly combination (Fire and Water or Air and Earth are more staccato in their rhythm, with jagged ups-and-downs that produce discord. They work against one another in an effort to assert their will in the matter. Depending on the rank of the cards involved (whether pips, courts or trumps) there will either be a clear “winner” or a disorganized scramble for position with no convincing front-runner.
If the cards are of a “neutral” complexion (Fire and Earth or Water and Air), there will be a modestly accordant vibration since these elements are also “supportive” of one another. Just don’t anticipate extraordinary advancement from them.
Absence of a specific element can create a void in the continuity of any transitions between active and passive states of development; for example, a dearth of Water can nullify its harmonizing effect on the other three; with emotional sensitivity checking out, asymmetrical tendencies involving ego (Fire), attitude (Air) and avidity (Earth) can vie for the upper hand in the querent’s affairs. (Similar to astrological delineation, there are two ways to look at this: either the absent element shows an area that needs considerable attention, or one that is well-in-hand and requires little effort; from a tarot perspective I opt for the first case.)
It also makes a difference how these elements are dispersed within the spread. A layout that is “front-end-loaded” with energetic Fire and Air but degenerates into a sluggish mix of Water and Earth further on is likely to reflect a matter that gets bogged down after an enthusiastic start. Conversely, Water and Earth at the beginning, with their comfortable, uneventful rapport, are incommoded and irritated by the unwanted incursion of Fire and Air just when they thought everything was going smoothly.
In larger spreads, disintegration into a polyrhythmic flux with helpful and harmful energies rising and falling in rapid succession is a recipe for protracted disarray in the situation. A change in rhythm generally creates a perturbation in the flow of events for which the reader must be alert; the more of them that occur, the less mastery the querent has over the situation.
*Elemental Dignity is a special case of this attunement that requires a middle “principal” card and two “modifiers,” one on its left and one on its right, that will either increase or decrease the potency of the principal according to whether they are mutually friendly or unfriendly; shared neutrality produces no effect. This is beyond the scope of my purpose here; I’ve written previous essays on the subject.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on October 25, 2024.
