Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Distillation
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Before I cover the technical definitions, I want to suggest another word for distillation: sublimation, as in refining or purifying something of an inferior quality to elevate it to a condition of surpassing excellence. In spiritual alchemy the mode of self-realization begins to evolve in a more rarefied direction.
In traditional alchemy, distillation is the act of boiling the product of fermentation in order to draw off its volatile essence in the form of steam that is collected and condensed into an elixir of high purity, leaving any defilement behind; this heating and cooling may occur several times to achieve the desired state of perfection. According to Thomas Ellison in The Collector, as a metaphysical concept “it marks the point at which our essence becomes spiritualized. In others words, in spiritual alchemy, distillation is a metaphor for the actualization of one’s spirit.” Another source (Credo Quia Absurdum) puts it more eloquently: “The final purge before the enlightenment happens in this stage. There are no impurities left, the environment for a spiritual apotheosis is attained.”
To symbolize the process of distillation in the form of tarot cards, I chose three trumps that suggest an act of agitation (“stirring the pot”) that will drive the lighter and more desirable constituents to the surface where they can be harvested; think of cream — a mixture of water, air and fat — separating from milk. (To be honest, I ran out of robust “heating-and-cooling” cards so I resorted to a more mechanical artifice.) These cards are the Wheel of Fortune and Art, two transcendent Fire cards, forming the base of an equilateral triangle with the pristine Star, an exemplar of Air, at its apex. I once again selected the Knight of Cups as the Significator, or querent’s “avatar,” for the example reading, and added face-down cards as placeholders to show the architecture of the fully-populated layout. Then I set aside the rest of the Major Arcana and segregated the pip and court cards (minus the Knight of Cups) into two sub-packs.
I shuffled the pip cards (allowing for reversals) and dealt three of them face-up on top of the trumps in the order Wheel of Fortune, Art and Star to signify an upward flow of energy. These cards describe the mundane “processes” by which the archetypal “principles” will be brought to bear in bolstering the seeker’s self-development. Next, I shuffled the remaining court cards and placed one of them on top of the Significator to indicate how the querent will “personify” or embody the aggregate of forces released by the pairs in the ternary pattern.
For the series of “process” cards, the individual received the 9 of Cups (Happiness) reversed; the 10 of Disks (Wealth) reversed; and the 6 of Cups (Pleasure). In contemplating the first two of these, one could be excused for assuming that the pilgrim will have to take vows of celibacy and poverty if he is to aspire to the spiritual heights he seeks. But even reversed, both of these cards give their associated trumps something worthwhile to “churn.” As an expression of generous Jupiter in tolerant Pisces (its traditional sign of rulership), the 9 of Cups should yield tempered optimism in the form of effortless composure, while the 10 of Disks promises a state of relaxed plenitude that lacks nothing of material importance (and if it comes up short, versatile Mercury in utilitarian Virgo [its sign of rulership] will improvise).
In the first case, the Jupiter-motivated Wheel of Fortune and the Jupiter-inflected 9 of Cups are joined at the hip with not a dissenting cloud on the horizon; in the second instance, Sagittarius (corresponding to Art), Mercury and Virgo are all “cousins” in their astrological mutability, bringing to mind the proverb (from Greek philosopher Ennius in the 3rd Century BC): “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” The implication of this commonality could be one of fraternal accord, or of being “as thick as thieves.” Reversal does little to decelerate the momentum of these generally favorable cards; all it takes is a little perspective to capitalize on their virtues.
The 6 of Cups (called “one of the best in the pack” by the card’s co-creator, Aleister Crowley) receives the blessing of the Star with admirable aplomb; what the Star pours the chalices contain and conserve, nurturing it for the precise moment of release. The astrological signature is Sun in Scorpio; as a purveyor of distillation, Scorpio is not known for its purity but the Sun is a powerful fecundating force that draws on its tainted waters for amniotic nutrients, enlisting them in its sublime act of procreation. Crowley, of course, considered it sexual in nature, but here it is more passionless and unmoved by baser motives.
It’s nothing short of amazing that the Queen of Swords makes yet another appearance in this series of readings; this is the fourth occurrence in six spreads, and it’s beginning to feel like there is no escaping her. As his “personification” of the aforementioned influences, the querent once again has access to her unflagging impartiality, immaculate judgment and no-nonsense protocols in pressing his case, which here serve to trim his sails as he steers a course toward his apotheosis. He need look no further than this formidable lady for his inspiration.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on February 24, 2024.
