Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Fermentation
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In alchemy, fermentation is a euphemism for “putrefaction” or rotting, from which an impure elixir is generated. Spiritually speaking, the composite Self formed during the process of conjunction was assumed to be authentic but it had not yet achieved the pinnacle of perfection and must now be dissolved, digested and reformulated.
The union symbolized by the marriage of the Father (Sun) and Mother (Moon) must decay and disintegrate in order for a new Child to emerge phoenix-like from the ashes of its demise. The corruption resulting from its decomposition is sloughed off to clear the way for the commencement of a loftier merger of Spirit and Matter. One of my sources, Credo Quia Absurdum, describes it as “an inspiration from above that reanimates and enlightens the soul.” It is considered an act of rebirth in which “the forces of the spirit Above are merged with the matter Below.” Thomas Ellison, in The Collector, terms it an expression of spiritualization that “gives great relief as we begin to see the world in a new and luminescent way.” Both authors conclude that it is a gloomy time of depression and despair during which we are forced to relinquish the identity of our old self before its nobler replacement is fully formed. The ideal scenario is that we will “catch a glimpse of a more refined, authentic self” as this descent into misery progresses, and the caution that attends it is not to lose sight of that vision while we grope in the dark toward salvation.
For the archetypal trump cards indicative of fermentation, I chose Death and the Moon to reflect the inception and advancement of putrefaction, with the perverse Devil ushering in the “darkest hour before the dawn” and the Fool as the spiritualized Child that is born amid the shadows of the perilous episode. Since we are talking about a state of material desecration abetted by the Devil, I placed these cards in the quaternary (square) pattern shown below. (The face-down cards are only placeholders displaying the architecture of the fully-populated spread.)
I shuffled the pip cards, allowing for reversals, and dealt one on top of each trump card to show the mundane “processes” by which the archetypal “principles” will be asserted as the querent strives for self-realization. Then I shuffled the court cards and placed one on top of the Signficator to indicate how the querent will “personify” or embody the combined influences of the double quaternary.
In this spread the seeker received the 10 of Cups (Satiety) reversed; the 7 of Cups (Debauch) reversed; the 4 of Disks (Power); and the 5 of Wands (Strife) as the “process” cards, with the Prince of Wands as their “personification.” This pair of Cups is a near-perfect presentment for the mechanics of putrefaction. Satiety is another way to describe over-indulgence and its reversal suggests susceptibility to bloated excess and creeping morbidity, fertile soil for remedial “rotting.” Debauch, in Aleister Crowley’s estimation, conveys the moral blight and corruption that precede the putrescence displayed in the Thoth 8 of Cups (Indolence), a mode of elimination that ultimately achieves cleansing. If the querent is prone to binge-and-purge habits of any kind, these cards could not be any more appropriate in portraying his plight; self-control essentially flies out the window as the decrepit Moon holds sway.
Something has to give, and the obdurate 4 of Disks offers the Devil a substantial chunk of “something” to chew on. If the Devil tends the “furnace of materialism,” the 4 of disks is his “Prima Materia.” The vile extract that oozed out of the bottom end of the Death-Moon confluence is caught up, solidified and repurposed. However, the seeker will most certainly be exacted a heavy price for token of passage the Devil hands him in return for his coin; it may seem like a fair exchange but there are almost always strings attached. That which seems eminently functional on the outside may have “sand in its gears.” Even so, the procreative genius of the Devil (see Crowley’s description of “Mars exalted in Capricorn”) is in its element here.
At first glance, the “strife” symbolized by the 5 of Wands promises a difficult rebirth. However, it’s worth noting that Crowley interpreted strife in this connection to mean “striving” and not outright hostility. Still, the creative exuberance of Leo is not the happiest place for the conservative, hard-nosed energy of Saturn, so struggle is definitely implied. The wandering Fool will have to cross the desert if he is to find the amniotic sustenance for his regeneration, but he may still have his hair singed before he reaches an oasis.
Echoing the conjunction stage of spiritual growth from the previous reading, this evolution ends with another expression of youthful enthusiasm and aspiration in the Prince of Wands as the querent’s “personification” of the foregoing developments. It exhibits a certain quality of “reckless abandon” that is predictable in light of the constraints imposed by the 5 of Wands against which it is vigorously reacting. The brashness of Fire is anathema to the cool forbearance of Water, so the individual may feel that he is being pushed out of his comfort zone. The implication is that he must abandon his reservations and “fire away” if he is to make any progress.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on February 23, 2024.
