The “Active Witness” and the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is another interesting observation from Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Way of Tarot. In it he notes that, when a “pip” card of the Tarot de Marseille exhibits a red dot or figurative “eye,” the symbol represents an “active (that is, actively involved) witness” to the action signified by the card. This idea inspired me to revisit the relationship between the “student” and the Minor Arcana of the Thoth tarot.
In The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley describes the cards of the tarot as “living individuals” that require protracted observation and experience to yield a “true appreciation” of their behavior; he advises that, to achieve this state of rapport, “he (the student) must use them; he must live with them. They, too, must live with him.” I always took this as an incentive to attempt injecting my consciousness into the images as a passive (or “cohabiting”) observer of their unique personalities (an effort nicely facilitated by the evocative artwork of Frieda Harris). Once acclimated to this “live-in” arrangement, I use the insights acquired in both contemplation and divination.
In thinking about Jodorwsky’s explanation that this “witness” embodies the Taoist mode of remaining “receptive toward Heaven and active toward Earth,” it struck me that all of the Thoth’s “glorified pip” cards denote two diametrically opposed phases of activity: one might be considered a “higher arc” that aspires to cosmic perfection as a purely abstract thought-form, and the other a “lower arc” that descends with utilitarian vigor upon the natural world (the gradual emergence of elemental energy in material form via the Tree of Life vividly depicts this scenario, one that Crowley explores with exacting care and clarity). This seems like a useful distinction when striving to interpret the cards in a reading as describing either an elevated mental/emotional/ spiritual state of being (conveniently shortened to “psychological”) or a more mundane, practical one.
In true “aim of religion, method of science” fashion, when “entering” any minor card with mystical intent, I first engage with its more exalted nature, typically expressed by its underlying Qabalistic principles, and then proceed according to its Pythagorean qualities and its astrological connection with the Chaldean decans. The first goal is obviously more attainable with the Major Arcana because we can work toward “personifying” the central figure in each card, but with the Minor Arcana it’s more an exercise in rarefied free-association and extrapolation. This should arguably be more achievable with the Waite-Smith deck due to its scenic “narrative vignettes,” but I’m not entirely sure their innermost character is worth probing deeply since their exterior personae haven’t served me with unfailing reliability in my tarot reading. For me, the Thoth will always be the “gold standard” for divination.
Here are a few fanciful titles that might help with the latter. This list will most certainly be subject to change as my thinking on this subject evolves.
Aces — “The Initiator” (Alt: “Formulator”)
Twos — “The “Conductor” (Alt: “Communicator”)
Threes — “The “Motivator” (Alt: “Promoter”)
Fours — “The Upholder” (Alt: “Codifier” or “Lawgiver”)
Fives — “The Destabilizer” (Alt: “Instigator” or “Lawbreaker”)
Sixes — “The Harmonizer” (Alt: “Integrator”)
Seven — “The Radical” (Alt: “Trailblazer”)
Eight — “The Reactionary” (Alt: “Regulator”)
Nine — “The Mediator” (Alt: “Reconciler”)
Ten — “The Perpetuator” (Alt: “Sustainer”)
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on December 22, 2022.
