“Who Am I Right Now?” — A Three-Part Personality Profile
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is an approach to personality profiling that uses a “prepared” deck split into trump, court and pip card sub-packs. The design employs three layers of significance: the outer rectangle of four “pip” cards displays a tableau of daily experience in four elemental attitudes or postures; the middle diamond of four court cards describes psychological and sociological orientation in four categories; and the single trump card at the center conveys an exemplary state of individual development that can be achieved through successful navigation of external conditions. The “Significator” card underlying the “Exemplar” can be chosen intentionally as I did for the example reading or allowed to fall randomly. (All scans are from the Thoth Tarot, copyright of U.S. Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT; this is the discontinued “Retro Thoth” knock-off but the principal images are legitimate.)
To begin, shuffle the minor (or “pip”) cards and deal four cards in the sequence shown. (Reversals may be applied.) These cards are intended to show routine aspects of daily life at the time of the reading: the Fire card relates to the exercise of ambition and enthusiasm; the Air card depicts the state of mental adaptability; the Water card shows emotional equanimity; and the Earth card portrays physical competence.
In this example, all of the “pip” cards are reversed, suggesting a certain amount of disengagement from daily affairs. The reversed 3 of Disks (titled “Work”) in the Fire position infers being separated from gainful employment, perhaps retired, laid off or fired. The reversed 2 of Wands (titled “Dominion”) in the Air position implies having ceded or been deprived of a certain amount of control over one’s situation. The reversed 9 of Wands (titled “Strength”) in the Water position intimates being compromised or enfeebled emotionally. The reversed 6 of Wands (titled “Victory”) in the Earth position conveys stymied success in practical matters. Although I certainly wouldn’t say it to the subject, the first thing that crossed my mind when I examined this series was “It sucks to be you!”
The second step is to shuffle the court cards and deal four of them in the order shown above. These cards are intended to describe how well-equipped the individual is to handle any psychological or sociological complications arising from his or her private and public acts of self-discovery. Court Card #1 speaks to the transcendent level of higher purpose and aspiration (“genius” is a Roman expression comparable to “guardian angel” or “divine protection”). I would tend to read it as “creative stimulus” coming from outside the individual ego, and how that might be tapped to best effect. Court Card #2 denotes the vital spirit that animates the subject’s immanent sense of self; this card will suggest how “comfortable they are in their own skin.” Court Card #3 signifies the cerebral qualities of intellectual composure and mental acuity; any confusion and misapprehension will appear here. Court Card #4 delineates physical prowess and poise harnessed to practical endeavors.
The gracious Princess of Cups in the “Guiding Genius” position shows that this individual is clearly at ease in the exalted company of his spiritual advisors. The channel is open and the communication flows freely to the Knight of Cups (Significator). The Prince of Wands in the “Vital Spirit” position is energetic and enthusiastic, although a bit reckless; there is an abundance of panache that drives the individual forward even when hanging back might be a better idea. The Princess of Wands in the “Mind” position may be somewhat blase and capricious but she is nonetheless refreshingly imaginative and galvanic in thought. The Princess and Prince of Wands, as “Mind” and “Spirit” respectively, bookend the Knight of Cups and are elementally antagonistic to him, like “thorns in his side.” He may feel imprudently goaded to act when his innate caution and common sense insist otherwise. The reversed Queen of Disks in the “Body” position is the only discordant note here, implying depletion due to squandered resources or demotivating inertia. Here is a person with loads of vigor and enthusiasm on tap but nothing held in reserve (the sports term is “no bench depth”) who must carefully allocate his energy outlay to avoid enervation. He can’t afford to sit on his hands for too long when the “cupboard is bare.” With three of the four court cards being so lively, he will be prone to bringing the “power of personality” to bear on any situational turmoil, while the sober Queen of Disks is his “Achilles heel” warning against spreading himself too thin.
The last step is to shuffle the trump cards and pull one to populate the “Exemplar” position. This card covers the Significator and is intended to show what the individual might become by mastering the challenges of the two outer patterns; it is the closest thing to a “future outcome” offered by this approach so it must be weighed carefully. The more successful the querent’s engagement with circumstances, the more satisfactory the developmental conclusion should be as long as the majority of cards are accurately aligned with the scenario. If there appears to be any distortion in the picture, the reader and seeker must peel back the layers of meaning to decipher the symbolism. This is one situation where it might reasonably be said “There are no bad cards, only opportunities.”
The Aeon (traditionally Judgement) landed in the “Exemplar” position of the trial spread; this card was described by Aleister Crowley as always representing “the taking of a definite step.” As the paragon of Primal Fire it is in perfect harmony with the Prince and Princess of Wands and is also elementally sympathetic to all four of the exterior pip cards and the Queen of Disks. It looks to me like the watery Knight and Princess of Cups are outgunned and will be dragged along in the wake of impulsive hyperactivity courtesy of all the fiery stimulus. The individual could fly very high very quickly, but the reversed Queen of Disks supplies the “reality check” that brings him back to Earth just as rapidly. Still, I often call the Aeon the “offer you can’t refuse” card, so he will most certainly go along for the ride and settle accounts later.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on February 16, 2024.
