Mary El Tarot - The Fours

Bat Chicken

This is another set of cards that have a strong relationship between them as the Aces and Tens do. Each of these fours represent the pure form of their element. The natural stability of the fours makes them a good choice for such a pure presentation of the elements.

ETA: Four - Chesed - is the first of the sephiroth below the abyss. Perhaps this is another reason for the elements being presented here?

Thoughts?
 

missy

The Fours

The Fours in the deck:

The fours are all showing the elements of their suit come to life in nature. The Wands, the Swords, the Cups, the Disks.

Four of Wands - Quite literally a wand. A tree, a fiery wand, reaches toward the heavens. I have the Tarot of White Cats and it shows a cat scratching a tree in the Ace of Wands: the tree being the wand.

Four of Swords - Shows clouds. Air. Air is the element represented by Swords. The clouds are the Swords come to life in nature.

Four of Cups - A waterfall. Water is the element of Cups. The waterfall is the Cups come to life in nature.

Four of Disks - A pathway, or a mountain? Rocks, with trees growing out of a hillside. Earth, the element of Disks. The earthy scene is the Disks come to life in nature.

All of the Fours are the four tarot elements embodied in nature.
 

JadoreHauteCouture

continuing from Threes

First of all about all Fours. I once read (and i found it VERY true in many tarots) that the perspective in cards is very important. When cards are very abstract with very bad perspective it means veyr high and heavenly matters. On the other hand, very realistic paintings with good perspective talk about human and low, earthy matters... In Aces, Twos and Threes, the perspective is horrible.... And these cards do talk about Gods, and their light, finding this light and God inside of us and the journey to it for us and the society as whole...
Now in Fours the perspective is very realistic. Fours are the first cards in minor arcana that suggest struggle and tests (in our earthy lives), what we focus on - these earthy problems... We stop looking for God/light, but we get busy with our everyday problems for so long, until we realize these problems are gonna bring us again to God in Nines and Tens of Minor Arcana...

4 of wands: A tree grows towards enlightement just like children do.. They all grow fast and get burnt (burning branches) and they are always fired up for something new, some new adventures (burning branches again). And these burning desires guide us.... But since the perspective here is better, from the Fours, we are not trying to conquer the Gods and be them, or find them inside of us... The fours tell us we have this desire/fire to conquer the entire world... not necessarily to give something to the society but also get something in reverse and mold world a little big more into our vision... BEWARE! Ego is on the rise here!!

4 of swords portrays how are godly thoughts (birds in the sky, clouds in the sky/swords suits) are becoming less relevant to us and more distant... We are focusing on managing and controlling mother earth, even though our ego is destined to destroy and pollute it (2 chimneys)... For me, this card is the least favourite and most deppresing out of the entire Mary el deck... I just see so much pain, sorrow and emptiness cuz of human greed and ego :,-((

Humans can decide to dig deep into the ground to find their treasures or treasures in themselves, or they can decide to reach the sky and find unlimited wisdom. Yet most of the time, they decide to be shallow (not go deep/high enough), stay on the surface (factory on the surface) and for money destroy environment and then they even get angry and mean and pollute earth with their hateful words (smoke from the chimneys)...

4 of cups talks about nowaday society... How empty it feels at the end of the day. After all this competition, craziness, hatred and fights... People are tired and realize we all are human after all and try to find (well, the lucky few try) to find at least a little meaning to their life. and Where do they find it if not in the outer world? in their heart = yes, cups suit, and yes, that shell with pearl on the shore.... it takes long time to form the pearl, just like people nowadays have to learn again how to go back into themselves, listen to their inner voice, love themselves and grow this love inside of them... Because this love can heal the entire world of its sickenesses and diseases...

4 of disks in Mary El means the opposite as in traditional tarots... in traditional tarots 4 of disks means love of money which chains down person... In here, it is the opposite.. Person does not put money on first place and manages to live in balance. still be successful. Having settled down in a house, with family and fortune, but at the same time is closely connected with nature and meaning of life... This card is for me closing the Fours. It represents how society overcame their ego by going inside their heart, finding love, and learning to live in balance with nature...
HOWEVER, i said nature... not other people... Notice there is only one house... so people live alone from others... Fours are about reconnecting with nature... and Fives will be about reconnecting with other people and society....