Girl Archer
The best introductory text is Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette. It gives you everything you need to get started. Where you want to go from there is up to you, but it really does give a well-rounded introduction.
Is it the best for someone who has zero knowledge of Qabalah/Thoth etc? That is where I am at, presently. You could say my mind is tainted by the easy RWS pictorial reading influence and clearly that approach does not work with the Thoth. Thanks for chiming in, closrapexa
I might have a way to aid you understand the idea: The motion of the sequence goes both ways. A way of putting it is, the purpose of the Aces is to eventually achieve the condition depicted by the following Minors. The purpose of the lower Minors, when the final stage is accomplished, is to "transform" themselves to the more purified condition of each Trump preceding them. The basis is explained by the Hermetic axiom "As above, so below". What is above aims downwards, and what is below aims upwards in an endless state of balanced motion. That's a way for me to understand it, at the least.
I think I understood most of it, but you lost me at "The purpose of the lower Minors, when the final stage is accomplished, is to "transform" themselves to the more purified condition of each Trump preceding them." Thanks for explaining, Owl tarot
True, but as the Scarecrow said, some people go both ways.
The cards can be seen as a map toward initiation, but they also depict the development of Creation from the abstract idea to its final fruition. The Aces portray the element in its seed form, and as they progress idea unfolds. The further you get from the Ace, the more polluted the element gets, the less driving force there is and the more the element becomes like the next one.
For example, the Ace of Swords is the pure thought, unpolluted by anything. It is concentrated, direct and focused. The Ten, on the other hand, is all scattered madness, the mind cannot even muster enough strength to form a coherent thought, and so by necessity must "tumble down" to the formulation of the material Ace of Discs.
I understand the point you are making with the Swords thing but if we apply the same to the suit of Cups, Ace of Cups is only a spark of love or the potential for it while at the Ten of Cups level, your cup is filled and it has reached total happiness/satiety. So, how is the Ten of Cups "polluted"? Also, does it mean that the over burdened ten of wands must take an emotional fresh start, as in the Ace of Cups? Btw, does this apply only to Thoth system or the RWS too?
Have a look at ATU XVIII The Moon. You got yourself to the beginning of that path that will take you between and past the pillars. The only way to get past the dread stage is to step on through and start learning and accepting. It helps me to know that there are other places (cards) along the path. The Sun for instance, or my favorite, the Empress. A Girl Archer might focus on ART when the path feels dark.
Erm, what does ATU stand for? I blush at my ignorance, if this is a basic question. I do love the Sun card, even though I may be a Girl Archer. Would I be right in assuming ART stands for Temperance, which would in turn be a Sagittarian card? However, my favourite card would have to be Strength which happens to be my Birth card/Soul card Thanks for the recommendation as well.
... or gaze at the Star and feel the loving embrace of Nuit. Or to meditate on Adjustment and feel the comfort of knowing that the universe is working exactly right.
Excellent suggestion. I will go try that sometime. Who/what is Nuit by the way?
No, the card sequence goes both ways. Coming down the Tree of Life (the "Path of the Flaming Sword"), the cards go in normal sephirotic order, Ace through 10. Spirit descending the Tree becomes increasingly involved in physical manifestation until in Malkuth (the 10's) it is completely immersed. Going back up the Tree to regain its original state of purity (the Way of Return) the idea is to gradually shed the gross vehicle of matter and become increasingly sublimated. It seems to me that fiery Netzach burns away the non-essential dross of the Sevens so they are worthy to reclaim the more exalted (going up the Tree, that is) "Six-ness" (harmony, balance) of Tiphareth. This reverses the normal accumulating and aggregating power of the Venus influence (in astrological terms, think more the discriminating Libra side than the acquisitive Taurus side). Of course, it's been many years since I actively studied this stuff, so my recollection could be faulty.
Thank you for really attempting to explain this to a noob like me, but I must say I am totally lost. The whole post I probably need a Qabalah for Dummies