Gematric Tarot

just a note...

...to let you know what's what. I've been working pretty heavy on the book and haven't gotten much at the cards, although..

The Fool should be finished by the weekend so stay tuned...


fly well
Raven

just foolin' around

Here he is-- text and all...

FOOL (48 67 51)

Connects: Foundation and Kingdom
Letter: the set of vowels (A, E, I, O, U)
Kabalistic Connection: administrative intelligence—32nd path
Astrological Connection: Uranus


The FOOL is equivalent to ‘cycle’. This should remind us that, although we all see the Fool as ready (or not) for a tumble down from Paradise, the paths run both ways. So, not only is he the final fall, but he is the initial climb back up the tree.

The FOOL is equal to ‘last’, ‘mass’ and ‘salt’. (These three words are themselves equivalent)

The 32nd path is the final one—I consider it to be the ‘gate of life’.

As the path between the non-manifest and the manifest, we change from energy to ‘mass’. We may also see the Fool as the ‘salt’ of the earth.

The Fool reminds us to be ‘aware’ of the ‘tree’ of life.

‘Lust’ is the energy of the World of Archetypes and recalls its insatiable desire to become manifest.

‘Lustrous jewel’ refers to the 3rd chakra—the chakra of fire and power. Located at the solor plexus, I see this as the place of the breath. Air—the prior association of the Fool.

Not only does the Gematria have its poetic side; there is its mythic quality.

Three terms in the Fool’s listings are ‘son’, ‘Queen of Cups’ and ‘prince’. This seems to indicate that the Fool is also the Prince of Cups…

My curiosity got the best of me here. I looked up the values for the ‘Queen of Cups’. I wasn’t too surprised to find that an inner term was the ‘Fool’s journey’.

The Queen of Cups, working through the emanation of Understanding, may be seen as the emotional, formative aspect of the Great Mother. As the Manifestation of Understanding, she works through the Fool.

Here seems a parallel to the tale of the Prodigal Son. The Prince of Cups, residing in Beauty, traverses the path of the Moon, leaving all that is rightly his behind. He establishes a new Foundation in which he goes though transformation. Passing through the ‘gate of life’ (which you may recall is also the ‘bride of death’—see the notes on DEATH), the Prince becomes the Fool who drops into manifestation. Here, he experiences all that life (‘live’, ‘veil’, ‘evil’) has to offer.

And once life has been experienced, he, like the Prodigal Son, can return home. So we may follow his climb up the tree…




The Verse

The ring goes ‘round
the cycle spins

Once again the fall is made.

Be thou aware
O Son of the Mother
That beyond the gate of life
lies the tree

Although the Ancient
appears to be lost
Fear not—for all is well

Part the veil, yet remember

There is evil
only because there is good

Again, you have created a wonderfully evocative and beautiful card and commentary. I so look forward to seeing your work in print one day!

Fun, Raven! I love the upside-down, and the scateboard. Wheee!

Wow, this is a stunning project. I can't wait to read with the deck.... i can imagine how the colors and images will move together.....

Have you looked into contacting the people Holmes suggested? It would be nice to have this project under the protection of a publisher.......

Oooh Steve,

I have only just found this and really like what you've done so far. Tell me, since you make kabbalistic references, have you incorporated the colouring into the cards too!
J.

well done Ravenswing!

The fool is very nicely done... and the verse is just perfect!

OK...My turn to nag you!

I want to see more more more!!!

thanks...

...to you Chronata for the nudge-- I'm awaiting your next one too

Jewel-ry-- Yes, that's one of my considerations. If you look at the Fool, he's colored in the Queen Scale-- upside-down naturally. Putting the Fool upside-down was not in my original layout. It just suddenly happened-- one of those 'oh wow!!' type of things. And this way he's right-side-up when the card is reversed.....

skytwig-- I haven't yet gone out for a publisher. Along with the deck there's a book that will probably run close to 300 pages, and a CD with my Gematric dictionary on it.

All the work in the book is original 'explorations' into kabalah, astrology and tarot. The text that I've posted with the cards is part of the book.

Before I go out searching, I want to get more cards finished. The publishers I've looked into want examples of major, minor and court-- so it's going to be a bit of a while til I'm ready for submissions.... Hopefully by the end of the year...

A little note for readings: if you take two cards, they position in 6 different ways. If you allow for 'reversals' (each card can fall in six positions), you wind up with 216 different possible outcomes with those two cards....


Firey one-- Where's the skateboard? I didn't intentionally stick one in...

Astraea-- You're not the only one waiting


Next card up: the DEVIL


fly well
Raven

Really good work here Ravenswing. It's interesting to compare this Fool to the Fool from your Geometric Tarot that featured in the Tarot Lovers' Calendar 2004. It's apparent the whole concept has developed by leaps and bounds.

What sort of work rate do you envisage? I suspect it takes more than a week to produce a card with the associated text and verse and with the amount of work going into these a month wouldn't be unreasonable.

faster than light....

...would be REAL nice. but...

I'm trying to keep it down to a week or two. The DEVIL is almost concepted. Some cards will be real fast--the Hanged Man for one. It all depends on the gematria...

I have all the listings printed out and in order. I've been skimming through them-- let the un/sub/superconsciousness go to work.

Much of the time, what I write seems to be dictated to me... at real odd moments. Almost a lecture series that I'm scribing down. Kabalah and Astrology along with the Tarot. A whole new majickal system as complex as the Golden Dawn's...

My wife has suggested that I do all the text out, then go on to the cards. It's another workable method, but I do like to see the visuals. Although having the text and verses for all the cards may make for a more unified deck. Something for me to consider.

But you are probably closer by timing them at about a month on average. Which would make it about six years to completion. So I guess I'm in for a long haul here.


fly well
Raven