Help!!!Did Pamela Use a Catechism?

Rosanne

Due to another thread by Poetic Pirate about Virtues and Vices(7 deadly sins) I thought Pamela Colman Smith may have used The Catholic Catechism, when contemplating her cards for painting. A major part of the Catechism (learning book) is about the Gifts of the Spirit and the Fruits of the Spirit.
From Wikepedia it says-
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say about the Fruits of the Holy Spirit:
"The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: 'charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.'"
These fruits are the result of growth in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These fruits are tendencies rather than mere willingness, because "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." In the person who possesses a Fruit of the Spirit, this willingness bears fruit in the life and behavior of the person.
I have always thought that Tarot guides us to what to do and what not to do in our daily lives. If you remove the Aces, Courts and Majors( where the Virtues live) you are left with 36 cards. I think maybe, you might have 3 cards assigned to the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Here is my example for the Fruit Charity -5 Pentacles(see need) 6 Pentacles (meet need) 7 Pentacles ( your spiritual growth is rewarded) or the reverse
Just look on what you have (7 pentacles) be biased in your giving(6 pentacles) and end up spiritually bereft (5 Pentacles)
Anyone willing to help me group these 36 cards of RWS into twelve groups of three???? I might be wrong of course.......... I would be very grateful if someone would help me with this Fruit Basket. ~Rosanne
 

celticnoodle

Roseanne, what a great thought! I truly like that. I will see if I can figure out the others, but may take awhile--will continue to check back to see what else you find.
 

Alissa

I know very little about Catholic belief, but I did want to take just a moment to say what an exciting and interesting theory this is to read about, Rosanne. You're often able to use your mind in such a facile manner to make such interesting deductions. Glad to be a fly on the wall....
 

Rosanne

Hi CelticNoodle(love the name by the way!) and Alissa, thanks very much for your encouragement. It has been a while since I gave up reading for the public; the habit is so ingrained that I still use my cards daily. RWS was always my main reading deck, and now I can look at the cards with new eyes.
The ritual of Catholicism seemed to appeal to Pamela; she apparently found it "Jolly good Fun". Some of the things girls do- as they are denied any functional power, is to use their brains. We used to make up very impious games. I was particularly good at puns and mongrelising Latin and speaking the nonsense out with a straight face. I can actually identify with Pamela and her relationship with Mr Waite. He would never have realised her subversiveness- she would have paid lip service to his pretend Priesthood, and would have gone on her merry way to portray what she wanted. So I look for the games she played with Tarot. I think she has taken a few Catholic rituals and used them well. The most obvious is the "Stations of the Cross" Each suit is a journey with milestones, that happen along the way.... thats my next project hehehe. Back from rambling now lol.... I have found the twelve cards that depict the Fruits- but I am not sure I can see the sequence either side of them- some just seem to be backwards. I think PATIENCE is 2,3,4 of Wands. 3 is patiently waiting for his ships to come home, 4 is Patience justly rewarded- I cannot think of a saying to cover the 2. Reverse it makes me laugh- Lack of Patience? 4 Marry in Haste repent in leisure?.....~Rosanne
 

celticnoodle

Rosanne, as before, your post intrigues me. I hope you continue to list online here what you determine the other 'fruits' are in tarot. i am also intrigued by the stations of the cross journey you mentioned. I never thought of that, and now will have to look through my RWS deck with that in mind. As a catholic myself, I find this extremely interesting, and wonder why I did not notice these things you mention myself? Please continue to post your thoughts! and, thank you regarding my name- :)
 

Rosanne

Bearing in mind, these could be artificial attributes- I have tried to decipher a code within the cards.
Charity- 6 Pentacles
Joy.... - 3 Cups
Peace- 6 Wands
Patience-3 Wands
Kindness- 6 Swords
Goodness-(pure of Heart) 3 Swords?
Generosity-9 Cups
Gentleness-6 Cups
Faithfulness-3 Pentacles
Modesty- 9 Pentacles??(Don't use the Gilded hehehe)
Self Control-9 Wands??
Chastity...ummm 9 Swords?? 3 Swords??
It was obvious which was the most joyful card of the 36. I thought initially PEACE might be 2 Swords,GOODNESS 4 Swords- but that broke the sequence. Chastity is the one that may prove me wrong :D in my theory. Can anyone see Chastity? or Self Control? ~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

In contemplating the fruit of the Spirit -SELF CONTROL I have assigned
the group of three, 8, 9, 10 Wands. I have tried to see it the way Pamela might have in 1910- ish.
Self control as a fruit of the Spirit is not the domination of our will over our emotions. It is rather an awareness of God's abiding presence and is the result of the infusion of God's steadfast love. Hence our former compulsive reaching out for security, affection and esteem, power and status symbols ceases. We stand fast with commitment and genuine love; we work hard for others as well as ourselves. The inward assurance of God's unwavering love enhances our freedom of choice and action. Out of that interior liberty, self control arises spontaneously. In spite of ourselves God will give us the strength to get through every trial and temptation, and our burdens will be no more than we can manage -hopefully. Not to have self control or lack of discipline would result in being battered by society- and swiftly. We would become our own worst enemy.
This is what the Catholic Catechism would have instructed Pamela about self Control back in her era. Do you think this group of three cards depicts this view? ~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Hi LTG2201- You are talking about the formal CCC. The informal one which every child raised Catholic used, has been used for several hundred years. We learned it by rote in question and answer form; I used in the 50's the same one my Mother used in the 20's. Re - read the Wikipedia article again, then try telling a Catholic that they did not have a Catechism book. Adults who were comtemplating converting to Catholicism, were given the same Catechism as children had. The Formal CCC was published to keep the informal ones up to date, and to keep Doctrine teachers correct. For example my Catechism says Thou shalt not eat meat on Friday, without dispensation
due to physical necessity which of course no longer applies at all. When I was a child it was considered a sin to eat meat on Fridays. Pamela would have had a Catechism. ~Rosanne
 

Fulgour

Catechism - Then & Now

How well I remember being taught that "The Age of Reason" was six,
which was when we received the Sacrement of Holy Communion. 6!

And so, being who I am (and always have been ;) ) at the age of six
I knew quite a few things about how it works...it's shocking to recall.
 
Flames on Fool St. Michael ~ Judgement