(A 17th century engraving of Diana the Moon goddess, with an angel above her, by the French artist Nicolas Dorigny. The crab on her head signifies the zodiac sign Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon. Image Source: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.) THE PLANETARY GEMSTONES OF THE MOON Although mostly forgotten today, there are traditional […]
What is the “Seed of Life”? The “Seed of Life” is a contemporary name for an ancient geometric figure. It consists of seven overlapping circles with the same diameter. Six of them are regularly spaced within the seventh, producing a rosette with eighteen lens shaped petals: six smaller ones inside and twelve larger ones outside. This figure can be […]
Deciphering the Meaning of Ocean Jasper® By Christopher Lee Matthews (Rough and polished examples of Ocean Jasper®. Center: Its orbs can resemble bull’s eyes, starbursts, or dots when polished. Right: They may be spherical, botryoidal, or druzy. Left: They can even produce more geometric shapes when they touch one another.) (Small Ocean Jasper® spheres in a […]
This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck: A DIY Journey through the Tarot. What do the two’s represent in playing cards? The two of each suit is also known as the “deuce”. The word derives from the Latin duo, meaning two. Deuce itself comes from […]
This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck: A DIY Journey through the Tarot. (An early 18th century Popess card, from the Jean Dodal version of the Tarot de Marseille, after which most 19th century esoteric decks were based.) The High Priestess was formerly known as […]
This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck: A DIY Journey through the Tarot. Before reading about the four aces, you may want to read the introduction to the pip cards. As discussed previously in the Magician card, the number 1 paradoxically represents the lowest and […]
This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck: A DIY Journey through the Tarot. What are the pip cards? The tarot consists of three distinct types of cards. The first two are similar to those in a standard playing deck in the United States: 1: 40 […]
This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck: A DIY Journey through the Tarot. (18th century Magician card, from the Jean Dodal version of the Tarot de Marseille, after which most 19th century esoteric decks were based.) The Magician depicts a colorfully dressed street performer, holding a […]
(The Fool card on a split ammonite fossil. Both are symbols of the spiritual journey.) Join us each week as we attune to a different Tarot card, exploring both its traditional meanings and insights from your own guidance. The cards will be grouped by their number, helping us understand the 19th century models of Tarot […]
(The Fool in the Minchiate deck. A cousin to the Tarot with additional trump cards.) The following article gives instructions on the sequence of cards covered for this free, self-study tarot series, “Fooling with the Deck”, by Christopher Lee Matthews of Enter the Earth. Where does the symbolism of the Tarot cards come from? Most […]