Tarot Life Book 5: Ride the Lion

Table of contents :
Copyright
Introduction
Riding the Lion
A Simple Method for Beginners
The Seven Days of Cybele
Outcome: Initium Caiani – Initiation (card I)
The Secret Tarot Agent
Your Mission Cards
Practice Note
Conclusion
What Follows Next Month
A Reading List on Alchemy
The Tyldwick Tarot
The KickStart Guides
Bibliography
Tarosophy Websites & Resources

Citation preview

TAROT LIFE MONTH 5 RIDE THE LION Marcus Katz & Tali Goodwin

You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Authors Note: This is Month 5 of our 12-booklet Tarot Life series; you will require the previous Months 1-4 booklets to follow the sequence over the year. Most of the exercises in each booklet may be carried out as stand-alone pieces of selfdiscovery or re-purposed for use in daily, personal or client readings.

INDEX Introduction

4

Riding the Lion

5

A Simple Method for Beginners

8

The Seven Days of Cybele The Secret Tarot Agent

9 13

Your Mission Cards

15

Conclusion

29

A Reading List on Alchemy

30

Bibliography

34

Websites & Resources

35

TAROT LIFE: 12 STEPS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE

A linked series of Gated Spreads to be carried out over a full year. Introduction In this series of Kickstart books of Tarosophy teaching, we take a break from the reference work of Tarot Flip, the seventy-eight innovative Tarot methods in Tarot Twist, and the spiritual considerations of Tarot Inspire to offer a unique practice of our work. You are about to change your life with Tarot, and whether you are a newcomer to tarot or experienced reader, you are about to do something totally new. In using what we call a Gated Spread – a linked sequence of tarot readings whose questions are determined by the results of real-world activities – you are going to fundamentally alter the way you experience your life. We have combined here the wisdom of the Tarot with years of practical testing and the latest research in psychology and the biology of willpower, belief, habit and other aspects of our being. This series is designed to be experienced a month at a time, and in the sequence given. You can start at any time, although New Year, your Birthday, or the Spring Equinox are all powerful starting times. This series is accompanied by a private Facebook group for discussion and questions about your experiences as you make this journey. We look forwards to your engagement of tarot with your life – it is about to become a truly Tarot Life. Marcus Katz, The Tarosophist & Tali Goodwin, TaliTarot

Riding the Lion Hic Leo, quas plumas non habet, alter habet. ‘This Lion has no feathers, the other has”, Michael Maier, Emblemata XVI, Atlanta Fugiens, 1618

Illus. Plate XVI, Atlanta Fugiens

In this fifth month of Tarot Life we encounter the Lion of the Strength card corresponding to the astrological sign of Leo. It is at this stage we take a moment to establish the strength to continue on with our great work of transformation. We will accomplish this by acts of secret service in a form of living alchemy. By working for the greater good, we will strengthen our own inner reserves. As we have made good progress through our gates so far, and are approaching half-way, we also provide as our “beginners method” a gated spread in itself – the Seven Days of Cybele. This can be performed during this month or as a separate exercise.

Illus. Strength card from the Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

In the card of Strength we see a perfect balance of energy between the woman peacefully holding the Lion and the strength of the animal. There appears to be two forces at work – the active and passive, the male and female, and the symbolic colours of white and red. This is a notion from alchemy, as we saw in our first illustration of two lions, taken from Atlanta Fugiens, a series of alchemical images. In Alchemy, the prima materia, the “first material” was put through a series of processes or stages in order to refine it, spiritually. This is the equivalent of the so-called “Fool’s Journey” to enlightenment in the Tarot major arcana. There were various descriptions of this alchemical process, sometimes with 7, 12 or more stages. We are working through that same process in Tarot Life, with the advantage of using our tarot sequence to bring in other systems, such as numerology, psychology, astrology, and mythology. We will also see in this month how we can produce a method from the correspondence of the Strength card with a goddess.

Illus. The Goddess Cybele, on a Chariot pulled by Lions.

For this purpose, the goddess of the Strength card and Leo is Cybele. Whilst there are other leonine deities, such as the lionessheaded Sekhmet of ancient Egypt, we use Cybele for two specific reasons. The first is that she was often depicted as being drawn on a chariot by two lions, which follows on from our previous zodiacal card of the Chariot (Cancer). The second is that she was a goddess associated with mystery religion, sometimes in association with Attis, so provides us a model for our mini-gated spread following.

A Simple Method for Beginners When you find yourself in a situation of great emotional impact, whether positive or negative, we have provided here a method to discover the higher aspects of the situation. If you are working this for yourself, you can conduct it over a seven-day period as given, or for a client you can lay it out at once, requesting they contemplate it further for a full week. The method is based on the festival of Cybele, which was conducted over seven days. It also uses as a template the shape of the Naiskos, or temple – in which Cybele was worshipped and often depicted in sculpture.

Illus. Naiskos Method (“The Temple of Cybele”)

The Seven Days of Cybele

To perform this tarot working, take a Court Card to represent yourself – one of those you have determined for yourself from month three of Tarot Life. This working can also be considered a mini-Gated Spread, for yourself or to use with a client. Place this chosen court card (C in the illustration) down in a place where it will be undisturbed for at least one week. This is the Candidate Card. Contemplate your question or situation, and shuffle the rest of the deck. Lay out two cards either side of the Candidate Card (Cards 0 & 0 in the illustration). Read these in the light of the context given below for Day 1 of the ritual. You may decide to take a small action (devotion) in response to these two cards as suggested in our text. Do not disturb or shuffle your deck further. The following day, lay out the next two cards (1 & 1) above the first pair, and move your candidate card upwards to be level with this second pair. It is as if you are walking as a candidate up between the pillars of the temple of Cybele. Read these two cards again in the context of the second day, and again, you may wish to take action during the day to respond to or honor these two cards. Repeat this for all seven days of the working until your candidate card is placed at the top of the temple, between the final pair of cards (6 and 6). If you feel that you have met the words of the Goddess, and your Candidate card is purified, you may turn over a final card as the Initiatory card (position I). This will provide further resolution to your situation.

If you feel that the Goddess is not answering your call, simply abandon the reading until another time. Day 1: Canna Intrat – The Reed Enters (cards 0) The two cards in this position dictate how your situation appears to be on the surface. It shows the reason it has entered your life on the most obvious level. In response to these two cards, you may wish to do something active today which reduces their negativity, or promotes their positivity. These are the foundations of the pillar. In the ancient mystery, the “reed enters” meant that offerings were brought to the temple entrance in preparation for the festival ahead. Day 2: Arbor Intrat – The Tree Enters (cards 1) These two cards give us the deeper elements of your emotional situation, the roots of your response. Perhaps they tell you what old wounds or gratitudes the present situation is calling up. They may suggest how you can face up to the situation in real action today. In the days of the festival, “the tree enters” referred to the cutting down of a tree which symbolized death and rebirth. These two cards show the “switch” in your life which you can accomplish through this time. Day 3: Tubilustrium – Beating the Shields (cards 2) This third day was sacred to Mars, and celebrants of the rite would blow horns, beat their shields and make noise in any way they could. These two cards show what you can demonstrate outside about this situation – what you might say, protest, or shout to the rooftops! These two cards really do require action today! Day 4: Dies Sanguinis – the Day of Blood (cards 3)

Whilst not wishing to revive the original whipping frenzy of the mystery schools of antiquity, this day should involve a form of sacrifice. The two cards in this part of the reading show the nature of that sacrifice – something to let go in response to your situation. Day 5: Hilaria - Rejoicing (cards 4) Following sacrifice, we may move onwards a day with our next pair of cards. These two cards show the best elements of the situation – something to re-joy, to recognize as joyful. You may wish to make time today to reflect upon these cards or engage in an activity which invokes the nature of these two cards. Sometimes, the Hilaria cards may not be obviously related to your issue, but the activity which they suggest may lead to surprising outcomes, or synchronicities. They may be so far-fetched as to be literally “hilarious”. Day 6: Requietio – the Day of Rest (cards 5) The two penultimate cards site just underneath the room of our temple so must not be disturbed. You may see in them suggestions for how to best recover in times of emotional upheaval, but allow them to sit in your mind, do not do anything active. In fact, in resisting the urge to activate the cards, you will evoke a unique response. Day 7: Lavatio – Washing (cards 6) The final two cards reflect the first pair, in that they suggest how you can “wash yourself” finally of the situation – given that you now understand why it was present in your life from the first pair of cards. As you have moved your Candidate card up through the two pillars of the temple, you might be surprised just how powerful a working this has become. Take action with these two cards demonstrating a method of thinking about or resolving in behavior, the situation with which you entered the temple. Then you will be purified.

Outcome: Initium Caiani – Initiation (card I) As your Candidate card reaches the uppermost part of the Temple, you may draw a final initiation card. This shows how you can now – having learnt the lessons of the two columns and taken action on each day – initiate a new current in your life. This initiation is possible as you have used this gated spread to elegantly incorporate and utilize a significant event in your life. Having presented this method, we now move on to the core work of this month’s gated spread, in which you will start to “ride the lion” by becoming a Tarot Secret Agent.

The Secret Tarot Agent The Tarot shows not just how, and who, we are, but also tells us something of what we have been and what we will become. This is actually beyond the scope, remarkably, of many theories of personality, as we shall see. Carl Sargent, Personality, Divination and the Tarot (1988), p. 6. In this month’s gate, we draw on the results of the third gate to provide an alchemical balance in your life. We incorporate the idea of Strength/Leo as right relationship to others, and strengthen our dedication to the great work of transformation by providing service to others. We do this by taking on secret missions throughout the month, guided by the Court Cards. The first card you should take on as a mission suggestion is simply the one you felt most closely resonated with you during the third gate – your decision-making Court card personality. Accept the mission of that card from the descriptions which follow, and perform it as a “secret change agent”. You may of course share it with your fellow secret tarot agents on the Tarot Life group at any time. If you need ideas with regard how to go about your mission, consider the keywords below. The Knight of Wands will perform his mission with active energy and imagination. The Queen of Cups will go about her mission with enduring flexibility – perhaps performing her task slowly over a longer period of time. Pages Knights

Crystallizing, Absorbing, Counterbalancing Active, Manifesting

Queens Enduring Kings

Receptive, Fermenting, Transmitting, Swift, Violent, Transient, Rushing

Pentacles/Earth Swords/Air Cups/Water Wands/Fire

Practical Sense Mentality (Thinking) Flexibility (Emotions) Dynamic Energy (Imagination)

When you are satisfied that you have carried out a mission in the guise of your main decision-making card from the third gate, you must then look up the OPPOSITE card in the table below and conduct a mission according to that card. These opposites are chosen based on the respective energies of the cards. If you wish to take on other missions during the month – you only need to perform the first two to continue to the next gate – then choose the next card as the one somewhat in-between your original and opposite cards, or select from any of the sixteen Court Cards. Page of Pentacles … Knight of Pentacles … Queen of Pentacles … King of Pentacles … Page of Swords … Knight of Swords … Queen of Swords … King of Swords … Page of Cups … Knight of Cups … Queen of Cups … King of Cups … Page of Wands … Knight of Wands … Queen of Wands … King of Wands … General Practice

King of Swords Queen of Swords Knight of Swords Page of Swords King of Pentacles Queen of Pentacles Knight of Pentacles Page of Pentacles King of Wands Queen of Wands Knight of Wands Page of Wands King of Cups Queen of Cups Knight of Cups Page of Cups

This practice can be conducted over the month with just one or two missions, although you may see more dramatic changes in your life if you are conducting missions almost all the time throughout the month. The practice is one of directed change, for no other reason than to work to a card and a script. This will have its own subtle change as you engage with the exercise, which, as all those in Tarot Life, is deeper than it might first appear. Your Mission Cards In performing these secret missions, you will come to experience the nature of the Court Cards in real life. In doing so, you will recognize their activities in other people more in future – and their relevance in a reading. This exercise brings the Court Cards to life and you will also see further patterns; the Wands for example work by motivating using values and beliefs towards ambitions; the Pentacles work through various levels of practical assistance. Each of the cards contains a slightly tongue-in-cheek mission name, a code-word for clarity as to the objective of the mission, a briefing and a de-briefing. The de-briefing question provides a prompt for your personal Tarot Life journal and/or for discussion on the Facebook group. We hope you enjoy this gate, which is one of our personal favorites. The King of Pentacles Your Mission: Operation Magnanimity Code-Word: Dignity Briefing Your mission as an emissary for change for yourself and others is to embody the positive qualities of the King of Pentacles; you will be courageous and forthright, you will be a natural at looking after the security of others. You may find yourself in the situation where you are able to help out a person; it could be in the workplace where you are presented with the opportunity of mentoring a new work colleague and to assist them in realizing their true potential.

Do you have skills and the wherewithal that you could share with others? In this mission you will show a generosity of spirit, and maintain composure and calm in situations that would normally overwhelm you. In this you will lead others. You will learn to rule yourself and be generous to others. The essence word for you to enable change is ‘Magnanimity’. If the gentleman/Lady has ability,/she is magnanimous, Generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he/she opens the way to instruct others. - Xun Zi It is your mission to become a facilitator for the practical success of another person, it must however be done in such a way that it is not obvious that you are assisting them to achieve success, it is a secret mission. As Crowley puts it, as a King of Pentacles, you are “a producer of life” (Book of Thoth, p. 164), you possess the ability to create and influence outcomes for the good of the whole. If you have the tendency to be impatient with others, and not allow them to make mistakes without drawing attention to their shortcomings, now is the opportunity for you to embody the “laborious and patient” traits of the King of Pentacles (Crowley, p. 165). Stand back and allow them to make mistakes; correct them in a manner that is discreet and noble. During this mission time, hold back on the desire to express the ‘petty’ side of your nature and the temptation to put the proverbial boot in! This attitude of putting the boot in, is as Crowley says again, the ill-dignified aspect of the King of Pentacles (Knight) “yet they are always irritably meddling about petty matters; they interfere with, and inevitably spoil whatever comes their way” (Crowley, p. 165). So the test of this secret mission is to be kind and noble of spirit, and to be guided by your higher self. You must go easy on the jealousy or resentfulness of others, it should always be a case of “I’ve had one motto I have always lived by: Dignity: Always dignity” (Don Lockwood, Singing in the Rain).

Shine your brightest light upon the world! Emanate wisdom and cultivate an enlightened state. Be aware of your power to make changes and this will change others. Unlike any other of the Court card missions, this one is actually all about you. In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. Eric Hoffer. Debrief: What does dignity mean to you and where did you tend to lose it most during this mission? The Queen of Pentacles Your Mission: Operation Liberty Code Word: Understanding Your mission as an emissary for change for yourself and others is to embody the positive qualities of the Queen of Pentacles. You will harness a force of power that will conjure up changes around you that will release a flow of information, that will ‘liberate’ and shake up the stagnation in your life and the lives of those around you. There is very much a teacher energy at play here, you are a catalyst of change, you are the ‘hand’ (yod) that is open and receptive, to give and receive and to liberate, to assist in the release of something, yours is the hand that unties that rope that binds. Make it your mission to be active in the community, take part in any voluntary work connected to improving the amenities where you live. Flashmob activities such as planting flowers, and clearing rubbish (safely and within the law of course)! Check out online groups and see how you can make a difference for the good of the whole. Use social networking to bring people together. “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pike Hold back on the feelings that arise when you find yourself becoming over-possessive and territorial. The negative aspects of the Queen

of Pentacles energy is to protect and see off anyone who is a threat to a loving community. This matriarchic behavior could spiral out of control, and the need to control could become a problem. We all know of people who head a committee and become over-protective of what they see as their baby. They then have a reluctance to allow new blood into the system. Beware of becoming the committee of one! Your secret mission is to promote diversity and understanding, to speak up if the opportunity arises against bigotry and prejudice. Make it your business to welcome outsiders into your space, into your life. Do your upmost to highlight ignorance and promote awareness of inequality. It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power. Alan Cohen Hold back on the negative aspects of the Queen of Pentacles, the dangers of being servile, and following the group-think. Debrief: Discuss what you felt most resistance to during your mission. The Knight of Pentacles Your Misson: Operation Service Code Word: Beauty As the Knight of Pentacles your mission is to become involved in as many projects as possible that will actually create something that is tangible and have lasting results. It can be a small thing such as planting flowers in the garden or even feeding the birds in your garden on a regular basis, something that contributes positively in a practical, earthy way. Throughout this mission, you are serving nature and the natural order of the planet, you will be putting back rather than taking away. Think about being of service in the most natural way.

There is little more to say of the Knight of Pentacles mission – he is the mainstay of the court cards, and just gets on with getting on. Go and make a real and practical difference in the lives of others. Debrief: What stops you from doing things? The Page of Pentacles Your Mission: Operation Application Code Word: Learning Your mission is to apply yourself to something that you have until now never been able to do. It could be that you have always wanted to learn to play an instrument. The important thing to remember that the mission is not to excel at this task, in that you do not have to become a talented musician overnight, and it is important to remember you may be lousy at it. The mission is to apply yourself to something and give it a go. This mission is about discovery, and that discovery could be that you are not suited to a particular thing, but it is the ‘Application’ that matters. Your service to others comes in the form of challenging yourself, starting something new – this will inevitably bring you into contact with new people, to whom your requirement to learn will in return, draw out their ability to teach. Debrief: What was the most unexpected thing you discovered about how others respond to you doing something new? The King of Swords Your Mission: Operation Shining Sword Code Word: Candid Your mission is to be assertive in communication, especially where it is for the good of another. If the opportunity arises for you to speak up for someone who is not as able to express themselves, then make it your mission to take command and stand up for them. If something appears to be unfair then try to take the upper hand. Do more than try – succeed. As the King you will not accept failure, in yourself or others – you will keep going until the task is done. This is the harshest of task masters to have running your mission, but rewarding when complete.

Debrief: What did it feel like to be brave? The Queen of Swords Your Mission: Operation Clear Skies Code Word: Decision Your mission as the Queen of Swords is to promote calmness at all times. Take a week, meditate, and contemplate. In this sense, you are a secret agent of change by becoming a role model. In other cards we have to take action, or permeate our energy; in this card we must simply be the person that others can hold as an example. So, you are the Queen the Swords. Here is how Aleister Crowley describes her in the Book of Thoth: “… intensely perceptive, a keen observer, a subtle interpreter, and intense individualist, swift and accurate at recording ideas; in action, confident, in spirit, gracious and just. Her movements will be graceful, and her ability in dancing and balance exceptional.” (p. 161) This is your role – you are playing an undercover part in this mission. Your success will be measured by how much other people learn from your stance, how you help others aspire to calmness and clarity, good decision-making, and equilibrium. You may notice when taking on this role how other people begin to change their attitude towards you, how you notice certain things more than others, and you may even start to make changes in your environment. This is a powerful archetype to embody in this manner and a challenging mission to accept, particularly if it is your “opposite” card. Debrief: How do people learn from a role-model? What is the process by which this “satsang” happens? The Knight of Swords Your Mission: Operation Swift Strike Code Word: Accelerate Of all the Court Cards, this is one mission where secrecy may not be the prime concern. The only concern is cutting to the chase, and getting there – wherever there is - as swiftly as possible. Your job

with this card as your mission description is to hasten someone along their way. However you need to put it, however harsh it may sound – words are our best weapon. Just get on with it, just do it, enough already. Your mission is to charge in and say what no-one else will say, so long as it helps someone gain clarity. At least they will know where they stand. So, your mission will be measured by how radical a change you can effect with just a few words – but the right words, at the right time. Debrief: What was the worst thing that happened when flinging yourself into this mission? The Page of Swords Your Mission: Operation Overlook Code Word: Survey The Page of Swords, much like his cousin the Page of Wands, could be the ultimate superspy. In his case, he is the reconnaissance expert – always casing the joint, reviewing the schematics, scanning the battlefield, before committing any action. Your mission with this card is to plan something for somebody. Make an elaborate or layered series of events, and then act them out during the time you allocate for your mission. Think it through – how can you act at various points during a day to help someone? It could be (like any of these missions) as simple as planning to make someone breakfast, bring them a cup of tea, go out and buy something for them, put their night clothes out! And then, go and do it. Ensure that every step is as you planned it, or change the plan as it happens. The trick with this mission is in planning in advance – so that everything happens for the other person exactly as you envision it. Your success is measured by how perfect a plan you create, in comparison to its reality. Debrief: What is the difference between a plan and reality? The King of Cups Your Mission: Operation Paradox Code Word: Dive

This mission is a strange one, as the King of Cups provides the paradox of masculinity and emotional depth. Or is it a paradox? Your mission is to assist a man – and this is the only mission that has to be undertaken with a man – discover more emotional depth. Without manipulation, this could be to simply ask him about his feelings. We are not asking you to be a pop psychologist or part-time and totally unqualified counselor, just to provide a friendly space for discovery. Dive as deep as you can into a male emotional space, see what you can draw out – it may be as enriching to you as to them. This mission requires a suitable space and time, and maybe planning in advance. Or it can happen across a canteen table. The successful outcome of Operation Paradox is a certain knowing on the face of a man when he connects to his deeper emotions. Debrief: Is the stereotype of masculinity such a paradox to emotional depth? The Queen of Cups Your Mission: Operation Harmony Code Word: Connect There are some situations in life that need healing, that need the bits to be connected to make sense, to be moved on from, or celebrated. With this card as your mission, you should look to help someone – or more likely a group of individuals – get connected. Putting people in touch with each other for long-term support is a task that fulfils the mission of the Queen of Cups. Her oracular nature should be drawn upon to tell you what is missing in a situation – draw cards, do readings for people, help them put something together. This mission is complete when something broken is fixed. Debrief: What did it feel like when the broken thing was fixed? The Knight of Cups Your Mission: Operation Galahad Code Word: Quest With this card as your mission, you must take someone’s quest and help them upon it. You must be their “wing-man” and side-kick in all

that they do towards their goal. Who do you know who has an ambition? Offer them support, be there for them. If there is no-one close to hand, as there may be for some missions, then adopt a charity or noble goal for a while, give them anonymous support in any way you can – be a guardian angel. This mission is accomplished when you see someone (or a group or organization) assisted by your secret efforts. There is no reward in this for yourself, just the knowledge and experience of moving the universe towards its accomplishment. Debrief: Do people have quests? If so, what are they? The Page of Cups Your Mission: Operation Fish Cup Code Word: Surprise Your mission as this youthful energy in the world of emotions is to bring curiosity and surprise into someone’s life. When acting as this secret tarot agent, expect the unexpected – turn things on their head for others. Make random acts of kindness, show spontaneous flair and exuberance. Let others get caught up in your love of life. Unlike other missions, this one is infectious – you are not a Wand who brings their whole will to bear on the task, nor a Pentacle who works concretely and up-front. You are more like the puck or pixie who adds glitter until everyone is smiling! You get mission accomplishment points for every time someone laughs, smiles or does something goofy with you. And on a more serious note, from curiosity and novelty, from feeling, comes creativity – this mission should bring new creations and emotions. Debrief: How did it work for you to be the centre of attention? The King of Wands Your Mission: Operation Hyper-Motivate Code Word: Responsibility Your mission as the King of Wands is to be more motivated in order to improve the lives of those around you. The tasks that you have promised to fulfill for other people but have been putting off until

another day need blitzing. You will do these tasks with an enthusiasm that will be contagious. You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. Abraham Lincoln You are the one who will step up and put order/structure into your home/work life. At home you are going to clear out the detritus that has accumulated to make way for a ‘new order’, as it is only possible to create new by clearing out the ‘old order’. You are going to be the ultimate organizer and fixer. This will be done is such a way that you will lead by example. Where you go others will follow. You will however have to hold back from becoming overbearing, as this is the drawback of the above, you may be perceived as a busybody, control freak. So it is very important that you keep a check of how others are responding to your newfound zeal on being the one to get things done. You conjure fire and light the way. This mission is about you re-assessing your life. You must have an action plan. You must decide on what you want in the future now. Debrief: What would it be like to be like this all the time? The Queen of Wands Your Mission: Operation On the Rails Code Word: Enthuse With the Queen bringing her more subtle energy to this mission, albeit in the suit of fiery wands, you must tread deliberately but gently. Your mission is to put someone on the rails to their stated outcome – in a long-term and sustainable manner. You may have to hold their hand; you may have to keep checking on them – all the time whilst encouraging their independence. The balance of this mission is a difficult one – the Queen of Wands is always an interesting character, and card in a reading. You can generate the required state by being enthused, and helping the other person (or group – these missions can apply to a group) see the benefits of something, so they move towards it.

Stay with it, and when they accomplish some step towards their contentment, you will have done your job. Debrief: What has this mission taught you about how this card works in a reading? The Knight of Wands Your Mission: Operation Go For It Code Word: Charge When the Knight of Wands is on task, watch out. Your mission is to simply get others to do what they say – when they say it. Take no prisoners, let no-one escape their own ambitions. When you are on this task, listen for someone to state a goal, plan or merely wishful thinking, and then move them a step towards it. You can ask, “What are you going to do to get closer to that right now?” and then act upon it. You can make sure something happens for that person which activates their goal – take them to a website with travel options if they have expressed an interest in travel, for example. Your goal is accomplished if the person takes concrete action to accomplish their ambition – even if it is to say, not now. Debrief: How do people react when you constantly call their words to action? When does it help, when does it hinder? The Page of Wands Your Mission: Operation Encourage Code Word: Push The Page of Wands is the ultimate secret tarot agent. He or She pushes others into new endeavors, to take the initiative, and to put their best step forwards. When given this mission, you should secure your target and help them discover something new to do. Take them some place they have never been before, to a new genre of entertainment, or simply play them some new music. The encouragement you provide as a Page of Wands should be child-like and honest – you take this task as a mission of joy in the discoveries of others. You accomplish this mission when you see someone else have a novel or new experience. Debrief: Did you enjoy this mission? Why or Why Not?

Practice Note For all missions, accept a time-frame of your own devising. You must accomplish your Gate Three main decision-making Court Card mission and its opposite mission for use in further gates, but other than that the further missions are optional. We usually allow a few days for a mission, sometimes a week or even more if the mission requires it for success. Remember these words, “Your mission, should you decide to accept it …”

Conclusion These higher meanings are, however, matters of inference, and I do not suggest that they are transparent on the surface of the card. They are intimated in a concealed manner by the chains of flowers, which signify, among many other things, the sweet yoke and the light burden of Divine Law, when it has been taken into the heart of hearts. A. E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot, pp. 102-3. Throughout this series, we are gradually elevating the tarot into a spiritual tool for ongoing work in real life. The cards can be used to engage in activities, stretch your boundaries, and respond to significant life-changing events – or prepare for them. The Tarot Life is a life which uses the cards as gates between the spiritual and mundane aspects of our experience. In the following seven booklets in this series, we will build on our progress in the first five months, next extending this present work into connecting with service. First we ride the Lion, then we let the Lion take us for a ride – as we will see in month six. It is important to the process that you undertake the exercises, and we have an optional Facebook group listed in the appendix where you can share and discuss your experiences, ask questions and gain support. We have also provided in the final section a list of reading materials and website resources to discover more in the very best of Tarot and Tarosophy®. In this series, released monthly over 2013: 1. Discover Your Destiny

2. Remove The Blocks 3. Make Decisions Better 4. Enter the Flow 5. Ride the Lion 6. Connect to Service 7. Find Your Equality 8. Die To Your Old Self 9. Entering Unity 10. Becoming the Real 11. Your Keys to Freedom 12. The Depth of Divinity What Follows Next Month In next month’s Tarot Life, we flip the work done in this month by connecting to service – offering ourselves up through our tarot to everyday moments. In doing so, we begin the spiritual arc beyond the psychological arc already experienced in the prior months. As we approach the final three months, we then connect all these gates together to effect radical change and transformation. A Reading List on Alchemy We have provided a number of references to alchemy in the reading list below, which may assist anyone looking to further their studies in this fascinating field. The tarot contains many thematic and symbolic similarities to the process of alchemy, and study of either can illuminate the other. Tarot Life will return to Alchemy in later gates and these books may provide optional preparatory reading. We have also included one of A. E. Waite’s books on Alchemy, which may assist you understand how he incorporated alchemical designs in the Waite-Smith Tarot. This is a theme picked up by Campbell and Roberts in their book, Tarot Revelations. The Golden Game, Stanislas Klossowski de Rola. London: Thames & Hudson, 1988.

Transformation of the Psyche, Joseph L. Henderson & Dyane N. Sherwood. London: Routledge, 2003. The Alchemy Reader, Stanton J. Linden. Cambridge: Cambridge Press, 2003. Alchemy, E. J. Holmyard. New York: Dover, 1990. Alchemists Through the Ages, A. E. Waite. New York: Rudolph Steiner Publications, 1970. Tarot Revelations, Joseph Campbell & Richard Roberts. Palm Harbor: Vernal Equinox Press, 1987.

Bibliography Crowley, A. The Book of Thoth. York Beach: Weiser, 1985. Greer, M. K. & Little, T. Understanding the Tarot Court. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 2004. Hamaker-Zondag, K. Tarot as a Way of Life: A Jungian Approach to the Tarot. York Beach: Weiser, 1997. Sargent, C. Personality, Divination and the Tarot. London: Rider, 1988. Waite, A. E. Pictorial Key to the Tarot. London: Rider, 1974.