Synergy Tarot

Where the Fool was the supreme Shiva-Shakti completely fused, the Magician is Shiva, still at one with his consort, but with emphasis now on his own attributes, as distinct from hers. Astrologically speaking, the Magician is Mercury/Hermes, messenger of the gods. The construction of houses was once the sole domain of his priests, hence the Magician's association with the Hebrew letter, Beth (house). Mercury also governs logic/rational thought, communication, the sciences, astrology/astronomy, music, and transportation. Paul Foster Case points out in his Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages , that the ancient god was considered a magician and a great worker of miracles whose staff, the caduceus, is still the seal and signpost of the medical professions to the present day. He was, nevertheless, only the messenger of a divinity higher than himself - merely the transmitter, not the originator, the channel rather than the source.  This brings us back to the matter of the attribute...

In the Tarot del Fuego's High Priestess, the Priestess is seen wearing a crown that turns into a stump whose roots are grounded in Space. The earth is seen below her, as if it is an extension of her. Or perhaps a branch or a fruit on the Tree of Life, to which the the Priestess is its link. She wears a pink robe symbolizing Love. It is covered in eyes, symbolizing its sentience. My Guru's guru, Swami Muktananda says, Love is a dynamic and inspiring throbbing of the heart. Love is the very nature of God, whom the scriptures have called the supreme Bliss, and Sacchidananda. - Play of Consciousness She holds the Book of Life, in which all knowledge is recorded. It too is sentient. You could probably even get away with saying that it is sentience itself. The Priestess and her Book, in fact, are one. She is the Supreme Goddess, Chitti. She is Shakti, the power or active principle, of Spirit. She is supremely intelligent. It is the knowledge in her book that manifests as the cleve...

The Fool is traditionally correlated to Element of Spirit. In Tantra this Principle is called Paramashiva, Brahman, or, as in other traditions, simply Void or Space. It is also what is being referred to when the Tantrika refers to "the Heart." It is Shiva and Shakti, his wife, in perfect union. The black bag that, strangely, has an eyeball, represents the pure "I" consciousness, the eternal Witness. It contains the potential for all that ever did, does, or will exist, yet nothing exists in that space. In order to actually know or experience anything at all, it must manifest itself. To do this, it becomes the Fool, who by necessity accepts the limitation of all the various roles in the universe. This, in turn, means that he he is destined to forget his true nature as Spirit. Of course, this is why he is called the Fool. He becomes like the lion who was raised by donkeys and mistook himself for a beast of burden as well, never suspecting that he was really the king of...

Once upon a time, I had returned home from a failed attempt at relocating to Arizona to homestead and change my career. It was about a year or two later, and I was poor, depressed, and feeling like I didn't have much to offer the world. Or if I did, the world wasn't particularly inclined to reward me for it. I decided that I was going to eat psychedelic mushrooms as a sacrament in a ritual context. My objective was to identify a direction in which to move forward and to galvanize my focus, intention, and will power from that point onward. I knew I wanted to provide stability for my family and that I needed to increase my earning potential severalfold to do that. But how? And even if I knew how, I was feeling thoroughly beaten down and demoralized by life. Where would I find the strength? I needed help. So I had my intention. From there, I observed a special diet consisting exclusively of fresh, whole foods. I omitted any added salt, sugar, and steered clear of fatty foods. ...

Astrologically speaking, the 6 of Cups represents the second decan (or face) of Scorpio. This is one of 3-10 degree subdivisions of Scorpio. Scorpio is ruled by Mars, and each decan (short for the Latin "decanante") has its own ruler as well. In the case of the second decan of Scorpio, that decan ruler is the Sun. I've had more trouble reconciling the astrological significance of this card with the image drawn on it than probably any other of the Minor Arcana. This was largely due to my failure to make the connection for some time that it represents a subdivision of Scorpio ruled by the Sun and does not represent the Sun in Scorpio. In other words, I was confusing a portion of a Zodiacal sign for a planet in a sign. Even so, I had an epiphany regarding one of the possible meanings for this card with the astrological placement, Sun in Scorpio, in mind whose merit I think holds true. I was watching the show Mad Men when this happened. The show's protagonist, Donald...