Michael Sternbach

Songtsan, you may have noticed that I am doing a private little survey on this thread. For there is some debate on the Tarot scene if Trump VIII is supposed to be Adjustment or Lust. Since a #8 year just started for you, let me ask you once again what you think it's gonna be centered around: Meditation or party?

That sounds all very cool. What do you think about my reading for you?

Bismuth is believed to be the most suitable matter for the Great Work by some. May I ask: What are you using it for?

Very cool. I must confess that (being a Tropical astrologer), I didn't really pay attention to those Sidereal attributions so far. That surely makes perfect sense. Well, with the exception of the Prince (a.k.a. King) of Wands of whom the Book T says: "He rules the heavens from above the last Decan of Cancer to the second Decan of Leo; hence he includes most of Leo Minor." But the table in the BoT blissfully ignores that reference to the "Small Lion". Could you be a trifle more explicit here, please? They are also in the online version of the BoT, actually, but the PDF search function misses them out. Yes, you could say that. We once talked about that topic before, in "Astrological Musings". Quoting my post #60 in that thread: I might add that the Cat's Eye Nebula is also called the Sunflower Nebula, both names sort of tie in with the GD attribution of the zodiacal North pole to Kether, or to the "Crown" (chakra), with a little imagination. The binary star supposedly in the centre of that nebula must have special esoteric significance, too, I would say. No, you are mixing apples and oranges here, I am afraid. The axis that goes through the North pole and South pole of the ecliptic (Earth orbit, zodiac) is perpendicular to the latter. Whereas the axis through the terrestrial North pole and South pole (currently aimed at Polaris) is perpendicular to the equator (both celestial and terrestrial). The two planes are at an angle to each other - but I am not sure what you are trying to get at.

So I guess Schauberger's famous "vortex" is actually also a helix, rigorously speaking. Edit: Not really going OT here, since some believe that Schauberger's implosion repulsine could be used for transmuting chemical elements.

Glad to mediate! It took all my skills as a subtle relationship counsellor though. It's too bad that the two of you are male and straight. You would make such a wonderful bitching and bickering couple! I guess you'll have to save that for another lifetime...

Oh, interesting. I have been wondering for a long time where my scars come from.

Hey, without a doubt, ChuangTzu was talking about the Dao Bums!

After having practised and analysed several martial arts, my conclusion is that Taiji is actually among the very best for self-defence. Why? Because it teaches things like natural movement, reflex action, avoidance by stepping on a 45° angle, simultaneous defence and attack, neutralizing opponent's guard, striking vital points etc. Some of these things are taught in hard styles as well, of course - on the very advanced levels. Some Japanese Karate masters say that their art becomes like Taiji after many, many years of practice. But why wait so long? But if you prefer to believe that this type of training would prepare you better for a real altercation... Good luck!!!

A very insightful treatise on one of the cards. A long one, too... Not that much for me to add right now; I will restrain myself to comments on a few points. Well, yeah... Crowley (or Harris) also depicted two koi fish on the 2 of Cups and called them dolphins. Better not to be too fussy here, but we seem to agree on this already. The association may well have been a Sidereal one originally, just like the signs were named according to the constellations they once roughly coincided with. As you know, decans have a long history; in fact they are dating back to 2100 BC when they were used for both a "star clock" and a "star calendar" by the ancient Egyptians. Even the medieval iconographic symbolism (such as found in the Picatrix) has, in part, a much older origin. I.e., the axe on the image of the first decan of Aries (discussed above in my first post) has been shown by Bezold and Boll to be an attribute of Babylonian Star-Gods. However, the Picatrix itself (the direct source for the GD) was written in its original version around 1000 CE in Andalusia, thus it refers to the Arabic system of Astrology which is tropically based. Then again, a lot of related imagery can already be found in Hellenistic sources, from a time when there was much less of an offset between the two kinds of Zodiac (whence it found its way into Sidereal Vedic Astrology). There you go. This is in essence the sword that we also see on the Ace of Swords. (Needless to say that you will be already familiar with some of the information that I provide here, for the sake of less knowledgeable third party readers, optimistically assuming that we have a few.) Now the Ace of Swords shows us the "Sword of Thelema" which has symbols for the Moon and the Sun in its handle. I understand this as the harmonious blending of the conscious and subconscious forces that leads to lucidity and sharpness of mind. Good catch. The symbol on that sword makes me wonder too. Ah yes, this would be THE "miracle". Right. Especially the Rider Waite version implies such.

I mean the apparently non-extant deck shown to GD initiates, which was developed by Mathers and Westcott. Its history is somewhat complex, mostly due to the revisions that some of the cards underwent.

That's interesting. As the Wheel of Fortune definitely pertains to the male/female or yin/yang polarity - most obviously in this version (from the Osho Zen deck): The "Angel Paths" website comments about the Sun card: "When the Sun shines, we find new ways of resolving problems, new perspectives and fresh viewpoints. We see things more clearly, and are able to objectively consider obstacles and difficulties. We have the energy we need to throw ourselves into life, and to dynamically deal with anything that we discover." If suppressed, the "different viewpoints" would be experienced as not belonging to self, thus be projected onto others. They would then often be seen as challenging the conscious personality. Yes, the term "shadow card" is a reference to Jungian psychology (like much of the modern interpretation of esotericism). I would maintain that the "formless realm" is the origin of the world of form or manifestation, including time and space. The Archetypes themselves are formless, as Jung emphasized, even though they appear in many different forms. They can surely be seen as noumenal or numinous, an example being the deities (which are also Archetypes) of various religions. Jung learned the term from the neo-Platonist Plotin, who used it in that sense. Good observation there. Contemplating the Archetypes will automatically amplify them in self. Often, people studying a certain Archetype will encounter it in their daily experience by way of synchronicity. A classical and very recommendable book is Sallie Nichols' Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey. Yes, this can sometimes be observed. Perhaps. But actually, I would say that you are right, in an objective manner. For what could be more objective than the numbers of one's date of birth, which our survey is based on? Right, there lies a great potential for Tarot. I used the cards to that end in my work in a psychiatric practice. There is a thread on the topic that could certainly be continued: http://thedaobums.com/topic/37882-tarot-therapy/ Best wishes to you and your wife!

I think about the constellations more in terms of their individual stars anyway. Actually, you already touched this interesting topic over on "Tarot and the 36 Decans". It's definitely not in one of my BoT editions. Back to the "black brick" then... You somehow looked different when I saw you singing with your cat... Thanks, I appreciate this compliment... Especially from such a knowledgeable and experienced Tarot reader like yourself!

In Tarot terms, that makes you a Fool! No offence, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to post this funny video. Be free to tell us your date of birth, and we will talk about your cards (slightly) more seriously.

I was training in two different styles of Karate for a number of years first, before I took up Aikido, and later Taiji. Based on that, I would like to share the following: Since I have always been interested in the self-defence aspects of the martial arts, it was worthwhile practicing hard styles at a certain stage of my development. Folks who only do internal arts often have little understanding of what is happening in real fights. That said, it is a wrong assumption that training hard styles would automatically make you able to defend yourself. They are typically taught in a way that prepares you rather for a contest than for a realistic "anything goes" situation. Just face an experienced streetfighter in a "competition stance" (physically and psychologically speaking) and see what happens... As far as chi development is concerned, the internal arts are more valuable; they can be considered as forms of neidan/neigong in their own right. But so much depends on the particular school that you are going to. My Taiji teacher was Erle Montaigue, who was able to reconcile chi development with some of the most useful self-defence training I have ever encountered. In conclusion, what I recommend most is to stay open, follow your intuition and learn about different approaches. What I am practicing now is my own synthesis of Karate, Aikido, Kenpo and Taiji.

You don't think it's mysterious?

Yes, you could say that. Leo started getting involved with astrology around the time when the GD was founded. At the time his influence unfolded, the GD (in its original form) had already gone down the drain. Like all post-Ptolemy and pre-Theosophist Occidental Astrology, to my knowledge. Also, we must be careful not to confuse the Sidereal Zodiac with the zodiacal constellations. Are you sure it's in the BoT? I searched it in PDF format but didn't find this. There can be well-founded exceptions, to be sure. Of course, for questions regarding the decans per say, we have our special thread as of late.

Yes, that seems to be Hercules battling the Nemean lion. Interesting comparison. Even when the "monster" is sluggish and clumsy...

Since the Archetypes are underlying and constituting everything that exists, they cannot be truly irrelevant for anybody. However, I would agree that the degree of their recognition and expression can vary from one individual to another. Your wife seems to be a good example: Even though she is not into spiritual cultivation and does not acknowledge the reality of the Archetypes, she is expressing them nonetheless, as we saw earlier.

The materialist sees symbols necessarily as purely psychological and derived from external reality. By contrast, the esoteric (essentially Platonic) view considers them (or, more precisely, the Archetypes that they represent) the primary factors underlying both internal and external reality. The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are actually a great example as they equal the 64 codons that the genetic code is based on. Thus, they can be seen as providing the "genetic code" or "matrix" that reality as we know it is based on.

An additional comment on this: Your wife has The Sun as her shadow card. And the Sun represents one's innermost self and individuality. This seems to be submerged to some degree here, and making it more available would require awareness-raising measures.

Yes, the Magus is able to make use of both "positive" and "negative" forces, thus he should apply his skills wisely. Actually, they are all birth cards. But since you are one of those rare individuals who have three of them, we run out of names for describing them all. And yes, since these cards individually result in the same one-digit summary, they are related and interacting. You are welcome. Any observations on your annual card? (The Chariot, that I talked about in post # 113.)

First off, as has been mentioned repeatedly on this thread, the Archetypes (as defined by Tarot or any other system) are broad in scope - meaning that they can be expressed in multitudinous ways, yet connected by a common theme. For, unlike the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, human beings are not manufactured as merely a handful of different types. That said, your wife is an excellent example of our Tarot Magus in several ways. Although you don't see her as very creative in her work, I would say, her writing and publishing articles is a pretty creative act per say. Certainly, the Magus is adept at using various kinds of media for communication. Further, your wife's ability to imitate others so perfectly is in line with the Magus as a "trickster". The monkey on the card symbolizes that aspect! Also, skilful manipulation is a typical domain of the Magus. It doesn't necessarily involve dishonesty. It looks like your wife does apply her skill for shaping her environment according to her will. I have already covered this above, for the most part. And yes, it is very conceivable that it would be part of her individuation process to reach and act from that original part of herself - in other words, progressing from the imitating "monkey self" to her unique "magical" inner self. Further, this also ties in well with the following observation of yours that I quoted above: "It seems like whatever direction circumstances had taken her, she would have made the best of where she was." Unlike you, your wife seems to rather support the traditional attribution of the number 8 to Adjustment then. The question remains unresolved for the time being. I suppose, I should present it on a Tarot forum... Sure! There is still more to come though... Another interesting consideration for any kind of relationship between two people is the, well, relationship card. For calculating it, the sums of the two birth dates are added up, in this case 2007 + 2008 = 4015 = 10: Thus, the Fortune card once again! In keeping with what I said about this card earlier, such a relationship is characterized by constant change. But of course, you are already aware of this yourself: "Our 11 years together have seen near constant change. For example, we have lived in 7 different towns and 9 different houses!" Despite the unpredictability this card brings with it, its affiliation with Jupiter overall suggests a serendipitious relationship, with much potential for spiritual expansion and growth.

Well, the question didn't go to me, but since Nungali also habitually answers for other people... The Hermetic Tarot is another "recreation" of Golden Dawn co-founder Mathers' mysterious prototype. It follows the structure and some of the symbolism of the RWS but was clearly influenced by the Thoth also. It has many of the GD attributions on it. A great deck especially for occult study.