Art (or Temperance) is numbered fourteen and usually shows the figure of a young woman or angelic being, who is pouring water from one vessel into another. Not a single drop is spilt. This card is related to the union and harmonisation of opposites.
Art shows us that those among us who allow a free flow of life force use it the most effectively, wasting the least and achieving most. If we are thoughtful, receptive and in harmony, we allow the Higher Powers to run unhindered through our spirits and emotions – and finally into our daily lives.
Life is a river. Instead of clinging on to a rock let go and become part of the water. Find the still point within and live from that point and by doing that our hopes and dreams come closer.
The Lord of Power represents the time when we achieve a stable level of material balance – at least for that moment in time. At the purely mundane level, it might come up after we had settled into a new home, or undertaken major improvements. The card is, at this level, much concerned with asset security and material bounty.
One thing to bear in mind about attaining the mundane value of this card – though you have achieved one level of material stability, you cannot either cling to this, nor take it for granted. Become too smug and you’ll find yourself losing the sense of safety and balance which has occurred. The human being is not naturally given to stagnation…
On a more spiritual level this card holds sway over crystals and semi-precious stones – it might be hard to see the cross-reference to the asset security I mentioned in the previous paragraph – but on a mundane level, we’re often talking bricks-and-mortar and the security derived from being safe within our homes – at this more subtle level, we’re still talking rocks!! But this talking we’re relating to the amount of energy we can all gain from crystal-work.
Some crystals teach us calmness, or emotional balance, simply by giving off their unique energies. Other crystals can be programmed to assist us in various self-development tasks, and in protection, healing and cleansing. So if this card comes up in your reading with cards like the Hierophant, the Star, the Moon or the Priestess, consider that perhaps you’d help yourself with a little crystal work!
The Lord of Change is a card that indicates the necessity of constant change in life if we are not to stagnate. It often marks a turning point – a new job, a shift of fortune, a move of home.
Disks are an earthy suit, covering matters of material life, and the manifest Universe. If you look at the planet we live on, though in itself it seems solid and predictable (less so in recent years, mind you) it is in a constant state of change and movement. It turns in space, and if it did not, we’d all be very unhappy with the consequences. The cycle of seasons swings past us each and every year. The tides ebb and rise. Constant change is natural, normal and positive.
We do, though, often fear change in our lives. We will struggle against anything that appears to alter the pre-planned pattern we have applied to our future. But that’s exactly what this card does – instigates change. Sometimes we think that the change is bad – and on the face of it, it may appear to be – yet whenever the 2 of Disks appears, it’s warning us that change has become imperative. Something is stagnating, demanding to be broken down and made over.
It’s worth remembering that if you resist the change advocated by the Lord of Change, you might find that life imposes it upon you anyway – and then you’ll feel the effects either of the Death card, or the Tower. When this card appears, it demands a thorough re-assessment of your overall position and willingness to go with the chances that come your way.
The card is especially strengthened by cards like Fortune, and positive Disks and Wands. You can usually track down which area of life it applies to by looking at the cards that surround it – Cups would suggest you need to look at your emotional life. Disks would imply that it’s either your working or financial area that needs attention. Swords would probably indicate conflict around whatever changes you need to make, and may point to a need for clear communication. Wands would be more connected with your own application of Will, and the way you are trying to build your life. Major Arcana cards would suggest an inner, more spiritual area needs to be looked at.
The Lord of Power represents the time when we achieve a stable level of material balance – at least for that moment in time. At the purely mundane level, it might come up after we had settled into a new home, or undertaken major improvements. The card is, at this level, much concerned with asset security and material bounty.
One thing to bear in mind about attaining the mundane value of this card – though you have achieved one level of material stability, you cannot either cling to this, nor take it for granted. Become too smug and you’ll find yourself losing the sense of safety and balance which has occurred. The human being is not naturally given to stagnation…
On a more spiritual level this card holds sway over crystals and semi-precious stones – it might be hard to see the cross-reference to the asset security I mentioned in the previous paragraph – but on a mundane level, we’re often talking bricks-and-mortar and the security derived from being safe within our homes – at this more subtle level, we’re still talking rocks!! But this talking we’re relating to the amount of energy we can all gain from crystal-work.
Some crystals teach us calmness, or emotional balance, simply by giving off their unique energies. Other crystals can be programmed to assist us in various self-development tasks, and in protection, healing and cleansing. So if this card comes up in your reading with cards like the Hierophant, the Star, the Moon or the Priestess, consider that perhaps you’d help yourself with a little crystal work!
The Lord of Works indicates concentrated effort applied with great determination and diligence to a situation requiring your whole attention.
This is a card that often comes up to mark the achievement of goals in your working area, and teaches attainment through effort. It advises you to keep the pressure up so that you maintain momentum, and to pay attention to detail.
It will sometimes appear in a reading to reveal a period where you concentrate all your thoughts and aspirations on one target, and then channel all your energies into that project, to the exclusion of all else. Sometimes people do this in order to avoid facing emotional pain and distress. It’s worth looking for evidence of this when the Three of Disks comes up. Whilst it can be useful in the short-term to achieve something when you feel hurt, it can often be very damaging if you continue to hide from your own feelings.
The Lord of Works indicates high levels of professional ambition, and promises the drive and confidence to achieve these. There’s a good deal of dynamic energy attached to the card, and this is usually well-harnessed and put to good use.
Take the Three of Disks as a largely positive card, which shows that hard work and concentration can eventually gain you your highest objectives. But it’s important to remember that you need to be fully focused on the project in hand, allowing nothing to get in the way.
Lust (or Strength, Fortitude, Lust for Life) is numbered eleven and is a card of spontaneity and enthusiasm. This is the card which gives us the strength and nourishment we need to get through.
We usually see a young innocent girl opening the jaws of a lion and peering in. She must be reasonably certain she can cope with the results of her actions! There is no sense of competition between the two. Here we see the literal meaning of the card – walking straight into the jaws of danger and relying upon our own experiences and quick-wittedness to see us through.
Lust tells us to joyously accept life – to trust ourselves to make the right choices and to be able to deal with whatever happens. With trust and self-belief we can grow and work towards happiness and fulfilment.
This is the Lord of Waves and Water, often defined as the fiery aspect of water. As such, in many ways this card represents a contradiction. Most often when it appears, it will indicate an actual person who has influence. However sometimes it can also indicate a moodshift or a change of mode.
Since the Suit of Cups is all about love and loving relationships, it’s easy to see how the Knight can be regarded as the lover of the cards. When representing a moodshift, the card can indicate the period where a man falls in love.
When it represents a person he will be a complex and highly emotional being – creative and visionary, sensitive (and sometimes over-sensitive), romantic and intense. He will give the impression of being open and caring, though this is often misleading; the Knight of Cups is often subject to intense insecurity, needing constant re-assurance and attention.
He is attracted and attractive to women, and enjoys basking in their company. He will often be very charming, with a silver tongue and a powerful personal agenda. He will rarely manage practical matters well, tending to place rather more importance on buying two dozen red roses, than paying the bills. At his worst, he can be inconstant, unfaithful and selfish.
At his best, he is loving, generous with his emotions, supportive and tender. He can be capable of high levels of spiritual development, strong in intuition and warmly responsive. When he’s on form he is terrific company, having a good sense of humour and a keen interest in other people. He’s often an exciting and stimulating life partner and lover – but only at his best!
The Hierophant (or Pope, High Priest) is numbered five and is concerned with matters of faith, religion, belief and morality. This is the wise teacher, full of esoteric and occult knowledge. He can help us to understand the mysteries around and within us.
The Hierophant is a holy man, but is in essence both male and female. He has a healthy connection with life and living – someone who has experienced life in full and now has the experience and wisdom needed in order to teach others.
He is usually seen holding his index and middle finger extended, as though pointing at something. This symbolism is important, because the human Will is considered to be directed by these two fingers. The Hierophant is an archetype which represents the culmination of human development.
His abilities reside like seeds within every one of us. We all have the ability to travel where he has already explored. He holds the keys to transformation.
The Priestess (or High Priestess, Papess, Pope Joan, Isis) is numbered two. This is the representation of the Goddess. She is the complementary partner of the Magician, possessing all his skill and ability, but with far more insight and psychism. She is more subtle yet somehow far more noticeable.
She is almost always shown with the Lunar Crescent, conveying her natural affinity with the forces of Nature and natural cycles. The Magician generates his own power, whereas the Priestess draws upon the forces of life itself.
She sits between two pillars with veils suspended between them – it is the Priestess who allows us to penetrate the innermost secrets of life. She is also the bridge between our conscious and Higher selves, by teaching us through our dreams and our subconscious. It is in our subconscious that we hold the keys to the Universe.
The Lord of Prudence is not quite as austere a card as it first sounds. It’s another of those Disks that works on more than one level. In the purely material and mundane sphere it indicates a period where financial resources must be carefully managed.
So long as it does not appear with cards like the Ten of Swords or the Five of Disks, there will not normally be any grave material problem. But there is a warning here that there may be unexpected expense, and good money management will enable us to fund whatever arises.
At the next level, the Eight of Disks can apply to a period where you enter into additional training in order to enhance your career projects. In this case look for cards like the Three of Disks, or the Ace, to indicate some new area of study. Then look for cards like the Universe, or the Sun to indicate the successful outcome of your efforts.
Finally in the spiritual area, when the Lord of Prudence comes up with cards like the Priestess, Death, the Moon, or the Hierophant, you’re approaching a period of rapid spiritual development – almost an initiation. In this case, this card is warning you to be alert for opportunities, ready to deal with stress and pressure, and to manage your energies thoughtfully and carefully. You can perhaps see the correlation which exists with regard to energy management between the material and spiritual definitions of the card – in either case energy must be regulated and respected in order for life to go smoothly and for you to get the best out of your experiences.
(via angelpaths.com and Alan Blackman)
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