If you follow Sylvia Plath, you may be interested to read about my mystic interpretation of her wonderful poem, "Fever 103", in the latest Plath Profiles 4.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Who is Julia Gordon-Bramer?
Sometimes people searching for my scholarly work on Sylvia Plath, or for my poetry or short stories, find this blog accidentally, and get confused. Yes, I am the same Julia Gordon-Bramer. I am three things, quite equally divided: a tarot reader, a Plath scholar, and a writer (sort of my own version of the triple-goddess, if you're familiar with Robert Graves' writings). At this stage in the game, it would be impossible to pick one as my passion is enormous for all. Additionally, I'm also a college professor, another thing that I love, and it's been a great way to communicate the passions above. Being a professor is less a definition of me, however. It feeds and sustains the other aspects.
I thought I'd blog here about these aspects, to give you a better understanding of me, my approaches, and my great blessings.
Tarot--
I have been reading tarot cards since I was sixteen years old. That's almost thirty-two years now, at the time of this writing. I grew up never considering myself as "psychic," per se, but rather knowing that there was something different about my perceptions. I knew that I feel connections on very deep levels, to the point of taking on a person's pain, fear, anger, love, etc. Honestly, it's sometimes been a problem. I've spent a lifetime learning to separate and detach. I knew that I could walk into a room where something had happened, and that the room itself held onto the vibrations in ways that were sometimes oppressive. I knew that an event would take place that everyone else could seemingly shrug off, and good or bad, I carried the feelings of it for days.
From the first time I held my own deck, the tarot has always spoken to me, always been a part of me in this indescribable way. I was knocked out by the beauty of it, and initially taught myself to read from the little white booklet that comes with every tarot deck. I think that this was a great way to learn, actually. I was going on the bare bones card interpretations, and forcing myself to rely on natural first impressions, hunches, and feelings.
For many years, I read the tarot cards relying on books because I did not truly trust my own intuition. I will say that the best book I have found, and the book that taught me the most (with uncannily accurate interpretations), is Jane Lyle's Understanding the Tarot. While it is out of print, it can often be found for a song on websites such as Alibris and Amazon. There is a great deal of information on the Internet as well, and Mary Greer's Tarot Blog has always proved a fascinating resource for me, with fun clips, interviews, and discussion.
Life, however, has taught me the most in regard to being an excellent tarot reader. Over the years, I have been developing myself intuitively, through tarot and in other ways: drawing pictures from mental projections, reading people without cards, and prophetic dreams and visions. For the record, I believe that many of my spiritual gifts strengthened and clarified when I began to practice A Course In Miracles. ACIM is not a religion, but a series of steps along with scripture for enlightenment. It is about connecting with the God source, and owning one's own power as a child of God. I recommend it to everyone.
If someone were to ask me what my greatest spiritual power is, I would say that it is to connect with people, to see their own godliness, and directing them to reach their highest potential.
Plath Scholarship--
When I began graduate school, working toward my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, I almost immediately realized that the work of Sylvia Plath, my favorite poet and author since my teens, was loaded with imagery and symbolism from the tarot. At the advice of my professor (who was also a fan of my tarot reading, brought me into his classes to read the cards, and was the one to encourage me to go professional), I began pursuing just how deep these symbols affected Plath's work as part of my Poetry Form and Theory final semester project.
Thus began "The Plath Project"--my working title for Fixed Stars Govern a Life: reinterpreting the work of Sylvia Plath through mysticism and the tarot. I have been at it almost five years now. My first discovery was initially that the book Ariel--and all of Plath's work--is built upon a framework of tarot order: the first poem of Ariel, for instance, "Morning Song," is card number zero, for the Fool. Take a look. If you know the meaning and appearance of the Fool card, it's all right there. Likewise, card number one, The Magician, is her poem, "The Couriers," card number two, the High Priestess, is "The Rabbit Catcher," etc.
That took me about three months to identify. That was the easy part. I began to write a narrative of Plath's life, before her husband Ted Hughes (widely known as a cabbalist, alchemist and occult practitioner), her time with Ted Hughes, and what Ted did with Plath's work after her death. It still stuns me that no one thought to look at Plath's oeuvre in this way in the almost fifty years since her death. I began to build my case for reading Plath in a new light.
What I couldn't deny, though, was that as I was pulling apart this work, really looking deep into double meanings and such, there were other occult influences. Tarot, for one, is based upon the Kabbalah. Hermeticism, an occult practice drawing from ancient roots with a self-actualization/magician spin, calls it Qabalah. Hughes was a known practitioner. Tarot and the Qabalah led me into the mysticism of the Hebrew language and Gematria; alchemy (especially Jungian alchemy); Greek mythology; astrology and astronomy; and the parallels with history and the world; and the arts and humanities. I came to see that Plath's poems each contained six facets which mirror the six sides of the Qabalah's Tree of Life. It got deep. It has been a time of rigorous and intense study for me. I have never learned so much, and Plath's genius continues to astound me.
Lucky for me, as a tarot reader, I had a cursory understanding of some of this. Also lucky for me, as a tarot reader, this work has given my tarot work so much depth and understanding of the cards' meanings, symbolism, etc. The Plath Project has made me a better, smarter, more spiritual person. I have had an education and a half through this work, delving into classics, history, philosophy and ideas so heady they had frightened me away from studying them for too many years prior. Five years ago, I had no concept of alchemy beyond the Philosopher's Stone and maybe some Harry Potter references. Today, I am a student of Jungian alchemy and the process of individuation, with special attention to its application through the tarot. I am still teaching myself the detail-laden aspects of astrology, Greek myth and the epic poems, the medieval classics, and more.
Sylvia Plath
Knowing how to unlock each of Plath's poems gave me exciting ways into her meaning--meaning that once one knows what to look for, seems quite obvious. And yet, even her most famous poems have been completely misunderstood. Until now. It is my life's work, and my greatest joy next to love of my family and friends. I have learned the hard way that academics are slow to open their eyes and instantly dismiss spirituality as BS. It will take a while to get them to see. But the rest of you? I welcome you to my work. I am trying to publish chapters as I can, and nearing completion of the book. I hope to find a publisher this year, if I can only find the time to start looking.
Writing--
I have been a writer since I was six years old, when I learned that my letters to family entertained and amused. As an adult, I have worked in virtually every field of writing: journalism, marketing, advertising, public relations, technical and more. I played with poetry and stories off and on through my teens and twenties, and began to get serious in my thirties. It wasn't until my forties (isn't this the time when we find ourselves and life begins?) that I really had something to say, some personal power to draw from, and had discovered my own voice. I began to publish poetry and stories, and to even win some awards. Like all writers, I have had my ups and downs. As I study the Tao, attempting to separate from the ego as best I can, I am less interested in submissions and defining my success through publication. Still, I get articles, poems and the occasional story published fairly frequently. You can find some of my work searching my name online, or write me for a list of publications.
Thanks for your interest!
I thought I'd blog here about these aspects, to give you a better understanding of me, my approaches, and my great blessings.
Tarot--
I have been reading tarot cards since I was sixteen years old. That's almost thirty-two years now, at the time of this writing. I grew up never considering myself as "psychic," per se, but rather knowing that there was something different about my perceptions. I knew that I feel connections on very deep levels, to the point of taking on a person's pain, fear, anger, love, etc. Honestly, it's sometimes been a problem. I've spent a lifetime learning to separate and detach. I knew that I could walk into a room where something had happened, and that the room itself held onto the vibrations in ways that were sometimes oppressive. I knew that an event would take place that everyone else could seemingly shrug off, and good or bad, I carried the feelings of it for days.
From the first time I held my own deck, the tarot has always spoken to me, always been a part of me in this indescribable way. I was knocked out by the beauty of it, and initially taught myself to read from the little white booklet that comes with every tarot deck. I think that this was a great way to learn, actually. I was going on the bare bones card interpretations, and forcing myself to rely on natural first impressions, hunches, and feelings.
For many years, I read the tarot cards relying on books because I did not truly trust my own intuition. I will say that the best book I have found, and the book that taught me the most (with uncannily accurate interpretations), is Jane Lyle's Understanding the Tarot. While it is out of print, it can often be found for a song on websites such as Alibris and Amazon. There is a great deal of information on the Internet as well, and Mary Greer's Tarot Blog has always proved a fascinating resource for me, with fun clips, interviews, and discussion.
Life, however, has taught me the most in regard to being an excellent tarot reader. Over the years, I have been developing myself intuitively, through tarot and in other ways: drawing pictures from mental projections, reading people without cards, and prophetic dreams and visions. For the record, I believe that many of my spiritual gifts strengthened and clarified when I began to practice A Course In Miracles. ACIM is not a religion, but a series of steps along with scripture for enlightenment. It is about connecting with the God source, and owning one's own power as a child of God. I recommend it to everyone.
If someone were to ask me what my greatest spiritual power is, I would say that it is to connect with people, to see their own godliness, and directing them to reach their highest potential.
Plath Scholarship--
When I began graduate school, working toward my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, I almost immediately realized that the work of Sylvia Plath, my favorite poet and author since my teens, was loaded with imagery and symbolism from the tarot. At the advice of my professor (who was also a fan of my tarot reading, brought me into his classes to read the cards, and was the one to encourage me to go professional), I began pursuing just how deep these symbols affected Plath's work as part of my Poetry Form and Theory final semester project.
Thus began "The Plath Project"--my working title for Fixed Stars Govern a Life: reinterpreting the work of Sylvia Plath through mysticism and the tarot. I have been at it almost five years now. My first discovery was initially that the book Ariel--and all of Plath's work--is built upon a framework of tarot order: the first poem of Ariel, for instance, "Morning Song," is card number zero, for the Fool. Take a look. If you know the meaning and appearance of the Fool card, it's all right there. Likewise, card number one, The Magician, is her poem, "The Couriers," card number two, the High Priestess, is "The Rabbit Catcher," etc.
That took me about three months to identify. That was the easy part. I began to write a narrative of Plath's life, before her husband Ted Hughes (widely known as a cabbalist, alchemist and occult practitioner), her time with Ted Hughes, and what Ted did with Plath's work after her death. It still stuns me that no one thought to look at Plath's oeuvre in this way in the almost fifty years since her death. I began to build my case for reading Plath in a new light.
What I couldn't deny, though, was that as I was pulling apart this work, really looking deep into double meanings and such, there were other occult influences. Tarot, for one, is based upon the Kabbalah. Hermeticism, an occult practice drawing from ancient roots with a self-actualization/magician spin, calls it Qabalah. Hughes was a known practitioner. Tarot and the Qabalah led me into the mysticism of the Hebrew language and Gematria; alchemy (especially Jungian alchemy); Greek mythology; astrology and astronomy; and the parallels with history and the world; and the arts and humanities. I came to see that Plath's poems each contained six facets which mirror the six sides of the Qabalah's Tree of Life. It got deep. It has been a time of rigorous and intense study for me. I have never learned so much, and Plath's genius continues to astound me.
Lucky for me, as a tarot reader, I had a cursory understanding of some of this. Also lucky for me, as a tarot reader, this work has given my tarot work so much depth and understanding of the cards' meanings, symbolism, etc. The Plath Project has made me a better, smarter, more spiritual person. I have had an education and a half through this work, delving into classics, history, philosophy and ideas so heady they had frightened me away from studying them for too many years prior. Five years ago, I had no concept of alchemy beyond the Philosopher's Stone and maybe some Harry Potter references. Today, I am a student of Jungian alchemy and the process of individuation, with special attention to its application through the tarot. I am still teaching myself the detail-laden aspects of astrology, Greek myth and the epic poems, the medieval classics, and more.
Knowing how to unlock each of Plath's poems gave me exciting ways into her meaning--meaning that once one knows what to look for, seems quite obvious. And yet, even her most famous poems have been completely misunderstood. Until now. It is my life's work, and my greatest joy next to love of my family and friends. I have learned the hard way that academics are slow to open their eyes and instantly dismiss spirituality as BS. It will take a while to get them to see. But the rest of you? I welcome you to my work. I am trying to publish chapters as I can, and nearing completion of the book. I hope to find a publisher this year, if I can only find the time to start looking.
Writing--
I have been a writer since I was six years old, when I learned that my letters to family entertained and amused. As an adult, I have worked in virtually every field of writing: journalism, marketing, advertising, public relations, technical and more. I played with poetry and stories off and on through my teens and twenties, and began to get serious in my thirties. It wasn't until my forties (isn't this the time when we find ourselves and life begins?) that I really had something to say, some personal power to draw from, and had discovered my own voice. I began to publish poetry and stories, and to even win some awards. Like all writers, I have had my ups and downs. As I study the Tao, attempting to separate from the ego as best I can, I am less interested in submissions and defining my success through publication. Still, I get articles, poems and the occasional story published fairly frequently. You can find some of my work searching my name online, or write me for a list of publications.
Thanks for your interest!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
With My Gypsy Ancestress and My Weird Luck / and My Taroc Pack and My Taroc Pack
For those of you following my work with the tarot and mysticism underlying the poetry and prose of Sylvia Plath, you won't want to miss this event at the Lindenwood University campus in Belleville, Illinois on Thursday, August 25, 2011. I'll be revealing my discovery of the meanings behind Plath's most famous poem, "Daddy," as well as touching on my work with the entire Plath Project, "Fixed Stars Govern a Life," as it nears completion.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Why Tarot? and Finding Yourself A Good Tarot Reader
How is tarot different from other occult practices, such as astrology, or playing with a Ouija board, or working with a medium? Tarot is a tool to make your life better. It is a tool for understanding yourself and your loved ones, for analyzing interpersonal problems, and getting to the source of why things are happening the way that they are.
A good tarot card reader will explain to you that your fate is not sealed in stone. Rather, you are a child of God, and therefore, powerful enough to make your life whatever you want it to be. Your limits are your own mind, and your tarot reader, if he or she is a good one, can show you where you're limiting yourself. "As above, so below," is the saying of the hermeticists. This idea is pictured on the tarot's Magician card, card number one as the first great truth and principle for living, with the god Hermes reaching one arm to the heavens and another down toward earth. It means: where our minds are, substance follows. Or, as author/psychologist Wayne Dyer put it in his book title, "You'll see it when you believe it."
As your tarot card reader, it is my job to show you the path that you're on, the path that you already know to be true in your sub-conscious. I am just reflecting it back to you, showing you, good and bad, what you're doing to accomplish your goals, or how you're managing to stay stuck and/or get in your own way. If you see something you don't like in your cards that is ahead for you, you simply change what you're doing. As a tarot reader, I am not a counselor, or a healer, or a magician. I am a conduit to show you your own higher wisdom, to improve the things in your life that you would like to improve, and to help you to grow.
Many people become very emotional when I read their cards. Sometimes there are tears of happiness, or sadness. Sometimes there is gasp, or a burst of laughter--what my counselor friend calls "the recognition response." Often they express feelings of embarrassment, but I try to explain that this is a turning point. I know then that the healing is already taking place. Through the mere understanding of it, through feeling the feelings that we've squashed down and tried to ignore, we become free from its grip.
One of my regular clients said to me, "I have been going to a counselor for years, and I got more out of just one session with you."
What a compliment! But stepping away from my ego for a minute, it makes perfect sense: it had little to do with me, of course, and everything to do with the power of the cards. Tarot gets right to the heart of it. The tarot card reader does not have to build up trust and candor over a course of months or years in the way that a psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist does. The cards don't lie, and it's all right there, in Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles.
Tarot is not meant to replace these valuable professions mentioned above, but rather, to enhance them. Tarot should never be used instead of medicine in the case of treating mental illness. No, the tarot is best used for one who wishes to take charge of his or her life. One who understands that blame and regret are games for losers. This means that the person getting the reading must be willing to accept full responsibility for his role in his own life. He can't point to circumstances, or family, or bad romantic relationships, or money, any longer as the cause of his suffering.
So how do you know if you have found yourself a good tarot reader? There is no such thing (as far as I know) of tarot card board certification or licensing. If you have the opportunity, talk to and read up on your tarot reader. He or she will probably have a website, and maybe also provide testimonials or videos (those who wish to see my tarot presentation videos may write me privately). Your tarot reader should probably be open enough to talk to you over the phone or by email, for at least a few minutes, at no charge. You may want to ask what your tarot reader's spiritual practice/path/belief is. We are all the product of our minds, as I explained earlier, and what we feed our minds and spirits will be reflected in our work. My own spiritual path is A Course In Miracles, which I have found is close to a lot of ideas in Buddhism, Hermeticism, and of course Qabalah (also spelled "Kabbalah" if you're referring to the Jewish version, or "Cabala" if you're referring to the Christian brand). I am also a novice at Jungian Alchemy, or the process of Individuation (similar to Maslow's "Self-Actualization"). A Course In Miracles is not so far from Christianity, but with one important difference: ACIM does not look up to an outside savior, but rather, is about recognizing the God within oneself. With this as my mindset and my spiritual path, my tarot card readings will reflect this for you. You may or may not be comfortable with that idea, and I encourage you to ask questions until you are at ease with someone you're allowing to peer into some quite personal aspects of your life.
Your tarot card reader should never ask you personal questions you don't volunteer on your own. Your tarot card reader should never make you feel embarrassed, humiliated, or put on the spot in any way. Your tarot card reader should not judge you. If you are not completely at ease with your tarot card reader, I urge you to find another.
Word of mouth and friend referrals are a great way to find a tarot reader. But the very best possible way to find a tarot reader, of course, is to meet him or her in person and try it out. Tarot readers such as myself often work festivals, fairs, casinos and other special events where you can get a quick reading for just a few dollars. Often, that is enough to know if this person is the right person to read for you. Many of my clients found me first this way, and then they hire me for regular hour-long individual appointments later, and/or they bring me in to their own parties and special events. I have some clients whom I have never met who get regular telephone tarot readings, and they get a lot from them. I've just started reading on Skype, too.
Finally, please respect your tarot card reader's time, and value it accordingly. These days, gas is not cheap, and time has never been free. It takes time to commute to and from a reading. Some balk at my rate of $60 an hour for an individual reading, but given commuting time and the effort of the work, this is not a fortune. A tarot reading is an emotionally draining experience for the reader, too. There is a beautiful kind of weight that comes with this huge responsibility of directing lives toward happiness and healing---but it is hard work! Please do not take advantage of your tarot reader's time and caring heart. Please don't ask for free readings, or push for deals, if this is not your reader's regular practice. Occasionally, we readers will sense a need, and want to offer them on our own. After all, we would not be in this work at all if we did not want to help others, and to make the world a better place. But we know, too, that this cannot be done when we do not first value and care for ourselves.
Whatever your flavor of tarot: in-person private consultations, the party atmosphere, or using electronic and digital possibilities, there is a way to fit tarot into your life for your own personal growth. I would be honored if you chose me as your tarot reader. Please feel free to call or email for more information. My tarot website is www.nighttimes.com/tarot.htm.
A good tarot card reader will explain to you that your fate is not sealed in stone. Rather, you are a child of God, and therefore, powerful enough to make your life whatever you want it to be. Your limits are your own mind, and your tarot reader, if he or she is a good one, can show you where you're limiting yourself. "As above, so below," is the saying of the hermeticists. This idea is pictured on the tarot's Magician card, card number one as the first great truth and principle for living, with the god Hermes reaching one arm to the heavens and another down toward earth. It means: where our minds are, substance follows. Or, as author/psychologist Wayne Dyer put it in his book title, "You'll see it when you believe it."
As your tarot card reader, it is my job to show you the path that you're on, the path that you already know to be true in your sub-conscious. I am just reflecting it back to you, showing you, good and bad, what you're doing to accomplish your goals, or how you're managing to stay stuck and/or get in your own way. If you see something you don't like in your cards that is ahead for you, you simply change what you're doing. As a tarot reader, I am not a counselor, or a healer, or a magician. I am a conduit to show you your own higher wisdom, to improve the things in your life that you would like to improve, and to help you to grow.
Many people become very emotional when I read their cards. Sometimes there are tears of happiness, or sadness. Sometimes there is gasp, or a burst of laughter--what my counselor friend calls "the recognition response." Often they express feelings of embarrassment, but I try to explain that this is a turning point. I know then that the healing is already taking place. Through the mere understanding of it, through feeling the feelings that we've squashed down and tried to ignore, we become free from its grip.
One of my regular clients said to me, "I have been going to a counselor for years, and I got more out of just one session with you."
What a compliment! But stepping away from my ego for a minute, it makes perfect sense: it had little to do with me, of course, and everything to do with the power of the cards. Tarot gets right to the heart of it. The tarot card reader does not have to build up trust and candor over a course of months or years in the way that a psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist does. The cards don't lie, and it's all right there, in Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles.
Tarot is not meant to replace these valuable professions mentioned above, but rather, to enhance them. Tarot should never be used instead of medicine in the case of treating mental illness. No, the tarot is best used for one who wishes to take charge of his or her life. One who understands that blame and regret are games for losers. This means that the person getting the reading must be willing to accept full responsibility for his role in his own life. He can't point to circumstances, or family, or bad romantic relationships, or money, any longer as the cause of his suffering.
So how do you know if you have found yourself a good tarot reader? There is no such thing (as far as I know) of tarot card board certification or licensing. If you have the opportunity, talk to and read up on your tarot reader. He or she will probably have a website, and maybe also provide testimonials or videos (those who wish to see my tarot presentation videos may write me privately). Your tarot reader should probably be open enough to talk to you over the phone or by email, for at least a few minutes, at no charge. You may want to ask what your tarot reader's spiritual practice/path/belief is. We are all the product of our minds, as I explained earlier, and what we feed our minds and spirits will be reflected in our work. My own spiritual path is A Course In Miracles, which I have found is close to a lot of ideas in Buddhism, Hermeticism, and of course Qabalah (also spelled "Kabbalah" if you're referring to the Jewish version, or "Cabala" if you're referring to the Christian brand). I am also a novice at Jungian Alchemy, or the process of Individuation (similar to Maslow's "Self-Actualization"). A Course In Miracles is not so far from Christianity, but with one important difference: ACIM does not look up to an outside savior, but rather, is about recognizing the God within oneself. With this as my mindset and my spiritual path, my tarot card readings will reflect this for you. You may or may not be comfortable with that idea, and I encourage you to ask questions until you are at ease with someone you're allowing to peer into some quite personal aspects of your life.
Your tarot card reader should never ask you personal questions you don't volunteer on your own. Your tarot card reader should never make you feel embarrassed, humiliated, or put on the spot in any way. Your tarot card reader should not judge you. If you are not completely at ease with your tarot card reader, I urge you to find another.
Word of mouth and friend referrals are a great way to find a tarot reader. But the very best possible way to find a tarot reader, of course, is to meet him or her in person and try it out. Tarot readers such as myself often work festivals, fairs, casinos and other special events where you can get a quick reading for just a few dollars. Often, that is enough to know if this person is the right person to read for you. Many of my clients found me first this way, and then they hire me for regular hour-long individual appointments later, and/or they bring me in to their own parties and special events. I have some clients whom I have never met who get regular telephone tarot readings, and they get a lot from them. I've just started reading on Skype, too.
Finally, please respect your tarot card reader's time, and value it accordingly. These days, gas is not cheap, and time has never been free. It takes time to commute to and from a reading. Some balk at my rate of $60 an hour for an individual reading, but given commuting time and the effort of the work, this is not a fortune. A tarot reading is an emotionally draining experience for the reader, too. There is a beautiful kind of weight that comes with this huge responsibility of directing lives toward happiness and healing---but it is hard work! Please do not take advantage of your tarot reader's time and caring heart. Please don't ask for free readings, or push for deals, if this is not your reader's regular practice. Occasionally, we readers will sense a need, and want to offer them on our own. After all, we would not be in this work at all if we did not want to help others, and to make the world a better place. But we know, too, that this cannot be done when we do not first value and care for ourselves.
Whatever your flavor of tarot: in-person private consultations, the party atmosphere, or using electronic and digital possibilities, there is a way to fit tarot into your life for your own personal growth. I would be honored if you chose me as your tarot reader. Please feel free to call or email for more information. My tarot website is www.nighttimes.com/tarot.htm.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Origins of Tarot, and What Matters.
Last night, I dreamed that I wrote this blog, and made it public here, and so I knew that I must.
Toward the end of last year, I had a weird experience. I'd done a presentation for the library on tarot, and put that presentation on YouTube. I was soon attacked by this zealous group of people who are on a kind of crusade to educate the world on tarot as a card game. Perhaps you saw my earlier blog entry about this.
After some research, I did misspeak in my presentation on what is tarot lore, versus what is proven. When one is writing, it is much easier to be careful, to fact-check, etc. I tend to do my presentations ad-lib and from the heart; they are not something I memorize and rehearse.
Anyway, it is true that the first tarot cards were found in 14th century Italy, and that these cards were used for a card game called "Tarocci." Absolutely true.
But tarot has its mysteries. The name Tarot comes from the Hebrew Torah, and the Latin, Rota (as in "rotate"), meaning circle of life. With its twenty-two paths, the tarot's major arcana coincidentally aligns perfectly in symbol, numbers and meaning against the structure of the ancient Jewish Kabbalah (and even more perfectly corresponds with the Hermetic Qabalah established by Aleister Crowley in the early 1900s, after he switched the position of the Strength and Justice cards--a change that has had occultists split for decades). The Kabbalah (or "Cabala," if you're looking at the Christian version, or "Qabalah," if you're a Hermeticist) is believed to be a divine template of the universe. It is how the universe works, and the order and structure of all things.
The Kabbalah's Tree of Life, with its stations and branches, represents this circle of life. The Norse, the Celts, and American primitive cultures have all had their versions of the tree of life, reflecting these same ideas. After all, truth is truth, no matter what the package, and it is available to anyone open to it.
The ancient practice of alchemy, adopted as a Hermetic science, also perfectly corresponds with the tarot and Kabbalah. So does Astrology; Greek, Roman, Norse, and Celtic mythology; the Hebrew alphabet; and a Hebrew form of numerology called Gematria. It seems that the deeper one digs into the tarot, the more of these spiritual and occult systems reside there. In the tarot's pictures, there are no accidents: there is a reason a flower may be portrayed as a rose, for instance, and not a lily. There are reasons for desert landscape, or a background with distant ships, rivers or trees. Even the coloring of the cards serve to function in card meanings and interpretation.
When one looks at all of the influences upon the tarot, it is clear to see that these cards resonate wisdom that existed long before Christ--and yet, is often compatible with Christianity. Spiritual philosophy expressed in the tarot reaches back to ideas and practice as long ago as the ancient Egyptians and ancient Greece. Can we prove tarot existed then? No. Not on paper, anyway. Paper cards don't last thousands of years, but wisdom does. One must take the time to learn the meanings to understand. The majority of people are not interested enough to do this work.
The great psychologist Carl Jung was interested enough. Jung determined that the pictures on the tarot represented ancient human archetypes which are true for all cultures. Every group of people, from every time in history, has a Mother, for example. Or the Lovers. Or the Emperor, or the wise old man. They have events considered to be good luck, victory, and tragedy. These are the personalities and stages of the human experience, as reflected in the tarot's major arcana. The minor arcana holds the more mundane details of our every day living. Think of the major arcana as the characters and phases, and the minor arcana as the stories that happen to them.
Through his own exploration of the tarot with himself and his patients, Carl Jung developed Jungian alchemy: the process of reaching self-actualization, or "Individuation," as he called it. It was the Jungian idea of the Philosopher's Stone, the turning of lead into gold.
It is no wonder a single tarot card, then, can be so loaded with representations! Some tarot readers may be well-versed in the Jungian psychological aspects, but less knowledgeable about the astrological end (which is the case for me, although I'm working on that). Some tarot readers may be strong astrologers, students of myth, or practicing alchemists-- understanding that alchemy is a three-fold study of laboratory, psychological, and spiritual work, and the tarot cards then might be tools for their own experiments and growth.
It doesn't matter, so long as the goal is benefiting humanity through personal and spiritual growth. The tarot is a tool we can use to become the people we are meant to be. It is a way to understand our higher selves, to become conscious, and to be better all-around. It is not that the tarot is such a magical thing, in and of itself. It is that we are magic, and it shows us a way to wake up to this wonderful fact.
Yes, some people make tarot out to be only a card game. I'm sure it's a fine one. But I think of using tarot cards only for a card game as sort of like using your state-of-the-art, Web-connected super-computer only for its little clock function in the bottom corner of your screen.
Let's see, live, and love within a larger, greater, unlimited world. The only thing stopping you is if you are too lazy to do the work.
In Peace,
Julia Gordon-Bramer
Toward the end of last year, I had a weird experience. I'd done a presentation for the library on tarot, and put that presentation on YouTube. I was soon attacked by this zealous group of people who are on a kind of crusade to educate the world on tarot as a card game. Perhaps you saw my earlier blog entry about this.
After some research, I did misspeak in my presentation on what is tarot lore, versus what is proven. When one is writing, it is much easier to be careful, to fact-check, etc. I tend to do my presentations ad-lib and from the heart; they are not something I memorize and rehearse.
Anyway, it is true that the first tarot cards were found in 14th century Italy, and that these cards were used for a card game called "Tarocci." Absolutely true.
But tarot has its mysteries. The name Tarot comes from the Hebrew Torah, and the Latin, Rota (as in "rotate"), meaning circle of life. With its twenty-two paths, the tarot's major arcana coincidentally aligns perfectly in symbol, numbers and meaning against the structure of the ancient Jewish Kabbalah (and even more perfectly corresponds with the Hermetic Qabalah established by Aleister Crowley in the early 1900s, after he switched the position of the Strength and Justice cards--a change that has had occultists split for decades). The Kabbalah (or "Cabala," if you're looking at the Christian version, or "Qabalah," if you're a Hermeticist) is believed to be a divine template of the universe. It is how the universe works, and the order and structure of all things.
The Kabbalah's Tree of Life, with its stations and branches, represents this circle of life. The Norse, the Celts, and American primitive cultures have all had their versions of the tree of life, reflecting these same ideas. After all, truth is truth, no matter what the package, and it is available to anyone open to it.
The ancient practice of alchemy, adopted as a Hermetic science, also perfectly corresponds with the tarot and Kabbalah. So does Astrology; Greek, Roman, Norse, and Celtic mythology; the Hebrew alphabet; and a Hebrew form of numerology called Gematria. It seems that the deeper one digs into the tarot, the more of these spiritual and occult systems reside there. In the tarot's pictures, there are no accidents: there is a reason a flower may be portrayed as a rose, for instance, and not a lily. There are reasons for desert landscape, or a background with distant ships, rivers or trees. Even the coloring of the cards serve to function in card meanings and interpretation.
When one looks at all of the influences upon the tarot, it is clear to see that these cards resonate wisdom that existed long before Christ--and yet, is often compatible with Christianity. Spiritual philosophy expressed in the tarot reaches back to ideas and practice as long ago as the ancient Egyptians and ancient Greece. Can we prove tarot existed then? No. Not on paper, anyway. Paper cards don't last thousands of years, but wisdom does. One must take the time to learn the meanings to understand. The majority of people are not interested enough to do this work.
The great psychologist Carl Jung was interested enough. Jung determined that the pictures on the tarot represented ancient human archetypes which are true for all cultures. Every group of people, from every time in history, has a Mother, for example. Or the Lovers. Or the Emperor, or the wise old man. They have events considered to be good luck, victory, and tragedy. These are the personalities and stages of the human experience, as reflected in the tarot's major arcana. The minor arcana holds the more mundane details of our every day living. Think of the major arcana as the characters and phases, and the minor arcana as the stories that happen to them.
Through his own exploration of the tarot with himself and his patients, Carl Jung developed Jungian alchemy: the process of reaching self-actualization, or "Individuation," as he called it. It was the Jungian idea of the Philosopher's Stone, the turning of lead into gold.
It is no wonder a single tarot card, then, can be so loaded with representations! Some tarot readers may be well-versed in the Jungian psychological aspects, but less knowledgeable about the astrological end (which is the case for me, although I'm working on that). Some tarot readers may be strong astrologers, students of myth, or practicing alchemists-- understanding that alchemy is a three-fold study of laboratory, psychological, and spiritual work, and the tarot cards then might be tools for their own experiments and growth.
It doesn't matter, so long as the goal is benefiting humanity through personal and spiritual growth. The tarot is a tool we can use to become the people we are meant to be. It is a way to understand our higher selves, to become conscious, and to be better all-around. It is not that the tarot is such a magical thing, in and of itself. It is that we are magic, and it shows us a way to wake up to this wonderful fact.
Yes, some people make tarot out to be only a card game. I'm sure it's a fine one. But I think of using tarot cards only for a card game as sort of like using your state-of-the-art, Web-connected super-computer only for its little clock function in the bottom corner of your screen.
Let's see, live, and love within a larger, greater, unlimited world. The only thing stopping you is if you are too lazy to do the work.
In Peace,
Julia Gordon-Bramer
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