Honouring the deep

Tarot of the Hidden Realm, Llewellyn 2013 

At least in this pip card from Tarot of the Hidden Realm, there are ten items that could count as pips (doesn't happen in a lot of the cards in this deck). The old man holds a gigantic coin, and then there are nine standing stones in the background.

In the companion book, Barbara Moore weaves a story around this chap, that he has visited these stones on a regular basis to honour his ancestors. 'He finds comfort and peace in repeating the same acts, chanting the same words. Each time he comes he brings a token of thanks for the past and a request for the future.'

The 10 of Pentacles traditionally represents legacy. The elemental dignity of Pentacles is Earth, which represents the material plane. The elemental affinity of the number 10 is also Earth. Thus, 10 of Pentacles is Earth of Earth, a card of material abundance, deep connections to the past and future through the physical line of the family, deep stability. Rather than depicting a grandfather with his progeny in the background, here the old man is backed by stones representing a line that goes much, much further into the past, into the earth itself. The stability of the card is represented in the story of the man finding comfort and peace in the ancient stones -- talk about stable, they've been there for thousands and thousands of years! -- and the stability he finds in his repeated ritual of visiting them.

You don't have to have close ties with an extended family to enjoy the deep peace of the Ten of Pentacles. It's actually a feeling that runs much deeper than family ties.

I'm noticing how many times I've used the word 'deep' in this post. Back and back and back it goes.

On a mundane level, the 10 of Pentacles could just be a reminder to examine your own deep connections today. What do you feel reverent toward, what deserves honour from you? Have you acknowledged it lately?

The First Vampire in English Prose - Lord Ruthven

This week we'll look at court cards from Robert Place's Vampire Tarot. Today's card is Lord Ruthven, the Knave of Garlic Flowers (or Page of Pentacles).

I wanted to share Lord Ruthven with you because he dispels the belief that the 'original' literary vampire is a hideous monster, and that the sexy, seductive vampire is a more modern development. Lord Ruthven (pronounced 'Rivven') comes from very early in the literary vampire world. In fact, he is the very first vampire portrayed in English prose, featuring in a novella called 'The Vampyre' by John Polidori, written in 1816 and published in 1819. That is nearly 80 years before Stoker's book 'Dracula' appeared (1897). So let us hear no more about handsome vampires being a contemporary invention for little girls in their early teens. It just ain't so.

There is no disputing, however, that Lord Ruthven is a thoroughly nasty bloke. He does not strive with guilt or long for the light. He's no Louis or Angel. He uses his beauty and charisma to prey on hapless women, and he has a vindictive streak which makes him enjoy lengthy and complicated ways to inflict mental pain on his victims. He doesn't just pounce on them on the street and drain their blood. He also encourages vice in practice though seems to abhor it in manner. There is something about his pallid skin and dead grey eyes that horrifies, but women (and men) find themselves irresistibly attracted to him despite this. He, however, is choosy.

'The Vampyre', having been written in 1816, isn't exactly effortless prose, but if you are interested in the vampire in literature, I urge you to read it. Here it is: The Vampyre. For those who are not interested, a plot summary:

Aubrey, a young Englishman, meets Lord Ruthven, a man of mysterious origins who has entered London society. Aubrey accompanies Ruthven to Rome, but leaves him after Ruthven seduces the daughter of a mutual acquaintance. Aubrey travels to Greece, where he becomes attracted to Ianthe, an innkeeper's daughter. Ianthe tells Aubrey about the legends of the vampire. Ruthven arrives at the scene and shortly thereafter Ianthe is killed by a vampire. Aubrey does not connect Ruthven with the murder and rejoins him in his travels. The pair is attacked by bandits and Ruthven is mortally wounded. Before he dies, Ruthven makes Aubrey swear an oath that he will not mention his death or anything else he knows about Ruthven for a year and a day. Looking back, Aubrey realizes that everyone whom Ruthven met ended up suffering.Aubrey returns to London and is amazed when Ruthven appears shortly thereafter, alive and well. Ruthven reminds Aubrey of his oath to keep his death a secret. Ruthven then begins to seduce Aubrey's sister while Aubrey, helpless to protect his sister, has a nervous breakdown. Ruthven and Aubrey's sister are engaged to marry on the day the oath ends. Just before he dies, Aubrey writes a letter to his sister revealing Ruthven's history, but it does not arrive in time. Ruthven marries Aubrey's sister. On the wedding night, she is discovered dead, drained of her blood — and Ruthven has vanished.

So we see a kind of cautionary tale about a deeply evil being who encourages licentiousness, gambling and other vices of dissipation, seduces the innocent and libertine alike to their ruin or even death. The vampire is the dangerous outsider, the foreigner who comes in to our orderly, peaceful system and causes havoc.

He's not a monster who climbs walls. That was Dracula, and he wasn't the first. He wasn't even the second. That was Carmilla. More about her in the next post.

Singing in my pointy shoes

Faerie Tarot, Hertz

Yesterday was a good day at work. I had a one-to-one (called '121' or '1:1' by my employers) with my manager and we have begun to discuss a work plan for me. Then for the afternoon, I did actual work on the internal corporate website. Just plain rote work, but I felt like I was actually getting something done.

Today I believe I will continue in that vein. I've drawn the Page of Pentacles for today (and funnily enough, I've drawn a court card for every day this week!). The LWB to the Faerie Tarot says the Page of Pentacles represents 'application, thinking, study, desire to learn, new ideas; reliable colleague, an honest worker, intellectual work, earning money.' These are all fairly common interpretations of this card, and I agree with them. I don't really see how sitting and playing a lyre on a hillside gives any hint to these meanings, though. I wonder what is the point of having an illustrated card if the illustration doesn't give a good indication of the meaning. Surely it would be easier for the student of the deck if you just used plain pips, so they could examine your LWB without ideas brought about by the card illustration? My first reaction to someone sitting on a hillside playing the lyre to the birds would be of someone quite emotional and artistic, not someone like the Page of Pentacles who would rather be examining the bird's feathers or grubbing around in the grass trying to figure out how the root system works.

Got a dentist appointment tomorrow - apprehensive!

Just a good old boy

Prairie Tarot, Ator 2010

The Page of Coins here makes me think mostly of the sun, or perhaps the moon, which stands to reason, as today is the full moon, and a super moon at that. The background of the card is a warm yellow, and the only other detail on the card, really, is a lamp, emblazoned with an eagle.

The Page of Coins is generally seen to be someone who is endlessly curious about the natural world, what makes things work, how things fit together, what makes stuff tick. He's a very hands-on person, has great attention to detail, very diligent task commitment. That doesn't mean he isn't playful -- he hasn't progressed into the Knight of Coins yet! But he is the kind of person whose version of play involves finding out the answers to his ceaseless questions. He is the kind of guy who can put up a shelf for you, hook up your DVD player, and ask in return only that you come out to the park and play some softball and maybe go for a beer afterward. A good guy. Clean cut all-American type. ;)