Thoughts on Temperance

Noblet Tarot, Flornoy 2009

'Her water resembles the rope that holds the Hanged Man's foot. Is she the one who releases him? Who washes his body? Temperance can anoint. She can make things smooth. She knows how far to stretch her elastic. She is the true gambler. The real thing.' -- Camelia Elias, Marseille Tarot: Towards the Art of Reading

'...the angle at which the angel or woman pours the water. Quite simply, you can't do that. Water won't pour at any angle but straight down. Thus, the card shows us a figure who calmly and gracefully does the impossible.' -- Rachel Pollack, Tarot Wisdom

'In Justice, the cerebral order of the top part [of the card] wields a sword, and forcefully subdues the natural life flow of the bottom part. In the Force card, the higher element is still master over the lower one, but this is done in a soft way. In Temperance too we can see a high part and a low part, each with its own vessel. But in this card the two parts are united by the liquid flow.' -- Yoav Ben-Dov, The Open Reading

'An important aspect of this card's meaning of alchemical transformation can be summed up beautifully in the Nichiren Buddhist term hendoku-iyaku -- "changing poison into medicine". This is the process by which we transform our problems -- anything from our base desires to our troubles and afflictions --into strength, joy and enlightenment.' -- James Ricklef, The Soul's Journey: Finding Spiritual Messages in the Tarot

'Many of us think serenity means we have to close ourselves down, not let life get to us. We assume we must avoid passion in order to stay serene, untouched. But imagine a state in which you could allow the strongest emotions to move through you, take firm action whenever necessary, love, cry, dance and never lose your ground, your knowledge of who you are and what really matters. Imagine that you know, not as an idea but as knowledge in every part of your body, and every action and every emotion, that the divine moves through you like a river. Or like a bright stream of water that passes from one cup to another.' -- Rachel Pollack, The Forest of Souls: A Walk through the Tarot

Mantra for Majors, Rowan Tarot 
(Temperance by Emily Carding)

Finding Metta in the 9 of Cups

Yesterday I offered you a spread for setting empowering intentions in your thoughts, words and actions for the week. Today's card, 9 of Chalices from Silver Witchcraft Tarot (Barbara Moore and Franco Rivolli, LoScarabeo 2014) continues the theme. 

The 9 of Cups is sometimes called the wish card, and is also associated with deep personal contentment. Let's use the energy of this card to send our intentions into the universe, using a beloved and beautiful mantra that is associated with jivamukti yoga:

LOKAH SAMASTA SUKHINO BHAVANTU

This mantra may be translated as: 'May all beings everywhere be happy and free.' 

It appears to be based on the longer, traditional Metta Bhavana ('Lovingkindness Meditation'). Please view this lovely rendition by Imee Ooi. The video provides text in Pali with English translation: 

Mantra for Majors - Wheel of Fortune

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Thursday Thoughts #2

You may recall a few years ago I did a series of posts about my use of Sanskrit mantras with tarot majors. I will be posting them again in the form of posters. I hope you enjoy. Namaste.

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Mantra and Tarot: Moon, Sun, Judgement, World

Moon: Sat chid ekam Brahma
This chant is to understand the mysteries of the form of creation. It makes secrets of the Universe accessible to you. The Moon card indicates an excitement of the unconscious, a psychic awakening and the need to pay attention to it. The mantra expresses the desire to understand the hidden depths that the Moon represents.







Sun: The Sun mantras and their fruits
The Sun card is joy, happiness, the beauty of life. This cannot be expressed in a single mantra There are twelve positions in the yoga sequence known as the Sun Salutation, any of which could be selected as the mantra to attend the Sun card, depending on context.

Om mitraya namaha - The Light of Universal Friendship
Om ravaye namaha - Light of Compelling Radiance
Om suryaya namaha - Dispeller of Darkness/Ignorance
Om bhanave namaha - The Shining Principle
Om khagaya namaha - All-Pervading Light
Om pushe namaha - Light of Mystic Fire
Om hiranya gharbaya namaha - The Golden-Coloured One
Om marichaye namaha - Light of Dawn and Dusk
Om adityaya namaha - Light of the Sage
Om savitre namaha - Light of Enlightenment
Om arkaya namaha - Light that Removes Affliction
Om Bhaskaraya namaha - The Brilliance: Light of Intelligence


Judgement: Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi swaha
'Gone, gone, all the way gone, gone all the way to the other shore--hooray!'
The Judgement card depicts people rising from the grave at the End of Days. They respond to the trumpet call and arise changed, their old bodies replaced with new living ones. In readings, this is the response to recognizing that the old self has died and an important change is (or should be) happening.






World: Om bhur buvaswaha
            Tatsavitur varenyam
            Bhargo devasya dimahi
            Dhiyoyonah prachodat

'Om the totality of the Universe, the realm of truth which is beyond human comprehension, every being who has ever been enlightened and who is now in the realm where all celestials of all spheres dwell, kindly enlighten our intellect.'

The true meaning of the World card is unknowable, inexpressible. An understanding, freedom and rapture beyond words. Thus I also can assign it the following lovely mantra:

Ek ong kar sat nam siri wahey guru 
'All that is created has created us, Truth is our name, great beyond description. Unspeakable ecstasy is this light from darkness.'

(All images from Chesca Potter's Greenwood Tarot)

Again, I would like to say that the mantra/tarot associations I've created are based on my study of  Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley Farrand, and 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

Mantra and Tarot: Devil, Tower, Star

Devil: Narasimha tavada so hum
Narasimha is an avatar of Vishnu who defeats evil influences that rule the earth. It is the principle for destroying the seemingly indestructible. Narasimha is invoked to gain freedom from evil situations. The Devil caard can indicate a narrow materialistic view of life, any form of misery, feeling chained or imprisoned, with the illusion that no alternatives are possible. Obsessions, slavery to desires, morally repugnant acts. Feelings of shame for giving in to those desires.

Suggested crystal: smoky quartz, which helps overcome fear of failure.




Tower: Om krim kalikayei namaha
'Om to Kali'. Kali is the goddess of Time and Change. Her name means 'The black one', and she is a figure of annihilation. She is the foremost of the ten fierce Tantric goddesses. The mantra (and its stronger version, Om hrim klim adya Kalika parma eshwari swaha) cuts through illusion and brings intense, unnerving, uncomfortable and disruptive changes, effective in a very short amount of time. It cuts through some cherished part of our ego attachments. Similarly, the Tower indicates a period of upheaval, the destruction of long-established beliefs or situations. It can also mean a flash of enlightenment.

Suggested crystal: titanium quartz, which has a starburst color effect, or lodestone, which is associated with magnetism, thus can attract or repel as needed.





Star: Om asatoma sat gamaya, tamasoma jyotir gamaya, mritorma amritam gamaya
'Om, from the not-true to the true lead us, from the dark to the light lead us, from death to immortality lead us.' The Star speaks of openness, wholeness and healing. Inner calm and peace. The unconscious activated, in a very benign way.

Suggested crystal: lapis lazuli, associated with the third eye, truth and enlightenment.




(All images from Morgan Greer Tarot)

Mantra and Tarot: Hanged Man, Death, Temperance

Hanged Man: Shante prashante sarva bhaya upashamani swaha
'Through peace, supreme peace, I surrender the quality of fear to the mind without form (ie, universal mind).' In other words, 'fear' is released into the larger source, where it is dispersed. It is the notion of surrendering to the universal that is important here. The Hanged Man has surrendered resistance to life; the feeling of being deeply connected, the release of emotions that may have been locked up for years.





Death: Gobinde mukunde udare apare, hariang kariang nirnamay akame
'Sustainer, liberator, enlightener, infinite; destroyer, creator, nameless, desireless'. The Death card does not actually refer to transformation, but to the precise moment at which we give up old masks and thus allow the transformation to take place. A clearing away of old habits and rigidness to make way for a new life to emerge.






Temperance: Ra ma da sa, sa say so hung
'Sun, moon, earth, infinity; totality of the universe--I am that.' The mantra is about perfect balance in all elements and oneness with existence. The word temperance comes from the Latin 'tempare' which means to mix or combine properly. All different sides of life mix properly in Temperance. The person and the outer world flow naturally together.





(All images from Gaian Tarot)

Mantra and Tarot: Hermit, Wheel, Strength

Hermit: Ong namo guru dev namo 
'I bow to the teacher within.' This mantra is the opening to all kundalini yoga sets, as well as the closing prayer 'Sat nam' ('Truth is my name'). The Hermit is both the teacher within and perhaps an outer teacher. (Images in this post are from Cosmic Tarot).

Wheel of Fortune: Om haksa mala varayam soha
The mantra invokes Kalachakra, the Wheel of Time, a Tibetan shiva. The Wheel of Time is the last teaching of the Buddha before his death. The Kalachakra tradition revolves around cycles--from the planets to our breath, the wheel without beginning or end. The Wheel card has a similar meaning of constant change and flow, and the mystery of the interconnectedness of time and the universe.

Strength: Om sri rama, jaya rama, jaya jaya rama 
'Om to Rama, victory Rama, victory victory Rama'. Rama in this context is the divine self located within us all. Strength indicates the ability to face life with hope and eagerness, showing a person strong from within, experiencing life passionately yet peacefully. It is a complementary side to the Chariot card, Strength being the inner and Chariot being the outer self.

(Apologies for the formatting on this entry, Blogger has apparently decided to lose its mind today and I lack the patience to continue to work with it...)

Mantra and Tarot: Lovers, Chariot, Justice

Lovers: 'Om hraum mitraya namaha'
This mantra means 'Om to the light of Universal Friendship.' The mantra honours the first of the 12 gifts of the sun, and is the first mantra chanted during the yoga sequence known as the Sun Salutation. The Lovers represents the importance of love and relationships in our lives, relationships that prove to lead to a new understanding of life, of sources of help, and emotional support.

The natural crystal choice for this card, to me, is rose quartz. Use a rose quartz mala for counting off 108 repetitions of this mantra.



Chariot: 'Om gum ganapatayei namaha'
This mantra is dear to me as it is the first one I learned and used to effect. It means 'Om to Ganesha,' the breaker of obstacles. Also called Ganapathi, he is the obstacle-breaking power personified. The Chariot card also signifies a person successfully controlling some situation through the force of his personality. Success, a victory. This mantra is often chanted to help us achieve the outcome we want.

Black obsidian is suggested when using this mantra, but I prefer carnelian, as I associate Ganesh and carnelian with the root chakra.




Justice: 'Maakaral shivaya nama'
Though not a literal translation, this mantra in essence means: 'Salutations to Shiva, remover of karma'. The word  'maakaral' is derived from 'maha karal', meaning 'great stain', which refers here to great misdeeds or actions that produce very negative karma. The mantra is about removing negative karma, things being made right. The Justice card is closely associated with the concept of karma. Its appearance in a draw indicates first that events have come to you from decisions or actions in the past, and second that you see the truth of this outcome. At the same time it shows that your actions in the future can be changed by the lessons you have learned in the present situation. Honesty, fairness, right actions, just decisions. Both carnelian and jade are suggested as stones to accompany the Justice card. I myself have not yet decided what crystal to use.

All images from Kat Black's Touchstone Tarot.

Mantra and Tarot: Empress, Emperor, Hierophant

Anna K Tarot

Empress: 'Om mata, om mata, mata jagadamba'
This mantra carries no deep meaning. 'Mata' literally means 'mother', and 'jagadamba' means 'world mother'. So the chant is 'Mother, mother, mother of the world'. It is simple and basic homage to the Mother. The Empress is Motherhood, love and gentleness. At the same time, she is sexuality, emotion, and the female. She is nature in all its force and glory, voluptous and sensual. In the face of such overwhelming feminine power, what can one say but 'Oh mother, oh mother, mother of us all'? She is physicality and emotion in its purest form, without intellectual or moral consideration.

Chant this mantra holding a green crystal of your choice, or anything that is earthy or sensuous to you. You could chant it while stroking a piece of velvet cloth.

Emperor: 'Om nama shivaya'

Anna K Tarot

This mantra is meant to enhance masculine energy and its focused consciousness. It helps purify the masculine aspect. In his best aspect, the Emperor indicates the stability provided by a just society, where law and order are maintained through the inherent morality of those laws. He represents all things 'organised' in society, from agriculture to social structure to conventional roles...He is the father and is linked to rules and authority. Shiva embodies these masculine qualities. The very word 'shiva' just makes me think of a warrior who would defend and watch over me, and yes do things for the greater good that might not be that nice for the individual. These are the kind of choices the Emperor has to make.

A red stone would be good to use during this mantra.

Hierophant: 'Om maha jagadguru swaha' 

Anna K Tarot

I don't know if this mantra exists in any actual practice. I made it up using Sanskrit words. It means 'Om, hail to the great world teacher(s)'. The term jagadguru refers to those spiritual figures around whom the world's religions have formed. The Hierophant, sometimes the Pope or the High Priest, is the intercessor between God and the people. Where the Emperor provides structure and rules to guide us through the physical world, the Hierophant is the father figure that guides us spiritually. Yes, his masculine energy means he organises spirituality, he makes rules, and he makes structure of it. But still, a lot of good is done through him.

Scott Cunningham associates topaz with the Hierophant. I think something harder and colder might be in order. But who can afford a diamond big enough to use as a palm stone?

Mantra and Tarot: Fool, Magician, High Priestess

I use mantra in my meditation practice and have been building a set of correspondences between mantra and tarot. These mantras can be used to enhance tarot spells or meditations on the cards. I arrived at these connections using three main sources: Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand, 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack, and my own intuition. 

The Fool:  'Om vajrasattva hum'

Universal Waite 

Vajrasattva is the being who purifies and protects the sincere seeker. The mantra helps us purify our minds of doubt and fear and any other taint or negativity we might find there. It helps us move toward the pure state of the Fool, true innocence. 

www.indianetzone.com 

The Fool enjoys total openness to life, complete freedom from fear and doubt. He represents that pristine state that humankind, in many world myths, experienced before some primordial 'fall'. The Vajrasattva mantra is meant to help us achieve this kind of purity of mind and spirit. 

The mantra is chanted, traditionally, 108 times using a mala. I suggest using a crystal mala made of agate or tourmaline, or hold an agate or tourmaline in one hand as you chant. Or, you could chant it while holding your hands in the lotus  mudra at the heart chakra, to symbolise purity and openness.