Past, Present & Future with the RWS

Last week my Gilded Tarot took an extended vacation at my friend William's house. We were sitting around watching television and the deck was digging into my thigh, so I took it out of my pocket and placed it on the end table. At the end of the evening I left with the remaining pizza, buffalo wings and 12 pack of Pepsi. Everything but my dear Gilded.

I wasn't too worried about my deck since I knew I was going back over to William for the Super Bowl. It did, however; bring up a conundrum later in the week when I wanted to read.

I really wasn't drawn to the Rider Waite Smith deck. I bought it because it is the "standard" and most books and websites that teach Tarot refer to the RWS. I found I couldn't get into the washed out images and the watercolor-like art work. It left me flat so it was with some trepidation I grabbed for the box.

I also wanted to remain true to the spirit of the PDR and didn't want to "learn" another deck. But any port in a storm ...

After my traditional interview of the deck (which I will post as soon as I can remember where I laid it down) I decided to throw a simple Past, Present, Future spread for myself. I drew three cards:

Past - Temperance
Present - The World
Future - Eight of Swords

PAST
In Temperance we find the merging of seemingly opposites. The angel is clearly female yet wears the point up triangle that signifies masculine energy. Her feet are planted one in the river and one on the rocks, showing she lives in both the spiritual and physical world. She is pouring water from one cup to another at an impossible angle. The rays of the sun coming over the mountains mimic the rays surrounding the angel's head showing an awareness that is beginning to rise. A path leads from the river through the land and up into the mountains symbolizing a journey from the unconscious and unknown mysteries of life through the physical world ending at the higher state of being.

By splitting the Major Arcana into three groups of seven cards, leaving the fool alone as the traveller, we can look at the three parts of the whole journey. The first part shows the path of finding your place in society and conquering the physical world. The second path, lead by Temperance, is the journey of inner awareness. The third leg is the search for a higher awareness.

This is telling me that my path to inner awareness was started years ago. I started the merging of my spiritual and physical selves when I was 22 years old and I have been learning and growing ever since.

PRESENT
The World is the culmination of the journey. The place we all aspire to be. The awareness that we are glorious spirit and not restrictive flesh. In the card we see a figure dancing, she holds a wand in each hand but rather than using the wand to hold a satchel as The Fool, to wield power as The Magician or to lean weary bones on as The Hermit our dancer seems to be twirling them like batons. She is surrounded in wreathes that are tied with ribbons of infinity. This represents the constant evolving state of the universe. The cycle of life on a grand scale. There is no death as we think of it. Life does not stop but is continual.

The lesson of The World for me is that I have reached the end of the journey started years ago and represented by Temperance. Since life is an infinite, never ending process it is time to start my next journey which will bring me to Higher Awareness.

FUTURE
The Eight of Swords is a card of bondage. Of imprisonment. Here we see a woman surrounded by eight swords. She is dressed in a red gown bound and blindfolded. The swords are thrust into the muddy ground that still shows puddles were water once ran. Water is symbolic of psychic ability and intuition, this shows us the woman's own abilities are drying up but still remain. Her feet stand one foot on muddy earth and one in a puddle, mimicking the angel in Temperance. Whereas the angel in Temperance is aware of living in both worlds our damsel does not realize the gifts she possesses. Although her mouth is not gagged she does not open it to call for help. Likewise, the cloths that bind her seem loose enough to fall to the ground with a good shake. In fact our subject does not look distressed. It is possible she has placed herself in this position of non movement.

Swords represent intellect and the spirit. The breath of life. When we live too much in our head, we close ourselves off to receiving the benefits of other energy. The card shows the merging of Swords with energy of Cup and Pentacle (water and earth) can assist Swords (air) or hinder them.

Flowing freely the emotion and openness of Cups irrigates the earth and allows the ideas of the swords to take root and flourish. However, if Swords exerts too much influence they can dry up the Cup's offering leaving only mud. Mud will bind you where you are.

This card is telling me that I am keeping myself from starting the journey to higher awareness. Over the last few months clues have been dropping, some a subtle as a sledgehammer, to get me started. As of yet, I have not made the commitment to myself.

Yet another clue to get Gary to move his arse. I guess I will leave fear behind (since that is what is keeping me from taking the plunge) and journey down The Road Less Travelled.