I mean to continue the subject of Tarot, but we will touch on the basics. Are you all familiar with tarot?

It’s based on a set of images that in all likelihood go back to late Egypt. It originally was used as a set of playing cards that were quite popular with the Egyptian mercenary cast known as Mamluks.

It has two definable parts, called the major and minor arcana respectively. The minor arcana do play a role in the major arcana. The minor arcana are divided along numeric lines, the Arabic numerals and the court cards. This is what traditional playing cards are, but even in playing cards they often refer to a set played through called a book. I am not a big card player myself, so I am not well versed in the conventions of those games. I have taken to dabbling in it, though.

There are four suits which correspond to the four elements, and four courts which also correspond to the four elements. Perhaps of interest, many personality analysis tools use four descriptive elements, like say, the Meyers-Briggs tool.

So shall we start there? Each set of personality reference points corresponds to a binary pair in the tarot. Extroversion corresponds to air and fire, or swords and wands in tarot.

The Ace of Swords. The exact form the symbol takes doesn’t actually matter. Swords could just as easily be spears or arrows, but as you look at that image, what do you think of?

It makes me think of a tournament. It looks like victory. Both involve planning, and being able to distinguish between truth and wisdom.

I think of the two edged nature of truth. The two edged-ness of yin yang. That is a double edged blade? Yes, indeed. This is the minor arcana associated with the mind, thought, vision, things like that.

Sword of insight. Yes.

That there are primary colors in this card says a lot too. Yes. Basic to the creation of the rest of the colors. Tarot imagery, right down to the colors, is usually very deliberate.

Ace of Staves, or wands it might be called. See the connection between it and the swords?

This suit is associated with fire. Where the suit of swords corresponds to rational thought, the suit of wands corresponds to passions, the blunt instrument of conviction.

Thought is a much sharper weapon than emotion. It is, but it is also more easily defeated, misguided.

Parried. Yes. As they often say, emotion and not reason rules human behavior.

Whereas a club can bash through a shield. And if not bash through the shield, bash down the arm holding it up.

These are the yang suits, the extroverted suits.

Masculine? Symbolically masculine yes, though these affect women as much as they do men. The gender symbolism comes into play when you are trying to understand how cards interact, sort of like what completes a circuit in electrical engineering.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~