on Apollo and the sun

Given my love of all things mythological, I find it interesting to consider the connection between The Sun card in tarot decks and the Greek god Apollo.  The Mythic Tarot (1986) depicts Apollo on the Sun card but this is not only a modern idea.  Giovanni Vacchetta’s 1893 tarot deck also depicts Apollo on this card.  In the Golden Dawn’s astrological associations this card is, not surprisingly, linked to the Sun.  In a divinatory sense The Sun is commonly seen as a happy and positive card and it is interesting to consider how the connection to Apollo can add to, and deepen, its meaning.  

 As well as being the sun god, Apollo was also the god of music.  Music is one way that we can express our creative spirit or the joy that is in our heart.  Music is often associated with happy occasions or celebrations, which fits well with the traditional divinatory meanings associated with this card.  When we express ourselves through music we often feel a sense of freedom associated with allowing our creative energy to flow forward.  This same feeling can be associated with the Sun card appearing in a reading.

Apollo was also the god of archery.  This adds another dimension to the card.  When we think of all that positive, free, creative energy actually being directed at a target we begin to get a sense of what is possible in life.  If we are able to both express our true self and find a destination for that energy, then surely great things can be achieved.

Those who read tarot may relate more to the moon card than the sun.  The moon connects to our intuition and psychic abilities and so can fit well with the role of tarot reader. However, the other area over which Apollo presided was prophecy.  Prophecy relates to the prediction or foretelling of future events.  Perhaps when the sun card comes up in a reading it also provides the opportunity to shed some light on how the current situation may pan out.  By examining current events, our creative ideas and the things that bring us joy, the sun allows us to get a clear vision of where that arrow of our spirit may be heading.  The sun has the potential to both clarify and amplify the situation at hand.  

  

If the sun came up next to The Moon for example, then we might be looking at a ‘full moon’, an amplification of the emotions associated with this card.  If it fell beside The Chariot, we could determine that the way ahead is bright and the movement is clearly towards the desired end.  Beside the five of pentacles The Sun may be the promise of better times ahead.  

Numerologically, the sun (19) can also be linked to the Hermit (9).  Where the Hermit looks within to find his inner light, the Sun is that inner light projected out into the world.  The joy we feel on drawing the sun card parallels the joy of sharing our own light with the world. 

So, how can Apollo as the god of the Sun give us clues for finding joy and happiness in our lives?  By expressing our inner light in creative ways (like with music), by combining intention and skill to reach a target (like with archery), and looking at our current situation and considering how our actions now will impact on our future (prophecy).  We can use Apollo and the Sun to remember that within us we have the potential to express our ideas in creative ways and obtain the sense of freedom that comes with that.  If we remain focused on our goals then we have the potential to achieve our ideals.  And always, if we examine our current situation, and take responsibility for our part in it, we can come to sound conclusions about how things are likely to turn out. If we don’t like the result we can make changes.  Ultimately though, the sun is our guiding light.  The reason it is so positive is because if we really engage in the areas of life that Apollo watches over, we are likely to find our joy.

The 'Sun' cards in this post, in order that they appear, are from the following decks:
Mythic, Tarot of the Master (Vacchetta), Classic (Soprafino), Hermetic, Jolanda (Swedish Witch), Thoth, Crystal, Haindl, Celestial, Nigel Jackson, Visconti (Cary Yale), 1001 Nights

on not looking back

I can't believe it's almost a week since my last post, how quickly time seems to be flying by.  There is a lot going on for me at the moment and I thought I'd choose a card to see if it could give me any inspiration.  The card I chose was from Crowley's Thoth deck and it was the Prince of Cups.

I have always really loved this card.   For some reason it makes me think of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.  I see this prince as Orpheus, about to journey to the underworld in search of his lost bride.  He is determined and sorrowful at once.  The link with this card to the Astrological sign of Scorpio also links to the concepts of passion, and death. 

Crowley describes how this card represents the airy part of water and says; "On the one hand, elasticity, volatility, hydrostatic equilibrium; on the other hand, the catalytic faculty and the energy of steam."  To me, when I consider this I see the figure on the card as demonstrating such composure and strength and yet, beneath the surface is an increasing fire, ready to blow off the lid of this calm veneer and explode like the steam that erupts from a boiling kettle.  And steam burns! 

In the myth of Orpheus he is able to recover his lost bride, but despite promising not to look back on his return trip he is unable to help himself and then loses Eurydice for a second time.  His resolve vanishes, he has now lost everything.  The once sweet song become mournful, the light disappears.

So what does this all mean?  My disappointments of the past week have left me feeling rather subdued.  I have remained calm on the surface but perhaps this Prince is here to remind me that there may be other emotions bubbling away under the surface.  Perhaps the best thing I can do is to accept the inevitable, and not look back.

on Celtic Mythology and the Druidcraft Tarot

Mythology is what originally sucked me into the world of tarot. My first deck was the original Mythic Tarot and ever since working with this deck I’m inclined to bring mythology into all my decks. For me, myth and symbolism go hand in hand and I love the way connecting cards to mythic characters adds additional layers to readings.

During a period when I was really trying to get my head around the world of Celtic myth I hunted around for a tarot deck reflecting this theme. While there are many Celtic themed decks none of them really worked for me in the way I‘d hoped for. The Celtic Wisdom deck was a great help in providing me with a structure to learn and explore the myths, but it didn’t work as well for me as reading deck.  You can see my review of the Celtic Wisdom deck here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/celtic-wisdom/review.shtml. (It's the second one).

I had always loved the artwork of the Druidcraft deck and yet as an actual tarot I felt it fell short of the mark for me. In my desperation, one day I pondered the idea of linking the gods and goddesses of the Celtic pantheon to this deck and promptly set to work. What follows are my own correspondences after much reflection and time working with the deck. I don’t suggest that anyone else should take on board what I’ve done. I am writing this purely because it may have been helpful for me to see what someone else had done when I was developing my own system.

I used the Celtic Wisdom set and the Druidcraft companion book as a starting point and then read up on the myths and made the connections that felt right to me. My aim was to match the mythic characters to the card archetypes and I have used a broad range of myths such as Welsh, Irish and Arthurian to draw from. I have also made links to the four aces.

For what it’s worth, here is what I came up with:

The Fool – Gwion Bach
The Magician – Merlin / Math
The Priestess – Rhiannon
The Empress – Anu
The Emperor – Arthur
The Hierophant – Taliesin
The Lovers – Tristan and Isolde
The Chariot – Maeve / Epona
Justice – Brigh
The Hermit – Merlin
The Wheel of Fortune – Arianrhod
Strength – Brigid
The Hanged Man – Green Man
Death – Cerridwen / Morrigan
Temperance – Brigid
Cernunnos – Cernunnos
The Tower – Taranis
The Star – Sulis
The Moon – Mannanan
The Sun – Mabon / Belenus / Epona
Rebirth – Taliesin
The World – Guinevere

King of Wands – Lugh / Llew
Queen of Wands – Scathach
Knight of Wands – Fionn mac Cumhaill
Princess of Wands – Aine

King of Swords – Nuada
Queen of Swords – Macha
Knight of Swords – Gwydion
Princess of Swords – Blodeuwedd

King of Cups – Ogma
Queen of Cups – Nimue / Morgan le Fay
Knight of Cups – Aengus mac Og
Princess of Cups – Coventina

King of Pentacles – Daghdha
Queen of Pentacles – Rosmerta
Knight of Pentacles – Goibniu
Princess of Pentacles – Damara

Ace of Wands – Airmed
Ace of Swords – Lady of the Lake
Ace of Cups – Boan
Ace of Pentacles – Nematona

I have found that the whole process of making these connections between the card archetypes and the myths really helped to personalise this deck for me.  It's another way to add layers of meaning to your deck and a great way to learn more about mythology too.