Each card is, in a sense, a living being; and its relations with its neighbors are what one might call diplomatic. It is for the student to build these living stones into his living Temple.
— The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley p48
Have you already discovered how difficult it is to access your intuition? It’s a constant conflict for most Tarot readers. Some days we read well, other times it can feel like a foreign language. This article provides a solution to this common problem. Rather than trying to accept or cultivate our intuition, I propose we use the full extent of Rationality to understand the cards? Sounds counter productive right?
Oftentimes Rationality is the killer of intuition. But, if we apply a little bit of double-think, a little bit of Winnie the Pooh logic, it could be possible to become so rational as to short-circuit our brains and allow intuition to flow. Well, that’s the idea; let’s look at the tools I’ll be using and how I propose to achieve this effect.
I’ll be using the Golden Dawn attributions for the cards, of which I have provided a Table of Content further into this article.
I’ll also be working with the Thoth Tarot throughout. The Thoth Tarot is an Occult deck that uses symbolism from the Qabbalah, Tree-Of-Life, Planets, Zodiacal signs and the Elements. I understand if that makes some people feel excluded, but do continue to read on. It may be possible to adapt what I’m saying, in part, if not completley, to the Tarot deck of your choice.
It may be a good idea for people who want to know a bit more of the theory; who are not familiar with the Occult Tarot, Qabbalah or Golden Dawn to check out some additional resources. A quick search of Google will bring up a ton of information on the Tree-of-Life, astrological associations of the Small cards of the Golden Dawn or Thoth Tarot.
What I propose
This exercise uses the Minor Arcana. It’s my experience that the Small cards are, in some senses, the easiest to be specific with. This could be, in part, due to their overall function within Tarot; that of classifying the Universe, and functioning as the framework for the Universe.
For this reason, I think a good starting place for this type of exercise is the Small cards. It keeps things simple, with the added possibility of using the same methods on the Court cards and the Major Arcana (each would demand its on logic of course).
The objective is to use Rationality to understand the Minor Arcana at a core level. I want to reduce (think reductionism) the Small cards down to a few key ideas; then to take those ideas, and no other, as the starting point for every Tarot reading I do; it’s providing a clean slate for the intuition to work through. Perhaps, in some senses, that’s secondary to the deepening understanding this exercise will provide.
What will this achieve?
Essentially, the more rational thought we apply to the Minor Arcana, the more we will objectify them, the more we will overload our brains, the stronger our intuition will become, the more specific our Divinations, and the more specific our understanding of the Minor Arcana will become.
Let’s get started.
How to Understand the Minor Arcana?
I need to point out, as far as the distinction between the Golden Dawn and the Thoth Tarot goes, that many of the features from the Golden Dawn’s system survive into the new Aeon. To keep things simple, I’ll not be covering this in any more detail, except to say that I acknowledge and accept the distinction.
I’m going to be looking at the 36 Small cards from the perspective of the Thoth Tarot which makes it easy to become exceptionally rational, exceptionally quickly. No joke!
That’s the beauty behind the Golden Dawn system. It uses something that is so rational, that works via the use of logic; in fact it needs logic applied to it before it will work; that is so intricate and involved, that is so demanding of the rational mind that eventually — the rational mind is broken and intuition flows.
Why is this? Because its most fundamental Principles are irrational. It’s irrationality dressed up as rational. It’s perfect for people who find it difficult to trust their intuition. If you consider some (there are many more things that could be added here) of the things that go into this framework — you have the Qabbalah, the Hebrew Letters, the Tree-of-Life, Astrological associations on the Tree, the 4 Worlds of the Tree (which will alter, very subtly, the astrological meanings), the Shemhamphorasch, and then, finally, the Tarot. That’s a lot of thinking! That’s a lot of things to occupy the Rational mind. But then again, that’s the point. The point is to rationally understand the irrational; keep bombarding it with information, keep filling it with attributions, until finally, it breaks. It results in a kind of Holy Madness.
Why does it break? Because it’s irrational; the system is designed to effectively trick the Rational mind into figuring out what cannot be figured out. The rational cannot understand the irrational. It’s beautifully simple and wonderfully ingenious.
Before we begin, have a look at the Table below. It describes the esoteric name of each of the Small cards. The names are from the Golden Dawn, and it will be important for anyone who isn’t familiar with Occult Tarot to have a sense of what each of the names (or personalities) of these cards are. In a moment, we will discover how these names are arrived at — through the use of a formula!
| Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks | |
| Ace | The Root of the Powers of Fire | The Root of the Powers of Water | The Root of the Powers of Air | The Root of the Powers of Earth |
| Two | Lord of Dominion | Lord of Love | Lord of Peace Restored | Lord of Harmonious Change |
| Three | Lord of Established Strength | Lord of Abundance | Lord of Sorrow | Lord of Material Works |
| Four | Lord of Perfected Work | Lord of Blended Pleasure | Lord of Rest from Strife | Lord of Earthly Power |
| Five | Lord of Strife | Lord of Loss in Pleasure | Lord of Defeat | Lord of Material Trouble |
| Six | Lord of Victory | Lord of Pleasure | Lord of Earned Success | Lord of Material Success |
| Seven | Lord of Valor | Lord of Illusionary Success | Lord of Unstable Effort | Lord of Success Unfulfilled |
| Eight | Lord of Swiftness | Lord of Abandoned Success | Lord of Shortened Force | Lord of Prudence |
| Nine | Lord of Great Strength | Lord of Material Happiness | Lord of Despair and Cruelty | Lord of Material Gain |
| Ten | Lord of Oppression | Lord of Perfected Success | Lord of Ruin | Lord of Wealth |
Lon Milo Duquette provides a formula of sorts for understanding the Small cards. He says that we need to take the number and suit of the card, plus the Planet and Zodiacal sign, which will be equal to the Tarot card’s personality.
The answer is a simple formula containing two Qabalistic and two astrological factors. The formula is: (n of suit) + (p in zs) = sc … (Number of Suit) + (Planet in Zodiac Sign) = Small Card.
I want to encourage you to use the formula of (n of suit) + (p in zs) = sc to work out your own new and more innovative meanings for the small cards yourself.— Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette p206-212
Okay, let’s break that down with two examples. Aleister Crowley brilliantly applies this to the 5 of Wands. Here’s his explanation:
What is the meaning of the 5 of Wands? This card is subject to the Lord of Fire, because it is a Wand, and to the Sephira Geburah because it is a Five. It is also subject to the sign Leo, and to the planet Saturn, because this planet and sign determine the nature of the card. This is no more than saying that a Dry Martini has got some juniper in it, and some alcohol, and some white wine and herbs, and a bit of lemon peel, and some ice. It is a harmonious composition from which it would be very difficult to separate the ingredients; yet each element is necessary to the composition.
The Five of Wands is therefore a personality; the nature of this is summed up in the Tarot by calling it “Strife”.— The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley p43
The second example uses the 5 of Swords. Using the formula, it breaks down like this:
5 of Swords + Venus in Aquarius = Defeat.
To get the most out of this exercise, it’s helpful to know some basic Qabbalah. When Lon Milo DuQuette mentions the Number of Suit, he is referring to its numbering that hangs on the Tree-of-Life. With that in mind, its Formula could be rewritten like this: 5 (Geburah) of Swords (Yetzirah) + Venus in Aquarius = Defeat.
But Venus in Aquarius is a friendly combination! Why Defeat?
Although Venus rules Aquarius, making things appear very good, it’s their friendliness, their pacifism which contributes to Defeat. Remember, the number 5 is Geburah on the Tree-of-Life and Geburah is a rough place to be — especially for this friendly pair. Geburah is usually always a disruption to the stability of the 4. In the words of Crowley, “Venus here rules Aquarius, weakness rather than excess of strength seems the cause of disaster. The intellect has been enfeebled by sentiment. The defeat is due to pacifism. Treachery may also be implied.”
The point is, the astrological attribution of Venus ruling Aquarius appeared rather good. However, remember the formula. The very first thing that is required is that we start with the Number; we start with the Tree-of-Life. In this case, Geburah in Yetzirah. It’s the placement of Venus and Aquarius on this number which accounts for Defeat. In other words, the astrological associations must be modified accordingly.
Another example
This example comes again from Crowley, on the 6 of Wands. Here, the focus shifts from understanding how the personalities of the Small cards are worked out to, what one can do with this information.
The 6 of Wands is referred to Jupiter in Leo, and is called the Lord of Victory. This indicates not only what victory is like, but also the conditions to be fulfilled in order to gain Victory. There is need for the fiery energy of the suit of Wands, the balance of the number 6, the stubborn courage of Leo, and also the influence of Jupiter, the little bit of luck that tips the scales.
— The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley p37
There are two important points to consider. Each Small card indicates not only what something is like, such as Victory or Defeat, but also the conditions to be fulfilled in order to gain Victory or Defeat.
This is a great mediation in itself; but its real power comes from giving our Rational minds something to do. By systematically working our way through each of the Small cards, working out why they have certain personalities (according to that system at least), what such and such personality is like, what conditions are required to fulfill it — we have a powerful way of practicing the Tarot. One that might just be better suited to everyone who struggles with intuition.
Finally, there is one more step we can take to occupy our Rational minds. Again, this idea comes from the Book of Thoth. Let’s go back to Crowley’s example of the 5 of Wands. He continues by saying, “This means that, if used passively in divination, one says, when it turns up, ‘There is going to be a fight’. If used actively, it means that the proper course of conduct is to contend.”
Putting it all together
Here is how to apply all we have discussed into one practice session:
- The Formula: Start by picking out some of the Small cards you want to get to know better. For each card that you pick, apply the formula to it. Start backwards. First, look at the name of the card. The 10 of Cups is called, Lord of Perfected Success. Why was it given this name? Contemplate that before looking at the rest of the Formula, which in this case would be; 10 (Malkuth) of Cups (Briah) + Mars in Pisces = Lord of Perfected Success (or Satiety if we solely use the Thoth).
- Ask questions: For instance, what contribution does Mars in Pisces make to the formation of the 10 of Cup’s personality? By working through your own list of questions, you’ll provide your conscious mind with plenty of material to work through. If you keep going with this, constantly questioning and answering, you’ll eventually snap your mind into allowing Intuition to flow.
- Use the other meditations: Start introducing these meditations whenever you feel ready to begin. Start by looking at the personality of the Small card in question. For instance, the 8 of Swords — Lord of Shortened Force (or Interference in the Thoth). Ask yourself, what is Interference. Examine the personality of the card to fully understand this phenomena. Go one step further, ask yourself what conditions need to be met before Interference exists? By looking at what the Small card is, and the conditions required for that personality to function, you’re providing yourself with a deepening understanding of the Major Arcana, but also giving the Rational mind plenty to do.
- Remember to explore the Active and Passive components of the card: When viewing the 9 of Swords passively, what does it mean? Usually, in my case anyway, it points towards sleepless nights and worry. But what about when its used Actively? What would doing the 9 of Swords mean? Does it imply that the best course of action is to act cruelly? Then, as a fall back for your Rational mind, look over the Formula, ask yourself what conditions need to be met in order for there to be Cruelty in the first place etc.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat!: Keep repeating these steps over and over again. Repeat them for all 36 Small cards, and once you’ve completed it, do it again. Keep going, even years from now, keep going. Keep going until your rational mind stops and Intuition naturally flows. Use these steps to access your intuition via rationality. If rationality is a block to your own creativity with Tarot, become overly rational about it. Study it until your mind snaps, intuition flows and your work is done.
Summary
The Occult Tarot provides an excellent vehicle for people who find it difficult to access their intuition; to give powerful and accurate Tarot readings. The cause of most people’s blocks to intuition is Rationality; and it’s this very block that Occult Tarot begins with. It starts with that and ends with an acceptance of the irrational and deep trust of intuition. It takes a lot of information to bombard our rational minds, but luckily the Occult Tarot is a big subject. If you find it difficult or frustrating to read Tarot, perhaps the Occult Tarot is right for you.
What do you think about using the rational to access intuition? What do you think of the process I’ve outlined? Have you already got some experience with these kinds of techniques and if so, what did you think of them? I’d love to read your opinion on this 
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18 comments… Let's discuss
This article is supposed to help who out? If someone has gone through the steps of learning the various attributions of the Thoth deck, then this article couldn’t help them much. Also, the idea of “Venus in Aquarius” has little to nothing to do with the meaning of the 5 of Swords, & the same applies to Mars in Pisces somehow indicating a lord of perfected success. Since when was Pisces the sign of perfectionism? Mars indicating emotional fulfillment? I know you didn’t choose these, but to say 5 = some pathway = Venus in Aquarius = …No emotional concern for body politic? I mean, did Venus’ concepts of beauty, love, & harmony disappear somewhere down the line? Nothing about this card is Venusian.
It’s quite a stretch to dance around the meaning of the card & make Crowley attributes fit. To be honest, if I’m getting a reading and I have to wait on them to complete an irrational mathematical equation for every Minor card that urns up, I’m am going to see someone else.
Hi D,
That’s not entirely true. Anyone can learn the attributions of the Thoth deck. One of the great things about the Thoth is that it tells you what the astrological attributions are (as well as other things) and it states the card name. For instance, 2 of Wands = Dominion.
Therefore, all it takes is for someone to buy the deck and work with it for a while and they will know the attributions. What I’m proposing is to go one step beyond simply knowing them – I propose that the people who let their rationality interfere with their intution actually rationalise everything to do with the Thoth! This of course means, understand why; hence the formula.
It does in the Thoth.
It’s perfected success because its a 10. Ten being the last Sepherph of the Tree. The influence of Mars in Pisces suggesting a disturbance to that perfection. Mars is the disruptive force which attacks perfection. His energy contrasts with that of Pisces, which is both peaceful and spiritualised.
To understand why the Golden Dawn attributed things this way, we need to explore a central concept – the Tree-of-Life.
Keeping things simple, for every suit there is a corresponding Element. Wands is Fire, Cups is Water etc. This also applies to the Tree (in certain circumstances). Therefore we are looking at Venus in the world of Yetzirah (Swords). This puts a different spin on things. Also, given the way the Astrological attributes were allocated to the Tree, it puts her in Sphere 5 – Geburah (a disruptive Sphere). When we look at the Formula, we start with the 5 + astrological associations = Card name. It’s not Venus independent of all the other symbols; it’s Venus in relation to other symbols.
Understanding why they came to these conclusions was the thrust of my article. Doing that will naturally occupy the Rational mind because, on face value, somethings don’t make instant sense. When I talk about face value I’m referring to thinking about these things from outside of the framework of the Golden Dawn – but this Article asks people to step inside the framework.
I didn’t. I purposely quoted Crowley so as to illustrate why he arrived at his conclusions – using his own words.
I agree. There’s nothing worse than having to wait. However, I never meant to suggest that people apply this during a reading. This was written as a way for people who let their Rational minds interfere with intuition, to use that to help them. In other words, by sitting down and studying the cards (putting their Rational minds fully behind this study), thinking about and applying the formula as well as the other additional meditations I suggested, they could, eventually, find a way to comfortably trust and allow their intuition to flow.
Thank you for your comment
As always an interesting article Doug – but I have to admit it does make me glad I don’t have trouble accessing my intuition LOL ;D
It would be interesting to read how others get on with this exercise.
Hi Helen,
Thanks for dropping by and I’m glad you liked the article
Douglas -
I have to echo Helen’s feelings about being glad that she can access her intuition easily! I feel very much the same way. I loved this article – both the content, and the presentation. I loved the inset comments – they add a great deal to the process.
I love to see tables being presented, and actions that readers can take. Job well done!
Stray thought here – In my mind’s eye I can see people focusing on the rational train of thought, and slipping into intuitive thought without realizing it. I love that!
Blessings,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
Thanks for stopping by
Totally! I think for people who’s minds can interfere with intuition, it’s important they find a way to work through that. I’ve had several people email me who just feel completley frustrated with Tarot, and in particular, their intuition. I wanted to find a way of providing something useful for people who find themselves in that situation.
I’m glad you liked the article, and in particular my terrible attempts at a table
Dear Douglas,
I am completely with you on this “rational” approach to working with the cards. It is very similar to a technique I teach my Beginning Tarot students, so they are not overwhelmed with the mount of information that each card represents. Intuitive skills is something we explore in the Intermediate Tarot class.
In addition, not everyone is blessed with easy access to intuition. I like to look at rationality as one more gem in my “Tarot Tool Belt”. Yes, with practice, intuition will integrate this knowledge and have one more perspective to draw from when reading.
I’m only guessing, but what might throw some folks off is the amount of thought and consideration that you are giving the cards by going into the workings of the “engine”. Some people just want to drive and don’t need to know how the vehicle is designed. Yet, those that drive, or ride, had to start somewhere with knowledge of driving or riding skills, then the rules of the road. After that, it becomes automatic to some extent.
As I always say, there is something for everyone, and I’m glad your article is addressing the details of the design.
Speaking of details, one little correction…Four of Disks is “Lord of Earthly Power”.
For those working with a Waite/Smith derivative deck, I recommend going through a simple exercise that I have in the “My Tarot Journey” book:
- Create a grid laying out your minor arcana cards by suit going horizontally, left to right, in order from Ace to 10. You can also include “People/Court” cards at the end in their proper order.
- Place the major arcana cards, I Magician through X Wheel of Fortune atop the minor Ace through 10.
- Meditate on the influence of each major card on the minor suits of the same number, knowing that each suit represents a different “shade” or “flavor” of the major card from that suits unique point of view.
- Example, what happens when the I Magician’s manifesting power comes through the Ace of Pentacles? What does V The Hierophant teach about life through the experience of the 5 of Cups?
There is more to this exercise, but this gives you the basics.
In Mind and Spirit,
Katrina
Hi Katrina,
That’s a great way to put it. Some people can just drive through “feel” alone. Others quickly understand it, and excel at it, once the mechanics have been explained to them – once the functionality behind it makes sense (what is going on with this whole accelerator/clutch ratio for instances).
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out! Updated it now
Great exercise! I’m sure this will be of benefit to many people
Thank you for the great comment
I’ve just discovered your blog (and subscribed to the RSS feed, so I might not show up in the statistics, but I am reading! When I find the time, that is…) and printed out this entry and the one before, to read later today, comfortably on my couch.
I am *very* glad you’re using the Thoth deck for this; it’s a deck I am always circling, connecting with it, then moving back to RWS-style decks (that I feel more comfortable with, even though Thoth was the first one I bought when I was 14 years old; it was the only deck in the shop though, not like I had much choice), then picking up the Thoth again.
I love the artwork but I found even Duquette hard to follow sometimes, and it always feels to me like a deck that works better for ‘theory’ than for ‘practice’.
“The point is to rationally understand the irrational; keep bombarding it with information, keep filling it with attributions, until finally, it breaks.”
Now *that* really appealed to me!
It will be very interesting to follow your posts!
Hi Hedera,
Thank you for subscribing to my blog and I’m glad you’re enjoying the posts
You’re right! Finding that elusive link between theory and practice can be discouraging when other decks don’t make those kinds of demands. Part of what I’m completely obsessive about is finding that elusive link – I like practical methods and practical techniques that work under a variety of reading conditions. The difficulty with some theory is that it almost demands an intermediary step before it becomes practical. This usually involves a degree of private meditation on some technique before it becomes natural enough to be practical in a real life Tarot reading situation.
I hope that my future articles continue to be of use
While your examples are completely beyond me – just a simple I Ching diviner here – I do like the idea of becoming “so rational as to short-circuit our brains and allow intuition to flow.” Thank you for showing some new ways of doing that. Is it fair to say that the key is in holding relatively simple things together in increasingly complex relationships?
Hi Hilary,
Thanks for dropping by
Yes, this is basically the nuts and bolts of it
Its purpose is to use the Rational mind to form increasingly complex associations, until, rather unexpectedly, intuition flows.
I’m glad you liked the post
WOW…there’s a lot here….the thing I find the most useful is the chart. It is easy for me to understand. Does it work for other tarot decks (in general) or is it only useful with Golden Dawn? I gues what i mean…are those personalities the same in other decks…
Hi Ginger,
The Golden Dawn chart is only useful for Occult decks. That doesn’t necessarily mean Golden Dawn specific decks but it does mean decks that have been influenced by that tradition – such as the Thoth or the Haindl. Other Tarot decks tend to have a specific theme which is not necessarily Occult in nature. In those cases, using the above chart could actually conflict with the deck creators use of symbolism – the result would be a confusion of symbols.
Asking if those personalities are the same in other decks is an interesting, and some what complex, question. I think in Occult decks the symbols used to express those personalities are chosen (usually with reference to the Hebrew alphabet, the 10 Sephiroth and Golden Dawn astrological placements) in such a way as to convey it in as broad a context as possible. In other decks, the theme the deck creator chooses will often dictate the symbols.
Does that make it a different personality? Possibly not? But it is best, if you wish to use the Golden Dawn chart (and do not wish to be confused by conflicting symbolism) to chose an Occult deck. I hope that helps
This post os amazing, I finally begin to understand how the GD system of correspondences works. I study the RWS deck; do you think I could apply all that to it? I have the impression that the RWS deck was created to be a popular deck, so all the esoteric symbolism isnt explicit.
Thank you!
Hi Leo,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post
You could apply it but as you said, the symbolism isn’t explicit (…Waite was a member of the GD so it could be done if you really wanted to use it).
However, this could lead to problems further down the road – personal confusion being the main one. It’s best to have a clear working environment when undertaking a clearly distinctive path with Tarot. I would say your best bet is to get a deck that has been designed with the GD in mind and that way it should make the learning (study) process all the more enjoyable
Hi Doug,
I wanted to share this quote with you from “The Art and Meaning of Magic”.
“…Divination, the art of obtaining at a moment’s notice any required type of information regarding the outcome of certain actions or events. Fortune telling so-called is an abuse. The sole purpose of the art is to develop the intuitive faculties of the student to such an extent that eventually all technical methods of divination may be discarded.” Israel Regardie (p. 84)
In Spirit,
Katrina
Hi Katrina,
Thank you for dropping by and sharing this awesome quote
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