#earthstartarot

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The fifth card of the Tarot is associated with Taurus. In some decks, this archetype is called Shaman. It carries the energy of a spiritual leader or guide, one people seek for wisdom, information or connection to higher perspectives. It could be a figure within a religious institution, suggesting tradition, or it could suggest alternative beliefs and practices. It’s a medicine person. I imagine it linked to the centaur Chiron, the ‘wounded healer,’ which some astrologers now see as the modern ruler of health-conscious Virgo. It’s the cooperation of spirit and body- holistic health. It’s an intermediary, like the High Priestess, but leans more toward communication with the super conscience than with the subconscious- although they’re facets of the same whole. It has a more masculine and yang character. The High Priest can also simply be a teacher.

The number five is mental, and also related to the fiery vibration of the fifth zodiac sign, Leo. A connection between the High Priest and Taurus may come from the fact that Venus (Taurus’ ruling planet) creates the shape of a five pointed star as it travels through the sky. The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet can mean behold or reveal.

Passion flower symbolizes sleep, peace, desire, other-worldliness and friendship. It’s linked with the moon (cool + moist/breasts, stomach, female reproductive organs). It contains vitamin C, dietary fiber, many minerals and fatty acids. It reduces inflammation, anxiety, improves sleep quality, lowers blood pressure, addresses ADHD symptoms, helps reduce insulin levels, may reduce effects of menopause, and is used to help people come out of addiction to narcotic drugs and alcohol.

Arthur Edward Waite (October 2, 1857 – May 19, 1942) was an American-born British poet, scholarly mystic and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters. He was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith (Pixie). As his biographer R. A. Gilbert described him, “Waite’s name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of western occultism-viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion.”

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The thirteenth card of the Tarot is associated with Scorpio. This energy is of deep and complete, permanent transformation. It originates in the soul and subconscious mind, and changes from the inside out. It reminds us that we create from within, and all is birthed from the psyche. It’s like a cocoon, the place where deconstruction and reconstruction are underway. While it can refer to the death of the body, most of the time it reflects a significant psychological or circumstantial shift in progress. It’s evolution-the rising phoenix. It’s not a fast moving energy, but one that plays out over a long period of time- possibly a lifetime. It’s also associated with incisive intuitive ability, mediumship, detective work, remote viewing and other extrasensory perception, the paranormal, maybe criminal justice or forensics.The thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Mem, can mean mighty or water.

Moonflower symbolizes magic and spiritual vision. It’s obviously linked to the moon (cool + moist/ breasts, stomach, female reproductive organs). It’s a highly poisonous and potentially fatal plant that should only be used under the guidance of a very knowledgeable practitioner. It has traditionally been part of Indigenous American spiritual practices, as well as medicine. It’s been used as anesthesia when setting bones, to purify the blood, treat hangovers, hemorrhoids, hair loss and dandruff.

Frida Kahlo (born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón;  July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Influenced by the country’s popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, post-colonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.

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The sixteenth card of the Tarot is associated with Mars. It’s also Uranian in energy- a usually unforeseen, significant change. It could be the breakdown of a structure in order to liberate. Or, to be able to reconstruct a more functional version. It can be the result of a subconscious rebellion against ones circumstances, manifested in physical reality. It might be something much larger than the individual, like a natural disaster, that unsettles and transforms the environment. It represents a light bulb moment, adaptability, and positivity in the face of crisis. It may involve becoming more of a leader, more independent, strategic or inventive. However much of a loss, there’s also inherent excitement. There is potential to feel more free and and empowered. The sixteenth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, Ayin, can mean watch or know.

Lamb’s Quarters is a symbol for gentleness, nurturing and resourcefulness. It’s linked to Venus (warm + moist/kidneys, throat, skin and hair) and the moon (cool + moist/breasts, stomach, female reproductive organs). It contains vitamins A, B2 and C, iron, calcium, niacin and phosphorus. It can prevent scurvy, relieve stomach ache and diarrhea. Its leaves can be used as a poultice to treat itching, burns and swelling.

John Whiteside “Jack” Parsons (born Marvel Whiteside Parsons; October 2, 1914 – June 17, 1952) was an American rocket engineer and rocket propulsion researcher, chemist, and Thelemite occultist. He invented the first rocket engine to use a castable, composite rocket propellant, and pioneered the advancement of both liquid-fuel and solid-fuel rockets. After a brief involvement with Marxism in 1939, Parsons converted to Thelema, the English occultist Aleister Crowley’s new religious movement. In 1941, with his first wife Helen Northrup, Parsons joined the Agape Lodge, the Californian branch of the Thelemite Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.). At Crowley’s bidding, he replaced Wilfred Talbot Smith as its leader in 1942 and ran the Lodge from his mansion on Orange Grove Avenue. Parsons married artist, occultist and fellow Thelemite, Marjorie Cameron in 1946. He has been the subject of several biographies and fictionalized portrayals, including the television drama Strange Angel.

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The thirty-third card of the Tarot is associated with the final ten degrees of Leo- Mars in Leo. It’s focused dedication to a personal and spiritual goal. It’s maintaining belief both in oneself and a higher power. It’s a sense of mission one’s willing to protect from outside distraction and demand. It’s the character of a warrior. It may show strategy to stay stable, mentally and emotionally robust. 33 is a master number, suggesting the opportunity to achieve greatness.

Hemp is one of the most hearty and versatile plants we’re aware of. It’s linked to Saturn (cool + dry/joints, bones, skin, gallbladder). It symbolizes independence, resilience and victory. The oil from hemp can treat a myriad of health issues, from anxiety to arthritis, from sleeplessness to Parkinson’s disease. It can be used to create any product otherwise manufactured out of paper or cotton, is sturdier, and far more quickly grown.

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The eighth card of the Tarot is associated with Leo. It brings up the relationship between spirit-energy and the material world. It reminds us of the power of our hearts and emotions to influence the physical. It suggests the beneficial interaction between the two, resulting in the harmony, protection and enhancement of all parties. It evokes the need for courage, and gives the promise of being guided by faith and instinct. It may show affection and the power of animals to bring joy and healing. It can also indicate a high level of animal magnetism, creative expression, individuality and originality.  The eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Chet or Cheth, can mean divide, half, or inside versus outside.  

St. John’s Wart symbolizes light and levity. It’s linked to the sun (warm + dry/heart, back,spine). It’s fairly widely known to counter anxiety, depression, poor appetite and insomnia.

Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American self-professed clairvoyant who gave more than 14,000 psychic readings while allegedly in a self-induced sleep state. Cayce maintained his subconscious mind (which he identified as the “mind of the soul”) would leave his body and retrieve knowledge from the spiritual realm where all subconscious minds are connected. He is the most documented psychic of all time, with more than 300 books written about him and his material. A nonprofit organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment, was founded to store and facilitate the study of the Cayce material. A biographer gave him the nickname The Sleeping Prophet. Cayce is also notable for his contributions to the notions of diet and health, particularly the issues of food combining, acid/alkaline diet, and the therapeutic use of food. Some consider him the true founder and a principal source of the most characteristic beliefs of the New Age movement.

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The third card of the Tarot is associated with the planet Venus. This is unbounded, rich and fertile growth. It’s automatic proliferation. It’s communicative exchange and creative expression. It represents beauty, pleasure and sensuality. It’s linked with intelligent design, the consciousness and spirit of nature. It’s the power and authority of mother earth. It can suggest conception, pregnancy, and motherhood- or female energy, literal or figurative. It’s also associated with foraging the fruits of the land. It could be the muse or the artist. The third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Gimel, can mean to gather or carry.  

Fennel is a symbol of strength, courage, praise-worthiness, flattery and cleansing. It’s linked with Mercury (dualistic + dry/hands, arms, shoulders, lungs, nervous system, brain). All parts of the plant are rich in antioxidants. Fennel contains fiber, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, potassium and magnesium. It can function as an appetite suppressant, anti-inflammatory, benefit heart health, and may improve mental health and memory. Fennel has properties that act similar to estrogen; its essential oil may alleviate symptoms of menopause, but interfere with pregnancy. It’s best that women who are trying to conceive or are pregnant avoid consuming fennel oil or supplements.

Pamela Colman Smith (February 16, 1878 – September 18, 1951), nicknamed Pixie, was a British artist, illustrator, writer and occultist. She is best known for illustrating the Rider-Waite tarot deck of divinatory tarot cards (also called the Rider-Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith deck) for Arthur Edward Waite. This is the first popularized deck to have pictoral images for the minor arcana as well as major arcana. This tarot deck became the standard among tarot card readers, and remains the most widely used today. Colman also illustrated over 20 books, wrote two collections of Jamaican folklore, edited two magazines, and ran the Green Sheaf Press, a small press focused on women writers. She exhibited work with Alfred Steiglitz and collaborated with W.B. Yeats. Yeats introduced Smith to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which is where she met Waite.

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The tenth card of the Tarot is associated with Jupiter. It reflects times changing, new cycles beginning, unexpected doors opening. It’s movement, travel, adventure, expansion, good fortune. It can suggest a period to take risks and have more faith in the power of our beliefs. It represents apparent luck that comes through preparation, openness, wide circulation and clarity of purpose. This energy recognizes what feels dynamic, invigorating and right, and pursues it. The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Yod, is associated with the divine, omnipresent energy of God and creation.

Wild rocket, or arugula, symbolizes energy and initiative. It’s linked with Mars (hot + dry/head, muscular system, blood, immune system, libido). It’s said to be a good tonic and detoxifier. It can aid eye, skin and respiratory health. It contains fiber, iron, copper, potassium, vitamins A, C and K.

Kenneth Anger (February 3, 1927) is an American underground experimental filmmaker, actor and author. Working exclusively in short films, he has produced almost forty works since 1937, nine of which have been grouped together as the “Magick Lantern Cycle.” His films variously merge surrealism with homo-eroticism and the occult, and have been described as containing “elements of erotica, documentary, psychodrama, and spectacle.” Anger himself has been described as “one of America’s first openly gay filmmakers, and certainly the first whose work addressed homosexuality in an undisguised, self-implicating manner,” and his “role in rendering gay culture visible within American cinema, commercial or otherwise, is impossible to overestimate,” with several being released prior to the legalization of homosexual acts between consenting adults in the United States. He has also focused upon occult themes in many of his films, being fascinated by the English gnostic mage and poet Aleister Crowley, and is an adherent of Thelema, the religion Crowley founded.

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The thirty-eighth card of the Tarot is associated with the middle ten degrees of Cancer- Pluto in Cancer. Water + water. This energy is the mother, the empath, the intuitive. It’s a nurturer who is also authoritative, strong, a provider, protector, and initiator. It cares for and defends others. It’s knowing and influential. It works at the deepest psychological/emotional level. It’s connected with unconditional love. It can access biological, familial and soul memory. It’s a receptive energy, and could be a counselor or therapist. There’s an implication of powerful feelings, with the ability to channel them into positive forms. It’s also linked with humor, home, comfort food and cooking.  

Mermaids represent femininity, independence and intuition. Aloe symbolizes healing, resurrection and immortality. It’s linked to the moon (cool + moist/breasts, stomach, female reproductive organs). In addition to soothing cuts and burns, aloe can hydrate skin, prevent wrinkles, improve acne, facilitate digestion, work as a laxative, lower blood sugar and benefit oral health. It has antioxidant and antibacterial properties.