Raising Hell (28 page)

Not to mention the fact that time spent mulling over colorful cards could be better spent in religious meditation. In the view of these clerics, the tarot—and other playing cards, too—were nothing but “the devil’s picture book,” designed to turn the players’ thoughts away from more heavenly and worthwhile pursuits.

None of which did anything to alter the growing popularity of the tarot. From the fourteenth century onward, the cards were used for everything from gambling and amusement to, ultimately, divination. Special decks were drawn up for important patrons and used to commemorate great occasions, such as royal weddings and accession to the throne. And over time, the deck and its symbolic representations became standardized into the seventy-eight cards that are still in use today.

The cards are divided into two “arcana” (hidden things). The Lesser Arcana consists of fifty-six cards, which in turn are
divided into four suits. But these aren’t the four suits—spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds—we’re accustomed to seeing on regular playing cards. These suits are cups, swords, pentagrams, and wands (or scepters). Many different meanings have been attached to these suits—as indeed, many meanings are attached to every element of the tarot—but by and large, the suits are believed to represent the four main segments of society in the Middle Ages.

The cups (or chalices) are thought to represent the church, the swords the military, the pentagrams (or coins or diamonds, as they are sometimes shown) the tradesmen, and the wands (also seen as staves or cudgels) the peasantry.

The four court cards showed the four indispensable members in the household of a feudal lord—King, Queen, Knight (or Courtier), and Page (or Knave). This deck most probably preceded the Greater Arcana, and while it was used chiefly for gambling, it was sometimes employed all by itself for purposes of divination. (In one famous instance, Napoleon’s cavalry commander, Joachim Murat, asked the renowned tarotist Mile Lenormand for a reading. The first time Murat cut the cards for her, he pulled the King of Diamonds—a card of notoriously bad luck. Demanding another try, he pulled it again. He cut once more—and the King of Diamonds turned up again. When he insisted on yet another attempt, Mlle Lenormand threw the deck in his face and said, “You will wind up on the gallows or standing in front of a firing squad!” Her second guess was right: in 1815, he was executed by a firing squad.)

It was, however, the Greater Arcana, made up of twenty-two cards numbered 1 through 0, that emerged as the dominant force in the art of tarot. Each of these cards, also called trumps, bore an elaborate and highly symbolic picture, larded with obscure meanings; the manner in which the cards were laid out, and the messages that each one carried, were determined and interpreted by the reader. Sometimes the cards of the two arcana were mixed, sometimes they were used separately; they were laid out on the table in any number of complex arrangements, which went by such names as the Royal Spread, the
Gypsy Spread, the Celtic Cross, the Horseshoe, and the Tree of Life Spread. The order in which they appeared, and even the way they were pulled from the deck (if the card was upside down, it was sometimes thought to reverse its normal meaning), would provide the petitioner—that is, the customer who’d asked for the reading—with an answer to whatever question he had posed.

In preparation for the reading, it was generally advised that the reader keep his decks of cards in a safe, out-of-the-way place, possibly wrapped in silk; it was also important that no one else handle them. For some time before sitting down at the table, both reader and petitioner were to abstain from any stimulating food or drink and clear their minds of all other considerations. The table itself was to be covered with a neutral cloth (nothing fussy or distracting), the chairs were to face east and west, and the cards were to be shuffled, stacked, and turned over quite thoroughly—first by the reader, then by the petitioner. By having the petitioner do it, the cards were assumed to have absorbed some of his vibrations and thoughts. Finally, the reader asked the petitioner to voice aloud his question.

Once that was done, the reader, or tarotist, began to lay the cards down according to whichever of the patterns he had chosen. Although subject to the order and influence of all the cards that had been dealt before it, the last card dealt was in almost every instance the card that best indicated the answer to the petitioner’s question or the possible outcome of what he had planned. Every card carried its own message, but the interpretation of the twenty-two major trumps, and their place in the tarot arrangement, were of paramount importance. (In many cases, these cards of the Greater Arcana were all that were used.) In ascending order, these cards, and the images they bore, were:

0. The Fool.
A young man in a jester’s cap, with a pole over his shoulder (and all his belongings hanging from it in a pouch) and a dog nipping at his heels. The card referred to the thoughtlessness and extravagance with which many people led their lives.
Its message? Turn away from temptation and overindulgence, and if you choose to go forward with your plans, do so with the utmost caution. (The fool is often depicted walking along the edge of a cliff, without looking where he’s going.)

I. The Juggler (or Magician).
A man in a wide-brimmed hat, or above whose head is suspended the sign for infinity; on the table in front of him, a collection of magical paraphernalia, including coins, a knife, a tumbler, and juggling balls. In the opinion of de Gébelin, this card signifies the haphazard and illusory nature of all existence; man is like a little ball, who may disappear from the magician’s hand in the batting of an eye. The lesson? Don’t delay—put your abilities to constructive use; the attainment of your aims will depend on your own determination and initiative.

II.
The High Priestess (or Female Pope).
A woman in papal robes and three-tiered headdress, seated on a throne and holding a scroll or book in her hands. The perplexing iconography is based on a thirteenth-century rumor, which suggested that a woman named Joan, disguised as a man, had actually succeeded to the papal throne. Once the ruse was uncovered, she was promptly stoned to death. The card itself suggests that the whole truth is never revealed to anyone but the select and initiated; its message seems to be that you should resist being ruled by a member of the opposite sex and use the full measure of your intellect to seek the truth.

III.
The Empress.
A regal woman with flowing hair, holding a scepter and shield, which symbolize her dominion over all things of this earth. Sometimes she is pictured with a red rose at the neckline of her long gown, to suggest her warmth and kindness. The Empress stands for such things as fruitfulness, pleasure, and comfort, and her message is that you should show generosity, even munificence, toward those around you.

IV.
The Emperor (or King).
Think Charlton Heston for this one—a mature man with an imposing demeanor, commanding the
throne with casual assurance. Not surprisingly, the card suggests such things as power, wealth, and patriarchy. The advice it conveys to you is twofold: stick to the higher principles, those that would be handed down by a wise and powerful leader, but at the same time avoid the curse of inflexibility.

V. The Hierophant (or Pope)
. An elderly man, often depicted with a long beard and full mustache; his right hand is raised, with two upright fingers making the ancient sign that was meant to convey both a blessing and the universality of dualism. This card represents spirituality and tradition, and its message is to embrace the new and forgo the useless relics of the past. It also suggests that you should be generous but careful in bestowing your largesse—make sure you know where it’s going.

VI.
The Lovers.
Sometimes they’re shown as Adam and Eve, naked in the Garden of Eden; sometimes there’s one man, shown making a choice between two women (one of which is virtue, the other vice); sometimes several couples are seen dancing. The card speaks to the choices that have to be made between body and mind, good and evil, and of course, the choices that have to be made when choosing a mate. If the card could speak, it would say, guard yourself against immoral influences and make your choice wisely; be decisive, but do remember, no choice ever gets you everything you want.

VII.
The Chariot.
An armored warrior, godlike in his powers, steers a chariot drawn by a team of horses, or, in many decks, by a white sphinx and a black sphinx. The charioteer has conquered the elemental forces, and his card signifies triumph and conflict, success in overcoming adversity. To you, it might warn against acting rashly or rejoicing in a triumph too soon (sometimes defeat can still be snatched from the jaws of victory). Yes, success should be relished, but not so much that you lose sight of how things really stand.

VIII.
Justice.
A serene and clear-eyed woman, in a long robe, holding a scale or, in some instances, a double-edged sword. In some depictions, her hair is braided around her neck, as if it were a hangman’s noose; this may imply that humans are responsible for their own fates and sometimes act unwisely in that regard. The woman represents such virtues as righteousness, balance, and purity, and her card is a warning to resist impure temptations, restore balance to your life, and make your own decisions. (In some tarot decks, this card and card XI, Strength, change places.)

IX.
The Hermit.
An old man in a hooded robe, carrying a staff and a lantern; the staff represents knowledge, mankind’s most enduring support, and the lantern refers to illumination and contemplation. (The hermit is also tied to Diogenes, who carried a lamp in his search for an honest man.) The hermit signifies a life of introspection and secret wisdom, hard-won and all the more valuable for it. His message is to seek out and to share that wisdom and to use it in making future plans.

X.
The Wheel of Fortune.
An eight-spoked wheel, often seen with the sphinx sitting atop it. Life, the wheel suggests, is a cycle, and things are constantly going around and around, changing as they do. On some cards, a young man is seen ascending, a grown man descending, and an old man crawling on all fours. Be patient, the card suggests, because bad luck now will change to good, and opportunities will present themselves. By the same token, don’t gloat when things start going your way; that, too, will pass.

XI.
Strength (or Fortitude).
A young girl bending down, her hands on the open mouth of a lion. It’s not entirely clear, however, whether she’s prying the jaws of the lion open or trying to clamp them shut. Still, the picture is generally thought to represent the triumph of love over brute strength, not to mention the power of conviction and courage. Its message? You should
confront dangers and obstacles with a firm sense of purpose and seek reconciliation with a foe.

XII.
The Hanged Man.
A man hanging upside down, from a gallows or tree, with one leg crossed behind the other. Sometimes he’s holding a sack of coins, which are spilling out; sometimes the money is just pouring from his open pockets. In the Middle Ages, debtors were occasionally punished by being hung upside down, so that’s what this probably signifies. A connection has also been drawn to Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself from a tree after collecting his thirty pieces of silver. The message of the card is sacrifice and renunciation, and it suggests you should right any wrongs you may have committed, and think about living your life differently (and better) than you have been.

XIII.
Death.
A skeleton in armor, armed with a scythe, and sometimes riding a white horse. With the blade of his weapon, he has cut down all the life around him, so zealously that on some cards the reaper appears to have cut off his own foot, too; in the background, fields are littered with the bodies and body parts of kings, popes, and peasants—though new plants can also be seen springing forth from the ground. Strangely enough, most tarotists give this card a more upbeat reading than you’d think—the card is thought to suggest regeneration and the transitory nature of the material world. Its advice to you? Break free from the shackles that bind you and set off in a new direction.

XIV.
Temperance (or Balance).
An angel carrying two urns, with one foot in a stream and the other still on the bank. The water or wine contained in the pair of urns is continually poured from one into the other, signifying the essence of life and its passage from the invisible to the visible, then back again to the invisible. The meaning of the card is moderation and self-restraint, compromise and peaceful accommodation. For you, it might also suggest keeping balance in your life by avoiding taking on too many things at once.

XV.
The Devil.
A satyrlike and winged demon, with the hindquarters of a goat, holding a lighted torch. The torch may represent the fire of destruction, though on some cards (where the torch is unlit) it may represent the absence of spiritual enlightenment. Either way, the card overall is jam-packed with negative energies, implying everything from self-indulgence and immoral conduct to violence, mockery, and fits of temper. To you, it might suggest overcoming the primitive forces of the id and exercising some caution and self-restraint. Allowing the Devil to take precedence in your life would be to concede the victory of matter over spirit.

XVI.
The Tower.
A crown-topped battlement, its roof being split by a bolt of lightning emanating from the sun. Sometimes the Tower is thought to be the Tower of Babel, while at other times it’s considered a representation of the divine nature of man; when the top is blown off, man falls into the material world below, as is shown by the two figures of a man and a woman hurtling to the ground. Although being thrown from the top of a tower might seem a bit drastic, it is also used as a way to show the importance of breaking with the past and taking a new direction in life. For you, the card might mean it’s time to think things through in a new fashion, or take up a challenge, like a new job in a distant city. It’s also a warning not to let pride and conceit blind you, for those qualities eventually lead to a downfall.