.
Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror,
but you are eternity and you are the mirror.
~ Khalil Gibran
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Dreadful Harriet
Lately I’ve been digging through my old art, trying sort out what’s sellable, what’s garbage and what’s just fun to share. This is of the latter category.
A looong, long time ago, I’d endeavoured to rewrite Struwwelpeter (a childhood favourite) for a modern audience. Things to be avoided on pain of terrible consequence would include all forms of disobeying convention, such as doing drugs, self-pleasuring and feminism. Shock-headed Peter himself was a rastaman with an enormous mane of dreads.
Here’s my favourite piece, The Dreadful Passion of Harriet, based on The Dreadful Story of Harriet and the Matches. Enjoy!
[Please click on images to enlarge and hit ‘pause’ to stop the slide show.]
~rb
All written content (except The Dreadful Story of Harriet original verse) is copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reused without my permission. Please share via LINK only.
The Empress, the Alembic and the Secret Fire
From joy springs all creation, by joy it is sustained,
towards joy it proceeds, and to joy it returns. – Mundaka Upanishad
Tarot de Marseille is a funny creature. Just when you think you’ve ‘figured it all out’, like a chimera it changes into something else. Fortunately I en-joy a mystery and seeking that which has no end. If I’ve learned one thing from TdM, it’s that the same pattern exists in whatever particular wisdom path you choose to follow. “All roads lead to Alexandria.” (wink)
The enigma is perhaps most apparent in the triad sequence, beginning with the Empress. To re-cap TdM’s inherent Pythagorean principal:
One becomes two, two becomes three and
out of three comes the one as the fourth.
Each 3 place card completes a triad from which the next cycle of three will be born, with 21 also completing the entire 3 x 7 cycle. Unlike the 1s with their solar crowns (monadic) and 2s with their lunar vessels (dyadic), there’s no obvious, recurring object in every 3 place card (triadic), other than a predominance of wateriness (and darkness, in the case of 9, 12, 15 and 18). The Mercurial spirit of creation requires a container – a body of some kind – for transformation to take place, AND it is also that container, like caterpillar and pupa. They are not separate, but form each other. The 3 place cards allude to this secret, inner and outer process. Magic is afoot, is all we really know.
[Please click on any images to enlarge]
3
Let’s look at the three cards in the 3 place with the numeric sum of 3. The first, The Empress (3) shows us what we need to know. Atop her sceptre is the globus cruciger or sovereign’s orb – nothing unusual about that….except maybe the size? In reality, a globus this big would be hand held, with a smaller one atop the accompanying sceptre. Masculine sceptre and feminine orb (and the 4 and 3 of the orb’s parts) are being combined, and we can see that the base of her sceptre points to precisely where it’s all going to happen.
In alchemy, one of the symbols for antimony, the ‘wild spirit of man’ (sometimes represented by a wolf) is the reversed Venus/copper symbol – a circle with cross on top. “Pliny the Elder (ca 77 AD) made a distinction between the “male” and “female” forms of antimony; the male form is probably the sulfide, while the female form, which is superior, heavier, and less friable, has been suspected to be native metallic antimony.” [Wikipedia]
But most (?) likely, it is the symbol for cinnabar, the ‘parent’ mineral from which Mercury is born. Note the orb which the philosopher’s child, hermaphroditic Mercury holds as he wades through the alchemical bathwater, below. Is it the cinnabar womb water, or the antimony purification bath, which eats away everything but gold? Or maybe both, considering the two parent luminaries lovingly at hand?
‘The watery matrix holdeth the fire captive.’ – Jacob Boehme
Like the eagle on her shield, the Empress has ‘wings.’ Beside her left hip is a scallop or scalloped bowl/baptismal fount. The scalloped basin was also a type of alchemical vessel and symbol of the Hermetic pilgrim, according to Fulcanelli. Either way, it has to do with the purification process.
In both type 1 and type 2 Empress cards, there is often what resembles a triple flag under the basin, likely representing the main 3 stages/colours of the work (black, white, red), as in this relief (detail) on Notre Dame Cathedral depicting all the stages of alchemy (please see this new article on the Popess for more on Notre Dame alchemical reference). It might also represent the three philosophical elements; salt/body, sulphur/soul and mercury/spirit.
All these raw, heavy materials, still in their ‘vulgar’ state almost appear to weigh her down. Mythically speaking, since the Emperor evokes Pluto (aka Dionysus, aka Osiris), his partner must also evoke Persephone, Queen of the Dead and personification of Spring regeneration. The ‘M’ shape of her blue skirt is the age-old symbol for water. Maya or Maia is mother ocean/womb, and Maria is literally ‘Maia with fire (R/Ur) in her belly’ (covered by red vest). The perennial fountain? Or an alembic? I like to think of her eagle shield as the ultrasound screen, and her sceptre as the transducer. But again, M might just stand for MERCURY, here in female form (remember, with 3s, the process, container and its contents are as one).
Another honourable Maria, namely Maria the Prophetess, was the first [non-mythical] alchemist of the western world. Schooled by the great Zosimos of Panopolis, she lived sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries in Alexandria, Egypt (of course). Maria also had a favourite axiom:
One becomes two, two becomes three and
out of three comes the one as the fourth.
Wait, haven’t we heard that before? Did she get it from Pythagoras (who lived several centuries prior) or is it just a case of universal truth? Both geniuses stood faithfully by these words. Pythagoras was not an alchemist, but nevertheless, he understood this fundamental equation to be the basis of all creative cycles.
‘Maria the Jewess,’ as she’s also known, “incorporated life-like attributes into her descriptions of metal such as bodies, souls, and spirits. She believed that metals had two different genders, and by joining the two genders together a new entity could be made.” [Wikipedia]
She is accredited with many firsts, particularly her invention of the balneum Mariae (bain-Marie), progenator of the modern-day double-boiler. Of her written works surviving in Arabic we find two most curious titles; The Book of Maria and the Wise Men and The Epistle of the Crown and the Creation of the Newborn Baby.
Maria excelled in both mystical and scientific approaches and it’s thought she may have originated the idea of 4 colour stages in alchemy. Indeed she herself was an alembic, which is the whole point of this exercise, the teachings of the 3s. Hermes Trismegistus (‘thrice great’) was another such person, albeit more mythical. In Pythagorean numerology, 3 is the number of creativity, joy, artistic expression. In astrology, the trine is considered the most harmonious aspect, connecting planets or points of the same element. (However, it is fiery and energy can flow with lightening speed for better or worse).
So, the Empress, similar to the Juggler, has all four elements (or stages) about her, in physical form; earth (ground below + snake/globus + barely visible horns), fire (crown + hair), air (wings + human features) and water (blue robe/shell). The eagle represents the work as well as the water element, and, if we look closely, we can see one of its wings is shaped like a wave, the other more like feathers/flames. This can be interpreted as inherent polarities, or perhaps the ‘moist’ and ‘dry’ paths of the work.
The difference between Juggler and Empress is that 1 alone can’t yet do anything with all the separate, single parts, other than superficially (ie, practical magic), like performing tricks or perhaps trading with Jack for his cow.
The Empress and Emperor will complete each other (he too has orbed sceptre and eagle, and faces toward her), but they have not yet come together, they are still 3 and 4, neither added nor multiplied.
In this older version (below), that she has attributes of the four ‘elemental beasts’ of the World card are more obvious; longer ‘horns’ (in crown and necklace), wings/human, eagle/phoenix and even a lion’s paw/mane.
12
I’ve already written on some of the 3 place cards – the Hanged Man, the Hermit, the Devil and the Moon – so will just touch on the Hanged Man (12) here, as he’s part of this 3 x 3 sequence.
His flaming hair and his number might suggest solar connotations, although he’s still situated in-between the Sun and Moon ‘parents’. The Sun represents the gold, and thus the process of purifying the ‘inner’ (philosophical) gold is in progress. But it is not the literal Sun, physical fire or material gold. Rather, it is a different fire altogether.
In the middle example, the number is placed so that he is flipped, indicating that as his body descends, his spirit ascends (note the lunar and solar ‘mounds’ on each side of his head, the solar one containing all the heavenly spheres), with emphasis on the spiritual. Not an accident, but likely an Orphic reference. In the third card, the descent of the ‘Sun’ (his head) into matter is emphasized. High noon and midnight, apex and nadir, bipolar. It really is like the separation that goes on inside the alchemist’s glass egg. The main thing is that we can’t observe his inner process. Typically, the Hanged Man’s expression is placid, as if he’s either in acceptance or ‘somewhere else.’ His gibbet is like a (golden) doorway or threshold. All of this suggests he is experiencing what’s known in alchemy as the secret fire:
Search, therefore, this fire with all strength of your mind, and you shall reach the goal you have set yourself; for it is this that brings to completion all the stages of the Work, and is the key of all the Philosophers, which they have never revealed in their books. If you think well and deep upon this above-mentioned fire, you will know it. Not otherwise.
– Potanus, The Secret Fire
To me, the Visconti-Sforza version looks very alchemical, its colours alluding strongly to the (philosophical) Green Lion devouring the Sun. I love how well the following description of the symbolism relates to the card, albeit it seems to be more from a Jungian perspective than traditional alchemy (and granted, the solar ‘ego’ looks anything but terrified):
The image corresponds to the releasing of primordial essence. That is why the lion is green, which is a primordial, unripe color. It also connotates fecundity. Eating the sun symbolizes the dominance of the Ego by instinctual forces. It is the beginning of a return to a more natural psychological state in which human beings flourish.
The ego perceives the encounter as terrifying because all transformational processes appear to be a kind of death to the ego. However, this process is the catalyst for an encounter with the Self. The instincts are amoral relative to human society and culture. Social conditioning aims to keep the instincts in check until the Higher Self is adequately present. Once present, our attitudes and feelings will be conditioned and directed by the Self. Otherwise, we experience a regression to the animalistic nature.
~ Tony Laguia, ‘The Green Lion Devouring the Sun‘ [Medium]
21
The World (21) card, signifies the completion of the opus, the central figure representing ‘quintessence.’ Like an awakened eye, it is the revelation of that which embodies the essence of all past forms and potential for that shall be. In other words, what has been purified through many transformations becomes a catalyst for transformation; the Holy Grail or Philosopher’s Stone. Perhaps you’ve met someone who is a human tuning fork, or experienced a work of art, poetry, music, etc. that in its perfection had the effect of putting you ‘right side up’ again. Perhaps Tarot itself. ‘A light cannot help shedding its light. A flower cannot help giving off its fragrance.’ [Upanishads, ibid] When the young man in arcanum 6 was being initiated into the school of Venus/Eros, it was with the ultimate purpose of becoming just such a universal lover. ‘Everybody loves a lover.’
Ascend above any height, descend further than any depth; receive all sensory impressions of the created: water, fire, dryness and wetness. Think that you are present everywhere: in the sea, on earth and in heaven; think that you were never born and that you are still in the embryonic state: young and old, dead and in the hereafter. Understand everything at the same time: time, place, things: quality and quantity.
~ Corpus Hermeticum, 1460
The four creatures in the corners are assumed to be the four evangelists, the fixed signs of the zodiac, the seasons and/or the 4 elements. However…the bull is also lunar (2), the lion solar (1), and as we can see, they are now conjoined (3). The eagle previously represented the alchemical work, so then who might the winged human be when they’re at home? What of the Empress’ wings? Hmm.
Incidentally, Egyptian initiates were called ‘scarabs’ because they ‘pushed along the egg of their regeneration’ – the container and the work?
Below, left, is the oldest of all known TdM type World cards (found in the Sforza castle cistern). Though it is badly damaged, some curious details remain. The androgyne or hermaphroditic Christ/Dionysus figure appears to have one breast only, on their right side, which is our left (mirroring). Their other, male side has the thicker leg. On their breasted/female side, the partially-obscured bull (or cow) has perfect, lunar crescent horns and on their male side, the lion has distinct, solar rays in its mane. Unique to this card, the angel in the top left (Aquarius/Matthew/air) has a ‘flame of inspiration’ in his forehead – ‘fire in the belly’ raised to crown level?
The Vieville version, right, mixes things up a bit – bull and lion are switched around and have no wings. Since this card depicts a sexless figure facing straight forward, I ventured to see what one might look like as two. (Admittedly, it felt taboo, but…for science).
The male twin has a red cloak, denoting fire and his life force energy is directing upwards, expressed poignantly by what’s left of the sceptre. His body, arms open, creates an M for Mars. The female twin has a dark blue cloak, denoting water and her large V for Venus directs life force energy downward to her vulva, which she covers with her hands. Two opposite triangles, converging as one. Recall the Empress’ eagle shield. Also, that her eagle’s wings point upward, his downward, similar to the yin-yang idea of ‘opposite but interconnecting, mutually perpetuating forces.’ [wiki]
In medieval alchemy, ‘philosophical Mercury’ is what remains when earth, air, fire and water are removed from a substance. It is associated with ‘prima materia’ (‘first matter’), from which all other matter is composed.
When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female, and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in the place of a hand and a foot in the place of a foot, and a likeness in the place of a likeness: then will you enter [the kingdom].
~ From the Gospel of Didymos Judas Thomas (‘the Twin’), Nag Hammadi Library
Whatever wisdom path you choose to follow, the same patterns are found, and this is because patterns are ultimately geometrical/mathematical. But wisdom is not just an intellectual exercise. It must be applied, to thrive.
In Sanskrit, ‘anahata’ means ‘unstruck.’ (Funny, considering arcanum 6). The anahata or heart chakra, illustrated by two, interlocking triangles, is associated with unconditional love, compassion, and joy. This rose window of our personal cathedral serves to balance the upper (spiritual) and lower (material) chakras, so that we may experience pure love for both self and others, without attachment and expectation.
On March 21 (3/3), Venus (Ptolemaic 3rd sphere) will conjunct Saturn in Pisces. Saturn is the cold karma lord and task master of our consciousness, who has a way of shackling the heart with guilt, pain and sorrow. In Pisces, Saturn can feel like the weight of the whole, wretched world (as we collectively witness the shadow expression of yet another ancient symbol). Venus, on the other hand, exalts in Pisces, bringing potential for a moment of healing, amnesty and grace to weary hearts. Like the Empress conducting Venus into her belly, if we channel the energy of this transit, perhaps whatever beauty we create from it will serve as a tuning fork for someone, somewhere, sometime down the road. ~ rb
Thanks for reading!
All written content except quotations is copyright© Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reused or reprinted. Please share via LINK ONLY (accompanied by pull quote/paragraph with credit/link is fine).
‘I Will Choose’ Empowered Eve free to use for non-profit
This iconic image was created for The Progressive Magazine’s calendar in 1992 (beautifully designed each year by Patrick JB Flynn). It illustrated this quote by Marge Piercy:
I will choose what enters me, what becomes
flesh of my flesh. Without choice, no politics,
no ethics lives. I am not your cornfield,
not your uranium mine, not your calf
for fattening, not your cow for milking.
You may not use me as your factory.
Priests and legislators do not hold
shares in my womb or my mind.
This is my body. If I give it to you
I want it back. My life
is a non-negotiable demand.
I’m now making this image FREE to use for non-profit, pro-choice organizations to fundraise for supporting women being denied their basic, human rights. Personal use is also fine. Adding/tweaking colour is fine.
The opening image is a high res (300 dpi) jpg. Click on it, pause the slide show, and lift the image onto your desktop.
The image may not be used freely for personal or corporate profit, advertising, or other commercial exploits.
Examples of permissible use (copyright free) :
– pro-choice t-shirts, prints, posters, stickers, etc to fundraise
– public mural
– tattoo
– small run of T-shirts/product for you and your friends
– a nice print for yourself or a gift
– signs for pro-choice rallies
Any for-profit, commercial use that does not donate the profits to such organizations will still require my permission and a negotiated contract/usage fee, as is usual for re-use of my work – i.e. if you want to use it on an album or book cover and keep the coinage, please contact me to discuss terms.
*Note that the original quote is not included, so please clear with Marge Piercy and/or her publisher for any use other than personal. (Alternatively, one could just put something simple like CHOICE or I WILL CHOOSE, or go wordless).*
Disrobing the Papal Couple – Tarot de Marseille’s Pope and Popess
Previously we looked at the masculine/solar cards in the 1/4 placement, beginning with the Juggler (1). Now let’s turn our attention to the feminine/ lunar cards in the 2 placement, beginning with The Popess (2) and The Pope (5). These two flank Empress (3) and Emperor (4), like the spiritual component or parent of each. The book on the Popess’ lap, whatever its mystery content, illustrates this concept; two covers (‘hidden’) and two facing pages (‘spread eagle’) inside.
To Pythagoreans, and others throughout western history, the number of duality, by itself, was considered negative. Besides being Lunar (death) and feminine (sin), 2, the first real number to follow the ‘monad’ created a division:
The confrontation between I and Thou contains, by its very nature, an opposition, and such an opposition becomes even more evident when the human I is confronted with the absolute, unique, divine Thou…
…it is impossible to think of anything truly opposed to the divine One. Thus, 2 becomes a number of contradiction and antithesis and, logically, of the non-divine. Since it produces discord, it is rarely used in magic.
– Annemarie Schimmel, The Mystery of Numbers
Not exactly the ‘yin-yang’ approach. Of course, 2 could also bring about union and balance, but for the most part, it was suspect. Patriarchal religion regarded the feminine 2 (Eve) as usurper of the one-on-one relationship with the Godfather.
Yet, Tarot de Marseille places the holy mother and father under its influence. Are we meant to interpret this as a mere jab? I don’t think so. 2 is the number of both desire – which is a complex issue – and duplicity; nothing in TdM is what is seems. Perhaps most importantly, 2 is the number of paradox, wherein truth lies. And although the 2s preceding the Strength (11) card are more indicative of division, those proceeding it emphasize reunification. The running visual theme in all of the 2 cards is of course pairs/doubles, always with some kind of vessel or opening. (We can think of the Papal crowns as a pair). I’m going to do a post on the Strength card by itself, because it’s so fascinating.
Sweet Delight and Endless Night
But let’s begin with the Pope and his pair of strange little nipple-heads. These clearly have a connection with the middle figure in arcanum 20, another ‘2’ card, but we’ll leave that aside, for the time being.
Number 5, belonging to sensual Venus, is connected to the 5 senses (plus 5 points of the human body, and 5 digits on each hand and foot, etc). Being the sum of the first two ‘real’ numbers (2 and 3), 5 is considered sacred, and has been since the days of Goddess worship. The role of numbers in TdM imagery interpretation cannot be understated:
From early times 5 was considered a somewhat unusual, even rebellious number, and the discovery by Hippasos of a fifth geometrical body, the pentagondodecahedron, which consists of 12 regular pentagons, embarrassed the Pythagoreans, who had concentrated on the 4. Legend tells that the discoverer of this new body was drowned for his transgression...
…Since the human being consists of 4 elements, a fifth, secret one (quinta essentia) was added in order to reach the sacred 5. This quinta essentia, our quintessence, was considered to be the real element of life, and its production was a goal of medieval alchemists.
To find the principal of life and overcome death one has to rely on procreation and Eros [Venus], so the quinta essentia again points back to the ancient life-giving power of the Mother Goddess…
– Annemarie Schimmel (ibid)
You might have noticed that, in many TdM versions of this card, the two, perfectly round, alternately spinning heads are not even really attached to their bodies. And in the Conver cards, they often have red centres, reminding me of my least favourite Peak Frean cookie.
Notice that the nipple-head on the Pope’s right has a golden hat (solar, but also appears to contain a Moon) on his back, distinguishing it from the one on his left, who usually has a light/flesh-coloured round form in front, partially hidden (lunar?). An arm appears behind him from outside the picture and in Conver type decks, a little curved knife shape under the hand suggests something sinister. The power struggle between Horus and Set comes to mind, wherein Horus loses an eye. The gradual restoration (‘filling’) of it relates to the Moon’s phases.
Here, we must bring Plato into the picture. The Myth of Er, from his Republic is, I think, essential to a more complete understanding of this card and the theme(s) of TdM in general. If you wish to be read to, here’s an audio link.
It opens with Socrates saying:
Well, I said I will tell you a tale; not one of the tales which Odysseus tells to the hero Alcinous, yet this too is a tale of a hero, Er the son of Armenius, a Pamphylian by birth. He was slain in battle, and ten days afterwards, when the bodies of the dead were taken up already in a state of corruption, his body was found unaffected by decay, and carried away home to be buried. And on the twelfth day, as he was lying on the funeral pile, he returned to life and told them what he had seen in the other world. He said that when his soul left the body he went on a journey with a great company, and that they came to a mysterious place at which there were two openings in the earth; they were near together, and over against them were two other openings in the heaven above. In the intermediate space there were judges seated, who commanded the just, after they had given judgment on them and had bound their sentences in front of them, to ascend by the heavenly way on the right hand; and in like manner the unjust were bidden by them to descend by the lower way on the left hand; these also bore the symbols of their deeds, but fastened on their backs.
He [Er] drew near, and they told him that he was to be the messenger who would carry the report of the other world to men, and they bade him hear and see all that was to be heard and seen in that place. Then he beheld and saw on one side the souls departing at either opening of heaven and earth when sentence had been given on them; and at the two other openings other souls, some ascending out of the earth dusty and worn with travel, some descending out of heaven clean and bright.
Further description given of wretched souls trying to climb out and being dragged back reminded me of my favourite Mercurius depiction of all time, which in turn reminded me of the Pope card.
The Conver Pope’s staff has the triple (ie, suspiciously Mercurial and/or Lunar) cross of a high-ranking Roman pontiff, used in procession or when crossing a threshold of a holy door. Hmm. 3 might also neutralize the divisive effect of 2 by creating sacred 5 (or 7). In other decks it’s usually a shepherd hook crosier – which, Tarot or not, comes from Egyptian Osiris – or something resembling a spindle whorl (or a mix of the two). Consistent in all versions, however, is that his staff appears to penetrate the lunar nipple-head on his left, like the pitchfork in the mosaic of the ‘bad daemon.’ And btw, who or what are those curious little daemons that flank the Pope’s head in the Vieville card?
Further into The Myth or Er, we are told how souls choose their next ‘lots’:
When Er and the spirits arrived, their duty was to go at once to Lachesis; but first of all there came a prophet who arranged them in order; then he took from the knees of Lachesis lots and samples of lives, and having mounted a high pulpit, spoke as follows: ‘Hear the word of Lachesis, the daughter of Necessity. Mortal souls, behold a new cycle of life and mortality. Your genius will not be allotted to you, but you choose your genius; and let him who draws the first lot have the first choice, and the life which he chooses shall be his destiny. Virtue is free, and as a man honours or dishonours her he will have more or less of her; the responsibility is with the chooser –God is justified.’ When the Interpreter had thus spoken he scattered lots indifferently among them all, and each of them took up the lot which fell near him, all but Er himself (he was not allowed), and each as he took his lot perceived the number which he had obtained. Then the Interpreter placed on the ground before them the samples of lives; and there were many more lives than the souls present, and they were of all sorts. There were lives of every animal and of man in every condition. And there were tyrannies among them, some lasting out the tyrant’s life, others which broke off in the middle and came to an end in poverty and exile and beggary; and there were lives of famous men, some who were famous for their form and beauty as well as for their strength and success in games, or, again, for their birth and the qualities of their ancestors; and some who were the reverse of famous for the opposite qualities. And of women likewise; there was not, however, any definite character then, because the soul, when choosing a new life, must of necessity become different. But there was every other quality, and they all mingled with one another, and also with elements of wealth and poverty, and disease and health; and there were mean states also.
And they say Tarot was never about fortune telling until the late 18th century!
In Medieval/Hellenistic astrology, no chart was complete without calculating the ‘Arabic’ lots or parts (pars). The two main ones still used today in the west are the Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit (or Daemon). The two are opposites, derived from the same equation done forwards and backwards, and, vice versa depending on whether a day (solar) or night (lunar) chart. It’s said that “the Lot of Fortune is the hand you’re dealt, and the Lot of Spirit is how you play your cards.” And so begins the game.
Whatever sacred knowledge there was from the highest reasoning, the ancient poets joined to their measures. Thus the mystical philosophy of Poetry can be spoken in its own right. She sings mystical truths. For while the impulse of the heavens driven around in circles rushes down, she produces sounds with constant rotation.
~ Lodovico Lazzarelli, De Gentilium Deorum Imaginibus, 15th c (trans. William O’Neal)
Although the Pope, like the Emperor, evokes various gods and prophets, or god-prophets, the one that stands out for me is Silenus, teacher and foster parent of Dionysus (if not an older Dion himself). For one thing, he always looks a bit drunk. And what is drink but the pap of satyrs? Also, if we follow the gold trim on his robe opening, particularly in ‘type 2’ (Conver, Madenié), we can make out a harp shape – an instrument often interchangeable in Medieval/Renaissance depictions of the Orphic lyre. Perhaps he is teaching Orphic hymns or using music to disarm the marked assassin sent by Pythagoras (or both). It’s not at all far-fetched when you consider that harmony and discord/chaos will produce good and bad fortune. A scholarly paper about that here.
Dionysus characterized the essence of the drama, by crossing and transgressing the border between the divine and the human world. When the gods interacted with men in the Homeric epics, they did so for their own selfish reasons, but in the classical drama they reflect and judge the activity of men. The drama thus reflects a change of paradigm from the world of myth to an ethical dialogue between men’s world and the will of heaven.
– Dr. Britt-Marie Nässtrom, The Rites and Mysteries of Dionysus: The Birth of the Drama
Silenus wasn’t just a prophet, but when pie-eyed, possessed a ‘terrible wisdom,’ as famously expressed in this telling (during a brief capture by King Midas):
Midas, after hunting, asked his captive Silenus somewhat urgently, what was the most desirable thing among humankind. At first he could offer no response, and was obstinately silent. At length, when Midas would not stop plaguing him, he erupted with these words, though very unwillingly: ‘you, seed of an evil genius and precarious offspring of hard fortune, whose life is but for a day, why do you compel me to tell you those things of which it is better you should remain ignorant? For he lives with the least worry who knows not his misfortune; but for humans, the best for them is not to be born at all, not to partake of nature’s excellence; not to be is best, for both sexes. This should be our choice, if choice we have; and the next to this is, when we are born, to die as soon as we can.’ It is plain therefore, that he declared the condition of the dead to be better than that of the living.
– Aristotle, Eudemus (354 BCE), surviving fragment quoted in Plutarch, Wikipedia
The Silenus mask, btw, was essential to the Dionysian mysteries and was the prototype for that worn by Thalia, muse of Comedy – the implication alluded to in a previous post on Death and the Moon. Note the doubles, in the pic below.
She Whose Wedding is Great
Now, let’s return to that beguiling embodiment of the primal 2, The Popess. If you are familiar with the Gnostic hymn, The Thunder : Perfect Mind, this gives a good sense of the paradoxical element of the mysteries in general, but especially of the dual feminine. The Popess holds a book open (one hand on each side, in type 2 decks) in full view – yet, unless we understand the imagery itself, we can’t begin to know what it says or means.
The rituals of the Lesser Mysteries were often called the myesis, as opposed to the rites of the Greater, which were called epopteia. The word myesis means “to teach” and also “to initiate.” Epopteia has a similar meaning, but with an important difference; it means “to witness” and “to be initiated.” The slight differences in these two words explain a fundamental difference in what happened to the initiates during these two sets of rituals. In the Lesser Mysteries, candidates were taught the theology of the Two Goddesses, and the meaning of the rites of the Mysteries. However, in the Greater Mysteries, they could experience what they had learned, and near the end of the week-long festival, they would even see a vision of Persephone.
~ Hellenion, Lesser Mysteries of Eleusis
The Mysteries represented the myth of the abduction of Persephone from her mother Demeter by the king of the underworld Hades, in a cycle with three phases: the descent (loss), the search, and the ascent, with the main theme being the ascent of Persephone and the reunion with her mother. – Wikipedia
In type 2 versions of the card, the ends of her curled drapery are typically stencilled red, so that they resemble inverted torches, which are a lunar goddess symbol, since they illuminate the darkness. We could think of the torches as the descent, the labyrinthian book as the search and the ribbon going from its spine (hinge/door) to her heart, as the ascent.
The serpentine ‘scroll’ endings in type 1 might suggest the lituus, a ritual divining rod used in augury, or plant shoots. As well, in the Lesser Mysteries of Eleusis, ‘touching the snake’ meant the initiate was ready to receive them. The Dodal version (type 1) calls her ‘La Pances’, which in old French (and Italian) means ‘belly’ – a clue to her oracular nature? Perhaps the book represents words of wisdom from her middle.
Originally, ventriloquism was a religious practice. The name comes from the Latin for ‘to speak from the stomach: ventre (belly) and loqui (speak). The Greeks called this gastromancy (Greek: εγγαστριμυθία). The noises produced by the stomach were thought to be the voices of the unliving, who took up residence in the stomach of the ventriloquist. The ventriloquist would then interpret the sounds, as they were thought to be able to speak to the dead, as well as foretell the future. One of the earliest recorded group of prophets to use this technique was the Pythia, the priestess at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, who acted as the conduit for the Delphic Oracle. – Wikipedia
The phallic shape created by her crowned head and shoulders (well, why not, the Pope card has nipples) might have something to do with the desire element. It’s been suggested that this image (below) of a woman reaching to lift the covering of a ritual phallus, represents desire – the object of which is potent so long as its mystery is maintained. (It’s why we rarely see full frontal male nudity in the movies. That would spoil everything). The individual (or institution) ‘holding The Phallus’ has all the desire power, which translates as the power of mystery; ie, it is not a monarch or pope’s actual shlong that people are drawn to, but rather, the inexplicable mojo they are in possession of. And they keep possession of it precisely by keeping it under wraps. Otherwise, everyone would immediately see that the Emperor has no clothes. Comedians are their greatest nightmare.
So the (shrouded) shape of the Popess’ head and bib might serve to illustrate that she is the living mystery, or alone contains within her ‘perfect mind,’ that which we seek/desire. Further, that it is the feminine – woman – that naturally possesses ‘The Phallus’, for the simple reason that her procreative (lunar) magic is contained within, where it can’t be seen, only imagined. (Thus it’s ok to expose her, like the open book, since doing so won’t give anything away and will create more desire). The Popess presents us with the ultimate conundrum of the 2: the unknowable ‘other.’ And if you don’t think that is a powerful notion, you have obviously never seen an advertisement or a selfie.
That’s one possibility. The other might simply be that her crown resembles the omphalos of Delphi – where the maxim ‘Know thyself‘ was inscribed on the temple – confirming that she is an oracle. The omphalos is modelled on a beehive and we can see the flowers in her crown, distinguishing it from the Pope’s. No reason both explanations can’t coexist, of course, that is the nature of the 2.
I’ve started using the word cryptic rather than esoteric, in reference to TdM, the latter is so wrongly overused and has all but lost its true meaning. However, the Popess truly embodies the esoteric, which at it’s root means ‘within.’ Prior to and/or without application, inquiries into her meaning are ‘Lesser Mysteries’.
The last 2 card is Judgement (20), which, as mentioned, is connected to 5 by a third nipple-head rising from the ‘grave.’ This bizarre and extremely loaded card is way TMI to include herein, but potentially offers insight into Tarot’s immense popularity at the dawn of the Aquarian Age. Stay tuned, I’ll get to it! ~rb
Behold, I have related things about which you must remain in ignorance, though you have heard them. –Apuleius
Here’s another, short article of mine on the Popess, if you want more.
*All written content, except for that which is in quotation (grey bold print) is copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reused or reprinted in whole without my permission. Please share via LINK only (with a short, credited excerpt, if necessary). Thanks for respecting my work as I have respected the work of others, herein.*
Resources:
The Myth of Er (Plato’s Republic)
The Lesser Mysteries of Eleusis (Gitana, Hellenion)
Mystery Cults and Visual Language in Graeco-Roman Antiquity: An Introduction (Nicole Belayche and Francesco Massa, Brill)
Phallus (video on Lacan’s theory, Todd McGowan)
The Rites in the Mysteries of Dionysus (Dr. Britt-Mari Näsström, Brewmate, an excellent blog!)
Article about the liknon and its contents (Iulia Millesima)
Happy Wood Dragon Lunar New Year!
“Do not meddle with Dragons, for you are crunchy and good.”
New Dragons are being conceived…here are some oldies, for now.
Stay tuned for more DRAGONS…!
All images herein are copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reused anywhere without my permission.
Let Me Take You Down – The Juggler/ Le Bateleur of Tarot de Marseille
‘One becomes Two, Two becomes Three, and out of the Third
comes the One as the Fourth.’ ~ Pythagoras
In a previous post , we saw how this Cosmology of Pythagoras applies to Tarot. It is but one of the initial or initiatory, key concepts conveyed to us as a visual clue by our Master of Ceremonies, The Juggler/Le Bateleur (aka the Magician). Do you see it?
Hint: It’s ‘dessous la table’, in every Marseille-type deck.
Of course, I am referring to the legs. People tend to write off his three-legged table as simply being of the portable sort that Bagatelles used. It’s true, three legs provide the most stable table for any surface. (Especially if it happens to be a tripod with a Pythia sitting on it). But his table in fact has four. Because one of his legs is behind or combined with one of the table legs, his other leg becomes the 4th leg; ‘the One as the Fourth.’ Another consistent feature is that the rectangular table top always extends beyond the picture border… just how long might it be?
Below are two images of Anubis, god of funerary rites and underworld guide, preparing the dead. His uncovered, lower legs are always visible beneath the embalming bed, and knees about level. This ritual table traditionally had a lion head(s) and legs, which we will return to in a moment.
The Juggler is often equated with Hermes/Thoth, initiator into the mysteries or the ‘in-between’ state itself who oversees the alchemical process. But he’s also seen as an initiate, who maybe doesn’t yet know what all these objects he’s selling are for. As others familiar with Osirian-Orphic mystery content in TdM imagery have noted, they likely allude to dismemberment or sacrifice. They also bear a resemblance to the tools used in the Egyptian ‘Opening of the Mouth’ ceremony, which according to belief, enabled the deceased to eat, breathe, drink and use their senses in the afterlife.
Naturally, the Juggler’s objects also symbolize the four Hermetic elements (ie, the suits of the minor arcana) and the four ways a body is returned to them in traditional funerary rites. The four ‘parts’ of us that are returned to their sources – body to earth, spirit to fire, soul to water, mind or breath to air – will again be drawn from them and remixed, for another round.
Now, let’s just for fun assume the Juggler’s table should have another wooden leg, that it is indeed modelled on an embalming table with leonine features and that it displays tools related to the ‘opening of the mouth.’
Where would we then look for the missing leg? Only the Conver-type decks give us a proper clue [addendum: Dodal also] – the Strength lion’s single leg having a distinctly wooden look and no paw. (Always thought it a rather canine-looking lion). In other TdM decks, it has normal, lion forepaws, which, nevertheless is a hieroglyphic feature, based on Horapollo.
The Pythagorean rule informs us that every 4th card is also a first. 1 was considered masculine/solar and 2, feminine/lunar. 3, while odd, fiery and therefor technically ‘masculine,’ creates the first enclosed space (triangle/womb), so it is actually a combination of masc/fem (the Mercurial, creative magic of the trinity need not be re-explained here). 11 is two 1s or 1+1=2, the lunar partner to the solar Juggler.
I’ll discuss the 2s in my next post, but let the image below, from the Catacombs of Kom El Shokafa, where Egyptian and Greco-Roman mysteries meet, serve as a preview.
The crown/corona worn by royals represents the Sun’s rays. To be coronated means to be crowned with the Sun and become a god-like, solar figure. In alchemy, the Sun symbolizes both the material gold and the hidden, spiritual gold, which is only achieved after a long process. The Juggler holds a little yellow coin or roundel (material gold) and there is a small, yellow flame [aka ear of golden grain] beneath the table, in the distance (spiritual gold). They are separate, at this point in the game.
Notice that every card in the 1/4 place between Juggler and Sun depicts a crown, in various phases of transmutation, as well as solar wheels (Chariot, Fortune) and phallic symbols (all seven do, but in the last card it is a horizontal wall). The Sun is its own corona (unified, risen spirit), but what about the Juggler? He is only a 1, not a 1/4, and wears not a crown but a floppy hat with a spherical, red middle. Could this too be symbolic of the Sun?
Answer is yes. The question of his hat had admittedly irked me a long time, until I saw these beautiful, French prints of Egyptian deities in the NYPL collections.
So the red sphere of the Juggler’s hat represents the solar disk, its brim being vaguely reminiscent of wings – or – perhaps symbolic of the funerary boat in which the Sun god Ra, and thereby Kings and Pharaohs traversed the Duat, when the sun set. The red sphere appears to sink into the brim, ie, setting below the horizon, corona faded. Meanwhile, on the distant horizon flickers that tiny, golden flame of spirit, which will become a bright Sun once again.
Pythagoreans believed in reincarnation, Pythagoras himself was said to have remembered several of his past lives.
On that note, I leave you with a vivid, childhood memory…
My father was a psychiatrist with a sense of humour (and with whom I often played cards). Hanging on our bathroom wall was a small, framed photo of Sigmund Freud, with a quote by Groucho Marx taped beneath:
“This may be a phallus, but gentlemen, let us remember, it is also a cigar.”
~rb
All written content created by and copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reprinted without permission. Please share via LINK only.
Death and the Moon in Tarot de Marseille
Previously, we looked at the influence of hieroglyphica and emblemata in the Renaissance and its connection to Tarot de Marseille, how TdM’s ‘mytho-alchemical’ imagery is hieroglyphic in nature, playfully imbedded with visual hints of esoteric meaning hidden in plain sight. The cards relate to each other in a variety of ways, too, be it by numeric pattern or other similarities. (Perhaps why they naturally lend themselves to being ‘read’, a different narrative following every shuffle).
Do read my post on Horapollo and the Hieroglyphic Mysteries of TdM , if you haven’t, as an introduction. And as always, click images for details.
The Unnamed Card – Death
The Unnamed card (‘Death/La Mort’) is a prime example. Most Tarotists are aware of its relationship with The Fool/Le Mat, and how they strike the very same pose. By design alone, it is immediately apparent that the two figures are related or even one and the same; the first being unnumbered, the second, unnamed. Suddenly it all makes sense, right?
Original Tragicomedy act: the Greek Muses Melpomene (T) and Thalia (C)
Let’s take a closer look at the Unnamed card and its relationship to another major, The Moon, that we might find the visual clues needed for a better understanding of their mystery teachings.
The first consistent features we notice in the TdM skeleton, are its colour-emphasized spine and hip bones, and the skin pulled back around his skull, creating a crescent shape. Also, his spine appears to be made of grain. Typically, it matches the grain in the Emperor’s necklace (which his chicken-basilisk surely must covet!). The Emperor wears the golden seeds of his own, cyclic renewal. 1 + 3 = 4 and in number order, both cards are in the 1/4 place.
It’s obvious, too, that the Reaper’s face is a mirror image of the Moon. Makes sense, the Solar year has 13 moons, the last one being the ‘killing Moon.’ [Clarification: although there are 13 moons within a solar year, there are not 13 full, synodic cycles of the moon in every solar year, but roughly every 2.5 solar years (when we get a ‘blue moon’). 2.5 solar years is one Saturn transit through a zodiac sign.] It’s ultimately why Sun worshippers suffer from triskaidekaphobia. Try as they might, the Greeks could not make 13 – or death – be rational and fit in. They felt the same way about 0, rejecting it outright (ie, no number?). The “inconstant Moon” has long been considered a kind of depository for souls coming and going between incarnations. It is not the light of wakefulness.
Of course Horapollo is talking about the djed bone of Osiris and we can see how the card must be a reference to the Osirian myth. While the djed bone has obvious phallic implications, it is actually symbolic of the grain god’s spine, by which his ‘kundalini energy’ or ‘life force’ climbs:
“The djed was an important part of the ceremony called “raising the djed“, which was a part of the celebrations of the Sed festival, the Egyptian jubilee celebration. The act of raising the djed has been explained as representing Osiris’s triumph over Seth. Ceremonies in Memphis are described where the pharaoh, with the help of the priests, raised a wooden djed column using ropes. The ceremony took place during the period when fields were sown and the year’s agricultural season would begin, corresponding to the month of Koiak, the fourth month of the Season of the Inundation. This ceremony was a part of one of the more popular holidays and celebrations of the time, a larger festival dedicated to Osiris conducted from the 13th to 30th day of the Koiak. Celebrated as it was at that time of the year when the soil and climate were most suitable for agriculture, the festival and its ceremonies can be seen as an appeal to Osiris, who was the God of vegetation, to favor the growth of the seeds sown, paralleling his own resurrection and renewal after his murder by Seth.” [wikipedia]
As for his phallus, remember that when Isis collected her dismembered beloved’s pieces to put them back together, she could not find this last bit, which had been eaten by a fish, so the resourceful Goddess had to make a new one, using magic. Might we even see a fishbone shape in the reaper’s frame, its head being the hips and tail being the crescent? Peut-être.
Dismemberment is the beginning of the transformation process. This card alludes to that which Osiris/Osiris-Dionysus presided over, the natural cycles of death and resurrection/rebirth. He was also called ‘god of the living’ and ‘lord of silence’ (ie, no name?). The black soil [of Kemet (‘kmt‘), the ‘black land’ from whence comes ‘alchemy’] pertains to fertility – new growth from rich putrefaction and loam. The Egyptians took their cues from nature, the great alchemist.
“In some rare instances, Osiris was depicted wearing a crown that included a rendering of the moon. This has led some researchers to surmise he was associated with the moon or the night.” [Ancient Egypt Online]
Thoth (Thoth-Hermes), Ibis-headed god of the Moon, who oversees the whole transmutation, might also be at hand…
The Moon – Rebirth
Now that we’re experts on the Lunar associations in the Unnamed card…what about the Moon card’s association with Death?
That the crayfish may literally represent the astrological sign of Cancer in TdM is, as the detective novels say, a ‘red herring’. But the association reminds us that in ancient Egypt, Cancer was a scarab – symbol of birth, life, death, resurrection and immortality.
Crabs and other sea creatures (and worms) become active, lay eggs, spawn or hatch with lunar cycles/tides, just as we came into the world through our mother’s watery womb at the end of 9 (1+8) lunations. Cancer also rules the breasts and Momma’s milk. Interestingly, in Arab astronomy, the four stars of Cancer were seen as a crib or manger, while in Chinese, as ghosts or spirits of the deceased. [Tip: Stick with stars, planets and constellations, rather than ‘signs’ if/when applying to TdM.]
The Great Mother’s milk is of course the Milky Way, by which the stalwart scarab navigates. Surely this did not escape the Egyptians, whose sky was the Goddess Nut, and readers familiar with Pythagorean and Orphic beliefs will see the significance. Note how the position of the crayfish mimics the upward facing scarab in Egyptian art. Scarab amulets carved with magical hieroglyphs were buried with the dead to protect the heart (seat of the mind) and ensure a safe transition. But the full Moon’s bright light can actually make the scarab’s journey longer and more difficult.
It’s tempting to assume that TdM printers were unfamiliar with the number of legs on a crayfish. But might there be a better explanation for its having only 6?
Greco-Romans and Gnostics, incorporating Egyptian culture/religion also used amuletic, carved scarabs and gems – which, as mentioned previously, were collected and studied during the Italian Renaissance:
“The leading families of Renaissance Italy, the Visconti and the Sforza dukes in Milan, the Estes and Gonzagas in Ferrara and Mantua, or the Medicis in Florence, were certainly willing to pay huge sums of money for authenticated ancient gems: Piero de’ Medici is reported to have remarked that an engraved gemstone was ‘worth more than gold itself.’ They became treasured family heirlooms.” [John Mack, The Art of Small Things]
Like hieroglyphica and coinage, this art form influenced emblemata and likely Tarot as well.
[addendum: the crayfish was used on Greek coins as a symbol for ‘city.’ Marseilles, a port city, was originally founded and colonized by the Greeks.]
The Moon card, being 18, falls into the ‘3’ position and contains the three dominions of the Goddess Hekate; sky, earth and sea. Hekate (pronounced Hekaté) was portrayed in antiquity as three figures around a central column; forming the Lunar Goddess triad with Selene and Diana, or Underworld Goddess triad with Demeter and Persephone (mysteries). Goddess of crossroads, the saffron-robed, torch-bearing Hekate was invoked to guide souls in the afterlife (some sources say Hermes was her consort) – note the crayfish’s torch-like claws.
But she had many other roles besides psychopomp, including Goddess of childbirth. Let’s not ignore the crayfish’s uterine shape, either.
The two fortresses in the distance are thought by some to be her temple towers, which is not unreasonable. As well, the Lunar Nodes – ecliptic points where paths of Sun and Moon cross (hence eclipses), connected to reincarnation – have an approximately 18.5 year cycle. Hmm. The visual clue, however, is that these structures are the only elements here, besides the Moon and ‘spirit-dew’, that are above the horizon (the dogs look as if sinking beneath it). There are few cards that make use of depth perspective, so this should alert our attention.
Addendum: Tarot expert Andrea Vitali points out something so hidden in plain sight, even I didn’t spot it (!), which is that the entire lunar cycle is depicted in the card; the two towers representing waxing and waning phases, the middle obviously being the full phase, and the water/crayfish being the dark Moon, when it is not visible. This adds to the idea of Hekate residing here, in the underworld/between world or unconscious realm, so to speak. As mentioned, the claws resemble the guiding torches she bears during this passage.
The horizon is where the stars rise and set, ie, are born and die. Circumpolar stars never sink beneath the horizon, thus represent the eternal. Two such stars were known to the Egyptians, therefor, as the Indestructibles; Kochab, in Ursa Minor and Mizar, in Ursa Major, which flanked the Pole Star (then Thuban, constellation of Draco). Pharaohs’ pyramids were built in exact alignment with these stars so they could be directly ‘beamed up, Scotty.’
For those without custom-built pyramids, the in-between state might be less streamlined and more perilous. The Moon here appears to occult the Northernmost star, just as she obscures the Milky Way for our scarab. A wandering soul without a visible sky map might find themselves reborn down here, rather than as a god in eternity. I say we invoke the crayfish.
And look, it’s those 4 stars! A bit of a stretch, perhaps…but how curious that the tip of the right dog’s tail in the Conver Moon card is clipped by the border. Accidental or intended clue?
The little croc-headed beastie pasted in the lower right is Ammit, the composite Goddess (I think also part leopard and hippo) who gobbles scale-tipping hearts. Actually, she is more like a composter of the heart-mind:
“Two ways are offered to our soul after death: either a final liberation or a return into incarnation in order to continue the experience of becoming conscious. Many are the texts alluding to reincarnation, either overtly or implicitly through such locutions as ‘renewal of life’ or ‘repetition of births’.
The Judgment of the Dead takes place in the ‘Hall of the Double Maât’. This judgment is made in the presence of the dead person’s consciousness, Maât, while the other Maât, cosmic consciousness, presides at the weighing of his heart. Placed on one of the pans of the scale, and weighed against the feather of Maât, the heart expresses the feelings and passions which, if too heavy, risk drawing the soul back again towards earth.”
[Lucie Lamie, Egyptian Mysteries New Light on Ancient Knowledge]
Thus we return to the first lesson, that of the Fool (Le Mat, as if that wasn’t obvious enough) and the Unnamed being as one. An important, first lesson to get us through life, death and all the in-betweens. ~rb
Who will reach the Moon first?
*Happy Sun and Pluto into Aquarius!*
All written content (except in blue quotations) is original, researched and composed by and copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff. It may not be reprinted anywhere without permission. Please share via LINK only (a short pull quote/paragraph is ok, with a link/credit). Thank you.
Horapollo and the Hieroglyphic Mysteries of Tarot de Marseille
It is a tradition in esoteric history that whenever a new culture is embryonic in the womb of an older one, or when an esoteric school recognizes that a culture has served it’s purposes and is coming to an end, then a major work of art is created in dedication, as an outer sign for future ages. The work of art may be a remarkable piece of music, a poem, a garden or a building — but whatever its external artistic form, it encapsulates, in entirely esoteric principals, a summary of what has gone before, and what is to come. All great esoteric artists from Dante to Shakespeare, from Milton to Blake, have recognized this primal function of their art. The interesting thing is that all too often it is the exoteric aspects of their products which attract attention of those who follow, and the esoteric contents remain hidden, save perhaps for the seeing few, who are themselves alive to the esoteric background to human history.
– Fred Gettings, The Secret Zodiac
At the height of Renaissance in the 15th century, a fresh, Humanistic view of the world was flourishing. Scholarly and creative minds, it seems, had been opened through a revised symbolic and syncretic way of thinking. Revised, because a pre-existing, Medieval tradition of visuals serving as a window to higher concepts was already well-established, as were heraldic devices and emblems, but a big part of the collective re-awakening came by way of a new, parabolic language in the arts, born or copied from an older one shrouded in mystery. Renaissance literally means rebirth. But who and what was being reborn? A civilization, perhaps, that had planned for just such an everlasting afterlife?
[please click images to enlarge and read]
In Italy, especially in Florence, there was great interest in learning from the distant past. Greco-Roman revivalism in poetry and philosophy, art and architecture thrived, as the nobles competed for legacy and church fathers, for a time, actively encouraged and commissioned works. Pagan gods and goddesses frequently appeared alongside Christian ones, albeit not as subjects of worship (except for Isis, under guise as the Virgin). Ex-pats had returned from exile with personal libraries including medical, alchemical and astronomical manuscripts from the Middle East. Arthurian legends of courtly love from England and France were extremely popular. The printing press now meant more people could have access to literature – although nobles considered printed works to be gauche and still preferred to commission hand-crafted books. Among these, of course, was the first, Latin translation of The Corpus Hermeticum. The ‘alchemization’ of Europe had begun.
(More here. Pre-Conver Emperors do not show the Basilisk throne).
Egyptian artifacts, housed in Italy since Roman times, were a major part of this resurgence in all things ancient, esoteric and therefor exemplary. (To give you an idea, Pope Alexander VI aka Rodrigo Borgia even had his genealogy ‘traced’ back to Osiris thus establishing a link between the Egyptian gods and the church). Renaissance Humanists, fascinated by hieroglyphs, began a race to unlock them that would continue for the next 3 centuries. One main source of reference was a manuscript called ‘The Hieroglyphics of Horapollo Nilous.’ Horapollo (Horus Apollo) was a 5th century Egyptian scribe and one of the last remaining priests of Isis, who had also made a partially successful effort at decipherment (hieroglyphs were already thousands of years old, by his time). A translation of his work had turned up in Florence, in 1422 and was first printed in 1505. Another, slightly later reference source was the ‘Mensa Isiaca‘ or Table of Isis, which Athanasius Kircher in particular took as a model.
‘Hieroglyphica’, as it became known, inspired a tidal wave of emblematic art (‘emblemata’), as neo-Platonists and others sought to emulate these cryptic little pictures, resulting in an imaginative, western European hybrid. Hermetic and alchemical artists would employ this method of concealed meaning ‘for initiates only’ (namely, other hermeticists/alchemists).
This genre of the symbolic rereading of the hieroglyphs – “enigmatic hieroglyphs” as Rigoni and Zanco (1996) call them – was very popular in the late Hellenistic period. It should not surprise us, then, that so many Renaissance Humanists – for whom this was all quite familiar through Lucan, Apuleius, Plutarch, Clement of Alexandria and, especially, Ennead V by Plotinus – should see in the Hieroglyphica a genuine connection with the highest sphere of wisdom.
– Studiolum
Other antiquities being scoured for emblematic images were things like Roman coins, medallions and gem charms, which the ruling class loved to collect. Roman carved gems in particular were highly sought after, and became family heirlooms, often set in jewelry [see ‘Death and the Moon’ post].
It was out of this tradition that Tarot de Marseille emerged, presumably in Italy, during the mid 16th century. [No known prior examples of the classic TdM format exist and the oldest known example of a triumph is a single, World card – the oldest complete decks known are 17th century.] Its images are not just allegorical, but ‘hieroglyphic’ in nature – though obviously not actual Egyptian hieroglyphs. The apparent (I would even say obvious) application of Horapollo’s descriptions alone leaves little doubt, though, that they were purposefully designed with visual clues that provided a context for imbedded messages. What that purpose was and why playing cards, we can’t know for certain, but as Counter-Reformation loomed on the horizon, maybe it was time to encapsulate esoteric principals for future ages?
I will dive more deeply into some of the ‘glyphs in the other cards (not included herein), in upcoming blogposts, but wanted to provide this overview, first.
Stay tuned! ~rb
All written content herein except quotations is COPYRIGHT ©ROXANNA BIKADOROFF and may not be reused in full anywhere without permission. Please share via LINK only (with short, credited pull-quote, if needed).
QUOTATIONS:
~ Fred Gettings opener from ‘The Secret Zodiac – The Hidden Art in Mediaeval Astrology’ [Routeledge & Kegan Paul, 1987]
~ ‘Enigmatic hieroglyphics’ quote from studiolum.com
~ Horapollo text translations (Alexander T. Cory, 1840) from sacred texts.com
REFS/OTHER LINKS:
~ The Egyptian Renaissance – The Afterlife of Ancient Egypt in Early Modern Italy, Brian Curran, Penn State University (pdf)
~ Hieroglyphs and Meaning, Lucia Morra, Carla Bazzanella (pdf)
~ Pinturicchio’s Frescoes in the Sala dei Santi in the Vatican Palace, Roger Gill, Birmingham City University (pdf)
~ The Art of Small Things by John Mack [Harvard University Press]
~ Horapollo Hieroglyphica via Jason Colavito
~ Giovanni Pierio VALERIANO BOLZANI Hieroglyphica, Google Books
Typhonic Studies
In writing the previous post about the Tarot de Marseille Devil, I’d become interested in Typhon as a mytho-alchemical archetype. The deep-delve into research and ‘essay’ writing had also provided a needed Sherlock distraction from still-too-recent bereavement. You’d think grief might fuel some kind of creative expression for an artist, but often it is just too dense a material to work with. Sometimes all one can do is be in the blackness.
Down here, at the bottom of the bog-womb, far away from rational thought, gelatinous, amphibious beings are secretly spawning the makings of renewal. That is their sole business. At the deepest, pitch-black ocean levels, creatures deemed monstrous by ‘above’ standards float embryonically in conditions that would kill us, creating their own phosphorescence and exerting as little energy as possible. This is no longer the realm of Neptune and his entourage of Nereids, but of Typhon and his posse of Gorgons.
Having no luck with my more sophisticated art attempts, I decided to just linger here and sketch the monster. As children, isn’t that one of the first things we draw? Because these embodiments of our young emotions and fears also serve as guardians of our budding imagination and creative process. Who would dare question them on why they have 7 heads or spit poison barf? And in the psychology of myth and fairy tale, the only hero who will ultimately be able to overcome the monster is the one who created it.
As it happened, in doing these initial studies, the juices of inspiration began to flow again. Researching and writing about Typhon in relation to the TdM Devil was enlightening, I came to understand the archetype as a primal, hermaphroditic, self-reproducing creative force, as well as the alembic itself. But intellectual understanding is not enough, one has to experience the process. And the heck, drawing monsters is fun. ~rb
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