Discussion on the sixes

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Payewacker
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Discussion on the sixes

Post by Payewacker » Wed May 27, 2015 5:53 pm

The Walk with Numbers in the Tarot.

What is a number?
Numbers are terms considered as relative to it’s context. Most of us use it to count certain values and define quantities. This can be seen throughout history and was mainly used to determine the value of an object. Although we may think as a number to be insignificant in our everyday lives, we are sorely mistaken.

Everything around us, is defined by numbers. Our lives are divided into numbers-your date of birth, ID number, Telephone number, in short EVERYTHING. To everything is a scale, the length of a person’s body is counted as 8 “heads” long. In biological development we find a scale, step-by-step to completion. A cycle, which once started will end in it’s own time. This, a simple 1-9, to start again from 10, nine steps to 18, and start at 19, and upward until we end at 27.

The innocence and simplicity of numbers is seen in creation, described in most Holy books and certain numbers are attached to the stages of development. To disregard the importance of numbers, is to disregard the essence of creation and our evolutionary cycle. As important as numbers are, almost no alphabet attach it’s value to a letter. Most languages use it purely to count and determine values. If we should talk about the total number of a certain Item, using letters, people will look at you as if you have gone a bit nutty? We can’t say, I need 1 unit of J, saying “I need 10 “A’s”, as a “J”?—no sense at all, we don’t count “A’s” and “J’s”, we count 1,2,3,4………., or “I need a dozen of eggs”, dozen is a scale to describe the quantity of something.

It is also impossible for us to try and speak a “numbers” language, you will most definitely land in an institution. The alphabets known to most of us, is what we speak in, the numbers known to us, is what we count with. These are separate and can’t be used in any other way.

However, numbers is a map, it’s a simple walk you do between certain “archetypal” influences and how it influences a person to higher levels of existence.

The Tarot and Numbers.
To most people encountering a Tarot deck for the first time, we find a confusing “concept” of the count on the deck. The Minor Arcanum numbered 1-10 in a more “mundane” or simple way of understanding. Yet we also have the four Court cards. To a degree these cards are “removed” but “attached”. Their main purpose is to determine “people”, but may describe a situation as well. In the Sola Busca and older decks, these cards were numbered: 11---Page, 12---Knight, 13---Queen, 14---King.(The significance of this will be discussed in the discussions on each card).

The initial importance of the numbering in the Tarot was purely to indicate cards trumping others, and counting higher in a hand played in Tarot card games. This was changed at the onset of Tarot becoming a tool for divination. The Major Arcanum was attached to a letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet. Each letter describing a influence or a “level” of development. This changed the entire importance of Tarot and it’s development until today.

The importance of numbers as a mere scale to count with, changed the way in which Tarot is described and understood today. As a mere measure, it became a map of development to each person.

One to Nine.
Why do we refer to the numbers as one to nine? Ten counts to be the completion of numbering one to nine, ten is therefore one step beyond “single numerals”, however it can be reduced to one again, by omitting the Zero or “wild one”. Can this be “The Fool”, should we consider Zero to Nine as counting ten numerals, or ten Alphabetic letters? Start debating this with yourself and you will spend your entire life trying to find the right answer.

The most profound numbers we are working with is One to Nine, these are found in the Tarot Deck, in all the Minor Arcanum suits, as well as the Major Arcanum. However, the Major Arcanum continues to complete in 27. Now, we need to discern the Alphanumeric road of One to Nine.

There are three levels of existence:
1) 1-9 Archetypal,
2) 10-18 Existential,
3) 19-27 Cosmic.

At this point in time, we will only discuss the One to Nine road. Hopefully we can describe this road in understandable terms.

Zero and Number One (Ace).
Zero,

When considering Zero, most people may think it pertains to nothing. This perception may ring true to some, but we know, in the road with numbers, it has an important role to play. When we count, not all include Zero as a reference, but merely start from One onward. Getting to Nine, we need to make a distinction between One and Ten and the count to follow. In essence we look at Zero describing a “higher number”. We may say 11 is 10+1 or 10 plus one. The same goes for twenty, thirty, etc. Therefore the construction of Ten is 1+1 =2, 2+1=3, 3+1=4, 4+1=5, 5+1=6, 6+1=7, 7+1=8, 8+1=9 and 9+1=10.  In this we must understand that 1 as a single term is added each time we continue. So ONE remains, but another symbol is attached to change the “influence” or “value”. Therefore. That which is added to ONE is a different experience or archetype.

On the first or archetypal level of existence I have compiled a short summary of the numbers we have already discussed, let us follow-on with the discussion from number six.

Aces
Aleph, no. 1, is the unthinkable life-death, abstract principle of all that is and all that is not. Aleph is the supreme energy, subtle, alive, but not existing as itself in the space-time world we know, because it is relative. It is the primal energy, it is in all and all is in Aleph. It is beyond definition, incapable of being defined or limited. It can be seen to move at infinite speed and thus evades time. It can be viewed as primal consciousness unknown to itself.  Aleph is the basic principal of creation, on all the forms or levels in the Universe.

Two
With the Ace’s we find the first spark, thought, idea. In the two’s we now add the next step. To a large extend we say we now receive direction in our act or thought process. The first practicall application to our initial thought.

However, we cannot only see these cards as the direction. Looking at them, we need to consider the joining of two seperate forces, the possible divition of a single entity, or the normal positive and the appropriate negative force working against what we perceive as a good influence. Each card displayes a prominent message, and we can also see which of them pertains to an individual  or corresponding part of a person’s life.

Three’s.
The three’s has a significant role to play, in any spread. As the Aces is the point where we start, the initial spark, we move to the two’s, which denotes your contribution, or how you contain and what you do to achieve completion in the road from One to Ten.

In the three’s we find the first step in “continuous” movement. We can assume the possible conclusion from the pairing or opposition between one and two. Three would explain the thought, coupled to the action and the resultant thought process or path of activity.

Fours
Understanding the Fours. We must now follow the route energy has taken. First we find Aleph, moving into Beth, which is the container. Then into Gimmel which is the first action or result, and is now becoming being or physical existence, being the response to life, as we find in nature around us and within us. It becomes the biological or organic life, as a result of the activity in Gimmel. The discovery of Newton, that between two objects, there is the same response to movement, but in the opposite direction. We see that Dallet is the concept of action and opposite reaction. In this resistance, we can see the continuation to the archetype of life in Hay (5)

“Dallet: spelled Dallet-Lammed-Tav, 4.30(40).400: Resistance/Response (Dallet) is a resistance based in its own controlled organic movement (Lammed) rooted in the capacity to resist to life-death (Tav). Dallet is a door which can be open or closed to the energy/movement of Gimmel. It contains its own movement (Lammed), which meets the uncontrolled movement of Gimmel with a controlled response. With Dallet, all the pre-conditions for life have been met, and it will be realized in the next letter He/Hay.

Fives
We can see that in He/Hay/5, Life is a balance in the Archetypal of our Aleph - inner and outer thoughts and primary energies – completing in Teth/Tayt. Firstly it resists Dallet/Daleth (4) the inner uncontrolled flow of the primary energies, Aleph (1) - Beth/Bayt (2) – Gimmel/Ghimmel (3); and our outer thought processes and energies. It remains the first propagator of Vav/Waw (6) itself, and builds structures to explore possibilities for consciousness and further development, in the following letters;
Zain/Zayn (7) – Cheth/Hayt (8) – Teth/Tayt (9).

The fives are the “Life pulse” not Life itself. God created man on the sixth day. The life-pulse 5 (He/Hay) is the prime and Vav/Waw-6, the vehicle.

Let us start with a basic introduction to the sixes:
All the sixes is controlled or ruled by The Lovers. We need to look for the possibilities of a union, coming together, be it in a relationship with your lover or a basic friendship or business partnership. Our focus can also be directed to being a blending of our own desperate opposing characteristics, those forces within each of us, choice or seduction, stability or chaos?

Let us run our minds around these short summaries and get into a nice discussion.

Blessed be.

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cedars
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Post by cedars » Wed May 27, 2015 8:29 pm

The Sixes

I see the Sixes of the tarot in the same way I see a scenario or a script to a film or a story.
There comes a point in the hero’s life where he/she has to take stock of things and hence a short pause…  

In all the sixes of the Tarot deck (Rider Waite) in this case, there is neither a solution nor a conclusive end to a situation:

If the numbers are indeed a progression from start to completion, then the Sixes are half way in the middle and they do not necessarily herald a happy ending nor a sad one. It is the way I see it a transitional point which can go either way.

Six of Swords:  a respite in letting go of the troubles and hoping to sail to calmer shores. They have not arrived to the shore and do not know what awaits them.

Six of Wands: a victory, but a temporary one. It is not a lasting victory over the odds; it is the stage where the the script writer makes us believe or think that  the hero is winning the fight, but all too often, half way through the script, we have known by now that this is just a passing phase.  In other words, there is more to come – good or bad.

Six of Cups: again, the hero is reminiscing the old days. The present is not so perfect that he/she is resorting to nostalgia and wished the way things were. Not the end or a completion, but a temporary respite.

Six of Pentacles
: we all get to a point where we take stock of our finances and try to put our house in order; we evaluate our expenses, our investments and see what is bringing in dividends and what is making a loss until we find a solution or wait for things to bear fruits, like in the Seven.

This is the way how I see the numbers of the Tarot. Sixes are the middle of the journey as opposed to the deciding factor of querent’s journey.

But these cards can fall in a spread at such crucial points that they could become a deciding factor, despite them being a middle of the road kind of cards.

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