Rose Lalonde Posted April 19 Posted April 19 (edited) Taurus 1: The first decan of Taurus, a decan ruled by Mercury Taurus 1 Part 1 post at tabulamundi.com Part 2 An excerpt from part 1: "In the Northern Hemisphere, this decan is when we begin to till our gardens and plan and seed our first plantings. We see this agricultural theme in the decan descriptions. Note how many of them mention planting and plowing, as well as dividing the land via geometry. We wonder: will our seeds bear fruit? We worry: will the weather be conducive or destructive for our harvest? Will there be enough to eat?... The decan is ruled by Mercury. Mercury is a mathematician. The disks surround a set of Golden Mean calipers, a geometric measuring gauge that divides according to the Golden Ratio. In Agrippa's image, a husbandman, also known as a farmer or tiller, “goeth forth to sow, plough, build, people, and divide the earth, according to the rules of Geometry.” Many of the decan images speak similarly of related themes. The image [from Telos Tarot of 777 -- see at the full post] is first based on Crowley's decan description in 777, but also incorporates ideas from other decan description texts. Per 777: A woman with long and beautiful hair, clad in flame-coloured robes. The Ibn Ezra description mentions a woman with clothes partly burnt, while Picatrix likens her clothes unto fire." Tabula Mundi Tarot Thanks to @StellarLunar for this link to 2025/26 exact decan dates (as opposed to the standardized approximate dates you'll see in most places.) 5 of Pents/Disks Hierophant for Taurus Magician/Magus for Mercury RWS Knight of Pents/Thoth Prince of Disks - (this Prince's decans are Aries 3, Taurus 1, & Taurus 2) Not shown: Page/Princess of Disks for all of Spring (Aries, Taurus, & Gemini) Edited April 27 by Rose Lalonde
Rose Lalonde Posted April 20 Author Posted April 20 (edited) Added Tabula Mundi's 5 of Disks and two related majors. I love the way that in TM, you see the Magus DJ's sound board paired with the Hierophant's pillars, elephants, and key together on the 5. And illustrated in a way that shows how they come together to form the keyword 'Worry' in the Thoth. 'Material Trouble' in the GD. The whole deck is like that, and having it as my main reading deck for years, caused me to memorize the planetary decan rulers without really trying. Edited April 20 by Rose Lalonde
Ferrea Posted April 20 Posted April 20 5 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said: Added Tabula Mundi's 5 of Disks and two related majors. I love the way that in TM, you see the Magus DJ's sound board paired with the Hierophant's pillars, elephants, and key together on the 5. And illustrated in a way that shows how they come together to form the keyword 'Worry' in the Thoth. 'Material Trouble' in the GD. The whole deck is like that, and having it as my main reading deck for years, caused me to memorize the planetary decan rulers without really trying. Thanks for sharing! This arrangement reveals a lot, even in the good old Thoth! I just replicated it but swapped the V and I positions. Interestingly, I chose a different Magician than usual. The one I used before feels too mercurial to me—in the sense that this is the main vibe he gives off: jolly curiosity. The other one brings in some manic focus. They don't just have the tools floating around them for potential use—they actually grab them in no time. Movement is less physical/spatial and more energetic. I also like that there is more ambiguity when it comes to the Magician's sex. The sex isn't muddled but covered. Nobody’s business. The 5 of Pentacles looks like a construction site to me. Are those yellow-orange/violet nozzles filling funnels? Is the construction of the basement behind? That surely would be reason to worry! The lower pentacle needs more support. An engineer is needed to bring the matter under control. Or was it the engineer’s fault to begin with? The engineering spirit. Whether it's an IKEA shelf or an airport, materialising an idea inevitably reveals its flaws—the predetermined breaking point, or Sollbruchstelle, the elemental rift. What’s left is a yearning for perfection. How can the Hierophant satisfy this longing? By being the screen onto which we project our beliefs? There is always something hollow about the Hierophant for me. The cherubim masks reflect this back to me. Here is a façade, a system—fill it with whatever you like and stick to it. Design your own heaven on earth. Become free by losing yourself in routine.
Nemia Posted April 20 Posted April 20 Here are the core cards of this decan, my birth decan and anniversary decan for my tarot calendar - I started in 2017. Here are my Hierophants: And here are my Five of Pentacles: The Empress is there because I made the transition and the pictures on Friday. My deck group: Inner Child-affine decks. And here is the whole thing: Over in my journal, I thought about the connection between Taurus, Venus and the Hierophant - the overlaps, the inner inconsistencies. Venus/Aphrodite is a free spirit, sensuous and anti-dogma. Hierophant is about tradition, respect and adhering to your roots. Taurus has both sides. We're in Gvurah, the sephirah associated with Mars, so we're in a bit of a planetary mishmash. Mercury rules the decan, Venus the zodiac sign, and Mars the sephirah. They don't work together too smoothly. I also have the feeling that Gvurah in the world of Assiyah is not the best fit. We're in a fixed sign, an Earth sign, so this is a pretty static mise-en-scene. But Mars wants to move decisively, and Mercury wants to move quickly. But their energies are bound by all this fixed Earthiness. All this energy turns into a difficult inner state of wanting to do something without really knowing what and how. Maybe that's how the Worry aspect develops. In the classical RWS image, there is worry, and there is care for each other. In German, the word Sorge means both worry and care. And the light radiating from the stained glass windows is such a sign of hope. We have to wait until our insight comes, and we can find a way to let our energy work. Interestingly, it's the lunar-solar powerhouse of the next decan that will allow us to step from worry/care to actual care for others and ourselves. Intuition, not intellect, will help us from this rut. The Tarot of the Divine uses the image of the Little Match Girl from Andersen's sad, sad fairy tale. We can hope that the window is not opaque - that there is someone on the other side who can SEE the girl and help her. I so want a good outcome for the girl. And for everybody else.
fire cat pickles Posted April 20 Posted April 20 (edited) In the Book of Thoth, Crowley is specific in that the word "Worry" used is the old sense in that it is an old verb meaning "to strangle:" "[See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep." It has nothing to with the emotion of fretting over something: https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00skeauoft/page/718/mode/2up Edited April 20 by fire cat pickles
Rose Lalonde Posted April 20 Author Posted April 20 25 minutes ago, fire cat pickles said: In the Book of Thoth, Crowley is specific in that the word "Worry" used is the old sense in that it is an old verb meaning "to strangle:" "[See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep." It has nothing to with the emotion of fretting over something: https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00skeauoft/page/718/mode/2up Now I'm worried about being worried.
JoyousGirl Posted April 20 Posted April 20 The 5 of Disks earned a clearer meaning for me when I was reading about medieval days. This "worry" etymology adds to the picture that the refuge offered by the light shining in the window isn't always 'worry free'. In my mind, I see the outlaws sitting on the central stone of refuge that protected them worried as the king's men waited for the outlaw to leave their position so they could take them off for their punishment. This might also indicate taking out a loan from the bank and the interest rates rising beyond tolerable repayments, or filing for bankruptcy as a relief but followed by punishment. Things beyond your control, like your own body - your health - worrying you, too. On the menu is "Worry two ways" 😞
Rose Lalonde Posted April 21 Author Posted April 21 (edited) Since the GD came up with the astrological correspondences to cards that we're following (as opposed to Levi's etc)... As a mental exercise, I like to do what Waite and Crowley did, which was take the GD framework of correspondences, and decide how it all comes together to form the meaning of a card. (Of course, it wasn't only astrology they looked at; there was hermetic Qabalah, alchemy, etc.) -- I mean, starting from the same correspondences from their time in the GD, Waite and Crowley sometimes came up with different meanings. Or dropped part of the GD framework. Waite didn't keep the GD's Prince and Princess courts; Crowley changed several of the majors' titles, and especially the meaning of The Aeon/Judgement. I'm no Waite or Crowley! 😅 But I don’t think that should stop us from peeking 'under the hood' at to see what we would come up with -- even if only as a supplement to what Waite and Crowley have given us. All that groundwork laid, I'll be presumptuous and look at the first decan of Taurus' 5 of Disks myself, like they did: 1) The Lord of Material Trouble 2) There's this first, cardinal decan moving into fixed earth Taurus (as @Nemia mentioned), ruled by speedy and energetic Mercury. So change in this cardinal decan, but becoming solid and fixed in a way Aries wasn't. 3) Plus via hermetic Qabalah, we get Mars for all of the 5s (again as Nemia mentioned), so there's a lot of energy leftover from Aries and crashing into earth. Dione Fortune calls the 5s the "pruning knife," paring down what isn't necessary after the expansive Jupiter 4s, both off balance on side pillars. They will finally come together in the balanced 6's but we're not there yet. Since the 4s relate to expansive Jupiter, the RWS 4 of Pents tends toward hording the material and trying to keep the status quo -- but it hits the reality of the 5. What is the problematic reality of the 5 of Disks? For the GD it's trouble related to material things. @fire cat pickles talked a bit about what that meant to Crowley. And in the RWS you get the people who need support but don't see that it's there or aren't welcome. -- Or you might see the Thoth and RWS cards differently. What matters is that it's not the imagery from the original GD deck of a hand holding a branch with 5 pents. When I see a card that shows us running up against the reality of the material world, I think of impermanence -- one of Buddhism's '3 characteristics of existence'. Especially since even Crowley called the 2 of Disks Change, the nature of all things from bodies to atoms to galaxies. So when I drew a deck for myself, I drew an Ozymandias-like statue to show that things that seem like they'll last forever and are reliable and set in stone are eventually wittled away to rubble. You might know of things happening in the world that relate to this. But impermanence can also mean, "This too shall pass." Which might be a relief. Those ideas may not resonate for you at all. We come to tarot with our own world views. But I like that we can do what Crowley and Waite did if we want-- actively look at these decans and ask ourselves what these symbols and metaphors mean to us. Edited April 21 by Rose Lalonde
Rose Lalonde Posted April 21 Author Posted April 21 Adding the Taurus 1 tabulamundi.com post in the first post momentarily -- and it's here. My desk for this decan:
Ferrea Posted April 22 Posted April 22 (edited) On 4/20/2025 at 9:59 PM, fire cat pickles said: In the Book of Thoth, Crowley is specific in that the word "Worry" used is the old sense in that it is an old verb meaning "to strangle:" "[See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep." It has nothing to with the emotion of fretting over something: https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00skeauoft/page/718/mode/2up Do you have a theory about who or what is worrying whom in the 5 of Pentacles—and why or how? Edited April 22 by Ferrea
fire cat pickles Posted April 22 Posted April 22 32 minutes ago, Ferrea said: Do you have a theory about who or what is worrying whom in the 5 of Pentacles—and why or how? I don't think it's a person/s or thing, but an idea (note the semi-colon after the word "overthrown" in the quote provided," below). The Book of Thoth says the four of the Four of Disks is being overtaken or (i.e. "Worried") by the the Five. Here is the full quote: "The Five of Disks is in equally evil case. The soft quiet of the Four has been completely overthrown; the card is called Worry. [See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep. Note the identity with Sphinx.]" It brings to mind a wrestling match where one opponent chokes another out in submission. Or when a rope gets knotted (worried) and loses its tensile strength. We can overthink (Mercury) and under-do (Taurus) in any task very easily at times, instead of letting muscle memory take control. We become our own worst enemy when we over-intellectualize. Sometimes it is best to do without thinking.
FindYourSovereignty Posted April 22 Posted April 22 On 4/19/2025 at 5:20 PM, Rose Lalonde said: We wonder: will our seeds bear fruit? We worry: will the weather be conducive or destructive for our harvest? Will there be enough to eat?... My relationship to the 5P from this comment above: Will all or any of the seeds we have planted come to fruition? It makes me think of the reminder to "not put all your eggs in one basket". On 4/20/2025 at 5:53 AM, Ferrea said: Here is a façade, a system—fill it with whatever you like and stick to it. Design your own heaven on earth. This resonates with me. On 4/20/2025 at 10:06 AM, Nemia said: Here are the core cards of this decan, my birth decan and anniversary decan for my tarot calendar - I started in 2017. Happy Birthday and Happy Decan Walk Anniversary. On 4/20/2025 at 10:06 AM, Nemia said: We're in a fixed sign, an Earth sign, so this is a pretty static mise-en-scene. But Mars wants to move decisively, and Mercury wants to move quickly. But their energies are bound by all this fixed Earthiness. All this energy turns into a difficult inner state of wanting to do something without really knowing what and how. Maybe that's how the Worry aspect develops. This makes me think of the impatient feelings of waiting for something to happen which can then give me permission, or release me, release my mental mind, to move onto the next thing. As if I don't know what to do until I receive some outside awareness of what is happening with the seeds I have planted. On 4/20/2025 at 3:59 PM, fire cat pickles said: In the Book of Thoth, Crowley is specific in that the word "Worry" used is the old sense in that it is an old verb meaning "to strangle:" "[See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep." It has nothing to with the emotion of fretting over something: Interesting to think that the idea of choking or being strangled wouldn't be something someone, or an animal, doesn't fret over. Animals do make efforts to survive, but it is through sensing and instinct, not the emotional, mental thoughts we humans have. 2 hours ago, fire cat pickles said: We can overthink (Mercury) and under-do (Taurus) in any task very easily at times, instead of letting muscle memory take control. We become our own worst enemy when we over-intellectualize. Sometimes it is best to do without thinking. Agree completely. Thank you for sharing. On 4/20/2025 at 6:27 PM, JoyousGirl said: The 5 of Disks earned a clearer meaning for me when I was reading about medieval days. This "worry" etymology adds to the picture that the refuge offered by the light shining in the window isn't always 'worry free'. Thank you for this reminder. On 4/20/2025 at 9:06 PM, Rose Lalonde said: "This too shall pass." Which might be a relief. Yes, another favorite phrase, the only constant being change. On 4/20/2025 at 9:06 PM, Rose Lalonde said: We come to tarot with our own world views. But I like that we can do what Crowley and Waite did if we want-- actively look at these decans and ask ourselves what these symbols and metaphors mean to us. I love this. I often share with others that all the learning does not hold as much meaning as what you relate to in the card's image. I feel it is why there are so many decks being created through someone's healing journey. There are decks created as tarot art, history, and learning, and then there are decks created through someone's healing using tarot. And some others for other reasons, of course, but the ones mentioned are the ones that speak to me.
Rose Lalonde Posted April 22 Author Posted April 22 On 4/20/2025 at 10:06 AM, Nemia said: my birth decan and anniversary decan for my tarot calendar - I started in 2017. Happy birthday, @Nemia. And happy 8th anniversary of your calendar!
Ferrea Posted April 23 Posted April 23 23 hours ago, fire cat pickles said: I don't think it's a person/s or thing, but an idea (note the semi-colon after the word "overthrown" in the quote provided," below). The Book of Thoth says the four of the Four of Disks is being overtaken or (i.e. "Worried") by the the Five. Here is the full quote: "The Five of Disks is in equally evil case. The soft quiet of the Four has been completely overthrown; the card is called Worry. [See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep. Note the identity with Sphinx.]" It brings to mind a wrestling match where one opponent chokes another out in submission. Or when a rope gets knotted (worried) and loses its tensile strength. We can overthink (Mercury) and under-do (Taurus) in any task very easily at times, instead of letting muscle memory take control. We become our own worst enemy when we over-intellectualize. Sometimes it is best to do without thinking. Thanks for elaborating on this! I wonder if this worrying of the earthy Four's "soft quiet" by the Five describes our utilitarian approach to nature. Paleolithic folks, those infamous meat and berry lovers, probably didn't worry too much about bringing in the harvest or planting seeds at the right time to begin with. They were just running and sniffing around, no matter the season—being subjected to nature rather than turning it into an object to be exploited or outsmarted. Applying this idea to the image of the CSW 5 of Pentacles, it gives me the sentence: feeling or being existentially dependent on something we can't control. Feeling de-based, uprooted. This may also allude to the aspect of a spiritual crisis that can come up with the 5 of Pentacles—a lack of connection when dissecting Mercury is at play.
JoyousGirl Posted April 23 Posted April 23 9 hours ago, Ferrea said: a spiritual crisis that can come up with the 5 of Pentacles—a lack of connection when dissecting Mercury is at play. Mercury is a trickster, and there's mention of the Hierophant also having sinister aspects. So is there a sense of misrepresenting, or dualism? I am drawn to Hierophant's hand gesture - his left hand - "sinistra" (in the Latin language of the Church) - held in an odd position that's not up as a blessing - and think of the crueller nuns of old slapping those writing with their left hand because it was a sign of devil - sort of like poor people are treated today. Mercury is a symbol of communication, too, and literally quicksilver, which is slippery and hard to grasp. Taurus, on the other hand is fixed - and resistant to change - much like the institution and traditions that Hierophant, on his face, represents. There's a lot to unpick in that blend of slippery with rigid. I'm thinking out aloud - which may not add to the conversation. So I think I'll go and get some keywords to add here a bit later.
Rose Lalonde Posted April 23 Author Posted April 23 52 minutes ago, JoyousGirl said: I'm thinking out aloud - which may not add to the conversation. No, I think it does add to it. Now that you mention that for the Hierophant, I remember in Book of Maps, Wen talks about the 'number of man' on her SKT card (in my image above) being the number of the beast. And Crowley has good things to say but still adds, "it is hard to deny that in the expression of the initiator is something mysterious, even sinister. He seems to be enjoying a very secret joke at somebody's expense." For me personally the Hierophant is more about any person, teaching or method that helps to connect the everyday to the spiritual (or I should say in my opinion, shows the already existing connection). But given this card's history, reputation and its depiction in many decks, I get the negative aspects. With that kind of power can come the exact opposite of the spiritual if the position is misused, or if the one in the position has no understanding. -- Or even just that irritating feeling Crowley mentioned about us not being in on the joke -- it's often uncomfortable being the one who feels like they 'don't know yet' and have come to the Hierophant (whatever that represents for us) for greater understanding. And now I'm just thinking out loud...
JoyousGirl Posted April 24 Posted April 24 8 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said: Hierophant is more about any person, teaching or method that helps to connect the everyday to the spiritual And Mercury is an intercessor too - or a 'medium' of sorts transmitting messages from a source, or God, to a recipient. Back and forth (Mercury retrograde comes to mind). So there is something both Hierophant and Mercury have in common in that regard. Yet we know messages can be adapted for personal purposes - misused as you say. Control, gain and so on. Not direct from the source. The church makes money, and I always think of the early church as being comprised of those who missed out on being first born - primogeniture meant the firstborn got everything - the 'leftover' siblings - used to luxury went and joined the church to maintain their lifestyle. So they also maintained power, and possibly more of it. Then there's the false friars and hermits who used to go around profiting from indulgences. People could be absolved of their sins by paying a fee to them - and not change their criminal ways. So those false religious guys made a bundle. Hierophant is not only tradition, but also bureaucracy, government, schools and large organisations (church obviously, or corporations with their policies and procedures). Government is a sort of medium too and schools are transmitting knowledge too. But then there's propaganda. I'm going to need to look into that little 'goddess at the groin' of the Hierophant. Who seems to be radiating the child of light at his heart. She drew my eye this morning. I'm rambling again. And probably off topic.
JoyousGirl Posted April 25 Posted April 25 I have a question for the advanced students: The nail/zayin of the 'goddess at the groin' of the Hierophant contains all the elements in the pentacles on the 5 of Pentacles. She's situated at the base chakra, so the material Earth is my assumption. And this is reflected again in the downward pointing Pentacle of the 5, and in the men at work on the Earth on the Liber T's 5 pentacles. The goddess radiates a child of light within a star into the Hierophant's heart. That child has the same nail as the goddess imbedded in his right foot - as if pinned to the Earth (in Thoth deck - but not in Liber T deck). What does that child's foot with the nail of elements represent? (and by extension the nail the goddess of the groin is holding) Thanks.
fire cat pickles Posted April 26 Posted April 26 @JoyousGirl and @Ferrea, I have responded to your quotes in my Journal entry here 🙂
Babalon Jones Posted April 27 Posted April 27 On 4/25/2025 at 6:21 PM, JoyousGirl said: I have a question for the advanced students: The nail/zayin of the 'goddess at the groin' of the Hierophant contains all the elements in the pentacles on the 5 of Pentacles. She's situated at the base chakra, so the material Earth is my assumption. And this is reflected again in the downward pointing Pentacle of the 5, and in the men at work on the Earth on the Liber T's 5 pentacles. The goddess radiates a child of light within a star into the Hierophant's heart. That child has the same nail as the goddess imbedded in his right foot - as if pinned to the Earth (in Thoth deck - but not in Liber T deck). What does that child's foot with the nail of elements represent? (and by extension the nail the goddess of the groin is holding) Thanks. I think the symbol on the child's foot is actually supposed to be an ankh-shaped sandal strap which represents the fifth power of the Sphinx, Ire, "To Go" as in going forth to do your Will. But nail definitely fits for the letter Vau of the Hierophant too, the son (or child Horus) of the YHVH sequence, and the connection between the Earthly and Universal, and the Goddess's sword definitely looks like a nail, and there are the nails pinning down the Rose Oriel window.
Babalon Jones Posted April 27 Posted April 27 I'm working on the post for Part II of the Taurus 1 decan now; hope to get it put up this afternoon or evening.
Babalon Jones Posted April 27 Posted April 27 Got it done https://www.tabulamundi.com/decan-walk-taurus-1-five-of-disks-part-ii/
FindYourSovereignty Posted April 27 Posted April 27 37 minutes ago, Babalon Jones said: Got it done https://www.tabulamundi.com/decan-walk-taurus-1-five-of-disks-part-ii/ Thank you for posting the link. At one time, for me, shutting off the worry was really hard to do. Shifting from worry to trust was a process I had to give myself permission to do.
FindYourSovereignty Posted April 29 Posted April 29 No pictures from me for this decan. Thank you for a,lowing me to enjoy all of yours. Closing personal thoughts... When I protect my foundation, I define my self-love, Which shapes my feelings. My feelings create what I believe, And what I believe becomes where I belong. Reshaping my beliefs requires changing how I think, communicate, and learn. This opens doors to receive different opportunities. These opportunities require me to trust my Source, to sense what is truth for me. Then I can commit and claim what the Universe has in store for me. Acting on this truth, I manifest my New Story.
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