The hanged Woman

Spider Woman: Native American

Meaning

stagnation, inertia, repetitive cycle, the need to grow, life crisis forcing change, sacrifices

Symbols

The web is a matrix of all life. Our actions have a karmic effect and can affect other lives in far-reaching ways. The stars help to illuminate our progress as we contribute our own unique threads to the ever-changing design. The spider is the Great Mother, our teacher, guide, and the weaver of destiny. A feather signifies her ability to expose truth despite our possible resistance to acknowledging it. The circular motif reminds us that life is contin­uous and ever-evolving. Changes are inevitable.

Description

The Spider Woman's influence expanded throughout native tribes and could be found among the Navaho, Pueblo, and Hopi peoples of the Southwest.

In an Anasazi-Pueblo myth, Spider Woman was creator and goddess of the people. She spun her thread in four directions:

north, south, east, and west. Thus she created direction out of a primordial void. She fabricated the sun and moon using earth ele­ments. She then placed it in the vast sky and illuminated the dark­ness surrounding the moon by scattering stars in the cosmos.

From there she made all manner of living things. She then cre­ated woman and man and blessed them with the power to con­sider her web of wisdom. From the first humans grew an entire race of people, each one inheriting the web of wisdom. But soon the people became disillusioned and forgot about the gift of insight, so Spider Woman transferred them to the second world. In the second world, evil overwhelmed the sensibilities of the people and they were forced to make an exodus to the third world.

With Spider Woman as their divine teacher, they learned how to plant, make fire, and -weave. But over time they ignored the web of wisdom and anarchy began to surface. Spider Woman inter­vened and instructed the wise members of the people to set upon a journey to the fourth world. Here they would learn to start over. With the help of a squirrel, a reed was planted so that those willing to leave evil behind could make the journey to the fourth world using the growing plant as a ladder.

The people who transferred to the fourth world learned lan­guage and prayer and finally remembered to reflect upon the web of wisdom. But, alas, somehow evil also ascended to the fourth world, so the Spirit of Death flourished, making the people mortal and human.

The web of life may need to be repaired if neglect and imbal­ance begin to permeate its delicate threads. Spider Woman reminds us to take a look at our current situations and make sure that we do not lose sight of our journey, otherwise we may become lost, entangled in an uninspired state of being.

DEATH

Sedna: Jnuit

Meaning

transformation, rebirth, renewal, new beginnings

Symbols

Drowning symbolizes the dissolving of one conscious state into another. The water epitomizes the unconscious state of being. As we submerge into the deep—a meditative place within the psyche—we are connecting with our inner being and the re­source of collective materials. The sea life represents various arche­types: the seals are powerful and individual and the whales are spiritual, worldly creatures that can serve as omniscient guides.The owl in the aboveworld is the bird of wisdom. It represents darkness and it knows that the advent of wisdom evolves from the death of old ideas in favor of new perspectives. Through new experiences and an open mind we have the opportunity to become more worldly and wise.

Description

Sedna was the supreme deity of the undersea world, who was both feared and revered by the Inuit peoples of the Arc­tic region. She commanded all sea life and determined how many of her animals would be relinquished for mortal consumption. She

was once a mortal maiden whose renowned beauty lured many a potential suitor to seek her hand in marriage. One day a handsome bird-man, dressed in the finest of parkas, enchanted her with his song. She fled with him on his kayak but soon learned that her new bird-man husband had deceived her. His nest was made from smelly fish skins and her diet consisted of remnants of raw sea fish. Sedna began to wither under such dreadful circumstances and when her father came to visit her during the spring thaw, he was appalled by what he found. In a fit of rage, he killed the bird-man and fled with his daughter into calm waters, but soon the bird folk found their dead comrade and recognized the perpetrators of the murder. They pursued the mortals with a vengeance and stirred the sea waters with beating wings. The deadly waves began to overtake the small kayak they were escaping in. Sedna's father became frightened. In a panic, he tossed his daughter into the icy waves in the hopes of placating the angered spirit. Sedna grabbed the side of the boat, but her deranged father took out his ax and chopped at his daughter's fingers. As her fingers fell into the icy waters, they metamorphosed into whales, seals, and other sea crea­tures, and Sedna's mortal being became a sea spirit. Sedna assumed an undersea throne in her new domain, called Andluven, and here her embittered spirit presided over the sea mammals. The shamans would travel to her underwater realm and comb her hair as a means of appeasing the goddess so she would send seals to the hunters.

It is important to remember that change and new opportunities may only come about with the death of old ideals and situations. You may mourn aspects of your former life and be hesitant to embrace new opportunities. But being afraid to let go of a com­placent or stagnating situation for fear of failure can lead to endless frustration and despair. Allow yourself to transform and flourish in the face of great changes.

TEMPERANCE

Xochiquetzal: Aztec

Meaning

achieving balance, going within, moderation

Symbols

Xochiquetzal's flowing hair and robes represent the channeling of dynamic energy. Creativity can now flow more freely between the waters of the unconsciousness and conscious­ness. The butterflies help to direct creative energies from a dor­mant primordial stasis to higher cognitive recognition. The wren and doves are keepers of the spirit and vehicles to transcendent thinking. The flowers in the water represent fertile ideas yet to be utilized. The frog is associated with the nourishing waters and the need to resurrect after a period of stagnation. The cattails help to bridge the water and air elements, helping to emphasize the importance of integrating emotion and thought. The feathers help to alleviate burdens of an overwhelming ego. The ego has dis­solved somewhat, thus allowing the mind to absorb new creative energy. The circular design reinforces the ultimate goal toward the full integration of all the aspects of self in order to achieve a sense of wholeness.

Description

Xochiquetzal is the flower and butterfly goddess whose name means "flower feather." Her luminescent beauty and association with matters pertaining to love parallel the Roman goddess Venus. Xochiquetzal is a liberating goddess of sexuality, marriage, and childbirth. She is a fecund goddess and patroness of creativity and the arts.

Xochiquetzal survived an apocalyptic flood by fleeing on a boat with a mortal. Her procreative powers enabled her to repop-ulate the earth -with her companion. Initially her children were unable to communicate, until a dove descended upon them and provided them with the gift of language.

Xochiquetzal is a reminder that after death, life can be born anew. Her butterflies represent transformation and new begin­nings. Their graceful, deliberate movements seem to transcend profane time. They flutter their harmonious dance with the earth by transferring pollen and allowing the process of renewal to pro­liferate.

It is important to allow a higher force to cleanse us after times of great change. Sometimes life necessitates that we examine our­selves in a more objective manner. By reaching within the inner realms of our being, we can begin to create a balance between external influences and inner desires. It is time to move beyond the space where the ego had dominated and into new planes of self-awareness.

CHALLENGE

Rhiannon: Welsh

Meaning

confronting the shadow, recognizing dark forces, over­coming obstacles

Symbols

The horse is the embodiment of freedom, power and swiftness. White mares are particularly sacred and are associated with Rhiannon. The golden cloak serves as a symbol of protection as the goddess faces the chaflenges of the unknown. The spiral motif on the clothing, the water, and the stars are reminders of the cyclic nature of life, the passage of time, and the lunar phases. Three birds accompany Rhiannon and serve as messengers from the underworld. They have the ability to awaken the dead and induce somnolence on the living. The flowers are symbols of renewed life and the chance to be redeemed. They surface from the waters of the unconscious as a means of connecting with con­scious light.

Description

Rhiannon was an incarnation of Epona, the Celtic horse goddess. Dressed in fine gold, Rhiannon was accompanied by three magical birds while she rode upon her white horse. As daughter of an underworld lord, Herred, she had lunar attributes and often rode her horse through the evening sky.

Rhiannon was riding on her mare when Pwyll spotted her golden beauty. He began to pursue her, but was unable to emulate her swift gallop. Eventually he was able to wm her hand and together they bore their son, Pryderi. But a curse that was placed on Pwyll's household resulted in the tragic disappearance of their infant child. When the nurses discovered the baby's absence, they devised a plan to absolve themselves of guilt. They killed a puppy and smeared Rhiannon with its blood while she lay sleeping. When a bloody Rhiannon was exposed, she was falsely punished for the crime. She was sentenced to carry visitors on her back, like a horse, to the castle while she was forced to tell them of her pre­sumed evil deed. Meanwhile, seven years passed before her son was discovered and returned to Pwyll. As a result, Rhiannon was exon­erated and was happily reunited with her son.

Rhiannon's trials and tribulations are reminders that dark forces are always present. The challenge card can be viewed as the arche­typal shadow. In order to become whole and individuated, we need to identify the shadow aspect of our beings. We cannot remain stagnant. We cannot repress the shadow. In order to grow and attain a higher sense of self, we need to acknowledge our shadow and learn how to live with it in a productive manner. By integrat­ing the shadow aspects of our psyche, we can learn to more effec­tively harness untapped animal energies as fuel for creative vitality.

THE TOWER

Thunderbirds: Native American

Meaning

disaster, forced change due to discord, dismantling a former way of life

Symbols

The eagles are powerful creatures literally exposing the polar opposites of light versus dark, consciousness versus un­consciousness. The mighty predators reveal the great changes that are about to alter our old belief systems. The crumbling rock rep­resents the shattering of stability and life as we knew it. Lightning is born from cosmic forces that supersede conscious control. Their illuminating bolts reveal the truth and strike the former psycho­logical landscape of complacency and lingering self-delusion.

Description

The thunderbirds are one of the most widely dis­persed mythological figures in the Native American tradition. Their enormous beating wings produced thunderclaps as they soared down from the heavens. Their blinking eyes created awesome light­ning. The animals' force was both destructive and creative. The

storms that they carried with them precipitated nourishing rams that enabled vegetation to flourish.

Thunderbirds often fought incarnations of evil, such as the horned serpents, which resulted in cataclysmic natural phenom­ena. In the Northwest, an immense thunderbird preyed on whales and snatched them up from the sea. The power, size, and strength of the thunderbird was not to be underestimated. But even though they were feared, they were also seen as auspicious signs.

The arrival of thunderbirds is symbolic of change that may have both destructive and beneficial qualities. They awaken us with their thunderous attributes and illuminating flashes. Their forces pierce through any residual self-illusionary towers that we may have built our egos upon. We are struck with the revelation that our lives must be reconstructed in order to fully integrate all the various aspects of our being. The raw elemental forces of the thun­derbirds expose all the truths about ourselves, even aspects that we would rather relegate to the far reaches of the unconscious. With the shattering of illusions comes a sense of peace and freedom. We can freely enter the realm of our inner essence without harboring fears of the unknown. With renewed confidence that comes with embracing ourselves, we can now proceed toward a more spiritual path of self-awareness.

THE STAR

Kuan Yin: Asian

Meaning

wisdom, freedom, vision for the future, the opportu­nity to gain greater insight, a sense of renewal

Symbols

Healing fluid pours from the goddess's vessel. It is the liquid of compassion, love, peace, and balance. The liquid is infused with the powers of the stars and is the elixir for renewal and revitalized energy. The invigorating water streams into a pool, creating a balance between the conscious and unconscious thought processes. The goddess's flowing robes are vested in the spiritual energy of the stars. The embroidered flowers are symbols of hope. The peacock is a symbol of the sun, a powerful orb of energy. The eyes of its feathers echo the stars and provide win­dows of deeper reflection. The panda bear's black and white fur represents yin and yang and the need to maintain balance.

Description

Kuan Yin was the beloved goddess of mercy. She was the bodhisattva of compassion and was worshiped throughout the Eastern hemisphere. So sensitive was Kuan Yin that she could hear

the suffering of all beings. She was the protector of women and aided them in fertility, if they wished to have children. As a bod-hisattva, she was the essence of knowledge and peace and poured the healing waters of spiritual enlightenment as a means of blessing those who needed her help.

One story exemplifies her enduring, compassionate spirit. Kuan Yin lived with two sisters. One was to marry a warrior, the other a merchant. Kuan Yin refused to follow in their footsteps and decided to refrain from marriage. Instead she beseeched her father to allow her to enter a temple of women. Hoping to force a change of mind, her father cruelly instructed the women of the temple to treat his daughter poorly. Fearing Kuan Yin's father, the women complied and gave her all manner of laborious tasks. She worked while the others slept and it was at this time that animal helpers came to her aid: a serpent brought water, a tiger gathered wood, the birds collected produce from the gardens, and the peacock swept up the floor with its feathers.

When Kuan Yin's wrathful father heard about this, he set fire to the temple with the intention that all should burn inside. Instead, Kuan Yin extinguished the fire with her bare hands without suf­fering any burns. Kuan Yin's father then ordered her execution and her corpse was placed on the back of a tiger. Upon arriving in the land of the dead, she sang healing chants to alleviate the pain of the souls that dwelled there. This infuriated the King of the Dead, who relished the suffering of his victims, so he banished her and forced her return to the living. Upon returning to the living, her compassion and mercy prevailed and provided mortals with comfort during times of distress.

Through suffering and loss comes a greater sense of compas­sion. We can reflect on animals as helpers and guides when we feel our burdens grow too heavy. By connecting with all living things, we can establish a better understanding of self and thus lead more balanced, satisfying lives.

THE MOON

Odin: Norse

Meaning

going within, overcoming fear, following intuition

Symbols

The moon lights the way through the dark passages of the unexplored mind. It is symbolic of intuition and aspects of our being that may not be obvious in our conscious states.The ravens help to guide us toward greater wisdom. The wolf, symbolic of the earth, victory, and our primitive instincts, serves as a companion through the darkness of the night. The staff serves as a source of energy and connects us with lunar powers. The tree roots are rem­nants of events of our past that will always remain in our psyches. Symbohcally, the rocks are consistent and stable and enable us to retain solid footing even as we enter the ethereal realm of the dream state. The flowing cape is symbolic of the adventures that lie ahead. We should not remain immobile for fear of the unknown.

Description

Odin was the Norse god of war, intelligence, and poetry. He was one of the chief residents of Asgard, where he sat upon his throne and observed the world. As a warrior god, Odin inspired men and women to go into battle. He had the ability to drive men "berserk," thus engaging them in full battle frenzy. His followers wore wolf- or bearskins and fought like dogs and wolves, thus Odin's connection with the wolf. The Valkyries brought heroes that died on the battlefield to him in Valhalla, where they would eventually fight for the gods in the great battle against the Frost Giants.

Odin had an insatiable need to acquire knowledge. So great was this thirst that he allowed himself to be hanged from the tree ofYggdrasil for nine days in order to learn the secrets of the dead. He also gave up one eye to have a drink from Mimir's well and gain knowledge from the runes. His seeing eye was symbolic of the sun and the power of light, while his eye that was sacrificed in Mimir's well symbolized the moon.

Odin's intelligence extended into the realms of magic and shamanism. He possessed the power to divine from his immense resource of runes. The runes gave him the ability to defeat ene­mies, overcome illness, and seduce women. Odin could shapeshift into other forms and was once able to disguise himself as an old wanderer of the earth on a quest to seek further knowledge. He also communicated with animals. He would send out his ravens Hugin, who personified thought, and Munin, who personified memory, to gather news about the happenings of the world. They would relay information by perching on his shoulder and whisper­ing in his ear.

Like Odin, we need to connect with animals in order to acquire greater knowledge. We may encounter these wise creatures in our dreams. Instead of feeling frightened by their presence, they may come to us as teachers and guides through the universe of the unconscious. We can learn from our dreams and we can acquire wis­dom from studying the messages that animals may provide for us.

THE SUN

Horus: Egyptian

Meaning

positive energy, joy, celebration, reconciliation of opposites

Symbols

The sun is the ultimate source of energy. Its nourish­ing rays allow all life to flourish. After a period of darkness, the sun has now risen in a new dawn of beginnings. The falcon symbolizes the sun, strength, and power. The god Horus, known as the "great sky god," manifests the falcon's attributes. The falcon is swift and intelligent. Its feathers represent the soul and new paths of free­dom. The gold adornments echo the warm hues of the sun energy. The illuminated staff reinforces Horus's authority as a sky god. The spirals in the background connect the divine powers of the falcon god with the dynamic and continuous forces of the cosmos.

Description

Horus was the Egyptian falcon-headed sky god and divine child of Isis and Osiris. He was conceived after his mother shapeshifted into a hawk and flapped her wings at her deceased husband in order to extract life from him. Isis fled to the Nile Delta to give birth. She hid on the Island of Chemmis, near Bhutto, to keep Horus's birth a secret from the vengeful Set.

When Horus grew up, he sought out his uncle Set, who was the incarnation of darkness. They fought many battles. In one such confrontation, Set tore Horus's eye out but his mother, Isis, using magical powers, was able to restore it. Known as "the eye of Horus," one eye was symbolic of the sun; the other eye was the moon. Perhaps this was symbolic of the reconciling of opposites. Eventually Horus defeated his uncle and reclaimed his father's throne, where he reigned as a peaceful ruler. Horus also led souls to the underworld and protected pharaohs. Each succeeding pharaoh assumed the role as a living Horus.

As we near the end of our journey, we have finally reemerged into the light of the sun. We have confronted our shadows and learned to reconcile this aspect of our personalities. By reconciling opposites—light and dark, consciousness and unconsciousness— we can now proceed to integrate both elements of our psyches to finally achieve wholeness. This is a joyful time of self-realization and maturity.

JUDGEMENT

Gao Yao: Asian

Meaning

transformation, liberation

Symbols

The ram symbolizes the creative energy that is at one's disposal. The peaches are the fruit of longevity. Their vibrant color reflects the warmth and power of the sun. The god throws a peach in the water, thus enacting the karmic effect. The stirring of the waters of the unconscious may enable one to retrieve internal wisdom. The ripples in the water multiply, reaching beyond the area of immediate impact. The three fish represent abundance, renewal, harmony, and regeneration. Their number also reinforces the three stages of life: birth, death, and rebirth. The animals' pres­ence assures balance between the thinking world, as symbolized by air, and the emotional world, as symbolized by the water. The bird sitting upon the god's shoulder is a symbol of the soul. The tree represents the connection between the underworld, the above-world, and enlightenment. The roots penetrate the unconscious while the branches reach toward enlightenment. The bamboo in the background emphasizes the need for continued learning.

Description

The ancient Asian god Gao Yao helped to serve as a judge for the great Emperor Shun, the last of five emperors to rule prior to the first historical dynasty. Gao Yao was a wise old man who helped determine if someone was innocent or guilty. When he was unable to decipher this on his own, he had his trusty ram come forward. If the ram butted the person with its horns (it is often described as being a one-horned goat), the accused was deemed guilty. Perhaps Gao Yao's goat is a symbol of intuition or "gut feeling." Gao Yao is also referred to as Ting-jian.

The ability to make good judgements is not always easy. It often takes an individual time to develop good intuitive skills. If you fol­low your heart and learn to trust your internal voice in matters requiring decision-making, you will find that the outcome will most likely be a fortuitous one. Our acts and judgements have a karmic effect. It is important to remember that what we do can affect others. Once we have connected with all of the psychologi­cal functions—thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensation—we will be better equipped to fully transform ourselves into more thought­ful, inspired individuals.

THE WORLD

Gaia: Greek

Meaning

a state of wholeness, self-awareness, oneness with all living things

Symbols

Recognizing and embracing all living things as an important part of universal balance is a reflection of truly becom­ing in tune with one's being. The snake represents rebirth, renewal, and intuition. The spirals are symbolic of the creative life force. Its eternal rotation echoes the-eternal cycle of the seasons, life, death and rebirth. Leaves are indicative of the universal life pattern: we rejoice in their budding and mourn their fall from the cosmic tree. The ivy creeping up the tree is symbolic of immortality, as is the butterfly, whose metamorphosis shows us how life is ever evolving. The tree is feminine and acts as a connection between the underworld and the aboveworld. Ferns represent solitude. Flowers are graceful and beautiful. The menagerie of animals represents many kinds of attributes, personalities, and states of being. By appreciating all the incarnations of our being—the dark, the light, the beautiful, and the ugly—we have arrived at a place of great inner peace and wisdom.

Description

The great primordial deity of the ancient Greeks was the earth mother, Gaia. Before the creation of the universe as we know it, Gaia, "the deep-breasted one," existed as energy in a lim­itless pool of unidentifiable chaos. As she drew her initial breath, the chaos around her began to coalesce into mountains, ocean and sky. The sky, called Uranus, became her lover. The two clung to one another with unmitigated passion. So intense was their love affair that nothing could flourish between earth and sky. Their union impregnated Gaia with all manner of life, including the Titans, but her children were unable to be born. The teeming life could not emerge from a womb cloaked by the smothering dark­ness of their father.

Gaia grew impatient and angry at her husband's possessive nature and wanted her children to be born. In frustration, she fash­ioned a sickle and gave it to her youngest son, Cronus. With this instrument he castrated his father, thus enabling earth to separate from sky. The blood from Uranus's wound flowed down and fertil­ized the earth with hideous creatures and monstrous forms. With the birth of their children—the Titans, monsters, and all living things—time commenced and the life and death cycle were set into motion. Gaia's children are many and comprise the begin­nings of the Greek pantheon.

This is the archetype of the fully realized self. "Wholeness, inte­gration, and individuation are completed. It represents the end of a cycle of endless journeys. Now we are free to dig deeper into our psyches and traverse new waters of self-discovery. Like Gaia, who represents the anima mundi or the center of the world, we can now experience a oneness with our own beings and with the universe.

FOUR

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16