Focus and Release: Enochian Tarot

There's a lot going on in my life down here in la Florida. After nearly three years here we're seriously considering moving several states away in order to be closer to family. I have a lot of thoughts about all of this, and a lot of feelings. Mostly I'm really pleased to be in this position, though there are some bittersweet qualities to leaving this phase of life behind, to be sure. At times I find myself almost overwhelmed by it all, and Tarot's pretty helpful in those kinds of situations, so I sat down with my Enochian Tarot, and read for myself:

This was a really powerful, and powerfully calming, reading for me.

Enochian Tarot - Schueler/Glassman

First, as I was shuffling, 16. Higher Self popped out. This card carries the keywords: change for the better, spiritual impulse, foreknowledge, adjustment. To provide some back story, with recent Lenormand readings I've often been pulling Book (among others, of course), and with Tarot I've pulled the High Priestess a couple of times of late. Hidden knowledge, perhaps at times information that you're not meant to know quite yet. With the High Priestess we often say "listen to your intuition," and as I was considering what that meant for me, I realized that when I really sit and think about this house in which I currently reside, I am filled with a certain sense of urgency to move on, a sense that it's time to leave. And I feel that that is my intuition poking me with a stick. When Higher Self leapt from the deck, it felt like that same message of "listen carefully to inner guidance," along with positive encouragement that the shifting and transitions are leading to a positive place. It's hard to hear that quiet voice within when you're distracted by the din of everyday living, but it is there, and it is accessible. The image on the card gives me the feeling that my higher self, and my guides, are leading me safely along what feels at times like a precarious path.

Next I laid out the three main cards in the spread.

Enochian Tarot - Schueler/Glassman

1. What I need to acknowledge and release: 53. Lower Sephirothic Cross Angels of Air. Keywords: Reality, existence, science.

2. What I need to nurture and embrace: 49. Fourth Senior of Air. Keywords: Harmony, unity, pattern, arrangement, a birth.

3. Where all of this is leading: 20. The Wheel. Keywords: Cyclic nature, cycles, spirals, repetition, fate, destiny.

The first card tells me that I'm trying to be too careful. "Science" is precise and evidence-based. I am trying to make big decisions based on evidence that I really don't have, and based on information that I simply can't know at the moment. There are good and less good things about both staying and leaving. There is no obvious best path to take when I pick things apart rationally. This card image shows an angelic being, arms outstretched, with three smaller angels floating above his head. Each of the three smaller angels has a rather unpleasant expression on his face, and it appears that they all have their arms crossed. This reminds me of how all of my conflicting thoughts about this decision (pros and cons) end up confusing me, and ultimately I feel like I'm at an impasse. Rather than dividing my mind in so many directions, I need to accept that it's not going to be perfect, and it's not going to be without some temporary risk. I need to release my current reality.

The second card is about gathering together my fragmented thoughts together to create a single, harmonic focus. The element of newness - the start of a new cycle - is highlighted, which is important to understand. The angel on this card appears thoughtful and at peace. She looks over to the previous card, poised and strong, a staff held firmly in one hand. With a rose in her other hand, she's ready to embrace a new phase of life, ready for the journey. Above all, this is a card that tells me to trust that none of this is "accidental." There is a plan, an organization, a structure that is supporting this new, unfolding phase of life.

The final card says that this is all about my destiny. This is indeed cyclical, and is a part of a natural flow in my life. There is some comfort in realizing that this is all happening for a reason, and is a part of my path. In this image the elemental symbols for fire and air are surrounded by water and a spiral of little Earths. Everything is connected, there is indeed an order to the universe, and while at times I feel more chaos than peace in my own small universe, I know that there is order here too. At least I know that no matter how many ups and down there may be on this roller coaster, if I go with the flow, I'm more likely to land on my feet.

Morning Draw: Solitude

This morning I drew Solitude from my Enochian Tarot. This is a card from the Major Arcana, the 27th Aethyr. In the image there is a woman standing on a stone plinth in the middle of a green field at night. The deep blue and purple sky stretches on behind her, stars scattered above, and hills can be seen in the distance. There is something Dianic about this woman, perhaps because she holding a bow. That resonates with me, as Artemis always has, in her wild, natural strength and wisdom. There is more to this woman, though; along one side we can see an elderly figure holding a cane, an extension of herself, the crone within.

Enochian Tarot
Schueler/Glassman

Solitude is something I enjoy when I actively seek it out. Amidst the busy-ness of everyday life it can be difficult to carve out time for meditation and alone time. And other times (particularly a couple of extended periods of time in this past year) I've experienced solitude due to life circumstances rather than having chosen it for myself. But the power in solitude is just as potent in the moments we desire it as in the moments it's handed to us.

Without distractions we are better able to tune into what our bodies are telling us; we are better able to connect to the flow of feelings running through us; and we are better able to attune to our inner guidance, our crone energy, that stream of wisdom running like a river through our hearts that supports  us in our search for clarity, as we consider our place in this great Universe.

Enochian Tarot Review: Cosmos and Chaos

I'd been eyeing the Enochian Tarot for a while (not to be confused with the Enochian Skryring Tarot), at first mainly because I love the artwork (and philosophy) of Sallie Ann Glassman, who also illustrated one of my favorite decks of all time, the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot. From what I could see online the artwork in the Enochian deck appeared to be just as engaging and moving. But I knew very little about Enochian magic, which is a system first written about by John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. So I hesitated for a while, and just recently decided to purchase it now rather than wake up one morning to find that it was no longer available!

This is only a partial review; I'll be working with this deck often in the time to come, and I'm sure in the process I'll be learning a lot more about it which will help me provide more depth and breadth in future posts. But I can already say that I'm intrigued and even excited by the Enochian Tarot now that I've had a chance to look it over and pull some cards, and I am looking forward to the journey onward!

The Enochian Tarot was created by Gerald and Betty Schueler, illustrated by Sallie Ann Glassman (as I've already mentioned), and published by Llewellyn. In the accompanying booklet the Schuelers mention that there are roughly three branches of Enochian magic: that of the Golden Dawn, of O.T.O (Ordo Templi Orientis), and a third derived from the studies of the Schuelers themselves, which accounts for some small inconsistencies in the layout. This deck is fashioned, naturally, after the latter.

The deck itself is structured not unlike a traditional Tarot deck, though there are clearly some major distinctions. There is a set of 30 Majors, called "Aethyrs," that correlate with the planes of the ethereal realm where different angelic beings reside. Each card has a lesson and a unique energy, and while not arranged entirely parallel to the Fool's Journey (though there is definitely a path of sorts), there are certainly cards that carry energies very similar to the Majors in a more traditional deck. There are 56 Minors divided into four suits that correspond to the four Watchtowers, or elements (fire, earth, air, water). However these Minor suits are arranged very differently from traditional Tarot, and feature the hierarchy of beings associated with each of the Watchtowers. There are seven "court cards" in each, comprised of a King and six Seniors (these relate variably to feminine and masculine energies). Then we have the Higher and Lower Sephirothic Cross Angels, Kerubic Angels, Archangels, Ruling Angels, Lesser Angels, and Demons. (Are you entirely lost yet?)

 I love decks that require study, and this one certainly does. At this point I have the sensation of standing at the precipice of a new adventure, like a spark of quiet excitement, and I'm looking forward to what I will learn with time. This deck was originally printed in 1989, and was reprinted in 2000 (I have the 2000 reprint). It comes with a sturdy booklet - somewhat grander than a LWB - that contains a brief introduction to Enochian magic and the system itself, plus card meanings, spreads, and even rituals. I would recommend acquiring a more complete book because the card meanings themselves are really only presented as keywords, which isn't a lot of sustenance when learning a new system. But it does give you something to start with! The card backs are deep red and feature an Enochian seal, which is almost reversible. These cards are meant to be read both upright and inverted, and meanings for both orientations are included in the booklet.

Last night I was shuffling the cards, getting a feel for them, and asked, "What will my experience be like working with this deck?" I pulled II-Babalon ("Arn" Aethyr).

Enochian Tarot - Babalon
G. and B. Schueler/S.A. Glassman

The booklet describes this card as carrying feminine energy, which corresponds to the image on the card of a female figure sitting on a throne. With the moon-like shape above her head there is almost a High Priestess quality to the depiction, yet it's much more than that. Babalon is a triple-aspected mother goddess, and she incorporates sexuality, motherhood, and mystery into her complex, deep folds. There are layers of both the Empress and the High Priestess here, and in fact it is Babalon who is featured on the Lust card in the Thoth Tarot. The keywords given for Babalon are: "intense bliss, intense joy, happiness, harmony." It feels like a beautiful embrace, welcoming me warmly into the journey of working with this system.

This morning I felt pulled to draw a daily card from this deck rather than my standard 3-card Lenormand draw. I mixed the cards around on my bed, and drew one: IV-Cosmos and Chaos ("Paz" Aethyr).

Enochian Tarot - Cosmos and Chaos
G. and B. Schueler/S.A. Glassman

This card is very closely related to the Lovers card in traditional Tarot. Its keywords are: "good relationships, attraction of opposites, lovers." The energy is both masculine and feminine, which of course we would expect! So why Cosmos and Chaos? They are the female and male aspects of the creative principle, and interestingly (in light of my previous draw), Babalon is considered the female consort of Chaos (at least according to Thelemic teachings). So the depiction shown in the card may well be Babalon and Chaos enmeshed in each other's arms. In many traditions it is said that Chaos existed long before creation (Cosmos) and thus it is the great abyss out of which all order is derived. Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and esotericist, said in a 1907 lecture:

Genius is like a fresh spark; it is out-of-the-ordinary just because a union there takes place between the Cosmos and the Chaos; thereby a new thing arises not connected with the laws of evolution that come from olden time. It enters in from other worlds like a Divine spark. Genius is the marriage of the past with the present, of the Cosmos with the Chaos.

Cosmos and Chaos exist as separate yet intimately connected aspects of existence and creative energy. They come together, and through their union a third entity - a spark of knowing, a relationship, creative brilliance - is born. A beautiful, not wholly unfamiliar, concept. And indeed, the cards were entirely clued in to my reality on this day! After six weeks of separation, my husband is coming home tonight, and I am utterly excited, counting down the minutes until his arrival.

This deck is intriguing, mysterious, wonder-ful, and yes, challenging. I'm quite ready for the voyage. As I work with the Enochian Tarot over time I'll continue to post about my experiences, a review in parts, if you will. ;-)