Tree of Life - Invocation of The Orchard

Kabbalah Tree of Life

 I thought I'd take a break from the discussion of the Major Arcana cards today and share a bit about when I first became interested in the Tarot. I learned how directly related Kabbalah was to understanding the cards. I found the explanation of Kabbalah  to be very complex and full of deep meaning that can be very overwhelming, because there is so much information to be learned. I have been very drawn to Judaism and Mysticism from a young age, and so I was keen to find out as much as I could. I do not pretend to begin to understand the Kabbalah, as it is a life long study. It has been described as being a system of thought, and the Tree of Life is a map of personal energies and thought. It is a way to describe or a way of describing God.

It has been long held, and believed, that the Tarot has it's origins in Kabbalah. I take what I have learned, and adapt this information when I am doing readings or studying the Tarot cards.

A particular invocation and prayer I like to say prior to my readings is the Invocation of The Orchard. It makes me feel grounded and connected to the earth and connected in ancient tradition.

INVOCATION OF THE ORCHARD

"I pass through this orchard remembering that what I may learn, and what may pass before my eyes will be for the purpose of healing the world, and bringing Unity into this dimension, into the plane of human awareness. This orchard is the transition point between the transcendent and the imminent - the abstract and the concrete.
My personal path can adapt and absorb this forest slowly, and as it sees fit. My basic person hood remains intact, while sampling the myriad forms and concepts in the grove. Drinking from the river of delights of the Creator's house, my own specific root into the infinite is a path of emanation along which I can safely and respectfully traverse.

"All the world is a very narrow bridge - but the point is to be fearless."

"Sepher Malchus is also called "Kingdom," and is the realm of the earth, of the body, and immediate physical sensations."

Sepher Malchus is the grounding point, where I am centered, and where I will return after contemplating the trees, springs, fragrances, and many-faceted gems in the enclosure. Sepher Malchus is the point of connection and return to my personal concrete reality and viewpoint, to my ideal stability."

The Kabbalah Tree of Life

The Emperor - Earthly Father

The Emperor, the fourth card in the Major Arcana is associated with Aries the ram, and represents the earthly father. His is the compliment to the Empress and is the personification of temporal power suggested the accumulation of material wealth. Although he is disciplined and visionary he keeps his emotion in check. A desire for independence can be indicated as well leadership, dominance, authority, governance and control. There is knowledge through experience and power is exercised for good. He is Zeus and King of the Gods. In Greek Mythology he is called All-Father. Zeus was the father of Athene (goddess of justice).

The father embodies our spiritual values and ideals, determining our ability to be self-sufficient. Domination by the inner father can be a tyrannical force and so we cannot allow ourselves and our beliefs to be crushed by inflexibility and rigid control that interferes with our life and personal growth. At some point we need to find our own inner authority that we believe in, balanced with self-respect and humility, to meet the challenges in life regardless if we have a temporal father present or not.

Justice - Clarity of Vision

Here we meet Athene, the Goddess of Justice, and the eleventh card in the Major Arcana, and associated with the sign of Libra. Relating to decisions being made fairly with fair outcomes, that set a confused life into a successful order. Divine or social justice where truth  triumphs, and success is achieved through negotiation in legal matters. Her double edged sword signifies impartiality and Athene's white owl, sitting on her shoulder reflects her clarity of vision.

We are reminded of the consequences of our actions spiritually. The often seen purple cloth in some cards is symbolic of compassion, and the pillars indicate confines and limits of the physical world. Meditation and attention to something in particular is needed in order to find a solution.

Meditation, contemplation and attention to something in particular is needed in order to find solutions. Consider if there is deceptive behaviour, justice will prevail regardless and responsibility for your actions must be taken.

The Empress - The Power of Motherhood

I love the Empress card, the third Card in the Major Arcana and ruled by the Roman goddess of love, Venus. She symbolizes the the power of motherhood, the earth, and practical wisdom.
Having a past vocation as a Youth Care Worker for over twenty years I feel I have been mothered many and I understand what my own mother sacrificed and what she so freely imparted to me was invaluable for living a life grounded in love , and practical wisdom. She embodied an inner beauty and generosity that a of a mother freely and unconditionally gives.

The Empress is beautiful and bountiful. The stars in her crown represent all the signs in the Zodiac, indicating she is the mother of all. Here we find fertility, creativity and imagination. There is pregnancy of the body, the mind or the spirit. There is great ability to create a warm and productive environment. The harvest is good and abundant. Luxury and material gain, productivity and protectiveness are present and reflects the experience of mothering. Not only in the physical body but the experience of the Great Mother and her wisdom of nature. She understands that all things move in cycles and come to fruition at the appropriate time. Without her we cannot appreciate our bodies and the is a disconnect. We risk living in our heads intellectually, without being grounded in the real world.

The Empress makes be immediately think of Mother Mary. I was always very drawn to her, and still am. When I was a troubled adolescent my family lived in Guelph, Ontario. There was a beautiful Catholic Church a top the highest hill overlooking the city. I would often find solace there, in front of the icon of Mary in times of trouble.


I still have a picture of her from my teenaged years, like the one below. Notice the twelve stars around her head, and the Moon under her feet. She is clothed in radiant sunlight. The Sun, the Moon and the Stars all surround her in glory.

The Lovers - Love, Friendship, Partnership

The Lovers is the sixth card in the Major Arcana. I am drawn to this card especially because it is associated
with the sign of Gemini which is my Sun sign ruled by Mercury.

The card suggests love, friendship, and partnership. Also it represents the duality of earthly and divine love, or true love. It also augers a time to make a crucial choice. There is temptation. A decision based on instinct and intuition rather than the intellect and there is a flash of insight. There is a moral choice based on maturity and integrity. The dilemma of choosing is reflected in our values, because our choices mirror back to us the kind of person we wish to be. Our choices affect all levels of life. We cannot be driven blindly but must look carefully at the implications before considering the choices we make.

The Hierophant - The Wounded Healer

The fifth card in the Major Arcana is the Hierophant , the spiritual father, the wise sage, the teacher of wisdom, or is representing the trinity - mind, body and spirit. It also represents religion or orthodox ideas; unconditional mercy and compassion, perhaps toward the self; having a need for approval and conformity and having humility in facing authority.

Many folks have "issues " surrounding authority figures, often for good reason as there has been, or can be abuse of this authority, which often will leave emotional, physical and mental scars. We often become  The Wounded Healer and through our own pain, we can appreciate the pain and suffering of another. This can  result in our choosing a career or vocation as a counselor, doctor, or some kind of worker in the service of others and we are good at it, because we have walked that walk.

That said, the Hierophant represents silence, hearing the voice within and listening to the heart. We  try to understand what the Creator's will for us is, in our lives.
Symbolic of actively seeking answers of a philosophical kind, a study of particular philosophy or belief system or a deep commitment to a quest for the meaning of life manifested in formulating our own vision of spirit which will guide us, leaving childhood behind, and now facing life's challenges.

I have heard it said religion is some else's experience, spirituality is an individual's experience. In the end we must come to terms and find our own values, morals and spiritual beliefs. The Hierophant asks us to do just that through meditation and listening to the still quiet voice within our heart of hearts.

Chiron The Wounded healer

The Hermit - The Inner World

The Hermit is the ninth card in the Major Arcana. he was was once the Magician, is now the wise old man. He withdraws from the world, to find an inner world. His grey robe, a mix of black and white, represents consciousness and the unconscious. Scythe in left hand represents the nature of the life cycle and impermanence. He is often also seen carrying the patriarch’s staff, a symbol of the narrow path of initiation and an emblem of power and authority. It represents the Hermit’s ability to use his isolation and the knowledge he has gained as a tool upon his path to reach even higher levels of awareness.

The Hermit also is carrying a lantern in the other hand where a six-pointed star shines symbolic of the elements fire and, water, and of wisdom. The merging of opposites, both masculine and feminine are intertwined.
The Hermit retreats in solitude, into his inner world, and his will begins to unite with will of the Divine, in order to understand the self, and to seek spiritual wisdom, discernment and improvement of self.
The adage if you cannot live with yourself, and be comfortable in your own skin, it is very unlikely you will be able to live with or appreciate another.We must accept ourselves and the situation we find ourselves in, finding contentment and peace within our soul.

 Although there is power in creativity and skill, these do not lead to a spiritual awakening or enlightenment. Happiness is only found within, not in the material world. The Hermit asks us to meditate and to turn our attention inward, so as to find our own truth and understanding.
He is a solitary figure on top of the mountain, which symbolizes achievement, accomplishment and growth. The Hermit is now willing to share what he has learned with others, with love and compassion, with those who are open, who seek and honour the inner wisdom to be found within themselves.
 
On The Hermit shoulder sits a raven associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy, the symbol of good luck and were the god's messengers in the mortal world.

Dr. Carl Jung deemed raven symbolism to represent the shadow self, or the dark side of the psyche. By acknowledging this dark side, we can effectively communicate with both halves of ourselves. This offers liberating balance, and facilitates tremendous wisdom.