I was asked to write something on Tarot especially on the analysis part of it. (My regular Astrologer readers can skim through this, as it is an useful divination tool, maybe you might feel inspired to learn it!)

I use Thoth Tarot as a quick short cut, like the Jyotish’s Prashna Kundali. The Tarot cards are capable of giving practical answers and as tools for self development. I use the Thoth Tarot because its creator, Aleister Crowley was a superlative genius and this is reflected in his cards. They are magic.

The Gemini-Sagittarius axis in the current times is causing upheaval in everyone’s lives. Ketu in Sagittarius making everyone hazed out. People are disconnected with their auspicious beneficial karma, their own merits from their past lives are unable to reach them and help them. People are now thinking and acting under the influence of Rahu in Gemini, delusions and illusions forcing them to create even more karmic debts. This is a very critical period where most of us will create even more karmic tangles which will take even more lives to resolve. (A few can make good use of these energies, especially those who have a Ketu capable of giving auspicious results in their charts.)

So this question was from someone close, a woman who wanted to know if a relationship would continue. This is a very highly karmic relationship and both remember each other through their several life times together in very close relationships. Both have psychic abilities. Since the 26^th Dec 2019 solar eclipse released its energies, their relationship has ended.

I am not discussing the entire reading, just one question from that session which had interesting answers.

So first we asked this, ’Did he ever genuinely love her?’ You see, this is the only question which really matters. If there is some potential in this answer only then can we go ahead and see what she can do about the relationship as such, attempt to retrieve it or let it go. And the reply was this,

Prince of Disks, The Lovers, The Emperor

Prince of Disks is the ‘air’ of ‘earth’, shows restrictions in terms of energy. ‘Prince’ summarises the man well enough as he is not mature enough to be called a ‘Knight’. There is an inherent conflict in his thoughts. There is some stability but not very much. An imbalance of Martian energy exists, which varies from lethargy to passion. Capable of doing practical things to reach his goals, but gets complacent before he reaches his goal. Complacency is dangerous as the path and the goal both are karmic, building up from several lives. He tries to control his life flow/ emotions/ instincts flow etc too much, is anxious about displaying emotions or receiving emotions. Lacks emotional warmth, is insensitive and dull. Does not understand the depth of his own/her feelings. He is interested because of the karmic pressure and also wants to experience the relationship but has emotional conflicts in his mind on how this should be regulated. He is aware of the karma from the past and its slow, grinding, determined movement but he desires to control its flow. He is hampered by immaturity, anxiety, desire to control and lack of emotions. He focuses on his personal self more than the relationship as this is a court card right in the beginning of the spread. There is interest but confusion.

The Lovers – Trump no. 6, the most complex card of the entire Thoth deck. The card depicts the marriage of the Emperor and the Empress, the Lovers. Reconciliation of opposites is the overall theme. When it pops up in a 2-person relationship reading it means a beautiful soul-mate relationship, very deeply felt emotions, attraction and inter-linked karma. True Love. The longing is mutual and very strong through their several lives. (It is an Atu, a Trump, higher forces are at work). Elemental dignity is ‘air’. It shows two separate individuals who are desirous of knowing their unity/ singleness together, but fear the process and the result too! These two people are already going through a very highly karmic relationship where everything unfinished from the past lives is demanding to be balanced with very high intensity. Here intelligent choices can be made regarding the relationship. He can exercise his individual will to some extent as a choice between two difficult paths can be made. The wrong choice carries heavy consequences. Thus this card is also a dangerous energy as choice, decisions, repercussions, union and unity are all built in. He is aware of what is happening, yet emotionally anxious and in dual mind and has been given an option to choose.

The Emperor – Trump no. 4, its elemental dignity is fire. The man desires control over everything. He wants structure, organisation and to lead/rule in the relationship. He has learnt some life lessons and wants to enforce those lessons on himself and on the woman and the relationship. There is a core of selfishness, his ego has increased greatly and he uses his energy to manipulate the relationship as he wants it to be. What the woman wants is not important to him now. He has become high-handed, coldly logical and has repressed the emotional part of himself and the relationship. He does not allow the woman to express her emotions also. Hard-hearted. He has become clever without intuition, which is damaging in the long run as Logic without Emotions ultimately is a Prison. Here Lovers Trumps energy connects the Prince of Disks to the Emperor, it connects a court card to a Trump. The togetherness and balance of the Lovers Trump has been distorted by this choice as the Emperor remains alone. This is a step backwards, the man has bound himself even more strongly by his thoughts, his repressed emotions and self-controlled non-intuitional behaviour. This naturally has an adverse impact on both of them and their relationship. (I have done readings for them earlier and the Emperor is is like a personal card for the man, always pops up. And the Empress often comes up for the woman too.)

So in context to our question, ’Did he ever genuinely love her?’, the cards indicate that, to begin with he was a bit anxious, his thought process did not really allow the emotional context to come out. He tried to frame his love in a structure rather than going with the flow. (But karmic relationships going back several lives do not allow structure imposed, the correct choice is to always go with the flow.) When he chose to become the Emperor, he added lack of emotions, overthinking, selfishness, enforcing his own rules on how to behave, not acknowledging the emotions of the woman, not giving himself or her any emotional outlet, etc type of things into the relationship. A step backwards as it goes back from the Trump no. 6 to Trump no. 4. It is not an equitable one-one relationship as he wants to rule always. So ‘genuine Love’ perhaps did or did not exist but it was not allowed to express itself ever. Overall Karma yes, evident visible Love in the positive emotional sense, no.

I believe that if Love exists it should be expressed. If you are so tightly bound by your own sense of self (Essentially a Narcissist) that you cannot recognise the other’s emotions, or express your own, the relationship is essentially a fraud. If there is no way left where Love can be expressed for either of them, it is not Love anymore.

And then we asked, ‘Did she ever genuinely love him, throughout their relationship together?’ And the reply was,

Two of Wands, Fortune, The Lovers. The spread ended in the Lovers, so I pulled out one more card to see in what direction her energies went. The 4th card is the Knight of Disks.

Two of Wands is called Dominion. The fire of the Wands is given impulse here. To direct the inner Fire into action, to plan and move. The woman, whenever she started on this relationship with this man in whichever life, steps out of her comfort zone to try new things with him. Her desire to experience is burning within her, but in a somewhat harmonious manner, it is not damaging to anyone, just very intense. It is not very comfortable, but she wants to try with all her will, she is inspired. She has the energy, desire and direction. She has the emotions and is willing to try for it with all her energy.

Fortune is the highly esoteric Trump no. 10. Elemental dignity is ‘fire’. For her, this relationship goes through several unpredictable cycles, the irresistible flow of experience through several lives. The energy of Dominion is put through cycles of unexpected changes. Fortune represents karmic relationships which go on for lives together. She remains optimistic and allows the karmic changes to take her along, she always has faith in him and in the relationship. She allows the higher self to set the tone without questioning it. (Trumps always indicate the higher energies operating). And Fortune is actually ‘good fortune as per Crowley, so this card shows that the woman was contributing positively to the relationship throughout.

Then the third card, technically the last card in the spread, is The Lovers for her. This card appearing in her spread too makes this reading very intense. This is a very deep karmic relationship for her. The emotions, attraction, the mind-set and the longing is mutual. She understands that this connect goes back several lives. True Love. A Choice is presented to her, triggered by the Emperor-energy in the man. (Refer the above explanation of the Lovers) She changes from Fortune to the Knights of Disks using this energy of the Lovers.

The Knight of Disks, ‘Fire’ of ‘Earth’. Fire and earth are complementary elements, slightly low in energy, but grant both achievements and the sense of achievement. This is the 4^th card in her spread. So we can interpret this as follows. After the man opts to become the ‘Emperor’, the woman chooses to become the practical, reliable, down to earth, Knight of Disks. The ‘Lovers’ energy connects ‘Fortune’ to the ‘Knight of Disks’, she lowers the energy level from which she operates. She strongly maintains her sense of ethics and her sense of understanding. This Knight cannot lie, is transparent, guileless, highly principled and hard-working. He is ultimately successful. She tries to make sense of this relationship despite dealing with the ‘Emperor’ mindset and these are rather big odds. She wants faithfulness and intimacy but now this is not an emotionally fulfilling situation for her. Committed but exhausted by the behaviour of the man, she has become emotionally dull. This though a male card describes this woman perfectly as she plays a more protective role in the relationship than women usually do. In this life I have seen her taking care of the material requirements of this man, like the house, carpets, dining sets, bracelets, giving gifts to him, getting material things for his comfort etc.

So, ‘Did she ever genuinely love him?’ She is very willing to put in all of her energy into it. Karmic work is more for her but she goes through it all with a positive frame of mind, on faith. She is aware that it is a highly karmic relationship going back several lives. When the man turns into the Emperor she chooses to become the Knight of the Disks. Emotionally stifled, aware of everything, unwilling to disrupt the natural flow of things, working hard, patient. Karma yes, Genuine Love yes. But a Love with no outlet to express itself. A suppressed thing which can poison her mind and soul ie create more karmic tangles.

Out of the 7 cards, 4 were Trumps, strong energies from their past acting on them. The Lovers repeated in both spreads, there is genuine Love but its expression is hindered. She has psychic abilities herself and aware of their past, present and future lives together. The woman desires Moksh in this life-time for both. She wants the flowing karmic rebalancing to continue. The man does not care and seems intent on creating more issues rather than resolving their karmic tangles. Self-ego is more important to him, than her or the relationship. Whenever and in whatever life these two started off, the woman was more enthusiastic and desirous of the overall experience, more willing to open up and let the higher self/ karma work through the relationship. The man was more immature and refused to let his emotional/ intuitive side express itself, always tried to control himself, her and the relationship. Now he is structure, she is patient.

This was a basic interpretation of a 3 card reading. One simple question of ‘Did he love her?’ turned out to be a such a lengthy answer!

(Later I did a OOTK, Opening of the Key spread designed by Crowley to be used with the Thoth Tarot and we discussed things some more.)