Data Filter

This week I'll be using the Tarot in de Herstelde Orde (Tarot in Restored Order), created by Rob Docters van Leeuwen and Onno Docters van Leeuwen; it was published by Servire. The second deck I'll be drawing from is the Oracle of Kabbalah, a deck and book set created by Richard Seidman and published by Thomas Dunne Books. Since the Kabbalah cards are of the letter only and rather plain, I'll be using the illuminated paintings of Victor Brindatch. Today's draws are Juno and Alef:

Intuition becomes increasingly valuable in the new information society precisely because there is so much data. 

―John Naisbitt

The Tarot of Restored Order adds two cards to its deck: Juno (Intuition) and Jupiter (Truth). A temple to Juno Moneta (meaning “Juno Who Warns”) was built on Rome's Capitoline Hill in 344 BCE. According to Plutarch, the cackling of her sacred geese were said to have warned the Romans of an invasion of Gauls, allowing them to save the summit. Juno's card represents that spiritual nudge, bad feeling or intuitive flash that advises us to pay attention and take action. It helps us filter out the overwhelming amount of stimuli and focus on what's important in the moment. Symbolizing oneness or unity, Alef (Aleph) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means 'master' or 'leader.' When it appears, it suggests we recall what is primary; we need to strip away the superfluous and get back to basics. Both of these cards encourage staying grounded and not getting distracted by meaningless fluff. 

Having and Giving

This week I'll be using Tarot in de Herstelde Orde (Restored Order Tarot) created by Rob Docters van Leeuwen & Onno Docters van Leeuwen and published by Servire. The other deck I'll be using this week is the Oracle of the Kabbalah created by Richard Seidman and published by St. Martin's Press. Hebrew artwork is from various sources (not from the oracle cards). Today's draws are the King of Pentacles and 'Aleph/Alef:'

Aleph artwork by Michoel Muchnik 

          Lest the flowery crown and flowing gown suggest this King is only concerned with the cushy life, there is a hint of armor beneath his robe (and his face resembles WWE superstar John Cena). He's used both brain and brawn to attain what he has, and he maintains it through his common sense and prudence. Nothing is wasted in his kingdom, as seen by the stump that he uses as a footstool. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and its shape suggests a division between two experiences of life - the spiritual and the physical. It embraces both form and spaciousness, separation and unity. According to Seidman, Aleph teaches us to accept "both sides of life, the grief and the joy, the bitter and the sweet, in order to experience the integrity, the undivided completeness of our lives." Such a perspective gives us a healthy, whole outlook on life rather than trying to ignore one part and chase the other. Perhaps spending time in the natural world is this King's way of reminding himself that life isn't all about material things. In the words of Kevin Kruse, "Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being."

Unbending or Flexible?

From the Restored Order Tarot, the High Priest (Hierophant):

Two disciples come before a high priest for his blessing.  The staff he holds is a sign that he considers himself to be a shepherd of his flock, one who leads, guides and protects.  The two dark pillars on either side of the priest are a contrast to the two the high priestess sits between - one black and one white.  Instead of balance, this is a tradition that involves rules and structure that its followers must abide by.  While I am not one to follow any organized group or religion, I have learned over time that they do contain some bits of wisdom I shouldn't toss out because I judge them to be close-minded and rigid; if I do, then I am just as unbending as I conclude them to be.

     From the Oracle of the Kabbalah comes the letter "Aleph/Alef:"

The form of Alef, a yud above and a yud below with a vav separating and uniting them simultaneously, illustrates the image in which man was created - both a physical and spiritual being.  This letter is associated with the number 1, and refers to the Jewish recitation of "the Lord is one."  For many years I thought this was intended only to reiterate that "there is only one God, and we've got the right one."  But in a Kabbalah class at the local temple here, I learned the Jewish mystics consider this to mean the divine is in all - there is nothing separate, all is one.  This letter reminds me to look for connection rather than separation, and concentrate on the similarities I have with others rather than my differences.  Harmony can be found if I choose to see it.