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Twenty-Two Card Spread
Twenty-two obviously relates to the number of Hebrew letters and the
number of the Major Arcana. Here is a spread by Donald Tyson in his "The
New Magus: Ritual Magic as a Personal Process", Llewellyn, 1988. The
Spread can be read using Elemental Dignities
The
Tarot student has to take care when reading this book as Tyson casually
transposes The Devil and Temperance on the Tree of Life!
As
you can see, the diagram below represents a Celtic Cross, which is
clearer than the illustration in the book.
Apart from Tyson's own general interpretation and a rhyming mnemonic of
the Major Arcana, he provides a different means of understanding the
relationships between the Trumps:
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A model useful for understanding some of the
relationships of the Trumps can be constructed in the shape of a
cubic cross -- a cross made of five cubes, one at the center and
one forming each arm. The cubic cross is a three-dimensional
figure with twenty-two outer facets.
Here is an exploded view of the cross with the cards assigned
in their proper squares: |
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2 |
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3 |
5 |
4 |
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8 |
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1 |
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18 |
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7 |
10 |
6 |
0 |
16 |
20 |
17 |
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9 |
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11 |
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19 |
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13 |
15 |
14 |
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12 |
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21 |
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triform points of the cross wraps in upon itself to make one of
the outer cubes. The lowermost square forms the back-center of the
cross. The cubic cross reveals divisions of the Tarot that are
not often considered -- into pairs, indicated by opposite sides of
the cubes; and into fives, indicated by each cube. It shows the
central importance of the Fool, who is placed at the front-center
of the cross, and the Fool's opposition to the World, which is
place on the back-center square. It suggests the pivotal
importance of the cards numbered five, ten, fifteen, and twenty;
each of which sums up the meaning of the four cards that precede
it.
For example, the Magus is opposite the Priestess on the top
cube. These cards are active and receptive aspects of Spirit. The
Empress and the Emperor are also opposite on the first cube. They
suggest the nurturing and ordering forces of the material world.
The capping card on top of the cube is the Hierophant, who is
hermaphroditic and embraces both Spirit and the world. The fifth
card joins the preceding four cards physically in the model as it
links them symbolically.
If the symbols of the astrological powers, the Hebrew letters,
and the numbers of the paths on the Tree of Life are added to the
cubic cross, it becomes a useful reference tool. |
Since the diagram resembles a Celtic Cross, there can be some elemental
attributions that can be made following the Rose Cross that appears on
the back of the Thoth Tarot cards:
Here are the elemental attributions of the
spread according to the RWS order, which can be utilised when using
elemental dignities.
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2 |
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3 |
5 |
4 |
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8 |
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1 |
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18 |
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7 |
10 |
6 |
0 |
16 |
20 |
17 |
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9 |
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11 |
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19 |
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13 |
15 |
14 |
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12 |
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21 |
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As noted previously, Tyson swapped cards 14 and 15, which you may wish
to try.
Wicca Index |
Tarot Index |
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