The Star 2026

The Star TOCC

The Star: Hope

 

“When you wish upon a star … anything your heart desires will come to you.”This song by Leigh Hartline, was the beginning of a 1940 Disney film: “Pinocchio.” Its intended meaning was filled with the essence of hope. In Tarot, the hope of accomplishment is the most important aspect of The Star card. It signifies the hope you must have to achieve your dreams and the hope of successes to look forward to. The good omen of The Star card in a Tarot reading inspires us to seek betterment of ourselves and can motivate us to look toward a bright future. Hopefulness implies time and patience. We may be reaching for greater success outside of our daily routines, so we hope for something better beyond our immediate trials and tribulations. Are you expecting a visit from a friend, or to patch up a relationship with a loved one? Finding a home? Adopting a pet? To meet the love of your life? Do you hope for a win at the casino or the lottery? A chance to travel? Do you hope for something bigger in life? What are your aspirations and goals you hope to achieve?

“While there is life, there is hope”

Cicero 43 BCE 

A spiritual sense of hope in Tarot Art:

    In Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness, the painting of The Star card contains a river-like flow of organized

The Star TOCC

gold dots emanating from a large 7-pointed star. The dots signify a never-ending “Life-force energy ” streaming abundantly from the Universe. Let’s assume that you and I, and all other living beings, are animated by this life-force. The art represents the living, breathing energy rooted in our bodies that can be best described as “aliveness.” Some would even say “consciousness.” It’s important to acknowledge this sense of aliveness every day as we often tend to overlook the obvious — the continuous perpetual motion of our breath and heartbeat that keeps us alive. We may not be consciously aware of this all the time, but when we get out of bed each day, we should look forward to filling that day with hope and gratitude. Even in our simplest actions and chores, or prayers, we need to remind ourselves of the positive affirmation of “things going well.”

 When we hear people say the overused statement “Have a good day,” let’s be grateful for the opportunities of a new day. Feel the beat! Have 

“Faith in the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”(Heb.11:1)

 

In The Star card of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith, and also the BOTA deck, an uncovered woman is pouring a liquid into a pond from a jug in her right hand, and also onto the land from a jug in her left hand. Tarotists have interpreted this as referring to the never-ending life-giving source continuously replenishing the earth. Medieval artist Giotto (1267-1337) painted Hope (Spes, Latin for hope) as an angel reaching toward Heaven in the frescoes of the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. The angel is shown reaching upward, perhaps hoping to receive a small crown from the hands of a smaller angel—a gift from God?

 

BOTA The Star

“Like the star that guided the Magi to the manager, The Star card announces the presence of imminence of grace, beauty and fulfillment.” Brian Williams, The Minchiate Tarot (Destiny Books 1999)

Hopeful expectations today: 

Over the past 250 years, immigrants have been coming to the USA with hope in their hearts —hope for a better life, hope for work, hope for a better future.  Some are escaping persecution, violence, chaos, war, or other disasters, occurring in their former countries. Currently, as so-called illegal immigrants are being sought out and arrested by unscrupulous masked government agents, so concerned citizens are marching and demonstrating against the inhuman violence going on. We are also seeing that our rights: “freedom of speech” and the right to express dissatisfaction, are being trampled. And yet, on the other hand, there are still those in government who have high hopes for achieving world-wide peace on earth and the elimination of endless wars. Through peace talks, negotiation and compromise, they still uphold the banner for freedom —“liberty and justice for all.” Luckily, that kind of hope carries a degree of optimism for peaceful solutions achieved through hard work in overcoming the anger and hate of war-mongering men who are determined to put an end to the lives of people unlike themselves. We remember Barack Obama said this in his Presidential inaugural speech in 2009: 

 

“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, 

unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”

Overcoming fear:

The biggest obstacle to overcome in achieving one’s hopes—is fear. All of us at some time or other have struggled with conquering our worst fears. Recently, an extreme example of hopefulness was set for us all by a person who literally climbed the “highest mountain.” In 2017, we watched a young man, Alex Hannold, publicly demonstrate his mastery of fear as he solo climbed the impossible 3,000’ face of El Capitan, a granite monolith in Yosemite National Park, with no climbing gear — just his “fingertips and two thin edges of shoe rubber.” (See the film “Free Solo” documenting the climb inch by inch and the article, “Ultimate Climb,” by Marc Synnott in the National Geographic, February 2019).

 

Freedom from fear:“Fear is one of the greatest problems in life. A mind that is caught in fear lives in confusion, in conflict, and therefore must be violent, distorted and aggressive.”

Krishnamurti, Freedom from the Known (HarperCollins, 1969)

 

In a Tarot reading, the message of The Star card is to have hope for accomplishing your purpose in life and of overcoming your fears in order to be optimistic about finding the best outcome. The late primatologist, Jane Goodall (1934-2025) included the word hope in most of her lectures and books and today, her legacy stands alone in accomplishments: 

 

“The necessity of hope against the odds, against the trends, was among her most insistent themes. She understood that hope is a duty, not a prediction or a mood” 

David Quammen, National Geographic, December 2025

 

“Act knowing we are not alone and live with Hope.”

Jane Goodall, The Ten Trusts (HarperCollins 2002)

 

 

 Tarot Card The Tower 

 

“Falling from the Tower”

Why does the Tarot card “The Tower,” which is included in most Tarot decks, show people falling

Visconti Tower of Babel

headfirst from its top? How can we interpret this as we consider what “falling from the tower” means? Tarotists usually agree that early Tarot designers were referring to the biblical story of the “Tower of Babel”as the subject of the card (see Gen. 11:1–9). In that story, Babylonian builders imagined they were building a stairway to Heaven saying, “Let us make a name for ourselves.”The story describes a pragmatic and dangerous situation put forth by overly ambitious and prideful men that ultimately affected the workers. The builders were punished by God for their hubris and the workers began babbling in many different languages. Misunderstandings and miscalculations followed, and the tower was never finished. In its biggest sense, it is a continuing story of the “Fall of man” from grace that we read about in the beginning of Genesis. 

 

There is an essential lesson according to the biblical account. Before the problems of building cities and assembling its towers occurred, it says there was only one language spoken on earth. The impending construction disaster began with “Let us make a name for ourselves” (Leaders making up a fantasy about who they were). Their plan was for the tower to take them straight to Heaven, which would establish equality with divine authority. For Tarot readers, the main underlying assumption is summed up: They thought they were important leaders –“making a name for themselves.” The tower itself is interpreted in a reading as the build-up of self-aggrandizement. But when lies and corrupt behavior and wish for notoriety is exposed, (lightning bolt) the false persona collapses and “falls” away. So, as in the continuing saga of The Fall of Adam and Eve, (Gen. 2:15-17) the “fall from grace” continued and they could no longer communicate with each other. 

(Refer to my earlier Tarot blog of January 12, 2019 https://tarotofcosmicconsciousness.blogspot.com)

 

“The more that rude and ambitious men have to do with one another, the more they both need to fear and seek to outdo one another.”

Leon R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom  (Simon & Schuster 2003)

 

Bruegel Tower of Babel

Medieval artist such as Pieter Bruegel (1525–1569) painted their versions of the construction and inevitable Fall from the tower. He showed stone carvers, brick layers, crane operators and many ships unloading building materials, all at work before they couldn’t understand one another.

In another painting about The Tower of Babel, found in an illustrated Medieval manuscript, “The Bedford Book of Hours”(1410–1430), a group of builders are seen constructing a tower much like the one in the Bruegel painting using a lot of building materials. A man is depicted falling headfirst from the top. Above the top, an Angel of God bearing a sword is pointing at some people arguing and threatening each other. 

 

 As we Interpret the symbolism of The Tower card in today’s reality, we see lightning strikes the Tower. Here, the warning for us is not to build up some narrative fantasy about oneself. A person who has built their whole life on self-aggrandizement can suddenly collapse when their false identity is stripped away. 

Bedford Book of Hours Tower of Babel

A tower being constructed to enhance oneself is like “Empire Building,” which includes the attempt to control governments and finances while ignoring the laws and rules already in place to prevent such malfeasance. The Fall signifies the shattering of the build-up of egoistic self-importance. (The people babbled, stopped work and were dispersed). But what if they had continued with their plan? This could have led to a dictatorship from the overblown leaders where their behavior could lead to fascist control over everyone and everything. A dictator doesn’t pay attention to the advice of skilled or professional people. No, because they say to themselves: “I know best. Look at me, me, me—see what I can do!” Further, a dictator punishes those who don’t show loyalty and seeks revenge on those who criticize or chastise him by making them feel inferior: “Destroy them.” There are plenty of excruciating stories and examples of this in the biblical accounts of conflict among nations and persons since “The Fall,” and that was 4,000 years ago and, is still ongoing today.  As the song goes, “When will they ever learn”?

 In real life, after a person “falls,” that “fallen one” can experience disillusionment and depression as they try to convince the world what a hero (SUPERMAN) they were. But this means that now they must give up a false estimation of their selfhood and give up their desire to be superior to all others. It takes courage to admit the dangerous magnitude of one’s inflated Ego and to correct or alter contentious behavior for the better in the future.

 

The Tower card in a reading, ask yourself:

 

Are you articulating what you believe to others? Are they doing the same for you?

 

Are you defending your rights and others right to “free speech”?

 

Do you feel your rights are being ignored, trampled upon, by someone else?

 

Are you experiencing miscommunication, conflict in your home, office? Or harmony?

 

Are you feeling “bullied,” or are you “bullying” someone? 

 

Are friends or family trying to push “conspiracy theories” on you, or vice versa?

 

Do you always tell the truth? Is someone lying to you?

 

Are you feeling oppressed? Is there a dictator in your life? 

 

Is someone seeking retaliation or revenge against you?

 

Is someone trying to exercise authoritarian rule over you? 

 

The Universe card in Tarot

 The Universe card in Tarot and you

What do you think about when you go out at night and look up to the stars? You know this: Twinkling stars stretch into the unknown as far as we can see with our own eyes and you are here on Earth somewhere within the Milky Way Galaxy. How do you perceive yourself in relation to this vast Universe? You may wonder: “Why am I here”? This is probably the biggest and most important question to answer in expanding your understanding of Tarot. By contemplating The Universe card (The World card in some decks), we plunge into the immense enigma regarding why there is life on Earth. How and why did living beings appear here? Is there life out there on a similar planet? Does the Universe of galaxies, stars and planets have a beginning or an end or has it always been there, forever and ever? Are there parallel Universes?  According to today’s scientists, when we look through a far-reaching telescope, we are able to observe over 4 trillion galaxies among the billions of stars. 

What about us in relation to this immensity? From our own orbiting space station, we can’t literally see ourselves riding in a car on the freeway, but we know there are at least 7 billion humans riding on Earth, along with multitudes of flora and fauna, and they are all responding to the 4 seasonal changes as the Earth rotates on its axis. Can you see yourself as a little bright speck riding along on this blue “marble”? “Yes, you say, on a physical level.” Scientists talk about the Earth-ball being held in place in orbit of our Sun through gravitational forces and electromagnetism. They theorize that the Universe is held together by 4 forces: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force —but then there is dark matter—an unknown influence that, perhaps, is a kind of energy power sustaining the whole Universe. Ok, in view of all this “heady stuff,” let’s take another approach and find out what this has to do with Tarot cards.  

 

“Astronomy compels the Soul to look upwards and leads us from 

this world to another.”

Plato, “The Republic”

 

B.O.T.A deck

To grasp the meaning of The Universe card in Tarot, we must first look at the metaphysical aspects of the card in its archetypal context. This infers something far bigger than our embodied selfhood. Not everything is rooted in just our physical existence. In some older Tarot decks, such as the Rider-Waite deck, we also find the archetypes of Justice, Temperance and Judgement included along with The Universe card. The meaning behind The Universe card prompts the querent to go beyond the Ego-personality of “me, me, me,” in order to find a new expanded higher sense of oneself. R. Maurice Bucke, in his book, “Cosmic Consciousness,” (E.P. Dutton & Co. 1901; 1923) proposed that this was the next evolutionary stage for humans in overcoming selfishness and other self-interested undesirable traits. The Universe card signifies the attempt to attain spiritual awareness and experience a vital life beyond one’s domestic duties, the job, and everyday menial tasks. For example, we experience this idealism when we explore the unlimited possibilities of creative energy. Enhanced by our activity in the arts: poetry, painting, creative writing and other inventive projects, we go beyond the boundaries we use to protect ourselves, in order to move freely and find a higher sense of reality.

By contemplating The Universe card, we can discover a new awareness of spiritual concepts and investigate universal Ideas such as Beauty and Truth, Harmony and Goodness. By developing an exalted consciousness imbued with mystical illumination, we can experience a transformation of oneself, or even a healing. The figure in The Universe or World card of older decks is depicted dancing in joy, no longer bound by the limitations of this earthly plane. 

Within The Universe card of “Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness,” we see a vibrant abstract figure

 The Universe TOCC

painted in rainbow colors surrounded by a swirling Universe of stars and galaxies. The goal in studying this card is to be in touch with your higher Self and, through stages of self-development, find the power to change your life. By transcending the five physical senses through religious practices, meditation, prayer, yoga, or the arts, etc. we can perceive a new reality: Unity – “Oneness” with the Universe.

“…the dancer is in constant motion in harmonious relationship to the elements of the world. The solid ground of her foundation is within her and, as she moves from that deepest source, she is able to creatively commune with the Universe surrounding her.”

Madonna Compton, “Archetypes on the Tree of Life,” (Llewellyn Publications 1991)

 

Richard Tarnas in his book, “The Passion of the Western Mind,” talks about Plato’s metaphysical theory of Forms where the physical world is seen like a shadow of a perfect, timeless realm of abstract Forms. Eternal Forms which are everlasting and represent a true reality based on archetypal principles (See Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”). These are perfect eternal unchanging archetypes that symbolize the true essence of Forms such as Beauty, Goodness, and Justice, in the highest sense.

“… a particular object in the world can best be understood as a concrete expression of a more fundamental idea; an archetype which gives that object its special structure and condition. 

Beauty is not an attribute of art but its essence.”

Richard Tarnas, “The Passion of the Western Mind” (Ballantine Books 1991)

 

When receiving this card in a reading, it signals an opportunity for you to get in touch with your higher Self through illumination and enlightenment. Then you may be heading toward the ecstasy of “Nirvana” or the “Harmony of Heavenly Bliss.”

 

“In order to achieve success and happiness, each of us must discover one’s own talents and apply them; it is no good burying them in the sands of wishful thinking.”

Madeline Montalbano, "Prediction Book of the Tarot" (Blandford Press 1983)

 

Questions to ponder while working with The Universe card:

1.    What has been your personal ambition? Do you seek a higher consciousness?

2.    What hopes do you have for the future? Nirvana? Enlightenment?

3.    Will your hopes and ambition be rewarded with success? What are your goals?

4.    What steps can you take to see your dreams and visions fulfilled? 

5.    What are your personal talents? The arts, dancing, writing, mathematics, etc.? 

6.    Have you dealt with life changes as you’ve grown or aged? What have you learned?

7.    Have you found happiness and a sense of security? Have you overcome the obstacles to success?

(For further reading, refer to my other blogs on The Universe: 4/19/2012; 4/19/2020; 4/18/2023)

The Chariot UFO'S ?

The Chariot: UFO’s, UAP’S 25

     It’s best to approach the subject of UFO’S (Unidentified Flying Objects) with some skepticism. Instead of the question: “do they exist, or do not exist,” this discussion is more about the multifarious interpretations of the concept of UFO’S, now called UAP’s (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). A lot of this discussion is based on pure speculation, imaginative fantasy, and even science fiction, although current information about UAP’S has recently been reconsidered and, yes, it’s been confirmed that they are a reality and have been photographed with certainty. 

 “…the whole propaganda on the subject has been handled very badly driving countless individuals away who might otherwise be genuinely interested” (Brinsley Le Poer Trench)

The Chariot TOCC 

What does this have to do with Tarot? The Tarot card, The Chariot, in Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness, depicts elliptical shapes that could be interpreted as UFO’s. Why did Arthur E. Waite include The Chariot in The Rider Tarot Deck? [1910] (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) A chariot implies movement; a cart enabling one to move forward at a rapid pace. In the ancient past, chariots were used in warfare to carry soldiers and weapons or to move goods and people from place to place. In Tarot, The Chariot represents a more transcendent purpose, for instance, as a symbol of divine power. In Hebrew mysticism, the Merkabah, the name of a divine chariot, symbolizes the movement of the Throne of God. 

    In the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, The Chariot card depicts a King or Knight driving a team of black and white sphinxes, odd creatures which add to the mystery of this card. Waite says in the Pictorial Key to the Tarot (University Books 1959 [1910], that the sphinxes refer to the “Mystery of Nature.” According to Waite, the symbol of the human figure resembling a knight riding in a victory chariot celebrates the achievement of success, either in battle, passing an initiation, or in overcoming conflicts in life.

 

UFO/UAP Sightings and witnesses: 

     In 1959 or 1960, I was first introduced to the UFO phenomenon by a young man who was stationed in the Air Force in Alaska. He showed photographs some airman had taken of UFO’s that were seen flying around their base. I was interested and amused and, of course, I was left wondering what that was all about. Then, personally, in 1967, I saw two strange round disks speeding through a dark night sky at high altitude over central California, which I interpreted as UFO’S. My Mother and I were sitting in the yard on our farm (where there are no city lights or street lights) and we saw two huge round orange-colored disks sweep across billions of stars at thousands of miles per hour, heading South. Earlier, I had watched a passenger jet slowly cross the sky, although when compared to these fleeting things, the jet was slow as a turtle. What did we just see? What were they? Where did they come from? Were they from outer space or something from another dimension? How were they piloted at that enormous speed? They were obviously not some US military space rockets. 

    After that experience, I read several books about UFO’S by well-known authors such as Jacques Vallee, Whitley Strieber; watched the movies Encounters of the Third Kind; E.T, and of course, Star Trek. I was entertained by UFO encounters on the X-Files TV program, especially the abduction of the one called “Max.” Eventually, some friends and I visited alleged UFO landing sites in Roswell and Aztec, New Mexico. We loved the UFO Museum and Crash Down Diner, a great place for entertainment and laughs. A friend who was traveling the “Extraterrestrial Highway” in Nevada bought a book for me from the “Little A’le’Inn” Restaurant titled UFO Highway: Are You Ready for the Truth? by Anthony F. Sanchez. That story is about military discoveries in Dulce, New Mexico and tells of skirmishes with “little grey men” in deep underground caverns. If it is a true story and not science fiction, this is the scariest book I’ve ever read. This report can really bring out the fear of “the unknown.” 

 

   The past few years, UFO/UAP witnesses have been asking a lot of questions about what they were seeing and how the government has denied their existence. Are the white semi-transparent airborne globes we are seeing from another dimension? Are they some kind of projection from beings on another planet? Are they biblical-type angels talked about for centuries? Because of reliable witnesses and legitimate photographs, we now know certain UFO’S appear to be solid metallic, mechanical devices. Who made them? What are they doing here? Are they hoaxes, or some kind of top-secret spaceships made by other countries? 

 Chariots of the Gods: 

    Briefly, stories about mythological people (gods) riding around in chariots in the sky is a very old concept about supernatural activity. On ancient Greek vases, Apollo, the Greek sun-god, is depicted riding in a celestial chariot drawn by two Griffins. In the Orphic mysteries, white winged horses drew Helios, their sun-god, in a golden chariot across the sky. In early Greek literature, the gods had the power to travel to the stars (Ovid, Metamorphoses). In Roman astronomy and astrology, the planets were given Latin 

names of the gods: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, and this included the meanings roughly associated with the gods they represented. So, in an age that doesn’t believe in sky-gods anymore, why symbolize the super-powers of ancient gods in the Tarot? Today, most of us grind along roads in cars (modern-day chariots) and very few still use horses to pull their buggies or carts. Yet, it seems we have a new group of sky-gods such as UFO’S to tantalize us, scare us, and even entertain us now. Consequently, there some people  (as in UFO cults) who image that these might be advanced beings from other planets coming here to “save us or rescue us,” obviously — from wars, destruction and so on, in the wake of our warlike plight on earth. Professor Richard Tarnas, author of The Passion of the Western Mind, (Ballantine Books 1991) refers to Greek gods as “personified archetypes” which have been interpreted as symbolic of transcendent ideas or archetypal models:

 

 “In the pre-philosophical Greek mind, these archetypal principles took the form of mythic personifications such as Eros, Chaos, Ouranos, [Heaven] Gaia [Earth] as well as more fully personified figures such as Zeus, Prometheus and Aphrodite.“ 

     Jacques Vallee, French scientist, stated in his book about UFO’S, Anatomy of a Phenomenon (Ace Books, 1965) that “…a dispassionate, scientific debate be established concerning UFO phenomena and that such a discussion could well be conducted within the boundaries set by rationalism for the purpose of objective acquisition of knowledge.” Senator Harry Reid tried to start congressional investigations in 1969 but was poo-pooed and laughed at and nothing happened. Project Blue Book, an Air force investigation by Allen Hynek followed, which concluded that no so-called UFO sightings posed a threat to national security. 

 Current Congressional hearings on UFO’S/UAP’S: 

     Congressional hearings were conducted in November 2024 on UAP’S “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.” Several witnesses testified: Pilots from the USS Nimitz presented photographic evidence of strange objects harassing the ship, which also showed up on the ships radar and on radar within the jet planes. Because of their oblong shape and white color, the pilots called them “Tic Tacs.” They moved at incredible speeds and flew around the ship in gimbal-like motions that a human cannot endure. Luis 

Elizondo, former head of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), who also   worked for the office of National Counter Intelligence, testified that: 

“…information has been obfuscated … and I think that is problematic because at the end of the day, we have a significant situation here. We have something that can enter into our US air space with no attribution.”

     Representative Biggs stated at the end of Elizondo’s testimony: “So it’s easier to be quiet and suppress when you don’t have the answers.” Mr. Elizondo responded: “Correct, and still to this day we have to admit we do not know what they are – where they came from, who is behind this and what are they doing here? What are they for?” Those of us who watch the daily media blitz, see posts and photos/videos taken by passengers aboard airliners of UFO’S zooming by the windows or drifting alongside the plane. What? These video reports of UFO/UAP sightings can really frighten some of the public. Are they real or hoaxes? 

 Roswell and Skinwalker Ranch: 

     Ever since the reported UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, there has been endless speculation, endless denial, lies, endless secrecy, and cover-ups about what really happened there. Supposedly, “little grey men” were killed in the crash and were taken to a secret location. (Remembering Jonathan Frakes TV program “Alien Autopsy?” Was it fake?) At first, the Roswell Newspaper reported that it was a UFO Crash, but that was redacted and, instead, the US Military said it was a crashed weather balloon. Meanwhile, the town of Roswell has reaped all the benefits of the so-called crash with their UFO Museum containing dummy bodies of little grey men and other memorabilia. Across the street is The Crash Down Diner. Yearly hilarious festivals are held, honoring the crashed UFO and the “alien” occupants all in good humor. There have been several books about Roswell and other “crash” locations such as Aztec in northern New Mexico, all reaping in the dollars over that incident. What about the little “grey men”? Are they real? Who or what are they? Some UFO fans have wondered if the little grey men are some kind of bio-robots or cyber-androids or maybe even insect-like “mantids.” 

 

    Skin Walker Ranch, a recent TV program shown on the History Channel, is about UAP’S hovering in the sky over 500 acres of farmland in Utah. Several scientists have put their lives and reputations on the line by conducting ongoing experiments around the property with sophisticated equipment, computers, and machinery. So far, they have lots of evidence of strange UFO/UAP type phenomena but no concrete answers. Transparent floating white blobs or globes of lighted objects were filmed by professional photographers and a film from a very high-speed wildlife camera showed one frame of a silver-like round object suspended over a field. Puzzling invisible columns of what looked like transparent broken bits of rocks soaring high in the sky were revealed by photogrammetry. High frequency sounds were monitored, and high radiation readings were discovered in certain areas. Using lidar, they discovered something dome-like about 400 feet long buried within the adjacent mesa. A weather balloon with radar-like technology picked up an electromagnetic field surrounding the ranch at 70,000 feet. Exploratory rockets fired by the scientists were thrown off course or blocked at 30,000 feet. In addition, on the MGN TV channel, you can download a recent program called Beyond UFO’S and the Unknown, where a group of scientists are discussing the dangers, among other things, of being too close to the moving globes of light, especially the blue globes. People who were too close were injured. Of the X-rays taken of the injured people’s brains, a Stanford brain scientist showed that those people have brain lesions. No wonder these unusual experiences have caught the attention of the Pentagon. 

 

A Chariot Tarot Reading: 

• If you received The Chariot in a reading, this is a chance to reflect on finding meaning in your own life in    a bigger sense. How do you relate to the Earth, the Universe? 

• What is your motivation and power to move forward in your life? 

• What is the source of this power? 

• Do you believe in Guardian Angels or the divinity of a higher power? If so, how do you process that           information? 

• What are your successes so far in life? What have you learned from any failures? 

 • Do you believe the recent information and Pentagon hearings about UFO’S and Unidentified Aerial           Phenomena? 

• Have you, or someone else you know, seen so-called UFO’S or strange orbs in the sky? 

• What meaning do these reported sightings give to your future life experiences? What do you envision       for your future? 

 • Do you think this is a serious matter or just a fun imaginative fantasy? 

 References: 

 Luis Elizondo, Imminent, Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFO’S (HarperCollins 2024) 

Bruce Handy, The Roswell Files, Time Magazine & Cover (June 23, 1997) 

Karl T. Pflock, Roswell (Prometheus Books 2001) 

Susan Ressler, Roswell, UFO Festival 2010 (Blurb 2010) 

Wendelle C. Stevens, UFO Crash at Aztec (American West Distributers 1986) 

Anthony Sanchez, UFO Highway (Strange Lights Publishing 2010) 

Whitley Strieber, Confirmation (St. Martin’s Press 1998) 

Brinsley Le Poer Trench, The Flying Saucer story (Ace Star Books 1966) 

Jacques Vallee, Anatomy of a Phenomenon (Ace Star Books 1965) 

Arthur E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot (University

Kings: Give us a King!

King of Pentacles 
TOCC

 

We want a King:  Who said “We want a King?

A question has come up: “Why are Kings still included in most modern Tarot decks”? 

  We assume that this concept of Kings and Kingdoms, including an accompanying aristocracy, are leftovers from a bygone era that ended with the WWI Armistice of 11/11/1918. At that time, the Kingdoms and imperial dynasties of Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire ended. Meanwhile, in the present time, the Norwegian King, and British Queen/now King, have carried on in constitutional monarchies. After WWII, The US allowed the Japanese to continue with their    Emperor. The Kingdoms of Arabia and Dubai continue to exist in the Middle East.  

            Of course, on the 4^thof July 1776, the colonists of the United States rid themselves of British reign over the colonies and ended the rule of King George III with the Declaration of Independence. “We the people” wanted a democracy. Those early colonists did not want another King or a dictator to “fix” all their financial and political problems, especially through “taxation without representation,” and were defiant in having to swear fealty to a King. 

“Better no rule than cruel rule”

Aesop: The Frogs Desire a King

In the 1800’s, Mexico and parts of the Southern US were also under the rule of Spanish Kings until 1821, when the states of California, New Mexico and Texas were ceded to the USA. My education in the California education system included a history of long Spanish rule in California and my own migrating ancestors from the South received a “Spanish Land Grant” sometime in the early 1800’s in Northern California.

Stories of Kings in the past 

In ancient times, Egyptian Pharaohs were Kings who thought they ruled by “Divine Right.” In Roman times, Julius Caesar was supported in becoming King (Roman Emperor) by a rich merchant, Crassus. “Give us a King” is an old biblical story from at least 4,000 years ago about about a newly formed tribal coalition of Israelites who demanded —“We want a King!” They saw other countries ruled by powerful Kings and winning wars. But, a judge, Samuel, tried to dissuade the people in their desire for a King. He told them that a King will take their best cattle, a tenth of their grain, their sons for wars, and they will pay taxes in tribute to the King, and he will want their fealty and loyalty. Samuel’s diatribe ended with “…and you shall be his slaves” (see I Samuel 8: 11–17). They ignored that, so Saul, a strong young man who was looking for his father’s lost asses (pun?) was appointed their new King. But after a troubled rule, he became corrupt, and his Kingship ended badly. Then, after a long, convoluted story about mayhem, chaos, murder, women and wars, David of Judah was appointed King (see II Samuel 1–11).

 In reality, a King is a person who has gained power and rules over everyone and everything in their Kingdom. In 1524, in European history, horribly subjugated peasants revolted against their King’s unrestrained rule in what is now Germany and were crushed. They revolted against the oppressive feudal system maintained over the lands by the Hapsburg Lords of Nobility in the central regions of Germany. Over 100,000 or more peasants died in the war against the Kings’ Lords and ruling Dukes. Today it is referred to as “The Peasants War” (according to the War Memorial in Wurzburg, Germany). This was also at the beginning of the Reformation and Martin Luther’s revolt against the Church.

Kings in Tarot

    We know Tarot decks have existed since the 15^th century at least. So, it is to be expected that the decks would include four types of rulers as Kings and Queens, which correspond with the meaning of the suits of the Minor Arcana: Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins, or Pentacles.

The late Rachel Pollack asserts in The Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, that, “The king is a symbol of extraordinary activity, accomplishment, social position, success.” As an archetype in a positive sense, a King in a reading represents the ascent of someone to ultimate power and governance through their good leadership. When reversed, “…an upside-down King is symbolizing the idea of success corrupted, the image of a man or woman who will use any means to achieve their goals.” In an optimistic Tarot reading, a “good King” (as a competent leader) works together with people for change and improvement, while providing security and opportunity for those who want to move forward — in an atmosphere of respect, cooperation and generosity. 

“A King is a ruler, responsible for the welfare of a society.”

Rachel Pollack, The Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Part 2  (Aquarian Press 1980)

The “King” Tarot card reversed

Keep in mind that whom we might think was a “good King” can go in the opposite direction and can become corrupt, creating chaos and “shock and awe” actions along the way. He assumes he has power to ruin those who criticize his governance. A vengeful King targets and threatens people with eradication. He spreads doubt and confusion about rules and laws and obfuscates the facts.  A “bad king,” gone awry, can border on a becoming a dictator — one who sparks rage, plots retaliation against his so-called enemies, crushes dissent, and demands his constituents engage in “boot licking” and “kiss the ring” behavior.  In other words, “Be nice and do what you are told.“ 

(Currently, there is an act before Congress, The No kings Act(SR4973) which would strip the President and Vice-  president of immunity from criminal prosecution unless specified by Congress).

            In Shakespeare’s play, “King Lear, we see what happens to an arrogant and prideful King when things go wrong. In planning for his succession, he wants to divide his kingdom between three daughters and will determine the portions of the estate if they tell him how much they love him. Two daughters are evil and deceive him with lies, while the third daughter, who loves him, is banished because he thinks she doesn’t love him enough. She is eventually killed, and he becomes paranoid; madness overcomes him. 

Book of Fools

         

In the Tarot deck, “Book of Fools,” by artist Brian Williams, the King of Staves card shows a fool whispering supposed lies and confabulations in the King’s ear. William's Tarot deck is based on the German Renaissance book Das Narrenschiff,  “The Ship of Fools” by Sebastian Brant. It was a parody on foolishness and corruption at that time and showed the fool depicted in 103 woodcuts, attempting to influence Tarot-like characters. 

            Naomi Klein, in her book  The Shock Doctrine  (Knopf Canada 2007) describes those (such as “those who would be King”) as people who exploit the chaos of war and natural disasters and crush dissent in order to push through unpopular policies such as deregulation and privatization of government functions. These schemes may include disenfranchising citizens who are too distracted and overwhelmed in confusion to understand what is happening. 

Questions to ask in a Tarot reading with a reversed King:

1.    Do you see yourself as a King over your particular domain? Or is someone else a King over you?

2.    How do you treat your family, friends and colleagues? How do they treat you?

3.    Do you distrust political leadership? Are you one of the “Yes-Men”? Or do you resist?

4.    What can you do to ensure that “we the people” form of Democracy will continue?

5.    Today, do you think we need someone to “take care of us” (especially women)?

6.    What are you doing to defeat corruption? What actions are you taking?

7.    What place do you hold in the “Scheme of Things”? What to you want to see happen?

References: 

Brian Williams, “Book of Fools,” Llewellyn Publications 2002

Rachel Pollack, “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Part 2": The Minor Arcana and Readings, The Aquarian Press 1983

“Harper’s Bible Dictionary,” HarperCollins 1985 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sun card in Tarot

The Sun: Promise of Light and Hope

 

Part I: Sunrise, The Suncard

As we experience the light of the sun every day, what does The Sun card mean for us in a Tarot reading? First, the most obvious physical meaning is to remember that we depend on the sun’s continuing light and heat to maintain our existence and the lives of plants and animals on Earth. When we receive this card in a reading, our first thought should be about gratitude. On this Summer Solstice, we acknowledge our gratefulness for the sunrise and continued renewal of daily light and life-force

Visconti Deck, The Sun

energy, and again, the opportunity and newness for a fresh start. On another level of The Sun card in Tarot,  the term, “I have seen the light!” means looking for a metaphysical interpretation of “The Light”or Enlightenment, symbolic of communications from a higher source—supernatural illumination. In this sense, The Sun card embodies divinity, wisdom and spiritual understanding, filled with inspiration, grace and hope for a better future. 

 

“We awaken to our creativity by the power of the sun when we

identify ourselves with its essence.

Visconti Tarots by Berti and Gonard (Lo Scarabeo, 2022)

 

In our everyday existence, because of the orbital tilt of earth on its axis, changes in the angle of sunlight cause seasonal fluctuations on Earth, so our daily lives are always changing as different phases of light and heat move us through spring, summer, fall, and winter. In ancient pagan times, seasonal celebrations of early European cultures, observed the death of the sun, and then the return of the sun after a long cold winter, with various rituals venerating the Earth Mother at the Vernal Equinox, and at the Summer Solstice. In spring, seeds for future crops were activated and sprouted as the light of the sun warmed the ground and prompted new life, just as it happens today! Seeds begin to grow and pop up out of the “womb of Earth”—manifesting aliveness—cells are animated, dividing and growing, and filled with the promise of a ripe tomato in the fall, or a great tree in the future. Until recently, in English farming communities, John Barleycorn (Mother Earth’s Consort) was symbolically burned and buried at the end of the year only to be born again in the spring as a bright new king. The sun has returned! (See The Avebury Cycles by Michael Dames, Thames and Hudson, 1977)) At the ancient Megalithic site of New Grange Tomb in Ireland, the sun’s first new rays of the Winter Solstice still pour into the cavity, built over 2,000 years ago, through a carefully pre-arranged slot, revealing enigmatic ancient carvings on the stones of the walls. And today, the sun still rises over the Heel Stone at Stonehenge on Summer Solstice, thrilling a modern-day crowd and those in awe expecting to witness renewal and “the birth of the sun!” In ancient Egyptian Cosmology, RA (Re) means the sun or light:

“Ra personifies the primeval, cosmic force, creative force. The right eye is called the eye of RA symbolizing the sun. The eye is the part of the body able to perceive the light and is therefore a symbol for spiritual ability.” 

                                  Egyptian Cosmology by Mustafa Gadalla (Bastet Press, 1997)

Every day, because of radiant sunlight, our eyes see everything in living color. An important quality to nurture is to become intricately aware of nature’s features and pay attention to our crowded, colorful surroundings. How are you perceiving all the glorious colors and beauty around you? What are the beautiful things of nature in your life? How do you express your gratitude for another new day? What is your inspiration for a new endeavor or project?

Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, was enthralled by how moving rays of sunlight kept illuminating nature’s appearances causing different color changes. He was famous for lining up a series of easels and canvases, so he could paint the changing atmospheric moods of color as sunlight hovered over a group of haystacks and the colors changed hour by hour.

 

Monet, Haystacks in the Snow  

“The Sun Flowers represent an operation of this solar force in the organic world. They turn toward the sun, recognizing it as the source of their strength and growth.”

Madona Compton, Archetypes on the Tree of Life (Llewellyn Publishers, 1991).

 

When awakening with the dawning light of a new day, it’s  a fresh start for us and so our daily life adventures begin anew again. “Hope Springs Eternal,” (Alexander Pope).  Starting fresh, we  hope that the sun will rise and shine again the next day, and every new day. This is a time to ask yourselves: What is your inspiration for the day? What “seeds” have you planted in your imagination to expand new growth and creativity in your life? What do you hope to achieve this new day? How can you brighten the day and bring sunshine into the lives of your friends, colleagues, and loved ones? 

 

Part II: The Sun card reversed  

Now on a different note, with the “death of the sun” in winter, let’s look at the doom and gloom aspect of a reversed Sun card in a reading as it applies to what is going on in the world today. Traditional Tarot interpretations considered the disorder and chaos it symbolized in such human terms as:  “Vanity … hypocrisy, egotism … darkness … incomprehension, insurmountable difficulties, unhappiness.” “Delayed success or success achieved with much suffering” (Visconti Tarots, Berti & Gonard, Lo Scarabeo, 2002).But now, in a larger sense, we will see something startlingly different in a current reading more in tune with the times. This concerns 2024 and the catastrophic wars and atrocities occurring around the world right now and how these unending wars will affect not only you, but the whole Earth in the future

According to a recent article in Scientific American, “Exploring the Sun,” (March 2024), scientists view the sun as a nuclear furnace where hydrogen fuels the inner core in the process of nuclear fusion and temperatures are over a million degrees.  

During WWII, the atomic bomb was developed during the “Manhattan Project” in the USA, based on nuclear fission. This was followed by the military production of massive rockets capable of carrying nuclear warheads, all in order to “deter the enemy.” Some of us remember when we practiced hiding under our desks at school when these so-called rockets and nuclear warheads were brought to Cuba by the Soviets in the 1960’s, right under the noses of our US military. Today, as you are reading this in 2024, war and bombing continues unabated in the Middle East, killing thousands of civilians and innocent people (Israel and Gaza, Syria) and the same chaos is going on in Ukraine with Russia. Civil wars, insurrection and uprisings, are ongoing in Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan. Bloody warfare and armed conflict is still unending in certain areas of North Africa, displacing thousands of people. 

 Development of nuclear power plants for the production of electricity for “peaceful purposes” followed in the wake of making nuclear weapons for war. But this didn’t go as many had hoped. Dangerous massive accidents have occurred at several nuclear power plants, much to the world’s dismay —Three Mile Island, USA (1979); Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986); and Fukushima, Japan (2011). Their production nuclear reactor cores melted down and released untold amounts of radiation. What has happened in the aftermath? 

The answer comes along in the scariest book I have ever read by M.I T. historian, Kate Brown: “Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future” (W.W. Norton, 2019). It describes  ongoing research about what happened to the people and wildlife exposed to the fallout of radiation after the nuclear explosion and meltdown at Chernobyl and Fukushima. It covers stories of ignorance of radiation damage, whitewash; incompetent leaders lying and cover-ups; obfuscation, and extreme secrecy (Chernobyl, which was revealed later by the Swedish government).It was shown that the R B M K reactor at Chernobyl had fatal flaws and was hard to control and there were no adequate safety systems, no monitoring. In the Fukushima Daiichi accident during the 2011 tsunami, the leaders responded similarly, infuriating its neighbor, South Korea.

Rupert Sheldrake, in his book, Rebirth of Nature, (Inner Traditions, 1994) he stated that the Ukrainian word Chernobyl means “wormwood.” Where have we heard that term before? This opens the door to a Pandora’s box of “End of the World Predictions.” We hear of extremist views of Doomsayers and Doomsday Preppers and conspiracy theorists, who are preparing for the so-called “End-times,” and of looking for biblical answers such as Revelation 8:10, which by the way, specifically describes a star whose name was “wormwood,” falling to Earth and poisoning the waters and killing people, sometime in the future. Are these “whispers” from the past conveying shades of nuclear bombs, nuclear accidents and nuclear destruction, and the possibility of  a “nuclear winter”? Are we on the brink of a mass extinction? A lot of people need to be held accountable for all the chaos and destruction happening now. 

 What hopes do we have for a peaceful future in the midst of this “nuclear madness”? (As Helen Caldicott calls it.) One can hope that uncovering the truth about the extreme dangers of nuclear power and nuclear bombs will assuage hubris, expose any cover-ups and corrupt practices in the future operation and possible development of nuclear power plants and production of weapons of “mass destruction.” Many anti-nuclear activist groups have been established over the years and are working in opposition against any further development of nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. Groups like Greenpeace, The Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and Clamshell Alliance, are among some of the most known.  Concerned people like former Vice president, Al Gore, Helen Caldicott, M.D., and Amory Lovins, are well-known anti-nuclear advocates who have written volumes on the subject. 

What are your thoughts about what should be done to put an end to this insane march toward oblivion created by misuse of knowledge of the sun’s power—nuclear fission. What can you do and how can you join or support the participants in  the “save the Earth” movement”?  What positive action can you take to prevent something worse ever happening to  Earth and all its passengers?  

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