Astrological patterns in Thoth - zodiac signs

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Astrological patterns in Thoth - zodiac signs

Post by Nemia »

Some days ago, I posted the interesting groups of Thoth cards that are associated with each planet. Now let's do the same for the zodiac signs, okay? I intend these scans as study help. It's much easier to understand the structure of the deck if you see the groups of cards together that are ruled by a planet or zodiac sign.

Aries
cardinal spring
fire

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associated with the Emperor
associated with 2, 3 and 4 of Wands.

2 of Wands: Mars in Aries (Tower, Emperor)
3 of Wands: Sun in Aries (Sun, Emperor)
4 of Wands: Venus in Aries (Empress, Emperor)

It's easy to see the fiery character of the sign and the card - Aries, the ram, pushes in spring with cardinal energy. You can see the power of the Emperor and his association with the ram.

The sign Aries is ruled astroogically by Mars, so think of the combined forces of Emperor and Tower - and this is exactly what stars our year. The 2/Wands is a huge burst of energy, and the two quite aggressive cards work here very well together. The Mars/Tower aspect of the Emperor is contained by his self confidence and authority.

In the three decans, you can see how each card reflects the cooperation of the zodiac sign with the planets. Mars feels at home with Aries, and indeed he is at home there, he rules the sign! The Sun does great with all that heat, and her power is less abrasive and agressive but more life-giving. And Venus gets along well there, too. The love affair of Venus and Mars is well-known, and we can see here that she can make him relax without raising antagonism.

Three powerful and harmonious decans for a pretty wild sign.

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Now let's see the court cards associated with Aries.

The first and second decan are ruled by the Queen of Wands - the same element, Fire, and all the cardinal signs are ruled by the Queens. In the last decan, the representative of the next element, Earth, is already there. The Prince of Disks rides on a Taurus and ushers in the next sign, Taurus.

Taurus
fixed spring
earth

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associated with the Hierophant
associated with 5, 6 and 7 of Disks

5 of Disks: Mercury in Taurus (Magician, Hierophant)
6 of Disks: Moon in Taurus (High Priestess, Hierophant)
7 of Disks: Saturn in Taurus (Universe, Hierophant)

With Taurus, the bull, we're definitely in spring - and we're in Earth territory. The sign of Taurus is ruled by Venus - maybe I'll scan and add these pairings later.

The decans are moving on. After Venus comes Mercury who feels definitely in the wrong place in steady, plodding Taurus. The Moon, on the other hand, is exalted in Taurus and they get along great - helped of course by the ideal placement of the number six on the Tree of Life, on Tif'eret.

We have now "descended" from the more distant planets to the closest, Moon - and the sequence starts again with Saturn. And Saturn throws doom and gloom on ANY card he appears on.

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The first two decans are ruled by the Prince of Disks (who came in already in the last decan of Aries and thus rules, like all the Princes, Queens and Knights do, rules three decans). (What happens with the Princesses? We'll come to them in a later post!) In the third decan, the Knight of Swords rules - he ushers in the next sign which is an Air sign.

Gemini
mutable spring
air

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associated with the Lovers
associated wit 8, 9 and 10 of Swords

8 of Swords: Jupiter in Gemini (Wheel, Lovers)
9 of Swords: Mars in Gemini (Tower, Lovers)
10 of Swords: Sun in Gemini (Sun, Lovers)

Difficult cards, the Gemini minors. The major card, the Lovers, is often shown as lovey-dovey card but it isn't. The difficult minors tell a different story - of course, Swords get all the troubles. But the difficulty of choice and decision emerge in the minors.

Jupiter doesn't get along with Gemini - and the Mercurial character of Hod (nr.8) doesn't help. Mars in Gemini can only be a catastrophe. And even the Sun that gets along nearly everywhere finds Swords difficult to manage. Let's not fccet that we're quite low down on the Tree of Life. But of course, there are other suits that sit comfortably on Hod, Yesod and Malkuth, the three last "stations" on the Tree. (I'll make another post about them, too).

Three difficult decans for Gemini, to sum it up. Blame it on the Swords.

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Court cards for the first two decans: Knight of Swords. In the last decan, Cancer is knocking on the door - the Queen of Cups represents the next Water sign. We remember: cardinal sign are ruled over by the Queens, and Cancer is a cardinal sign.

I will add over time one sign after the other , let's see how many I get done today. I hope it's a useful study aid. It makes me fall in love all over again with this deck.

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From 2 to 10 - spring minors

Post by Nemia »

Now let's have a look at our nine spring minors.

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2,3 and 4 of Wands, 5, 6 and 7 Disks, and 8, 9 and 10 Wands.

Neat, isn't it?

Aries - Wands - cardinal spring

Taurus - Disks - fixed spring

Gemini - Swords - mutable spring

We saw the whole season, three months, and now we have reached summer. And we'll do the same now for the summer.

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Re: Astrological patterns in Thoth - zodiac signs

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Cancer
cardinal summer
Water

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associated with Chariot
associated with 2, 3 and 4 of Cups

2 of Cups: Venus in Cancer (Empress, Chariot)
3 of Cups: Mercury in Cancer (Magician, Chariot)
4 of Cups: Moon in Cancer (High Priestess, Chariot)

The waters flow, all minors are harmonious. Up on the Tree, in the low numbers, the waters are clear. Venus loves Cancer, Mercury gets along very well, and the Moon is completely at home in Cancer.

This is the second card in the cardinal cross (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn - Emperor, Chariot, Justice/Adjustment, Devil).

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The ruling court cards: Queen of Cups for the first two decans, and Prince of Wands for the last. He's ushering in the next sign, another fire sign - Leo.

Leo
fixed summer
fire

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associated with Lust/Strength
associated with 5, 6 and 7 of Wands

5 of Wands: Saturn in Leo (Universe/World in Lust/Strength)
6 of Wands: Jupiter in Leo (Wheel in Lust/Strength)
7 of Wands: Mars in Leo (Tower in Lust/Strength)

Saturn puts a lot of pressure on every card he rules. Jupiter gets long wonderfully with Leo. Mars is too much of a good thing.

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Court cards: Prince of Wands continues his rule in the first two decans, and the Knight of Disks reminds us that an Earth sign is about to come up.

Virgo
mutable summer
Earth

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associated with: Hermit
associated with: 8, 9 and 10 of Disks

8 of Disks: Sun in Virgo (Sun, Hermit)
9 of Disks: Venus in Virgo (Empress, Hermit)
10 of Disks: Mercury in Virgo (Magician, Hermit)

The mutable signs always rule the last three minors. We remember the chaos in the last mutable sign, Gemini - but here in Virgo, among placid Disks cards, these three numbers behave nicely. Sun in Virgo brings out the best in Virgo, Venus in Virgo feels happy with the nr. 9 (Yesod), and Mercury is strong in Virgo.

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The court cards: Prince of Disks for the first two decans, Queen of Swords for the last decan. We know that a cardinal air sign is about to emerge next when we see that queen towards the end of Virgo.

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From 2 to 10 - summer minors

Post by Nemia »

Image

And here are our nine summer minors from 2 to 10.

2, 3 and 4 of Cups - Cancer - cardinal summer
5, 6 and 7 of Wands - Leo - fixed summer
8, 9 and 10 of Disks - Virgo - mutable summer

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Re: Astrological patterns in Thoth - zodiac signs

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Libra
cardinal autumn
air

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associated with Justice/Adjustment
associated with 2, 3 and 4 of Swords

2 of Swords: Moon in Libra (High Priestess, Justice/Adjustment)
3 of Swords: Saturn in Libra (World/Universe, Justice/Adjustment)
4 of Swords: Jupiter in Libra (Wheel/Justice/Adjustment)

Moon opens the Libra decans - Moon is a good ruler; the forces of reason and intuition are reconciled here. There is a price to pay - the pierced flower. But it is still complete and alive. With Saturn, the pressure is on again, the flower disintegrates, and we have another gloomy-doomy Saturn rulership. In the 4 of Swords, Jupiter rules benevolently and we can rest. 4 is stability, it's Chessed, where Jupiter feels at home.

Isn't it wonderful how the minors reflect the characteristics of the planets? Moonlight, silvery, in the 2 of Swords. Leaden darkness for the Saturnine 3 of Swords. And the celestial twinkles of the Wheel card return in the wheel-like arrangement of the 4 of Swords.

I hope everybody can see and appreciate it.

That's why I call the Thoth a tightly woven cloth, and why I feel that you can't learn it by reading a book that gives you a one-by-one rundown. The Thoth comes alive when you start arranging the cards in groups and understand the logic behind it.

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Libra court cards: Queen of Swords for the first two decans, then the Prince of Cups comes in, a first whiff of the sign to come. We smell Water.

Scorpio
fixed autumn
water

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associated with: Death
associated with: 5, 6 and 7 of Cups

5 of Cups: Mars in Scorpio (Tower, Death)
6 of Cups: Sun in Scorpio (Sun, Death)
7 of Cups: Venus in Scorpio (Empress, Death)

If you ever asked yourself why the cups in the 5 are so dry and the background is so orange - that's Mars and the hot winds from the Tower, strengthened by their position on the Tree, Gvura, sephira of Mars. But there's a lot of potential in this card, even if it's hidden right now (butterfly shaped roots) - traditionally, Scorpio is ruled by Mars. All Sixes are good cards, Sun and Tif'eret feel wonderful together, a very happy card. Venus spoils the party. She brings out the worst in Scorpio.

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And here are the ruling court cards - Prince of Cups continues from the last decan of Libra, and now the Knight of Wands comes in to warm us up before the next sign comes in - fiery.

Sagittarius
mutable autumn
fire

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associated with: Temperance/Art
associated with: 8, 9 and 10 of Wands

8 of Wands: Mercury in Sagittarius (Magician, Temperance/Art)
9 of Wands: Moon in Sagittarius (High Priestess, Temperance/Art)
10 of Wands: Saturn in Sagittarius (World/Universe, Temperance/Art)

A mutable fire sign AND Mercury AND Hod, ruled by Mercury - no wonder that this is the card of speed and communication! In the Nine, Moon brings out the spiritual side of Sagittarius. And Saturn agains puts down his harsh leaden hand on the indomitable energies of this most complex fire sign. (Yes, I will make a post about elements and how they express themselves in cardinal, fixed and mutable form).

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The ruling court cards: Knight of Wands for the first two decans, then the Queen of Disks comes in for the next sign.

So this was autumn.

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From 2 to 10 - autumn minors

Post by Nemia »

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2, 3 and 4 of Swords - Libra - cardinal Air
5, 6 and 7 of Cups - Scorpio - fixed Water
8, 9 and 10 of Wands - Sagittarius - mutable Fire

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Re: Astrological patterns in Thoth - zodiac signs

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Now for the winter.

Capricorn
cardinal winter
earth

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associated with: Devil
associated with: 2, 3 and 4 of Disks

2 of Disks: Jupiter in Capricorn (Wheel, Devil)
3 of Disks: Mars in Capricorn (Tower, Devil)
4 of Disks: Sun in Capricorn (Sun, Devil)

Jupiter gives movement and dynamic to the usually a bit inert disks. Mars feels surprisingly happy in Capricorn and puts his own energy to good use. And the Sun in Capricorn shines on a solid square world. The stable character of the Four is very obvious here - and that's in contradiction to Anthony Louis' interpretation of each decan card displaying the modalities (which means here: the 2 cardinal in cardinal, 3 fixed in cardinal and 4 mutable in cardinal). In the other Fours, I can see some potential for movement, but to be honest, not here.

Now look how differently minors and majors can play out. If you're a Gemini, you have a much-beloved major card (Lovers), even though some of it belovedness may rest on misunderstandings ;-) But Gemini also has very thorny minors. On the other hand, Capricorns have this problematic major, the Devil, but three perfectly harmonious minors. Well well.

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The court cards in Capricorn: Queen of Disks rules the first two decans, then the restless Prince of Swords announces that an Air sign is about to arrive.

Aquarius
fixed winter
air

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associated with: Star
associated with: 5, 6 and 7 of Swords

5 of Swords: Venus in Aquarius (Empress, Star)
6 of Swords: Mercury in Aquarius (Magus/Magician, Star)
7 of Swords: Moon in Aquarius (High Priestess, Star)

Again we have middle numbers, fixed sign, much stability - but in an Air sign. For me, Virgo and Aquarius are interesting signs because they are actually oxymorons - mutable Earth and fixed Air. Paradoxical signs.

Venus in Aquarius sounds nice but let's not fccet, Swords are troublesome and Aquarius is too cool and abstract for the sensual goddess. Mercury feels at home in an Air sign, and as nr. 6, he's having the Tif'eret bonus - the card of superior intelligence. Moon in Aquarius suffers, like the 5, from the "middle signs syndrome" - strong Tif'eret in the middle radiates with stability and harmony, but Netzach and Hod pull to the sides and make life uncomfortable for all the Fives and Sevens - even more so in Swords.

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Prince of Swords rules the first two decans, then the Knight of Cups takes us to the last sign - and Water.

Pisces
mutable winter
water

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associated with: Moon
associated with: 8, 9 and 10 of Cups

8 of Cups: Saturn in Pisces (World/Universe, Moon)
9 of Cups: Jupiter in Pisces (Wheel, Moon)
10 of Cups: Mars in Pisces (Tower, Moon)

These are the last three minors of the year. Saturn again depresses everybody, Jupiter spreads happiness, and Mars gives the wheel of the year a last push before he takes us to the first decan of the first sign - Mars in Aries, as we have seen at the start of this series.

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The Prince of Cups rules over the first two decans, and then the Queen of Wands ushers in the next sign - which will be Aries of next years.

So we made the whole round.

Please, if you want to study the Thoth, take out your cards, arrange them in groups and try to see the connections. I'm afraid that without some basic general knowledge about the zodiac signs, elements and modalities you won't get far with this deck - and the planets of course.

It's worth it.

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From 2 to 10 - winter minors

Post by Nemia »

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2, 3 and 4 of Disks - cardinal earth - Capricorn
5, 6 and 7 of Swords - fixed air - Aquarius
8, 9 and 10 of Cups - mutable water - Pisces

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Astrological patterns in Thoth - modalities and elements in the minors

Post by Nemia »

Now let's look at the patterns for the modalities and elements.

Cardinal

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All these are cardinal minors - they usher in a new season, move things forward.

Look at the rows: the cardinal signs of Fire (Aries/Spring), Earth (Capricorn/Winter), Air (Libra/Autumn) and Water (Cancer/Summer).

And in the columns you have the 2, 3 and 4 of each suit - Fire/Wands, Earth/Disks, Air/Swords and Water/Cups.

According to Anthony Louis, each modality echoes the sequence of modality, so the 2s are the cardinal signs of cardinal, the 3s the fixed signs of cardinal, and the 4s the mutable signs of cardinal.

Look at all the 2s - they're as cardinal as a sign can get. They're the beginning.

Fixed

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These are the minors of the fixed signs - the seasons at their peak, each one unmistakeable in its character.

In the rows: the fixed signs of Fire (Leo/Summer), Earth (Taurus/Spring), Air (Aquarius/Winter) and Water (Scorpio/Autumn).

In the columns: the 5s, 6s and 7s of each suit - Fire/Wands, Earth/Disks, Air/Swords and Water/Cups.

If we follow Louis, the 5s are the cardinal minors of the fixed signs, the 6s the fixed of the fixed, and the 7s the mutable of the fixed. This explains, along with Tif'eret and the magical balance of the number six, why the 6s are so stable. They're the incarnation of fixedness.

Mutable

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These are the minors of the mutable signs - changes are in the air, we can smell already the next season about to arrive although it's not yet there.

In the rows: the mutable signs of Fire (Sagittarius/Autumn), Earth (Virgo/Summer), Air (Gemini/Spring) and Water (Pisces/Winter).

In the columns: the 8s, 9s and 10s of each suit - Fire/Wands, Earth/Disks, Air/Swords and Water/Cups.

According to Louis, the 8s are the cardinal minors of the mutable signs, the 9s the fixed of the mutable, and the 10s the mutable of the mutable.

So actually, all the 2 represent the energies of the cardinal signs, all the 6s the energies of the fixed signs, and all the 10s the energies of the mutable signs.

Beginnings, peaks and endings.

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Confession: there is one upside-down card in my scans. I wonder who will find it :-)

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Re: Astrological patterns in Thoth - zodiac signs

Post by Serpentwand »

Ha, the last 2 of Swords jumps out :icon_eek: . Thank you for doing all this work Nemia, it looks like it's going to be a good reference and learning resource :thumbup: .

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