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Tarot Reflections

  March 17, 2003

Photo by Derek Sanderson
sandersonphoto.com

Elizabeth Hazel is an astrologer and tarotist who lives in Toledo, Ohio.  She has written extensively on techniques for combining stars and cards, and enjoys researching and writing about other occult topics, including mythology and history. Her new book, Tarot Toolbox, will be released by Weiser books in Spring 2004

Liz has 3 cats, loves to grow flowers and herbs, and plays keyboards for a band.  Her secret wish is to be a contestant on Jeopardy.  She can be contacted via email.

King’s Triumph was inspired in October of 2002, when a particularly fortunate series of planetary aspects that ran from December 8^th to 10^th, 2002 was noted.  These alignments were an irresistible opportunity to construct a specific talisman that matched the power of the planetary relationships.  This mushroomed into a talisman-making ritual that was offered to others via the Internet, and gathered a participating group of 40 individuals located across the globe. 

Talisman making is an ancient art.  Selected items are infused with godly or planetary energy for a specific purpose.  The medieval writer, Henry Cornelius Agrippa, wrote talisman-making instructions in his “Three Books of Occult Philosophy.”  According to the practices of the early 16^th century, talismans were made using magical, astrological, or kabbalistic symbols and corresponding oils, stones, or herbs that were manufactured at an astrologically appropriate time.

The astrologically correct moment is the key factor.  No matter how much a particular talisman might come in handy, it cannot be made at the wrong time and be effective in achieving its purpose.  One might be compelled to wait years for the proper planetary alignments for a talisman. 

So my approach to the ritual was a bit backwards.  Wonderful astrological aspects suggested creating a talisman that would suit those planetary energies:  to attract supreme success over obstacles, to gain spiritual assistance in personal quests, and to open a conduit for divine blessings.  The key planets were the Sun and Jupiter, in trine and in mutual reception (in each other’s ruling signs, Leo and Sagittarius) – an event that only occurs every 12 years.  The next step was to find a moment when this planetary energy exchange was fortified (or strengthened) by house placement and lunar light.  The best time occurred when Jupiter rose to the ascendant on December 8^th. 

The next step was to create a ritual and to choose appropriate symbols and substances.  Both Jupiter and the Sun relate to confidence, rulers, and success – hence a talisman for King’s Triumph.  I wrote an invocation, constructed a tarot spread, and made an incense and anointing oil with planet-appropriate essences: frankincense, bay, cedar, and spikenard.  On October 18^th, 2002, an e-mail invitation was sent to Tarot-L (a tarot e-mail group) and personal friends.  The response was overwhelming.  Within a week, 30 people had signed up.  Ritual kits had to be mass produced and promptly mailed.  Astrological charts were erected to determine the starting time for all 40 locations.

The tarot card ritual corresponds to the signs and planets involved in the talismanic election (an election is a purposefully chosen horoscope).  The cards used were: The Sun (the Sun), The Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter), Temperance (Sagittarius), Strength (Leo), and The Star (Aquarius, the location of the waxing Moon); as well as the four Kings.  These cards were arranged around a purple candle during the nightly invocation.  The talisman was placed beneath the candle, thereby sympathetically drawing down the planet/sign energies as the candle burned down for 3 nights.  The tarot spread was a visual aid for focusing intent on drawing these energies into the talisman.

THE EXPERIMENT

So far as is known, this is the first time-coordinated international tarot-talisman spell ever attempted.  Group participation extends the concepts behind talisman making, which is traditionally magician-specific.  According to the medieval rules, an elected horoscope should work favorably with the magician’s own horoscope. 

Herein lays the critical question at the heart of the King’s Triumph experiment:  could widely dispersed individuals succeed in using an elected horoscope to construct effective talismans?  Would possible adverse individual effects to the horoscope be neutralized?  These questions are addressed at the end of the summary.

King’s Triumph challenges the heretofore-isolated context of talisman making.  Gaining an understanding of group potential is further complicated by participants customizing the ritual.  Nevertheless, requested feedback has trickled in since mid-December, and shows notable results.

THE RESULTS

Magical results are resistant to scientific scrutiny.  The rituals did not occur in a controlled environment, and participant’s reports are unavoidably biased by personal perceptions.  The report given here constitutes a collated overview of the feedback, and should be considered as such. 

Of the 40 participants that received packets, 28 provided responses.  A few participants made extra talismans and reported for loved ones, adding to the total of responses.  The results are arranged in 5 categories:  Good Results, Fending Attacks, Thwarted, Too Difficult, and Non-Response.  The number of people reporting into each group is given as accurately as can be calculated.  Some reports included information that overlaps categories.  Reports are anonymous to respect the privacy of participants.

Group 1:  Good Results

25 participating individuals reported good results, including a notable trend toward improvements in real-estate.  Several were able to acquire much-improved housing or commercial real estate arrangements within a week or two after making (or receiving) the talisman.  Most of these reports included significantly favorable financial arrangements for the location, moving or storage costs.  

Career improvements were the other major result, including reports of gaining better jobs, or getting more work, pay, or recognition in current jobs, or getting interviews for better jobs.  For example, a woman got permission to start a special program for prisoners at her facility.  One woman took her talisman to an algebra exam and passed with flying colors (although she does give some credit to studying hard beforehand!).  An actress reported better performances with the talisman in her pocket, and she got an audition for a car commercial.  There was a humorous report from a young man who got a paid Christmas holiday only a few days after starting his wonderful new job.  He wins the prize for “King’s Perks.”

The Good Results group included 3 results that regarded personal relationships.  One respondent reported an extra frisky spouse, and two found the strength to end bad relationships. 

Some results centered on spiritual growth and practice.  One reported gaining a nice new spiritual mentor, another felt more empowered to balance and better manage the “4 kingdoms” of her life.  A third response reported lots of little bonuses, as though there was “an unseen hand opening doors.”  As one participant was preparing for the ritual, she had dreams of kings, and kept spotting a small bird which she found are called “ruby crowned kinglets.”

There was one report of a positive health result – a woman carried the talisman to a doctor’s appointment, and was very relieved to discover that the lumps in her breast were benign. 

Group 2:  Fending Attacks

3 participating individuals reported that psychic attacks coincided with the King’s Triumph talisman ritual.   One woman gave a dramatic account of her ritual area almost catching fire on the first night, but she was able to move forward and repel negative energies from her space on the subsequent nights.  The other 2 reports gave similar data – psychic attacks that were repelled as they moved into the ritual.  This, too, follows along with the idea of King’s Triumph, which was designed to attract supreme success over obstacles, to gain spiritual assistance in personal quests, and to open a conduit for divine blessings.  Jupiter is a protective planet, and this energy was gathered as Jupiter rose into the sky at their location. 

Group 3:  Thwarted

3 people reported being thwarted from participating in King’s Triumph, and failed to construct the talisman.  One man was stopped by the police and held on a spurious charge, and missed the starting time for his location.  He speculated that the arrest might have been prompted by a psychic attack.  The others were thwarted because of malaise and family illness.

Group 4:  Too Difficult

2 people reported that they did not perform the ritual because they found the requirements too difficult, and lacked experience in ceremonial magic.

Group 5:  Non-response

As near as can be calculated, 12 participants did not respond to the feedback questions.  I do not know if they did or did not construct the talisman, or simply have not had any results to date.  Since well over 50% of the participants did respond, statistically this is decent reporting, as many research experiments get much less feedback.

Related Results

Some participants reported feeling an increase in magical energy over the 3 day period, or surges on specific days.  A few remarked that they started experiencing results before they began the ritual, possibly because of focus quiz.  Additional remarks included enthusiasm about the theatrical possibilities of creating custom altar settings, and writing and delivering a kingly proclamation.  The wonderful settings people reported creating for their ritual were all impressive, although I think the woman who actually got some water from the Well of Brigit wins the “cool magical paraphernalia” prize.

Two women reported “lost time” during their ceremony – they performed the ritual, only to find at ending the procedure that a block of time (30 to 60 minutes) had been lost.  Speculative notions include the idea that perhaps they were swept up in the group working, or simply so deeply drawn into the ritual that they lost all awareness of time.  The intensity of the Sun-Pluto conjunction could have been another contributing factor.

MAGICAL QUESTIONS

With the data at hand at this time, the answers to the magical questions posed by King’s Triumph are suggested by the feedback received. 

1.  Is an elected horoscope chosen for talismanic construction valid for group work?

Some gained greater and faster results than others, and this may have to do with the extent of positive personal aspects from the election horoscope.  However, with a significant majority reporting some degree of positive results from using the talisman, it would seem that some of the potentially negative personal aspects were neutralized by group participation.

2.  Is the synchronization of an election chart over a wide span of longitude and latitude a viable magical practice? 

Since the majority of reporting participants were able to construct a talisman and get results, it would seem that group talisman construction has real potential as a viable magical technique.  Great care was taken to ensure that Jupiter was rising into the sky at each participant’s location, and all participants used the same evocation, talisman symbols, and tarot spread (although with different decks).  This preserves the spirit of the medieval procedure, if not its exclusivity.  If a future ritual is created, participant’s birth data should be collected in order to more effectively pinpoint specific astrological reasons for the feedback. 

3.  Do identical talismans made in diverse locations on the globe become more powerful?  Or is the power diluted? 

Since there were many reported successes, it would seem that the magical power was evenly distributed over the latitude and longitude of the participants.  No single geographic area reported better results than any other.  Reports indicated surges of magical energy during the three night ritual, with different people experiencing it on different nights.  There was enough feedback to suggest that power was not diminished.  King’s Triumph was a 3 day ritual, an unusual feature designed to take advantage of the specific planetary aspects culminating on those days.  A single event ritual might give different results.

4.  Will the individual results encourage a future group operation?

Several participants have already inquired about a future operation.  Requests include the Big Two: love-sex or wealth-abundance talismans.  So far I haven’t found any hot planetary alignments that inspire a new ritual in 2003, but the final Jupiter-trine-Pluto in early July, 2003, may bring further feedback from King’s Triumph, as this trine completes the triple aspect that initiated the idea in October 2002.

The instructions were clear and flexible enough to be customized to each participant’s magical traditions.  This was my goal as a ritual writer.  On the down side, beginners were over their heads.  Some experience with ceremonial procedures and performing a magical operation is necessary in talisman making. 

King’s Triumph was, when all is said and done, a triumph.  People felt good about performing the ritual and creating the talisman for their use and for the use of loved ones.  Magically inclined people are encouraged to contact me at my e-mail address if they wish to be notified of any future talisman construction opportunities.  I’d also be pleased to read about people’s reactions to this experiment if they care to share them.

NOTE: This article is being simultaneously published by permission of the author to both the ATA and to The Tarot Association of the British Aisles (TABI) http://www.tabi.org.uk

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