We Begin in Spirit and Manifest into Form. As Above, So Below

I have to say that I really love the Wild Unknown Tarot. It’s a vastly different take on the card designs which I find really interesting, elemental and yes, wild. I’m using a six card spread today in the shape of a Merkaba with the upper row of three cards defining the cards of Spirit and the lower row of three cards representing form or matter. The overall numerology of the reading is eight or practical matters and structure with Swords dominating over Pentacles. Absent from the reading are Fire and Water elemental influences. Three cards from the Major Arcana are also present along with two Aces which begin and end the reading.

Beginning with the Ace of Swords, a serpent coils around the hilt of an upright sword in lemniscate fashion while two lightning bolts ignite its message. Aces are the root of each element and it’s suggested that they contain all the information contained in their respective suits. The Ace of Swords represents a force that is active and invoked. The suit of Swords signifies our intellectual presence and the formation of ideas from consciousness or Spirit. When this card appears, we’re to cut through illusion and see life as it is.

I love The Empress in this deck. A tree stands resolutely, its branches adorned with pink flowers. A crescent moon shines in the night sky. The white and pink colors suggest purity and grace. The Empress is elegant and depicts love, happiness, and beauty. She represents the door or portal to the unconscious realm and as the Mother Aspect of the Goddess, she represents the womb and fertility.

On the Wheel of Fortune, multi-colored ribbons drape over the branches comprising a crude Wheel of the Year. An owl observes atop one of the Wheel’s branches while a crescent Moon and stars shine above. Small dots are scattered about the globe hidden by the branches, more concentrated in the center of the globe. Below the Wheel, the sun extends its rays outward, waiting to rise again as the new day dawns. The Wheel of Fortune represents cycles and completion. Traditional interpretations involve prosperity and wealth as well as the ebb and flow of life. But this card says something different to me. Instead of a focus on cycles and the turning of the wheel, the crudeness of the branches dividing the wheel along with the messiness of the ribbons suggests diverse experiences. There’s no real balance here, no give and take, no cooperation. Instead, the wheel is in disarray and while a new day may be dawning, there seems to be a lack of cohesion in this card.

From the perspective of Spirit, all of creation is the Creator expressing Itself into form. The Great Mother breathes life into the universe, Her Thought manifesting into form signified by the Ace of Swords. From there, The Empress manifests the world as we know it. She is Gaia, Mother Earth, and when she appears, we should be thinking about what we’re manifesting in our lives. Does it lead to success? As the Wheel of Fortune turns, will our progress bring reward? We’re each here on our own journey. The lack of cohesiveness illustrated by the ribbons in disarray depicts the individual nature of our existence. We may be part of a greater unified presence when in Spirit, but when in form, our choices and decisions are our own.

As the Great Mother breathes out creation, our time in form is within that breath, finally returning as She draws back her loving presence. The World card in this deck reminds me of that process as it appears to draw everything back into the center all of creation. While we are one in the greater unified presence, while in form, we appear separate. The World represents synthesis and completion, our reward for the life we’ve lived. Mind/body/Spirit have united as one in the individual, and awakening is now at hand. Its numerology is three, or unification and wholeness. So it looks like we’re on the precipice of something new.

The power of the Earth is felt in the Ace of Pentacles. It represents material gain and stability. When it appears, we’re about to manifest something new. The tree’s rings move outward toward its bark while an orange ring surrounds the pentagram in its center. The placement of this card at the end of the reading illustrates that each one of us an expression of as above, so below. We begin as thought and through focused intention, we manifest into reality.

Another way to look at the spread is by considering it as two triangles that create the shape of the Merkaba. In that case, the upper row of Spirit would be comprised by the Ace of Swords, 8 of Swords, and The Wheel of Fortune followed by the lower row of form comprised by The World, The Empress, and the Ace of Pentacles. From that perspective, Spirit would be counseling us to be mindful of our thoughts so that we’re not getting in the way of our own success. From the perspective of matter or form, the cards there suggest that we have all that we need to live our best life. The Empress herself invokes Gaia energy into manifesting our experiences, her loving hand guiding our path.

Irrespective of how we interpret the spread, the reading reminds us of who we are, Spirit manifested into form. Keep our thoughts centered, be mindful of what they manifest, and life will bring success.

Blessed Be