Thothtober: Scampering up and down the Tree Of Life

I had been reading cards for many, many years before adding the Qabalah Tree of Life as a tool to include in my readings. I found it to be one of those aspects of the life-long learning around tarot that didn’t connect with how I worked … until one day it did. I was reading Norse mythology, where there is a mischievous squirrel, Ratatoskr, who scurries up and down Yggdrasil, the world tree, taking messages from the eagles at the top, to Níðhöggr,  the dragon residing in the roots below. An odd  ‘Aha!’ moment perhaps, but the imagery clicked with interpreting and delivering messages from the cards via sephiroth and pathways on this particular tree, with the more familiar (to me) Yggdrasil.

During a deep study of the Thoth a few years ago, I sometimes thought that certain cards and archetypes sitting in a certain sephira, felt contrived – as if members of the Golden Dawn were squeezing significance into places simply for the sake of adding complications and esoteric fal-da-lals to a reading. Occasionally, it still feels like that, but on the whole I’ve found that looking closely at the pathways linking the cards to one another brings some very interesting additional messages to the querent. I do want to add though, that I am no expert (please forgive my very basic knowledge of the Hebrew letters and handwritten additions on the graphic), I simply feel around the cards and the Tree of Life to see if additional aspects to the reading can be found.

A recent reading for a client shows examples of this in action (shared with permission). The Seeker was at a crossroads in her life, trying to decide whether to give up steady employment in order to follow a dream study course. The first card drawn was the Five of Disks, which felt in tune with the query regarding her income and security dilemmas. Fives can bring upsets, but also often offer a solution at the same time. On the Tree of Life, the Fives sit in Geburah, the sphere associated with fear and strength as well as balanced judgement. I felt here, that the worries contained in the card could also be the spur behind her making this potential move. Geburah also brings an energy of editing and making changes, so I sensed some positive ‘Oomph’ for the client.

The next card drawn was the Princess of Swords. The Princesses/Pages reside at the bottom of the tree in earthy Malkuth, where exciting new beginnings can be grounded before creeping up the tree. The energy of the Swords feels restless and impatient amongst those roots, which cautioned the Seeker against moving too quickly into this new desire.

To add another layer to the reading, I looked at what linked Geburah to Malkuth by the most direct route. The Hanged Man with the Hebrew letter Mem (associated with water), and The Aeon with the Hebrew letter Shin (associated with a tooth). The Hanged Man reiterated the needing to be patient angle, and with the element of Water to consider, asks the client to tune in to her emotional needs and feelings. There was great power here accompanying potential change. Although there were no Eights in the reading, I felt pausing at Hod was also significant. Hod can show the Seeker their source of magnificence – powerful thoughts are contained here, ones that can create changes to our attitudes. The client and I felt an exciting energy bubbling up! A key meaning for Hod is ‘Splendour’, and moving down the pathway towards Malkuth (the world as it actually is) can offer a Seeker the splendour of understanding in reaching this final point. The images on The Hanged Man and The Aeon show inverted figures – looking at this journey from all angles perhaps, to gain the aforementioned understanding.

The Aeon brings to light a major decision in respect to the past, and is ready to contemplate the next step. The deep thoughts from Hod aid the Seeker in working with the transformation associated with turning towards a new chapter in one’s life. The Hebrew letter Shin, being associated with a tooth, could be literally, ‘chewing something over’. Together, these added layers to the reading provided great satisfaction in seeing to my querent’s concerns.

Deep down, my client had wanted to pursue her dream and, even in these uncertain times, the reading felt extremely positive for her do so.

I hope you enjoy your own journeys up and down the Tree of Life.