Tarot, the Mysteries, and Initiation

Tarot is a roadmap back to God. It is my theory that they began as the flash-card catechism of the early Christian teachings which were patterned after the pagan Mystery religions. In stating this I don’t mean that Jesus’ life was a fabrication made by copying the mythology of the ancient Mysteries, but rather that his life followed the same design for the journey that is inherent in the Mysteries that is universal. Anyone who truly wants to walk the path of Initiation will have to walk in the same footsteps.

I truly believe that Jesus was a great Master, perhaps the greatest of all who have walked the face of earth. I also feel that the experiences that Jesus had fit into the same structure as that of the mythologies of the Mysteries for it is an archetypal journey; the one that is described in the major arcana of the tarot. However, I also believe to truly understand his teachings that one must be able to separate the historical Jesus from the allegorical hero/god who was sacrificed for the good of the people. This is the journey that is seen in his life and it is the same journey that each hero of each of the Mystery Schools had to take. This journey is the path of Initiation and it is available to each and every person who truly desires to know God.

The Mysteries are not about religion per se, however religion can help the seeker to begin the journey. I associate what the great religions of the world teach today with the Lesser Mysteries of the ancient Mystery Schools. Initiation in the Greater Mysteries is far greater than merely following the codes of conduct for they give the seeker a roadmap back to God. Not only do they give you the map, but they also teach how to navigate the journey, what to expect, and the skills required in order to meet all trials and tests that lead to liberation of the soul from the cycles of reincarnation. Once all these ordeals are faced and passed, the Initiate can find immortality of the soul.

The Greater Mysteries exist even today. One who studies Kabbalah or Sufism is an initiate of the Greater Mysteries as in the alchemist or the Rosicrucian to name just a few. Initiation is the path of the magician and the mystic and these are represented by the Magician and the High Priestess respectively.

Where the Mysteries Come From

Interestingly enough the mystery schools are shrouded in secrets. No one knows exactly what they taught because their members were sworn to secrecy. Scholars do know for sure that they consisted of two parts. The lesser mysteries were open to all and gave its members guidelines for day-to-day living. Only the elite few who had asked the right questions and had shown an ability to understand more profound teachings were initiated into the greater mysteries. These individuals were deserving souls who through sacrifice and purification of initiatory rites were able to pass great tests and earn escape from the wheel of rebirth.

Esoteric teachings say that the mysteries originated in Atlantis by Hermes-Thoth, otherwise known as Hermes-Trismegistus. However some philosophers and mystics feel while the mysteries were developed in Atlantis that the wisdom inherent in the mysteries came from Lemuria. Lemuria & Atlantis are thought to be prehistoric civilizations. Many believe that Lemuria, which is also sometimes called Mu, was the root of all civilization. They theorize that it was the original Garden of Eden where souls first entered the material realm as light bodies. It was thought that initially these souls could enter and exit the material plane at will and that Earth was a playground that became an addiction. The more these souls became attached to the material, the denser they became until eventually they could no longer leave at will.

Many millennia (some say millions of years) passed before Atlantis came into existence. In its earlier phases, the people were as spiritual as the Lemurians and the two continents co-existed cooperatively. Eventually Lemuria disappeared into the area now known as the Pacific Ocean and the surviving citizens migrated to Atlantis. (Hawaii and Easter Island are believed to be vestiges of this once greatly spiritual continent.) The major difference between the two peoples is that the Lemurians were more earth-oriented and spiritually focused while the latter-day Atlaneans were more focused on technological advancement that eventually led to the misuse and abuse of power. It was this pursuit of power and the attempt to make science and the mind god that eventually led to Atlantis’ demise.

The destruction of this once great continent took place in several stages. As Atlantis began to sink, its priesthood took the sacred books of wisdom, along with its symbols of power to other parts of the world for safekeeping. It had been necessary to hide the wisdom and the innate power so that it could not be abused or misused again as it had during the time before the continent sank due to the corruption of power. These teachings were taken to Sumeria, Babylonia, Egypt, Indo-Europe, the Orient, the Americas, and Polynesia. From these colonies they spread to other areas. It is my theory that there is a direct correlation between the areas where the root languages began and where the mysteries were taken.

What the Mystery Schools Taught

There are several basic similarities among mystery school teachings. The highlights and main points are:

All have a creation myth that taught of the birth of a sun god from a virgin mother and/or the birth of twin gods, one male and one female. This represented the separation of the male and female forces from oneness to create a dualistic world.

• A sacred marriage between the male and the female resulted in the birth of the gods and/or a royal caste.
• The hero-god (or heroine/goddess or her consort in matriarchal societies) is sacrificed and sometimes dismembered, usually into thirteen pieces.
• Sometimes there is a ritual consumption of the body and the blood of the savior.
• There is a descent into the underworld for 3 days or ordeals experienced while crossing a wasteland.
• Resurrection and immortality was always the result.
• This story was a metaphor for the death and resurrection of the sun or in earlier matriarchal societies, sometimes the moon.
• The story is always enacted in some way by the priesthood.   Originally this was done to ensure fertility of the land.      
• In matriarchal societies this ritual was also tied to sacred sexuality rites that determined the line of descent of the ruler.   The high priestess was the earthly incarnation of the Goddess and the yearly king was the sacrificial hero who represented the dying sun. Their mating re-enacted the marriage between the goddess and her son or the male and female twins and was called the Sacred Marriage. If their mating resulted in the birth of a son, he would have the birthright to the throne.

THE MINOR ARCANA

 Court Cards

The court cards are the levels of discipleship of the mystery school tradition. Pages are neophytes who as students are instructed and prepared for the tests and trials of initiation. They are trained to control the mind and develop intuition.

Upon passing tests and going through initiatory rites, they are accorded the title of disciple, which are the knights. As a disciple, the aspirant is required to renounce his or her earthly desires and goes through purification rites, which includes the baptism by water. During this stage, the aspirant’s spiritual centers begin to open and it becomes a responsibility to help instruct neophytes and serve the community.

As full-fledged initiates, the exemplar goes through many trials and ordeals that tests his or her strength of spirit. Understanding of the spiritual laws learned while a neophyte and disciple and use of a finely honed intuition is the only way that the initiate will be able to pass these extremely difficult tests. This degree is associated with the queens and it is at this time that the kundalini begins to move upward. The rising of the kundalini is the baptism by fire or spirit.

Whereas the initiate is developing spiritual mastery based upon the use of intuition, the adept, already having passed the intense tests and trials, develops mastery over the physical realm. This is the phase when the kundalini rises to the crown and the initiate becomes an alchemist who is able to turn base metals into gold.

 The Numbered Cards

 Through sacred geometry, the numbers show us how our universe was created. It also explains how we descended from Heaven to Earth and how we return back to union. The Tarot numbered cards are the universal laws of God. These universal laws are learned through each of the elemental initiations of earth, water, air and fire. They are the lessons that we need to learn in order to liberate ourselves from the wheel of life and death. Once we understand these laws, we are able to return to Paradise.

 The Suits

The Minor Arcana suits are the four initiations of earth, water, air and fire.

The suit of pentacles is the earth initiation and is the lesson of learning live in the world but not of it. The cups are the water initiation that teaches us to love unconditionally while conquering and controlling the lower emotions. The sword suit is the air initiation, which is the lesson of learning to use our minds and control our thoughts without letting our intellect rule us. With wands or the fire initiation, we learn to use passion and desire without letting them overcome us.

These initiations are the gifts God gave humanity so that mankind could find its way back to the Divine. Tarot teaches balance and when we find perfect balance by using our God-given gifts without making those gifts God, we can find our way back to a true God. Tarot is a “Roadmap to Enlightenment”.

 

THE MAJOR ARCANA

 The Major Arcana tell the story of the tests and trials of initiation, of loss and return, and of death and immortality. This story is told through the life of the Fool, the hero or heroine who in the mysteries is generally is represented as a god or goddess. His or her journey begins in the cards Magician through the Hierophant. This is the neophyte stage of instruction and preparation.

The cards Lovers through Hermit are the process of renunciation and purification that the knights sustain. As the Fool moves through the lessons that these cards have to teach, the initiate acquires compassion through the Lovers, knowledge through the Chariot, power through Strength and finally wisdom through the Hermit.

Now that knowledge, power and wisdom is acquired, the initiate is finally ready to attempt the greatest tests and trials of all. The Wheel of Fortune is the transition from the lesser mysteries to the greater mysteries. I call this card the Secret Entrance because all initiates are required to answer a riddle that tests his or her knowledge before he or she is allowed to pass through the gates to the higher realms. It is here that the disciple becomes a full-fledged initiate.

The cards Justice through Moon are the ordeals and trials that the initiate having faced and passed becomes the adept. The Sun is ascension out of the material realm, the Judgement is the resurrection and World is the return to paradise. Whereas the queens, gain mastery over the spiritual realm through the use of their intuitive powers, the kings acquire mastery over the material realm through the use of all that has been previously learned. The adept is the alchemist who is able to turn base metals into gold.

(An excerpt from Anyone Can Read Tarot Cards © Deanna Frank)