History of the Rosary
The word rosary comes from the Latin rosarium meaning “rose garden” or “garland of roses”. It refers to both the string of beads and the devotional sequence of prayers.

Although there are different theories as to the history of the rosary, traditionally it is believed that it was given to Saint Dominic in the year 1214 in a vision that he had of the Virgin Mary. This apparition of Mary became known as “Our Lady of the Rosary”. It was thought that Saint Alan of the Rock, a Dominican priest was responsible for developing the 15 promises of the rosary in the 15th century and Dominic of Prussia was believed to have begun the practice of meditation during the praying of the Hail Marys. It is known definitely, however, that in 1569 the rosary was officially established as a Catholic devotion by Pope Pius V.

The rosary prayer sequence remained virtually the same until 1917 when the Fatima Prayer was added after it was given to the three children on July 13th during an apparition Our Lady of Fatima. Then in 2002, Pope John Paul II added the optional Luminous Mysteries. My interpretation only includes the traditional three mysteries since they follow the path of Initiation and the Luminous Mysteries do not. This interpretation associates the Apostle’ Creed with the Major Arcana of the tarot in addition to the

Mysteries of the Rosary that are connected to three of the four suits. While not one of the Mysteries, I relate the fourth suit to an aspect of Jesus’ life. They are as follows:

• The cups suit exemplifies the Joyful Mysteries or the happy events that describe the events that lead to the birth of Jesus and his childhood.
• The sword suit represents the Sorrowful Mysteries of the crucifixion.
• The wand suit depicts the Glorious Mysteries and describe the events that involve the glory of God and the Holy Spirit.
• The pentacle suit is not associated with the Mysteries of the Rosary but do relate the miracles that Jesus performed during his ministry.

I am designing a Mystical Christian Tarot deck describing these events but rather than illustrating only five events in each series of Mysteries, I am including ten, one for each card in all three suits along with ten miracles for the pentacle cards. The interpretations that I am giving you in this article are based upon the work that I am doing on the Mystical Christian deck but only addresses the original fifteen Mysteries.

Traditional Way to Say the Rosary

1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say the Apostle’s Creed.
2. Say the Our Father (For Protestants it is the Lord’s Prayer without the last paragraph).
3. Say three Hail Marys.
4. Say one Glory Be to the Father.
5. Announce the First Joyful Mystery and say one Our Father.
6. Say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery.
7. Say one Glory Be to the Father. (If you say the Fatima Prayer say it after the Glory Be.)Announce the Second Joyful Mystery and then say one Our Father, ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery, one Glory Be to the Father, (If you add the Fatima Prayer say it after the Glory Be.)
8. Announce the Third Joyful Mystery and then say one Our Father, ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery, one Glory Be to the Father, (If you add the Fatima Prayer say it after the Glory Be.)
9. Announce the Fourth Joyful Mystery and then say one Our Father, ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery, one Glory Be to the Father, (If you add the Fatima Prayer say it after the Glory Be.)
10.  Announce the Fifth Joyful Mystery and then say one Our Father, ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery, one Glory Be to the Father, (If you add the Fatima Prayer say it after the Glory Be.)
11. After you complete the Joyful Mysteries say one Hail, Holy Queen.
12. Repeat steps 5 through 11 for the Sorrowful Mysteries.
13. Repeat steps 5 through 11 for the Glorious Mysteries.
14. 1End with Hail, Holy Queen; Let Us Pray; and then the Sign of the Cross.

I say the Rosary in this same way but I have changed some the prayers to either to modernize it or to suit my own beliefs. The original prayers and my versions are listed side-by-side in the next section.

If you choose to say the rosary, you can say it traditionally even if you do not agree with all the exact words in the prayers. It is that which is in your heart that is important and so your intention will set the tone. However if you do not resonate at all with the prayers feel free to change to fit your own sentiments as I did. You are also welcome to use my versions if you like them.

Traditional Prayer	My Version
Sign of the Cross In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.	Sign of the Cross Same. I explain why I have kept this the same in the description of the Holy Trinity.
Apostle’s Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.	Apostle’s Creed I believe in Mother-Father God, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, all Holy Scriptures, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.	Our Father Mother-Father God, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen
Hail Mary Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women; and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.	Hail Mary Hail Mary, full of grace! The Holy Spirit is with you; blessed are you among women; and blessed is your son, Jesus, the Christ. Holy Mary, Holy Mother, pray for us, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory Be to the Father Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end. Amen.	Glory Be to the Father Same. I explain why I have kept this the same in the description of the Holy Trinity.
Fatima Prayer O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.	Fatima Prayer Sr. Lucia, the oldest of the three children of Fatima says that the way that the prayer was given to her on July 13, 1917 was: O my Jesus, pardon us, and save us from the fire of hell. Draw all souls to heaven, especially those most in need.
Hail, Holy Queen Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our signs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let Us Pray Let us pray, O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord.	Hail, Holy Queen I never learned these prayers as a young child and do not personally include them when I say the rosary. I say another Our Father and Glory Be to the Father instead of Hail, Holy Queen to complete the circle of energy.

The Mysteries of the Rosary, the Tarot, and Initiation in the Mystery Schools

I believe that the tarot cards were the flash-card catechism of the early Christian church which was a Mystery School. Their teachings like those of the pagan Mysteries describe the soul’s descent into matter and then the lessons and the trials and tests that it must go through in order to find union back with God. I presented my theory at a tarot conference in 2002 that was attended by both Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollock, both considered the foremost tarot experts in the world. After my talk they came to me and expressed their amazement in what I put together and I found out from them that tarot historians had decided that tarot cards had Christian roots because the early cards reflected the Christian art during the era when the cards first made their appearance.

The theory that I presented explained how the cards fit both into Christianity and paganism and also connected the cards to numerology, astrology, and the process of Initiation. There are also elements of the Kabbalah, alchemy, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucian teachings illustrated in the modern cards. Although they were not originally a part of the early cards, these esoteric philosophies fit within the scope of the tarot because they all have elements of the mystery school teachings in them as does the tarot. Basically they are all expounding the same thing, which is how to overcome the lower nature to grow closer to God so that we can find immortality of the soul. In the following sections I will outline the ideas, which tie the cards to Christianity, which interestingly enough I discovered while saying the rosary.

The Holy Trinity, the Sign of the Cross, and the Glory Be to the Father

The Sign of the Cross and the prayer Glory Be to the Father are references to the Holy Trinity. I had at one time changed the Glory Be to say “Glory be to the Mother-Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…” feeling that God is an androgynous being and neither male nor female. I later went back to the original prayer, however, because the Holy Spirit is the feminine aspect of God.

Esoterically the concept of the Holy Trinity is saying that creation comes from the splitting of the One God into two entities, thus causing duality and the creation of the world. It takes the yang essence to separate from the whole. The yang is the masculine force. What remains is the negative space created from the split and that is the yin essence or the feminine force. The yin just is and the yang separates from the yin to create duality. When duality is formed the two separate parts then need to find a balance between themselves. Once balance is maintained the two parts are attracted to each other like a magnet that has been broken into two parts trying to find union once more.

That is what the soul does once it separates from the Source. The joining together of the masculine and feminine forces creates a third entity. In physical form that expresses itself as man, woman, and child or seed, earth, and plan. So the Holy Trinity is a result of the creative process that created the universe.
Going back to the metaphor of the soul as a magnet broken into two trying to find its other half, we as souls are trying to go back to the source. Merging with the other half results in the alchemy of the creative process. So when the Bible speaks of man being made in God’s image, it is not as masculine man but as a creator. We came to the earth to experience ourselves as a creative being and the only way that is able to unfold is through the separation from the One God. The son in the Holy Trinity is the creation itself so when we perform the Sign of the Cross or say the Glory Be, we are not only honoring Jesus, but also ourselves as a creative being. The Glory Be is saying that this creative process has always existed and will always exist.

The Apostle’s Creed

The Apostle’s Creed reflects the Major Arcana of the tarot. The word, arcana, has its root in the Latin word arcanus, which means mysteries or secrets. The words minor arcana and major arcana translated means “lesser mysteries” and “greater mysteries” respectively. However these terms are fairly modern and the cards were initially referred to as triumphs or trumps.  Perhaps the word originally referred to the triumph over spiritual adversity. Following is the Apostle’s Creed that has been dissected line-by-line with the associating tarot card and a short explanation of the implication.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
The Fool: God created the world and then man. The Fool represents the soul about to descend into a physical body to experience earthly life.

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
The Magician is Jesus. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck he is even dressed in a white robe and red mantle, which is the way that Jesus is often pictured. According to Earlyne Chaney many sun gods of the pagan Mystery Schools were illustrated in this manner.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
The High Priestess is the Divine Feminine Wisdom, associated with Sophia, Shakti, and the Shekinah, who was the in-dwelling place of God in Hebrew teachings. She is also the virgin aspect of the Great Mother Goddess who gave virgin birth to the world. She is a predecessor of Venus who is associated with the dove that in patriarchal religion became the Holy Spirit.

born of the Virgin Mary,
The Empress is the Great Mother, also known as the Great Goddess who in matriarchal times was viewed as the creatress.

After the empress card the Apostle’s Creed skips the following cards that represent:

• Emperor: The Presentation in the Temple for Consecration (See the Fourth Joyful Mystery.)
• Hierophant: Finding Jesus in the Temple with the Teachers (See the Fifth Joyful Mystery.)
• Lovers: The First Miracle, which was turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana that some scholars feel may have been his own marriage to Mary Magdalene. It is symbolic of the Sacred Marriage, which was a sacred ritual re-enacting the marriage of the virgin goddess to her consort, oftentimes her son or brother. (Remember nothing existed before her so in mythology it symbolized the creation of the world from nothingness…thus the virgin birth and the need for sacred incest.) The Sacred Marriage was a fertility ritual that was important to the ancients for it insured the fertility of the land so that the people could live. It is also indicative of the marriage of the ida and pingala, two of the channels through which the kundalini rises.
• Chariot: The Sermon on the Mount, a compilation of Jesus’ teachings. In a Mystery School, the novice went through rigorous training. Upon completing the first level of education, the level of discipleship was awarded. As a disciple one must go out into the world to share ones knowledge with others and to be tested in one’s daily affairs.
• Strength: Temptation in the Desert is representative of the three major tests of character (detachment from earthly desires, ego, and right use of power) that a disciple must go through before qualifying to take the great test of Initiation, the Death Initiation so one could be born again into a new spiritual form. In alchemical terms this process is called the Great Work in which the alchemist is able to turn lead into spiritual gold.
• Hermit: Agony in the Garden at Gethsemane where he prayed and meditated. (See the First Sorrowful Mystery.)
• Wheel of Fortune: The Last Supper. It was at the Last supper in the Upper Room that Jesus gave his disciples their greatest teaching. The upper room is symbolic of the highest of teachings that would eventually lead to the disciples’ enlightenment.

suffered under Pontius Pilate,
The Justice card represents the trials that Jesus experienced that led to his death in both the sentence itself and also the physical suffering he endured prior to his death. Symbolically this represents the trials and tests that we go through in our living our daily lives.

was crucified,
The Hanged Man represents the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross. In the myths of the pagan mysteries, it is the sacrifice of the consort/hero/king who was killed in order to save the land from death. In many cultures the man who had been made king during the Sacred Marriage ceremony would reign for one year and then would be literally or symbolically killed in order to save the land from the eternal darkness of winter. This explained the cycle of the seasons when the land dies in the winter for three months.

died
The Death card is very symbolic of Jesus’ death and also the death of the king.

and was buried.
The Temperance card refers to the burial after death. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck shows the Archangel Michael, who is the angel of death and was known to lead the souls of the dead into the afterlife.

He descended into hell;
The Devil card is pretty self-explanatory. It shows that Adam and Eve are chained to the pedestal of false beliefs that tie one to earthly desires and it is these things that chain us to the physical realm. It is mandatory that these desires be released in order transcend our lower natures. The Devil suggests what psychologists call “facing the shadow”.

the third day He arose again from the dead;
The three days in hell are:
In the Mystery School myths the three days in the underworld represented the three months of winter when the land “died” or the three days when the moon is dark. It is symbolic of the time when we need to go deep within whenever we are going through life changing times.

1. The first day in hell is the Tower or Purgatory, the place in the afterlife where the souls of those who are not evil yet not pure enough to enter through the Gates of Heaven go to purge out their earthly desires.
2. The Star is the second day in hell and is symbolic of drinking of the soma of Immortality.
3. The Moon is the third day in hell and represents the Threshold between Life and Death that the soul must cross in order to ascend to God through the tunnel of glorious light.

He ascended into heaven,
The Sun card is indicative of the tunnel of light that people who experience near-death experiences describe. It is the Ascension of the soul into heaven and also represents the ascension of the kundalini to the crown.

sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
The Judgement card is the Last Judgment of the Bible.  The Archangel Gabriel, the angel that presides over Paradise, blasts the trumpet to raise the sleeping dead so they can prepare themselves for the Last Judgment. In the Rider-Waite-Smith version there is a sea of coffins with people rising out of them. They hold their arms up in praise for they are joyous to be at the Gates of Heaven. They are waiting for the judgment on whence they will go.  If they lived a righteous life, they will be allowed through the Gates of Heaven.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
The World card exemplifies the spiritual attainment that is rewarded as the result from going through all the trials of earthly life and passing all the tests. It is signifies that one has become enlightened and denotes the state of perfection that is described as nirvana, heaven, or paradise. It is when the soul has finally become immortal…it is now one with God.

The Mysteries of the Rosary

The Joyful Mysteries are the events surrounding the birth and childhood of Jesus. They represent the birth of the Christ Consciousness in each of us. The Christ Consciousness is accessible not only to those people who have been baptized in the Christian faith, but anyone who has been baptized by the Holy Spirit and walks in the footsteps of Jesus has access to this mystical experience. It begins with the desire to step upon the path to God, the path that we call Initiation.

This process begins with the Baptism of Water that instigates the cleansing of the mind, body, and emotions. It then continues with a strict course of studies that prepares the aspirant for the trials and tests that follow in the Sorrowful Mysteries. Once the aspirant has completed his or her education, he or she becomes a disciple and is able to endure the hardships of the tests and trials.

Once these incredibly difficult challenges have been met and passed, the next level is awarded and the initiate can then receive the Baptism of Fire, which is the activation of the kundalini, or the spark God that rests at the base of the spine in each and every soul until it has been activated by spiritual practice. The Glorious Mysteries speak of the experiences of the Holy Spirit that lead the soul back to God’s glory. We will address each of these series of experiences next month in each of the sections explaining the Mysteries.

This information comes from the class I teach called Tarot as a Path to Liberation: the Lesser Mysteries and will also be included with the Mystical Christian Deck that I am designing and writing.

Next Month:  A Mystical Interpretation of the Rosary, Part II: The Interpretation of the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries