Таро 'Frown Strong' (старшие арканы) буклет

The twenty-two major cards, (including the card of negation) with their esoteric and occult teachings, re-established from ancient times.

Also available: Frown Strong Gemrod Dear Dragon Cobwebs and Tears Snap Book

World Copyright © R. Armin 1991 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, electrical, mechanical, photocopying, laser, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

FOREWORD

The Tarot was in the first place a set of cards of instruction, which was later used, due to the unfortunate loss of this knowledge and practice, for divination and the telling of fortune. It consists of three packs: first, the Major Arcana, comprising 21 picture cards; a single card called the card of Negation; and a third set of 56 cards which appear in very diminished form as playing cards. This pack is the Major Arcana of the Tarot of Frown Strong, being the result of many years of dedicated research. It is unsurpassed in information, portrayal, and description of the function of the natural laws and influences, that act continuously upon the human in their environments. This is what the Tarot cards attempt to explain through the interpreter to the enquirer, for purposes of personal development, understanding possibilities, knowing, history, and so on. This booklet is designed to give you only a brief and introductory idea of each card, at an introductory level and does not offer a full explanation of the higher levels, use, practice, history and meaning of the cards in full.

HOW TO READ THE CARDS

An alternative formation is the seal of Solomon where the cards are placed in the form of two triangles with a seventh card in the centre.

First of all remember that a Taro reading is designed to offer insight into a person's character traits and personal development issues, not for the purpose of foretelling their future. In a booklet of this introductory level it is not possible to give a full description of the usage of the cards. However, two simple methods of approach are as follows. Place between three and nine of the cards face down in a row. As each card is turned over, look at the words relating to it in this booklet and use the ones you feel are most appropriate whether positively or negatively aspected.

Turn over the cards belonging to the upward-pointing triangle and they will indicate the influences at play in your progress and development. The three cards in the downward-pointing triangle will indicate the influences currently standing against you. The central card indicates the area in which you need to respond in order to move from your current situation.

INTRODUCTION

This booklet contains a very brief introduction to the beginnings of an understanding of the word TARO, what place it has held and played in history, and what place it can hold and play in our present culture.

happens however in history, much was lost and much was misunderstood, resulting in a variety of different and diverse Taro packs appearing in the middle centuries.

In the libraries of the world there have been many books which have attempted to set out the origin of the TARO or ROTA system of understanding, but the sources are vague and precede so far back in history, always changing their form, and what information can be received is, to say the least, sketchy and not what could be called clear-cut.

As part of this degeneration, most games in one form or another (including chess) are off-shoots, or weakened versions of the ideas and indications expressed in the original Taros. As the understanding of these has become weaker and more vague, so it is, that in the 20th Century the Taro has largely become the tool of the fortune teller and others who 'suppose' great knowledge, clairvoyance and prophetic power.

The TARO seems to appear most strongly during the Egyptian era, not in the form of cards or tablets, but in the form of ideas concerning Human life, expressed in hieroglyphs, symbols upon stone, and then later, as various forms of writings and drawings, they found their way into centres of esoteric study. As an example the Pythagorean School was most interested in the mathematical possibility of the Taro or Rota pack.

The Taro, however, was originated and was caused in the first place because humans were awed and impressed by the workings of the stars, of nature and of themselves – so much so that they made attempts to turn the millions of ideas and words thus inspired into pictures, because, as you have heard it said, 'a good picture is worth ten thousand words'.

Throughout history various scholars and learned people have tried to amalgamate all the ideas that are found in the Taro according to the level of understanding of their age and using the symbology current in their age. As often

Card 1 The Juggler The Juggler explains the controls and various combinations of control, that lever and manipulate the occupation and intention of human behaviour. The concept that the Juggler represents stands in opposition to the idea of guesswork, and the radiant and confident smile on his face speaks of the fact that he deals closely at the core of things and is constant. Everything that lives in Creation exists because it has a reason, for this card speaks of the laws, of what is and not what we think is, and upon that premise, the words "By art we live" become its source of inspiration. The cone upon his head does not say "dunce" but in fact says illumination, confidence, development that is real, but yet unseen, in preparation. Words to associate with this card: New Arisings, Creative Forces, Truth, Standards, Disciplines, Confidence, Security, Accomplishment, Psychology, Produce, Growth; and in the negative aspect: Lowering of Standards, Devaluation, Coarseness, Destruction, Dominance, Tyrants, Illiteracy.

Card 2 The Priestess This card is to do with the reception and maintenance of the unseen aspects of human existence. It is the connection between life and the core essences of life, and is to do with silent, tranquil custodianship in which the unseen lives. It is difficult to approach and really deals with the outward reflection of one's true self and the knowing and companionship of everything that exists. This allows free passage in and out of the most safeguarded places in our life, and to those things which are connected to them. The continuous struggle for possession between personality and essence within the human, purposely or not, as they move in and out of situations and environments, is seen on this card by the portrayal of both hands offering encouragement, and caution by the portcullis. Words to associate with this card: Maintainer, Keeper, Lady, Renewal, Expansion, Crucible, Conductor, Healer, Magnetic, Processor, Trust, Fidelity, Return. The negative aspects would lie in the absence of the aforementioned features.

Card 3 The Empress To do with the mother influence, and denotes the best of the female aspects of human life. It has a planetary origin and deals in the influence of the nourishment of produce both in the mind and in the heart. It deals with the power of the female gender and the encouragement of more. It also says that whatever is put in, there will always be an abundance of it returned. It thus represents the harvest and fulfillment of the processes and functions of life. The picture of the eagle represents the binding attachment and threads of experience between the mind and the heart, in which, in this instance, the heart acts as the criteria. The wings and throne denote the satisfaction of freedom from tyranny at all levels, and the description of the emotional body and its antibiotic effect. This is an internal teaching and one which deals with the marriage of the binary systems. Words to associate with this card: Balance, Sympathy, Maternity, Adornment, Patriotism, Hostess, Conditioner, Interpreter, Government, Controller, Educator, Leader, Companion.

Card 4 The Emperor This card is the representative of the possibility of the male aspects of human life in its higher form, and of the function of the male gender in its lower form. It is to do with the fatherly aspects of life and the stamina of being able to see it through to the end. The watcher, the seer, the distant understander, the all-knowing essence for all levels of life. It contains the power and thrust against inhibitions and diminished activity; the thinker and beacon of selfdetermination and wholesomeness within the inner lives of the human. It is long-sighted as well as short-sighted in the appreciation of difficulty and interruption, and uses willpower as a backstop to ensure a result, rather than as a motive for produce. It is the key influence of dominion. Words to associate with this card: Constancy, Persistence, Causative, Compressive, Power, Authority, Rule.

Card 5 The Hierophant This is the card of leadership, great instruction and learning, and talks of improvement in one's understanding and comprehension. It concerns the listener who is willing to be taught when there is a need, and such things as openmindedness, and the removal of guesswork and senility of the mind. This card invites an appreciation of the connection and ability invested by the law of the willow and the birch, known in Egyptian times as the crook and flail, and talks of indoctrination to the learnings of natural laws. It is ageless in its wisdom and makes room only for support and continuous refinement, allowing no darkness to enter its comprehension. Teachings at all levels, whether intuitive, psychic, clairvoyant, spoken, distant or not, are also functional. This card also means instruction, both oral and silent. Words to associate with this card: Leadership, Repetition, Counsel, Learning, Understanding, Discipline, Constancy, Endeavour, Research, SelfDevelopment, Usher, Teacher.

Card 6 Life The card of fulfillment, which speaks of the love of life, and existence, and the love of things for their own sake, not so much for one's own sake. It has bound within it the nature of talents and gifts and the use of things, including the temptation to use things for one's own self-centred aims and views. It shows that we have received the gifts of nature and existence, and points to the paying back for one's own life in the most simple and natural way possible. It concerns inability of men and women to be something other than what they are, for they are bound to the absolute dominion of nature, for example they cannot fly. It also speaks of the on-going deception and hypocrisy inherent in our cultural environment, and the need to adopt a more natural inclination. Words to associate with this card: Fulfillment, Process, End of Season, Sensitivity, Constancy, Persistence, Function, Rarity, Fineness.

Card 7 The Chariot This card is to do with the journey of the human through life, and the movement of forces, intentions, aims and influences working together from within, by having a selfdetermined control. It speaks of "Know Thyself, and the ability to take upon oneself the right stance and the support and guidance of successful motivations. It suggests what is possible within disciplined circumstances, and the ability to have control in the establishment of self-maintained and self-guided principles of behaviour. It is to do with taking an objective and dispassionate approach towards one's life, and the produce and association with natural strengths and vitalities. The harnessing of events and expressions to gain thrust and power towards the intended destination of the idea in mind. Words to associate with this card: Control, Establishment, Movement, Aim; and in the negative aspect: Dispersion

Card 8 Justice Card of the two ways – one points to darkness and lack of success, the other to great motivation, discovery and success. It speaks of fairness, care and responsibility for one's own actions, and the return of oneself from the misendeavour of one's life to the upholding and maintenance of one's belief and principles. Also it deals with the ability to think and the restoring of balance as against obsession and fanaticism. The presence of darkness on the man's right hand side shows, together with the scales, that all weighing and balancing of one's life takes place in darkness, in that the outcome of events is not known beforehand. The man himself is blindfolded so that he can be seen to be impartial in his justice, and in his hand he carries the sword of truth to protect and defend the path. The symbol of the triangle and the cross speaks of great things to be won and upheld by treading the path beyond the guardian. Words to associate with this card: Watch, Faith, Balance, Discipline, Invincible, Acute, Knowledgeable, To Have No Fear, Dedication, Persistence, Constancy, The Point of No Return, Sensing, Service, Honour, Respect, Dignity, Reason.

Card 9 The Searcher This card speaks of directive or indication, and of things not known that should have been known, and things not done that should have been done. It also speaks of prudence against idleness, and of correct preparation, and of a hard, determined thrust in one's aims, desires and intentions. It indicates the importance of having one single idea directed towards a single aim and to learn to be based upon that which is true. See that the Searcher in his foolhardiness has succumbed to the dogs of life: worry, anxiety, preoccupations. He holds in his hand his own slender beacon of hope in the form of a lantern. If he were only able to cast aside the hood of his habit then he would see around him, in the greater light, the panorama of nature which would reveal to him that which he really seeks. Words to associate with this card: Struggle, Stunned, Hunger, Thirst, Hardship, No Rest, Concentrate, Compression or Expansion.

Card 10 The Wheel This card represents the spin and turmoil of life. The drawing quality of this great wheel of life pulls all living creatures into its orbit, creating confusion both in the individual and in the world at large. So widespread, varied and alluring is this confusion, that it is nearly impossible to see through it, to the knowledge and reality which exists within. The wheel represents the influence and the approach of change to everything around itself, yet stays unchanged itself. It deals with disturbance and alteration of balances and the improvement within the financial, political, educational, cultural and mechanical aspects. It speaks of chemical, mental and physical change in the person and heralds unavoidable and infallible demise, or development, representing the alteration of style and the encouragement of new method. Words to associate with this card: Halt, Stop, Change, Day-dream, Riches, Poverty, Illness, Fatality, Self-Art, Late, Anger, Greed, Cruelty, Gain and Loss, Politics, Society, Pollution, Tyrant, Dictator, Revolution, Tornado, Calamity, Ignorance.

Card 11 Strength This card represents strength and union of a high nature. It says that no one is in isolation, and if they hope to achieve higher levels of understanding they can only do it in conjunction with others on the same quest. It says that in the unseen worlds there must be a sympathy and joint working together. See that all life here is in part influenced and promoted on an astrological basis. The dark green background represents the influence of the planet Saturn whose symbol also appears in multiple five-fold fashion. Between the two hands extends an iron bar bent into a horseshoe. This suggests magnetism, in that a magnetised iron bar has great strength and attraction, since all its atoms work together in the one direction. Similarly, a collection of human lives not magnetised together by a purpose higher than themselves, will never be of any account. Words to associate with this card: Union, Sympathy, Joint Endeavour, Principle, Attraction, Fulfillment, Passage, Residue, Usage, Exchange, Abstraction, Harmony, Inner Feelings, No Outer Feelings, Consistency, Balance by Aggregate and Reception.

Card 12 The Hanged Man This card represents a person attempting to give up the attachments of their current life for the sake of a better one. It indicates that one's commitments and their degree of genuineness or pretence can only be known by oneself. It is to do with turning upside down from the normal stance of the world in an attempt to detach from the temporary truth of the current culture, and become attached to the permanent truth of universal laws. It also indicates the discomforts which attend the giving-up of old attitudes and ways of going on, and also points to the future possibility of a more solid foundation in what is real. It talks of the terminal point of connection to the higher or lower order of things. Words to associate with this card: Commitment, Intention, New Learning, Faithfulness; and in the negative aspects: Failure, Lying, Cheating, Hiding, Great Resistance, Acting, Imbalance, Deception.

Card 13 The Reaper This card states "As ye sow, so shall ye reap". This is true for all, regardless of their station in life, and is a process that goes on continually throughout a person's life. Finally, of course, physical death is the one thing we can be certain about in life, in that all temporal things come to an end, whatever that life may have been, whether that of a king, a beggar in a hovel, or a humble trader. The Reaper comes swiftly, as indicated by the scythe which is sharp and final, and the charger upon which he sits. This card cautions us to lead a useful life aimed at some real purpose, instead of being given to conformities, trends, fashions and circumstances of an undisciplined existence. It also speaks of the premature advancement of results. Thus this card says: IT IS LATER THAN YOU THINK. Words to associate with this card: Infallible, Testing, Promised, Certain, Watch, Reality, Premonition, Cancellation, Fatality, Incomplete, Due, Ineffectual, The Regulation.

Card 14 The Communication This card speaks of communication through signs, speech and contact. It indicates impending connection to that which one has been searching for, and brings with it the realization that it was always within reach. It has to do with the resolving of a problem or question, whether practical, mental, emotional or otherwise, which one realises was simple all along. This card says that the quest begins after the quest has apparently ended. See that our Searcher from Card 9 has reached the limit of land, at the point where it meets the ocean. In the distance he beholds a vision of the Pyramids and Obelisks of Egypt from which come the interconnecting links of the chains of silver and gold, bringing with them the great truths and wisdoms of ancient times. This represents the Searcher having reached the limits of his understanding and now being introduced to horizons of new hope and possibility. Words to associate with this card: Enigma, Puzzle, Ignorance, Confusion, The Veil, Wonder, Elusiveness.

Card 15 The Green Man The Green Man is to do with the inability of the human to be prised loose from the rock of his culture, environment and custom. It shows that all humans are held in bondage by their lusts and habits and greed, selfishness and ignorance. This card allows no escape from the responsibility on the part of the human if they cling by choice to its destructive influences. This is to do with being the victim of one's own weaknesses, and the inability to free oneself from the iron ring of collective ignorance. About this card no more will be said, save to leave you to think of man's inhumanity to man. Words to associate with this card: Custom, Standards Not Maintained, Unreality, Evasion, Lying, Lust, Covetousness, S e l f - C e n t r e d n e s s , Environment, Departure from Natural Self, Wrongful Discovery.

Card 16 The Tower This card says that the tower of ego is built on foundations of delusion and is doomed to fall. It speaks of the dangers of building your life on uncertainty, doubt and conjecture, for this will lead to self-destruction, true towers are built on fact, not fiction. Upon the face of this planet many cultures and empires have come, had their day, and been swept away by the tide of history, leaving nothing but a few pebbles and rocks scattered in the sands. Even today the great cultures of the world are subject to the greater elements of nature. The warning here is to base your life upon that which is natural and cannot be swept away. From this tower of false constructions you see falling the false prophets and advisors who caused its making. This is to do with the incorrect use of the human design. Words to associate with this card: Self-Centred, Ego, I, Criticism, Opinion, Doubt, The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony, Greed, Pride, Sloth, Envy, Hate and Lust.

Card 17 The Star This Card is to do with the higher influences from the stars which affect the human and can alter their lives. It speaks of vibrancy, vitality and zest for life, and its says that nothing in Creation is independent but all is affected by everything else. It is to do with the influence of the inner feelings of a person and the urge of Creation to reproduce itself. It speaks of the bright and joyous aspects of life, some of these being inspiration, good feelings and willingness, and see that the influence herein is that which makes the birds sing. Much work would have to be undertaken to understand fully the implications in this card which is to do with the workings of all things, and the mechanics of the Ray of Creation. Words to associate with this card: High force, Regeneration, Illumination, Religions, Obedience.

Card 18 The Moon This card speaks of two possibilities. It says that a person can fall prey to their own self-demons of avarice, inaction, despair and barrenness, or under the threat of the obvious consequences of this, be propelled into action. It also speaks of the willingness to believe in a purpose higher than oneself. The twin towers represent hopelessness and despair with only one return path. The moon is seen as orange, which is the colour associated with hunger, and this says it exercises a pull on the lower aspects of life – thus the dog is compelled to bay at the moon. This great magnetic pull of the moon attracts all, the waters (causing tides), organic life and even the land masses. In man, if there is not the anchor of sanity based in reality, instability and imbalance can occur. Words to associate with this card: Fatality Through Lack of Action, Lost, Hopeless, Ignorance, Controller, Destiny, Leading Towards Darkness, The Last Outpost, Oppression, Subjugation, Punishment, Judgement (Erasure).

Card 19 The Sun This is to do with the need for good management, selfcontrol, and holding at bay the lower and coarser aspects of life. It indicates the need for high standards and the selfdiscipline required to sustain them. This card shows the way to earn true freedom. She holds in her hand the wand of the Sun, the Wand of Illumination, which causes all things to be brought into the light of day, thus allowing her to balance and correct all the things that would stand against her continued progress. She is natural and unashamed and has the wisdom and control of a life well lived. The sun is good for all, yet its heat can make desert of the land, as well as cause the plants to grow, and brings all from the shadows. Thus it can either enhance or repel, not because it wishes to do so but because what comes within its orb of influence is either fit or not. It is to do with standards and their exercise in a persons life. Words to associate with this card: Code, Practice, Honour, Respect, Control, Allegiance, Custodianship.

Card 20 The Resurrection The Resurrection card speaks of spiritual reward according to one's genuine effort. It says that nothing can be gained by accident, but ail is earned by the continual refinement of one's attitude, understanding and the constant building of character. Here is the valley, to be found on the other side of the mountains met with before in card 18. From the burial ground of gain and loss, which is the worthless foundation of life today, arise those in whom the hope of higher things has not been lost. Summoned by the silver trumpet of the angel of life, they struggle out of the grave of possession, anger, jealousy and greed to meet the dawn of the world of human possibility and illumination. The angel was attracted by reason of their inner cry, which sprang from their desperation in trying to live a natural life in the face of the demands of modern existence. Words to associate with this card: Produce, Progress, Prove, Refine, Learn, Grown, Collect.

Card 21 The Nymph of Ability This is the card of accomplishment. It speaks of the guaranteed high level achievement which cannot be undone, attacked or denied. The card indicates the fulfillment of a life based on the natural laws, which results in radiation from one's aura which is clear and vibrant. In her right hand she holds the ancient symbol of the Egyptian ankh, for she has control and dedication in her life and destiny. From her left hand issues a laser shaft of light which speaks of the tremendous power and possibility within one's existence. The triangle behind her symbolises the three-fold expressions of the foundation from which all growth occurs. She is naked and need not hide, for she is joined to truth, wisdom and light. This shows that one's accomplishments of now and yesterday will be the motivating factor tomorrow. Words to associate with this card: Master, Completed, Engaged, At Full, Correct.

Negation Card This speaks for itself, in that it negates a place or card in the actual reading. The only way a person can negate themselves at a high level is by suffering loss of face. Words to associate with this card: Unclean, Fool.