Elemental Dignities

Today I'm going to try something a little different, I've been looking at how Elemental Dignities figure into tarot readings and the depth that they can add when the cards just don't seem to make sense. This isn't a "Tarot Tuesday" post per se, but my attempts at reading dignities instead of traditional meanings.

I am struggling a bit with learning to read this way as I see the card's meanings first and it tends to get in the way of seeing dignities so, I thought if I do a Friday post, the information can creep into my brain as well as help you out there to learn right along with me.

So, with no further ado...Elemental dignities

 I had a wonderful conversation with Catherine Chapman, author of Beyond the Celtic Cross, secret techniques for taking tarot to an exciting new level  and owner of the Tarot Elements website in which we briefly discussed her new book and what Elemental Dignities were about. She was very kind to send me a copy of this book and I am so looking forward to getting it in the mail because it will give so much information on card counting and Elemental Dignities and how when applied to my readings...I'm pretty revved and ready to gain a whole new perspective on just how I interpret tarot.

The first thing I'd like to get into is the Major Arcana and what the Elemental Dignities are for each card, that will give me a firm foundation to continue into the Minor Arcana's elemental meanings and thus introduce the rules for each element and how they interact with each other. This week I'm going to go through my Majors in the Alchemical Tarot Renewed deck, it has the elemental symbols on the Minor Arcana which makes it so much easier to tell at just a glance without too much mental work from myself...(yes, I tend to be a bit lazy at times.)

Fool - Uranus/Air
Magician - Mercury/Air
High Priestess - Moon/Water
Empress - Venus/Earth
Emperor - Aries/Fire
Hierophant - Taurus/Earth
Lovers - Gemini/Air
Chariot - Cancer/Water
Strength- Leo/Fire
Hermit - Virgo/Earth
Wheel of Fortune - Jupiter/Fire
Justice - Libra/Air
Hanged Man - Neptune/Water
Death - Scorpio/Water
Temperance - Sagittarius/Fire
Devil - Capricorn/Earth
Tower - Mars/Fire
Star - Aquarius/Air
Moon - Pisces/Water
Sun - Sun/Fire
Judgment - Pluto/Fire
World - Saturn/Earth

The rules for Elemental Dignities are:

Active - Masculine - Energizing -Active

Fire - Wands...  Hot and Dry
Air - Swords...   Hot and Wet


Passive - Feminine - Inert/Nurturing - Passive
Water - Cups...   Cold and Wet
Earth - Pentacles...   Cold and Dry


Fire and Air are friendly and active and strengthen each other
Water and Earth are friendly and passive and strengthen each other
Fire and Water are enemies; they weaken each other
Air and Earth are enemies; they weaken each other
Fire and Earth are neutral and do not effect each other elementally
Water and Air are neutral and do not effect each other elementally


That having been stated, here's a fun exercise to help with how these Elements interact with each other:


Shuffle your deck and pull two cards, setting them side by side...what are the permutations (or possible actions) of the two cards... How do they act with each other, are they friendly and active or are they enemies and weaken each other... or do they not affect each other at all? Next Friday I will go further and add a third card which will add a new dimension to seeing these Elemental Dignities and permutations at work.

Elemental Herbs

I moved into this house just about three years ago and started to revamp the yard as it was mostly red rock (super yuck) and weeds. So far the front area is now sporting a thriving rose garden and a majority of the weeds are gone but there's this one really ugly area that I've been wracking my brain to come up with a solution to. It is a raised area that nestles in the corner of where my house and porch meet.

The previous owner had thrown in two monstrous, ugly, stinky, juniper bushes and I've been wanting to remove them, I just haven't had a whole lot of time or energy to apply myself at fixing it. Just when I thought it might have to wait till next spring, I read the page about The Language of Flowers Ritual in the book Pagan Everyday and my little light bulb switched on.

How about if I combine a small water feature with this ritual, the result would be a gorgeous little area that would catch visitors eyes like a magnet! The ritual basically goes like this...I am going to pick an herb that, to me, would signify all five elements...Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit. Air could be Sage and symbolize wisdom or clarity of thought....Fire can be Lemon Balm to symbolize healing...Earth can be Briony for money and protection...Water can be Catnip for love....Spirit can be Bay symbolizing psychic powers and purification.

I'm going to place them in the directions that they correspond to and in conjuntion with the pond I have in mind, with water lilies and koi, I think this is going to be one of those projects that I can't wait to get going on and show off when finished. I think I will like explaining what my little garden represents and how it reflects my spirituality. What better way to celebrate my inner goddess!

The Threefold Goddess

Spanning many traditions found around the world is the concept of the goddess as being threefold. These perceptions shared associations with the moon phases, with the growing seasons and with the phases of a woman’s life. Most frequently they are described as Maiden, Mother and Crone. With a strong connection to the Earth and its cycles, it’s not surprising that this view can be found in so many cultures.

The Greeks, Romans, Norse, Celtic and Hindu spiritual systems all had groups of goddesses who fit this interpretation. Sometimes a single goddess could embody all three and sets of threes were also found in some of the minor deities.

The Greek Furies and the Fates of Roman and Nordic beliefs are examples of this. Several goddess were of such complexity that they embodied the Triple Goddess all on their own. Brighid, Hecate and Kali all had multiple aspects. You can work with established triads of goddesses or compose your own based on what feels best for you.

~The Maiden, a young girl, represents the first stage. Newness, youth, purity, and innocence were qualities possessed by the Maiden. This matches the new moon phase. Fresh flowers, new grains and the color white are all appropriate for working with this energy. Springtime rituals often involve these deities. Specific instances when you might want to invoke the Maiden are during any new beginnings, when starting a new job, at the start of a new relationship and as part of a puberty ritual for young girls.

~The Mother, a woman who has reached puberty, represents the second stage. Her role is one of fertility, growth, sexuality and ripeness. She also is in a position of power, either from her life-giving forces or in her actions to defend her young. The full moon corresponds to the Mother, as does the color red. Summer and fall rituals, when crops are growing and being harvested, are when to work with these goddesses. Working with the Mother often happens when projects are reaching fruition, in rituals as part of marriage
and childbirth, for protection of people or animals, and when working with plants.

~The Crone, an elderly woman, represents the last phase. She is symbolic of wisdom, experience, change, transformation and death. The waning moon is associated with the Crone. Like the moon phase, the death she represents is necessary for rebirth. Winter is her season and her color is black. Working with the Crone is related to rituals that are about the ending of things (quitting a job, divorce, etc.), moving out of a home, extreme protection or retribution (assault, abuse), passing through menopause, or dealing with a death.

Blessed Imbolc!

Brighid, Bride of Earth

Bride of the earth,

sister of the faeries,

daughter of the Tuatha de Danaan,

keeper of the eternal flame.

In autumn, the nights began to lengthen,

and the days grew shorter,

as the earth went to sleep.

Now, Brighid stokes her fire,

burning flames in the hearth,

bringing light back to us once more.

Winter is brief, but life is forever.

Brighid makes it so.