This is the tenth in a series of conversations between the Birth Card pairs and Jason C. Lotterhand, through “The Thursday Night Tarot”, (edited by Arisa Victor). The host for this series is the Fool, representing the individual taking the journey. The tenth Birth Card pair up is the only triplicate Birth Card – the Sun/Wheel of Fortune/Magician.
Fool: Welcome to this series of conversations. Information discussed here is based on Jason C. Lotterhand’s work, as presented in “The Thursday Night Tarot”. Something to keep in mind before we enter into the following conversation is the theme for the Sun/Wheel of Fortune/Magician triplicate: “Dealing with the concept of time in all of its forms, and the change that comes with it. The Sun gives us clarity where there was darkness, as it moves across the sky. The Wheel of Fortune works in cycles, with past, present, and future intertwined. The Magician creates time, and has the ability to suspend it. ” To my left is the Sun, to my right is the Wheel of Fortune, to the Wheel of Fortune’s right is the Magician, and to the Magician’s right we have Mr. Lotterhand. Thank you all for being here. Sun, you may begin.
The Sun: I would like to thank Mr. Lotterhand, The Wheel of Fortune, and the Magician for being here, and the Fool for hosting this series. As we all know, Birth Cards work in pairs. However, we all carry our own identity. Through Mr. Lotterhand’s work, we hope to clarify who we are to those who carry our energy.
Mr. Lotterhand¸ Can you tell us a little bit about the basic energies of the Sun? What can we expect from this archetype?
Jason C. Lotterhand: How do you feel about the Sun ? It provides light and warmth, and carries a sense of joy and happiness with it, don’t you think? The Sun can be seen as a joyful process, the process of the self growing (flowering) into itself. Remember, the Cabalistic method of attainment is that we come to enjoy the simple and beautiful things in life in the here and now … they are not something that is a promise for another time. From the viewpoint of the Cabala, there is no difference between our inner and our outer light. All is one!
The Sun: What does the wall that the children are dancing in front of in this card represent?
Jason C. Lotterhand: It represents accumulated wisdom. The children are having such a great time simply because they have moved beyond the need to accumulate wisdom. The children are living in the Now!
The Sun: Is the Sun our source of spiritual awakening?
Jason C. Lotterhand: In a word … yes. The Sun is our source of illumination, in the sense of illuminating our physical world with light, and in the sense of illuminating our spiritual world with wisdom.
Fool: Thank you, Sun, and you, Mr. Lotterhand. Wheel of Fortune, you have the podium.
Wheel of Fortune: Thank you, Fool. I would like to thank the Sun , the Magician, and Mr. Lotterhand for being here, and the Fool for acting as host.
Mr. Lotterhand, How does the energy of the Wheel of Fortune support our life?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Through the concept of rotation, or movement. Everything is constantly moving (spinning). Every activity that you and I take part in is supported by this spinning wheel of energy. Here we see the forces of both involution and evolution. Consciousness descends into denser and denser areas of physical life, until it makes a little U turn and starts ascending back up into the more “rarefied” atmosphere.
Wheel of Fortune: How does the Wheel of Fortune relate to Ezekiel’s vision?
Jason C. Lotterhand: The (prophet) Ezekiel saw the pattern of life as wheels within wheels. In his vision, the four sacred animals came from astrology. This was part of the religion at that time, and tied in with the seasons and the sun. The orange coloring in the wheel indicates that it is fueled by a solar source. Key 10 (the Wheel of Fortune) is attributed to Jupiter, who rules change of form … energy moving from one form of manifestation to another.
Wheel of Fortune: Does meditation with the Tarot and the Cabala offer a way of resolving inner conflicts?
Jason C. Lotterhand: In a word … yes. If your meditation is focused on understanding yourself, and what is going on around you, you will resolve any inner conflicts that you may have.
Fool: Thank you, Wheel of Fortune, and you, Mr. Lotterhand. Magician, you have the podium.
Magician: Thank you, Fool. I would like to thank the Sun , the Wheel of Fortune, and Mr. Lotterhand for being here, and the Fool for acting as host.
Mr. Lotterhand, What function does the archetype of the Magician serve in the Tarot?
Jason C. Lotterhand: The Magician shows us, first of all, how to contact Life Force (note the bringing down of energy from the spiritual world into the physical world through the gesture of his upraised wand). The Magician, in the form of our Self-Consciousness, recognizes that all of his powers are derived from the basic reality that is the universe. Here also we see the techniques of concentration and dedication. The Magician shows us how to liberate ourselves through mental methods.
Magician: How does the Magician help us to remain attentive to the higher power?
Jason C. Lotterhand: People readily see that the archetype of the Magician is an ideal, not something that they will see in the everyday world. To make a success of your life, you have to assume the role of the Magician … you have to BE the Magician. You have to act on your capabilities, and move forward in an orderly fashion. The Magician gives us the elemental tools that we need to do this.
Magician: Don’t we have to want to transform, before we can transform ourselves?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Yes, we do. This is the purpose for the Magician living in the house of desire. The red roses surround him in the form of an arbor, creating a private place in which to practice his magic. (Interesting note here: Lotterhand talks about the desire nature being reflective of experiences gone before.)
Magician: Do you have any final thoughts for our audience?
Jason C. Lotterhand: Life is ever moving, ever evolving. We are the masters of our own destiny. What we focus on, what we fill with intent and purpose, is what manifests in our life.
Please note: These are, of course, imaginary conversations. The information has been taken from “The Thursday Night Tarot”, Jason C. Lotterhand, edited by Arisa Victor, Newcastle Publishing Co. Inc, 1989. Any errors in translation are mine, and mine alone.
Images are from the Tarot Lovers Tarot (Karyn Easton, http://paranormality.com/) .
© November 2012 Bonnie Cehovet