The Intimate Deep

Void ~ Devas of Creation

In a deck of gorgeously colored, many-hued cards I drew the one card that is the exception to the rule, the least aesthetically pleasing of the bunch. And yet out of this dark, dense, nothingness the entire deck arises...

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

I've always loved this verse from Genesis for its poetry, its mystery and its deep teachings on the nature of emptiness. And it's such an embodied and sensual depiction of Spirit, of God, a divinity that actively courts the waters in a slow and intimate dance, searching for something unnameable, longing for completion. God as the act of sacred Longing to know Herself. And the earth with a face as yet unseen, is 'unshining' with desire for a body, a way to become itself more completely. This is a love story like no other, the one from which all others spring.

All the different creation stories begin with some form of nothingness, some form of unarticulated endlessness and this card embodies that state of pregnant void. Void, which is numbered 0, is asking us to approach emptiness as an embodied reality through meditation. For me that moment of emptiness is most pronounced in the pause between the breath when 'we encounter the simultaneous paradox of non-existence and infinite possibility.'

But seeing the card come up this morning I experienced a mixture of dread and irritation. Interesting reactions in and of themselves if I view them as my reactions to the deeper teachings this card offers rather than superficial annoyance over aesthetics. Faced with the mirror of nothingness would my experience be dread? anger? existential agoraphobia? joy? relief? delight? equanimity? Likely a combination of all of the above...and then some. I'm amused by my inclusion of the foot into the boundless black hole of this card. It's a poignant attempt by the ego to orient within the vastness, or perhaps a child-like stamping of the foot, or yet still a claiming of the first step on the journey...

One of Fire ~ Tarot of the Spirit

From the Void into the fire! The accompanying poetic meditation for this aligns seamlessly with the Void card...

Raw Spirit, Raw Power, Raw Force
Breath in the Void
All Possibility...
Breathing Spirals Whirling
Galactic Coils...
True Intent

This card suggests a certain restless energy as fire, the driving force of change and movement, burns. This is unmediated and undirected energy, the seeds that will eventually birth into a creative form. The author equates it to the force of Kether on the Tree of Life, the first sphere--the creative force--that emerges from the void of all possibility. Italics are mine to underscore the relationship with the oracle card.

The symbology on the card suggests that a balancing of male and female energies is key to the potential expansion and creativity this card is hinting at. In the center of the card is an upright triangle (male) containing an empty eye socket though to me it looks like an egg. The triangle is surrounded by spirals of purposeful energy, life force and direction. Overlapping the upright triangle is an inverted one (female) in a kind of ghostly form as integration hasn't been realized yet. There are rods of fiery energy shooting towards the center looking for a form to receive them in, the sense of blind, primal cosmic energy.

This is a far more esoteric exploration of what is traditionally known as the Ace of Wands and it's given me an interesting perspective from which to view it. Something more prescient than simply potential but rather the seeds of that potential as actively stirring within right now. That the card is called Force suggests a certain power inherent in the nascency.

Brother of Water ~ Tarot of the Spirit

From this force we're propelled into the healing and receptive container of Water Brother ~ Wings of Love...

he converts to Art all that which comes
from the deepest part
of his element...
he says Feelings are but fleeting illusions
to be cradled and birthed in Art!

Clearly the author embraces Art as a healing force, capitalizing it to render it a sacred presence. I see a glimmer of myself here in Pamela's description, 'Water Brother strives to conquer his own needs and desires through translating what he finds in the stream of unconscious into art and he encourages everyone, but particularly those he loves most, to tune into that stream in order to make the most of their creative talents.'

His 'skillful means' is the cup because his triumph is found in being emotionally fulfilled. Receptivity lies at the heart of his perfection. On this card he is traversing the cosmic sea, leaving behind the earth, leaving behind the concrete, the container. He's guided by spirits in all directions and is attuned to vibrations from all levels. Water Brother with his Wings of Love stands at the doorway of sound. His is the liminal realm. His cup, aka his heart, extends to the universe and is reflected in a mirror image above. He is the mirror image of our own awakened heart.

Devas of Creation ~ Tarot of the Spirit

Seen from this vantage point it looks as if the Void is the key in bridging the two energies, that this pregnant pause allows all the potential creativity seen in the One of Fire a home in Water Brother--that the heart and fulcrum out of and around which all authentic Art turns is the essential emptiness at its core.

The essence of all great art, all beautiful art, is gratitude.  Nietzsche