Sagittarius in the Druidcraft Major Arcana - alchemy at work!

Let’s start our exploration of Sagittarius in the Druidcraft tarot with the Major Arcana.  In astrology, Sagittarius is the last of the three Fire signs that we encounter as we go around the zodiac – the first being Aries, the second Leo.   It’s the mutable one – taking what’s been established in Scorpio and transforming it into something else.  It combines fiery passion and creativity with the expansiveness and benevolence of Jupiter, its ruler, to give us the visionary, the explorer, the philosopher.  

The key word for me here is ‘transforming’ – that ability to take what we have and change it, to temper it... ah, you’ll see where I’m going with this now!  In the astrological correspondence system for the tarot that I follow, the Major Arcana card associated with Sagittarius is Temperance.  It’s THE alchemical card, for me – all those symbols of alchemy present in most depictions of the card, including the Druidcraft’s version.

Druidcraft: The Fferyllt (detail)

The creators of the deck, Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, chose to re-name this card after the Druid alchemists, the Fferyllt.  In the image, so beautifully rendered by Will Worthington, we can see the alchemist at work.  She pours a red liquid into a bowl containing a white liquid to create ‘gold’ – the transforming of one or two substances into another. 

As in many depictions of this card, the need for flow between the conscious and unconscious is indicated by the flow between the two hands.  The rainbow symbolizes promise, as does the sun – part of the Sagittarian vision. So, transformation gives us the link to the mutable nature of Sagittarius, but what about the Fire?

Well, fire plays an essential part in alchemy – some of the main alchemical processes take place in a furnace.  We see here the alchemical union of fire and water.  While water can extinguish fire, it can also join together with fire to form steam – which we see rising from the vessel she’s working with. 

 (The actual alchemical process associated with Sagittarius is that of ceration – the softening of hard material, achieved by continuously adding a liquid to a hard, dry substance while it’s being heated, ending up with something the consistency of molten wax.  That’s a simplification, of course... and there are a number of different definitions.)

The Fferyllt, or Temperance, reminds us about uniting, integrating, blending, bringing things into balance and harmony, drawing on Sagittarius’ mutability and, if you think of this as an alchemical process, on fieriness!  

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Gemini in the Druidcraft Minor Arcana: The Eight of Swords

In the system I follow, the first of the Minors that’s associated with Gemini is the Eight of Swords. This is linked to Jupiter in Gemini, as well as to the first ten days of the sign – so this year, from the 21^st to 30^th of May.

Gemini is the mutable Air sign – exchange of knowledge and information through networks, through language and ideas.  It’s about communication, as well as the market place.  Jupiter brings the desire to grow and expand through developing a wider range of skills, through broadening our learning.  It takes Gemini’s need to dip into a variety of interests and turns that into a way to bring greater meaning to life.  Jupiter is in detriment in Gemini, though – so the faith and optimism that we tend to associate with Jupiter can be hindered by excessive worrying, or over-analysis – and even by the constantly changing curiosity of Gemini.  And that, for me, is the clue to Jupiter in Gemini’s association with the Eight of Swords.

Druidcraft: Eight of Swords (detail)

The Eight of Swords has come to represent the idea of being restricted by our thoughts, about not being able to see (or choosing not to see) things as they really are. Most images show a woman blindfolded, but loosely bound, surrounded by eight swords. The ties that bind her do not necessarily prevent escape, and there is space between the swords so that she could walk away.  

The number ‘8’ is associated with re-birth/death or regeneration, both in tarot and in astrology, through the 8^th house, so we’re looking at ending old or invalid ideas and beliefs, and the beginning of something new. That ‘something new’ is symbolized by a the new growth in the background in the Druidcraft deck – something that’s hard to see if you’re blindfolded.  That combination of blindfold, ties, and barrier of swords represents the excessive worrying, or the over-thinking of Jupiter in detriment in Gemini.  

Gerd Zielger, in his ‘Tarot: Mirror of the Soul’ (published by Weiser Books), writes about Jupiter being a ‘harbinger of the unforeseen and unexpected change for the better’, and that it’s this, rather than trying to come up with an ‘analytical’ Gemini-type solution to the problem, that will show us the way out.  Jupiter is a gaseous planet:  gas, when heated, expands – so there is a way out!  We need to take of the blindfold – develop our reasoning so that we can see the fears and worries for what they are, and allow ourselves to trust (also symbolized by the bird) in ourselves – to have faith and hope in not only ourselves but also in life.  There’s a way out if you stop and breathe – taking a deep breath, expanding (Jupiter) the lungs (Gemini)!

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Taurus in the Druidcraft Major Arcana – The Lady

The Lady (Druidcraft Tarot)

Taurus, though Venus’ rulership, is often seen as the sensual sign of the zodiac.  In the tarot, Venus is associated with The Empress – called The Lady in the Druidcraft - who in many images is depicted as a pregnant woman, basking in nature and in the element of Earth.  Sometimes we see a Horn of Plenty, representing abundance – a very Taurean concept. The Lady cradles one in her left arm, while in her left she holds a sheaf of wheat. There’s a sense of stability here in earthy Taurus, as well as contentment through being comfortable physically.  

Venus brings awareness of the feminine and the principle of attraction – new relationships and marriage can be indicated by this card. Add the earthiness of Taurus and we have the idea of fertility and also motherhood, from birth through to maturity of the child. The waterfall beside her represents the union of female and male necessary to create a child. Creating life – procreation - is not the only possibility, of course. The Empress represents birth and nurturing of all creative processes.

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections