Fire at the core: the Margarete Petersen Tarot

Four of Flames (trimmed):
© Margarete Petersen Tarot

Margarete Petersen’s Four of Wands image is surrounded by a predominantly gold frame, enclosing what might be described as a ‘sea’ of red shades, darkest at the bottom, working up to bronze-orange at its surface. The top strip could be sky – pale blue – with a flash (I ‘see’ a bird) dancing on the surface of the fiery ‘sea’. Alternatively, I could see this representing the fiery core of the earth and the many layers between it and the earth’s surface that we exist on.  On consulting the LWB, I see it supports my latter theory!  “…unshaped purple fire of the earth’s core touches the heavenly fire of the sun”.

According to the LWB, this is about the fires of mind and body working together, strengthening each other. I usually see this as the solidifying of some creative project or enterprise (and often with moving house), taking a breather - and the need to tie up loose ends before moving on to the next stage. The image reminds me of the need to draw from our depths, our reserves, our heart/core strength.

The Flames have inspired more attempts at creativity – haiku...

Plans are underway.
Tie up loose ends, take a break,
Strengthen your resolve.  

...and a limerick!
 
A project or plan underway - 
Step back and take stock for a day.
Bounded by gold,
Passions unfold,
Take heart, fan the flames, make it play!    

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004. www.tarotworld.com
 

The Fire of Creativity: The Margarete Petersen Tarot

From the single spark of the Ace and the individual-yet-unified duality of the Two, today we look at the Three of Flames in the Margarete Petersen Tarot.

Three of Flames (trimmed):
© Margarete Petersen Tarot

Within the ‘fiery’ square there’s what looks like a cave drawing of an animal (deer-like?) connected to what might be a sun, a human face that looks to me as though it’s in pain, and then a very faint outline of possibly a bird… They all appear to be in the sky, above a setting/rising sun on the horizon. 

The LWB relates this card to the fire of creativity, specifically to sound– bringing something from the unknown into the known. A new interpretation, at least to me. So what I thought was a sun might actually be a cartoon-like bubble representing singing, the grimacing man might be expressing his pain, and perhaps it IS a bird… 

If I turn to astrology (as I usually do!) for extra insight, it's the Sun in Aries that's linked to this card.  The Sun wants to shine, to be the best, to initiate adventure (Aries). But the Sun is also about moral integrity, through its rulership of Leo. So in this version of the card, the creatures creating the sounds, the songs, are still enclosed in their fiery boundary but they are following the sun's path and being true to whatever it is they want to express.

I usually see this card as marking the end of an initial phase of planning, ready to set out along an unknown path. So, in haiku form...

From the fire comes sound.
Songs of the unknown emerge -
Something new is born.  
 

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004. www.tarotworld.com