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Why Abstract Patterns?

The design, and the underlying structure of The Numerical Tarot is based on a very very simple model that attempts to distill the essence of being into basic fundamental parameters of existence. In an essay entitled Simplicity Equals Truth, seen elsewhere on this site, a diagram of this theoretical model is offered that consists of just four circles and a point... like the diagram to the right:

Lots of people use diagrams to map out ideas and give form to the formless thoughts that make up the nature of existence. Unfortunately, as people become intoxicated with the power of diagrams, many go on to invent maps of thought that depart from all measure of simplicity. The urge that some people have to connect dots and form constellations of thought that reflect the complexity of their elaborate visions often leads to diagrams of clarity that are anything but clear. This is why so many people believe that simplicity equals truth. Because... it is believed, by some, that the further we depart from simplicity, the closer we come to varietal opinions and complex schemes based on individual sensitivities and biased perspectives. While, on the other hand, the closer we stick to simplicity, the closer we are to a form of universality that is able to transcend all human bias.

The desire to transcend individual human bias is exactly why this study of tarot and consciousness has chosen to remain extremely simple in its design and structure. Thus... unlike many more popular forms of tarot, the underlying structure of this study will not be an unholy act of syncretism, forcing things like astrology, alchemy and qabbalah to mesh together in ways that were never meant to be. One could easily argue that those kinds of schemes create models of existence that are anything but simple. While those same people might be more hard-pressed to argue a lack of simplicity in a design that is as simple as four circles and a point.

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Why Abstract Patterns?

So... if the question is: Why abstract patterns? The answer is: Universality! - or... transcendence beyond human bias through the universality of simplicity! Unfortunately, lots of people reject notions of simplicity because of how such a reductionist approach subtracts humanity from any study of tarot. Most people like to discuss individual cards of tarot and discuss how each one describes an aspect of humanity. They tend to have less interest in discussing underlying structure, and even less interest in discussing any underlying structure that is not also crafted in ways that maintain sympathetic associations to humanity. But... in the case of this study of tarot and consciousness, showing the non-human structure that resides at the core of our human existence is rather the point! Revealing this "archetypal armature," stripped of its human "skin," is the point of this study of tarot. At the same time, though, one will find that in fact there really is no loss of humanity with such a reductionist approach when we put that "skin" of humanity back onto its armature of archetypality. But... the idea here is that: in order to go that deep into archetypality, we need to reduce to simplicity and ponder the abstract, conceptual, transcendental patterns that exists in the universe, whether there is any such thing as humanity, that is able to express those patterns with skin, or not.

Some people theorize that humans were made to grow and flourish, like a tree. Some further theorize that the cause of suffering is the focus that so many have on the superficial aspects of life and living, and the near total disregard that people have for the less obvious, underlying aspects of living. This has been compared to watering the leaves of a tree while neglecting the roots. When people suggest that we "go inside" to discover our true self, they are recommending that we nurture our life by understanding and tending to the roots, rather than the leaves. The reductionist approach being presented everywhere on this site is an attempt to know and tend to those roots or root, archetypal causes that result in effects upon our psyche.

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Defining the Indefinable

The simple patterns of universality that are being brought out in this study of consciousness are abstract, conceptual and transcendental. Thus... one of the most important things for any study of universality to do is to point out the futility of trying to define the indefinable.

"The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao" - Lao Tzu.

Many aspects of universality are indeed indefinable... but, we try to define them anyway. Stupid humans! In many ways, the task of describing the indescribable can be compared to pouring paint over The Invisible Man to see where he is. In such a case, the "paint" we use to "see" the invisible man will always carry a bias. That's unavoidable. However, in trying anyway... the study of tarot, consciousness and universality being offered everywhere on this site chooses the relatively trans-cultural "paint" of common sense thought, instinct, intuition, and archetypally universal patterns of a primordial nature. With a few embellishments upon these basic patterns, a theoretical model of existence takes shape in the mind's eye of anyone reading these pages. Once this theoretical model of existence is complete, its parts are labeled with numbers along a line (see the book All Things Are Numbers elsewhere on this site).

The line of numbers that are used to label parts of a theoretical model of existence are then attached to the tarot in order to observe where the influence of abstract primordial patterns might help explain the essence of tarot symbols or icons. This, then, is where we return from our reductionist study of patterns to a more human study of influence. Or... by analogy, after we nourish the roots, we examine the leaves. As mentioned above, the model that results from our reductionist study can be abbreviated as a diagram consisting of only four circles and a point. Or... if imagined three dimensionally, four spheres and a center. Or... if accepted as a number line, 9 numbers. But while four circles and a point can say a lot, the extremely abstract nature of four circles and a point might leave some with more questions than answers. For that reason, this site offers numerous additional examples of other models that all say THE SAME THING in different and varietal ways. Some of these models may seem more complex and more human-influenced than the very simple model of four circles and a point, but in the end, they are really no different. They are just different ways of looking at the same thing.

Back in grade school science class a standard exercise for beginning scientists was to "observe" a candle flame and write down as many things as possible about that simple flame: shape, color, behavior, heat, light etc. It was just a simple flame, but usually the observant scientists of the class would find many many things to write down. The "wisdom system" being presented everywhere on this site evolves from four concentric spheres and a center. That's all. Very simple. But... like that simple candle flame, there are lots and lots of things to observe about those four concentric spheres and center. Lots. All of the other models being offered everywhere on this site are an attempt to observe, like that candle flame, the many many ways in which these simple parameters of existence can be "seen" and, eventually, to observe how they influence life. The form of tarot that results from these observations is thus universally inspired by archetypally primordial patterns that are the same for every culture the world has ever known or ever will know.

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The Apart Together model

Now that we understand the objective of describing the nature of a theoretical model of existence consisting of just four circles and a point, or four spheres and a center, we can move on to observe - like that candle flame in the science class - what each of these simple stages of existence describe. To do this, we will invent other models that have greater levels of complexity to them. But... to the observant reader, that complexity will be seen as completely superficial, and will always be seen as "paint" poured over an "invisible man" who still and forever has only four circle and a point to his skeleton. One of these embellished models, which is itself still very very simple, is called "The Apart - Together Model." Visually it isn't much to look at. In form, it kind of resembles the act of cell division. It just shows pairs of circles converging and diverging from each other at varying distances, like so:

This pattern, while much more abstract and conceptual, is not to dissimilar from that of the pattern that results from the study of Proxemics.

Besides the cell division analogy, another analogy for this path might be a Jacobs Ladder of electricity.

The idea of intersecting and crossing over to share parts is not as evident in this Jacobs Ladder analogy, but the idea of increased or diminished conductivity does come across.

As electricity arcs across two conductive rails that are bent further and further apart, the separation eventually becomes too much and the arc breaks apart and disappears. In a Jacobs Ladder the arc moves up. In the Apart-Together model this "conductivity of consciousness" moves both ways - inward and outward... representing to humanity a binary course of manifestation, coagulating inward, and then being expressed outward. And while this idea of electricity arcing or circles converging and diverging might, as predicted, offend those wishing to see evidence of humanity in all designs, this idea of varying distances between pairs is not too far removed from the very human idea of Proxemics, invented by anthropologist Edward T. Hall.

In the study of Proxemics, the idea is to observe how the proximity of people to each other creates acceptable limits of space for different kinds of human interactions. Thus, by comparison, what Proxemics calls a "Public" distance is what we typically find between people who are in effect "Apart and Separate." An example might be the relationship between a lecturer and an audience - people at a distance. Or... in the case of tarot, between The Hermit and the rest of the world. What Proxemics calls a "Social" distance is what we use for casual conversations with friends or impersonal interactions with acquaintances, i.e. when we are "Separate but Together." Moving closer, what Proxemics calls the "Personal" distance is when we are "Together and Connecting." An example might be lovers holding hands or people within touching distance and getting personal. Finally, what Proxemics calls the "Intimate" distance is where people are found to be "Connecting and Intersecting." An example of this would be people crowed together unintentionally on a bus, or, people connecting intentionally for deliberate acts of intimacy and embracing - like the lovers in the Lovers card of tarot, which... if we observe the numbers that have been attached to these stages, puts this act of loving embrace with the numbers 4 and 6 (The Lovers being a 6 in most decks).

The comparison of The Apart-Together Model to the study of Proxemics is an example of how a model specifically designed to discuss human attributes can be reduced to an even more basic, fundamental design that transcends all human bias, while still remaining relevant to any human application. In such acts of conversion, the very simple idea of circles, or spheres is easily converted to human bodies to show how the pattern at work is the same throughout. Many more association like this can be made from such simple, basic, abstract, archetypal concepts of design. If one is keen on alchemistic associations, one could liken the Apart-Together progression to the idea of Spirit entering Matter, and the reverse process to Spirit being liberated from Matter - i.e. alchemistic fusing, (Together/Coagula) and alchemistic stripping away (Apart/Solve). Alchemy aside though, the fundamental aspects of existence that can be derived from this one simple model are amazing. Verbally the model goes like this:

To look at this model, those adverse to the idea of reductionism might say "So what... how does that totally abstract progression of ideas relate to tarot, it just describes those little circles converging and diverging, it doesn't relate to anything in particular, let alone tarot" - to which we might reply by pointing out that... amazingly enough, that lack of association is exactly the point! The Apart-Together Model is a pure and simple diagram of a fundamental act of nature - things converging and diverging. It has no ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic bias (other than the fact that we are all using English to talk about it). The extremely abstract and conceptual nature of The Apart-Together Model and its separateness from human embellishment is exactly what makes it archetypal!! And in being archetypal, many tarot icons can be seen in this one simple diagram, when we cover it with human skin.

Position 1/9: Apart and Separate, or Public, describes entities that stand apart from the rest of the activity around them. They are either partially or completely isolated and alone - like The Hermit... who is completely alone. They are independent - like The Magician... who is partially alone in that performer-to-audience way.

Position 2/8: Separate but Together, or Social, describes entities that are still apart but are now relating in some way. They are responding to each other. They now have a relationship of balanced opposition. Is that balance static or dynamic, the card of Justice will tell... whether we assign the card of Justice to the Eighth (8) position or the Eleventh (11 = 1+1 = 2) position.

Position 3/7: Together and Connecting, or Personal, means not apart, and not yet sharing parts of each other - just touching (or as a billiards player might say "kissing"). Touching leads to the concept of sensitivity. Which leads to the concept of love and caring (and kissing). Which leads to the archetype upon which The Empress is drawn.

Position 4/6: Connecting and Intersecting, or Intimate, means that the two are now sharing parts of each other - they are married - like the lovers in The Lovers card.

Position 5: Intersecting and Exchanging or Alternating, And Commingling describes the activity of the Temperance card pouring liquid back and forth between her two cups. It also relates to the two monks in the Hierophant card, as they vie for the attention of that "in between" figure.

But why, opponents to reductionism might say, should we care about these abstract associations? What do we gain by theorizing that The Hermit is derived from a primordial, archetypal pattern of "Apart and Separate?" Answer: We don't really need this knowledge at all to appreciate tarot icons on a human level, or to USE them in a reading... if USE is our ONLY interest. But, it is being suggested here that through our STUDY of tarot, we can benefit greatly from this kind of knowledge IF... we really want to understand the fundamental essence of the archetypal personifications that we see everywhere in the world, across all cultures and ages - whether they be illustrated on little pieces of paper as a tarot deck or not.

In the end, it's all a matter of how deep one wants to go in their STUDY of tarot, as different from their USE of tarot. This study of tarot and consciousness chose to go way way back to what could perceived as fundamental, elemental, universal, primordial, and most importantly TRANS-cultural roots. I believe that the primordial patterns being brought out on this site are relatively objective, compared to the subjective nature of the iconic personifications that result from humans anthropomorphizing these patterns for the sake of human expression, human perceptions and communications. There is a threshold to be crossed, that I believe is not crossed enough in most studies of tarot. It is the goal of this study of tarot and consciousness to traverse that threshold with a kind of "etymology" of form, showing how iconic personifications can be traced back to primordial patterns, or, how primordial patterns can be developed, by a human, into iconic personifications.

These are the stages of development that this study of tarot and consciousness attempts to traverse and unite with the use of something called Numerical Etymology. This is how intended meaning, is revealed in ways that lead to heightened awareness of universality. By incorporating universality into a deck of cards we acquire the most full and complete vocabulary of reference possible. This is a good thing... worth the effort of study.

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The Geometric Progression

The Apart-Together Model is more complex than four circles and a point, but still pretty simple. Here is another pattern that introduces a bit more complexity, while still remaining true to the expression of four circles and a point. It's called The Geometric Progression and, as the name implies, it is more of a progression of ideas than a static model of stages. As a progression of ideas, this model uses the numbers that were attached to our four circles and point to suggest stages of development that are experienced as we pass THROUGH a model of four circles and a point. It goes like this:

Below is a big diagram. The idea here is that four circles and a point describe basic stages of a manifest entity as it emerges from nothingness and returns. What we have not mentioned thus far is how the basic stages of our model, those lines of demarcation, are the result of an interference pattern that results from waves of energy traversing in opposite directions and colliding at a set number of points along the way. That's the why of why there are only four circles. The result, when combined with the point in the middle, is a pattern of stages, which... when labeled with numbers along a line, become 9 numbers of numerology (as shown in the diagram at the beginning of this essay). As 9 stages of development are shown to be a universally inspired number, we can now move forward to observe how more complex acts of manifestation can be seen to be governed by steps of 9... as in the diagram below of The Geometric Progression.

Again, this progression of ideas is just a simple diagram of geometric shapes leading one into the other. There is no cultural bias. We are not yet using these stages to describe anything human. We are simply - very simply - observing how possible it is to move from a fundamental point, to an all encompassing sphere... in 9 steps. That's all. However, as we desire to apply this pattern to something human, there are all kinds of things we could observe about how this model influences the essence of each number along a line, but what about tarot icons, are there any here?

9: All Dimensions. Again the Hermit is easy to find in the concept of "all dimensions." All dimensions implies a culminating of everything at the number 9 (NOT 10). The Hermit represents a person of vast experience and knowledge - a consummate being who knows "all." Equidistant from him on this number line is the Magician. By viewing the Magician and Hermit as equidistant partners we see how the Magician is in fact the Hermit at a young age. The Magician is clever, the Hermit is wise. Together they both represent activities of the mind. As opposite ends of a number line they represent a process of education from clever-dom to wisdom - a concept that really shows up well, when we view the Major Trumps as two sets of 1 thru 9 instead of an unbroken path of 22, as so many other studies of tarot prefer (see The Spine of Tarot and A Significant Signature of Nature elsewhere on this site).

2: One Direction. Perhaps a bit more obscure an association would be the idea of vision coming from the concept of a ray and one direction. But unobstructed direction is important to the concept of vision. Much as we might like to, we don't see around corners, we see in straight lines. After establishing vision as a characteristic of a 2, it is not hard to see how the concept of mystery (obscured or occulted vision) lands in the lap of The High Priestess. Some might say The High Priestess CAN see around corners (clairvoyant) thus conjuring up the idea of "special vision." Also, the idea of motion is evident in this number, helping to explain the RWS* 2 of Coins. Additionally, in decks like RWS, we see blindfolds on the card of Justice (an 8 or 11=1+1=2) as well as the 8 and 2 of Swords.

3: One Dimension. A point is a pretty intangible concept. A ray is also not exactly a "thing." The first actual "thing" or "form" to emerge in this progression of ideas is the line, which also becomes the first dimension of creation. By associating this number with the idea of form and creation we again make easy associations to the beautiful and perfect form of The Empress. We also help explain the concept of creativity found in the RWS 3 of Coins.

8: All Directions. A ball is the inflated sphere, before it is filled with its culminating essence. By associating an inflated state with the number 8 we help explain the enthusiasm of the RWS 8 of Coins. This inflated state may also be seen as enthusiasm, rather than "strength" when associated with the card of Strength in the Majors. To me, Strength implies either muscle power or strength of courage, both concepts better associated with The Emperor. To me, the card of Strength represents enthusiasm, adrenaline and explosive energy. Moving from a cube to a ball requires that all the points on the inside of the cube catch up to all the points on the outside of the cube, so that they can all become the surface of the ball together. This is an explosive process. This represents ENERGY, not strength.

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Icons of Tarot

Suggesting that archetypal influences may come from such simple, abstract, conceptual patterns, might be hard for some to swallow. Traditional sources are very popular, and embedded into the history of tarot. But that is exactly the point being made here... that traditional sources that are inexorably linked to the history of various cultures, impose an unnecessary bias, and that by using these abstract conceptual patterns, we have shown how we in fact did not need any of those cultural sources to see the makings of a good tarot icon in these simple patterns. These archetypal associations are all right there in the patterns of nature... that are owned and invented by NO ONE (see essay called cross-cultural vs. TRANS-cultural elsewhere on this site).

When contemplating the nature of reality, many point out the fact that all we can ever hope to know of anything is ultimately translated into electrical impulses, distributed throughout the brain in different ways. This being true, the importance of studying patterns should become glaringly obvious. All Things Are Patterns. Everything we know of the world can be, should be, and is reduced to thought patterns in the brain. A geometry teacher I had in high school once quoted someone who described the patterns of geometry as being "infinitely drawn nowhere." These are the primordial patterns that this study of tarot looks for to describe the archetypes of humanity, whether seen within a tarot deck or not. Making the "etymological traverse" from abstract conceptual patterns to anthropomorphized icons can be tricky. But with a full and complete knowledge of the various models put forth on this site, as well as the book "All Things Are Numbers" I believe a more full and complete understanding of tarot icons can be found.

*RWS = Rider/Waite/Smith

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EXTRA CREDIT

The geometric progression presented above is only one possible outcome. For more about geometric progressions consult the essay Three Sacred Solids - A Trinity of Triangles elsewhere on this site.