The array of Quintagrams that take us to individual tarot cards within our Numerical Tarot deck are the same forest... viewed from above! The canopy is now revealed to be four rows deep. You can imagine the sunny side as being toward the top of the chart and the shady side being toward the bottom, with a river of neutral 5s cutting through the middle. Each solid line is like a healthy green leaf in the shinning sun. Each broken line is like a leaf in the shade! It takes all kinds to make a forest!! If you utilized the OPTIONAL sixth line, then click on M to read the moderate interpretation, or click on E to read the extreme interpretation. Click on the Quintagram to see the actual tarot card.

The process described in Part One of this essay can be used many ways. It can be used to explain which overlapping influences exist for any card in the Numerical Tarot deck, or, it can be use to determine which card in the deck to look to when we encounter things in our lives that have the same combination of overlapping influences. That is the main goal of our Shake the Trees game... to take any thing in our world, and through these five steps, determine what overlapping influences it has, in order to determine what number/card it is connected to within our deck, just like connecting various actors to Kevin Bacon! We said before that finding our way into this forest of possibilities, down from leafy canopy to archetypal roots, was as easy as falling off a log - and it is. All we need is a volunteer...

For a handy gadget that can be used to calculate the overlapping influences of opposites, try using the Binary Influence Calculator, located elsewhere on this site. If you have a notion to use this method with dream interpretation, here is another handy gadget - an abbreviated version of the Numbers In Space chart, which I am calling The Dream Analysis Calculator!:

Pick one from each pair. Note the line or broken line above the option selected. Put the resulting lines and broken lines together to create a Quintagram. Use the Quintagram chart found above to read about that Quintagram. Use this chart with dream analysis. Use the first two lines to identify the nature of the overall dream. Use the second two lines to identify the nature of any specific elements within a dream. Or use all the words and pictures together to identify the nature of either. It's only five questions... was the dream light and engaging or dark and daunting? Was it a palpable reality or an amorphous fantasy? If the depths of the psyche can be fathomed, and these five questions answered, they will lead to a part of the archetypal armature being presented on this site that is appropriate to the dream or part thereof - guaranteed!

NOTE: words within sentences that are capitalized will usually mean that they are drawn from the Numbers in Space or Grammatical Terminology charts.

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In the essay Numbers in Space, we followed one example that lead us to our 6 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts. We determined that the essence of the card was about family and friendship. But how? Let's "show our work" as our grade school math teachers once demanded. Let's Shake the Trees!

If I take the concept of Friendship and follow it through the Numbers in Space chart, this is the path I take - i.e. the branches I hit on the way down: To me, friendship would hit the Positive branch harder than the Negative branch. The word Cultivate jumps out at me, as does Constructive - friends support and augment us, so... I would draw a solid line to begin my Quintagram. Next... a friend - as in a living breathing person - might be a tangible thing, but the concept of friendship is conceptual. Thus, already, we have a good example of how this process forces us to be more specific in our use of words, so as to be more clear in our communication of meaning to others. If were to have gone the "Tangible" way, someone could have then argued that the concept of friendship is not tangible but conceptual, and that, in their opinion, we took a wrong turn. They could then take us down their path to suggest a more plausible result. I say the concept of friendship is conceptual, so I draw a broken line in my Quintagram. Next, the nurturing, nourishing environment of friendship makes it more Sentimental and Yin than Yang, so I draw another broken line. Next, the Inclusive nature of friendship and how it keeps people Together and Communal makes me chose the Inclusive branch, so I drawn a solid line. Next, I choose to view friendship as more Visceral - an emotion that animates us, so I draw one more solid line. The result (written in typewriter terms, with 1 equalling solid lines and zeros equalling broken lines) is: {10011}. If we look at the Quintagram chart, we see that this path indeed leads to the 6 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts, The Familiar Environment. Click on the Quintagram from the chart.

Let's pretend that someone did not agree with the last branch we hit, and that they think that the concept of friendship is more of a Passive and Sedate concept. That would change the last line of our Quintagram to broken, and lead us instead to the 7 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts, The Pure Synthesis. Given the predetermined meanings of each card, as derived from the exploration and diagrammation of our theoretical model of existence, which has clearly placed friendship at the number 6... not to mention how this result correlates with many other tarot decks, like the ever popular Rider/Waite/Smith deck, one could argue that going the "Passive" route causes us to miss the mark. They could then argue that the abundance of other moves requires us to consider the correctness of the last move. But, if insistence remains as to the correctness of the 7 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts as the archetypal source for the concept of friendship, we can at least understand HOW someone can come to such a conclusion and either accept it or reject it as we choose, and give clear reasons for either choice.

Now let's pretend that we had taken that "Tangible" path, back at branch number two. If we had gone that way, our Quintagram would have ended up like this [11011]... that would have taken us down the tree that leads to the 6 of Addition/Coins/Diamonds, The Increasing Evolution. If we had followed that path as an attempt to locate the idea of a Tangible friend, rather than Conceptual friendship, would the 6 of Addition/Coins/Diamonds have anything to it that would sound like qualities we would hope to find in a friend? Is not the Tangible Advancing, Appreciation and Augmenting described in this card the Tangible equivalent of Conceptual friendship? What does the Rider/Waite/Smith deck show for its 6 of Pentacles? It shows a generous man giving away money. One could argue that he is buying friends! In one manner or another, all the charitable things we do for our friends - the Advancing, Appreciation and Augmenting - are a form of buying their friendship, or holding on to them - i.e. a friend in need is a friend indeed. A man with friends is considered wealthy. The 6 of Addition/Coins/Diamonds is the card where we determine the value or worth of things, be it friends or portions of cash being given away, as in the Rider/Waite/Smith illustration. The man in the Rider/Waite/Smith illustration has a scale in one hand. He is measuring worthiness. We don't know if he wants everyone to have the same amount given to them, or if he is saying to one "I like you this much" and not as much to another... the way so many do with friends and lovers.

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Let's try another one. Let's start with a vague topic like love. Lots of people associate love with a 3 or 7 and the spiritual aspects of those numbers as they relate to God's love or Christ' love. Let's Shake the Trees!

First, I see love as more Positive than Negative. The word Investive jumps out at me from the Numbers in Space chart, so I draw a solid line. Next, I see love as Intangible and Ethereal, so I draw a broken line. Next, we need to differentiate between expressions of love vs. feelings of love. A general feeling of love would be more Existential. An expression of love would be more Sentimental. So let's start another path, one for each possible outcome. Next, I see love as Social so I will draw a solid line in both paths. Lastly, I see love as Sensorial, and a calming, Pacific or Sedated state, so I will draw a broken line in both paths. The result is either {10110] - the 3 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts, The Perfect Bond or {10010} - the 7 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts, The Pure Synthesis. Click on the 3, the first line of the accompanying verse is "Sacred flower for a love." The 7 is more about our use of imagination and spiritual connections, but also suggest a sublime expression of good feelings. Elsewhere on this site we can read explanations of a 7 that might convince us of how this number can also be seen as associated with the concept of love - especially Christ love. If we take the 3 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts Quintagram and change the second line to describe a more Tangible, Material, Quantitative form of love, we get [11110] - the 3 of Addition/Coins/Diamonds, The Refined Creation. The Refined Creation is a creation created with love - i.e. a labor of love. Look at the Rider/Waite/Smith illustration, it shows an artisan crafting the walls of church. Thus one result (3 of Addition) becomes the object of our love, and the other (3 of Multiplication) our feelings of love, leaving the 7 of Multiplication to be the expressive result of our love. Look at the Numerical Tarot cards that relate to these Quintagrams, do they come anywhere close to these ideas about love?

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Let's try another one. Broad conceptual terms like love can sometimes be too hard to nail down. But, in picking a broad topic like love, we saw how the process again forced us to be more specific in our use of words, so as to be more clear in our communication of meaning to others. So let's try another broad topic - like death. Let's Shake the Trees!

First, I see death as a Negative thing. Negative in this case does not mean "bad." Death is simply Decremental and Waning or negating of life - the eternal context, so I draw a broken line. Next, I see death, that is... the physical death of an entity, as something Tangible and Real so I draw a solid line. Next I see death as the Result of something - a long life that is over, so I draw a broken line. Next I see death as something Exclusive. Death is something we all face alone, no matter how much help we get. Death makes us very Introverted. Death Separates us from life, so I draw another broken line. Finally, I see death as Caesural, as we Stop living, so I draw another broken line. The result is [01000} - 9 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs, The Definitive End. If we change the second line to describe a more Conceptual, Ethereal Notion of death, the result is {00000} - 9 of Division/Swords/Spades, The Chaotic Infinity. In this card, the dark abyss (what this card is called in its Quaternary parent card) is the emotional equivalent to physical death.

Let's try another one. If someone wanted to use this system for dream analysis, they might come up with all kinds of strange imagery and ideas, and might well wonder what kind of archetypal roots these things point to. In these cases, being more specific is often a vital requirement, as the context of dreams is so personal and changeable or mercurial. Lots of people dream about flying when they dream, let's try that. Let's Shake the Trees!

First, I'd say that flying is a Positive thing. The word Ameliorate, in the Antonym category of the Grammar Terms (above) that accompany the Numbers in Space chart, jumps out at me, as does the word Uphill and High Tide. Positive often means up, so I draw a solid line. If we consider how Real flying often seems in dreams and how people feel as though they are Actually flying, I'd draw another solid line. As dream imagery and experiences go, flying is very Evocative and Experiential, so I'll draw a broken line. Flying also lifts us out of our body, making us External. Flying gives us a different perspective, making it Perceptual. Flying also has Flow, so I draw another broken line. Finally, flying is Dynamic, it Animates us and Excites us, so I'll finish with a solid line. The result is [11001] - 8 of Addition/Coins/Diamonds, The Cumulative Discharge... the card of climax and excitement. Lots of people associate feelings of flying with repressed sexual urges. If we change the second line to describe a more Ethereal form of flying we get {10001} - 8 of Multiplication/Cups/Hearts, The Broad Perspective. Thus, once again, one result represents the physical excitement of flying, the other represents the euphoric emotions of flying.

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Let's try another one. Lots of people dream of flying. Lots of people dream of falling. Sometimes they are just falling. Other times they are falling from something, like a cliff or tall building. Let's Shake the Trees!

First, I'd see falling, like the kind people have in dreams... or nightmares, as Negative. There is usually an element of threat to life involved, as most people don't dream of falling with a parachute, so I will start with a solid line. Like the flying example, the falling is all too Real, so I'll draw another solid line. Next, falling is not usually the Cause, but the Effect or Result of something, so I will draw a broken line. Next, whereas flying took us away toward the outer reaches of Earth, falling takes us toward Earth, inward, so I draw a solid line. Finally, like the flying example, falling Awakens us, it excites us, whether in a good or bad way, so I will end with a solid line. The result is [01011} - 6 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs, The Decreasing Evolution. The speed of decrease that this card represents is of course relative and variable... it can represent a gradual decay, or a sudden drop. Click on the Quintagram for this result, and read from the Advice section, where it advises you to "Pull out of this nosedive."

If we had gone the other way at the very end, and decided that falling was Passive and Calm, the result would have been [01010} - 7 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs, The Incredible Realization. Thus, we could argue that one card represents the actual falling, while the other represents the Rational acceptance as to what a Tangible disaster it is to be falling, or will be, when we hit bottom and die. The Negative 7s are children of the parent card known in traditional decks as The Tower, which typically shows people falling from a great height! Are they falling because of the nosedive the previous card, known as The Devil, put them into?

We can save ourselves some time here, and just change the second line of 7 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs to broken and get {00010} - 7 of Division/Swords/Spades, The Impure Synthesis. By changing line two of 7 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs from Rational to Notional, or Conceptual, we encounter the concept of horror that accompanies these nightmares of falling.

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Let's try another one. In the previous example, our fall from wherever could be slow or fast, it could represent a disaster with horror, or it might just represent a healthy amount of worry. But what lead to the fall - collapse. Collapse is not the same as falling. Let's try collapse. Let's Shake the Trees!

First, whether the welcome collapse of something being destroyed to make room for something better, or an unwanted collapse, collapse is Negative and Subtractive, so I start with a broken line. Next, I see the literal collapse of things as Tangible and Quantitative, so I draw a solid line. Next, we have already considered collapse as the Cause of our subsequent fall in card 6, so I draw another solid line. Next, the compromise of integrity necessary for collapse implies the existence of some kind of mass of existence, so I draw another solid line. Finally, it is an event that Happens over time, so I draw another solid line. The result is [01111] - 4 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs, The Deteriorate Event. Click on the Quintagram, it talks about destruction and change. In a traditional deck, the parent for this card would be the card entitled Death. Death means change. Death cuts us off at the knees with his scythe... then... in card 6... we fall.

You might have wanted to go the other way at the end back there, and called collapse Caesural. That would have resulted in [01110] - 3 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs, The Unrefined Creation. This is a card of crude attempts that end in disaster (see 7 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs above). This is the card of the flaws, that lead to the collapse, that leads to the fall, that leads to the horrifying realization, that manifests itself in our nightmares as the horror of falling. In some people's nightmares, collapse might manifest as some kind of castration nightmare. Would castration lead to the 4 of Subtraction/Staves/Clubs? Give it a try...

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What About Those Fives?

Some might be asking how we ever acquire a 5, if we are to always choose one metaphorical branch or another all the way down. Well, if we are inventing this game for ourselves, we can invent a rule that will allow us to choose a 5 where appropriate. In the first two steps, there is no 5 to choose; the first two steps only determine the Positive vs. Negative, and Quantitative vs. Qualitative nature of whatever is falling through the metaphorical branches of our metaphorical trees. The only place where a 5 would want to be chosen would be in the last three branches where we are zeroing in on the actual number along the number line. The Quintagrams that exists for the 5s follow a logical path wherein all 5s are considered Neutral at step three, always Inclusive at step four, and always Passive at step five. In fact it would probably be more accurate to declare all of those last three lines neutral if in fact any of them are neutral. So let's make a rule that says: if any of the last three lines of a Quintagram are neutral, then all of the last three should be considered neutral, and that we should go immediately to whatever 5 is appropriate to the suit that has been determined by the first two lines. Let's then make one more rule...: you can't play this game if you are unable to make either or decisions about the first two branches!

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Tarot for EVERYONE (not just yourself)

As you can see, there is still plenty of room for illogical, irrational, imaginative, personal... and even unscrupulous manipulation of ideas to suit ones own personal needs and get the results we want - just like regular tarot. But... by restricting ourselves to only five steps, and "showing our work" as we go, we greatly increase the likelihood of understanding each other, whenever we publicly present notions of meaning to each other that are derived from personal experience and personal needs. This, I believe could one day make tarot something for everyone, not just yourself... that is... if the theoretical model of existence being put forth on this site is indeed rooted in transcendental, primordial, archetypal patterns, and concepts that are indeed universal. Proving that to be false would mean that this is all just my own personal madness at work. Proving it to be true would mean that utilizing this system could explain a lot about a lot of things that are relevant to ourselves and others.

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Could You be More Specific?

While some may be thinking that this whole process is stifling to the idea of Flexible Association and personalization of ideas, I see it as helpful in the understanding of what other people are trying to tell me, whether it comes from their own mind, or from an experience they want to describe to me. In the examples given above, many things could change, depending on how well someone describes "what they mean" about anything. If asked to be more specific, a dream about flying might actually be about something other than flying. I fully endorse the idea of using psychotherapeutic techniques to determine what that actual meaning might be. Following various paths through the Numbers in Space chart, and seeing the results of each path, might even help in zeroing in on the actual meaning of some symbolic imagery experienced in a dream, in a spread or in a therapist's office. The idea of this Shake the Trees game is NOT to pin down and pigeonhole, it's to take whatever that eventual meaning is, and through these five simple steps, determine archetypal roots. This may seem pointless at first glance, but after encountering the same symbolic imagery over and over again, either through dreams or artistic expression or synchronistic events that bombard us throughout a day or week, month or year this process could be helpful in zeroing in on what something truly means, when explorations into personal meaning fail to satisfy us.

Rooting our human expressions to archetypal patterns may or may not be of much interest to someone using tarot. But if you are attempting to use The Amazing Name Numerology Calculator or The Amazing All Things Are Numbers Personality Type Indicator, rooting recurring personality traits, as seen in various forms of self expression, to archetypal patterns can really help explain a lot. Applying this technique to tarot might be offensive to some who prefer to share experiences without analysis of any kind, but try using it to explain synchronistic events, where no questions have been asked, no cards employed, and no therpaist/reader to help interpret. It just might be interesting enough to help.

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Hey, Wait a Minute... What About Those Opposites - Aren't They Evil?

Lots of people argue in favor of abandoning all notions of duality and opposites, in preference to a pursuit of transcendent unity. Unfortunately, the motives of some of these people are not always pure (see Consider the Source elsewhere on this site). In many cases, people argue in favor of abandoning all notions of duality and opposites based on grand assumptions they have made about the proclivity of people indulging in opposites to inevitably utilize those notions of opposites to develop likes and dislikes that they fear will inevitably lead to bias and bigotry, phobias and addictions. When this philosophy is preached into the ears and minds of those who actually are that type, and would, in fact, be likely to abuse notions of opposites in that way, this philosophy itself becomes a bias, which those very addiction-prone people immediately accept with their typical addictive, and evangelistic zeal, subsequently going out into the world to try and convert everyone they meet away from the evils of thinking in terms of opposites.

But, to a mind that is not so addictive, and does not feel overwhelming compulsions to grasp things to a point of addiction or phobia, or bias and bigotry, these kinds of maladies need not occur. To a person who is able to examine various concepts without turning them into addictions and cult-like devotions, opposites can be a valuable tool for understanding the way our universe works. We don't have to develop likes and dislikes from opposites. And if we do develop likes and dislikes, they don't have to lead to bias and bigotry, phobias and addictions. If someone is the type of person who does develop bias and bigotry, phobias and addictions while contemplating opposites, then, like an alcoholic staying away from alcohol, they should probably stay away from the system being offered on this site. If, however, they are not the type who is inclined to turn notions of opposites into bias and bigotry, phobias and addictions, then they might find this approach interesting and useful.

For those who do have addictive tendencies, and have sworn a solemn vow to never again think of the world in terms of opposites, asking them to consider utilizing opposites as a tool of perception is like asking a vegetarian to reconsider the possibility of eating meat - they are absolutely repulsed by the very idea. For many, enlightenment through unity is the only purpose in life, and the duality of opposites just gets in the way of that pursuit of unity with oneness. Toward that goal, many shun - with the very bias, bigotry and phobia they seek to avoid - anything that could possibly hold them back from their goal, putting on blinders to anything but the Almighty Unity they seek.

I say; unity is great, but obsession is not. Unity is great, but vilification of duality is not. Unity is great, but it is not the most important thing. It is certainly not the only thing we deal with in life. And for those other mundane, Earthly things that we do deal with, an intelligent, sensible, utilization of opposites can help explain a lot about a lot of things. An intelligent, sensible, utilization of opposites can help an Extrovert understand an Introvert, or an Introvert to understand and Extrovert. It can help a Left Brain thinker understand a Right Brain thinker, or a Right Brain thinker understand a Left Brain thinker. It can help a Man understand a Woman, or a Woman understand a Man. If corrupted, opposites can be used to help any of these types to vilify and exclude the other. That is a choice we can make (consciously or unconsciously), that may or may not be the result of our inability to control addictive urges that arise when contemplating the likes and dislikes of opposites. Opposites themselves are not evil, we either make them evil, by our own nature, or we can utilize them toward the goal of greater understanding. Having likes and dislikes is not evil, we either make them evil, by our words and actions, or we can utilize them toward the goal deciding what things are important in preserving our life. For more on this, see the essays Good and Bad, Right and Wrong, Smile and Frown, and The Reasoned Response elsewhere on this site.

In the tarot, many point to The Chariot as an example of someone who has achieved mastery over opposites. By taming and controlling the horses that pull the chariot, the charioteer utilizes opposites toward a goal of spiritual transport. The spiritual goal being sought might be unity with oneness, but the lesson to be learned is that skillful utilization of opposites is what gets us to that goal. The lesson of The Chariot card is MASTERY of opposites... NOT the ELIMINATION of opposites. Thus, the correct way to approach opposites is to master them, not to vilify them, ignore them, pretend they don't exist, or water them down to such low contrast as to make one opposite indistinguishable from another. Opposites are not evil. They are not an obstacle to enlightenment, they are - like a chariot - the vehicle of enlightenment... if that's where you want to go.

So if you think you have what it takes to utilize opposites, without developing likes and dislikes, bias and bigotry, phobias and addictions, I would encourage you to examine this system of thought for all it's worth. It won't (necessarily) get you any closer to Unity with God, or God-like forces - it's not really supposed to! What it's supposed to do is get you closer to an understanding of Diversity and Man, or Mundane-like forces that effect each and every one of us every single day of our lives! Too many seek enlightenment through the denial of opposites, before ever learning what opposites can tell them about their current state. First MASTER the opposites... then use them as you see fit. This system is designed to help master opposites.

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I Ching

This is not the first wisdom system in the world to utilize opposites. If someone doesn't like the idea of falling through the metaphorical branches of these metaphorical trees to explain the meaning of things drawn from Flexible Association, dreams and the imagination, they might consider using this technique in the same way as I Ching Hexigrams, selecting them randomly from the results of tossed coins. That could be interesting, let me know how it goes.

Whether using an I Ching type of method or not, keep in mind the possibility of including the OPTIONAL sitxth line, to designate your own subjective sense of "Good" and "Bad" for any Quintagram that forms. For this we would use the last of our Grammatical terms - the Varonym. For more on the Varonym, see the essay Why Use Words? elsewhere on this site. To apply a personal, subjective and OPTIONAL sixth line to a Quintagram, use the last line of the Numbers in Space chart to decide which side of the metaphorical tree you landed - the side that points you toward life or death - the ultimate context.