V

Sins and Virtues: Prudence

In the essay Sins and Virtues, I organize a collection of sins and virtues upon a numerological grid with a spine of contrast between the extreme of Sins and the between moderation of Virtues:

This essay will focus on the Virtue of Prudence, which, through a process of elimination, did not make it onto the aforementioned chart. Keep in mind though, that these essays are not meant to be the last word on virtues, I leave that up to the philosophers among us who have already written volumes and volumes of wisdom concerning these ideas. Instead, these essays are only meant to show how these concepts fit, within the parameters of the theoretical model of existence being put forth everywhere on this site. If the other ideas put forth elsewhere on this site have not already been read and understood, they probably should be, before reading any of these Virtue essays.

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Prudence

For a long time I had left the Virtue of Prudence with the number 9... simply because so many other tarot enthusiasts seem to think prudence to be another form of Wisdom. To that effect I must reiterate that I am no expert when it comes to proper analysis of virtues and sins. Thus, when putting the virtue of Prudence with position 9, my rationale was incomplete. Lately, however, I have chosen to delete Prudence and replace it with Wisdom. Thus, like other virtues mentioned above, Prudence does not make the cut, even on my list of archetypally organized Sins and Virtues! In the ongoing controversy among tarot enthusiasts regarding the proper location of this missing virtue, other people have suggested that the virtue of Prudence might very well have originated in the position currently occupied by The High Priestess, who of course is an occult-influenced version of The Popess of earlier decks. Currently, most people consider The Popess, or High Priestess as an expression of the number 2. As someone with some interest in numerology, I began to consider how a 2 might embody the qualities of prudence more than a 9.

Again, I am no expert on virtues, but after a modicum of research on the meaning of prudence, I got the feeling that it isn't really so much about wisdom and knowing what is virtuous... as its position with The Hermit might imply. Nor did wise choices really enter into it. To me, the descriptions I read concerning prudence seemed to be more about foresight... or one's innate ability to see down various roads, or courses of action, to see which one will lead to the best possible end, through the most virtuous path. Prudence seemed to be more about direction, and pointing oneself down the righteous, virtuous path. That, I speculate, is why some people consider prudence to be the most important Cardinal Virtue... because, if we don't have the ability to see which path is virtuous, and see where it's going, and put ourself on it, we will never encounter the other virtues down the line. We have to first, put ourself on the virtuous path, before we can be virtuous in any other way. Having wisdom can help. Being cautious can help. And if the ability is not innate, we will eventually be making a choice. But prudence itself seems more about the seeing... seeing how one course of action will lead to a righteous, virtuous and good end. In that way I could very well see prudence as more of a 2 than anything else. By making Prudence a 2, it also makes sense for it to be nearer to the beginning of a procession of ideas containing other virtues, than for it to be with the Hermit at position 9. It also makes more sense for it to be female, as virtues are usually portrayed as female.

One definition of prudence that I encountered included the statement "prudence lights the way" to the other virtues. With a definition like that, I can certainly see how someone might want to associate prudence with the Hermit and his lantern of wisdom, lighting the way. But other parts of the various definitions I encountered lead me to feel that prudence doesn't so much light the way, as she points the way. Meaning, the emphasis is on the direction of someone's life, or the direction they take at any given moment, and whether it is virtuous or not. The wisdom of the Hermit can still light the way, but if we are not on the virtuous path, the way that is being lit is not the most wise or most virtuous. In other words, wisdom alone does not ensure a virtuous path. Prudence is; discretion = wisdom... filtered through foresight. Some might even argue that wisdom is not even a necessary component at all, and that true prudence is an innate function that "points the way" with or without the contemplation or consideration of any accumulated knowledge, experience or wisdom. In other words, a person should not need accumulated knowledge or wisdom, in order to do the right thing - that should be an innate quality of a truly virtuous person. Those of us who have to learn to be virtuous might require, or make good use of, knowledge and experience and wisdom to light the way. But a truly virtuous person - like a Popess - would not need that. In that sense, the lighting of the way by the Hermit's wisdom only reveals the nature of the path we are on, virtuous or not. The Hermit's lantern gives us the accumulated wisdom to know, by position 9, whether the path we are on is, or was, wise... or not, or whether we should consider starting over at position 1, to encounter Prudence at position 2 and follow a different path.

The idea that a High Priestess, might have evolved from a female Pope is curious. The idea that the female Pope might have evolved from a nun is interesting. The idea that a nun might have been used instead of Prudence, or as a symbol for prudence, is compelling. From Prudence to Popess to High Priestess. That's quite an evolution... an evolution that almost inverts the meaning of the card. In my opinion, I don't really see an occult high priestess - keeper of secrets, behind veils of mystery, as the purveyor of prudence, pointing the way. The occult nature of the High Priestess sort of implies just the opposite - obscuring or hiding or keeping secret "the way." While conversely, I could easily see a Popess or nun as a symbol of, or purveyor of, prudence, pointing out the virtuous path to me, or putting me on the virtuous path. To my mind, the virtuous path should be clear and obvious, so that there really is no choice about it. There should be no ambiguity about it. It should not be an occult mystery hidden behind veils. Prudence should compel us and draw us in, and onto the obviously right path, automatically and involuntarily. In my book, that makes the concept of prudence a Positive 2.

What if someone were to draw a tarot deck with a female pope or nun at card 2, and instead of calling it The Popess, they called it Prudence. Would everyone think; no way, prudence is not a 2, it's a 9. Would they think; a nun or Popess doesn't symbolize prudence as well as an old man with an hourglass, or a hermit with a lantern?

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EXTRA CREDIT

Where would you place the virtue of Prudence in the chart above? What is prudence?