"Four Circles and a Point?"
The approach I take to tarot is a little different. A lot of people study the symbols, and icons of tarot from a historical, occult, or religious perspective. The problem, in my opinion, with these approaches is that they carry with them certain amount of bias; cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic etc. The Numerical Tarot, on the other hand, approaches the study of tarot from a completely different perspective, choosing instead to employ a detached, abstract mindset free from such biases. In my study of tarot, I decided that, for me, the logical, geometric juxtapositioning of intangible, abstract concepts was the purest, most trans-cultural form of inquiry that I could apply to the tarot. History, cultures, mythology and religion are all interesting subjects to study, but for me, they only cut to the bone, and not the marrow. This, to me, was an unacceptable conclusion to my study of tarot. So I created The Numerical Tarot, as an alternative... for those who want to look deeper.
On this page is a painfully brief and horribly incomplete description of the approach I take regarding the proposed model of 4 circles and a point, and how such a model could be used in the creation of a tarot deck, or tarot-like wisdom system. In this approach, the icons of a tarot deck are considered totally subjective embodiments of primordial patterns seen in nature. While the proposed model of 4 circles and a point is considered a relatively objective, universal, trans-cultural, or primordial pattern, from which human made symbols and icons evolve. With painfully meticulous logic, I attempt to traverse this "threshold of subjectivity" with an analysis of abstract, universal or transcendental concepts, and in doing so, create an "etymological" link between the relatively objective and totally subjective.
In pursuing a meticulously logical line of reasoning, my goal is to never loose sight of the proposed model of 4 circles and a point, upon which I propose ALL archetypes of humanity to be based. Like leaves on a tree, individual man-made, subjective symbols are numerous and plentiful, and in my view, all connect through stem, twig, branch and trunk to the same root system of logical, common sense, trans-cultural, or transcendental patterns, that are owned and invented by no one. In my world, tarot is anthropomorphized (and otherwise embellished) patterns of nature - i.e. invisible lines of force made visible by humans for the sake of humans. In my world, EVERY symbol and icon offered is traceable to the proposed model of 4 circles and a point, or part thereof - IF you take the time to follow the path of logical analysis backward, from leaf, to stem, to twig, to branch, to trunk, to fundamental, elemental root patterns.
Here's the way I approach the multiple levels of abstraction required to propose a believable link between transcendental patterns and anthopomorphized icons:
If you are at all interested, you should proceed to The Nickel Tour and read a few of the essays there. They are all painfully brief, and horribly incomplete, but very informative.
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Copyright © 2006 by Guy Palm
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