{"id":12527,"date":"2016-05-01T01:10:26","date_gmt":"2016-05-01T06:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=13152"},"modified":"2016-04-29T18:48:49","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T23:48:49","slug":"seeing-the-signs-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2016\/05\/01\/seeing-the-signs-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the Signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Enochian Tarot<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes you are attracted to a divinatory system as if you were mandated by some celestial being. You know \u2013 as soon as you see that deck of cards or that pendulum or those beautifully polished runes \u2013 that those are meant for you. Sometimes it\u2019s more a matter of fate \u2013 you pick up some divination method accidentally and come to use it on a daily basis. There are also the divination tools that you only use for special occasions \u2013 a crystal ball for Samhain, for example \u2013 or a special set of Tarot cards for a Full Moon ritual. Generally, you only have divination methods that resonate with you \u2013 Tarot or Oracle cards with images that speak to you or a pendulum with a crystal that vibrates perfectly or whatever. But sometimes \u2013 because of Yule gifts or Birthdays or other reasons \u2013 we sometimes have in our possession some divinatory method that doesn\u2019t work with us at all. I have one like that. It\u2019s the Enochian Tarot. If any of you reading this own this deck and like this deck, hey that\u2019s fabulous, but I have to state right off that I have never been able to find a friendly feeling for this set of cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first thing I look for in any divinatory set of cards \u2013 Tarot, Oracle or Lenormand \u2013 is beauty. It doesn\u2019t matter if the cards are hand-drawn, painted, mixed media, or collage. They can be quite crude, like the Motherpeace Tarot, but still gorgeous in the design and choice of color. The Enochian Tarot is not beautiful. Many of the cards are downright ugly. Created by Gerald and Betty Schueler \u2013 who have written numerous books on Enochian Magic \u2013 the artwork is by Sally Ann Glassman. The cards are crudely drawn with what looks to be colored pencils or maybe pastels. The faces of the \u2013 Angels? Demons? \u2013 are grotesque, to say the least. However, there are some very nicely drawn cards:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tarotdeck1\" \"tarotdeck2\" \"tarotdeck3\"<\/p>\n

\n

The whole deck is like this. Some of it is really nice but most of it isn\u2019t. To be honest, it\u2019s only when people are pictured that they run into problems. Generally, the women are curvy and naked:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"tarotdeck4\"<\/p>\n

\n

There are lots of cards like this, which is probably the only reason this deck had any success at all. The cards with men on them generally show them clothed or as demons. <\/span><\/p>\n

Another problem with the Enochian Tarot is that it really isn\u2019t a tarot at all. The Schuelers are attempting to take the Enochian Magic system and graft it onto both the Qabbalistic Keys and the elemental system of the Tarot but Enochian Magic has nothing to do with either. It is really easier to use the deck as an Oracle deck and not try to see the various Angels, Demons, and so on, as corresponding to the King of Swords or the Queen of Pentacles or whatever it is. <\/span><\/p>\n

Enochian Magic is a system of magic discovered by John Dee, the court astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I. He and his associate, Edward Kelley, communicated with \u201cangels\u201d by scrying with a black obsidian mirror and a crystal ball over the course of several years. These angels taught Dee and Kelley the original language spoken by Adam and Eve, which the angels called the Enochian language \u2013 which doesn\u2019t make any sense, since Enoch was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Adam (yes, that\u2019s FOUR great\u2019s). This language even had an alphabet, which was faithfully recorded by the two magicians, which they translated into English:<\/span><\/p>\n

The Enochian alphabet<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"tarot\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what does this have to do with the Enochian Tarot? In the beginning of the Enochian Tarot book, there are a series of tables which set up how to use the deck. Each card is a combination of letters and each combination of letters is a mathematical equation. Most of it is simple numerology. Once I started really looking at the tables, it all made sense but it really seemed quite tedious and not very well written. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot in the book. There\u2019s descriptions and meanings for every card. There\u2019s two appendixes and a section outlining a Two-Week Study Guide for Tarot, a Four-Week Advanced Study Guide, and a Master of Tarot course, \u201cdesigned for the individual who wishes to practice the Enochian Tarot on a professional basis.\u201d (268). That\u2019s not me but the study guides are invaluable to <\/span>anyone <\/i><\/span>wishing to become a better reader of any kind of Tarot or Oracle card. There\u2019s also a section of Tarot spreads \u2013 eight spreads in all, including the Celtic Cross and two spreads that were designed specifically for the Enochian Tarot. <\/span><\/p>\n

I must say that for having sat on my shelf for ten years \u2013 after my initial reaction of \u201cyuck!\u201d \u2013 I now have a better appreciation of both the deck and the book \u2013 most especially the appendixes and the study guides. If you happen to come across The Enochian Tarot, check it out.<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/p>\n

Schueler, Gerald & Betty. <\/span>The Enochian Tarot: A New System of divination for the New Age<\/u><\/span>. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1989. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hill, Bryan. \u201cEnochian: The Mysterious Lost Language of Angels\u201d. http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/artifacts-ancient-writings\/enochian-mysterious-lost-language-angels-003100<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Ager, Simon. \u201cEnochian Alphabet\u201d. http:\/\/omniglot.com\/writing\/enochian.htm<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Enochian Tarot Sometimes you are attracted to a divinatory system as if you were mandated by some celestial being. You know \u2013 as soon as you see that deck of cards or that pendulum or those beautifully polished runes \u2013 that those are meant for you. Sometimes it\u2019s more a matter of fate \u2013 you pick up some divination method accidentally and come to use it on a daily basis. There are also the divination tools that you only use for special occasions \u2013 a crystal ball for Samhain, for example \u2013 or a special set of Tarot cards for a Full Moon ritual. Generally, you only have divination methods that resonate with you \u2013 Tarot or Oracle cards with images that speak to you or a pendulum with a crystal that vibrates perfectly or whatever. But sometimes \u2013 because of Yule gifts or Birthdays or other reasons \u2013 we sometimes have in our possession some divinatory method that doesn\u2019t work with us at all. I have one like that. It\u2019s the Enochian Tarot. If any of you reading this own this deck and like this deck, hey that\u2019s fabulous, but I have to state right off that I have never been able to find a friendly feeling for this set of cards. The first thing I look for in any divinatory set of cards \u2013 Tarot, Oracle or Lenormand \u2013 is beauty. It doesn\u2019t matter if the cards are hand-drawn, painted, mixed media, or collage. They can be quite crude, like the Motherpeace Tarot, but still gorgeous in the design and choice of color. The Enochian Tarot is not beautiful. Many of the cards are downright ugly. Created by Gerald and Betty Schueler \u2013 who have written numerous books on Enochian Magic \u2013 the artwork is by Sally Ann Glassman. The cards are crudely drawn with what looks to be colored pencils or maybe pastels. The faces of the \u2013 Angels? Demons? \u2013 are grotesque, to say the least. However, there are some very nicely drawn cards: The whole deck is like this. Some of it is really nice but most of it isn\u2019t. To be honest, it\u2019s only when people are pictured that they run into problems. Generally, the women are curvy and naked: There are lots of cards like this, which is probably the only reason this deck had any success at all. The cards with men on them generally show them clothed or as demons. Another problem with the Enochian Tarot is that it really isn\u2019t a tarot at all. The Schuelers are attempting to take the Enochian Magic system and graft it onto both the Qabbalistic Keys and the elemental system of the Tarot but Enochian Magic has nothing to do with either. It is really easier to use the deck as an Oracle deck and not try to see the various Angels, Demons, and so on, as corresponding to the King of Swords or the Queen of Pentacles or whatever it is. Enochian Magic is a system of magic discovered by John Dee, the court astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I. He and his associate, Edward Kelley, communicated with \u201cangels\u201d by scrying with a black obsidian mirror and a crystal ball over the course of several years. These angels taught Dee and Kelley the original language spoken by Adam and Eve, which the angels called the Enochian language \u2013 which doesn\u2019t make any sense, since Enoch was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Adam (yes, that\u2019s FOUR great\u2019s). This language even had an alphabet, which was faithfully recorded by the two magicians, which they translated into English: The Enochian alphabet   So what does this have to do with the Enochian Tarot? In the beginning of the Enochian Tarot book, there are a series of tables which set up how to use the deck. Each card is a combination of letters and each combination of letters is a mathematical equation. Most of it is simple numerology. Once I started really looking at the tables, it all made sense but it really seemed quite tedious and not very well written. There\u2019s a lot in the book. There\u2019s descriptions and meanings for every card. There\u2019s two appendixes and a section outlining a Two-Week Study Guide for Tarot, a Four-Week Advanced Study Guide, and a Master of Tarot course, \u201cdesigned for the individual who wishes to practice the Enochian Tarot on a professional basis.\u201d (268). That\u2019s not me but the study guides are invaluable to anyone wishing to become a better reader of any kind of Tarot or Oracle card. There\u2019s also a section of Tarot spreads \u2013 eight spreads in all, including the Celtic Cross and two spreads that were designed specifically for the Enochian Tarot. I must say that for having sat on my shelf for ten years \u2013 after my initial reaction of \u201cyuck!\u201d \u2013 I now have a better appreciation of both the deck and the book \u2013 most especially the appendixes and the study guides. If you happen to come across The Enochian Tarot, check it out. References Schueler, Gerald & Betty. The Enochian Tarot: A New System of divination for the New Age. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1989. Hill, Bryan. \u201cEnochian: The Mysterious Lost Language of Angels\u201d. http:\/\/www.ancient-origins.net\/artifacts-ancient-writings\/enochian-mysterious-lost-language-angels-003100 Ager, Simon. \u201cEnochian Alphabet\u201d. http:\/\/omniglot.com\/writing\/enochian.htm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12527\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}