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...presents...
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ARCANA ARCANORUM:
THE PLAYING-CARD ORACLE __
/ \ __
Guaranteed Absolutely Without a Doubt to Work / /\ \ / \
/ ____ \/ /\ \
written by / / \ \____ \
the Prophet ALOYSIUS /_/ /\_\ \ \
/_/ \_\
Transcribed from his own tongue and fingers
into the tongue of ASCII
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ORIGINS
ARCANA ARCANORUM came about on one summer's day when I was lazily
pondering (as I often do) about the Universe. Surely, there must be
some truth to the Tarot and similar methods Divination: they have
been around for millennia; this proves that there must be something to
them. I am a mathematician by trade, and it occurred to me that the
divining power lies not in the Cards themselves, but in the fabric of
space-time.
Statistical laws imply that a deck, properly shuffled, will yield
the same chance of a given Card being drawn. But the key to this
axiom is that this is true -- but it is a law of averages; if you draw
a Card from a deck ten thousand times, you'll find that each Card has
roughly the same chances of being drawn. Equilibrium is the key; the
key to Equilibrium is number. The key to Divination, I found, is in
the Cards that are chosen at first. The Universe is forced to average
the selection of a Card out with large numbers of drawings; but for
small numbers, the Universe has a method to communicate with us, the
sentient beings inside Her womb, waiting to be born.
It dawned on me then that the deck of Cards (Tarot, Thoth, etc.)
-- nay, even the method of Divination -- is irrelevant. Whether you
are throwing sticks on the ground, picking Cards from an ornately-
decorated deck, or casting rune-inscribed dried clay markers, the
effects are the same. The power to divine is in the person, not in
the divining instrument.
Thus came my Illumination: Why use a deck of Tarot Cards? Why
cast runes? Why throw sticks and consult a chart? If it is true that
the Diviner is important and not the medium, then it is unimportant
which medium actually is used, and all things will return to
Equilibrium, as they always have and always will.
Hence ARCANA ARCANORUM, the Playing-Card Tarot, was born. If
medium is not the message after all, then why not use a very simple,
easy-to-understand, easily-obtained, inexpensive one? That is, the
average deck of playing Cards that can be bought in any store.
THE DECK
The deck of the ARCANA ARCANORUM, like any other Divination method,
has peculiarities that warrant further discussion.
The deck is divided into four suits: the Spades, the Diamonds,
the Clubs, and Hearts. Hereafter, the Spades will be known as Power;
the Diamonds as Materiality; the Clubs as Spirituality; and the Hearts
as Love.
Also, each suit is divided into thirteen ranks: Ace through King.
Each Card has a different meaning in ARCANA ARCANORUM. The Ace of a
suit has the meaning of that suit -- for instance, the Ace of Diamonds
means materiality. In general, the Two through the Ten indicate the
concept of that suit to a lessening degree: That is, the Two of
Spades has the meaning gain, while the Ten of Spades has the meaning
defeat. The Face Cards (that is, the Jack, the Queen, and the King)
each have meanings unrelated to this simple chain of degree (as often
does life).
Optionally one may insert two Jokers into the deck; these will be
called Trumps. They should be distinguishable from each other. One
Trump will be referred to as Life; the other as Death.
THE CARDS
EIGHT OF DIAMONDS -- FEAR. That which will end us all if not put into
its proper place.
TWO OF HEARTS (or THE LOVERS) -- INVOLVEMENT. The meeting and joining
of two souls.
EIGHT OF HEARTS -- OBSESSION. Love taken for itself; love for another
in spite of the other. Love is the sharing of two souls, not the
stealing of one.
THE DIVINATION
The Divination is the manner in which meaning and context are brought
to a set of Cards. There are many different types of Divination with
ARCANA ARCANORUM -- no method is "better" than any other (however,
some are better at answering certain questions than others). A few
different types are detailed below.
It is probably best to use a fresh deck of Cards with each new
subject.
Divinations usually revolve around a question asked by the
subject. "What will be the outcome of this situation?" is a common
thread.
A given Divination usually involves laying down the Cards in a
certain array, attributing meaning to each position which holds a
Card. Thus, one position might signify oneself; another might signify
the future of oneself. The meaning of each Card is applied to the
position it falls in.
Divination is more of an art than anything else. The Diviner must
key in on kinesic clues that would normally be invisible to anyone
else. The meaning a Card might be positive or negative: it might
refer to an abundance or a dearth of something. The Diviner must
decide what, and draw everything together into a coherent whole.
The method of Divination is incidental; any method will work. The
one chosen should reflect what the question is dealing with, and the
subject.
THE SIGNIFICATOR
+----+
| |
| 10 |
+----+ | |
| | +----+
| 3. |
| | Significator +----+
+----+ / and 1. | |
/ | 9. |
+----+ +----+ +----+ | |
| | +------+ | | +----+
| 5. | | 2. | | 6. |
| | +------+ | | +----+
+----+ +----+ +----+ | |
| 8. |
+----+ | |
| | +----+
| 4. |
| | +----+
+----+ | |
| 7. |
1. This covers one. | |
2. This crosses one. +----+
3. This crowns one.
4. This is beneath one.
5. This is behind one.
6. This is before one.
7. Oneself.
8. One's environment -- family, friends.
9. One's hopes and fears.
10. The culmination of all preceding influences; the outcome.
+----+ +----+
| | | |
| 1. | | 4. |
Subject's | | | |
Significator +----+ +----+
\
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | 2. | | 7. | | 5. | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
\
+----+ +----+ Object's
| | | | Significator
| 3. | | 6. |
| | | |
+----+ +----+
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