Sihr Mandala Tarot

[ Overview | Layout | Shorthand | Cards ]

Overview

32 cards comprise the Sondershausen Expedition tarot deck. In this version of the tarot, there is no sense of Natural or Reversed; rather, both meanings -- and others -- are present in each card. The tarot is not meant to reveal the future, but rather, to reveal what is hidden. Revelations can be enlightening, informative, profitable, and dangerous.

The Lessons of the Tarot are as follows:

I. Some things are not meant to be seen.
II. Only the present is sure.
III. The Tarot does not care if you believe in it or not.

The implications of these are straightforward:

  1. It is up to you to avoid seeing that which you should not see. But then, those who risk nothing, gain nothing.
  2. The past is open to interpretation, and the future is in flux. Nothing, other than the moment of reading the cards, is certain.
  3. The tarot may show you things you do not wish to see. Or concentrate on things you find unimportant. To the tarot, at this moment, they are what they will show you.

Layout

Of the 32 cards, 20 are laid out. In keeping with the first rule, all 20 cards are laid face down, and except those who are most desperate, 8 are never revealed.

The layout is as follows: 12 cards are laid out in a circle. These cards are at Infinity, or the Otherlands. The Infinity is where the future comes from and where the past goes to. The circle does not represent the Beyond where we go when we die. If the Beyond is but a step away from where we live today, then Infinity is many leagues over the horizon beyond that.

In the center of the circle is where we are. No card goes there: the tarot is not concerned with the present.

Four spokes come in from the circle, from the clockpoints 12, 3, 6, and 9. Two cards are laid on each arm. The result looks vaguely like the following.

      XII      
    XI D I    
  X   C   II  
IX H G -- E F III
  VIII   A   IV  
    VII B V    
      VI      

"--" marks the center, or the present. Cards are placed facedown at I-XII and A-H.

From here, we can see that A and B are waypoints of our past, as motivated by the Infinity at point VI. Our most immediate future lies along C and D, leading eventually to XII. Two possible futures are E and F, leading to III; and G and H, leading to IX.

Remember the First Rule: while it may be enlightening to know more, revealing more cards can bring unseen results. A conservative reading only shows A, B, and VI. A typical reading goes on to show C, D, and XII. Those thirsting for knowledge might explore a side path, and those heedless of danger will explore both. Only madmen look at all 20 cards: cards I, II, IV, V, VII, VIII, X, and XI are called the Cards of Insanity, for only the insane or the desperate look at them.

Shorthand

When writing down a reading, a shorthand is used. First, the spoke's number: XII, III, VI, and IX. Then, the two cards along the spoke: "A" refers to the card closest to the center, and "B" to the middle card.

Cards

The cards themselves are unordered.

Dave Leung (Hans Zim) Tue Jan 7 23:34:34 EST 2003