Karmic Tarot: A Profound System for Finding and Following Your Life's Path

385 Pages·2002·3.66 MB·English

by  William C. Lammey

Chapter Title Here Please 1
Third Edition
Karmic Tarot
A Profound System for Finding and Following Your
Life’s Path
By
William C. Lammey
NEW PAGE BOOKS
A division of The Career Press, Inc.
Franklin Lakes, NJ
2
Copyright © 2002 by William C. Lammey
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means elec-
tronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from
the publisher, The Career Press.
The interpretations of the Tarot represented in this volume have been developed over
many years of research, study, and teaching by the author. However, this book is not in-
tended to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any physical or spiritual malady, nor is it intended in
any way a replacement for medical or psychological consultation when needed. The au-
thor and publisher of this book do not guarantee the efficacy of any of the methods herein
described. Questions regarding permission to use this material for teaching purposes should
be directed to the author in care of the publisher.
Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck reproduced by permission of U.S. Games
Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright © 1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Further reproduction prohibited. Charts by William C. Lammey.
KARMIC TAROT
Edited and typeset by Nicole DeFelice
Cover design by The Visual Group
Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lammey, William C.
Karmic tarot : a profound system for finding and following your life’s path / Bill Lammey.—3rd edition.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56414-543-3 (pbk.)
1. Tarot. I. Title
BF1879.T2 L35 2002
‘
133.3 2424—dc21
2001052176
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the fortunate people whose lives are touched by the transfor-
mative wisdom and power of the Tarot.
To you, the reader, may these pages contribute to healthy, steady growth on your
spiritual path and reveal the counselor, the confidant, waiting for you in Karmic Tarot.
Acknowledgments
How books come to be written is a magical process. Much of that magic comes in the
form of concrete assistance from family, friends, associates, and even strangers. We are
each other’s guardian angels, crossing paths with the people who carry the appropriate
message and offer the timely assistance for the lessons trying to reach us.
Our progress comes from everyone and everything we encounter daily. But, I want to
cite the strategic events and thank the extraordinary people who brought me to this point
on my path.
This book was originally published in 1987 by publisher Al Saunders at Newcastle
Press. When I began writing it in 1985, I was still a practicing architect and bookstore owner.
The mid-80’s was a difficult time in Houston, with the double impact of a crumbling oil-
dominated economy depriving many people of their livelihood, and the ravages of AIDS
depriving many of their lives.
My days, which had been occupied with business, working toward a vague something in
the future, opened to the immediacy of the problems and pain in my community. Ironi-
cally, my long-time fascination with eastern philosophy, in particular Zen Buddhism and
Taoism, moved from the intellectual realm into the hard pragmatism of everyday life.
I had been reading Tarot cards for myself and those close to me since moving to Hous-
ton from Brussels, Belgium in 1972. With the recession and my architecture practice dead
in the water, I was spending more time in the bookstore and customers began asking me
questions about the books I was selling. To my surprise and pleasure, I found myself able to
answer many of those questions. And, to even greater surprise, many people asked me to
read the Tarot for them.
In the fall of 1985 I accepted an invitation to do Tarot readings at the Renaissance
Festival in Magnolia, Texas. The intensity of that six-week event became a crucible in which
I received countless revelations about the origin and meaning of the Tarot. In reading
after reading, layer after layer of new insights came to me. One of those insights was that
the exchange of knowledge between the reader and the querent/readee is always equal.
The reader also learns in every reading. So my first thanks must go to the people I read for
on those cold weekends in Magnolia.
Thankfully, this book is now moving into its third edition. Rarely is an author given the
opportunity to clarify, much less add to, his original intentions. I was blessed with Kelly
Younger as editor of the first edition. She was the perfect balance of nurturing and disci-
pline that this overly sensitive, neophyte writer desperately needed.
I will ever be thankful to the editors of the second edition—Ed Buryn and Gina Rene
Gross, and the designer Michele Lance-Altomare. They added a maturity and commercial
consideration missing in the original.
Of special importance to any writer is the environment in which he lives and works. I am
fortunate to live in Austin, Texas where daily experience enriches everything I write about.
Friends and family here are a constant inspiration and support.
Everyone I have ever read the Tarot for is in me somewhere, especially those who have
studied with me. Two students in particular, Pat Morgan and Lee Sabrsula McGroty, have
been indefatigable Karmic Tarot enthusiasts and have woven its lessons into the fabric of
their lives and the lives of their own students.
Now, with this new edition from Career Press/New Page Books, I am able to go even
further in providing the reader with more pragmatic tools for using the Tarot. The edi-
tors—Mike Lewis (Acquistions), Stacey Farkas (Managing), and Nicole DeFelice (Copy)—
have made me a better writer, and Karmic Tarot a better book. Nicole’s immersion into the
minutist details of the original book was extraordinary, enabling me to clarify and hone my
intended message, especially in the more complex philosophical passages. I could not have
asked for more. Thank you, editors.
Chapter Title Here Please 5
Contents
Foreword by Jacquelyn Small 7
Preface 9
PART ONE: PRINCIPLE
Chapter One:
Introduction 13
Chapter Two:
Karma and Tarot 17
Chapter Three:
The Karmic Spread 23
Chapter Four:
The Four Rows of the Karmic Spread: The Planes 29
Chapter Five:
The Seven Columns of the Karmic Spread: The Stages 35
Chapter Six:
The Positions in the Karmic Spread 47
Chapter Seven:
Definitions of the Major Arcana 67
Chapter Eight:
Definitions of the Minor Arcana 81
PART TWO: PRACTICE
Chapter Nine:
The Nature of Readings 115
Chapter Ten:
Karmic Spread Reading Interpretations 127
6 Karmic Tarot
Chapter Eleven:
A Classic Spread: The Celtic Cross 349
Chapter Twelve:
Tarot as Life Guide and Ongoing Study 353
Chapter Thirteen:
Memorable Reading Experiences 359
Appendix 365
Glossary 374
Endnotes 378
Reference Guide 382
List of Charts
Chart 1: Karmic Spread Positions (with governing Major Arcana cards) 27
Chart 2: Correlations of the Four Horizontal Rows: The Planes 33
Chart 3: Correlations of the Seven Vertical Columns: The Stages 37
Chart 3A: Aspects of Consciousness for the Seven Stages 39
Chart 3B: Color and Sound for the Seven Stages 42
Chart 4: Karmic Spread Position Definitions - A Summary 63
Chart 4A: Karmic Spread Positions Through the Seven Stages 65
Chart 5: A Summary of Major Arcana Meanings 79
Chart 6: A Summary of Minor Arcana Meanings (Pips) 109
Chart 6A: A Summary of Minor Arcana Meanings (Courts) 111
Chart 7: The 3432 System-Reading Record Master Sheet 358
Foreword 7
Foreword
I am deeply moved and gratified by Bill Lammey’s work on Tarot. It is a comprehensive
synthesis of Tarot symbolism with certain fundamental philosophies in the areas of human
consciousness research and transpersonal psychology. As a student and teacher of
transpersonal psychology, the Tarot has been especially significant to me, both personally
and professionally, during my own journey into the depths of the Self. Tarot is the meta-
physical system that has given me the key to understanding and transcribing portions of
“the mystery of the Self” in my work. I honor its wisdom, its humor, and its incredible
accuracy. But the Tarot requires an interpreter who is highly trained in the intuition and
integrity of The Higher Self for its wisdom to fully materialize. Bill Lammey is such an
interpreter, and he evidences high degrees of understanding in this excellent work of
synthesis and correspondences. I began reading Tarot cards when I was a child. The first
time I “connected” with a Tarot deck was one of my first mystical experiences. There was a
familiarity I could not explain. It was as though I was reconnecting with a very old friend! I
carried the cards around with me for a while and would lay out spreads spontaneously
when I needed guidance. Along with going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays and
praying to Jesus, I now also consulted The Hermit, The Emperor, The High Priestess, and
The Hierophant when I needed help. The Star and The Sun held special importance for
me, as they always told me when I was “right on.” (Later, I learned I am a Leo Sun sign with
Aquarian Moon and Aquarius Rising, which correlate with The Sun and The Star.) I did
not know this at the time, but what I had done was to find a way to connect with my essence
through the symbolic energies of these powerful cards.
Then, one day when I was in my teens, a cousin of a friend of mine was visiting and
informed me quite dramatically that the Tarot was “evil.” I was shocked! But being a
compliant Baptist, I promptly put them away, feeling confused and somewhat embar-
rassed. It was not until 1974, when I met a Hermetic philosophy teacher/initiate, that I
again came upon this symbolic system of ancient wisdom. Under her tutelage I studied
metaphysical systems, including Tarot, and I re-experienced that feeling of familiarity. I
became a Tarot reader myself, but have reserved its use for special times and for people
passing through chaos during those moments of great inner change.
I recognize the Major Arcana as a source of understanding the archetypal energies
available to the Self and necessary for the Self to attain in order to become fully human in
(cid:138) 7 (cid:138)
8 Karmic Tarot
this realm. The powers of the Self, the laws of the universe, and the stages of initiation
every soul must undergo to return to its Source are all profoundly made personal through
the symbols of the Tarot. I am excited about the current merging of ancient wisdom, mod-
ern science, and psychology that gives access once again to this system of universal truth.
Karmic Tarot is not only a sourcebook of ancient wisdom but a transformative journey
that will touch the very core of your psyche. Bill Lammey’s knowledge of metaphysics and
psychology is impressive. It is accurately transcribed according to the laws of correspon-
dence and parsimony that determine uncontaminated thinking and the movement toward
wholeness—which both science and the mystical tradition adhere to.
As spirituality and science become unified again, the use of symbols as a way to connect
with truth is becoming more accepted, even within the mainstream of psychology. Symbols
are containers of meaning and energy. They can accelerate the process of awakening that
automatically becomes activated in the psyche once you make contact with the true Self
that is the core of your being. “Seeing is believing” is more true than you realize. What you
believe, modern physics teaches us, becomes your reality! And when you “see” a thing, or
“see through” a situation, you come to the light of truth that was buried under the web of
illusion you have woven around your experiences here on earth. Tarot will teach you the
incredible transformative power of the symbolic world, the world Plato considered real.
As you study the characters and situations in the cards, you will notice that certain
ones will present themselves to you over and over during particular phases of your circum-
stances, as though they are trying to tell you something. These constantly recurring visitors
can become your teachers, or your symbols for meditation, to be used for guidance or for
power. Over time, the recurring symbols will change and others will assume dominance in
your readings. You will be able to see progress, lessons learned or failed, illusions becoming
less powerful, warnings, pats on the back, and other types of messages containing wisdom
beyond your ego’s ability to “see.” The cards will give you a broader view than the one most
of us usually live with. All of this is available with a comprehensive system like Tarot when
you have an interpreter like Bill Lammey, who operates from a deep intuitive understand-
ing of the wholeness of the Self and its entire journey through time. Bill is not an “exo-
teric” teacher (one who only teaches on the surface), but an “esoteric” teacher—one who
is tapped in to the mysteries of the Self and its journey.
Once I had a vision of how Tarot came to be. I saw that people were being punished and
tortured for being carriers of wisdom. The world had become fearful of truth, and of the
power of responsibility we feel when we realize “the God within.” So one day a representa-
tive of each spiritual school met in secret and placed the seeds of their wisdom into a
simple deck of playing cards. These cards retained all the archetypal wisdom of the ages in
a picture story that tells of the hero’s journey, the story of the prodigal son, the ancient
mariner, the traveler through the realms, the descent and ascent of the soul, the pilgrim.
They had found a way to store their oral traditions until they could be brought out in a safe
and accepting world of the future. Whether or not this vision is truth or fiction, I know that
the Tarot (Rota, Tora) becomes symbolic of the “wheel of life” that transcends the reli-
gious dogma or psychological reductionism by honoring all paths. I think we now have a
safe environment in the world for these truths to emerge and blossom again.
Our possibilities as humans sharing an incredible experience together here on earth
are told by the cards. I hope you will get to know them. Each card will teach you who and
what is, and how it came to be.
– Jacquelyn Small, author Transformers/Personal Transformation: The Way Through
Chapter Title Here Please 9
Preface
The Tarot is most widely known for throwing the cards and doing a reading. Less
widely appreciated is the value of studying the meanings of the cards and their relation-
ships within the deck. For here is a record of the archetypal principles underlying the
world’s major philosophies and religions—the truths, the blueprints, for a successful ten-
ure on Earth. Even if you never did a reading, time spent with these 78 cards will operate
within your psyche to guide you.
The book is organized into two parts. Part One is devoted to Principle and Part Two to
Practice. You may read either part first. The novice may want to begin with Part Two, which
will enable him to begin reading virtually immediately, later returning to Part One for more
in-depth study. This separation makes the book an on-going reference tool for the more
experienced reader as well.
Here is what lies ahead:
Part One—Principle
Chapter One: Introduction
What the Tarot is in general and where it came from, followed by a definition of what
Karmic Tarot is specifically.
Chapter Two: Karma and Tarot
What Karma really is and how we can see and study its effect using the Tarot.
Chapter Three: The Karmic Spread
This spread, derived from and representing the structure of the Tarot deck and the
meanings of the cards themselves, is defined. The concept of Karma is shown at work in the
Tarot, strengthening the ability of a reading to help us “find our way.”
Chapter Four: The Four Rows of the Karmic Spread: The Planes
The four aspects of self—the physical, the emotional, the mental, and the spiritual—
are corresponded with the four Minor Arcana suits and numerous other concepts to
broaden the reader’s understanding.
(cid:138) 9 (cid:138)