26. THE ADOLESCENT OF FIRE: “THE INITIATE”

“A true initiation never ends”---Robert Anton Wilson 

“Thunder roar and lightning crack

Snakes of fire dance up and down my back

A long, long road is behind me now

Too late to be afraid of the

choice that I have made

But there's one thing I know

Where my spirit says to go,

you know that's where I must go

When the golden ray

Of the dawn signifies a new day

Initiation”---Todd Rundgren

The adolescent of fire is preparing to encounter her first life alteration; she waits, breathless at the entrance.  Her hair is adorned with sunflowers and a veil and is dressed all in white; she carries two lit candles to the boundary before initiation.

INTERPRETATION: 

All of the adolescents should be considered as being in the state of being a terrible teen.  They are grown up in some ways and still innocent of experience in the world. 

The adolescent of earth, “the RUNAWAY” is changing every moment and this means that he can never catch his breath.  He doesn’t like the state he is in and thinks that to runaway is his only option. He may appear to trust you but when your back is turn he runs away again.

The adolescent of fire, “the INITIATE” has prepared herself to go into the next part of her life.  Her elders have told her what to expect but not how to feel about it. Only when she finally experiences her initiation will she finally know. She trusts only her experiences.

The adolescent of water, “the PIRATE” is quite self-indulgent, the whole world revolves around him and he thinks nothing of taking what he wants.  This narrow view of the world leads him into doing some petty crimes so to get what he wants.  He is not to be trusted as he will have a convincing act.

The adolescent of air, “the JAILER” feels out of control mentally, constantly worrying about everything.  Since she cannot control her own mind to concentrate, she tries to entrap others to try and control what others think.  She will lie to get people to do what she wants them to and if you can catch her with her true face on you will see how truly manipulative she is. She will try to gain your trust, but tell her as little as possible.

While adulthood beckons, the adolescent yearns to be over that threshold [to be old enough to do the things that are forbidden to her now] and may not be able to understand what giving up her childhood really means, only to fully comprehend it once over the threshold into young adulthood.  This is why many young adults cherish their childhood films, heroes and toys.  Walk down the hall at a university dorm and you will notice how many images that decorate those rooms that are in fact the icons from the students’ childhoods.

This tarot embraces the anticipatory energies around the moments of chosen or inevitable initiation---whether it is from a first kiss or joining a club or from a first deepening crack of the voice, this is all about the the exciting but somewhat fearful moments of waiting for it to begin.

Also realise that initiations do not change the adolescent all at once, rather gradually, so there really is no magic number or future time that will mean that the initiate has developed into a full-fledged member of the group.  It will happen naturally, but not immediately at the point of initiation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmPDoNrGWng&NR=1

The initiate yearns for experiential knowledge.  She does not yet realise there are many more levels to mastery than she had anticipated.  Her innocent musings will turn out to be something other than she’d imagined.

When you meet the Adolescent of Fire, you will notice her tendency to wear many unusual accessories that may remind you of many diverse religious traditions.  She is polite, especially to her elders.  She acts before she thinks because her excitement and inspiration tends to overshadow her reasoning processes. The initiate may be in the process of looking for a mentor or guru and she has yet to realise she possesses all the guidance she requires within. 

When you encounter this tarot, the Initiate could represent you or someone in your life or that your life will be going through an initiation of sorts shortly.  This card is fleetingly creative so you may start some new projects, but may not complete them all.  It reminds you to play and to enjoy this experience. 

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.

Best Wishes, 

Gabrielle Elliot, 2011 

60. III. Our Lady of the Streets

Just completed the latest tarot, this image is dedicated to my dear friend Marj who is the model.  This card would be called "The Empress" traditionally.  Interpretation to follow later...

25. THE CHILD OF FIRE: “THE RESEARCHER”

"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"

--- Albert Einstein

Naive but curious about all new experiences, this tarot is motivated to quickly gather facts and data and then act upon the findings

Pictured on this tarot is a small child enthralled with his birthday cake.  It literally makes his eyes pop out of his head with excitement. He investigates it looking at it through a magnification lens, smells it, touches it, tastes it and quickly decides [represented by the ticking TNT time bomb on his head and the fireworks in the background] that he should eat it...all.  His quick decision will come back to haunt him in the form of a tummy ache in the end.  Still this is the way he learns.  His mother could have told him that he would feel ill if he ate too much cake, but until he actually experienced the discomfort of the over-full stomach he would not really understand it.

INTERPRETATION: The Child of each suit represents each element in their purest form, stripped down to its most basic state---

The child of earth, “the LOVER” knows only how to love, to touch, to embrace...she is a rare treasure.  She knows for certain that love is all and that a hug will heal most hurts. 

The child of fire, “the RESEARCHER” knows only that he must experience to make sense of the world around him...he seems to be quite brave.  He knows that he still has a lot to learn and is not afraid to learn new things.

The child of water, “the SAVIOUR” knows only how to give...she is precious inspiration.  She only touches people’s hearts and gives herself.

The child of air, “the DREAMER” knows more about his imaginative self than his physical world.  It is hard for him to determine which is real and which is imagined, both will seem equally valid to this child.

The Child of fire is compiling all the information, experience and energy he can before proceeding on his path.  He is growing ready to begin the figuring out the world around him but because his experiences are limited he will unfortunately too-quickly make conclusions without having all the information he needs.  He is in great danger of jumping to conclusions and reacting in ways that me will have to change in the near future and have to apologize for creating chaos or hurt.

If you have a big decision to make and this tarot appears in you reading, go back to the problem and look at it from all different angles and get advice.  Just now you need more information before doing anything. 

The main danger in the tarot is too act or react too quickly to something that is very important and/or affects many people along with you.  While this tarot has a natural curiosity of the world and no fear of making a mistake so engenders a bravery that is absolutely backed up with a sense of either confidently secure in its knowledge of the situation or a sense of the moral high ground...there is a risk of acting before you should.  Please bear this in mind before acting.

Positively any experience that comes does teach meaningful lessons that are applied immediately so they never happen again, whether this tarot represents you or someone in your life.  Just try to keep in mind that it is OK to make mistakes so long as you can afford to make them.

When you meet the Researcher, you may notice how he seems to consume his environment, processing all for future reference.  You might notice that he carries a notebook and often retires to quiet corners to jot down notes even when in the company of a large number of persons or is constantly using a hand held device, like a smart phone, for the self-same reason.  You will know him for he will ask you to quote your sources.        He may wear spectacles pushed down to the end of his nose and look at you over the top rim as he talks.  He will likely be untidy or dressed without trend.

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.

Best Wishes,

Gabrielle Elliot, ©2011