Founding father Benjamin Franklin sought to live his life based on 13 virtues. He even kept a chart to record which virtues he was actually living by on a weekly basis. Tracking and reflecting on these traits could help you lead a more virtuous life.
For a large portion of his life, he carried around a card in his pocket with seven columns (for the days of the week) and 13 rows on it for the virtues, trying to keep them front of mind in his actions.
Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues:
Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation, as he put it.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself.
Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting benefits that are your duty.
Moderation: Avoid extremes.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 into a family of very modest means. Today, they’d probably be called lower middle class at best. His parents had just enough money to send him to school for a couple of years in hope that he could eventually join the clergy, but by the age of 10, he was done with school. He was a print shop apprentice by the age of 12, climbing around on printing presses, sorting letters, mixing ink, and all of the other tasks needed to keep a printing press running.
From that humble background, Franklin became a highly successful printer, a well known writer, a scientist, a politician, and a diplomat, among the many other hats he wore. During those efforts, he accumulated enough wealth to effectively retire independently wealthy in his forties, and he largely devoted the rest of his life to public service (and his individual interests). He was such a towering figure in the American Revolution that he was deservedly called the “first American,” and his light shines brightly even today.
Even to this day, Franklin’s “Autobiography” is a splendid read. You can get a nice pocket edition of it for just a few dollars, check it out at your library for free, or download it and read it electronically for free. No matter how you read it, I highly recommend you do so, as it’s an insightful book about an amazing person.
One of the things that has really stood out to me each time I’ve read his autobiography is the fact that he attributed most of his success (beyond that of luck) to practicing 13 core life virtues, to the best of his ability. He believed that by living those virtues, he had done everything he could to put himself in a position to be on the good side of the unexpected events of life.
He actually had an incredible system for working on those virtues, which I want to talk about today.
Ben Franklin’s ‘virtue cards’
For a large portion of Franklin’s life, he carried around a card in his pocket that depicted a simple table with seven columns and 13 rows on it.
Each column on this card represented a day of the week — Monday through Sunday. Each row on this card represented one of 13 virtues that he wanted to work on.
During the day, he might glance at these virtues a time or two to keep them fresh in his mind. At the end of each day, however, he’d pull out a pen and go through those virtues, asking himself if he’d actually practiced them during the day and marking the box if he had done so. His goal was to fill in as many boxes as possible, and each week, he would start anew with a fresh blank chart.
That wasn’t all. Not all of the charts were identical. In fact, he had 13 variations of the charts, which he cycled through every 13 weeks. On the top of each variation of the card was listed one virtue, which was the main one he wanted to practice that week, along with a brief description of that virtue.
For example, one week, he might really focus on frugality, while the next week might particularly focus on temperance. He’d reflect on and record his success with all 13 virtues each day, but he would intentionally focus on just one virtue each week.
You can download a generic duplicate of his virtue card (without the specific focus for the week) here.
A final key part of his practice is that he’d review the cards as a whole at the end of each week, evaluating which virtues were successful that week, which ones were not, and which areas really needed focus and improvement in his life. He’d also review them as a set, and thus with 13 cards to review, that roughly covers three months of living. A larger review like this — a “quarterly review” if you will — can point you to some larger patterns along your path to becoming a better person.
Over time, these virtues became more and more ingrained in his character. He found himself naturally practicing them more than he once did, which made him into a more well-rounded and successful person and a better participant in society, which he attributed to being a healthy part of the success that he found in almost every attribute of life.
So what were these 13 virtues?
Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues
Here are the virtues that Franklin tracked and reflected upon each day. His goal was to improve himself with regard to each virtue so that over time he was a better person in that regard, and by being a better overall person, he was more open to life’s opportunities.
Temperance
Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
This one’s pretty simple. Eat until you’re not hungry any more rather than stuffing yourself, don’t eat just for entertainment’s sake or for boredom’s sake, and stop drinking when it begins to impair your judgment and sensibilities. It’s about self-regulating what you put into your body and making the conscious choice to put in only enough for good living.
Silence
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
The Egyptian pantheon is full of many deities, each with its own significance, myths and symbolism. Some of these beings goes through several transformations between the different Egyptian kingdoms, which can make it confusing to identify them. In this article, we cover 25 of the most popular gods of ancient Egypt, and why they’re important.
Ra
Ra is one of the most famous gods of ancient Egypt. He was both the sun god and was the main deity in Egypt by the Fifth Dynasty or around 25th and 24th centuries BCE. Ra was also believed to be Egypt’s first pharaoh back when gods roamed the Earth with people. As a result, he is also worshipped as the god of order and kings. After his ascension, Ra was said to cross the sky on his ship or “solar barge” as the sun, setting in the west every evening and traveling the underworld, Duat, in order to rise in the East again in the morning. During Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, Ra was also often affiliated and combined with other deities such as Osiris and Amun.
Osiris
Osiris took over the world from Ra when the latter grew old and ascended to the heavens. Osiris was the son of Geb and Nut and was a wise and just pharaoh – he taught the people of Egypt how to farm and how to build large cities. Legend says, however, that he was eventually betrayed by his jealous brother Set, who tricked him into lying in a golden coffin. Set killed Osiris and cut him into pieces as he was in the coffin. And even though Osiris’ wife Isis eventually managed to resurrect him and make him into the first mummy, Osiris wasn’t fully alive anymore. Since then, he became the god of the underworld where he judged the souls of the dead.
Isis
Isis was the sister and wife of Osiris and the goddess of magic, and is often portrayed with large wings. In a popular myth, Isis poisoned Ra with a snake, and would only heal him if he revealed his true name to her. After he told her his name, she healed him and removed the poison, but she had become powerful with the knowledge of his name and could manipulate him to do anything.
In one version, Isis used her power to force Ra to move further away from the world, as his tremendous heat was killing everything in it. In the other version, she used the power to miraculously fall pregnant from the mummified Osiris.
After Osiris’ death at the hands of Set, Isis managed to resurrect her husband and he then retired to rule over the Underworld. Isis encouraged their son Horus to avenge his father by battling Set. Portrayed as a beautiful winged woman, Isis was worshipped as a clever and ambitious goddess as well as a loving spouse.
Set
The brother of Osiris and father of Anubis, Set or Seth is a god with a mixed reputation. He has always been worshipped as the god of the desert, storms, and foreign lands but he used to be viewed positively by the ancient Egyptians. For a long time, he was believed to ride the sky with Ra on his solar barge every day, protecting him from the armies of the evil serpent, Apep.
In the days of Osiris, however, the legend of Set killing his brother and usurping his throne became prevalent in Egypt and turned the god’s reputation in a more negative direction. He began to be seen as an antagonist in the stories of Osiris and Horus.
Thoth
Thoth was worshipped as the god of wisdom, science, magic, and hieroglyphs in ancient Egypt. He was depicted as a man with the head of either an ibis bird or a baboon, as both animals were sacred to him.
Together with his wife Ma’at, Thoth was said to live on Ra’s solar barge and travel with him through the sky. While Thoth never got the “chief” role in Egypt’s pantheon the way Ra, Osiris, Set, Horus, and others did, Thoth was always revered as a vital god in Egyptian mythology.
Horus
The son of Osiris and Isis, and the nephew of Set, Horus is usually portrayed as a man with a falcon head. He’s worshipped as the god of the skies but also of kingship and remained the chief deity in the Egyptian pantheon until the era of Roman Egypt. In the oldest Egyptian myths, he was known as the tutelary or guardian deity in the Nekhen region of Upper Egypt but he eventually rose to the top of the Egyptian pantheon. After Horus’ uncle Set usurped the divine throne from Osiris, Horus battled and defeated Set, losing an eye in the process but also winning the throne. The Eye of Horus is an important symbol in itself, representing protection and guardianship.
Bast
It’s no secret that the ancient Egyptians used to worship cats. That’s largely because of how useful these pets were for them – they used to hunt snakes, scorpions, and other nasty pests that plagued the Egyptian’s everyday lives. Often pictured as a cat or a lioness with jewels on her head and neck, and even a knife in her foot, Bast was the goddess of the Egyptians’ feline pets. She was also sometimes depicted as a woman with a cat’s head.
A protective goddess, Bast or Bastet, was the patron goddess of the city Bubastis. She was often connected with Sekhmet, another of Egypt’s protective goddesses. While the latter was portrayed as a warrior, however, Bast had a more subtle yet important protective role.
Sekhmet
Sekhmet, or Sachmis, was a warrior goddess and a goddess of healing in Egyptian mythology. Like Bast, she was often portrayed with a lioness’ head but was a much more war-loving deity. She was particularly viewed as the protector of pharaohs in battle and she was the one that would carry the pharaohs to the afterlife if they died in battle. This puts her in a somewhat similar position to that of Odin’s valkyries in Norse mythology.
Bast, on the other hand, was more of a common people’s goddess which is likely why she is the more famous of the two today.
Amun
Amun or Amon is a major Egyptian deity, typically worshipped as the creator god in Egyptian mythology and the patron god of the city of Thebes. He is a part of the Ogdoad, the pantheon of 8 major deities in the city of Hermopolis. He gained a much wider national importance later on when Egypt was unified and Amun became “fused” with the sun god Ra, from then on worshipped as Amun-Ra or Amon-Ra.
After Alexander the Great conquered large swathes of the Middle East and Egypt, in many of the territories with mixed Greek and Egyptian influences Amun started being identified with Zeus and worshipped as Zeus Ammon. Together with Osiris, Amon-Ra is the most widely recorded Egyptian deity.
Amunet
Amunet, or Imnt, is one of the primordial deities of ancient Egypt. She’s the female counterpart of the god Amun and is also a part of the Ogdoad pantheon. The name “Amunet” was popularized by 20th century Hollywood movies as an Egyptian queen but she was actually one of the oldest Egyptian gods. Her name comes from the Egyptian feminine noun jmnt and means “The Hidden One”. This is similar to Amun’s name which also has a similar meaning but comes from the masculine jmn. Before Amun fused with Ra, he and Amunet were worshipped as a pair.
Anubis
Son of the “evil” god Set, Anubis is the god of funerals. Despite his relation to death, he was actually revered and loved by the Egyptians who were firm believers of life after death. Anubis was the one who helped Isis mummify and resurrect her husband Osiris after Set killed him. Anubis was also believed to care for every soul in the afterlife and prepare them for the Hall of Judgement where Osiris would judge their life and worth. Anubis wore the head of a jackal as the Egyptians associated these animals with the dead.
Ptah
Ptah is the husband of the warrior goddess Sekhmet and an ancient Egyptian deity of craftsmen and architects. He was also believed to be the father of the legendary sage Imhotep and the god Nefertem.
He was also worshipped as a creator god as he existed before the world itself and thought it into existence. As one of the oldest deities in Egypt, Ptah was the recipient of many other honors and epithets – the lord of truth, the master of justice, the lord of eternity, the begetter of the first beginning, and more.
Hathor
Hathor had many different roles in Egyptian mythology. She was portrayed either as a cow or as a woman with cow’s horns and a sun disk between them. That’s because in many legends she was believed to be Ra’s mother. At the same time, she acted as Ra’s feminine counterpart and as the Eye of Ra – the very sun disk which the sun god used against his enemies.
Her portrayal as a cow was actually flattering as cows were associated with maternal care. In other myths, however, she was also believed to be the mother of Horus instead of Isis. This is supported by her very name which in ancient Egyptian is read as ḥwt-ḥr or House of Horus.
Babi
A lesser known god, who was popular back then, and a somewhat amusing deity, Babi was the god of sexual aggression as well as Duat, the Underworld. Babi was portrayed as a baboon because he was the god of wild baboons, animals well-known for their aggressive tendencies. This puts him in contrast to Thoth for whom baboons are also sacred. However, while with Thoth baboons are associated with wisdom, the exact opposite is true for Babi. This god’s name translates as Bull of the baboons, i.e. the chief baboon.
Khonsu
The son of Amun and the goddess Mut, Khonsu was the god of the moon in ancient Egypt. His name translates to atraveler which likely refers to the moon traveling across the sky every night. Like Thoth, Khonsu was a god that marked the passage of time as the ancient Egyptians used the phases of the moon to mark time. He was also believed to play an instrumental role in the creation of all living things in the world.
Many deities in ancient Egypt came in pairs but were also important individually. However, Geb and Nut simply have to be talked about as one. Geb is the male god of the earth and Nut is the female goddess of the sky. He was often portrayed as a brown-skinned man, laying on his back while covered in rivers. Nut, on the other hand, was portrayed as a blue-skinned woman covered with stars stretching above Geb.
The two of them were siblings but were helplessly attracted to each other. The sun god Ra knew of a prophecy that Geb and Nut’s children would eventually overthrow him, so he tried his best to keep the two apart. Eventually, Nut had four or five children, depending on the myth, from Geb. These were Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys, with Horus often added as a fifth child. Naturally, the prophecy came true, and Osiris and Isis overthrew Ra and took his throne, followed by Set and then Horus.
Shu
Shu is one of the primordial gods in Egyptian mythology and he’s the embodiment of air and wind. He’s also the god of peace and lions, as well as the father of Geb and Nut. As the wind and air, it’s Shu’s job to keep Geb and Nut apart – a job he did well most of the time except whenever Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys were conceived.
Shu is one of the nine deities in the Ennead – or main pantheon – of Heliopolis cosmology. He and his wife/sister Tefnut are both children of the sun god Atum. The three of them are accompanied in the Ennead by their children Geb and Nut, their grandchildren Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys, and sometimes by Osiris and Isis’ son Horus.
Kek
In the Hermopolitan Ogdoad pantheon of Egyptian gods, Kek was the personification of cosmic darkness. His female name was Kauket and the two of them were often thought of as representing the night and day. The two of them were depicted as humans with various different animal heads. Kek often had the head of a snake while Kauket – the heads of either a cat or a frog.
Curiously enough, “kek” also has the modern meme meaning of “lol” in many message boards and is often connected with another meme – Pepe the Frog. While this connection was coincidental it has sparked a lot of interest in the ancient Egyptian deity.
Bes
Bes is a god most people are surprised to find in the Egyptian pantheon as he’s a dwarf. While we usually associate dwarves with Norse mythology, Bes was a very popular, albeit minor, deity in Egypt.
He was usually portrayed as a rather ugly person with a lion’s mane and a pug nose. He was a powerful protector of mothers and children, however, and was believed to scare off evil spirits. People in Egypt believed that those born with dwarfism were inherently magical and brought luck to the household.
Tawaret
Just as the Egyptians associated cows with motherly care and protection, they also thought the same of female hippos. They were afraid of hippos in general as the animals are overly aggressive but the Egyptians nevertheless recognized motherly care in that aggressiveness toward outsiders. That’s why it’s not surprising that the goddess protector of pregnant women Tawaret was portrayed as a female hippo.
Tawaret was portrayed as an upright female hippo with a big belly and often Egyptian royal headgear on her head. She was said to scare off evil spirits during pregnancies and childbirth just like Bes, and the two were thought of as a pair.
Nephthys
Nephthys is the least talked about of the four children of Geb and Nut as Osiris, Isis, and Set are much more well-known nowadays. She was the goddess of rivers and was very much beloved by the ancient desert-dwelling Egyptians.
Just as Osiris and Isis were married, so were Set and Nephthys. The god of desert lands and foreigners didn’t get along with his river goddess wife too well, however, so it’s no surprise that Nephthys helped Isis resurrect Osiris after Set killed him. She mothered Anubis, the god of funerals and mummification, and he too went against his father and helped in Osiris’ resurrection.
Nekhbet
One of the oldest deities in Egypt, Nekhbet was first a local vulture goddess in the city of Nekheb, later known as the city of the dead. She did eventually become the patron goddess of all of Upper Egypt, however, and after the kingdom’s unification with Lower Egypt, she was one of the two most honored gods in the entire kingdom.
As a vulture goddess, she was the goddess of the dead and the dying but was also the protector goddess of the pharaoh. She was often portrayed as hovering over him protectively rather than menacingly.
Wadjet
The corresponding patron deity of Lower Egypt to Upper Egypt’s Nekhbet, was Wadjet. She was a serpent goddess, often portrayed with the head of a snake. Pharaohs of Lower Egypt would wear the symbol of the rearing cobra called Uraeus on their crowns and that symbol would remain on royal headgear even after the unification of Egypt. In fact, the Eye of Ra sun disk symbol that emerged centuries later continued to feature two Uraeus cobras on the sides of the disk, in homage to Wadjet.
Sobek
The god of crocodiles and rivers, Sobek was often portrayed as a crocodile or a man with a crocodile head. As the fearsome river predators were a menace for many Egyptians, Sobek was often feared by the people of Egypt.
At the same time, however, he was also honored as the god of pharaohs in some cities and as a powerful military deity, likely because crocodile-infested waters would often stop advancing armies. Funnily enough, he was also a god of increased fertility – that’s likely because of crocodiles laying 40-60 eggs at a time. It was also said in some legends that the world’s rivers were created from Sobek’s sweat.
Menhit
Originally a Nubian war goddess, Menhit was portrayed as a woman with a lioness’ head and royal headgear. Her name translates to she who massacres. She was also sometimes depicted on pharaohs’ crowns instead of the traditional Uraeus symbol. That’s because she became known as a crown goddess after she was adopted by the Egyptians. Menhit also personified the brow of Ra and was sometimes identified with another feline war goddess Sekhmet, but the two were distinctly different.
Death continues to be one of the greatest fears of human society. Since the dawn of recorded history through the centuries of plague, pestilence, and meeting our own modern global pandemic, death has always been a worry. It marks the end of life and forces cosmic questions such as: What is the purpose of life? Is there an afterlife, and if an afterlife exists, how does someone guarantee his or her place in it? The ancient Egyptians definitely believed in an afterlife, but they also believed that the afterlife was not a guaranteed experience. The deceased must avoid dangers and pass tests to become justified in gaining admittance into paradise. To aid the deceased on his or her journey, the ancient Egyptians created fabulously detailed Books of the Dead with magic spells and practical advice divided into chapters. One of the finest chapter examples is the Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer. It records the most dramatic moments in one man’s journey to enter the ancient Egyptian afterlife. What follows is Hunefer’s story captured on papyrus over 3,300 years ago.
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK.
History: Surrounding Circumstances
The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with the art of dying well. They wanted to ensure their place in the afterlife and that it was as enjoyable as life itself. Hunefer was no exception to this desire, especially since he had a privileged and prosperous life. He was a royal scribe and steward to Pharaoh Seti I, who ruled during the 19th dynasty of the New Kingdom. Hunefer boasted many titles including Estate Overseer of Menmaatra, Overseer of the Cattle of the Lord of the Two Lands, and King’s Scribe. The era in which Hunefer lived was a period of renewed prosperity. Like his own Judgement Scene, many fine works of art and calligraphy were created through private commissions. Every Book of the Dead was different–all custom-made. No two are identical examples. Over 200 known spells in cursive hieroglyphs could be individualized for inclusion in chapters with accompanying vignettes or miniature paintings. Hunefer’s Judgement Scene is one such chapter of his Book of the Dead. Because these funerary papyri were so long and had so many chapters, they were known by the ancient Egyptians as Chapters of Coming Forth by Day.
Pantheon of Gods: Supervisors & Witnesses
Hunefer’s Judgement Scene is Frame/Chapter 3 of his Book of the Dead/Chapters of Coming Forth by Day. The chapter measures 1’ 6” H x 3’ W (45cm H x 90.5cm W), resulting in a panoramic 1:2 aspect ratio. It is divided into two major registers–or horizontal levels–separated by defined lines. In the first register, in the upper left corner, kneels the adoring Hunefer in front of a pantheon of Egyptian gods. The gods are individually labelled and identified as Ra (immediately in front of Hunefer) followed by Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Horus, Isis, Nephthys, Hu, and Sia, and the personifications of the Southern, Northern, and Western Roads. These fourteen gods will act as supervisors and witnesses to the drama that unfolds below in the second register of Judgement Scene.
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Anubis: Prosecutor & Defense Attorney
On the left side of the second register of Judgement Scene is the Theban scribe Hunefer holding hands with the jackal-headed god Anubis. Anubis is the ancient Egyptian god of embalming and the protector of the dead. He leads Hunefer towards the balance scale where he will perform the critical Weighing of the Heart Ceremony which will determine if Hunefer is “True of Voice” or worthy of eternal life. Hunefer’s heart sits on the left side of the balance scale weighing against the Feather of Ma’at (Truth) on the right side. The ancient Egyptians believed a person’s heart was the seat of emotions, intellect, and character. It was the organ thus representative of a person’s good or bad life. It was so symbolically important to the ancient Egyptians that it was one of the few organs remaining in the body after the famous mummification process.
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Ammit: Executioner
If the heart weighed more than the Feather of Ma’at, then the heart indicated a sinful life ineligible to an afterlife. Sinful hearts that failed the test were immediately devoured by Ammit, the grotesque creature below the scale and sitting to the right of Anubis. Ammit is a female demon with a hybrid body. She is part crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus. She is a manifestation and combination of the three largest man-eating animals known to ancient Egyptians. Hence she was fearfully known as the Devourer of the Damned because anyone who had his or her heart eaten was deprived of an eternal afterlife. He or she was condemned to non-existence–a second but far worse death in the eyes of the ancient Egyptians. Judgement Scene captures the balancing act with Anubis adjusting the plumb-weight and Ammit looking eagerly for her next meal. The tension is almost palpable.
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Thoth: Court Stenographer
Standing to the right of Anubis, Ammit, and the scale is the ibis-headed god Thoth. Thoth is the god of writing, scribes, and magic spells. He stands facing the balance scene, holds a pen and a scribal palette, and records the test’s results. His face bears no emotion, unlike the demoness Ammit. He is simply an objective stenographer transcribing the proceedings before him. Thoth completes the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony in Judgement Scene. However, what does Thoth record? Does Hunefer’s heart weigh the same as the Feather of Ma’at, thus proving he is worthy of an afterlife, or does he face eternal oblivion?
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Court Decision: Not Guilty!
Hunefer passes the test! Standing to Thoth’s right is Hunefer again but with happiness that anyone who has ever passed a difficult test can understand. There is a sense of euphoria, self-congratulations, but more importantly, relief. The test is over, and the anxiety can end. Hunefer is clearly delighted with his test result because his face has a more animated expression compared to his image earlier in the scene on the far left. His eyes are wide, and his lips are curled in a closed smile. Pride can almost be felt in his heart. Judgement Scene is going to deliver a happy ending!
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Horus: Court Guard
In Judgement Scene, the falcon-headed god Horus stands to Hunefer’s immediate right and points with his right hand towards the seated Osiris, god of the dead, afterlife, and agriculture. Horus is the god of kingship and the sky and is the son of the god Osiris and the goddess Isis. Horus escorts Hunefer to meet the divine family and to be welcomed into the afterlife.
Osiris: Judge & King
To the far right of Judgement Scene sits the deathly green-skinned Osiris. He is enthroned within his judgement hall at the center of his divine court. Before him are the four sons of Horus standing on a large lotus flower that grows from a pool of water beneath the throne of Osiris. Behind Osiris are his sister-wife-goddess Isis and sister-goddess Nephthys. They hold their left hands in veneration of Osiris and in welcome of Hunefer. Osiris holds the crook and flail symbolizing his kingship and his control of the fertility of the land. He is king over the Fields of Reeds, or paradise, which is the ancient Egyptians’ ideal vision of an afterlife. It is a bountiful agricultural land where the Nile River regularly rises and famine does not exist.
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Style: Liberal vs. Conservative
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer is certainly a complex painting with its vignettes and passages from spells to ensure a successful weighing of the heart. What is incredible to consider is that Judgement Scene represents only one chapter, one stage, one obstacle of Hunefer’s long journey into the afterlife. There are more dangers he must face, but Judgement Scene captures the most dramatic of his challenges. It is beautifully illustrated with bold lines and vibrant colors. It has a strong formality in the figures’ rigid stances and angular frames. Judgement Scene marks the return to a more conservative and traditional style of ancient Egyptian art and rejects the flexible, curvilinear, and liberal style of the Amarna Period during the previous 18th dynasty. The scene is finely crafted, and paying the expert scribes and master draftsmen who created it would have easily cost Hunefer six months of wages. Since it was so expensive, it is believable that Hunefer, a formally trained royal scribe, would have written some parts of his own Book of the Dead to offset the overall cost. The less work others had to complete, the more he would have saved. All it would have cost Hunefer were his materials and his own time– but not other people’s wages.
Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, ca. 1290-80 BCE, British Museum, London, UK. Detail.
Conclusion: Final Judgement
No matter the methodology of how Judgement Scene from Book of the Dead of Hunefer was created, it can be agreed that it is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian art. It is expertly rendered, and it is wonderfully preserved after the three millennia since its creation. When the British Museum acquired Judgement Scene in 1852 and placed it on public display, it inadvertently fulfilled Hunefer’s desire to achieve immortality. His artwork has been viewed by the general public for over 160 years, and his name has been spoken by countless visitors as they read the labels describing his papyri. The ancient Egyptians believed that to speak the name of the dead was to make them live again. Well, Hunefer, you live every day, my friend, because your name continues to be said through the fabulous artistic legacy you left behind. Enjoy the afterlife, Hunefer. May we all be so lucky when we, too, leave our mortal shell and pass into the unknown.
Works Referenced
Gardner, Helen, Fred S. Kleiner, and Christin J. Mamiya. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. ISBN 9780155050907.
Hagen, Rose-Marie, and Rainer Hagen. Egyptian Art. Edited by Norbert Wolf. Cologne, Germany: Taschen, 2018. ISBN 9783836549172.
“Papyrus.” Collection. British Museum. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
Pemberton, Delia. Treasures of the Pharaohs: The Glories of Ancient Egypt. Consulted by Dr. Joann Fletcher. New York, NY: Metro Books, 2011. ISBN 9781435127227.
If you and nine of your colleagues were asked to find the best way to travel to Chicago for a conference beginning on Friday, would all of you choose the same route? What if 10 of your students were given the same task? In this instance, an individual’s interpretation of “best” will influence how he/she chooses to get to Chicago. Does best mean fastest? Cheapest? Would driving be the best method if you were able to bring your family on the trip? Would taking the train be the best means if you had never taken a train before or were afraid of flying? Even when directions or explanations are given clearly, individuals interpret them differently. The way we communicate with one another and interpret the communication depends on the way our brains translate the given task. And the way our brains translate depends on our brain dominance and preferred thinking styles. Our bodies provide examples of dominance between paired structures. We each have a favored hand, foot, and eye. We also have parts of our brains that we favor in given circumstances. These “favorites” make up our preferred thinking styles. These styles influence the way we teach and the way our students learn.
By the end of this module, you will be able to identify the 8 key characteristics of the brain and understand the four quadrants that make up the whole brain model. You will also be able to identify what thinking styles you prefer and develop a plan to assist your students to identify their preferred and less preferred styles and to use this information to be better learners.
B. Material Covered
This content module will introduce you to the basics of the brain dominance/thinking styles theory put forth by Ned Herrmann. It is a physiological approach to the way we think, learn and communicate. The module will review the basic characteristics of the four quadrants of Herrmann’s thinking and learning styles as well as offer practical application exercises, relevant research and helpful resources for those seeking more information.
II. Foundation
A. Definition of Concept & Theory
People learn in many different ways. The brain is the source of who we are and how we learn. Ned Herrmann combined research on right brain/ left brain differences with research on the Triune brain to create a metaphorical model that illustrates that each person basically has four brains when it comes to the process of thinking and learning. Depending on which quadrants we engage, our learning processes can be very different. Brain dominance leads to thinking style preferences, which impact what we pay attention to and how and what we learn best. Each of these four “brains” or quadrants is listed below with words that typically characterize a person who uses that thinking style. The four thinking styles are:
A: The Rational Self (Upper or Cerebral Left Brain)
B: The Safekeeping Self (Lower or Limbic Left Brain)
C: The Feeling Self (Lower or Limbic Right Brain)
D: The Experimental Self (Upper or Cerebral Right Brain)
A Rational Self
knows how things work
knows about money
likes numbers
is realistic
is critical
is logical
quantifies
analyzes
D Experimental Self
infers
imagines
is curious/plays
likes surprises
breaks rules
speculates
is impetuous takes risks
B Safekeeping Self
plans
timely
is neat
organizes
is reliable
gets things done
establishes procedures
takes preventative action
C Feeling Self
feels
talks a lot
is emotional
is expressive
is supportive
touches a lot
likes to teach
is sensitive to others
You may see yourself in more than one quadrant. The research indicates that people may use more than one style primarily. In fact, a majority of people has at least two primary quadrants. Each person can have primary preferences (areas of the brain he/she goes too easily and enjoys), secondary preferences (areas of the brain that can be and are accessed when necessary) and tertiary preferences (areas a person may have difficulty accessing or may even avoid). You also don’t need to identify with everything in the quadrant to have some strength there. People have varying degrees of dominance in the quadrants.
[There is an instrument available called the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument or HBDI that provides a full profile of an individual. A student thinking styles instrument is also in production. For more information, see section V]
Teaching and Learning Theory: This model allows students to see the full potential of the brain and their abilities and to take an honest look at where their preferences and avoidance’s are without confining themselves to simply one style or label as a thinker and learner. The model also proclaims that preferences are wonderful and knowing our preferences can give us powerful information about who we are and what type of work we might enjoy. But having a certain thinking or learning style does not excuse us from interacting with a world of varying styles. We need to understand how to communicate and learn from and teach others with different styles.
Each quadrant has preferred learning activities. The A quadrant thinkers prefer quantifying, analyzing, theorizing and processing logically. The B quadrant thinkers prefer organizing, sequencing, evaluating and practicing. The C quadrant thinkers prefer sharing, internalizing, moving and being involved. The D quadrant thinkers prefer exploring, discovering, conceptualizing and synthesizing.
B. Summary of Relevant Research
This module explores the whole brain model established by Ned Herrmann. Research indicates that there are eight key brain-thinking characteristics that impact the way we think and learn. Our brains are unique, specialized, situational, interconnected, iterative, dominant, malleable, and whole. Our brains are unique just like our fingerprints. No two people have the same brain pattern. Our brains are also specialized. Different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions including writing, seeing, naming, and hearing. Our brains are iterative because they have billions of neurons with millions of interconnections. Iteration means that we are able to move back and forth within our brains using different parts of our brains to complete complex tasks. We also use our brain situationally. We have the ability to “turn on” the part of the brain that we need in a given situation. Parts of our individual brains take dominance over other parts. Our brains are malleable and whole. The brain is so malleable that there are virtually no inherent constraints. All of these characteristics emphasize a whole brain that we each have access to, but certain parts of our brains become dominant determining our thinking and learning preferences.
There is a great body of research on the left brain/ right brain division and how it affects a person’s thought processes. Roger Sperry’s early work with schizophrenic patients is particularly intriguing. By now, most of us recognize left brain thinking to include analytic, fact-based and logical approaches and right brain thinking to include insightful creative approaches. Another researcher, Dr. Paul MacLean, proposed the Triune brain theory. His research indicates that we really have three brains each superimposed over the earlier brain: the reptilian brain, the limbic system and the neo-cortex. Both the limbic and the neocortex have two halves, a right and left side. Ned Herrmann combined Sperry’s work and MacLean’s research to create his whole brain model, which emphasizes the fact that there are really four parts of the brain where dominance’s exist: Cerebral left, Limbic Left, Limbic Right and Cerebral Right. These four styles were discussed in “Definition of Concept & Theory” as quadrants A, B, C, & D. This metaphorical model allows for variation among individuals who are “right brained” or “left brained” and along with the measurement of an individual’s level of mental preference for each of the quadrants creates a model that is more inclusive and more accurate for students who are interested in exploring their thinking and learning styles.
III. Benefits
A. Instructor
By learning about our own preferences and understanding the diversity of thinking styles our students possess, we are able to insure that students understand what we are teaching even if they have very different styles from our own. We can do this by incorporating elements and activities that reach all learning styles. For instance, an English teacher who assigns a paper and tells students the paper should be “as long as it takes to effectively make your argument” will be well received by students with primary preferences in D. But a student with a B preference is likely to be immobilized by the lack of specific direction. The instructor could alleviate much of the B student’s fear by simply giving a range of pages for the assignment and an outline of what makes an effective argument. An instructor who incorporates all learning styles into his teaching will find more receptive students experiencing less difficulty in his courses.
B. Student
It’s a diverse world, and probably the greatest diversity our students will ever encounter is the diversity of thinking styles because there are literally as many ways of thinking as there are people in the world. Collaboration and the ability to work effectively in a team environment is continually reported as one of the top attributes employers are looking for in college graduates. It is often ranked above professional content knowledge. The key to collaboration is effective communication, and the key to effective communication is to understand both yourself and your colleague. By helping students recognize their preferred and less preferred styles, we are also assisting them with college. Not all instructors will embrace the idea of adapting their teaching to all styles, and certain elements of life and learning will always favor certain styles. Students will be better prepared to negotiate these courses if they can understand the thinking style in use and adapt their studying and note-taking to their own more preferred styles. A student who learns to understand and appreciate all styles will more easily adapt to new challenges in college, at work and in his/her personal relationships.
IV. Implementation
A. Exploration Exercises for Instructor
Exploration 1:
To begin to determine your own preferred thinking and teaching styles, complete the exercise below by circling the 8 work elements that you enjoy the most. Which quadrants best represent your preferences as a teacher? Now, underline up to 4 work elements that you enjoy the least. Which quadrants are you least likely to explore in your teaching?
Thinking Styles Assessment for Educators
Exploration 2:
Choose a topic that you will be teaching in the next few weeks and integrate elements and activities that represent all 4 learning styles. Use the information below to assist you.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE LEARNER
“A” Learner
Expects
Precise, to the point, information
Theory & logical rationales
Proof of validity
Research references
Textbook reading
Quantifiable numbers, data sets, problems
Opportunity to ask challenging questions
Subject matter expertise
Struggles with
Expressing emotions
Lack of logic
Vague, imprecise concepts or ideas
“D” Learner
Expects
Fun and spontaneity
Playful, surprising approaches
Pictures, metaphors, overviews
Discovery of the content
Freedom to explore
Quick pace and variety in format
Opportunity to experiment
New ideas & concepts
Struggles with
Time management and deadlines
Administration and details
Lack of flexibility
“B” Learner
Expects
An organized consistent approach
Staying on track, on time
Complete subject chunks
A beginning, middle, and end
Opportunity to practice & evaluate
Practical applications
Examples
Clear instructions/expectations
Struggles with
Risk
Ambiguity
Unclear expectations/directions
“C” Learner
Expects
Group discussion & involvement
To share & express feelings/ideas
Kinesthetic, moving around
Hands-on learning
Personal connection with teacher/group
Emotional involvement
A user-friendly learning experience
Use of all the senses
Struggles with
Too much data and analysis
Lack of personal feedback
Pure lecture, lack of participation
Used by permission from the Ned Herrmann Group, 2075 Buffalo Creek Road, Lake Lure NC 28746
B. Student Exercises
Print out a copy of “Your Four Selves” from the “Definition of Concepts & Theory” section for each of your students. Have students put a “1” next to descriptors most like them, a “2” next to descriptors somewhat like them and a “3” next to descriptors least like them. Then have them tally each quadrant. Have students find the quadrant with the lowest score. This is likely to be the quadrant they prefer the most. Group students by preferred quadrants and have them discuss the following:
Explain how these characteristics describe you.
What courses or subjects do you like the most and why?
Now have the students find the quadrant with the highest score. This is likely to be the quadrant they least prefer. Group them again, this time with other students who share their least preferred quadrant and have them discuss the following questions:
What would a course look like if the teacher taught entirely in this mode?
What one characteristic from this quadrant’s list could you choose to try for a week? How would you begin?
C. Skill Connection
New Technologies: Technology has added an array of possibilities for teaching and has made it easier than ever to create assignments that encourage all four thinking styles. The “A” learner has access to current research information on the web. The “B” learner appreciates the practical application that computer software and simulations provide. The “C” learner is able to communicate with both classmates and teachers through email and chat rooms. And the “D” learner can create his/her own learning with software presentation tools like Power Point and Inspiration. For more information about technology resources, view the New Technologies Module.
Paired Courses: Another interesting way to meet the needs of all learners is to link or “pair” two courses. Students have the opportunity to see the relationship of the two subjects and explore the subjects with the assistance of two instructors. Instructors also have the advantage of working with a partner to help create environments that honor all learning styles. To further explore the concept of ways to integrate all four styles into teaching, visit the Paired Courses Module.
V. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I know all my students are primarily C quadrant learners, should I direct all my teaching methods to that quadrant?
A: No. Even if all of your students were entirely C quadrant learners (with tertiary preferences in the other three quadrants) and you had the same profile, this wouldn’t be the most effective method of teaching. You would probably have a very happy and harmonious classroom, but your students would be missing out on some important lessons. Research suggests that students learn best when they have moments in class where they are working in their preferred learning styles. This gives them the opportunity to feel comfortable and connect with the material. But research also suggests that it’s equally important for students to experience other styles, so they can expand their repertoire and be prepared when they encounter teachers, bosses and even spouses with different preferred styles.
Q: Is the brain dominance theory and the whole brain concept valid? What proof exists?
A: The brain dominance concept has been strongly validated in a number of different ways; First, through the research and experimentation of leaders in the field including Roger Sperry, Robert Ornstein, Henry Mintzberg, and Michael Gazzanniga. Secondly, it has been validated by the hundreds of EEG experiments carried out personally by Ned Herrmann. Third, it has been further validated by the public demonstrations conducted by Ned Herrmann over the past 15 years. Fourth, it has been validated by specific validation studies carried out by C. Victor Bunderson and James Olsen of Wicat and later by C. Victor Bunderson and Kevin Ho, and in parallel with those studies by validation experiments carried out by Schadty and Potvin at the University of Texas. Additional validation comes from the more than 60 doctoral dissertations based on both the HBDI and the whole brain concept.
VI. Helpful Resources
Learn more about the Herrmann Whole Brain Model or the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI):
http://www.hbdi.com. This web site provides detailed information on the HBDI and validity of the model. It also provides information about books and articles written by Ned Herrmann including The Creative Brain.
Learn more about left brain/right brain theory and learning styles:
http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/LS-Prism.htm. This web site examines four learning style models that have been used effectively in education: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Kolb’s Learning Style Model
Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI)
Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model
Workshop Information www.facultytraining.com to attend a workshop on this topic or bring one to your campus, visit this site or call Faculty Training at (800) 856-5727.
There are a few more that I would also refer to, all based on the mystic’s interest, focus, maturity, personal responsibility, mental stability, consciousness and overall attitudes.
I cannot recommend organizations that are based on a single leader guru or dogma without individual thought and challenge.
First of all, let’s get a quick description of Gnostic philosophy. In a nutshell, Gnosticism stems from the Greek word Gnosis, meaning direct experiential Knowledge. In the most inclusive definition of Gnosticism, it simply means one who seeks direct experiential knowledge of the Truth behind the self, the universe and the divine. It often postulates a universe created by and ruled over by a malevolent force (often referred to as the Demiurge) bent on keeping humanity ignorant and obedient. The task of the individual is to free oneself from the delusions keeping one in servitude by obtaining forbidden knowledge. Stories that fit the Gnostic theme are often dystopian in nature.
10 – Logan’s Run (1976)
People living in domed cities in the future. All the pleasures of this world are readily available, including food and sex. Everyone is young because once you turn 30 years old you get “renewed” in a ceremony called “Carrousel.” The story follows a man who’s job it is to catch runners trying to avoid renewal. One evening he meets a mysterious woman who exposes him to some disturbing truths. A classic Gnostic Dystopian adventure.
Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, this has to be one of Schwarzenegger’s best films. This takes place in a future where humanity has expanded beyond the Earth to travel space and colonize other planets. Our protagonist is a regular blue collar worker living on Earth. He’s married with no kids and feeling bored with his life decides to go to a virtual travel agency who agree to implant false memories of an adventurous vacation to Mars. This is where things start to get crazy. Mutants, corporate conspiracies, an alien cover-up and mind bending twists that keep you wondering what is truth and what is a delusion.
P.S. A remake of this movie that came out in 2012, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the original 1990 film.
This film reminds me of a cross between the novels Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury with an aesthetic reminiscent of The Matrix movies. The context is a world in which feelings have become taboo. In order to protect the population from experiencing uncomfortable feelings and to maintain social order, everything that evokes strong emotion (artwork, music, books, etc…) is banned and all citizens are required to take drugs that dull the emotions. The protagonist is a “Grammaton Cleric” which is essentially an elite police detective. However, if you look at the title, “Grammaton” is short for Tetragrammaton, literally meaning “Word of Four Letters” and is a reference to YHVH, the primary name of God in the Hebrew Bible. According to Gnostic thought, YHVH is the Demiurge, so to be a Grammaton Cleric implies that one is an agent of the Demiurge. After accidentally missing a dose of his emotion suppressing injection, our protagonist begins to awaken to a whole new world of emotional experiences.
Modern brother and sister (our protagonists) get sucked into a television and find themselves in the universe of an idyllic 1950’s era show similar to Leave It To Beaver. Everything is in black and white and the citizens of the town are pathetically innocent. The introduction of the siblings into this environment proves to be a corrupting influence. As the townsfolk begin to awaken to a world of greater possibilities (most notably sex, violence, art and literature) the people and environments exhibit more and more color. Those still in black and white do what they can to stop the spread of this corruption. One scene in particular is a thinly veiled Gnostic retelling of the Temptation of Eve myth from the biblical book of Genesis. The Demiurge character is a television repair man and is played by Don Knotts in this film.
Like most Jim Carey movies, this one is quite silly in tone, however the message is far from shallow. Our protagonist, Truman, was raised from birth in the world’s largest film studio. This studio encompasses an island covered with a dome. Everything about the environment is controlled, including the weather. Everyone except for Truman is an actor, but Truman is led to believe it is real. The entire elaborate project is designed for the entertainment of the viewing public, who watch Truman’s every move through countless hidden cameras. As is usual for these Gnostic themed stories, an encounter with a woman who exposes him to forbidden knowledge becomes the trigger which inspires our protagonist to engage in a pursuit of Truth at all costs.
This is a Hollywood remake of the Spanish film, Abre los ojos. I highly suspect this film was inspired by the Philip K. Dick novel, Ubik. Our protagonist in this film is David, a man who seems to have it all: Successful career, good looks, money, loyal friends and a budding romantic relationship. That is, until an obsessed former lover gets revenge by committing suicide via car accident with David in the passenger seat. David survives the crash but his body receives a lot of damage, especially his face. Suffering from chronic pain and a devastating loss of self-esteem, David struggles to pull his life back together. Paranoia, hallucinations and mysterious strangers lead David through a roller coaster of beautiful and terrifying experiences in his quest for Love and Truth.
This movie is horribly cheesy, but that’s part of it’s charm. The story follows a down and out man looking for work who stumbles across a pair of sunglasses which reveal the truth of the world to the wearer. Who really controls the planet and can anybody do something about it? Absolutely must see this cult classic.
Ok, so I’m cheating a bit with this one by lumping the entire Trilogy into one entry. I would also include the Animatrix in there as well. The overarching mythos of The Matrix films cover a range of different Gnostic modalities. The first film is Mandaean in nature, meaning an epic battle between the forces of ultimate good and ultimate evil. This classic form of Gnostic dualism is quite stark in the first installment. As we go through the series the lines begin to blur and other factors come into the picture. It is no longer a simple “us vs. them” scenario. This series includes all the classic elements, including the Architect character as the Demiurge and the dark haired woman who initiates the protagonist into forbidden knowledge. One could watch these movies dozens of times and still find new concepts to contemplate.
I absolutely love this movie! It has some similarities with The Matrix in that it involves a simulated universe that can be experienced. The main character discovers that his boss has been secretly entering into the simulated environment they have been building. Now his boss turns up dead and it looks like murder. Our hero decides to enter into the simulation in order to find clues to help solve the crime but finds much more than he went looking for.
Finally we reach my top pick for amazing Gnostic themed movies. This movie should be watched at night in a darkened room for the full effect. Dark City has a film noir feel with a bit of gothic steampunk mixed in. Man wakes up in a hotel bathtub with no memories. The phone rings and a frantic voice implores him to flee the building. He notices a dead prostitute on the floor with spirals carved into her flesh. On his way out he narrowly escapes from these super pale Nosferatu looking guys wearing wool cassocks and bowler hats. What more can I say without giving it away? The symbolism of this movie is out of this world. If you haven’t seen this movie, endeavor to see it tonight!
Strange science fiction movie from the 70’s. The costumes are hilarious and much of the movie ends up being unintentionally funny. However, if you can look past all of that, there is a powerful lesson of empowerment through disobedience and an insatiable curiosity. One of the characters seems to be inspired by the infamous English occultist Aleister Crowley.
The positions of the Strength and Justice Cards in a Tarot deck has long been a source of controversy and discussion among all Tarotists. Traditionally, the Justice card was numbered 8th in the Major Arcana, while the Strength card was numbered the 11th. However, when A. E. Waite published the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot card deck, he changed all that. He put Strength as the 8th card and Justice as the 11th card in the Major Arcana sequence. Naturally, he was quite criticized for this. Following that, when Aleister Crowley published the Thoth Tarot deck, he put the Strength and Justice cards back in their former positions.
Lets look at this placement from both the angles, and understand their respective significance.
The Traditional Placement of Strength and Justice
Traditionally, the decks like the Marseilles Tarot decks have placed the Justice card as the 8th card, and the Strength card as the 11th card in the Major Arcana. The images remained pretty much the same as as they are today – just the numbering was different.
Justice still sat on a throne with a sword in one hand and a pair of scales in the other, while Strength still tamed a wild beast and had a semblance of an Ouruboros on top of her head.
Many conjecture that this placement was made in order to confuse people about the true placement of the cards. Naturally, with the symbolism present in the cards, Justice would correspond astrologically with Libra, and Strength with Leo. With the traditional placement, the natural order of the astrological signs in the Major Arcana was upset. However, from a numerological point of view, this placement made a lot of sense. 8 is the number of balance and and therefore Justice sits just right in this situation. And therefore, it is said that this placement was done more in keeping with the numerological system than the astrological system.
Strength and Justice in the Rider-Waite-Smith Deck
In the RWS deck, however, A.E. Waite placed Strength as the 8th Trump and Justice as the 11th Trump. Naturally he was quite criticized for changing the traditional placement of these cards, but then, this placement makes more sense on an Astrological perspective.
These changes put the cards in proper order, astrologically and according to Waite, it was the true order of the cards in the Major Arcana.
As I have always said, the cards of the Major Arcana tell a story – a story of the Journey of The Divine Fool. They depict this journey as it moves through all the 3 planes of existence – the Material plane, the Mind plane and the Spiritual plane.
So lets see how both these placements (of the Strength and the Justice cards) make sense in the Journey of The Fool.
The Journey of the Fool with the Traditional Placement of Strength and Justice
In the traditional placement, Strength is Trump 11, and Justice is Trump 8.
So, if we arrange the cards of the Major Arcana in 3 rows of 7 cards each (of course, keeping The Fool card outside), we can see the placement of the Strength and Justice cards in the second row.
If we look at the Journey of the Fool in this particular manner the journey appears like this:
The Fool begins his journey, with a bag of hidden talents and ideas, despite all the hurdles in his path.
On the Material Plane: The Fool transforms into The Magician who opens his bag full of ideas and talents and understands his connection with the Universe. He then encounters the opposite side of this Masculine energy in The High Priestess, where he comes in touch with his inner self, and the secret knowledge that he already possessed within. From that point, he became fruitful and matured into The Empress. This maturity gave him the energy for his disciplined approach towards ruling over his realm in The Emperor. The Fool then learns his way through the rules and regulations of society and religion in The Hierophant, and comes in touch with his sexuality in The Lovers card, where he chooses to go for his growth and Individuation, which he achieves in The Chariot.
On the Mind Plane: The Fool then balances his knowledge of his inner and outer self in Justice and looks inward for more knowledge in The Hermit. He then understands the meaning of the cyclical nature of life itself in The Wheel, which gives him the Strength to tame his inner beast. All of this puts him through a change of perspective in The Hanged Man, and he lets go of his old self in Death. After such a life changing change, he finds his inner Master in Temperance and moves to the next plane.
On the Spiritual Plane: After mastering his inner and outer selves, The Fool discovers in The Devil that he still has attachments to the material plane which are more deeply rooted than he thought. His Ego is shattered by this knowledge in The Tower, which then leads him to the peace of The Star. But the confusion of the soul is still to be resolved in The Moon, from where he regains his clarity in The Sun. All of this leads him to the Judgement where all his Karmic balances are cleaned, transforming him into The World.
The Journey of The Fool with the Changed Placement of Strength and Justice
In this changed placement, Strength is Trump 8, while Justice is Trump 11. So again, if the cards are arranged in 3 rows of 7 cards each, with The Fool card kept outside, the Majors would look like the arrangement above.
Lets now look at the Journey of The Fool with this placement:
The Fool begins his journey with a bag of his hidden talents and takes the leap into the unknown.
On the Material Plane: The Fool transforms into The Magician who connects with the Universe and channels the energy of the Universe to create something powerful in the world. He then encounters his inner, hidden self, his subconscious and learns the deeper secrets that were already hidden within him in The High Priestess. From there, The Fool grows and matures into The Empress, who then matures into The Emperor with his disciplined and hardworking approach. The Hierophant is the stage where The Fool learns about society and religion and rules, and with that knowledge he moves into The Lovers card where he discovers his sexuality and chooses the right path ahead. Which is why, in The Chariot card, he has achieved success and victory over the Material Plane.
On the Mind Plane: With success, The Fool needs to learn how to tame his inner beast in the Strength card, which then leads him to looking more inward in The Hermit card. His knowledge leads him to understand the cyclical nature of the world in The Wheel. This creates a sense of balance and harmony within him in Justice. After this understanding, he goes through a change of perspective in The Hanged Man, and then leaves his past behind in Death, emerging thereafter to be a Master of the Mind Plane in Temperance.
On the Spiritual Plane: It is here, in The Devil card, that he discovers that he is still attached to the material plane, which totally shatters his ego in The Tower, and leads him to a place of calm contemplation in The Star. His confusions are confronted in The Moon, and he moves towards clarity in The Sun. This takes him to clearing off his Karmic balances in Judgement, then leading him to real harmony with the Universe in The World.
Summing Up…
So if we see the Journey of the Fool from both the perspectives, it makes sense either way. Whether Strength comes first, or whether it is Justice, the Fool does go through a journey of awareness, discovery and understanding and evolves into The World card.
The meaning of the card doesn’t change with the change in the placement of the card. And essentially, both these journeys make sense.
Tarots have hidden their mysterious origin for centuries. Even the etymology of their name is unclear: experts have tried to use varying degrees of information and imagination to explain where the word “tarot” originally comes from, with references reaching as far as ancient Egypt and the Hebrew tradition.
The relationships between the 78 cards in the deck – 56 “Minor arcana”, 21 “Major arcana”, and “the Fool” – are to be laboriously interpreted within a coded structure, which once deciphered unveils their true meaning: a complex task that only real enthusiasts, experts in the field, clever fortune tellers, and astute charlatans have been able to carry out to the end.
Tarots, however, have also inspired many talented artists, such as Brescia-born painter and miniaturist Bonifacio Bembo (1420-1480), who was so charmed by these cards’ Neoplatonic idealism and exoteric symbols that he created a deck for Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, between 1442 and 1444.
Bembo’s deck – 48 cards measuring 180-by-90 millimeters, illustrated on gold and silver backgrounds – is now part of the Pinacoteca di Brera collection.
Here are some of the most beautiful and mysterious cards by the early-Renaissance artist.
Paul Foster Case (1884 – 1954) is one of the most influential American occultists on modern tarot studies. His approach to tarot is influenced heavily by Western astrology and the Hermetic Qabalah, as evidenced in his tarot divination course, Oracle of the Tarot, and other writings, such as An Introduction to the Study of Tarot (1920) or The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages (1947). Oracle is keyed to the Knapp-Hall Tarot, which was first published by J. Augustus Knapp and Manly P. Hall in 1929. The Knapp-Hall Tarot differs significantly from the Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, or Thoth interpretive traditions, so the card meanings in Oracle, in particular from the Minor Arcana, are not readily transferrable to the Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, or Thoth systems. Nonetheless, Oracle offers the beginner and intermediate student a strong foundation in the basics and anatomy of tarot.
Case opens the book with a strong statement: “TAROT divination is not fortune-telling. The practice of fortune-telling is based on the false notion that human life is governed by luck, chance, or fate–by obscure powers at work outside the personality. True divination rests upon the occult truth that the causes of all events in human life are really internal.” He thus begins by distinguishing divination from fortune-telling. Divination is an inward reflection process of using tarot to tap into the superconscious. The tarot utilizes imagery and symbols that communicate in the language of the superconscious and thus understanding tarot is in its essence the learning of a new language.
The introductory Lesson 1 warns the tarot practitioner to take tarot divination seriously and reviews a few ethical guidelines, in particular the practitioner’s duty of confidentiality and impartiality. Practitioners must remain non-judgmental when conducting tarot readings. Lesson 1 also subdivides tarot decks into exoteric and esoteric decks. Case provides the Knapp-Hall Tarot as an example of an exoteric deck, or one that operates in the realm of public knowledge, with imagery that more closely resembles the tarot deck originally used for playing games, and contrasts that with the Rider Tarot (or Rider-Waite-Smith), which he refers to as an esoteric deck. Esoteric tarot decks are the versions of tarot re-interpreted by occultists and used specifically for divination or other spiritual exercises.
Note that it is unclear and somewhat contradictory as to why Case expends the first half of the Introduction to describe tarot divination as an internalized process, but then applies an exoteric deck to teach divination, rather than an esoteric deck, which would seem to be more aligned with the internalized process of tarot divination. What’s more, the subsequent lessons in Oracle repeatedly reference esoteric tarot traditions.
The 10 lessons of Oracle are meant to be studied over a course of 10 weeks.
Lesson 1 then proceeds to describe the anatomy of the Major and Minor Arcana (referred to as the Major Trumps and Minor Trumps in Oracle). Case claims that his Hebrew letter attributions for the Major Arcana are the “correct” attributions and that preceding claims by such authors as Papus were wrong. Case sources his attributions from Eliphas Levi (1810 – 1875), a French occultist and influential writer on tarot. Case claims that his Hebrew letter attributions are better aligned with the standard astrological attributions of the Major Arcana, which he provides as follows:
Case’s Hebrew and Astrological Attributions in the Major Arcana
Key
Major Arcana
Hebrew Attribution
Astrological Attribution
0
Le Fou (The Fool)
Aleph (A)
Air; Uranus
1
Le Bateleur (The Magician)
Beth (B)
Mercury
2
La Papesse (The High Priestess)
Gimel (G)
The Moon
3
L’imperatrice (The Empress)
Daleth (D)
Venus
4
L’empereur (The Emperor)
Heh (H)
Aries
5
Le Pape (The Hierophant)
Vau (V)
Taurus
6
L’amoureux (The Lovers)
Zain (Z)
Gemini
7
Le Chariot (The Chariot)
Cheth (Ch)
Cancer
8
La Justice (Justice)
Lamed (L)
Libra
9
L’ermite (The Hermit)
Yod (I)
Virgo
10
La Roue de la Fortune (Wheel of Fortune)
Kaph (K)
Jupiter
11
La Force (Strength)
Teth (T)
Leo
12
Le Pendu (The Hanged Man)
Mem (M)
Water; Neptune
13
La Mort (Death)
Nun (N)
Scorpio
14
La Temperance (Temperance)
Samekh (S)
Sagittarius
15
La Diable (The Devil)
Ayin (O)
Capricorn
16
Le Feu Du Ciel (The Tower)
Peh (P)
Mars
17
Les Etoiles (The Star)
Tzaddi (Tz)
Aquarius
18
La Lune (The Moon)
Qoph (Q)
Pisces
19
Le Soleil (The Sun)
Resh (R)
The Sun
20
Le Jugement (Judgement)
Shin (Sh)
Fire; Pluto; Vulcan
21
Le Monde (The World)
Tau (Th)
Saturn; Earth
He attributes the Minor Arcana as follows:
Attributions in the Minor Arcana
Suit
Divinatory Representation
Elemental Attribution
WANDS
Work, enterprise, ideas; the energies of the spiritual plane or archetypal world (Plato’s world of ideas)
FIRE
CUPS
Desires, hopes, wishes; emotional activities; the states and forces of the mental plane, the creative world in which mental patterns are formulated
WATER
SWORDS
Action, and therefore conflict of forces; the states and activities of the astral plane; the formative world of unseen forces, which build the conditions of the physical plane
AIR
COINS orPENTACLES
Things, possessions; the concrete objects and bodies of the physical plane; the objectification of the energies and forces of the higher worlds or planes represented by Wands, Cups, and Swords
EARTH
As for significator cards, Case’s approach is to simply use Key 1: The Magician for male seekers and Key 2: The High Priestess for female seekers. That differs from the more popular modern approach of using the court cards as significators.
Oracle also teaches an initial divinatory method called the First Operation, which seems to be an antiquated practice now, as few modern tarot practitioners adopt the First Operation. It is nonetheless a method that the serious tarot practitioner should be familiar with. The First Operation is to be performed prior to a question. The significator card is shuffled in with the full tarot deck and then cut into four piles as follows:
The tarot practitioner then proceeds to locate the pile that the significator card is in. That pile, be it I, H1, V, or H2 (reading right to left respectively), will indicate the nature of the seeker’s question. The four piles correspond with the Hebrew letters Yod (I), Heh (H), Vau (V), Heh (H), which is a transliteration of the four constants forming the Hebrew name of the Supreme Being, again showing the strong influence of Qabalistic tenets on Case.
The four piles of the First Operation correspond as follows:
I
Personal Development; Health & Wellness. Seeker is asking about matters of personal development, such as work or career. Could indicate an interest in beginning a new venture or carrying out a new idea. Pile is also associated with the physical, such as body, health, or wellness issues.
H 1
Love, Marriage, Family. Seeker is asking about emotions, feelings, personal relationships, or desires. This pile pertains to the domestic sphere and interpersonal matters.
V
Politics, Ambitions, Social, Intellectual. Seeker is asking about ambitions and high aspirations. This pile could also pertain to conflict resolution, imbalances or disappointments. This is also the pile that corresponds with the Seeker’s intellectual faculties.
H 2
Money, Business, Property. Seeker is asking about a material matter, finances, property, or wealth.
If the significator card is in a corresponding pile that is consistent with the seeker’s question topic, then the First Operation has confirmed that the subsequent tarot reading will be accurate as applied to the question at hand. If, however, the significator card appears in a pile during the First Operation that is not consistent with the seeker’s question topic, then it shows that right now is not an appropriate time for the tarot to answer such a question.
Lessons 2, 3, 4, and 5 deconstruct the Suit of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins (Pentacles) respectively, keyed to the Knapp-Hall Tarot. Contained in the lessons are also simple 3-card spreads for divining past, present, and probable future influences.
Lesson 6 on the Major Trumps (Major Arcana) can be applicable to the prevailing tarot interpretive systems used today, though note that the Key 8 referenced in Case’s Oracle is “La Justice” (Justice) and Key 11 in Oracle is “La Force” (Strength), which is similar to the Marseille, but the reverse of the Rider-Waite-Smith (Key 8 is Strength and Key 11 is Justice).
Case claims that the timing of events can be revealed by looking at the astrological attributions of the cards, and the lessons in Oracle set about explaining how the 12 astrological houses can be used to divine the timing of events. From there, Lessons 7, 8, 9, and 10 teach complex tarot spreads, most notably combining astrology, the Tree of Life, and tarot, and further provides an overview of elemental dignities. Lesson 10 also provides an overview of numerology and its application to tarot.
Though some of the historic references in the book have since been disproved as myth, Oracle of the Tarot is still a work that every serious tarot student should have read. Not having read Paul Foster Case if you are a tarot practitioner is like not having read Anton Chekhov if you are serious about writing literary fiction. Though written over 80 years ago and keyed to a tarot deck that is, as of this writing, long out of print, Oracle nonetheless holds relevance today and every practitioner, no matter how advanced, will find at least one nugget of new information from Oracle.
So. Can Oracle teach tarot in 10 weeks? An operable foundation in tarot, yes, probably, though generally I am doubtful of any program that claims it can teach tarot in anything under 10 years. Learning tarot is nothing like learning to ride a bike. It’s really more like learning to play violin. In 10 weeks time you can probably learn no more than just how to properly hold the bow.
NOTE. You can download a PDF copy of Oracle: Oracle of the Tarot by Paul Foster Case (1933). Download by CLICKING HERE (Source Credit: TarotWorks).
Traditionally, the decks like the Marseilles Tarot decks have placed the Justice card as the 8th card, and the Strength card as the 11th card in the Major Arcana. The images remained pretty much the same as as they are today – just the numbering was different.
In the RWS deck, however, A.E. Waite placed Strength as the 8th Trump and Justice as the 11th Trump. Naturally he was quite criticized for changing the traditional placement of these cards, but then, this placement makes more sense on an Astrological perspective.
Paul Foster Case (1884 – 1954) is one of the most influential American occultists on modern tarot studies. His approach to tarot is influenced heavily by Western astrology and the Hermetic Qabalah, as evidenced in his tarot divination course, Oracle of the Tarot, and other writings, such as An Introduction to the Study of Tarot (1920) or The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages (1947). Oracle is keyed to the Knapp-Hall Tarot, which was first published by J. Augustus Knapp and Manly P. Hall in 1929. The Knapp-Hall Tarot differs significantly from the Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, or Thoth interpretive traditions, so the card meanings in Oracle, in particular from the Minor Arcana, are not readily transferrable to the Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, or Thoth systems. Nonetheless, Oracle offers the beginner and intermediate student a strong foundation in the basics and anatomy of tarot.
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