TRUMP 21 - THE UNIVERSE
Assuming you have been following along in your Waite Tarot deck, you will notice immediately that Waite calls card #21 the World. Most other decks call it the Universe, and I think that for many reasons Waite was intentionally trying to confuse people.
The Universe is, for many reasons, a far better name for this card. If you are uncomfortable with that, just use the term World to mean the whole world, all of the animals, plants, humans, matter. But, understand that this world is not the totality. We are talking about all realms of existence, all planets, all stars, all of nature, all of the manifestation in a oneness.
We began 20 cards ago, talking about the Fool, talking about the one essential center of the universe. We have seen the different ways that the one becomes many through the process of involution, and we have seen the way that the many become one through the process of evolution.
The term “universe” is marvelous. It means that this is all one verse of the song of God. The song perhaps has many verses, but everything within this universe is a part of the one verse. All human beings are ultimately one. We share one flesh; we share one desire; we share the mind of God. All human beings are one with God. Whatsoever we do to the least of our brothers, we do to God.
The greatest laws are not commands, but statements of truth. We do love God with our totality, and we do love our fellow human beings because they are ourselves. Why would my index finger want to attack my thumb? Why would my big toe want to scratch my leg? God has only one body, and we see that body on this card.
The body of the bride of Christ. She is very feminine, with obviously flowing breasts. Some of the other figures have been uncommitted. For example, the child that sits on the horse in the Sun, is both male and female. But, Miss Universe is shown being as obviously female.
She is also shown as holding two of the Magician's wands. The Magician, if you recall, is the first moment of God's creative power that we saw back in card #1. That was the last time we saw this symbol of the Magician's wand. The symbolism is quite obvious, the one becomes two, and yet they share the same power.
God is creating for himself his eternally virgin bride. All people, as they follow God and come closer to him, unite with their brothers and sisters and share a oneness. As this happens, we are all being built up to the body of Christ. This is not an allegory, people. This is the truth.
The Earth is alive. It has things growing on it. We are apart of that life and the physical universe. The totality of nature is the body of God, and that body, as it is infused with God's divine mind, is built up to become the holy bride, wherein there is no separation.
The celestial honeymoon awaits us. God will forever mate with his bride, embraced in the union of ecstatic love. God loves the church and gave his life for her. We are all being built up into the universal church, and the church loves God.
He first loves us, because he is the Magician, he is the male force, he is the giver. He is the energy, he is the thrust. We are the recipient; we are the bride. And, we return his love to him. This is the glorious pathway.
For artistic purposes, the bride of Christ is wrapped in a bit of a mantle of victory. This is there to help keep the card from being too overtly erotic, because at this point, clothing is not necessary. There is only openness. There is only complete, total glorious loving acceptance of who we are, of ourselves, of each other and of God. There is no shame, there is no sorrow, there is no darkness, there is no one to manipulate. There is no one to use or abuse. There is only an ecstatic forever flowing of oneness with God.
We have returned to the Garden of Eden, and live in perfect harmony with God, and ourselves, and each other. We have no need for shame, we have no need for sorrow. There is only ecstasy. God looks about and sees that it is good. And, it is very good.
The wreath has a two-fold meaning. First, it is a garland of victory or celebration, because it is fulfilled and all is complete. It is also an oval, which is the symbol of the eternal womb. God's energy unites with his bride, and her womb becomes the berthing place of his holy procreation.
That is what we are, you are God's womb. You are the womb of the bride of Christ. God wishes to place his seed, his spirit, into you and as he does so, you will grow, and you will give birth to the holy son or daughter of God, which is who and what you truly are. Don't wait too long. Hopefully, you have been inspired through these talks to get a little farther down the pathway.
Notice the four creatures in the four corners. We’ve seen them before. They surround the Wheel of Fortune. They were present at Ezekiel's vision of God on the throne. They were present in John's revelation around the throne of God. But this time, notice that the figures have no books. There are no scrolls to open. There are no secrets to be revealed, and we have no need of writing. We have internalized the Bible. All religious teachings are now one with us.
We have no need to teach one another, for the law is written on our hearts. You see, the Bible is not eternal. God is eternal. You are eternal. The Bible is not eternal. The Bible is a teacher, meant to guide you to a direct relationship with those parts of the universe that it simply attempts to instruct. And like the able teacher, the Bible seeks to make itself unnecessary. Think about that. No fifth grade teacher for her or his student to have to rely upon forever in order to be able to understand the fifth grade mathematics. Such a teacher would not be a teacher at all, but a pretty sad person.
In exactly the same way, the Bible does not seek for you to have to need it forever. God does not want you to be in Heaven reading Psalms. For you are a Psalm. Your life is to be a Psalm. Your existence is a scripture. Your life is the only Bible that most people will ever read. Your life is God's holy word. The Word will live in you and fill your life.
That is why these witnesses, surrounding the throne of God, do not carry any scrolls or books. All of the religious proclamations have been internalized.
What then have we seen? We have seen so much that it is difficult to summarize. I believe that the principles of the Bible, the Torah, the Tarot and the Rota are relatively few and very important.
Principle #1: The only reality is God.
Principle #2: The commandments of God begin as rules, and are fulfilled when they are recognized as being law.
Principle #3: We are one with God and with our fellow human beings.
Principle #4: All is good. All is good and the only thing that is bad is our way of thinking.
Principle #5: Repentance and salvation consist of an enhancing of our mind, that we might see the glorious truths.
Principle #6: The divine Lord plays himself out in this universe through an interlocking series of will, mind, desire and matter.
Principle #7: There is no difference or separation between the highest vehicle of God and the lowest. Having a body is not evil, and it does not separate you from God. All vehicles are a part of the divine dance.
Principle #8: The only reality, the only power of our physical lives and our religious life, is the power of grace. Since everything comes from God, and goes to God, and lives and breaths and moves in God, everything that occurs, is an outpouring of his grace.
Principle #9: The final enemy to be overcome is the appearance of our ego, which is the separator keeping us from oneness with God; keeping us from oneness with each other.
Principle #10: The breath of God is eternal. God breathes out and his expiration is our inspiration. We breathe out and re-inspire God. God dies so that we can live, so that we can die, so that God can live.
Here is to your eternity. Here is to our universe. Here is to our God. Here is to love.
