THE CHAP TAROT

Arcana

Pandora Harrison reveals the fifth and final Instalment of the Chap Tarot, as a means of gaining mystical insight into one’s life

Welcome, dear reader to the fifth and final instalment of the Chap Tarot. Our journey is nearly at an end and I thank you for coming along for the ride and hope you have enjoyed the adventure. In this instalment we shall look at the remaining five Major Arcana cards.

CHAP TAROT CARDS

#17 MY SWEET GEORGE (THE STAR)

This is the gentlest and most sensitive card in the Major Arcana. It is representative of healing, hope and peace after emotional storms and intense bouts

of creativity and inspiration. Towards the end of the 1960s, the Beatles were experiencing great changes in their individual musical tastes, personalities and lifestyles. After their breakup in 1970, one Beatle would seek solace in the Hare Krishna movement and become a lifelong devotee of its spiritual teachings in mercy, truthfulness, austerity and cleanliness. Inner calm and wholeness are key features for the card and during his time in the Beatles, George Harrison introduced fellow members of the band to Transcendental Meditation and incorporated Indian instrumentation and Hindu spirituality in the Beatles’ recordings. Subtly displayed within the card’s illustration is the ibis bird, the emblem of the Egyptian god Toth, the god of poetry and the arts. As a respected patron of the arts in the form of music, poetry and film George, the ‘quiet Beatle’, is our Star. Not just a rock star, George was a true guiding light who expressed his passion for humanity by raising awareness and much needed funds for charities in India and South East Asia.

In a reading, the card reveals emotions expressed through nature, lovers and children, and an inner sensitivity expressed with passion; darkness transformed into light. George died of lung cancer in 2001 and his final words were “Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.” When reversed, the card signifies drawing back from the calm and hope the card truly represents; to experience weakness, deep insecurity and arrogance.

#18 LA MARCHESA (THE MOON)

In contrast to the gentle artistry of the previous card, this card encourages visions, myths and vivid imagery. Luisa, La Marchesa Casati, was a young heiress who burned bright during the belle époque in Venice, Italy. She became the muse of writer and poet Gabriele D’Annunzio and as her ‘svengali’ he encouraged her to develop a signature ‘look’ with flaming-red hair, pale makeup, red lips and heavily kohled eyes. She gave lavish choreographed parties and wore outlandish themed costumes as a form of performance art. She indulged herself with the popular craze for séances, fortune telling and the occult. Luisa loved to astonish and shock her audience with theatrical effect – at the dinner table she would present a wax male mannequin, said to represent a former lover, within which was

an urn containing the ashes of said lover for its ‘heart’. This card is a gateway into the unknown, the strangeness of the mind, strange emotions and dreams or hallucinations. These are things that must be welcomed, for they enrich our lives.

When this card appears in a spread we are advised to embrace it and be more intuitive and psychic. When reversed, the card warns of an inner struggle, not welcoming the moon’s influence, causing fear and disturbed emotions. The more we fight against the moon’s influence, the more fearful we become. You need to experience this fear to experience life’s wonders and all the adventure it has to offer.

#19 THE TRAMP (THE SUN)

The creation of the iconic character known as The Tramp by Charlie Chaplin in 1914 happened as a happy accident while Chaplin was working with comedy film producer Mack Sennett of Keystone Cops fame. The Tramp is a gentleman of the road; he is a childlike, bumbling, good-hearted character. He endeavours to behave with the manners and dignity of a gentleman, despite his true social status. For The Tramp, as long as he acts like a gentleman, believes that he is one and is able to hope that someday he will actually be one. The Tramp is ideally suited to this card, which represents enduring optimism, physical energy and wonder. Chaplin’s slapstick comic timing is an essential aspect of the card too, leading to a joyful release and an active energised state. While the Little Tramp may not get the girl or the rich lifestyle he was striving for at the end of the film, he remains upright, shrugs off the disappointment, kicks his heels and strolls off into the distance with a “just wait ’til next time!” attitude inherent in every step. The eternal optimist, The Tramp is, after all, human and an everyman. His dreams are our dreams; he is one of us; a symbol of downtrodden yet resilient humanity.

In a reading, the card denotes your opportunity to see the world and your life filled with beauty and light and a chance to be liberated and joyously free. The card represents knowledge, wisdom and a sense of clarity or lucidity. Reversed, the card is good things that cannot be, as if the sun has become clouded over. Happiness is still there but it’s less obvious and the querent needs to work to see the gift of joy from the sun.

#20 CLARENCE (JUDGEMENT)

“Clarence who?” I hear you ask. Clarence Odbody (born May 1653) is the guardian angel (played by Henry Travers) to James Stewart’s lead character George Bailey in Frank Capra’s 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. This card is a resurrection, a coming to terms with past experiences as a way to move forward and beyond. Who better than Clarence, AS2 (Angel Second Class), who successfully earns his wings on Christmas Eve when he helps the disillusioned George Bailey to realise the positive effects he’s had on others’ lives, thus changing his mind about killing himself.

In a reading, the card’s meaning is somewhat obvious from its illustration: it’s all about a great force leading you or calling you. You must recognise and hear the call, symbolised by the trumpetblowing angel; heed it and then act upon it. For the reality of life has changed and the only choice is to follow it. It’s an awakening of the true mind and the discovery of your true identity or purpose. George’s awakening is a result of his wish never to have been born. Clarence grants him this wish and shows him what the world would be like had he never existed. Without the numerous years of

selfless acts George bestowed upon his community, he is now presented with a vision of a town filled with unhappy people with meaningless. As George comes to realise the positive effects he has had on others, he hears the call and regrets his wish. Clarence then restores George to his previous life; a life which he now greatly appreciates. Clarence has called George to his true identity and earns his wings as a reward. The call can come from within, guiding you to make some important change, be it mundane and immediate or an entire shift in life. Reversed, the card warns of a call that has been heard but unheeded, or the recipient tries to deny the call, usually from a fear of the unknown.

#21 THE CHAP OLYMPIAD (THE WORLD)

The first Chap Olympiad took place in Regents Park, London in 2004. It was an ad hoc gathering of like-minded friends brought together by the satirical anarcho-dandyist magazine you now hold in your hands. In the following years it has developed into a glorious sartorial summer garden party, welcoming guests from all four corners of the globe. Visually the card depicts the self, or in this case the Olympian, as being everywhere in all things and open to the universe.

In a reading, the card means success, realisation, satisfaction or a goal reached through the dance of life. Participants of the Chap Olympiad exhibit originality with a flourish of flamboyancy, as they take part in the carefully crafted ‘non-sporting sports events,’ in which they demonstrate a minimal amount of physical exertion with maximum panache. It is the dandy and dandizette who politely decline to dance to the faded tune of modern-day society. Here there is joy to be had dancing to one’s own beat.

The colours in the card represent energy, nature, love and healing, which are all very much aspects of a day out at the Chap Olympiad; the energy of the spectacle, the natural park setting and the love and healing endowed by a decent G&T. For the winners there is the presentation of the gold, silver and bronze cravats, awarded for the most decorous chap and chapette of the games. In short, the message of this card is “Huzzah, you’ve made it!” Reversed, the card signifies stagnation, in movement and growth slowed or stopped, but the potential is there to kickstart it and dance to your own beat once again. n