Comparative Tarot

3 of Poetry - Creativity: The poet kneels in front of an open book, arms open in a gesture of worship. Three angels stand in the background with arms upraised and overlapping, blessing and celebrating the occasion. They represent divine permission to proceed. The man is dressed in a simple blue smock, suggesting unsophisticated or spiritual motive. The book is blank except for a few words. A "tabula rasa" waiting for the poet to records his works. It shows the potential and the challenge that faces the poet. In a box in front of the angels is a quote from Blake "I must Create a System or be enslav'd by another Mans'. I will not Reason & Compare: my business is to Create"

The Book says: "Blake's window quotation, although stated in the first person, refers to the nature of creativity, which defines the self in the idiom of a highly personalized view of life. It is the inventive outcome of the peculiar individuality of each person. This card also suggests that you have a strong impulse to communicate your vision in a traditional way. You have a great deal to say, and you approach your work with deep respect and innate dignity. However, the scope of your vision and the extent of your ambition require that you plan carefully and proceed with due concern for details. You need to sit down with your work and humbly commune wit it to learn the best way to proceed. In the creative process this is when you receive the divine fiat to "make your mark", according to your own vision. You have "carte blanche" to create your own myth, to determine what is written in the book of life. But be prudent in laying out and planning your project.

Bee's Buzz: This card shows that divinely inspired creative energy we feel when we finally begin working on a new project. It is the excitement that fills you when you are preparing to use a new Tarot deck for the first time. You are a bit nervous because you're not sure how it will go but you also can't wait because this is new territory to explore. I associate this with the thrill a writer, a dancer or an artists must experience when faced with a new project. There is no limit to what they can do but there are also no guidelines to follow. It is both the thrill and the terror we experience during a new creative venture. We know we are driven to make the effort but it is still a scary prospect. And this card also reminds of the connection with the divine which often blesses the creative individual. It may almost seem like divine madness - writing until your hand cramps, dancing until you drop. How many times have we seen or heard of someone going through this creative craziness. And the creator must be convinced and consumed by the belief that no one else can do it just the way he or she can. I would bet that each innovative painter, writer, dancer, etc. can identify with the phrase written on this card. They could no bear to be enslaved by some one else's system and were driven to make their own a reality. I can see this as both blessing and curse because the creator becomes consumed with the desire to manifest their vision regardless of what must be dropped by the way side. Having received the divine inspiration, the vision, he or she must now manifest it or lose touch with their true self.

Bees Blessings
Debbie