'Arcana' Articles
There are arcana to be discovered in every tradition. You hit upon an arcana when you discover it to be a causative principle. The arcana would be what was referred to by Socrates when he referred to “prefect forms”. If you have the intention of peace, then your meditation is the arcana that leads to peace. If you have the intention of atonement, then your prayer is the arcana that leads to communion. If you have the attention of reverence, then ceremonial dance can move the spirits just as well as it moves your flesh and blood, but arcana can need refinement. Imperfect understanding leads to imperfect results.
In your spiritual/magickal practice consider breaking your tradition down into its elements, its arcana. Then like an artist considering the elements of their art, free yourself to personalize your relationship to it. Your work will have much more power/beauty/efficacy.
“forms are as it were patterns fixed in the nature of things.” Parmenides
Causal Factors
I will be discussing the arcana in a general sense, but we can go into specific principles as it seems to suit. First, something in the way of explanation. Physics is the study of observable physical forces in the world. Metaphysics is the study of perceived patterns or principles of order in the world. They can be considered separately, but were originally connected and really still are. There are many principles of metaphysics and multiple schools of thought regarding it. Now, the tarot is perhaps the most obvious example of the arcana in most peoples experience. Each of the major… Seek More
Resonance With Arcana
Anyone care to share what tradition or traditions they may be affiliated with? I’m not really affiliated with any, but I like the traditional Tarot. The tarot have their origin in the mysteries of Egyptian ma’at originally. The fools journey of the major arcana was their initiation process. I am Wiccan. I also read Tarot. A little this, a little that, jewels in every place. I agree. It is my goal, if I have one tonight, to reveal that there are arcana to be discovered in every tradition. You hit upon an arcana when you discover it to be a… Seek More
Wider Arcana
There are relics of the old tarot arcana still in popular awareness, thus being “behind the eight-ball” means you are unlucky. That is from the minor arcana. This is also why the eight ball is solid black. It’s directly linked to the suit of spades, or swords as it was traditionally. Mythology is its own arcana. There are many traditions that don’t even take a literal interpretation of the Gods. An example in this case would be Buddhism, but instead the God forms serve as arcana to enable focusing on a specific principle of enlightenment, like embracing mortality. Aren’t all… Seek More
What Is Your Arcana?
Let’s discuss science. It’s full of arcana. Some of which are not based on physics, but instead on their philosophical standard of empiricism. Occam’s razor is an arcana, and it states, “Do not assume the presence of more than is absolutely necessary to explain the apparent.” Pardon the paraphrasing, but this principle is very firmly arcana. Another arcana of science is the necessity of reproducibility. If something happens, but it can’t be reproduced using their arcane, they don’t deny necessarily that it’s real, but it falls outside of their tradition of understanding and its field of application. As for myself,… Seek More
