New Babylonian
Featured Card of the Day – 7 of Swords – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Keywords
Deception, control. Maneuvering to hide real intentions, keeping something in secret to control others.
Artist Interpretation
A man runs through a Babylonian palace’s chamber, looking back as if someone chases him. He carries five swords, and two swords fell out of his hands. There is almost dark in the chamber, and dim light enforces an atmosphere of the wrongness of what is happening: a theft or conspiracy.
Card Meaning
Seven of Swords represents running from some life situations: responsibilities, relationship, or hard work. Sometimes it is necessary to find an easy way. The distinguishing characteristics of this card are the following:
– being deceptive;
– hiding information from others;
– leaving problems behind;
– choosing solitude.
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Featured Card of the Day – The Star – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Artist Interpretation
A woman with jugs in her both hands stands at a well, and she pours water from the jugs into the well. She is Namma (later Tiamat), a primordial goddess of the salt sea. Mating with Abzu, the god of fresh water, she produced younger gods. In the picture, Namma symbolically mixes salt and fresh water in the well.
Card Meaning
Namma played two controversial roles. First, she symbolizes the primeval ocean from which the gods were created through a sacred marriage between fresh and salt water. Second, she monstrously embodied primordial chaos, being depicted as a sea dragon or serpent. In her second image, Tiamat was defeated by Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon who took the Tablets of Destiny from her to rule the world.
The Star represents hope and faith in the future. The woman, pouring water from the jugs, symbolizes the coming rejuvenation, high expectations and spirituality. Enjoying internal harmony, looking forward, and seeing the path clearly, a person has to undertake some efforts to reach goals.
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Featured Card of the Day – The Empress – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Artist Interpretation
A woman in a red dress sits on a throne with the Babylonian measuring tool in her right hand and a heraldic shield in her left hand. A bull at her feet symbolizes the Taurus period (4,320 – 2,160 BC) of the Sumerian civilization roughly dated between 3,500- 2,000 BC. She is a goddess Ninhursag (also Ninhursaga) who embodies Motherhood. According to the legend, the kings of Sumer were nourished by Ninhursag’s milk.
Card Meaning
Ninhursag, the mother of the gods, appeared in the Sumerian epic about Dilmun, an Arcadian paradise, the garden of gods, the land of immortals. Dimun anticipated the myth of Adam and Eve in Paradise from the Old Testament. In Dilmun, Enki, the wise god of magic, fell in love with Ninhursag, giving birth to a new line of gods. Participating in the creation of the humankind, Ninhursag had many titles, including “Great Queen,” “Lady of Birth,” “Mother Who Gives Birth,” “Supreme Queen,” and “Midwife of the Gods.”
The Empress, being a tender and loving woman, personalizes Motherhood and embodies all things that related to fertility, mothering, marriage, and pregnancy. She is compassionate and caring. In a general sense, she represents natural female forces, and this is how she is connected with Mother Nature. Representing earthly life, the Empress expresses an abundance of any resources and suggests material rewards.
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Featured Card of the Day – The Fool – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Artist Interpretation
A young man walks carefree, ignoring the apparent danger to fall over a cliff. He is the “classical” Fool with all attributes, including a little dog, a bag with his modest belongings hanged on the stick, and the white rose in his hand. The Fool is Gilgamesh, a semi-legendary king of the Sumerian city of Uruk, in the very beginning of his life path when he was arrogant and emotionally innocent, having no worries and looking for adventures. He has just started his way to rebirth and enlightenment through sufferings and obtaining knowledge.
Card Meaning
The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first written story, outperforming Homer for 1,500 years, narrates of Gilgamesh’s futile quest for immortality. His long and dangerous journey to discover the secret of eternal life changed the king. Starting as a fool, he becomes the better man, witty, inventive, and creative person. Having passed through all adversities, Gilgamesh develops loyalty and respect for the gods to become a wise and devoted king of Uruk.
This card represents the Fool’s path, following which people suppose that they move to the goal, but in fact they are absorbed by their follies, overcome obstacles that they create themselves, act impulsively without reasoning, feel safe in dangerous situations, and believe in something out of common sense. The Fool, an innocent young man with a brave heart, is in search of a new experience. Living in the moment, he is free of burdens and responsibilities. The Fool is about to start a new journey, a mission, or a quest for a new life path.
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Featured Card of the Day – The Chariot – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Artist Interpretation
The powerful Sumerian god Adad (Hadad) in a golden helmet sits in a chariot pulled by two horses. He has just exited a temple arc decorated with bas-reliefs from the Sumer epoch. The divine charioteer does not hold the reins, and the horses run free, symbolizing the idea does not restrain the natural stream of events.
Adad, the Sumerian god of weather, spends most of his time hurtling around in his chariot and littering the skies with forked lightning. He had several appropriate titles, including the “Lord of the Natural World of Elements,” “Master of Earth,” “the Earth Shaker,” as well as “the Lord of the Clouds and Rains.” Adad represented cosmic elemental powers projected on earth through natural phenomena. He also had a gift to perceive the future.
Card Meaning
The Chariot impersonates victory, triumph, and success. In a broad sense, he incarnates self-control, confidence, commitment, and focus that lead to success. The Chariot also relates to journeys and explorations. He symbolizes a person of self-control and determination who achieved that through careful planning and hard work. Having faith in self and being focused, a person can overcome any obstacles to achieving goals.
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Featured Card of the Day – Strength – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Artist Interpretation
Sitting on a carpet in the Babylonian palace, a beautiful young woman closes the jaws of a lion. She is relaxed, and controls the lion without any efforts, applying not force but kindness and tenderness. It is an image of the goddess Ninhursag.
Card Meaning
In Sumerian mythology, Ninhursag was the earth goddess. She was one of the oldest Babylonian goddess and mother of the principal deities of ancient Sumer. Ninhursag’s name means literally “Lady of the Mountain” because she was worshipped as a goddess of sacred mountains. She personalized the powers of the Divine Feminine. Ninhursag was known to have had her temple in the city of Kish.
The Strength typifies self-control, courage, and persistence to follow a chosen path, overcoming obstacles. Through determination, strength, and compassion Strength is able to control situations and influence people. Accepting and understanding others, Strength guides them indirectly.
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Featured Card of the Day – 8 of Cups – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Keywords
Limitations, stagnation. Changing a path, leaving something behind.
Artist Interpretation
A man who is depicted from behind stays on the beach, leaning on his staff. The moon illuminates this scene with a dim light through the clouds. Eight big cups stand on the ground, setting on each other, behind the man. This view represents a situation in which the man turned away from his previous life. The cups symbolize belongings that he is leaving behind. Perhaps, it is the beginning of a new way or spiritual journey.
Card Meaning
Eight of Cups represents a situation of leaving home to start a journey in a broad sense: leaving not current location only, but also career, relationship, or regular flow of events. It is probably a step to achieve a higher goal, especially if things are going wrong, or understand the necessity to change life for good. The main features of this card include:
– rethinking a current situation;
– understanding that previous life is over;
– looking for new opportunities;
– moving away.
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Featured Card of the Day – Queen of Swords – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Keywords
Thinker, observer, perfectionist. Opening for opportunities, understanding hidden things.
Artist Interpretation
A queen sits on the throne with a sword in her hand. The luxury chamber of the Babylonian palace is filled with red roses. In the context of this card, roses mean balance, passion, wisdom, and guidance: the qualities of Queen of Swords. There is no any directional light source, and the chamber is illuminated with indirect light. The dim lighting combined with the queen’s grey dress intentionally focuses a spectator’s attention on the queen’s inner qualities, but not on her beauty.
Card Meaning
Queen of Swords is an honest person with critical mind who can face the truth, and avoids any games. She estimates a situation quickly and acts forthrightly. The notable features of this card include:
– being straightforward;
– avoiding ambiguity;
– having a realistic point of view;
– having high expectations.
Connect with Roxana Paul:
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Featured Card of the Day – The Lovers – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Artist Interpretation
A man, sitting on the carpet in the palace chamber together with two beautiful women, is Hammurabi himself, king of Babylon, reigning from 1792 BC to 1750 BC. Like the Lovers card in the Marseille Tarot deck, this card shows the situation of choice and the challenges of choosing a right partner.
Hammurabi introduced the famous Code, the set of laws to regulate the primary spheres of social life in Babylon, including marriage and related subjects. The sacred prostitution of women at the temples of several gods and goddess, purchase of wives and polygamy were permitted in Babylon, but within the framework written in cuneiforms – legal contracts. The wives held real powers and high social status. The secondary wives were ranking as subordinates to the first wives.
Card Meaning
The Lovers card represents a force that attracts to each other not only people, but also ideas, events, and other entities, creating at the same time a situation of choice. This force can unite entities, resulting in commitment, partnership or cooperation. As regards love, besides love affairs there are such concepts as choice, openness, and responsibility. It is a difficult choice, and a life-altering decision to find a new life balance together.
Connect with Roxana Paul:
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Featured Card of the Day – 9 of Wands – New Babylonian Tarot by Roxana Paul
Artist: Roxana Paul
Website: www.roxanapaul.com
Keywords
Warning, foresight. Feeling guarded, taking extra safety measures.
Artist Interpretation
A man stands in the garden, leaning on the wand. Other eight wands form something like a fence behind him. His pose is protective; it seems he guards his territory. In spite of the wand is his the only weapon, the man looks unruffled and confident in his abilities.
Card Meaning
Nine of Wands represents a continuation of fight or journey in spite of tiredness or even exhaustion. It is about keeping to go along a path with the use of hidden resources.
The essential characteristics of this card include:
– trying hard;
– demonstrating perseverance;
– being defensive;
– making precautions.
Connect with Roxana Paul:
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