Ace of Wands Becoming
The last ace for my Tarot.
(Pencil on Paper)
Pollack isn’t verbose about this card. The Ace of Wands is power, energy, love of living. In the Thoth deck, all of the Aces correspond to Kether, meaning they're the archetype of the element; they have no material form.
Do with that info what you will; I’m not a master Tarot reader. Just an illustrator who likes a good project and a magician who likes a good metaphor.
The Beginning Inking
A chronicle of the slow Tarot evolution.
(Ink on Paper)
I've been posting a lot of works in progress lately. Sometimes, I have the energy to work for hours on a slow project and then sketch something fun, like a dream or a joke. Lately, I haven’t felt great, and I'm tired and stressed about not feeling great and being tired.
I feel awkward posting lots of WIPs, but by my own rules, they count. And by the rules of reality, everything is a WIP until it’s nothing at all. So, there’s that.
Mock-up Ace of Swords
Managed to get in a couple hours of robots today, but felt a bit bereft of Supernatural Tarot Time. I finished the one side, then gave it a quick digital edit to get a feel for how it will all be laid out.
(Pencil on Paper, Mirrored Digitally)
Pollack wrote about this ace that it’s the closest to the Major Arcana, specifically because the sword of wisdom pierces the veil of the mundane world. Which makes me think about the Gnostics, and the secret tradition of alchemy, both of which centered on the refinement of wisdom in the soul to the end purpose of liberation.
Which makes me think of how, recently, someone accused me of being contrary because I said I hated The Matrix. Listen. As a person who enjoys John Wick, I am in no position to shame anyone who likes to watch people get shot by Keanu at a fast pace. And I can dig the aesthetics of The Matrix (especially the aesthetics of Trinity in that fucking rooftop outfit; holy Mary, goals). I just think it’s silly. And not particularly deep. And I really want someone to explain why a phone is actually necessary to leave the matrix and why it has to be a certain kind of phone and not just the one in your pocket and how you can load a program for guns that's outside the matrix but then carry those guns into the matrix and why, for absolute fucksake, the machines wouldn't use plentiful geothermal energy instead of creating an entire goddamn farming operation out of a troublesome species especially if they could just get that energy from all the lifeforms without thumbs for revolt and all of those questions are just about the first fucking film and someone let them make THREE MORE.
…
…..deeeeep breath…….
…
I also happen to think it’s silly that I care. So much for moving beyond the mundane, you know? At least I've stopped hyperventilating when anyone brings up the V for Vendetta movie. I'm growing as a person. Wisdom piercing the veil and all that.
Robots Detail
Painted while listening to the Donnie Darko soundtrack and thinking about Umberto Eco's Infinity of Lists.
(Acrylic on Canvas, detail)