Rohit Arya_ Creation of Sacred India Tarot Grace card Ganesha

NOTES, EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE

AND PROCESS WORK

ON THE MAJOR ARCANA 2001 – 2002

GAUTAM, ROHIT, JANE

12 June 2001, from Jane’s diary:

“They want an artist to do an Indian Tarot which some sensitive ones have developed, incorporating Vishnu & Co, and the project is Secret, and will be produced in the same class as the new Ramesh book.  They don’t want treacle-colour Indi-Ikons, but …  the other kind of India – VEDIC INDIA.  All these years of Indian mysticism and Kabbalah training, exchanging trade -  now materializes! – we never know what next to be called upon!”

 “He rolls boulders in your path aside - what could be better attributes for a god?
Correspondence, Rohit:  “The dancing Ganesha should not lose his quality of being an Earth energy first, but some sort of cosmic or outer space interpretation would be welcome.  His trunk should be turned to the left as that is the version of Ganapati that interacts with the world and welcomes and blesses people.  The sitting Ganesha can have his trunk turned to the right, as that is the spiritual version and symbolic of the inner quest.   Ganesha is always depicted not with an elephants head as really happened in the myth, but with a human head that looks elephant like.  It is usually a pink or sometimes white head.  I would like to try out an actual elephant head on a human body and see how that looks.  If it turns out to be too weird looking, we can go back to the norm.  If it does not, then we will have a unique and creative perspective, which also has the virtue of being scripturally accurate.  I love the idea of having the pentacles inscribed on the head, so please retain that for this illustration.  I really do not know what else I am to say, as your knowledge of Indian culture makes me hesitant to make anything except the broadest suggestions.  Please also look at the accompanying article on Ganesha, which we have put up on our website – it may give you some ideas for another point of view.   Emotion:  Happy, dancing Ganesha....”

 

In my drawing, Ganesh doesn’t hold an axe, he holds a mace.

Jane: “The rat (his vehicle) I see as a humorous touch, the small one who gnaws through ropes.  Do you want Ganesh’s head as an elephant with or without headdress?  Can easily alter minor details.  You mentioned having “the pentacles” inscribed on his head.  Did you mean this design, or what?

 

“I have tried to combine stability with ‘pan-cosmic’ states of being, in this design;  also he should seem ever so slightly shocking and terrible as Lord of the Ganas, and guarding his mother, so I visualize the completed design (if it succeeds) with the impression of him a little against the light – the light behind him/Paradox.  Have put his trunk in his left hand, as you said.



“I have found a friend who says he can scan and compress email images to send – I can ask him to do this once or twice a week until we have your London contact set up.   If it works OK, I can send you Ganesa and Rudra.  These two are now in colour, and complete, bar finishing touches, refinements and minor alterations to headdresses or facial expression.  I have left Rudra’s headdress vague, because it could be a Siva matted locks conch shell hairdo?  Or the proto-Siva headdress – is this the one that all the Nataraja wear?

“Ganesha, now coloured in, is more gentle and playful in mood.  He dances in his OM which is in a four gated mandala, with his Rat and a little puja of incense and a few sweets.  The Sri Chakra on his trunk is now smaller.  He touches earth auspiciously.”


            Jane’s notes:

Dancing Ganesh remover of obstacles, is at first himself the obstacle:  so we worship him first before any creative process.  He unblocks the poet.  As an EARTH energy, through his dance the Spirit touches ground to manifest.  The square Yantra emphasizes this playful dance within the Tamil OM sign, with reddish and ochre tones.
 Around Ganesh’s head is a circular blue aura – heaven or Spirit, entering the Earth:  the idea of squaring the Circle.
 The Yantra on his trunk combines one ascending male triangle with two descending female/shakti triangles.  These male and female principles evolve from the primal element to polarize as shiva shakti – the kernel of the great Sri Chakra Yantra.


Rohit Arya is an Author, Yogi and Polymath. He has written the first book on Vaastu to be published in the West, {translated into five languages} the first book on tarot to be published in India, co-authored a book on fire sacrifice, and is the creator of The Sacred India Tarot {82 card deck and book}. He has also written A Gathering of Gods. He is  a corporate trainer, a mythologist and vibrant speaker as well as an arts critic and cultural commentator. Rohit is also a Lineage Master in the Eight Spiritual Breaths system of Yoga

Rohit Arya_ Creation of the Zero card in the Sacred India Tarot

A brief glimpse of the process of creation of the Wild Card in the Sacred India Tarot. In the traditional Tarot this is the Zero card of the Major Arcana also known as the  Fool. Rudra- Shiva was the choice. It is an interesting perspective on cultural viewpoints that neither my publisher nor I ever felt there was any issue with keeping the old name. Our printer however expressed his deep reserve and hurt feelings..."How can you call Lord Shiva a fool?"  Not having the time to explain the context and the culture - the gulf in perspective was too immense - we opted for discretion and called it the Wild Card, which is actually a pretty accurate name! Self-censorship as a preemptive precaution has unfortunately become a necessity in contemporary India; people feel slighted and take offense at whim, and they have a whim of iron. 

 THE WILD HUNTER

Rohit’s Notes:

“He should be of immense muscular development, an athlete-warrior-hunter.  His complexion should be white skinned with tawny or long flowing copper coloured hair.  Rudra is the Archetypal outsider god, and his expression should be a combination of humour and danger.  His clothes should either be of deerskin or tiger skin, with the usual combination of snakes as ornaments.  His head should have the horn headdress made famous by the Indus Valley Seals – the famous Proto-Shiva.  A crescent moon within the headdress would not be a bad idea.  The whole figure should communicate the same wild untamed irresistible energy that your Nataraja figure had.  He should have four arms and be in a cosmic dancing posture.  In his hands he should be holding a trident, an arrow, a bow, and perhaps the creative-destructive fire of Rudra in his left upper hand.  The bow should be the composite bow of India, a wooden hilt or grip with double curved sections of horn to make up the rest of the bow.  If that is difficult, the off centre samurai bow of Japan will do just as well. 

 Bhairava dancing:  Rudra

Rudra should be accompanied in his dance across the forested Himalayan landscape by four dogs that should be red, white, black and yellow in colour.  They represent the four Vedas.  Ideally all of them should be of different breeds.  The other animals seen in the first illustration you sent, also communicate his role as the Lord of the animals, Pashupatinatha.”

 Jane had drawn Rudra before in this version shown below

Correspondence: Jane:  “Rudra/Bhairava is based on a sculpture of Bhairava dancing, in the Malikarjuna Temple.  the posture slightly echoes the Western tarot Fool – the legs…  His body and limbs are pure white, he has long red-copper-gold hair streaming out to each side, he is like lightning.  His four hands carry arrow, trident, fire and bow, and he wears a tiger skin and snakes. 

I hope to begin Vishnu tomorrow.  He, the Sustainer, and as The Magician, will be very still and centred.”

Jane’s Notes: 

“His cosmic dance on the Himalayas accompanied by 4 dogs – the Vedas – emerges as the creative potential when not yet focused or directed.  The energy could release anywhere.  The Wild Hunter Rudra is before space and time.  His upper body has the hunter’s awareness.  From a stormy sky he descends like lightning.  His facial expression combines humour and danger.  He is terrible yet innocent. 

The snakes refer to the universal Serpent Power – Kundalini – before she is tamed by yoga.  The wavy motion of the serpent symbolism is in all the mythologies.  They flow like water, storm and grains of sand;  they are the ley-lines of the earth, the meridians of the body, the currents of creation.”

EARLY VERSION OF THE CARD

Correspondence:  Rohit: (This painting was then redone, as it was not considered wild enough -)  “… The tawny hair is a beautiful touch.  The face seems out of proportion …

  The lower right hand should hold a long trishul, not the short stabbing one depicted.  The upper right hand should have the damaru or small drum.  The figure you had given us earlier of the cosmic nataraja had a great wild cosmic-shaking energy to it with wild spirals and lines, which would be nice to have here – as the Fool is an ambivalent card expressing the creative as well as the shadow side of the soul.  Perhaps the face expression should not be humorous as much as awesome … The madness and exuberant freedom of Shiva is missing …  As you say, he should be the wild hunter Rudra before space and time.”

  Rudra – Creative spirit or potential from the ancient ones, not yet focused – any which way – dances in all directions

 Final form

Rohit Arya is an Author, Yogi and Polymath. He has written the first book on Vaastu to be published in the West, {translated into five languages} the first book on tarot to be published in India, co-authored a book on fire sacrifice, and is the creator of The Sacred India Tarot {82 card deck and book}. He has also written A Gathering of Gods. He is  a corporate trainer, a mythologist and vibrant speaker as well as an arts critic and cultural commentator. Rohit is also a Lineage Master in the Eight Spiritual Breaths system of Yoga