Gate Cards: Tarot Realizations – by Bill Vincent
I am always intrigued by the concept of gate cards. Gate cards, as they are referred to in Rachael Pollack’s book “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom” are cards that lend themselves more easily than others to the process of active visualization, or “entering the card” in your mind. This type of exercise can provide deeper levels of meaning within the cards, and your relationship to them. My initial impressions of Tarot was that every card is a gate card, and I still believe that is true. However, some cards do make this easier with their stunning scenes and multiple levels of meaning. To quote Rachael in “78 degrees”, “They all share certain characteristics: complex, often contradictory meanings, and a myth-like strangeness which no allegorical interpretation can completely penetrate.” Rachael talks about several specific cards being gate cards.
One card that particularly has this quality for me is one that Rachael also specifically mentions in her book, which is the eight of cups. The scene in the Rider Waite deck shows a person facing away from us toward a nighttime sky and a watery mountain landscape as he walks away from the eight cups sitting neatly arranged on the ground behind him. Immediately this card can produce emotions of leaving something behind, and going on a journey into unknown territory. Eight is a significant number of cups to be leaving behind. Those cups represent a significant emotional investment. Walking away from them alone into the watery nighttime landscape carries a meaning of completion, but not ultimate completion or resolution. There is still more to do, and whatever that task may be is important enough and personal enough that they must leave past emotions, feelings, and even entire relationships behind.
Spending time focusing on this card can take you on a journey of your own. By studying the card and contemplating the feelings it evokes in you, you can begin to make connections and arouse your imagination with the inner journey that the card represents. The moon in the card represents reflection, just as the moon reflects the light from the sun. As you work further into the card’s imagery you can let your mind reflect on your own life, and feel the solitude that reminds all of us that the inner journey is one we must take alone. This image of solitude is particularly powerful for meditation, because through the images you can open up and reflect on where you are and where you have to go in order to continue on your life’s journey.
As Rachael mentions, the card can also have a completely different or seemingly conflicting meanings. For example, this card could also represent a complete rejection of an emotional investment. There will be no return, no going back to the cups left behind. The multiple ways in which you can interpret the symbolism and place yourself mentally into the card’s scene give the gate cards a special magic of their own. Gate cards are a source of deep, rich inner dialogue, which lead to inner visualization scenarios in which you are part of the card. With all of the Tarot cards you can become part of the story, but gate cards make it even easier than most.
While Rachael identifies several gate cards, I have identified several cards that do this specifically for me. Also, different decks provide different art that can act as gates. I find that almost every card in the major arcana can work as a gate for me. Take your favorite deck and try picking out a handful of gate cards of your own. Some cards will immediately stand out for you in this exercise, and will practically beg you to immediately start not only studying the card, but actually letting the scene come alive around you. The process of creative visualization is well-documented, and I encourage you to explore both other people’s techniques and your own. Many great supplemental exercises or rituals can also help ground you for the experience, which I highly recommend if you decide to do visualization work.
Best of all, these journeys don’t require checking baggage, security inspections, or long lines at the gate. Your destination is up to you, and how long your journey lasts is your decision to make. Bon Voyage!