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posted soon.
The minor arcana consists of a total of fifty-six
cards divided into four suits. Each suit contains cards numbered one
(ace) through ten, and four court cards: a king, queen, knight and
page. In keeping with tarot tradition, the major arcana of The Quantum
Physics Tarot embodies universal themes in quantum physics, while the
minor arcana deals with specific aspects and manifestations.
I thank you for your attention and welcome any comments you may have,
which may be directed to: quantumphysicstarot@gmail.com
Best Regards,
Michelle Gates
"...a vacuum is pictured as an endless sea permeating everything,
out of which particles jump up here and there like monsters.
The Sea of the Unknown, one might say.
Of infinite depth.
Yes, a whole new book is needed to look deeper into this unknown."
- V. Grigoryev and G. Myakishev, The Forces of Nature
The tarot can aid our ability to look deeper into the dark waters of the
unknown. It is a periscope with which our
conscious may peer into the unconscious, so both may be used to focus
our gaze as we navigate the unknowns of this
physical world, a world which has sprung from the vacuum. Our
consciousness permeates and is permeated by the these
monsters that have jumped from the void. Quantum physics, like the
tarot, is a tool of consciousness, one we use to
more fully embrace the physical world with our minds.
The entire physical world that our consciousness seeks to navigate is
governed by the actions of four forces.
Physicists point out that these forces and what they do are more
precisely described as particle interactions.
The four influences on the actions of particles have been dubbed the
gravitational, electromagnetic, and the
strong and weak nuclear forces. [1]
Quantum physicists know these forces interact with each other, and some
think they may just be different points on
a unified continuum, which perhaps may even include other types of
interactions.
Study of the four forces and how they affect particles has been very
fruitful, but through these studies, physicists
think they may see an underlying interrelationship. As Grigoryev and
Myakishev explain:
"...pigeonholing the different types of interactions is not enough,
for the
physiognomy of the world is determined by the totality of their actions,
their integration and profoundly harmonious
interrelations. The world is a unified entity..." (Forces, p
315)
The ancients of many cultures also described the world as a unified
entity, forged from the dynamic interaction of four
aspects, sometimes in addition to an enigmatic, fifth element. The
elements: earth, air, fire, and water are each associated
with one of the four suits of the tarot's minor arcana.
The major arcana of The Quantum Physics Tarot has addressed
overarching ideas within quantum physics and presented
somewhat of a timeline of the universe, culminating with the summit of
understanding physicists hope to ascend, from which
we may see the workings of the cosmos as a unified whole.
The minor arcana of The Quantum Physics Tarot explores aspects of
the four forces and how they relate to
archetypal themes inherited by the tarot throughout the hundreds of
years of its evolution.
In The Quantum Physics Tarot, the four forces have been
correlated to the four tarot suits based upon
similarities between their natures, not because of literal
relationships, as in the case of fire. Fire is an
electromagnetic phenomena, resulting from a chemical reaction that
causes the molecules of the fuel to fuse with
those of oxygen. Although fire springs from electromagnetism, for
reasons more fully explained in the introductions
for each suit, the nature of electromagnetism is better correlated with
the airy suit of intellect, not that of fire.
It is the nature of the strong force that bears more similarities to the
suit of fire and spirit.
The suits of The Quantum Physics Tarot and their associations to
traditional tarot suits is laid out below.
| Strong Nuclear Force | Weak Nuclear Force |
Electromagnetic Force | Gravitational Force |
Fire | Water | Air | Earth |
Wands (Rods) | Cups | Swords | Discs
(Pentacles) |
Spirit | Emotion | Intellect | Physicality |
The strong and weak nuclear forces both act within such minuscule levels
that their natures owe their entirety to the
quantum. The ever-shifting, submerged landscape from which these forces
emanate is much like the internal, nonlocal
realms of spirit and emotion.
Spirit is linked to the fire suit, which has rods or wands as its
emblem. The strong nuclear force is responsible
for the fire of the Sun, and the strong force’s mastery of the
elemental
can be likened to that which the magus seeks
to accomplish with his wand.
Fluidity links the element of water with the emotional suit, signified
by cups. The strength and stability that
results from what appears weak and inconsistent is what unifies this
suit and the weak nuclear force.
Electromagnetism and gravity are more tangible forces, ones that act
within the common sphere. Both earth and the
sword, which are associated with these suits, belong to the common
sphere as well.
The electromagnetic suit is associated with the emblem of swords, the
attribute of intellect and the element of air.
Within archetype and myth, the sword represents that which is earned,
much like the intellect one may develop with
diligent study. Human intellect has devised many tools during our
technological development, the sword being one of
the earliest, while those of modern times are forged from the
electromagnetic force. Electromagnetic waves slice through
the air around us and extend throughout space, making them akin to air,
the most expansive of elements.
Gravity endows weight to mass, making it only fitting that this force be
linked to the most substantial of the tarot?s
elements: earth. This suit is also associated with the pentacle, a
symbol weighted with suggestions of sensuality and
the physical. The disc is another of this suit?s symbols, whose
three-dimensional counterpart, the sphere, is the shape
the gravitational force gave to the cosmic dust that formed Earth.
The behavior of every particle within us and within the universe is
governed by these four particle interactions,
explored here in the minor arcana. Each of us navigate a "Sea of the
Unknown", a sea of infinite depth. While
the murky fathoms of what we do not know may be daunting, it is the very
infinite nature of these fertile depths that
sustains our capacity for discovery and, at the same time, requires our
constant affirmations of ignorance.
[1]
Technically, "forces" involve aspects of physics that apply only
to classical, not quantum, physics. To reflect this
and other modern developments in quantum physics, its practitioners also
refer to these particle interactions in reference
to the theories that describe them. These are called: geometrodynamics,
electrodynamics, quantum chromodynamics and
flavordynamics. It is common, however, for the sake of simplicity and
historical continuity, to just refer to them as
"forces" and by their traditional names.
Copyright©2005 Michelle Gates
|
~suit of discs, earth and the physical~
Whether called pentacles, coins, discs or gravitation, this suit invokes
the dark, musky smell of earth, the compelling pull exerted by our need
for sustenance, the completion and totality embodied by the circular
disc, or how much more tangible, the sphere?
Each compacted sphere of dust and gas scattered through out the cosmos
exerts a primary expression of gravitational power: the mass of its
spinning core, drawing toward itself everything within reach.
The material world rightly encompasses all that possesses mass and all
that pertains to wealth and sustenance. Just as it takes money to make
money, mass, through the workings of the gravitational force, attracts
more mass.
This suit is associated with the most substantial element: earth, which
coalesced from cosmic dust in the darkness of the primordial universe
under the influence of the gravitational force
The Pages of Gravity ~ Virtual Gravitons
Pages are messengers of their king and queen and Virtual Gravitons serve
the gravitational force. These tiny messengers of gravitation
communicate the attractive pull between bodies. In this respect, virtual
gravitons naturally extend from this sensual suit, which is so grounded
in the physical. In the quantum world, however, even this force, so
tangible, material, and instinctively graspable, is underlain with the
anomalous.
The pages of gravity bear tidings from a place where the "real"
and solid converges from the "unreal." "Real" particles
emerge from underlying quantum fields when these fields are aroused by
one or more of the four forces. Virtual gravitons also emerge from
these fields, springing forth from the quantum vacuum, but,
individually, are so weak, or so short lived, that they are impossible,
with current technology, to detect. Virtual gravitons have taken shape
out of theory. Virtual particles exists and do not exist, they act like
particles and waves, yet are neither particle nor wave. Physicists
strive to secure hard evidence of a single virtual graviton's existence,
yet, when there are many, the evidence of their passing can be detected.
Ironically, these illusive emissaries of gravitation have no mass
themselves, although they endow mass to all that is material. Because
virtual gravitons possesses no mass, they can travel at the speed of
light at an infinite range.
Like all good communicators, each messenger of the four forces
communicate their force by means of exchange. Gravity is communicated
between bodies as virtual gravitons are emitted but also absorbed by all
matter.
Possible associations: Expression of the material or sensory.
Communication concerning something of substance. Transmission of
wealth. Power of the small, but many, to give substance to the
material. That which itself does not possess mass, but endows it to all
else. The ambiguous, unseen roots of the "real." That which is
far-reaching, or fast-traveling in regard to the material or earthly.
Copyright©2005 Michelle Gates
|
~ suit of swords, air and intellect ~
Numerous species of electromagnetic oscillations waft around us
unceasingly, useful but unheeded, unseen yet providing sight.
Electromagnetism generates elasticity, allowing solid matter to retain
its shape, it is responsible for the surface tension of water, for
chemical reactions, and friction. Electromagnetic frequencies span from
radio to gamma rays; some are the light and heat essential to life;
others are uncommon and deadly.
The curved scimitars of the ancient Egyptian Mamluk warriors were
the first emblems to adorn this suit. [1] Since tarot's introduction to
medieval Europe, artisans, occultists and tarot practitioners have
layered their own associations onto the Swords suit to include the
cutting and penetrative power of intellect.
The sword is among the first forms of technology, sparked from
intellect and forged from the elements. The elemental force of
electromagnetism is the field from which much of our technology has emerged.
Like the sword, all technology is best guided by sound intellect.
The power of the mind and the technology it creates may be stifling, or
free-flowing and expansive like this suit?s element: air.
Electromagnetic waves expand through the air all around us and extend to
traverse the wide, black domains of the cosmos.
The Queen of Guidance
Liquid iron writhes in the heat of Earth's spinning core. Fluid and
strong, hidden and powerful, this spherical dynamo is thought to be the
source from which Earth's magnetic field flows. Long before the ancients
used magnetism to guide ships, the Chinese used it for guidance of other
sorts, in divination, geomancy, and in the practice of Feng Shui.[2] One of the earliest Chinese compasses
was a carved wooden fish, impregnated with loadstone, that floated in a
bowl of water. From these first perceptions of Earth's magnetism, human
intellect has navigated far into the domains of the electromagnetic force.
In addition to guidance, the Earth's magnetic field also offers
protection. High energy cosmic ray particles slice through space and
intersect our planet. Earth's magnetic field captures these ionized
particles and channels them along its course toward the poles of the
Earth. These captured particles create the beautifully eerie phenomena
of aurora borealis.
Possible associations: Guidance, perhaps of an intellectual nature.
Direction from a hidden source. Protection. Intellectual exploration.
Exploration guided by intellect. Beauty emanating from the invisible.
[1] Paul Huson, Mystical
Origins of the Tarot, From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage (Rochester,
Vermont: Destiny Books, 2004), 2-3.
[2]http://www.smilingbamboo.com/feng-shui-articles/fengshui_articles-historyofthefengshuicompass.php
Copyright©2005 Michelle Gates
|
~ suit of wands, fire and spirit ~
The strong interaction emanates from a shrouded, inner source
located in the minute regions of the quantum. If not for the supremacy
of the strong force within this infinitesimal domain, there would be no
stable nuclei around which atoms could form, and without atoms, of
course, there could be no solid matter of any sort. However, let not
the uninitiated be misled. Although all solidity does originate from
within this utmost of inner sanctums, its foundations lie upon the
shifting mists of the quantum kingdom. The uncertainty principal is law
here, and quantum tunneling is allowed.
From the ancient roots of archetype, this tarot suit has sprung as
one of wands, fire and spirit. Like the strong force, spirit also
radiates from an origin unseen, and within this sanctuary of fire and
spirit, the elemental nature of the strong force resonates. This force
dictates interactions that make an element what it is, and this mastery
hearkens to the wand wielded by the Magus, who also strives to mediate
elemental forces.
Although spirit and the power of the strong interaction occupy
ethereal habitations, when they do emerge from the intangible, it is
usually in a remarkable way.[1] The
fire of the Sun owes its existence to this force, as do the destructive
capabilities of atomic bombs. Fire represents the capability for
transformation, and the strong force facilitates metamorphosis, changing
neutrons to protons and back again to ensure the stability of all matter.
King ~ Exchange
The King of Exchange holds the atomic nucleus together, governing
interactions between the quarks that comprise nuclear particles. He
constantly strives against the electromagnetic force, whose mandates
would tear the nucleus apart. In obedience to the electromagnetic
force, the protons within the nucleus repel each other, as they possess
the same positive charge. But within his tiny regency, the King of
Exchange rules supreme, and his strength overcomes the repulsive power
of the electromagnetic force. Unlike electromagnetism and gravitation,
whose strength decrease with distance, the pull of the strong
interaction actually increases as quarks wander further from the atomic
center.
Occasionally, however, even the most impossible of escapes is made
inevitable by the extraordinary and acquiescent phenomena of quantum
tunneling. The King's exchange particles also behave like waves. If
even a small end of the wave extends beyond the boundary of the nucleus,
this represents a slight chance of its escape. In the quantum world,
all that is even remotely possible eventually comes to pass, so this
slight probability provides the particle with a quantum tunnel through
which it can elude the strong force. Once a particle escapes the
boundary of the King's sphere, it speeds away from the atom under the
power of the electromagnetic force. Physicists call these escapes alpha
decay.
While the King's authority to bind particles may appear draconian,
it is really the particles' need for exchange that binds them. The King
mediates exchanges of charge between protons and neutrons; without
which, the neutron would disintegrate after about twelve minutes. This
exchange of charge actually transforms one particle into another, and
because of this, physicists have come to think of protons and neutrons
as just two different states of the same particle. It is the particles'
need for exchange and the King's willingness to serve them that binds
the nuclear inhabitants together.[2]
Possible associations: Mediator of exchange, perhaps between spiritual
and material realms. Power that emanates from providing service. The
strength of inner need or spirituality that binds us to each other and
to the material world.
[1] The illustrious physicist,
Brian Jones (not to be confused with the famed Brian Greene, author of
Fabric of the Cosmos) noted this relevant correlation during our
conversation in December, 2005.
[2] This sentence was inspired by
V. Grigoryev and G. Myakishev, The Forces of Nature (Honolulu,
Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific, 2001), p. 260.
Copyright©2005 Michelle Gates
|
~ suit of cups, water and emotion ~
"...never forget that 'weak' has nothing to do with the idea of
'insignificant,'" [1] unless
one considers the ever-present power of mortality and creation
insignificant. A universe without the weak force would be much like a
universe without the decay that accomplishes death and the sustenance
death provides to that which is new. Without the weak interaction,
accumulation would be boundless and balance dispensable. This force,
which physicists say is better described as a constant presence rather
than a classical force, breaks down the cumbersome and unbalanced until
they attain a stable state.
Time is the accomplice of the weak force. At the designated moment,
it breaks down an element and another is created from the flash of its
demise. Energy is released as the weak interaction ends one atom?s
existence and ushers the emergence of another. It is this natural
ability of the weak interaction to transmute one element into another
that eluded the efforts of ancient alchemists.
Transformations of form and disintegration also allude to the watery
attributes of this suit?s element. Water?s ability to change form is
akin to the transmutation of elements accomplished by the influence of
the weak force. Water?s pliability, which feigns weakness, does not
inhibit its ability to break down rock, given the appropriate amount of
time, just as the weak force, in its time, breaks down heavy elements.
This force acts within the intimate confines of the atomic nucleus,
guiding interactions between quarks and other subatomic particles that
comprise protons and neutrons. This nuclear center is the point from
which larger-scale effects radiate, much as our interactions with our
nuclear family affect our emotional approach to the larger world. This
is the suit of emotion, with all its fluidity, volatility and poignancy.
The benefits of a universe that accommodates catharsis to level buildup
and decay to balance growth, extend to the fluidity of emotions and the
significance acknowledged by their expression. Emotions, like the weak
force, can be baffling and anomalous in their workings. The extremely
small scale upon which this force works places it fully in the domain of
the quantum, and physicists describe the weak interaction as the most
peculiar of all forces.
King ~ Transmutation
The King of Transmutation is an adept alchemist; the wave of his
hand transforms one element into another. This conjury is accomplished
within the sanctuary of the atomic nucleus where protons and neutrons
exchange identities and energy is absorbed or released. This King's
sphere also encompasses the ebb and flow of emotional energy.
A King establishes the character of his suit and within this domain,
changeability is the ruling precept. Just as the power of transmutation
changes one element into another at the appointed time, emotions also
evolve in kind or nature. Even love, reputed to be the most enduring of
emotions, changes in character with time.
Possible associations: Elemental change. An unseen or esoteric process
that fundamentally alters the nature of something. Emotional change.
Mastery of emotion. A change that may induce an emotional effect.
Queen ~ Decay
The King of Transmutation accomplishes his alchemy aided by the
Queen of Decay. Although her title may sound unfitting for a queen of
the emotional realm, this is yet another example of the ability of
cursory impressions to deceive.
This queen stabilizes that which is unbalanced and cumbersome. Beta
Decay[2] wielded by the weak force
allows unstable elements to reach a stable state, just as emotional
highs and lows eventually level to a ground state. The energy released
in beta decay is like the expression of emotion that induces catharsis.
Expressing emotions gives them a sense of solidity, just as observing a
particle can snap it from the quantum haze, making its "solid"
facts apparent.
Beta decay attends to elements at the moment of their disintegration
and creates different elements within the clutches of their demise. The
Queen of Decay is the fertile ground from which new life springs, it is
only our vanity that would induce us to cringe at her gaze.
Possible associations: The expression of emotion. Emotional breakdown. A
process that allows return to a balanced emotional state. The emission
of energy. Change that comes at its appointed time.
[1] V. Grigoryev and G. Myakishev,
The Forces of Nature (Honolulu, Hawaii: University Press of the
Pacific, 2001), p.304.
[2] The process in which a neutron
decays, turning into a proton and an electron, which is radiated from
the particle.
Copyright©2007 Michelle Gates
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