Day 1 - Saturday, ruled by Saturn: Obstacles and Blockades
Card : 6 of Cups - City Lights
This is a card of great innocence and love, so it's position in a reading about obstacles and blockades is either ironic or oblique. Although sound had firmly established itself, Chaplin continued to make his films in the style he had when making silents. Chaplin's perfectionism was in full-force during the making of this film, which took 3 years to complete. He wrote, produced, directed, and starred in
City Lights, which came to be considered not only his greatest film but one of the greatest films of all time.
In the story, Chaplin as his Little Tramp character falls for a poor, simple, beautiful flower-selling girl who is blind. One night, he saves a drunkard from drowning himself. That drunkard turns out to be a very rich man, and he and Charlie become fast friends - but only when the man is drunk. When sober, he can't remember much of anything, let alone who Charlie is (in America, he would be Supreme Court Justice material). When inebriated, the rich man gives Charlie the money needed to perform surgery on the flower-girl to restore her sight, but when the rich man sobers up he accuses Charlie of thievery. Charlie does time in jail and when he returns to freedom he visits the flower-girl, selling flowers in a posh flower store and able to see thanks to Charlie. Looking at him on the street, all she sees is a pathetic little tramp, but when she touches his hand she realizes who he is and what he has done for her.
Sentimental as all get out, this card with today's theme could suggest too much sentimentality may prove an impediment. Conversely, it may indicate certain modes and feelings may appear outdated but can in actuality provide something poignant and lasting. This card may argue that taking too much on one's self, being a fusspot, a hopeless dreamer, and ultimately a martyr looms as a possible danger. And yet, at the same time, sight was restored to the blind and a great cinematic work of art was created from just such a self-sacrifice. A subtext of the card may point to a psychic split between being a successful, sober, if somewhat mean pillar of society and the compensatory urge to become blackout drunk, suicidal, yet open-hearted.
In real life, Charlie had problems, legal and otherwise, due to his dalliances with young girls - a problem I don't have to worry about. But he was also vilified for his political beliefs, hounded about whether or not he was a Jew, and ultimately exiled from America during the McCarthy era by HUAC. This may advocate for judiciousness on my part when voicing my social and political opinions in mixed company.
Addendum: I spent the morning writing a song. In the afternoon and into the evening, I performed music from the 50s & 60s with my father and a couple of his old school chums. After dark, in preparation for their transfer from Super 8 to digital format, I attempted to view some old home movies, mostly of myself as a child. I didn't get very far because the projector wouldn't focus or stop fluttering so I couldn't properly see.
Day 2 - Sunday, ruled by the Sun: Inspiration and Goals
Card: 10 of Batons - For Whom The Bell Tolls
This card is about taking on too much and being overwhelmed by it. Taking everything on one's own shoulders, being forced into a corner, burning bridges, and in the end getting totally burnt out. The film is based on a Hemingway novel, the title of which is taken from a Donne poem: "any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." As it happens, this was a poem often recited in its entirety by my grandfather-in-law who died this last winter by assisted suicide at the age of 100.
The film concerns an impossible mission by anti-fascist guerillas to dynamite a bridge during the Spanish Civil War. Some of the themes include the ever-present reality of death, camaraderie as a kind of compensation to death, the role of moral and political ideology, suicide as a way of escaping pain, and the value of self-sacrifice.
Both Hemingway and Gary Cooper exhibited a rather insufferable machismo, befitting the terminal card of the male suit of Batons. That brand of pig-headed manliness is a trap I've always aspired to impede the advance of, if not blow up entirely. That said, I am a man and men are half of humanity - if occasionally only half human. There is comradeship there, and help to be had on either side. This card then, with today's particular assignation, suggests the lesson that integrity can still be had by sharing my ambitions and burdens. Indeed, doing so will lead to greater success and a deeper engagement with humanity, for no man is an island. We are born alone and we die alone, but we live together.
Addendum: I awoke at 4, and because the clocks went back, it was actually 3. This meant I had a very long day, at the end of which I was dead tired. I went to an interview for a volunteer position assessing musical instruments, records, and books, and got the job. One of the books I noticed set aside on a shelf there was Hemingway's
A Farewell To Arms (seen at the bottom of the 10 of Batons card). In the afternoon, a friend in Montreal posted an article from The Toronto Star written by Hemingway in 1923 which assesses Mussolini (
Il Duce being an obvious parallel to
The Don). I didn't mention this earlier, but the day before I spent the morning writing a song, one of the lines of which is "make way for tomorrow / the bell that's yet to toll."
Day 3 - Monday, ruled by the Moon: Dreams and Fears
Card: Justice XIII The Screen Actors Guild
This is a very political card, about standing up for one's rights, negotiating, maintaining law & order, and backroom skullduggery. Noted on the card is the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen offering food, dance, and entertainment and staffed by Hollywood stars pitching in for the war effort. Yesterday I applied for and was given a volunteer job. This may all be for the greater good, or perhaps this card is suggesting I stick to the agreed upon workload rather than get caught up being far more involved with the non-profit than I feel comfortable with, something I can see being a real danger.
The personal involvement of FDR in SAG's formation and Ronald Reagan's position as union president and later President of the United States, points to politics, especially US politics, and so the highly contentious and extremely important mid-term elections tomorrow. Speaking about it with a friend last night, he firmly believes there will be civil unrest and possibly the implementation of martial law. The Right have been busy gerrymandering districts and inventing new forms of voter suppression, and Trump - who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - has been inciting hatred and fear. Trump's alt-right agenda is insidious and intentionally harmful for the majority of Americans, and of the many nasty aspects of that agenda, one of most concern to me is the political reshaping of the judicial system. The appointment of Kavanagh was not just about Roe vs. Wade - Kavanagh is anti-union, against the Chevron Deference doctrine, and pro-presidential immunity - criminal charges being a very real threat to Trump. While I don't live in the US, what happens there greatly affects my country and the world.
On a more personal level, this card could be telling me to be more judicious with my time, with my involvements, and with my allegiances.
Addendum: A friend showed up unexpectedly and we spent the morning editing his book of poetry - a task that had been pending for some time. I did some chores around the place and then worked for a spell in the music studio. I spent the evening with my parents, where I ended up mediating between their manner of talking at each other. Then, exhibiting judiciousness, I went to bed early.
Day 4 - Tuesday, ruled by Mars: Conflicts and Challenges
Card: 3 of Spades - Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Well, one would be hard-pressed to find a more apt card in the GAHT for this somewhat super-Tuesday, in which crucial mid-term elections are being held in the US. This film made a deep impression on me as a 10-year-old, reflecting as it does one's perspective at that age: naive, sincere, and idealistic. The bad guys are unquestionably bad - beating up little kids - with the slight exception of Claude Rains, who is always somehow charming even when playing a cad. And although she was never really more than a light comedic actress, this film began a low-key one-way love-affair between me and Jean Arthur, whose voice was a mixture of bubble-wrap being popped, helium, and ice clinking in a glass. What I loved about Jean Arthur was not only her pluck, her sarcasm, and her genuineness, but the way within the film she was first and foremost Mr. Smith's friend, resolutely in his corner.
Mr. Smith premiered in Constitutional Hall in Washington. It was attacked by both the media and the Congress for being Anti-American and Pro-Communist because it dared to suggest corruption and incompetence could exist in the United States Capitol. Made on the eve of WWII, the film was banned by countries antagonistic to democracy. Although the ending of the film is ambiguous as to whether the greater good wins out over self-interest,
Mr. Smith has become a quintessential underdog and whistle-blower fable. Hopefully, this signifies an about-face to the current state of affairs in Alt-Right USA.
On a darker note, despite all the flag-waving and star-spangled optimism, the challenge this card may expose is how societal solutions do not reside in politics - especially the current mode of American politics. There is a tide rising in the world towards fascism, with a home-grown version welling up within the self-proclaimed protectors of liberty, the US. The unquestionably corrupt, self-seeking, and hateful forces do not exist exclusively in the demagogues and tycoons, but in us.
Addendum: The day began with me finally getting around to doing some editorial work on the computer. It proved a little more taxing than I'd foreseen, and I ended up having to abandon the enterprise part way through. I certainly could've used the secretarial help and camaraderie of Jean Arthur's Clarissa. In the evening, I watched the mid-term results - everything seemed to run pretty smooth, no civil unrest, nor to the best of my knowledge any beating up of little kids.
Day 5 - Wednesday, ruled by Mercury: Interactions and Change
Card: The High Priestess II Mae West
Yesterday, I openly hoped the 3 of Spades would signify "an about-face", and today, with Dali's Trompe-l'œil of Mae West's face looming and inviting, the first line in the GAHT companion key for The High Priestess reads "The comedy of Mae West is the comedy of the about-face". West represents a revolution of sorts in the traditional role of women in society - specifically, the formal roles of power, representation, and direction. As
Mr. Smith yesterday clearly alluded to the US mid-terms, Mae West today clearly alludes to the victory of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, with a record number of women candidates running for and being elected to office, including the first Muslim congresswoman, the first Native American congresswoman, and the youngest congresswoman. As a gay icon, West here may also allude to the first openly gay person elected governor in America.
The sexual aspect of West may suggest the turned-tables of the #MeToo movement. We are at the moment, after all, under the sign of Scorpio. Here, on The High Priestess card, West stands with her arms outstretched, a little like a scorpion and a little like Christ on the cross. She is dressed as a bat, the "Gaudian of the Night", often feared and misunderstood as omens of evil, but in fact symbols of rebirth. Contrary to superstition, bats have strong family bonds, signify transformation and spirituality, and are incredibly agile thanks to their use of sonar - a skill unique in the animal world. West is dressed in the blue of the Democrats, while the Trump-l'œil wall behind her is Republican red. It may be worth noting West became popular at the beginning of the Great Depression, when people were worried about their fate and had lost faith in the status quo. Before long, West was co-opted into the power structures that be and, her humour essentially desexed, sunk into obscurity and self-parody.
On a personal level, I will be looking out for any interactions of a spiritual nature - for me, hardly a change - and also for any subtle innuendo of change, especially if it's
blue.
Addendum: Brisk and exceptionally sunny, it was a beautiful autumn day. I spent most of it outside, working in nature. Curiously, the only people I interacted with directly were women, notably a young girl who stopped to ask me for directions. No spiritual revelations, and no sexual innuendos whatsoever - all in all a simple, rather solitary day... I even went to bed early and got plenty of much-needed rest.
Day 6 - Thursday, ruled by Jupiter: Power and Influences
Card: King of Cups - Clark Gable
I consider Cups
my suit, so one would think the king of it would suit me just fine. But actually, I have always considered the King of Cups to be a problematic character; someone at core afraid of true feeling, who controls their emotions so that they can control the emotions of others and in the end becomes something of a monster. To me, Clark Gable was this kind of man.
As an awkward adolescent, he came under the mentorship of the acting coach Josephine Dillon. Dillon changed Gable's walk, his talk, his teeth, and transformed his persona into the one he would go on to make a lifelong career of: the confident man's man and lothario, admired by both men and women. When Gable became a desirable Hollywood star, he threw Dillon over. When he began an affair with Carole Lombard, he threw his 2nd wife over. When his new wife Lombarde was out raising money for the war effort, Gable was cheating on her with Lana Turner. He personally had George Cukor removed from
Gone With The Wind because Gable found the director's homosexuality objectionable. In 1935, Gable date-raped Loretta Young; she later bore a child from the incident whom she ingeniously contrived to "adopt". Pretty much every step of the way Gable was a cad and got away with it because of his manipulative charm, his rugged good looks, and deference to his status. As Gable got older and went to pot, he became embittered and remorseful, an arch conservative, and an alcoholic. The King of Cups, then, especially in the position of Power and Influences, feels like a warning - stay true to feeling, don't wield it to some self-centred advantage or use it to beguile others.
This card focuses on one person, Clark Gable, but it could also indicate the allure generally of mass-culture and celebrity. The record label encircling Gable's eye - giving him in effect a black eye - is the hit single "You Made Me Love You", sung to Gable by the 15-year-old Judy Garland. The song makes the inducement explicit: "I didn't want to do it/ you made me want you / and all the time you knew it". Here, an up-and-coming actress - herself being manicured by the Studio System - is acting the part of an average young girl infatuated by the "The King of Hollywood". The song she sings to him became a Nationwide hit, and a model of cross-marketing promotion. The visceral power and influence of pop-culture is ubiquitous and perfidious; the realm of emotion must not be conquered and ruled over, but remain genuine and ingenuous.
Addendum: Overall I felt all day a solemn and assured sense of agency. I attended to various things about the place which needed upkeep and then, in the afternoon and into the cold night, I worked on the performance and recording of a song. Which, I must say, not only went off without a hitch but without me imposing my will, everything proceeding intuitively, as sometimes one experiences a state of grace, the full import of which one only realizes after it's past.
Day 7 - Friday, ruled by Venus: Love and Attraction
Card: KIng of Spades - Humphrey Bogart
At first glance, both the King of Spades and Humphrey Bogart as a signifier for Love and Attraction seems strange and unlikely. But then, as I've said on previous Fridays, interpretations for the realm of Venus are bound to be awkward as my inamorata and I are currently living in different cities. And as usual, on closer inspection, the tarot may indeed have something salient to say.
First off, rather like assuming a card's meaning at face value, who Bogart was in real life differed in key ways from the public persona he spent years crafting on film. For instance, he was born into a family of high social standing on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and attended a prestigious private school. He was rather sensitive as a child and remained so as a man. He grew to hate Hollywood but admired writers - he subscribed to the Harvard Law Review, was an avid reader, and could quote from Plato, Pope, and Shakespeare. Easily bored, he sometimes indulged in practical jokes and pranks. Due perhaps to an ambivalent relationship with his mother, Bogart was the opposite of a lady's man. Nevertheless, he had married twice before wedding the would-be actress Mayo Methot in 1938. Methot was an insanely jealous woman, and when she drank she would become paranoid, vicious, and physically violent. The couple's rows became infamous in Hollywood, who dubbed them "The Battling Bogarts". As Bogart's celebrity rose, Methot's sank, and they both aggravated the situation by drinking chronically and to excess. Unhappy as Bogart was - Methot literally stabbing him in the back on one occasion - he was resigned to this cruel and unhealthy marriage. Here, on the King of Spades card, the woman clinging to Bogart's neck is his wife, the actress Mayo Methot.
Reversed, the King of Spades can indicate manipulation, oppression, & abuse, but upright it indicates clear-thinking, authority, & truth. The image here of Bogart is his career-making role as Sam Spade in
The Maltese Falcon . At the end of the film, he throws over the woman he ostensibly loves rather than suffer himself for her transgressions. Within a few years of making
The Maltese Falcon, Bogart met the love of his life, Lauren Bacall, an emotional epiphany which compelled Bogart to divorce Methot and to - within reason at any rate - clean-up his act. Fittingly, Bacall is represented in the GAHT as the Queen of Spades.
I was stuck for years in an abusive, unhealthy relationship, rife with jealousy, spitefulness, deceit, mental anguish, and all fueled by alcohol. When I met the love of my life, it afforded me the clarity and strength of character to extricate myself from that madness and move forward not only emotionally but in all my life pursuits. For her care, authenticity, and elevation, I am forever indebted to the Queen of Spades (even if, within a few short years, I die of lung cancer).
By the bye, today, November 9th, is the woman Methot Mayo represents for me - my ex's - birthday.
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And what about those who just want to have a Deck of the Week, Card of the Day reading? They can just jump in and leave the planetary lore away. 
