Loathe though I am to admit to it, I must fall back on an old chestnut roasting on an open fire of a Christmas tradition as a touchstone for this Blog Hop theme of "Christmas Present", that of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". You all know the classic story - the quintessential embittered and cynical personage of Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by a series of spirits on Christmas Eve in an effort to turn the tides of his own soured spirits and instruct him on the true meaning of the holiday. While Dickens toted it as a ghost story, a parallel exists between its spectral characters and the four archangels prominently depicted in tarot, lending some further gravity to this and many of the other traditions honored during the winter solstice.
As a prelude to his holiday haunting, Scrooge is first approached by the ruined ghost of Jacob Marley, condemned to "wear the chains forged in life" and walk among the living in "incessant torture of remorse." It's no far stretch to find his equal in the Devil card, in which the demon in question takes the form of archangel Uriel. Uriel is not to be equated with Lucifer, the fallen angel who became the ruler of Hell, but he is described as the "watcher over thunder and terror" and according to Revelations holds the keys to the Bottomless Pit, and is thus associated with the Devil. This is an important distinction, because like Marley, Uriel delivers warnings and offers opportunities for redemption, a chance to face trials of crisis and throw off the loose fitting chains that we often fetter our own selves with. As the "Light of God", Uriel offers us light to find our way through the darkness, so do many of the "festivals of lights" that accompany the holidays psychologically buffer us against the long cold nights of winter when the Sun is at its weakest.
As foretold by Marley, Scrooge is visited first by the spirit of Christmas Past, who attempts to reconnect Scrooge with his roots, coming for Scrooge's "welfare", if not his "reclamation". A pivotal aspect of Scrooge's trip down Memory Lane is re-witnessing himself parting ways with his would-be bride Belle, who feels she has been "displaced by a golden idol". No doubt we are seeing the Lovers card reversed here, a card that deals as much with crucial decisions as it does with love and partnership. Raphael, the healer, is the archangel who presides over the Lovers and endeavors to restore wholeness by recovering the lost parts. Besides bringing health and well-being, he is the guardian of the Tree of Life (the card's setting is indeed Eden, a place of innocence), the patron of lovers and youth, and promotes growth. As we decorate our homes with trees, holly and other everlasting greenery, we create our own personal Eden in which we are reminded of a returning to innocence in an environment surrounded by symbols of enduring life where we enjoy the company of others, usually reunited after a long absence.
The spirit of Christmas Present, the apparent centerpiece of this piece, is depicted as a Dionysian version of Santa Claus carrying a cornucopia-like torch, with which he graces his surroundings with warmth and cheer. While I would have been tempted to link this jovial figure to the Lovers card, his torch and ever-flowing emotive power (and some variations have him brandishing a cup of wine) bears resemblance to Temperance, who is the protective archangel Michael. The protection that Michael provides is one of power and strength tempered by love and compassion, the right combination of which produces a selfless state of generosity and reconciliation, a condition free of "Ignorance and Want". Here, the phrase 'Christmas Present' can be taken as both being in the moment and as a gift, for the practice of gift giving is a powerful expression and enabler of this spirit of reconciliation, in the spirit of the solstice holidays being a time of charity and goodwill.
While the third spirit is the one Scrooge fears most, the spirit of Christmas Yet To Come has more to show than just the future. It provides Scrooge with a calling. For this reason, the Grim Reaper guise has been placed upon Gabriel, the messenger archangel associated with the Judgment card. While resurrection is an obvious theme, it is a dramatic metaphor for a personal awakening to a sense of purpose, depicted by the corpses rising from the narrow coffins of their former definitions of life. Such is the wake-up call Scrooge receives upon being shown his own barren headstone and the "judgment on him" seen in the aftermath of his death, pledging to change the course of the future by an "altered life". With Gabriel blowing Revelry, revelry itself becomes key. In celebrating the close of another yearly chapter and the coming of fresh one, we indeed 'look forward' to the renewal of ourselves and the world around us with a sense of optimism and hope.
At the end of Dickens' tale, Scrooge is reformed, a new man fervently vowing to honor the spirit of Christmas and to "live in the past, present and future". Marley and the three spirits have accomplished their mission, and their four archangelical counterparts make a curtain call appearance in Kerubic form in the World card. While they also surround the Wheel of Fortune, which is certainly symbolic of continuous flow of time in which Scrooge aims to exist, the World offers more seasonal symbolism. The figure of the dancer, reborn through perseverance, compassion, integration and liberation, is set within a great wreath - another ubiquitous tradition of the holiday season. Their similarity to the oroburos, the serpent holding its tail in its mouth, is hardly coincidental, as wreaths are symbols of eternal life and continuous cycle. Every year the world is reborn, and invites us all to be reborn with it, an occasion marked by observances that stretch across time and culture.
A happy solstice, however you choose to celebrate. (No, I will not quote Tiny Tim.)
Go forward to the Blog of Christmas Future: Priestess Tarot
Skip back to the Blog of Christmas Past: TABI
