Author Archives: babylon crashing

Electra [Armenian/ English translation]

04 Sunday Jan 2026

Posted by in Armenia, Armenian, Disaster –- Pain –- Sorrow, drama, Translation

≈ Comments Off on Electra [Armenian/ English translation]

Tags

, , , , ,

ACT I. THE LAND SPEAKS.
SCENE 1 – ELECTRA’S FIRST MONOLOGUE.

ELECTRA
Հա՛յր։
Father.

Քո անունը չեմ ասում բարձր,
որ պատերը չլսեն
և չսովորեն այն հնչյունը,
որ պիտի մաշեն իրենց լեզուներով։
I do not speak your name aloud,
so the walls will not hear it
and learn that sound
only to wear it down with their tongues.

Ես կանգնած եմ այստեղ
ոչ թե որովհետև սպասում եմ,
այլ որովհետև գնալու տեղ չկա
այն կնոջ համար,
որի ներսում հողը արդեն բացվել է։
I stand here
not because I wait,
but because there is no place to go
for the woman
inside whom the earth has already opened.

Գիշերները ես հաշվում եմ
քո ոսկորների թվով։
Առավոտները՝
քո արյանի չչորացած հետքերով
քարերի վրա։
At night I count
your bones.
By morning,
the still-wet tracks of your blood
on the stones.

Նրանք ասում են՝ «Ժամանակը բուժում է»։
Սուտ են խոսում։
Ժամանակը սովորեցնում է միայն,
թե ինչպես ապրել վերքի մեջ
առանց գոռալու։
They say, “Time heals.”
They lie.
Time only teaches
how to live in a wound
without screaming.

Ես սովորել եմ։
Ես չեմ լացում, երբ նրանք նայում են։
Ես չեմ աղաչում։
Ես չեմ ընկնում գետնին
ինչպես կանայք,
որոնք ուզում են մխիթարվել։
I have learned.
I do not cry when they watch.
I do not beg.
I do not fall to the ground
like women
who seek comfort.

Իմ մխիթարությունը հիշողությունն է։
Իմ աղոթքը՝ չմոռանալը։
My comfort is memory.
My prayer is not to forget.

Նրանք քայլում են քո տան մեջ
քո անունը բերանում,
ինչպես կեղտոտ հաց։
Նրանք քնում են քո անկողնում
և մտածում են՝ հողը լռել է։
Բայց հողը չի լռում։
They walk in your house
with your name in their mouths,
like dirty bread.
They sleep in your bed
and think the earth is silent.
But the earth does not remain silent.

Հողը լսում է ինձ։
Քարերը լսում են։
Գիշերը, երբ ոչ ոք չի համարձակվում շնչել,
ես խոսում եմ նրանց հետ։
The earth listens to me.
The stones listen.
At night, when no one dares to breathe,
I speak with them.

Ես ասում եմ՝ «Պահեք»։
Պահեք այն օրը։
Պահեք այն ժամը։
Պահեք այն ձեռքը,
որ պիտի բարձրանա։
I say, “Preserve.”
Preserve that day.
Preserve that hour.
Preserve that hand
which must rise.

Ես դեռ գիտեմ բառերը։
Ես դեռ գիտեմ անունները։
Ես չեմ շտապում։
I still know the words.
I still know the names.
I do not rush.

Ով շտապում է՝ մոռանում է։
Ամեն բան սպասում է ինձ։
Who hurries forgets.
Everything waits for me.

Ահա ես այստեղ եմ, հա՛յր,
որ չմոռացնեմ։
Here I am, Father,
so that I will not forget.

֎

ACT 1. WHEN SHADOWS SPEAK.

SCENE 2 – THE WATCHING WOMEN CHORUS.

WATCHING WOMAN I
Նայեցե՛ք նրան։
Look at her.
Նա չի շարժվում։
She does not move.

WATCHING WOMAN II
Երբ մարդը չի շարժվում,
կամ շատ ուժեղ է,
կամ արդեն քար է։
When a person does not move,
they are either very strong,
or already stone.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Նա չի լացում։
Սա ամենավտանգավոր նշանն է։
She does not cry.
This is the most dangerous sign.

WATCHING WOMAN IV
Լացը փրկություն է։
Լացը բաց է թողնում։
Ավելի լավ է բաց թողնել,
իսկ նա պահում է։
Crying is salvation.
Crying lets go.
It is better to let go,
but she holds on.

[All four step slowly forward, forming a semi-circle; light tightens on Electra at center stage.]

WATCHING WOMAN I
Նրա աչքերը փակ չեն,
բայց քուն չկա դրանց մեջ։
Her eyes are not closed,
but there is no sleep in them.

WATCHING WOMAN II
Նա լսում է այն,
ինչ մենք չենք լսում։
She hears what we cannot hear.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Գիշերը ես տեսա նրան
պատերի հետ խոսելիս։
At night I saw her
speaking with the walls.

WATCHING WOMAN IV
Չէ՛, նա չէր խոսում։
Նա հրաման էր տալիս։
No, she was not speaking.
She was giving orders.

[Short pause; all whisper, eyes fixed on Electra.]

WATCHING WOMAN I
Նա հոր անունը բերանում է պահում
ինչպես դանակ։
She keeps her father’s name
in her mouth like a knife.

WATCHING WOMAN II
Եվ չի օգտագործում։
And she does not use it.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Դանակը, որ չի օգտագործվում,
ավելի սուր է դառնում։
The knife that is not used
becomes sharper.

WATCHING WOMAN IV
Նա մեզ չի նայում,
որովհետև մենք արդեն մեռած ենք նրա համար։
She does not look at us,
because we are already dead to her.

WATCHING WOMAN I
Կինը, որ մոռանում է իր մարմինը,
վտանգավոր է։
The woman who forgets her body
is dangerous.

WATCHING WOMAN II
Կինը, որ հիշում է միայն հիշողությունը,
ավելի վտանգավոր է։
The woman who remembers only memory
is more dangerous.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Նա չի խելագարվել։
Դեռ ոչ։
She is not mad.
Not yet.

WATCHING WOMAN IV
Խելագարությունը աղմուկ է։
Սա լռություն է։
Madness is noise.
This is silence.

[They step back slowly, bow slightly, then freeze.]

WATCHING WOMEN [I-VI.]
Նա չի աղաչում։
Նա չի խնդրում։
Նա չի մոռանում։
And she does not beg.
She does not plead.
She does not forget.

Եվ ով չի մոռանում,
չի ներում։
And whoever does not forget
does not forgive.

[Light dims on the Watching Women; focus tightens on Electra center stage, alone, silent. Stone scraping fades. Soft wind continues.]

֎

ACT I. MEMORY BECOMES FLESH.
SCENE 3 – ELECTRA’S SECOND MONOLOGUE.

ELECTRA
Հիշողությունը
այլևս գլխումս չէ։
Memory
is no longer in my head.

[Steps forward, hands brushing over thighs and torso as if tracing an internal map.]

Այն իջել է ներքև,
ոսկորների մեջ,
ուր բառերը չեն հասնում։
It has descended down,
into the bones,
where words cannot reach.

[Breath deepens; slight tremor in knees; light flickers over her feet.]

Երբ քայլում եմ,
հողը ծանրանում է իմ տակ։
Երբ կանգնում եմ,
ծնկներս դողում են
ոչ հոգնածությունից —
այլ որովհետև ինչ-որ բան
ուզում է ծնվել ներսում։
When I walk,
the earth grows heavy beneath me.
When I stand,
my knees tremble
not from fatigue—
but because something
wants to be born inside.

[She leans forward, hands almost touching floor, as if feeling a pulse in the earth.]

Ես չեմ կարող երկար նստել։
Ես չեմ կարող պառկել։
Մարմինս գիտի մի բան,
որ լեզուս դեռ չի համարձակվում ասել։
I cannot sit for long.
I cannot lie down.
My body knows something
my tongue still does not dare to speak.

[Takes quick breath, chest heaving; slight shiver of shoulders.]

Գիշերը արթնանում եմ
քրտինքի մեջ,
և դա վախ չէ։
Դա հիշողություն է,
որ դուրս է եկել երակներիս վրա։
At night I wake
in sweat,
and it is not fear.
It is memory
that has risen through my veins.

[Hand rises slowly toward heart, then traces ribs; light glows slightly red over torso.]

Հա՛յր…
քո արյունը
ես չեմ տեսել։
Բայց իմ ձեռքերը
գիտեն դրա ջերմությունը։
Father…
I have not seen your blood.
But my hands
know its warmth.

[She clenches fists, nails digging slightly into palms; metallic scrape echoes softly.]

Երբ սեղմում եմ մատներս,
ինչ-որ բան խշշում է ներսումս,
ինչպես մետաղը՝ քարերին դիպչելիս։
When I clench my fingers,
something rustles inside me,
like metal striking stone.

[Pauses; lifts gaze to audience; voice softens, almost whispering.]

Նրանք ասում են՝
«Մոռացիր, աղջիկ»։
Բայց ես չեմ կարող մոռանալ
այն, ինչ հիմա
քայլում է իմ մեջ։
They say,
“Forget, girl.”
But I cannot forget
what now
walks inside me.

[Steps forward slowly, spreading arms slightly; light warms, highlighting face and torso.]

Ես քեզ կրում եմ
ոչ թե սրտումս —
այլ ազդրերիս մեջ,
մեջքիս լարումում,
ատամներիս սեղմման մեջ։
I carry you
not in my heart—
but in my thighs,
in the tension of my back,
in the clench of my teeth.

[Breath heavy, audible; pauses to inhale; hand brushes along ribs.]

Երբ շնչում եմ,
շունչս ծանր է։
Երբ բացում եմ բերանս,
բառերը դառն են։
When I breathe,
my breath is heavy.
When I open my mouth,
the words are bitter.

[Steps back, fists unclench, arms drop slowly.]

Ես այլևս չեմ խոսում հողի հետ։
Հողը խոսում է ինձնով։
I no longer speak with the earth.
The earth speaks through me.

Եթե ձեռք բարձրացնեմ,
դա իմը չի լինի։
Եթե գոռամ,
դա ձայն չէ —
դա ճեղք է։
If I raise my hand,
it will not be mine.
If I scream,
it is not a voice—
it is a rupture.

[Turns slowly, one hand extended, as if feeling invisible resistance.]

Ես չեմ շտապում։
Բայց մարմինս
սկսել է հաշվել։
I am not in a hurry.
But my body
has begun to count.

Օրերը՝
ոչ արևով,
այլ զարկերով։
The days—
not by the sun,
but by the beats.

[Pause; light flickers; shadow of wall stretches behind her.]

Եվ երբ թիվը լրացվի,
ես չեմ հարցնի։
And when the count is complete,
I will not ask.

[Step forward sharply; sudden tension in shoulders and hands.]

Ես կշարժվեմ։
I will move.

[Lights dim to near darkness; heartbeat sound grows louder and slower; scrape and metallic tinkle fade.]


֎

ACT II. THE VULTURE GROWS
SCENE 1 – THE WATCHING WOMEN [THE OMEN OF ELECTRA]

[The Watching Women enter from different sides, moving silently at first, like shadows pooling into the center. Each step is measured, yet the air trembles with urgency.]

WATCHING WOMAN I
Որտե՞ղ է թաքնվում Էլեկտրան։
Where is Electra hiding?

WATCHING WOMAN II
Սա Էլեկտրայի ժամը է։
Այն ժամը, երբ նա լաց է լինում հոր գերեզմանի մոտ,
մինչդեռ պատերը զրնգում են։
This is Electra’s hour.
The hour when she weeps at her father’s grave,
while the walls resound.

[A sudden metallic clink echoes; Electra darts out from the inner hall, unseen until now. Everyone turns toward her. She recoils like a wild animal, one arm shielding her face.]

WATCHING WOMAN I
Տեսա՞ր, թե ինչպես էր նա մեզ նայում։
Did you see how she looked at us?

WATCHING WOMAN II
Չարաճճի։ Նա վայրի կատվի նման է։
Mischievous. She is like a wild cat.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Այս պահին նա պառկած է և տնքում է։
At this moment, she lies and prowls.

WATCHING WOMAN I
Նա միշտ պառկում է և այդպես տնքում, երբ արևը մայր է մտնում։
She always lies and prowls like this when the sun sets.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Եվ հետո մենք չափազանց հեռու գնացինք։
Չափազանց մոտեցանք նրան։
And then we went too far.
We approached her too closely.

WATCHING WOMAN I
Նա չի կարող դիմանալ, եթե պարզապես նայես նրան։
She cannot bear it if you simply look at her.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Մենք չափազանց մոտեցանք նրան։
Հետո նա գոռաց մեզ վրա՝ ինչպես կատվի։
«Գնացե՛ք, ճանճեր, հեռացե՛ք», – գոռաց նա։
We approached her too closely.
Then she shouted at us like a cat:
“Go, flies, get away!”

WATCHING WOMAN IV
«Կեղտոտ ճանճեր, հեռացեք»։
“Filthy flies, get away.”

WATCHING WOMAN III
«Մի՛ բավարարվեք իմ վերքերով»։
[raises her hand, striking air as if the lash lands]
Եվ մեզ հարվածեց հանգույցված կաշվի կտորով։
“Do not settle for my wounds.”
And she struck us with a knotted piece of leather.

[Electra straightens. The laugh rises from her throat—harsh, chattering, not melodic, not human.]

ELECTRA
Դուք… դուք ինչ-որ բան մոռացել եք ասել։
You… you forgot to say something.

WATCHING WOMAN IV
«Սողալով հեռացեք», – գոռաց նա մեզ վրա։
«Քաղցր կերեք և ճարպ կերեք,
և գաղտնի պառկեք քնելու, դուք և ձեր ժողովուրդը…»
“Creep away,” she shouted at us.
“Eat sweet and fat,
and lie down in secret, you and your people…”

WATCHING WOMAN III
Մենք անգործ չէինք մնացել—
We did not remain idle—

WATCHING WOMAN IV
Մենք պատասխանեցինք նրան։
We answered her.

WATCHING WOMAN III
Այո՛։ «Եթե քաղցած ես, – պատասխանեցի ես Էլեկտրային, –
ուրեմն դու նաև կրքոտ ես»։
Yes. “If you are hungry,” I answered Electra,
“then you are also fierce.”

[Short silence. Electra steps forward, measured, controlled.]

ELECTRA
Կրքոտ…
Դուք սխալվում եք։
Ես քաղցած չեմ սննդի համար։
Ես քաղցած չեմ սիրո կամ մխիթարության համար։
Fierce…
You are mistaken.
I am not hungry for food.
I am not hungry for love or comfort.

WATCHING WOMAN II
Հետո ի՞նչ…
Then what…

ELECTRA
[Voice erupts, guttural, animal-like growl.]
Ես իմ փորի մեջ անգղ եմ կերակրում։
Ամեն օր։ Ամեն ժամ։
Եվ նա աճում է։
Նրա կտուցը սուր է իմ ներսից։
Նրա թևերը ճեղքում են իմ կողերը՝ դուրս գալու համար։
I feed a vulture in my belly.
Every day. Every hour.
And it grows.
Its beak is sharp inside me.
Its wings tear through my ribs to get out.

[She folds her hands toward her stomach, as if caressing and restraining the monstrosity within.]

Տեսնու՞մ եք նրան։
Նա սպասում է։
Ինչպես ես։
Do you see it?
It waits.
Like me.

WATCHING WOMAN I
[Half whisper, gasping.]
Դիակուտող…
Corpse-devourer…

ELECTRA
[Soft, almost intimate, metallic in tone.]
Այո՛։
Դիակուտող։
Ես նստում եմ այնտեղ, որտեղ կարող եմ զգալ դիակի հոտը։
Ես քերում եմ հողը վաղուց մեռածի հետևից։
Ինչո՞ւ…
Yes.
Corpse-devourer.
I sit where I can smell the corpse.
I scratch the earth behind the long-dead.
Why…

[Voice sharpens, metallic.]

Որովհետև դիակը սպասում է։
Եվ անգղը սպասում է։
Եվ ես…
ես միայն այն միջնորդն եմ, որ պետք է միավորի նրանց։
Because the corpse waits.
And the vulture waits.
And I…
I am only the mediator who must unite them.

[Short, frozen silence. The Watching Women are paralyzed.]

Այժմ գնացեք։
Գնացեք և պատմեք ձեր ժողովրդին։
Ասացեք, որ Էլեկտրան ոչ թե լաց է լինում…
Այլ կերակրում է։
Go now.
Go and tell your people.
Say that Electra does not weep…
She feeds.

[She turns, back to them. The Watching Women scatter quickly, clumsily, like shadows fleeing. Spotlight narrows to Electra, alone. Heartbeat softens, metallic echoes fade.]

֎

ACT II. THE HAUNTED MOTHER.
SCENE 2 – CLYTEMNESTRA ENTERS.

[Clytemnestra enters slowly from upstage right. Hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. Her body seems to carry a weight of unseen horrors. She stops mid-stage, breath ragged, glancing at Electra but not approaching.]

CLYTEMNESTRA
Ջուր տվե՛ք։
Give me water.

[Silence. Nobody moves. Her voice trembles slightly, but is commanding.]

Օդն այստեղ խիտ է։
Սա տուն չէ։
Սա փակված մարմին է։
The air is thick here.
This is not a house.
This is a closed body.

[She notices Electra. Stares but keeps distance.]

Դու այստեղ ես։
Ես գիտեի։
You are here.
I knew it.

Գիշերը,
երբ աչքերս փակեցի,
դու կանգնած էիր նույն տեղում,
և պատերը
քրտնում էին։
At night,
when I closed my eyes,
you stood in the same place,
and the walls
sweated.

[Pause. She wipes her neck with her hand.]

Իմ մարմինը չի քնում։
Այն հիշում է,
երբ ես չեմ ուզում։
My body does not sleep.
It remembers
when I do not want it to.

Երազներս չեն գալիս պատկերներով։
Նրանք գալիս են հոտով։
Մետաղ։
Հող։
Թաց մազ։
My dreams do not come as images.
They come as smell.
Metal.
Earth.
Wet hair.

Երբեմն
արթնանում եմ գոռալով,
բայց ձայն չկա։
Միայն բերանս է բաց։
Sometimes
I wake screaming,
but there is no sound.
Only my mouth is open.

[Pause. Breath ragged. She takes a tentative step toward Electra, then stops.]

Դու լռում ես։
Դու միշտ լռում ես
այնպես,
որ թվում է՝
իմ ներսը լսելի է դառնում։
You are silent.
You are always silent
in such a way
that it seems
my inside becomes audible.

Ասա մի բան։
Նույնիսկ անեծք։
Նույնիսկ սուտ։
Say something.
Even a curse.
Even a lie.

Լռությունը
կպչում է մաշկիս։
Silence
sticks to my skin.

[She steps closer, then halts.]

Ես թագուհի եմ։
Բայց գիշերը
թագը ծանրանում է գլխիս վրա,
ինչպես քար։
I am a queen.
But at night
the crown grows heavy on my head,
like stone.

Իմ մարմինը
չի հավատում իմ իշխանությանը։
My body
does not believe in my authority.

Ձեռքերս դողում են։
Ոտքերս հիշում են փախուստը։
My hands tremble.
My feet remember fleeing.

[Her voice cracks.]

Ես չեմ վախենում քեզնից։
I am not afraid of you.

[Short pause.]

Սա սուտ է։
This is a lie.

Ես վախենում եմ
քո հիշողությունից։
I am afraid
of your memory.

[She glances at Electra’s hands.]

Որովհետև այն
մարմին ունի։
Because it
has a body.

[Short, heavy silence. She stands, frozen, caught between dread and awe.]

Դու ոչինչ չես անում,
բայց տունը
այլևս չի ենթարկվում ինձ։
You do nothing,
yet the house
no longer obeys me.

Պատերը շնչում են քեզնով։
Հողը ծանրանում է։
The walls breathe you.
The earth grows heavy.

Ասա ինձ՝
դու ինչ ես սպասում։
Tell me—
what are you waiting for?

[Whispers.]
Ո՞վ է գալու։
Who is coming?

[Silence. Metallic scrape again, closer. A lantern flickers and dies. The wind moves the curtain but the door does not open.]

WATCHING WOMAN
[whispering from different corners.]
— Ճանապարհի հոտ կա։
— Օտար փոշի։
— Ոտքերի ձայն՝ առանց մարդու։
— There is the scent of a path.
— Foreign dust.
— Footsteps without a human.

[Clytemnestra shivers, sensing the presence.]

CLYTEMNESTRA
Ո՞վ է այստեղ։
Who is here?

[No answer. Only metallic scraping, slowly approaching. Her body tenses.]

WATCHING WOMAN
[deep, layered voices.]
Այն, ինչ հեռու էր,
այլևս հեռու չէ։
Այն, ինչ անուն չուներ,
մոտենում է։
That which was distant,
is no longer distant.
That which had no name,
approaches.

[All eyes on Electra. She stands calm, poised, the center of the stage.]

ELECTRA
[soft, almost gentle, voice steady.]
Երազը չի սպանում —
այն պարզապես բացում է դուռը։
The dream does not kill—
it simply opens the door.

[Lights slowly dim, leaving only shadows and faint outlines of the characters. The metallic echoes linger as the tension thickens.]

֎

ACT II. DREAMS BECOME FLESH.
SCENE 3 – CLYTEMNESTRA [CONTINUES.]

[Clytemnestra sits on a low platform or step. Her hands tremble. Sweat drips down her face. Every emotion is small, hesitant. She begins her fragmented monologue.]

CLYTEMNESTRA
Ես չեմ քնում։
I do not sleep.

Եթե աչքերս փակվեն,
այն քուն չէ —
դա ներս ընկնել է։
If my eyes close,
it is not sleep—
it is falling inward.

Երազներս
չեն գալիս պատմությամբ։
Նրանք գալիս են
մարմնով։
My dreams
do not come as stories.
They come
with a body.

Սկզբում՝
մի ձայն։
Ոչ անուն։
Ոչ խոսք։
Միայն ծանրություն,
ինչպես քայլ
թաց հողի վրա։
At first—
a sound.
No name.
No words.
Only weight,
like a step
on wet earth.

Հետո՝
ձեռքեր։
Then—
hands.

Ես չեմ տեսնում դեմք։
Ես տեսնում եմ միայն
ինչպես են ձեռքերը
իմնից մեծ։
I do not see a face.
I see only
how the hands
are bigger than mine.

Նրանք ինձ չեն խփում։
Դա ավելի վատ է։
They do not strike me.
It is worse.

Նրանք չափում են։
Իմ վիզը։
Իմ ուսերը։
Իմ քունքը։
They measure.
My neck.
My shoulders.
My sleep.

[Breathing quickens, almost panicked.]

Երբեմն
արթնանում եմ
իմ անունը բերանում,
բայց դա իմ ձայնը չէ։
Sometimes
I wake
my name in my mouth,
but it is not my voice.

Այլ ձայն է,
որ սովորել է
իմ բերանը։
It is another voice
that has learned
my mouth.

Երբեմն
ես վազում եմ երազի մեջ,
բայց ոտքերս
չեն հպվում գետնին։
Sometimes
I run in a dream,
but my feet
do not touch the ground.

Ես լողում եմ
արյան միջով,
և այն տաք է։
I swim
through blood,
and it is warm.

Չի այրում։
It does not burn.

Սա ամենասարսափելին է։
This is the most terrible.

[Short pause. Her hands clench, she looks at Electra almost pleadingly.]

Երեկ
երազում
տեսա ծառ։
Yesterday,
in a dream,
I saw a tree.

Չոր։
Արմատները՝ դուրս եկած։
Dry.
Roots torn out.

Երբ մոտեցա,
տեսա՝
արմատների տակ
մարմին կա։
When I approached,
I saw—
beneath the roots
was a body.

Ես գիտեի՝
եթե նայեմ դեմքին,
ես չեմ արթնանա։
I knew—
if I looked at its face,
I would not wake.

Ես չնայեցի։
I did not look.

[She speaks without tears; voice empty, almost metallic.]

Բայց մարմինը
բացեց աչքերը։
But the body
opened its eyes.

[Pause. She trembles slightly, voice softer, fragile.]

Ես թագուհի եմ։
Բայց գիշերը
ես պարզապես
միս եմ։
I am a queen.
But at night
I am only
flesh.

Եվ միսը
հիշում է։
And the flesh
remembers.

[Whisper, directed at Electra, almost a confession.]

Ասա ինձ…
սա պատիժ է՞,
թե հիշեցում։
Tell me…
is this punishment,
or remembrance?

[She leans forward slightly, eyes searching. A faint metallic clang offstage. Wind rustles the curtain; door remains closed.]

WATCHING WOMEN [I-VI.]
[whispering, from different corners.]
— Ճանապարհի հոտ կա։
— Օտար փոշի։
— Ոտքերի ձայն՝ առանց մարդու։
— There is the scent of a path.
— Foreign dust.
— Footsteps without a human.

[Clytemnestra shivers, senses the approach. Fear, awe, and guilt swirl into physical tension.]

CLYTEMNESTRA
Ո՞վ է այստեղ։
Who is here?

[Silence. The metallic scrape grows nearer, closer. Her body freezes. A single flickering lantern casts quick shadows.]

WATCHING WOMEN [I-IV.]
[deep, layered.]
Այն, ինչ հեռու էր,
այլևս հեռու չէ։
Այն, ինչ անուն չուներ,
մոտենում է։
That which was distant,
is no longer distant.
That which had no name,
approaches.

[All eyes on Electra, still and poised.]

ELECTRA
[soft, deliberate, almost gentle.]
Երազը չի սպանում —
այն պարզապես բացում է դուռը։
The dream does not kill—
it simply opens the door.

[Lights dim gradually, shadows swallowing the edges of the stage. Metallic echoes linger. Tension thickens, ready to erupt into the Straussian frenzy of Act III.]

֎

ACT III. THE BLOOD STANDS STILL.
SCENE 1 – ORESTES’ FIRST ENTRANCE.

[Door opens silently. Orestes stands at the threshold, body rigid, face unreadable. His presence is cold, almost spectral.]

ORESTES
Ես տուն եմ եկել։
I have come home.

[Silence. Clytemnestra trembles, Electra remains still, eyes fixed on him.]

CLYTEMNESTRA
Դու—
You—

ORESTES
[cutting, precise.]
Ես տուն եմ եկել։
I have come home.

CLYTEMNESTRA
Տունը… Այո՛, տունը…
[pleading, fragile.]
The house… Yes, the house…
Եկ… քո տեղը ներսում է…
Come… your place is inside…

ORESTES
Իմ տեղը միշտ այստեղ է եղել։
My place has always been here.

ELECTRA
[voice rises, then cracks.]
Դու ուշացար։
You were late.

ORESTES
Դու սպասեցիր։
You waited.

[Long silence. Orestes looks at Clytemnestra. She does not meet his eyes, only watches the crown fall slightly on her neck.]

֎

ACT III. LAST PLEA.
SCENE 2 – CLYTEMNESTRA ENTERS.

CLYTEMNESTRA
Կրկին լսե՛ք ինձ։
Hear me again.

Ես խոսում եմ, ոչ որպես թագուհի,
այլ որպես մարմին, որ դեռ ցանկանում է շնչել։
I speak not as a queen,
but as a body that still wants to breathe.

Արյունը իմն է, բայց ո՞վ է հանձնելը:
The blood is mine, but who shall surrender it?

Թող ձեր ձեռքը դառնա փափուկ,
Թող ձեր աչքը մի պայթի…
Let your hand become gentle,
Let your eye not burst…

Ես պատրաստ եմ՝
մատանիներ, ոսկի, հող, անուշաբույր…
I am ready—
rings, gold, soil, fragrance…

Լացեք, եթե պետք է,
բայց թող ինձ ապրելու թույլտվություն տաք:
Cry, if you must,
but grant me permission to live.

[Sharp, urgent, pleading.]

Վերադարձեք…
Թող շնչեմ…
Թող ես էլ ճեղքեմ լռությունը…
Return…
Let me breathe…
Let me break the silence as well…

[Electra remains cold, unyielding. Orestes’ presence is controlled, silent. Clytemnestra understands: time has run out. The crown slips from her head.]

֎

ACT III. – STRAUSSIAN FRENZY.
SCENE 3 – ELECTRA ENTERS.

ELECTRA
[with no warning, twisted smile.]
Դու մտածեիր, որ շանս ունես…
You thought… you had a chance…

[She moves toward Clytemnestra like a predator. Mother recoils.]

CLYTEMNESTRA
[screaming, merciless.]
Ազնիվ չէ՛…
You are not innocent…

ORESTES
[breathless, cold.]
Դու ժամանակ չունես։
You have no time.

[Clytemnestra runs, claws extended, feet sliding on the floor. Electra grabs her, tight but not tender. Orestes raises the knife.]

ELECTRA
[sharp, almost sensitive.]
Արդեն իսկ վերջ։
It is already over.

[Movement erupts—blows, grabs, knife. Clytemnestra cries, but not as queen—she is only body, realizing the inevitability. Short, muted silence. Electra’s small smile—the first crack of ecstasy.]

֎

ACT III. FINAL COLLAPSE.
SCENE 4 – ELECTRA ENTERS.

ELECTRA
[firm, whisper.]
Այս տունը… այլևս մերն է։
This house… is ours now.

[Orestes makes a small, precise motion. No enemy, no words. Lights fade gradually. Only the shadows of walls remain.]

֎

ACT III.– SHORT EPILOGUE.

SCENE 5 – ELECTRA ENTERS.

ELECTRA
Արյունը մնաց հողին,
ոչ ոք չի մաքրելու, ոչ ոք չի մոռանալու:
The blood remains on the earth,
no one will cleanse it, no one will forget it:

Անկարող է իմ շունչը մոռանալ տառապանքը,
անձրևը չի լվացնելու մեղքը,
սիրտը չի մոռանալու ծիծաղն ու լացը,
Եվ այս տունը…
այս տունը միշտ կհիշի այն, ինչ եղել է:
My breath cannot forget the suffering,
the rain will not wash away the guilt,
the heart will not forget laughter and tears,
and this house…
this house will always remember what has been:

Այս դատը… այս արյունը…
Այժմ մերն է,
բայց ոչ խաղաղություն։
Ոչ մեղք՝ չի մնացել, ոչ անմեղություն։
This judgment… this blood…
is now ours,
but there is no peace.
No guilt remains, no innocence.

[Silence. Electra and Orestes stand side by side, breaths balanced, eyes sharp. The room heavy, silent. Darkness.]

[FIN.]

taste

20 Monday Oct 2025

Posted by in Erotic, Humor, Poetry, sonnet

≈ Comments Off on taste

Tags

, , , , ,

Now write about yourself. Not witches. Not

lust, but “i” – the gauntest part of myself.

Now write about your childhood – that distraught

grimoire, “vulval witch lore,” lost on the shelf.

Which lore? Exactly. “Witches gummed gristle”?

But of course! “Make a crone moan while sucking

her bone”? Bad rhyme. It must rhyme with “vulval.”

Offal? No. “Something-something … we’re kissing.”

La bruja me agarra,/ me lleva a su casa,/ me sienta en su regazo/ y me besa.

The witch grabs me,/ takes me to her house,/ sits me on her lap/ and kisses me.

Yes! You got it. The clap, I mean … the Witch

Clap. No! You said this would be in good taste.

¡Ay! dígame, dígame/ dígame usted/ ¿cuántas criaturitas/ se ha chupado usted?

Oh! Tell me, tell me,/ Tell me,/ how many babes have you drained the life from?

Cannibal humor slays me. It’s a niche

duffer; like porn for the boring and chaste.

Or this strange folk song you keep quoting from.

Ninguna, ninguna/ ninguna no sé,/ ando en pretenciones/ de chuparme a usted.

None, none,/ none, I don’t know/ but I’m planning to drain you next.

Drain who? You: kid. Me: booty witch like bomb.

Notes.

It’s a sonnet getting interrupted by a folk song. That’s the problem with short term memory loss, I keep forgetting what I wanted to write about. I’m thinking about my childhood and my broken home on the range and suddenly I find this Mexican folk song, “La Bruja,” which apparently was one of Frida Kahlo’s favorites and now I’m trying to work it in as if it’ll magically fit in 14-lines of poetry.

The new Agent Orange: dropping song fragments into crap verse from very far away just to watch it burn.

24 Tuesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , ,

֍ THE TOWER – Card XVI

TITLE: The Maelstrom’s Maw / 漩淵之口
TAOIST PARALLEL: Xiǎo Lán, Ninth Surge Daughter of the Sea
ARCHETYPE: The Tide That Devours Pride

TALE: In the era of shifting winds, the Eastern Sea Dragon King built a beacon-tower to tame the tides—a golden spire that claimed to measure all currents, to name all storms, to command all sea-spirits. But his daughter, Xiǎo Lán, the ninth-born of his brood, inherited the soul of the tide itself. She warned: “You cannot measure water without betraying it.” He ignored her. On the ninth typhoon of the ninth year, she rose in spiral wrath, tearing the tower from its roots and drowning her own kin who tried to defend it. The Dragon King wept, but the maelstrom would not relent until every stone sank. Since then, when pride builds towers over tide, her nine vortexes return to cleanse the arrogance of certainty.
WHY THE TOWER? Her maelstrom is not punishment—it is the wave that removes what should never have stood.
KEYWORDS (Upright):
Bēng hǎi (崩海) – Collapsing sea
Lóng hāi (龍咳) – Dragon’s cough (storm as rejection)
Duàn lónggǔ guāng (斷龍骨光) – Keel-breaking light
KEYWORDS (Reversed):
Jiǎ tǎ (假塔) – False tower
Yān mò (淹沒) – Self-chosen drowning
Nuò máo (懦錨) – The coward’s anchor

INTERPRETATION: Xiǎo Lán is not evil. She is truth unbound by structure. Her wrath is not personal—it is a cleansing necessity. She is the Taoist embodiment of uncontrolled change, of nature correcting human overreach, much like Guabancex.

RITUAL: THE SHIPBREAKER’S AXE (破船斧, Pò Chuán Fǔ)

(Inspired by Ming-era scuttling rites and Taoist demolition magic)

PURPOSE: To sink your own illusions before the sea does it for you.

MATERIALS:

A wooden plank (driftwood or old furniture).

Red paint (or bloodroot pigment).

A hammer and nail.

Nine seashells.

STEPS:

Paint your “lie” on the plank in one character. Example: Pride (傲), Fear (怕), Greed (貪).

Nail the plank to a tree (or large log), chanting:

九漩之命，潮咬謊言，斧碎虛塔，沉者自救。

By order of the Nine Vortexes, the tide bites through lies, the axe breaks the false tower, the sunken shall save themselves.

Smash it with the hammer, shouting one true thing you’ve denied.

Bury the shells with the splinters—their hollows now hold what you released.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Hurricane / The Cleansing Fury

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Guabancex, The Lady of the Winds (Taíno)

REGION: The Caribbean (Taíno peoples of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba, etc.)

FORM: The female cemí of chaos and the hurricane. She is depicted with her arms in a spiral motion, mimicking the winds of the storm she commands.

TALE: Guabancex does not act alone. She is the terrifying queen of a catastrophic trio. When she becomes enraged, she unleashes the juracán. She sends her herald, Guataubá, to announce her coming with thunder, lightning, and dark clouds. Then she sends Coatrisquie to gather the floodwaters and release them, causing massive destruction and floods. Her power is absolute, elemental, and utterly transformative. It is not “evil”; it is the violent, amoral, and necessary power of nature clearing away everything that cannot withstand it.

WHY THE TOWER? She is The Tower card. The lightning bolt from a clear sky is Guataubá’s announcement. The falling figures are those swept away by Coatrisquie’s floods. And the Tower itself is whatever human-made structure—be it a hut, a temple, or a sense of false pride—that stands in the path of the juracán’s spiral arms. She represents the sudden, complete, and humbling destruction of our world by a power far greater than ourselves, paving the way for a complete rebuild on cleared ground.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH GUABANCEX: When this card appears, the winds of change are no longer a breeze; they are a hurricane. A juracán is coming for a structure in your life built on a false or weak foundation. You cannot stop it. You cannot reason with it. To cling to the tower is to be destroyed with it. The only path is to let go, seek humble shelter, and allow the cleansing fury to pass. What feels like total destruction is actually a radical, divine clearing of the land so something truer can be built.

RITUAL OF SHATTERING THE TOWER (For Conscious Demolition)

OBJECTIVE: To identify a false structure, belief, or situation in your life and perform a magical act of destroying it yourself, thus reclaiming agency in a Tower moment.

MATERIALS:

Something safe to break that represents your “tower.” This could be a small terracotta pot, a flat, brittle stone, or even a stale piece of bread or a cracker.

A permanent marker.

A safe place to perform the ritual (outdoors, a garage, or a sturdy box).

Safety gear is essential if breaking pottery or stone (e.g., safety glasses, gloves).

STEPS:

NAMING THE TOWER: With the marker, write the false belief on your object. Be brutally honest. “This job is my only source of worth.” “This relationship defines who I am.” “My pride keeps me from asking for help.”

THE INVOCATION OF THE STORM: Hold the object. Acknowledge the truth. The foundation is cracked. The storm is coming. Say aloud: “Guabancex, Lady of the Winds, I feel the coming of the juracán. I see the lie in this tower I have built. I will not be thrown from it. I will tear it down with my own hands.”

THE SHATTERING: Place the object on a hard surface. Put on your safety gear. This is the moment of release. Take a heavy object (a hammer, another rock) and with a powerful cry, smash your tower. Don’t just tap it; shatter it. Let out the frustration, the fear, the anger. This is your lightning bolt. This is your controlled demolition.

SURVEYING THE RUBBLE: Breathe. Look at the pieces. It’s done. The false structure is gone. What is left is rubble, but also open sky and clean ground. The illusion is broken. Feel the terrifying freedom in that.

CLOSING: Carefully gather the broken pieces. You can either dispose of them far from your home or keep one small, smooth piece as a reminder that you had the strength to tear down your own prison. The ritual is complete. You have weathered the storm by becoming the storm.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Guabancex’s Winds → Dragon’s Hūxiào (呼嘯, “roaring breath”) Both erase human arrogance.

Coatrisquie’s Flood → Hǎi xiāo (海消, “sea-digestion”) What the ocean takes, it transforms.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: Primary written source is Fray Ramón Pané’s Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios (An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians), written around 1498. He was commissioned by Christopher Columbus to document Taíno beliefs. For the ritual, see: 《九漩掃塔記》 (Jiǔ Xuán Sǎo Tǎ Jì, “The Chronicle of the Nine Maelstrom Scourings”) 1721.

24 Tuesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , ,

֍ THE DEVIL – Card XV

TITLE: The Drowner of the Black Pearl / 黑珠溺者 (Hēi Zhū Nì Zhě)
MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Pearl Diver Who Could Not Surface
TAOIST PARALLEL: The Diver who harvested corruption and mistook it for treasure
PIRATE TWIST: Once a healer and fisherwoman, she dove in search of a legendary pearl said to purify qi. Instead, she found a black pearl, knotted with hungry yin, and became obsessed with cleansing it. The more she held it, the more it devoured her. Now she lives beneath the coral shelf, her lungs full of brine, offering the pearl to anyone desperate enough to dive after it.

WHY THE DEVIL? The black pearl is the lie you tell yourself: “If I just hold on longer, I can fix it. I can fix me.” Her chains are not forged or gambled—they are woven from corrupted breath and sunk lifelines.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Hēi qì zhū (黑气珠) — Black-Qi Pearl: alluring, but full of decay
Mìngtóu shēn (命投深) — Throwing life into the deep: sacrifice without return
Zì guǒ (自果) — Self-fruiting: becoming the source of your own poisoning

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Tuì yǐng (退影) — Withdrawing shadow: stepping back from what stains
Diào xīn liàn (钓心链) — Breaking the heart-hook chain
Jìng qì (净气) — Purified breath: returning to your center

INTERPRETATION: This card is the soaked whisper: “It is not the pearl that is cursed—it is the hunger you feed it with.” You are diving deeper and deeper, thinking the next grasp will be the one that heals, redeems, or completes. But the object of your desire is not just unreachable—it is rotting, and it poisons you each time you touch it. What you cling to has already drowned you. The way out is not up—it is release.
RITUAL: SEVERING THE PEARL’S BREATH (断珠息, Duàn Zhū Xī )
Inspired by Taoist exorcism breathwork, purification baths, and the symbolic death/rebirth of divers.
PURPOSE: To sever addiction, obsessive desire, or self-sabotaging attachment by exhaling the corrupted qi and refusing the pearl.
MATERIALS:
A black stone or marble (to represent the corrupted pearl)
A shallow bowl of saltwater (or seawater)
A white cloth or sash (symbol of breath and body)
A mirror
OPTIONAL: a few rotten flower petals (representing decay once called beautiful)
STEPS:
PREPARATION: The Deep Breath
Sit before the bowl of saltwater, the black pearl in your cupped palms.
Wrap the white cloth around your chest—symbolizing your lungs, your breath, your life force.
Gaze at yourself in the mirror. See the weight you carry.
NAMING THE PEARL: Whisper what the black pearl really is:
“You are my need for control.”
“You are the hunger to be loved.”
“You are the poison I keep sipping, hoping for sweetness.”
Let it be said. Let it sting.
THE BREATH REFUSAL: Inhale deeply. Hold the breath as long as you can—just like a diver. Then exhale sharply, pushing the breath downward into the bowl. As you exhale, drop the black pearl into the saltwater. Say:

我拒绝你的腐烂。我选择浮出水面。

I refuse your rot. I choose to surface.

THE CLEANSING FLOAT: Dip your fingers into the bowl. Swirl gently. If using flower petals, add them now. Wash your face, heart, and throat with this salted water. Let the dead beauty fade.
RELEASE THE CLOTH: Unwrap the white cloth. Lay it over the bowl. This act buries the old breath. Gaze once more in the mirror—not for guilt, but for returning. Say aloud: “This body is mine. This breath is mine. I surface now.”

AFTERCARE: Dispose of the cloth and pearl ritually (bury or return to the sea). If indoors, pour the water at the roots of a tree—not down the drain. Let what was taken feed something that lives.
PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Captain of Obsession / The White Whale Hunt

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Captain Ahab and Moby Dick (Modern American Mythos)

REGION: The global ocean of 19th-century whaling / The American literary consciousness.

FORM: The monomaniacal, peg-legged captain of the whaling ship Pequod.

TALE: Having lost his leg to a mysterious and immense white whale known as Moby Dick, Captain Ahab forsakes all else—profit, safety, the lives of his crew—for a single purpose: revenge. He bends the entire world of his ship into a tool for his personal obsession. He rejects all pleas for reason and sanity, hunting the whale across the world’s oceans until it leads to their mutual, apocalyptic destruction.

WHY THE DEVIL? Ahab is the perfect human face of The Devil archetype. He represents the trap of the ego, the enslavement to a single desire, and the seductive power of a charismatic but destructive leader. His quest is not heroic; it is a spiral into the abyss of his own making. The White Whale is the perfect symbol for the external thing we blame for our inner misery.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH AHAB: This card asks: “What is your White Whale?” What single-minded pursuit, grudge, or desire are you sacrificing your happiness, health, and relationships for? You may feel trapped, but the chains are of your own forging. Like Starbuck pleading with Ahab, your conscience is offering you a way out. This card is a dire warning to abandon a hunt that can only lead to your destruction.

RITUAL OF CUTTING THE HARPOON LINE (To Break an Obsession)

OBJECTIVE: To consciously identify a “White Whale” in your life and perform a magical act of severing your obsessive tie to it.

MATERIALS:

A piece of paper and pen.

A length of cord or thick thread (white is ideal).

A sharp pair of scissors or a knife.

A single candle (black or deep blue).

STEPS:

Nailing the Doubloon: Light the candle. On the paper, write down your “White Whale”—the obsession, the addiction, the grudge. Be brutally honest.

FORGING THE HARPOON: Tie one end of the cord securely around the piece of paper. This is now your harpoon line, the energetic connection between you and your destructive quest. Hold the other end of the cord.

AHAB’S OATH: Stare into the candle flame. Let yourself feel the fire of the obsession. Speak aloud why you hold onto it. What does it give you? A sense of purpose? A distraction from pain? “I hunt this because it gives me focus. I hold this grudge because it makes me feel powerful.” Acknowledge the seductive lie.

STARBUCK’S CHOICE: Now, deliberately change your perspective. Think of what the hunt is costing you—your peace, your joy, your “ship.” Let the voice of reason speak. “This quest is costing me my peace of mind. It is harming my relationships. It is time to turn the ship for home.”

CUTTING THE LINE: Hold the cord taut. This is the moment of truth. Take the scissors or knife and, with a powerful, decisive motion, cut the cord. As the paper falls away, say aloud: “The line is cut. The hunt is over. I am free.”

CLOSING: Immediately snuff out the candle. The fire of obsession is extinguished. Take the cut paper and either burn it safely in the candle’s remaining heat, or rip it into tiny pieces and dispose of it. You are no longer Ahab. You are a free sailor on an open sea.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Ahab’s Whale → Corrupt pearl (珠, “pearl”): Both are cursed treasures that cannot be possessed.

Pequod’s Doom → Addiction (瘾, “yǐn”): A floating prison of unpaid karmic debts.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Source: The foundational text is Herman Melville’s 1851 novel, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. It is widely considered one of the great masterpieces of literature and has a vast body of academic criticism analyzing its mythological, Gnostic, and psychological themes, solidifying its status as a modern myth. For the ritual, please see: 《斷珠息經》 (Duàn Zhū Xī Jīng, Scripture of the Severed Pearl Breath) Compiled circa 1769, Southern Sea Alchemical Canon (南海丹經集), Volume IX.

24 Tuesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , ,

֍ TEMPERANCE – Card XIV

TITLE: The Pearl-Blood Alchemist / 血珠丹士 (Xuè Zhū Dān Shì)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Pirate Who Brewed Typhoons

TAOIST PARALLEL: Mazu’s Apothecary who balanced gunpowder and grace, mixing monsoon rains with salted blood to cure plagues.

PIRATE TWIST: Her cauldron is a cannon barrel tipped sideways, boiling tiger’s milk with shark’s tears into liquid harmony.

WHY TEMPERANCE? She doesn’t tame opposites—she makes them dance.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Hǎi huǒ hé (海火合, “sea-fire union”)—where cannon smoke marries wave foam.

The drunken compass (醉羅盤, zuì luópán)—spinning true only when balanced.

“Moon-blood tea” (月血茶, yuè xuè chá)—a brew that heals mutinies.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Zhà táng (炸糖, “exploding sugar”)—sweetness turned grenade.

Wèi jiě (未解, “untransmuted”)—elements that refuse to marry.

The cracked hourglass (裂沙漏, liè shālòu)—time split by imbalance.

INTERPRETATION: This card is the alchemist’s kiss—where opposite poisons become one medicine.

RITUAL: THE CANNON CAULDRON (炮鼎, Pào Dǐng)

(Inspired by Taoist external alchemy and pirate gunpowder rites)

PURPOSE: To alchemize two warring forces into liquid equilibrium.

MATERIALS:

A metal bowl (or upturned helmet).

Two liquids:

Saltwater (for the sea’s ruthlessness).

Rice wine (for the pirate’s joy).

A pinch of gunpowder (or black tea leaves).

A candle (red).

STEPS:

Light the candle inside the bowl. Name your two opposing forces aloud.

Pour the liquids simultaneously around the flame, chanting:

火焰吞噬潮水，

潮水浇灭火焰——

双方皆无胜负，

双方都改名换姓。

Flame devours the tide,

Tide quenches the flame—

Neither wins,

Both change name.

Add the gunpowder. Watch it hiss but not ignite—this is controlled fusion.

Extinguish the candle with the mixture. The steam is your new path.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Sky-Sea’s Flow / The Divine Alchemy

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Tzovinar (Armenian Goddess of Storms and Sea-Waters)

REGION: Ancient Armenia

FORM: A powerful goddess of rain, sea, and storm. Her name means “Daughter of the Sea” or “Tidal-Nar,” and she rides a fiery horse through the sky, bringing life-giving rain from the clouds to the earth and sea.

TALE: Tzovinar is a primordial force. In one myth, she quenches her thirst by drinking a full handful of sea water, which leads to her immaculate conception of the twin heroes Sanasar and Baghdasar (founding fathers of an Armenian city). This act—taking the vast, undrinkable sea and integrating it within herself to create life—is the ultimate act of temperance and alchemy. She blends the sky-world and the sea-world within her very being.

WHY TEMPERANCE? She is the act of mixing. The RWS Angel has one foot on land and one in water, pouring between two cups. Tzovinar embodies this more elementally: she is the divine rain (one cup) pouring into the great sea (the other cup). Her act of drinking the sea shows a mastery over elemental forces, not through force, but through careful integration and blending to create something new and balanced. She is the alchemical marriage of opposites.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH TZOVINAR: This card is a call to be a divine alchemist in your own life. You are being asked to blend two opposing forces—logic and emotion, work and rest, the sacred and the mundane. Like Tzovinar pouring the life-giving rain into the vast sea, you have the power to create a new, healed whole from disparate parts. Do not seek extremes. The answer lies in the “just right” middle path, the perfect mixture that brings peace and generative power.

RITUAL OF THE TWO WATERS (For Creating Harmony)

OBJECTIVE: To find balance and a “middle path” between two conflicting areas of your life (e.g., your day job and your artistic passion, your need for solitude and your need for partnership).

MATERIALS:

Two distinct cups or bowls.

Water from two different sources, if possible (e.g., tap water and rainwater, or saltwater and freshwater). If not, just using two separate containers is fine. One will represent each side of your conflict.

A third, larger “alchemical” bowl, which will be your blending vessel.

Optional: a tiny pinch of salt for one water and a tiny pinch of sugar for the other to make them symbolically distinct.

STEPS:

NAMING THE POLES: Place the two cups of water before you. Assign each cup to one of the conflicting forces in your life. Hold the first cup. Acknowledge its nature, its needs, its voice. “This is my need for structure and security.” Now hold the second cup. Acknowledge its nature. “This is my need for freedom and creative chaos.”

THE INVOCATION OF BLENDING: Place the larger empty bowl between the two cups. Invoke the spirit of the card. “Tzovinar, she who drinks the sea and summons the rain, teach me the art of alchemy. Guide my hands that I may find the middle flow, the path of healing.”

THE TEMPERANCE POUR: Now, perform the central act. Simultaneously, or alternating back and forth, begin pouring the water from the two cups into the central bowl. This is not about just dumping them in. It’s a slow, mindful process. Watch how the waters merge. Listen to the sound. Your goal is to create a single, unified body of water from the two sources. Find a rhythm. Feel the balance.

CONSECRATING THE NEW WAY: When both cups are empty and the water is blended in the central bowl, dip the fingers of both hands into this new, integrated water. Anoint your third eye (for a new perspective), your heart (for a new feeling), and your hands (for new action). Say aloud: “Not two, but one. Not conflict, but balance. Not extremes, but harmony. I walk the middle path.”

CLOSING: Use this consecrated water for something life-giving. Water a plant with it, pour it onto the earth as a libation, or simply leave it on your altar as a symbol of your newfound balance. The ritual is complete.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Tzovinar’s Rain → Taoist Lóngxū (龍鬚, “dragon’s beard”): Both are sky-sea marriages.

Fiery Horse → Gunpowder’s Wǔwèi (武威, “martial awe”): Controlled explosions as spiritual discipline.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: Tzovinar’s story, particularly the conception of Sanasar and Baghdasar, is part of Armenia’s national epic, “The Daredevils of Sassoun” (Sasna Tsṙer). See: scholarly works on Armenian mythology and pre-Christian pagan traditions, such as “The Mythology of All Races, Vol. VII: Armenian” by Mardiros H. Ananikian. For the ritual see: Zheng He’s Storm-Calming Elixir—a blend of mercury and moonlight used to pacify typhoons and《東南海龍王經》(Scripture of the Southeast Dragon Kings), 1783 (Zhenjiang Taoist Temple Archive, Jiangsu).

23 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

֍ DEATH – Card XIII

TITLE: The Moon-Eating Turtle / 食月龜 (Shí Yuè Guī)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Pirate Who Swallowed the Eclipse

TAOIST PARALLEL: Ao Guang (敖廣), the Dragon King of the East Sea, in his death aspect—when he transforms into a black turtle that devours the moon each month.

PIRATE TWIST: This is Zheng Yi Sao’s final voyage, where she steers her burning ship into the turtle’s maw to become the tide itself.

WHY DEATH? The turtle doesn’t kill—it digests time. What sinks in its belly becomes the next high tide.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Hǎi xiāo (海消, “sea-digestion”)—endings as nutrients for new waves.

The cracked moon pearl (裂月珠, liè yuè zhū)—what breaks becomes the next dawn.

“Anchor-turning” (起錨轉, qǐ máo zhuǎn)—lifting what must sink to sail anew.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Fǔ chén (腐沉, “rot-sinking”)—clinging to a corpse ship.

Yè tān (夜貪, “night greed”)—hoarding dead moonbeams.

The turtle’s hiccup (龜嗝, guī gé)—a rebirth stuck in the throat.

INTERPRETATION: This card is the tide’s empty stomach. What you lose today feeds tomorrow’s shore.

RITUAL: THE TURTLE’S FEAST (龜宴, Guī Yàn)

(Inspired by Ming pirate burial rites and Taoist moon-eating ceremonies)

PURPOSE: To ritually feed an ending to the cosmic turtle.

MATERIALS:

A black bowl of saltwater.

Nine grains of rice (for the turtle’s teeth).

A small ship model (or folded paper boat).

A candle (white, to extinguish).

STEPS:

Name the ending aloud. Place the rice in the bowl—this is your offering to death.

Set the ship afloat in the bowl. Light its candle mast, chanting:

船头断裂，桅杆断裂——

旧月哺育着乌龟的脊背。

Bow is broken, mast is broken—

Old moon feeds the turtle’s back.

When the candle drowns, whisper: “You are eaten. You are tide now.”

Bury the ship in soil or cast it to sea.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Last Endeavor / The Goddess Who Awakens

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Final Quest of Māui (Polynesian)

REGION: Polynesia (especially Māori tradition of Aotearoa)

FORM: Māui, the great culture hero and trickster. Hine-nui-te-pō, the Great Woman of the Night, Goddess of Death.

TALE: After all his epic deeds—fishing up islands, snaring the sun, stealing fire—the ever-clever Māui decided to embark on his final, greatest adventure: to abolish death for all humanity. He learned that he could do this by entering the body of the sleeping goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-pō, through her birth canal, traveling through her, and emerging from her mouth, thus reversing the cycle of life and death. He took his companions, the birds of the forest, and instructed them to be absolutely silent. But as Māui began his journey, the sight of the great hero wriggling into the goddess was so ridiculous that the little fantail bird (the Pīwakawaka) burst out laughing. This sound awoke Hine-nui-te-pō. She clenched her thighs, crushing the great Māui, and he became the first man to die. And so, because of Māui’s hubris and failure, death remains in the world.

WHY DEATH? This myth is the perfect lesson of the Death card. It shows the most powerful hero humbled by the inevitable. It teaches that one cannot trick, negotiate with, or conquer the end of a cycle. One must let go. The imagery—entering the dark body of the chthonic goddess—is a perfect metaphor for the descent required for transformation. Māui’s failure ensures the cycle of death and rebirth for all of us.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH MĀUI: This card signifies a non-negotiable ending. Like Māui, your ego may want to fight it, trick it, or pretend you can escape it. You cannot. To try and cling to the old way is to be crushed like Māui. This is not a punishment, but a fundamental law of nature. Surrender to this ending. Allow what must die to die. Only by letting go can you make way for what comes next. The little fantail bird is laughing at your attempts to hold on. Listen to its wisdom.

THE RITUAL OF THE LAUGHING BIRD (For Severing a Tie)

OBJECTIVE: To consciously and willfully sever your connection to something that must end (a job, a relationship, an identity, a belief) by acknowledging the futility of holding on.

MATERIALS:

An object that represents the thing you are clinging to.

Scissors or a knife.

A bird feather (or a picture/symbol of a bird).

A place where you can be outside, or at least near an open window.

STEPS:

ACKNOWLEDGING THE ATTACHMENT: Hold the object in your hands. Feel your connection to it. Acknowledge what it has given you. Speak your gratitude for it aloud. Then, acknowledge why you are afraid to let it go. “This identity has kept me safe. I’m afraid of who I will be without it.”

THE HUBRIS OF MĀUI: Now, think about your attempts to keep this thing alive when you know it’s over. See the absurdity in it. You are Māui, trying to crawl backward into the goddess of death. It’s an impossible, prideful task.

HEARING THE LAUGHING BIRD: Pick up the bird feather. This is the Pīwakawaka. This is the part of your soul that sees the truth and knows you need to let go. Imagine hearing its cheerful, irreverent laugh at your struggle. The universe is not mocking you with malice; it is reminding you of the natural flow. It can even be a moment of dark humor—let yourself smile or chuckle at how tightly you’ve been clinging.

THE SEVERANCE: Hold the object (or a thread tied to it). Pick up the scissors. Say aloud: “I cannot reverse the cycle. I honor the ending. I let go.” With a single, decisive action, cut the thread or ceremonially “cut” your energetic tie to the object. It is done. The severance is clean.

CLOSING: Hold the feather up to the open air. “My thanks to the truth-teller.” Release the object respectfully—bury it, burn it (if safe), or simply put it away in a box, signifying that its active life is over. The ritual is complete.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Hine-nui-te-pō → Black Turtle (玄武, Xuánwǔ): Both devour to regenerate.

Māui’s Hubris → Pirate Wàngǔ (頑固, “stubbornness”): The sea tolerates no immortal thieves.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: This is one of the most famous stories of the Polynesian cycle. It is heavily documented in the works of Sir George Grey’s Polynesian Mythology and Margaret Orbell’s The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Māori Myth and Legend. For the ritual see: 《閩海幻視法》 [Fujian Sea Vision Magic], 1742.

23 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

֍ The Hanged Woman – Card XII

TITLE: The Drowned Nun / 溺水修女 (Nìshuǐ xiūnǚ)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Nun Who Forgot to Drown

TAOIST PARALLEL: Tengguaiu (滕拐), a Taoist Nun, daogu (道姑), before her enlightenment—when her mortal body drowned while her soul wandered.

PIRATE TWIST: She’s suspended in a ship’s spar in contemplation, as ghost eels whisper backwards sutras in her ears.

WHY THE HANGED WOMAN? Her “punishment” is voluntary—she stays hanging upside down to unlearn breathing, preparing for xian (仙) immortality.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Fǎn hūxī (反呼吸, “reverse breathing”)—enlightenment through suffocation.

The upside-down chart (倒海圖, dào hǎi tú)—navigation by wrongness.

“Crab-walk wisdom” (蟹行智, xiè xíng zhì)—truths learned sideways.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Yān sǐ (淹死, “drowning death”)—resisting the lesson.

Fú píng (浮萍, “duckweed”)—surfacing too soon.

The hollow gourd (空葫蘆, kōng húlú)—failed enlightenment.

INTERPRETATION: This card is the ocean’s koan. To rise, you must first sink past thinking.

RITUAL: THE BRINE BARREL MEDITATION (鹵桶禪, Lǔ Tǒng Chán)

(Inspired by Taoist “drowning breath” practices and pirate survival trials)

PURPOSE: To surrender mental resistance through controlled drowning.

MATERIALS:

A large bowl of ice-cold saltwater.

A hollow reed or straw.

A black cloth.

A candle (blue).

STEPS:

Kneel before the bowl, light the candle. Cover your head with the cloth.

Submerge your face, breathing only through the reed. Chant underwater:

鐵拐落海，鐵骨上天，

怕死的先見閻王爺！

Iron crutch drowns, iron bones rise,
Cowards meet the Death God first!

When lungs burn, emerge but keep eyes closed. The first thing you see inside your eyelids is your true obstacle.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Belly of the Deep / The Prophet’s Surrender

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Jonah in the Belly of the Great Fish (Abrahamic Traditions)

REGION: Ancient Israel / Abrahamic Scripture (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)

TALE: God commands the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. Terrified and defiant, Jonah runs from his destiny. He boards a ship sailing in the opposite direction. God sends a great storm, and the sailors, realizing Jonah is the cause, cast him into the sea at his own suggestion. But he does not die. He is swallowed by a “great fish” (often depicted as a whale). For three days and three nights, he is trapped in the belly of the beast—a state of total suspension, darkness, and powerlessness. It is here, in the ultimate Hanged Man position, that he finally stops running. He prays, he surrenders his will to God’s, and he accepts his mission. The fish then vomits him onto dry land, and he goes to Nineveh, a changed man with a new perspective.

WHY THE HANGED WOMAN? Jonah’s story is the Hanged Man’s journey.

SUSPENSION: Trapped in the belly of the fish, he is utterly suspended between worlds, unable to act or escape.

NEW PERSPECTIVE: His world is literally turned upside down. Inside the dark, womb-like prison, he is forced to look inward, leading to an epiphany.

SURRENDER, NOT SACRIFICE: He doesn’t die. He lets go of his defiance. The “voluntary” part isn’t getting swallowed; it’s the act of surrender that happens inside the ordeal.

REBIRTH: He emerges from the ordeal changed and ready to fulfill the purpose he was running from.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH JONAH: This card signifies a necessary pause in your life. You may feel stuck, trapped, or powerless—like you’re in the belly of the beast. Stop fighting it. Stop running from your “Nineveh.” This is not a punishment; it is a sacred time-out. The only way forward is to surrender, let go of your stubborn plans, and look at your situation from this new, uncomfortable perspective. The insight you gain in this “darkness” will be what ultimately frees you.

THE RITUAL OF THE DARK WOMB (For Finding Surrender When Stuck)

OBJECTIVE: To stop resisting a necessary life change by voluntarily entering a symbolic “belly of the fish,” confronting your defiance, and surrendering to your path.

MATERIALS:

A small, dark, enclosed space you can sit in comfortably for a few minutes (a closet, a small bathroom with the lights off, or even under a heavy blanket).

An object that represents your “Nineveh”—the task, decision, or truth you are running from.

A glass of water.

STEPS:

THE FLIGHT AND THE STORM: Before you begin, hold your “Nineveh” object and acknowledge what you’ve been running from. Say it aloud: “I have been running from this difficult conversation” or “I have been avoiding this responsibility.”

ENTERING THE BELLY: Take your object and enter your chosen dark space. Sit down and close the door or cover yourself completely. Plunge yourself into darkness and silence. This is the belly of the fish. You are now officially “stuck.”

THE THREE BREATHS: You cannot fight your way out. You can only surrender. Take three very slow, deliberate breaths.

Breath One: Acknowledge your resistance. Feel it in your body.

Breath Two: Acknowledge your powerlessness in this moment. You cannot escape this darkness through force.

Breath Three: Let go. Release the tension of the fight.

PRAYER OF SURRENDER: Hold your “Nineveh” object in the dark. You don’t need to have a solution. You only need to change your posture from “I won’t” to “I am willing.” Whisper a simple statement of surrender. “I stop running. I am willing to face this. I surrender to the path.”

THE REBIRTH: After a few moments in this surrendered state, emerge from your dark space back into the light. You have been spit out onto the shore. Immediately drink the entire glass of water. This is an act of cleansing and returning to life.

CLOSING: Place your “Nineveh” object on your altar or somewhere you can see it. It is no longer an object of dread, but a symbol of your accepted mission. The ritual is complete.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Jonah’s Fish → Dragon’s Wèi (胃, “stomach”): Both are wombs of forced enlightenment.

Three Days → Three Tides: Taoist rebirth cycles follow moon-pulled waters.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: The primary source is The Book of Jonah in the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh). The story is also recounted in the New Testament and holds a significant place in the Quran, where the prophet is known as Yunus. For the ritual, see: “Drowning Boxing” (溺水拳, Nìshuǐ Quán)—a lost martial art practiced the dead on shipwreck survivors.

23 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

֍ Justice – Card XI

TITLE: The Pearlscale Magistrate / 珠秤判官 (Zhū Chèng Pànguān)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Mazu’s Ghost-light Admiral

TAOIST PARALLEL: Bao Zheng (包拯), the legendary “Iron-Faced Judge” of Song Dynasty, merged with Mazu’s Tide-Scribe—a dead scholar who records karmic debts in coral ledger books.

PIRATE TWIST: His court is an empty beach at low tide – the accused have only until the waters return to prove their innocence.

WHY JUSTICE? He doesn’t need to be alive to see guilt; he listens to how the waves echo in a liar’s chest.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Cháo píng (潮平, “tide-balance”)—natural law as inevitable as moonpull.

The coral gavel (珊瑚槌, shānhú chuí)—its strike summons truth-telling eels.

“Saltwater oaths” (鹹水誓, xiánshuǐ shì)—broken vows crystallize on the tongue.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Wèi zhāng (偽漲, “false tide”)—fabricated evidence.

Yāo gào (妖告, “phantom testimony”)—lies that dissolve like sea foam.

The hollow pearl (空珠, kōng zhū)—justice delayed until the next typhoon.

INTERPRETATION: This card is karma’s tide table. The Magistrate’s verdicts aren’t decided—they’re revealed by how the ship lists.

RITUAL: THE CORAL LEDGER (珊瑚賬, Shānhú Zhàng)

(Inspired by Ming maritime law and Taoist debt-reckoning rites)

PURPOSE: To weigh a moral dilemma with tidal impartiality.

MATERIALS:

Two whale ear bones (or uneven stones).

A length of fishing net (or red thread).

Saltwater in a brass bowl.

Ink & brush (or a sharp shell).

STEPS:

Carve your dilemma onto the bones—one side per bone.

Tie them to the net, creating a primitive scale. Suspend it over the bowl.

Pour saltwater until one bone sinks and the other rises.

The lighter bone holds your true path.

Bury the sunk bone—its truth is settled. Carry the risen bone for 3 tides as counsel.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Arbiter of Dreams / The Scale of the Reed Beds

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Nanshe (Sumerian Goddess of Social Justice)

REGION: Ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer)

FORM: A powerful goddess, daughter of Enki (the god of wisdom, magic, and fresh water). Her sacred animals were birds and fish. Her center of worship was in the city of Lagash, a city of canals and marshes near the Persian Gulf.

TALE: Nanshe was no distant sky-god. Her justice was compassionate and hands-on. She was known as the one “who knows the orphan, who knows the widow, knows the oppression of man over man.” She was the protector of the socially vulnerable. Furthermore, she was a goddess of prophecy and the chief interpreter of dreams, using them to reveal truths and render fair judgments. At the New Year festival, people would come to her temple to have their dreams interpreted and their disputes settled.

WHY JUSTICE? Nanshe is Justice in action. She represents the search for truth (interpreting dreams), the weighing of actions (judging disputes), and the upholding of fairness, with a special emphasis on protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Her connection to water places her perfectly in our deck, and her role as a dream interpreter gives a mystical, intuitive layer to the cold logic often associated with the Justice card.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH NANSHE: This card signifies that a moment of truth has arrived. All actions have consequences, and now is the time they will be weighed. Nanshe asks you to act with absolute integrity. Are you being fair to others and to yourself? Are you honoring your responsibilities, especially to those who are vulnerable? The truth of the situation will be revealed, perhaps in an unexpected way, like a dream. Be prepared to face the clear, unvarnished facts and act accordingly.

THE RITUAL OF NANSHE’S SCALES (For Seeking a Just Path)

OBJECTIVE: To find a fair and true perspective on a situation where you are conflicted or where a difficult judgment must be made.

MATERIALS:

Two identical bowls or cups.

Two small, equal-sized pieces of paper and a pen.

Water.

AN OFFERING: A small amount of grain (barley, flour) or a piece of bread, representing the agricultural staples of Mesopotamia.

STEPS:

STATING THE CASE: Find a quiet place. Fill both bowls with an equal amount of water. On one piece of paper, write down one side of the argument/situation as objectively as possible. On the other paper, write the other side. Fold them and do not worry about which is which.

THE INVOCATION: Hold the offering in your hand. Address the archetype with respect. “Nanshe, Daughter of Wise Enki, She Who Knows the Orphan and the Widow, I seek your clarity. I have a matter to be weighed, and I wish to find the path of truth and fairness. Witness this rite and grant me wisdom.” Place the offering between the two bowls.

THE WEIGHING: Place one folded paper into each bowl of water. Now, place your hands palm-up under the bowls, as if you are the scales of Justice. Close your eyes. Don’t try to “feel” a physical weight. Instead, feel the emotional and moral weight of the situation you have created. Acknowledge the gravity of both sides. Simply hold the balance for a few minutes in silent contemplation. Your goal is not to find the answer now, but to present the case fairly to the judge.

THE DREAM PLEA: After holding the balance, open your eyes. Speak to the bowls. “The case is presented. The scales are balanced. Nanshe, Arbiter of Dreams, I ask you to carry this matter into my sleep. Reveal to me the truth I need to see. Grant me a dream of clarity.”

CLOSING: Leave the bowls with the papers in them by your bedside overnight. Before you sleep, your last thought should be of opening yourself to receive a truthful dream. In the morning, before you do anything else, write down any dreams you had, no matter how strange. The answer to your dilemma may be hidden there symbolically. Dispose of the water and papers by returning them to the earth. The judgment will come.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Nanshe’s Scales → Taoist Chèng (秤, “balance”): Both use water to reveal weightless truths.

Dream Prophecy → Tide-Divination (占潮, zhān cháo): Ming sailors read verdicts in wave patterns.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: “Hymn to Nanshe,” a Sumerian cuneiform text that explicitly details her social justice functions. See: Samuel Noah Kramer’s “History Begins at Sumer” and Thorkild Jacobsen’s The Treasures of Darkness” provide deep context for her role in Mesopotamian religion. For the ritual see: Zheng He’s Maritime Code—the first international sea laws, enforced by Mazu’s priests as well as: 《閩海過渡秘錄》 [Secret Records of Fujian Sea Transitions], 1793.

22 Sunday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

֍ WHEEL OF FORTUNE – Card X

TITLE: The Moon-Tide Lottery / 月潮籤 (Yuè Cháo Qiān)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Mazu’s Gambling Hall

TAOIST PARALLEL: The Dragon Kings’ Dice Game (龍王骰戲, Lóngwáng Tóuxì) where the four sea gods wager tidal fortunes using whalebone dice carved with Bagua symbols.

PIRATE TWIST: The “wheel” is a ship’s steering oar spun by Zheng Yi Sao’s ghost, deciding which junk gets plunder and which gets typhoons.

WHY WHEEL OF FORTUNE? The tides never cheat—but they never play fair either.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Cháo bō (潮博, “tide gambling”)—fate as a pirate’s wager.

The moon’s ledger (月賬, yuè zhàng)—where debts wash clean every cycle.

“Kraken’s kiss” (海怪吻, hǎiguài wěn)—sudden fortune from chaos.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Shī cháo (失潮, “lost tide”)—missing your wave.

Yāo qián (妖錢, “haunted coins”)—cursed windfalls.

The drowned dice (沉骰, chén tóu)—fixed by sea ghosts.

INTERPRETATION: This card is fate’s tide table—you can’t stop the turn, but you can learn to surf.

RITUAL: THE BAGUA TIDE-CHART (八卦潮表, Bāguà Cháo Biǎo)

(Inspired by Fujianese pirate almanacs and Taoist tide-divination)

PURPOSE: To align with—not fight—life’s cycles.

MATERIALS:

Eight coins (for the Bagua).

A round wooden plate (ship’s wheel or bowl).

Saltwater in a seashell.

A candle (red for luck).

STEPS:

Arrange coins in a Bagua circle on the plate. Light the candle at center.

Spin the plate while chanting:

东龙之金，西龙之浪，

南龙之火，北龙之咸天。

The gold of the East Dragon, the waves of the West Dragon,

the fire of the South Dragon, the salty sky of the North Dragon.

When it stops, the top coin is your current tide:

☰ Heaven: Fortune rises.

☷ Earth: Stay grounded.

☲ Fire: Sudden change.

☵ Water: Go with the flow.

Flick saltwater on that coin—seal your pact with fate.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Churning of Cosmic Tides / The Wheel of Samudra

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Samudra Manthan (Hindu Cosmology)

REGION: Indian Subcontinent (Hinduism)

FORM: A cosmic event where the Devas and Asuras use the serpent king Vasuki as a rope, wrapped around Mount Mandara as a churning rod, to churn the Ocean of Milk. Lord Vishnu, in his Kurma (turtle) avatar, supports the mountain.

TALE: As detailed above, the churning is a grand cooperative (and later competitive) act that unleashes the full spectrum of fate, from deadly poison to the goddess of fortune, all in the pursuit of immortality.

WHY WHEEL OF FORTUNE? It is the ultimate allegory for fate. The up-and-down pulling motion by the gods and demons perfectly mimics the rise and fall of fortunes. The array of unforeseen outcomes (both bane and boon) demonstrates that we can set events in motion, but we cannot control the cycles of destiny. Lakshmi’s emergence explicitly links the event to fortune.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH SAMUDRA MANTHAN: This card signifies that a great cycle is in motion in your life. You have set the churning rod in place, and now you must be prepared for what emerges from the depths. It may be a poison that tests you, or it may be a treasure you never expected. You cannot stop the wheel from turning, so your task is to adapt, to have faith (like the gods who trusted Shiva to handle the poison), and to be ready to receive the fortune when it arrives.

RITUAL OF THE SWEET AND SALTY CHURN (For Embracing Your Cycle)

OBJECTIVE: To prepare your spirit for an upcoming change or to find peace within a current cycle, acknowledging that all cycles contain both shadow and light.

MATERIALS:

A clear glass bowl or jar filled with water.

A spoonful of honey or sugar (for Lakshmi’s boon).

A spoonful of sea salt (for the Halahala’s challenge).

A small stirring stick or spoon (your Mount Mandara).

Optional: A small item to represent yourself (a small stone or charm).

STEPS:

PREPARATION: Sit with your bowl of water. This is your personal Ocean of Milk, the sea of your current life circumstances.

ACKNOWLEDGING DUALITY: Add the spoonful of honey to the water, saying: “I am open to the sweetness of fortune. I am ready for the blessings I cannot yet see.” Then, add the spoonful of salt, saying: “I have the strength to face the bitterness of challenge. I am ready for the lessons I must learn.”

THE CHURNING: Place your “self” stone in the water if using. Now, use your stirring stick to slowly churn the water. As you stir, don’t focus on mixing everything perfectly. Just observe the currents. See how the sweet and salty elements swirl, sometimes separating, sometimes combining. This is your life’s cycle in motion.

THE SCRY OF ACCEPTANCE: As you churn, speak a simple mantra of surrender: “What comes, I will meet. What goes, I will release. The wheel turns, and I turn with it.” Continue stirring until you feel a sense of calm acceptance.

RECEIVING THE MOMENT: Stop churning. Close your eyes. Dip one finger into the water, and touch it to your tongue. Do you taste sweetness? Saltiness? Both? Neither? This is not a prediction, but a moment of mindfulness—a taste of your life’s current flavor. Accept it without judgment.

CLOSING: Leave the bowl to settle. The water will eventually become still again, the elements merged. This is the new equilibrium you will find after the turn. Pour the water out onto the earth as an offering. Say: “My thanks to the cosmic tides. My heart is ready.” The ritual is complete.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Samudra Manthan → Dragon Pearl Gambit (龍珠賭, Lóngzhū Dǔ): Both unleash boons and curses from the deep.

Lakshmi → Mazu’s Treasure Barge (媽祖寶船, Māzǔ Bǎochuán): Abundance as flotsam from shipwrecks.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: This is a cornerstone story in Hinduism. The most detailed accounts are found in the Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata, and the Vishnu Purana. We can reference these sacred texts with great respect for their profound philosophical and spiritual depth. Also see: Ming “Tide-Wheel” Clocks—water clocks that predicted fortune cycles via tidal astronomy.

22 Sunday Jun 2025

Posted by in Chinese, Tarot, Translation

≈ Comments Off on

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

֍ The Hermit – Card IX

TITLE: The Blind Tide-Reader / 盲潮翁 (Máng Cháo Wēng)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Pirate Who Forgot His Name

TAOIST PARALLEL: Xu Fu (徐福), the alchemist sent by Qin Shi Huang to find immortality, lost at sea—merged with Zhuangzi’s Old Fisherman who knew the Way of tides.

PIRATE TWIST: He’s not just a hermit—he’s the admiral of a ghost fleet that sails in circles, forever seeking Penglai (蓬萊). His eyes were burned white by staring into the Black Tide Mirror (黑潮鏡, hēi cháo jìng) too long.

WHY THE HERMIT? He embodies wúwéi (無為) as driftwood—not seeking, but being sought by truth.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Cháo yīn (潮音, “tide-sound”)—hearing wisdom in wave patterns.

The forgotten compass (忘羅盤, wàng luópán)—navigation by soul, not stars.

“Crab-script” (蟹書, xiè shū)—reading truths in sand-writing.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Hǎi wàng (海忘, “sea-amnesia”)—lost in endless searching.

A salted tongue (鹹舌, xián shé)—wisdom that cannot be spoken.

The moonless ledger (無月賬, wú yuè zhàng)—records eaten by tides.

INTERPRETATION: This card is the lantern that blinds. The Tide-Reader’s light doesn’t guide—it reveals how lost you’ve always been.

RITUAL: THE BLACK TIDE MIRROR (黑潮鏡, Hēi Cháo Jìng)

(Inspired by Taoist dark meditation and Fujianese “shadow navigation”)

PURPOSE: To confront the self by becoming the abyss.

MATERIALS:

A black lacquer bowl (or ink-darkened water).

Three pinches of ashes (from incense or burnt paper).

A single iron nail (to “anchor” the vision).

A candle (white, to extinguish).

STEPS:

At midnight, place the bowl on a low table. Stir ashes into the water.

Press the nail into the table’s edge, chanting:

将潮水钉在沙滩上，将灵魂钉在大海上—你早已失去了你所追求的东西。

Nail the tide to the beach, nail your soul to the sea – you have already lost what you seek.

Light the candle, stare into the black water until the flame’s reflection drowns.

Blow out the candle. Sit in darkness until your breath matches the tide’s pull.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Monk of the Abyss / The Silence That Knows

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: The Umibōzu (Japanese Yōkai)

REGION: Japan

FORM: A massive, shadowy, humanoid spirit that rises from the depths on calm nights. Its name translates to “sea monk,” as its head is large, round, and smooth like the shaven head of a Buddhist monk.

TALE: The Umibōzu is not a chatty oracle. It is a presence. It rises from a placid sea, a sudden, dark embodiment of the terrifying mystery and depth hidden just beneath the surface. It can be destructive if angered or disrespected, but its primary function in folklore is to be a figure of profound, awe-inspiring dread and mystery. To encounter the Umibōzu is to come face-to-face with the vast, unknowable soul of the ocean itself.

WHY THE HERMIT? The Hermit’s journey is a descent into the self. The Umibōzu is the personification of that deep, dark, silent inner space. It represents the intimidating but necessary step of confronting the vast unknown within. The wisdom it offers isn’t in words, but in the silence it commands. It forces a complete halt to the external journey, compelling the sailor (the seeker) to look into the abyss. It is the ultimate symbol of soul-searching and the profound truths found only in deep, contemplative solitude.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH THE UMIBŌZU: This card calls you to a profound retreat. It is time to turn off all external noise and face the silent, deep waters of your own consciousness. Like a sailor on a calm sea at midnight who suddenly sees the Umibōzu rise, you are being asked to stop everything and simply be with the immense mystery of your own being. It may be daunting, but the greatest wisdom you seek is not outside of you; it is waiting in your own personal abyss.

THE RITUAL OF THE DARK WATER LANTERN (For Seeking Inner Truth)

OBJECTIVE: To receive wisdom from your deepest subconscious by creating a space of absolute stillness and darkness, and listening to the silence.

MATERIALS:

A black or very dark-colored bowl.

Water.

A few drops of black ink or food coloring (optional, but effective).

One single candle (white or blue).

A room that can be made completely dark and silent.

STEPS:

CREATING THE ABYSS: In your darkened room, place the bowl before you. Fill it with water. If using ink, add a few drops until the water is an opaque, black mirror. This is the calm, midnight sea.

Lighting the Lantern: Light the single candle and place it beside the bowl. This is your Hermit’s lantern, the only light in the vast darkness. Turn off all other lights.

THE DESCENT: Sit in the silence. Stare softly at the reflection of the single flame on the surface of the black water. Breathe slowly, deeply. Let the silence of the room expand until it feels like the crushing, profound silence of the deep ocean. You are the lone sailor. The black water is your soul.

THE QUESTION: Whisper a single, deep question to the water. Do not ask “what should I do?” Ask “What wisdom do I need?” or “What truth am I avoiding?” Release the question into the deep.

THE VIGIL: Now, you listen. Do not expect a booming voice. The Umibōzu does not speak. Its wisdom rises from the quiet. Let your mind go still. An answer may come as a new feeling, a single word that surfaces in your mind, a forgotten memory, or a sudden, quiet understanding. You are not looking for an answer; you are creating the silence in which the answer that is already there can finally be heard.

THE RETURN: When you feel the vigil is complete, bow your head to the bowl in gratitude. Gently blow out the candle, plunging the room into total darkness for a moment. Acknowledge the abyss. Then, turn on the lights. Immediately write down any thoughts, feelings, or words that came to you in your journal.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Umibōzu’s Silence → Taoist Mòzhì (默知, “silent knowing”) Both reject language for direct experience.

Black Water → Xuánmíng (玄冥, “dark profound”) The primordial sea before creation in Zhuangzi.

THE “SCHOLAR’S HEART” MANDATE:

Sources: The Umibōzu is a well-known yōkai in Japanese folklore. See: Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō and modern scholarly works on Japanese folklore, Michael Dylan Foster’s The Book of Yōkai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore. For the ritual see:《東南海龍王經》(Scripture of the Southeast Dragon Kings), 1783 (Zhenjiang Taoist Temple Archive, Jiangsu).