The Mythopoetics of So and Ra

Descending: Vitality. Energy source, driving force.

Ascending: Broad Challenge. Life lesson, karmic debt.


“My God, it’s full of stars!” Yes, it is: within the galaxies live these magnificent gaseous beings, and within our own Milky Way lives the one star upon whom our lives directly depend: the Sun. So is Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun: Surya, Shamash, Ra, the warm-fingered god to whom the flowers turn their heads. He brings energy, heat, and illumination to all who revolve around Him, including us. 

In a descending scale, so represents vitality. Cards drawn below so—or its chromatic counterpart, ra—occur at a time of energy influx; they speak of driving forces or energy sources, or of that which is crucial or critical.

In an ascending scale, so/ra represents broad challenge. Cards drawn above either so or ra occur at a time when the challenges at hand have broader implications, such as those of karmic import or those that impact the collective; they reference the task behind the tasks, the work beyond the work.


The mythopoetics of the scalepoints are derived from "An Astrology of Vibration"—explore it here. (Some knowledge of music and/or a familiarity with the subpages under "Mechanics to Metaphor," at left, is suggested.)

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