Milà Tarots: Alchemy's numbers

Milà House by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí might be related to alchemical variances of Tarot that, once joined, lead to Triumph.

By Julia Pérez Bustamante, in Tres Mancias Consultancy

Astrology & Tarot

Chimneys and accesses in the top-roof are part of an architectonic design showing Gaudí's birth chart, such as he considered it, with some planets standing out, dynamics for the Sun, Mercury and Saturn, and a Part of Fortune that, according to the way it's inserted on the paths, is dismissed and shows the intention and free will of the artist. In this article, the same design will be considered as a representation of the 78 Tarot cards, according to the quantity and distribution of architectonic elements inside of the area.

Tarot: minor ones

Groups of staircases are across the border of the top-roof, and represent the zodiacal signs. Steps boxes are made of marble, stone and recicled monochromatic ceramics, since Gaudí used to mix residual elements in decoration. Each one of the steps boxes, along with specific chimneys (5 and 24), are part of a set of 56 elements, like the Spanish deck or Tarot minor cards.

For appreciating it, it's necessary to watch it in detail, since chimneys on slopes (on the same steps boxes) or in areas of inferior level must not be counted. The two chimneys to be considered in the counting are placed between entrances, in areas similar to platforms or plateaus. The reason is explained in the item Majors of 0.

Tarot: major ones

The top-roof is visually composed by two big sectors, with two inner holes between them (called here "viewers"). There's 16 stairs, 12 placed across the perimeter and other 4 around the holes, which are surrounded by 22 major cards.

The sequence of cards represent the inner experience, started with 0. For the counting, groups of chimneys are considered as unities, and when they're absent, we must count steps boxes. It starts with THE FOOL 0, in the entrance assigned to the North Node of the artist in Cancer, with the following 5 chimneys representing the Sun or card 5 THE HIEROPHANT (Pope, The Hierarch, depending on the deck). A small bridge inside of the viewers allows continuing with the counting, and leads to a group of 6 chimneys representing Saturn or card 6 THE LOVERS. Other 5 steps boxes and other 5 more must be walked until card 16 THE TOWER is reached, in the segment assigned to Taurus. Finally, we must surround the viewers to come back to the previous sector, where other 5 steps boxes complete the counting of 22 major cards (all around the central holes).

Tarot: the deck

As it can be appreciated in the previous assignation, two groups of chimneys represent two cards: 5 for the Sun and 6 for Saturn. A third group is composed by 7 sculptures representing Mercury in Gemini. About these three groups, it's easy to associate them to the numeric sequence 5-6-7, which in Tarot practices reminds of cards 14 TEMPERANCE (1+4, the Sun in the birth chart), 15 THE DEVIL (1+5, Saturn), and 16 THE TOWER (1+6, Mercury). Mercury connects the inner and outer experiencies, since it's part of a group although is located at the perimeter. By going through it, The Tower and decks of different numeration are connected as well: the outer experience (1) and the inner experience (0).

The sequence starts with 1, in an Earth sign (Capricorn), next the Uranus' entrance. And it continues across the perimeter, through staircases going up and down until the entrance in the North Node, where DEATH 13 is found. From there, the counting goes on with card 14 Temperance (Sun) and 15 The Devil (Saturn), after walking through a small bridge. But there's no direct connection between The Devil and The Tower, so in order to connect them we must walk across the perimeter (coral color).

In that area, major and minor cards are joined as a same sequence: from 16 to 20 (5 steps boxes), 21 (chimney), from 22 to 26 (other 5 steps boxes), from 27 to 31 (other 5 steps boxes), and finally from 32 to 36, or the last 5 steps boxes until reaching The Tower (card 16 -Mercury- that had to be connected to card 15 -Saturn-). From there, we walk through other 4 steps boxes going down (Taurus) and 3 going up (Aries), so now the major cards are placed not just next to the viewers (0) but also on the perimeter path (1).

The counting ends next to Neptune's entrance, in Aries, the sign of conquerers and warriors represented by sculptures of helmets in chimneys. These ones made it possible to deduce the astrological and cards distribution at Milà's top-roof, where the major ones are not 22 but 23. But this particular characteristic will be better understood in the item 0, 1 & Alchemies.

Astral deviations and omissions

The way Gaudí considered his own birth chart is a key factor to assign cards to chimneys, as well as to design the way to combine different decks. The distribution of minor cards, or suits of the Spanish deck, doesn't take into account the components of a yod in his chart (Part of Fortune, Mercury and Pluto). Whereas the combination of decks does not include several signs: Scorpio (PF), Libra (Moon), Pisces (the hypothetical rising sign) and Aquarius (XII House).

The lunar dilemma is simply avoided: Libra (and Scorpio) are not included in the countings of the sequence of combined Tarots. Due to Libra dissapearance, the Moon in the sign of the balance doesn't move to South or North. Instead, the flow is derived towards Venus, in the pattern formed by the 3 entrances in that sector.

The emphasis on Saturn and Venus shows the way the artist considered his own birth karma and the path he took by making use of his free will, especially about Scorpio's influence (PF) and the VIII H (Moon). Combining decks to connect the cards 15-16 is for following that astral flow.

0, 1 & Alchemies

The counting of major cards gives 23 as a result due to the fact that two dimensions of the experience have been joined, or two ways to assign numbers to decks, or two opposites. For example: the Sun is The Hierophant (5) only if the deck starts with 0, in the North Node's entrance, in Cancer in the birth chart. But the Sun only is Temperance (14) if considering the counting started with 1, in the segment assigned to Capricorn, the opposite sign to Cancer.

These variations of a same opposition, expressed here through Cancer (0) and Capricorn (1), are very important at the time of choosing a deck. About it, Tarot & Alchemy is an article in medium.com telling about the importance of including or not number 0 as a value in Tarot. The practical consequences deriving from it are basic for a reading, since they implies the abscence of development in the situations.

The direction indicated by the path at the top-roof also evokes other esoteric sounds. In first place, we move forwards if following the zodiacal perimeter in a clockwise orientation, which is a terrestrial perspective (Capricorn, Sagittarius... Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries). So the beginning is in Pisces (feet) and the end is in Aries (head), but the path of arcana progression is like the Earth's translation (counterclockwise). Milà shows the same ending although the beginning is indicated by THE MAGICIAN 1 in Capricorn (knees), the sign where Mars the planet of wars is exalted, make disorders and shakes schemes: this cards' path is the path of a warrior, of the impulsing desire elevating to another kind of ending points.

About the natural element in the transit towards Initiation and The Tower, the aforementioned article in medium.com includes some meditations about it, since considering one element or the other is related to the inclusion or not of 0 as a value and number in the decks. The subject involves quite extended worldviews about life and the way to transit on the experiencies. But let's makes it easier: the cards connection of 21 arcana might be considered as an only process of transformation through the two mentioned elements.

This only process is physical and emotional, and is summarized in card 16: from Fragility to The Tower. The Egyptian deck starts with 1, and its first 14 minor cards are associated to the liquid element. But at Milà House, these cards start in Earth signs: Capricorn (The Magician) and Virgo (Fragility). Similarly, the counting of major inner cards around the viewers considers the beginning is at the North Node in Cancer, and starts with 0. But the decks of 0 impulse alchemical transformations in Earth element!...

In terms of design, the outer experience might be related to the physical matter from the past (Earth, South Node), and the inner experience to emotional processes for the future (Water, North Node). In alchemical terms, the design joins opposites, whether be decks, zodiacal axes or dimensions of the experience. However, each alchemical path is a particular one: it's not the same starting with one element or the other, since each one of them implies different paths and processes, even if arriving at a same destiny. Such is the case at Milà's top-roof, where two decks later lead to a Fire Alchemy, in the perimiter of Taurus and Aries. Mixing processes started in different elements leads to alterations pushing forwards and backwards, blurring continuities...

Majors of 0

Minor ones & elements

Milà's top-roof combines decks of a different kind. Among them, the Egyptian Tarot provides a first alchemical transformative path, between The Weaver (23) and Initiation (36). The process belongs to Water (1) and Earth (0) elements, whose equivalences with the Spanish deck are displayed in two tables, according to the element taken into consideration. About the Alchemy underlying each number at the beginning, visit medium.com.

Alchemical numbers

The Tarot, as a set of 22 cards for initiations at Gizeh pyramid (Egypt), was and still is considered as a game and tool for fortune-telling. The misterious Spanish deck, and later other more elaborated Tarots added 56 minor cards to the ancient 22 ones, and they are all represented at Milà House's top-roof. Tarot: minor ones showed the distribution of the Spanish deck across all the perimeter. Tarot: the deck, now in the astrological representation of Gaudí's birth chart, displayed 7 major cards and 13 Egyptian minor cards, both combining two dimensions of the experience (decks of 0 and 1). Finally, the Egyptian minor cards are distributed all across the perimeter, too:

Number 5 seems to be very important: 12 staircases (the number of zodiacal signs) of 5 steps boxes each, and 5 areas for warriors all across the perimeter. 5 is the number of knowledge, human ability to reason, science, mathematics and consciousness.

One of the five areas including warriors is assigned to Mercury, an outstanding planet in a design showing at the same time several characteristics: it's represented by a group, such as the internal warriors are, but is placed on the perimeter, such as the solitary ones are. So the planet fulfills several functions. In the emotional experience, it's card 7 THE CHARIOT (decks of 0), and in the physical experience, is card 16 THE TOWER (combined decks).

But Mercury is also the planet of words, narrations and commercial counting. So it starts a new counting with card 36 INITIATION, until it happens a second transformation that only considers warriors (no steps boxes) inside of a Fire Alchemy. In the process, Pluto in Taurus is a solitary one in the Egyptian order 37 ART & SCIENCE (by the time of Gaudí, Pluto had not been discovered yet, so the artist surely had identified another element in his birth chart, located at the same place).

This is an initiatory sequence based on number 7, which suggests a transformation taking place only if the digits are reduced to an only one cypher. In esoteric practices, this is one of the usual ways to read Tarot cards, trying to unite digits to set an only path. In this constant disposition, after Initiation card we walk through a septenary: Pluto is THE MAGICIAN 1 (Art & Science 37, Retribution 10), Mars is THE HIGH PRIESTIESS 2 (Duplicity 38, Persuation 11) and Jupiter is THE EMPRESS 3 (Testimony 39, The Hanged Man 12). Next, the aforementioned two inner groups are taken into account, cards 14 and 15 reduced to 5 and 6.

But this view about the arcana represents the particular astrological experiences of the artist, since it excludes the PF from the counting (like Gaudí's private rennounce). Besides, the septenary is not completed yet because number 4 is not represented. In order to fulfill this requirement, the previous scheme of Egyptian minor cards indicates the place to find the card. In this case, the requirements are: the sum must return 4, it has to be emplaced in a sign (segment) actually included in the countings, and a chimney must be located at that place. Recapacitation 58 fulfills the requirements and is assigned to the four planet (Venus' entrance), under the form of THE EMPEROR 4 (Recapacitation 58, Immortality 13).

Cards Transformations

Decks & planets

Beyond the personal circumstances of the artist, Milà's top-roof also shows different traditions in Tarot, whether be because of the inclusion or exclusion of 0, whether be because of the specific planets sometimes associated to cards. But one assignation or the other is not set independently but according to a set of relations it belongs to. The whole defines each card's function and the process across the path, since the activation depends on the activation of certain previous instances: each element has no meaning at all if considered separately.

For example, some classic decks associate The Magician 1 with Mercury, which effectively starts a second Alchemy in the counting of warriors. But the association would be a theoretical extraction from the design at the top-roof, since it's been said before that Mercury as number 1 only initiates a Fire process if Initiation 36 of the Egyptian deck has taken place, which means if the transformation indicated by the 20 previous cards have happened, in the previous segments.

Other cards' traditions are represented in the Egyptian Tarot deck by Kier Ed., which turns the observation from the viewers towards West. In this deck, the Sun is associated to The Magician and to a series of cards including Pluto. In the same way, it's been observed that the digital reductions from Pluto, since Art & Science 37 in this second Alchemy, finally lead to 1. The planet was just discovered in 1930, after the death of the artist but, anyway, both here as in Gaudí of the seas has been included as a signifier of the artist's characteristics displayed in his artpieces. If the warrior in Taurus doesn't represent Pluto, the cards counting is not modified, anyway. The warrior is effectively included in the Fire and Air Alchemies, and could be related to some other element in Gaudí's birth chart he would have identified.

The same deck also seems to reconsider the circuit of Air, after Fire. Whether be in The Argonaut 25 or Innovation 34 at Neptune's entrance, the deck assigns number 7 to Neptune, 8 to Saturn (Unrest 35), 9 to Mars (Initiation 36), 10 to Pluto (Art & Science 37) and 1 to the Sun (The Magician, reduction), 2 to Moon (Duplicity 38), 3 to Jupiter (Testimony 39), 4 to Uranus (Impediments 31), 5 to Mercury (Magnificence 32), 6 to Venus (Alliance 33), and iterates the circuit until ending at Venus' entrance, in card REBIRTH 78.

In this distribution, Gaudí's PF at the top-roof is replaced by the Moon. In that place, the PF is between the nodes, like the luminary is in the birth chart. When turning the global vision to the West, Uranus remains in the access that would have been assigned to the Moon. Other important characteristic is that the ending (Saturn, death) is associated to Venus, a planet involved in the material and sexual renouncements that Gaudí accepted in his life, along with the emphasis in the stones, bones and tombs (Saturn).

The deck also counts on a particular characteristic: cards 11 to 22 are assigned to planetary exaltations. But it doesn't include Mercury's exaltation in Aquarius, which would be expected to find in card Transmutation 21: a high level of sounds volume is not compatible with Alchemy because some sounds cover other ones...

Instead, Uranus is assigned to the card, whose numeric reduction alludes to Jupiter (3), which indicates an union, or conjunction in astrological terms. In the birth chart, Jupiter is emplaced in Scorpio and is the origin of an important pattern pointing to Uranus. But the pattern would be gone if the planets join. Again, Gaudí's inclinations seem to be included in the planetary assignments of the deck.

Finally, Uranus' exaltation in Scorpio is assigned to Twilight 18 in Kier's deck (other decks call it Moon). The deck of the editorial has clearly replaced the artist's Moon by Uranus, a planet already discarded by the suggested conjunction. In this ordering, the view from the top-roof towards the West mainly focuses on an entrance that has remained unassigned. Similarly, Guadí removed his own birth Moon from the flow towards the nodes, and took it to Venus: at the top-roof, he straightly replaced the satellite by a PF that wasn't taken into account, either. The end for the birth Moon, Uranus and the PF, all discarded, is also the final card of Kier's deck, the number 78 assigned to Venus.