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Sacred Geometry
The gemetrical principles used in the construction and deisgn of religious structures such as churches, temples and mosques and for sacred spaces such as meditative labyrinths, holy wells, cntemplatie gardens etc. The study of sacred geometry examines the mystical properties of patterns and shapes.
Salamander
Symbol of fire.
Scales
Represents balance, expressing an opinion and the ability to consider things with common sense.
Sceptre
In Tarot card imagery, the sceptre represents power in the material world.
Scientific Revolution
The mergence of modern science around 1550-1700. During this period, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics transformed veiws of reality, society and nature.
Seance
A gathering of people in which an attempt is made to contact the dead, usually by using an individual working as a medium.
Secret Society
A group of people whi have sworn an oath of secrecy dregarding their activities, membership and organisation.
Sepher Yetzirah
Also known as Sefer Yetzira, Sefer Jetzira, Book of Formation and Book of Creation, this is an ancient text of mysterious origins considered to be the first mystical text describing the Kabbalah
Sephirot (Singular, Sephirah)
In Kabbalah, this term refers to the ten circles of divine energy that form the Tree of Life.
Shadow Self
A psychologivcal term coined by Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. It describes the aprt of a person's unconcsious mind that contains the desires, wants and needs that they do not like, approve of or want to acknowledge.
Shuffle
Any means of rearranging the Tarot cards prior to a reading. Shuffling may be done on the table (or whatever surface you are working on) or in the hands of the Reader or Querent (or both).
Sickle
In Tarot, the sickle symbolises harvest, death and the inevitable end of a life cycle.
Significator
A card that is chosed consciously or at random to represent the person who is recieving the reading.
Sister Manfreda
A nun and relative of the VIsconti family, Sister MAnfreda was a possible inspiration and source for the Visconti Papess (High Priestess) card, as suggested by the historian Gertrude Moakley.
Skull
In Tarot, a skull represents the death of intellectual abilities and the vanishing of thought.
Smudging
The act of burning of herbs and creating ritualised smoke for emotional, psyhic and spiritual cleansing and purification.
Solar Crown
Symbol of clarity of thought and intelligence illuminating the spirit.
Soothsaying
The act of foretelling future events using a variety of techniques.
Sortilege
Divination based of the rolling of dice or casting of lots, sticks, stones, beans, coins or collection of similar items.
Soul Card
A soul card shows the individual's purpose across many or all lifetimes. The concept is based on the teachings of Mary K Greer.
Soul Themes
Working with your own or a Querent's spirituality to probe and examine core beliefs and values.
Speculative Freemasons
Freemasons who practice and belong to Masonic lodges but who are not actual builders, architects or stone workers.
Spiritualist Movement, Spiritualism, Spiritualists
A movement that began in the United States in the mid-19th century. Adherents believe that the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living, usually through an individual acting as a medium. The movement led to the formation of the Spiritualist Church, with Spiritualists its active members.
Spontaneous Divination
A type of free-form divination in which an answer is derived from a random object.
Spooky Cards
Cards which are sometimes veiwed as scary or dark due to their name or imagery. These include the Tower, Death, Devil, Five of Pentacles, Three of Swords, Nine of Swords and Ten of Swords.
See also: Negative Cards
Star
A symbol of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love, identified by the Greeks as Aphrodite and by the Romans as Venus. A representation of beauty.
Suit
One of the four sets in which a Tarot deck is arranged. These are used called Pentacles, Swords, Cups or Wands, but the names can vary, with Coins replacing Pentacles and Batons or Clubs in place of Wands, among other variations.
Sun
Energy, the male element, the light that defeats the darkness, truth and intelligence, clarifying doubts.
Sunlight Cleanse
Energetic cleanse of a Tarot deck with solar energy by placing the cards in th light of the sun for an entire day. It is especially effective on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
Supernatural
Of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible universe, especially if relating to a god, demigod, spirit or devil.
Superstition
A belief, custom, notion or idea that there is supernatural significance in an occurence or circumstance. Examples include an upside-down horseshoe bringing good luck or a black cat crossing your path signifying bad luck. Also known as old wives' tales.
Suspension
A term meaning out of time, or referring to timelessness or an altered state.
Swords
One of the four suits in a Tarot deck, Swords are associated with the element of Air and with the quality of the mind.
Sybille Cards
Illustrated European fortune-telling cards based on folk traditions that predate the esoteric use of Tarot cards. SIze and suit varied according to the region in which they were produced.
Symbol, Symbolism
An object or image that is used to represent something other than what it is. For example, a crown is symbolic of royalty and power, while a collapsing tower might represent sudden institutional change.
Symbolic Reading
This type of reading works by creating a symbolic alphabet that allows a Reader to develop a rational interpretation for each Arcana.
Symbolist
A person who uses and actively works with symbols and/or symbolism either professionally or for guidance in their personal life.
Synaesthesia
" Union of the senses ", a neurological condition in which one sense opens a cognitive pathway to a second sense. A synaesthete might " taste " colours or " see " music. Pamela Colman Smith, the artist who painted the Rider Waite Smith deck, had the condition.
Synchronicity
Two or more events that appear to be meaningfully connected but lack any casual connection. Also referred to as a coincidence.
Synthesis
The point in a reading when the Reader sums up all of the cards together rather than individually.