The Four Models

arcana II, III, IIII, V

When a being incarnates, he is cared for by one of the four categories into which the ancients divided society:

batons: Those who produce and construct: their model is the Papess, earth their element.

coins: Those who trade and keep money circulating: at the sign of the Empress, their element water.

swords: Those who defend and govern: represented by the Emperor, fire their element.

cups: Those who teach and heal: their model is the Pope, their element air.

The individual will follow the traditional instruction of these models. He will receive, in succession, the teachings of his grandmother the Popess, of his mother the Empress, of his father the Emperor and of his grandfather the Pope.

The grandmother shows the child how to make contact with the outside world through matter, by means of the five senses.

The mother brings him into contact with human society by providing instruction on the circulation of money and the management of the household.

The father transmits physical force, shows him the authority it engenders, and brings him into the world of men.

Finally, the grandfather develops the being’s receptive potential by articulating his knowledge and making sense of transforming experiences.

The Popess,Empress, Emperor and Pope are seated upon thrones : this is how they are perceived by the child, as archetypes, all-powerful models. These four are the foundation of all human society.