DIRECTION OF MOTION IN THE TAROT
PAST	PRESENT	FUTURE
the part of the path he has already passed		the part of the path he has not yet reached
people he knows already		people he does not know yet
people less evolved than he is		people more evolved than he is
his past experiences		that which he still needs to learn

LE MAT : Guardian of Space and Time in the Tarot

A Revelation of Philippe Camoin

Once the symbols have been restored, it becomes clear that a spatiotemporal frame of reference is needed for orienting this set of symbols, personages, and regards in space and in time. If you observe the 22 Major Arcana, you will see that Le Mat is the only card that is actually moving along a path. Moreover, it has no number and is set apart from the other 77 cards. It cannot be said that the Hermit is moving, because his legs are not showing. So Le Mat reveals the secret of how to orient in space and time, the sense of direction on the path depicted by the 21 cards of the Major Arcana. Seen in this way, whatever is to the left of Le Mat represents the past, things that have already happened. Whatever is to the right represents the future, the part of the path he has not yet reached. This spaciotemporal reference point applies to the cards in their entirety and to each single card.

Copyright © Philippe Camoin 1999