The Dark Lord

Professor of the Dark Arts

A true wizard or witch must understand the power of darkness. At Mandrake Academy, the dark arts are a specialized field of study.

Key Symbols

• In the depths of a subterranean classroom, the Dark Lord restrains two oversized toads — two students who have been temporarily transformed.

• The Dark Lord’s motives aren’t clear — but nothing is obvious in this card. He could be protecting the students, tormenting them, or reining them in.

• As it happens, the students are learning a lesson. The chains are a symbol of ignorance — and the students forged the links themselves. They took a backwards view of freedom and responsibility, and they refused to be chained to a desk. They failed to recognize the liberating effect of education, and they devolved into a lower life form. Now that they’ve reached the swampy bottoms of existence, they might finally see the error of their ways.

• The inverted pentagram behind the three symbolizes the students’ mistake. It represents a reversal of normal priorities.

• The chains are also a symbol of responsibility. Magicians who bring monsters into being are responsible for their handiwork, and they’re chained to their creations until they can arrange for their transformation or release.

• The forces of darkness depicted in this card might seem negative — but they’re a necessary component of magical training and practice. In fact, dark magic isn’t evil. It’s not black magic, and it’s not intended to jeopardize or harm. Instead, dark magic is designed to complement the other workings at the school.

• Dark magic involves the forces of destruction, banishment, and restraint. Dark magic is a necessary force that helps keep the forces of growth and creation in balance.

• Dark magic also comes in many shades of gray — as evidenced by the two fiery torches that cast a flickering light over the windowless room. Dark shadows help us gauge dimension, and darkness helps define the light.

• The classroom’s iron door is barred to prevent escape — or entry.

• The Dark Lord card is linked to the astrological sign Capricorn, the sign of business, social standing, and material success. The Capricorn glyph is painted on the wall, on the left side of the card.

• The Hebrew letter Ayin, which means eye, is on the right.

Practical Magic

Every type of energy in the physical world has a counterpart in the spiritual world. If you’re in the same room with another person, you will find yourself in their energy field. Some people emit their worries and concern unconsciously, while others consciously transmit their issues to anyone within range. If you’re planning to read tarot cards for another person, shielding can help you make it clear that you are simply looking at their cards — and that you are not taking on their problems or assuming responsibility for their decisions. Shielding can help make those boundaries clear.

Shielding is the process of screening yourself from interference and unwanted energy. In the physical world, the air is filled with electrical energy. Some of that energy is naturally occurring. Some is emitted by electrical devices and appliances. And some is transmitted, like radio waves.

One way to shield is to picture yourself surrounded by pure, white light. Imagine that the white light works like a force field, protecting you from any negative thoughts and emotions.

In addition to shielding, many tarot readers begin each session with a prayer for guidance from a higher power. Some use prayers drawn from their own spiritual traditions. Others use prayers or invocations that they write themselves.

You can also ground any excess energy you might be carrying around.

Grounding is the process of creating a firm connection between yourself and the material world. In the physical world, an electrical current will flow through any available conductor until it reaches the ground. If you happen to be unfortunate enough to get in the way, electricity will use your body as a conductor. When you read tarot cards, you run a similar risk of getting in the way of free-flowing emotional and spiritual energy. If you are properly grounded, however, you can avoid the shock of discovering that you are suddenly the recipient of someone else’s problems, issues, and concerns. Grounding will help their energy flow through you, so you can remain relatively unaffected by the runaway emotions of other people.

One easy way to ground is to sit with your feet firmly on the floor. Place your hands in your lap, and become aware of your body. Close your eyes and, imagine that you’re a tree. Imagine that your feet have grown roots. Send those roots deep into the earth, down through the floor of the room you are in, down through the layers of bedrock beneath the building, down toward the center of the earth. Next, imagine that your arms are branches, growing toward the heavens, reaching up into the sky, through the clouds, and into the bright sunshine. Imagine how stable you would feel, firmly planted in the ground, with your limbs free to sway gently in the breeze.

The Dark Lord’s Dark Side Spread

Tarot students are often advised to put the best possible spin on their interpretations, so that their readings can serve as a beacon of encouragement and hope.

This spread turns that advice on its head. It’s a devilish layout — but there’s a little wicked witch in each of us, and a wild wizard waiting to break free from the bonds of polite tarot society.

Read the first three upright cards as you normally would, as body, mind, and spirit — but turn the second three cards upside-down as you turn them over. When you read them, unleash your inner demons. Interpret the reversed cards as negatively as you can. Let them represent the shadow side of a situation.

As you reveal the dark side of any issue, look for connections between the cards in the upright and reversed positions. You might be surprised by the hidden messages that come to light.

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