That little voice inside: The Conscience….

The genesis of this card lies in another, the Corpsoration. In that card’s inverted position, we see an innocent little girl who opposed the inauthentic life-denying power of the Corpsoration. While watching tv the other day, the perfect example of this archetype struck me: Lisa Simpson. The stories surrounding her always deal with compassion, wisdom and right moral conduct. She is in many ways the conscience of the show - always trying to stand up for what is right, always struggling against temptation away from the true path.

Lisa’s struggle against the Corpsoration is typified by her interactions with Mr. Burns, especially in the episode titled the Old Man and the Lisa. In this, Mr. Burns loses his fortune through poor planning and management and he recruits Lisa to help him get it back. Lisa introduces Burns to socially and ecologically responsible concepts of business. Burns seems to go for it, even opening a recycling plant. But true to his Corpsoration archetype, Burns even figures out how to turn the recycling plant into a death factory. He harvests the sea with the “Burns Omni-Net” and creates an animal by-product which he ironically names “Lil Lisa Slurry.” At the end of the episode, Burns presents her with a check for her assistance (I think something on the order of $12 million), and Lisa listens to her heart and tears the check up. In the background of the conscience card, we see Mr. Burns in his vampire form. Incidentally, his name is rather appropriate as he figuratively “slashes and burns” without regards for human consequences. Opposite him we see the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in the distance. Both these things represent the forces against which the Conscience must constantly contend.

Another good Lisa quote is the time when Bart sells his soul to Milhouse, and then finds himself unable to Laugh. Lisa relates to him the Pablo Neruda quote:

“Laughter is the language of the soul.”

The name Lisa is short for Elizabeth which is said to mean either “my God is an oath” or “my God is abundance.” Both make sense for this card. As a representative of Conscience (the archaic meaning of which was “consciousness”), Lisa represents an “oath” to God to stay on the right path. As emblems of abundance, Lisa stands against the field of grain. At her feet are two bunnies - symbols of fertility - for Lisa/Conscience is also closely connected to the Life Force. This connection is further evidenced by the ray of sunlight which stretches down towards her head. The arrows extending from her head further reinforce this connection to the sun - as her head is shaped a little bit like a sun.

Ironically the field of wheat behind her, while representing abundance also represents the creeping dominance of the Corpsoration. The image was taken from an article about the agricultural giant Monsanto, and depicts genetically modified crops. Perhaps we could also connect Lisa then to the Italian goddess of grain, Ceres, from whom we get our word “cereal” (in Greek myth, she is Demeter - the mother of the innocent Persephone who is abducted into the underworld by Hades. See also the Hundred Dollar Bill card for another connection between money/the underworld/the Corpsoration)

Also on her head we see a miniature version of Lisa. I believe this image is from an episode where she is doing tai chi. I chose this image for inclusion because she is precariously balanced in it - almost like a scale. In fact, I think this card has a lot to do with the traditional Rider-Waite cards of Temperance and Justice. If I recall correctly, there’s also an episode where Lisa says she dreams of becoming either President or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The other image we see of Lisa in the conscience card is of her screaming. Sometimes on that show, she assumes sort of a shrill whininess - which I think is also a very important aspect of the Conscience. It’s insights are not always welcome. A good example of this is in the Beer Baron episode where Marge discovers Homer is bootlegging during the town’s Prohibition. Lisa says something about how just because a law is unjust doesn’t mean you can disobey it (I think, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it). And then Marge, Homer, and even Bart simultaneously scream at her: “Go to your room!”

Lisa screaming also reminds me of the Latin phrase: Vox Clamantis in Deserto. It means “a voice crying in the wilderness” and is a reference to a Bible passage:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40:3-5)

This passage in the Old Testament is supposed to have been a prophecy which was fulfilled by John the Baptist, who heralded the coming of Christ. Lisa’s spiritual interest in Buddhism and her constant concern for the environment and social justice tie in rather neatly to the above passage, I think.

[For more info on the pop culture tarot and a complete card listing, go here.]