MAJOR ARCANA #1: INTRODUCTION TO MAJOR ARCANA THEMES
This lesson provides an introduction to the themes represented by the Major Arcana of the tarot. Unlike the minor arcana, which were most like derived from already existent packs of playing cards, the major arcana are unique, and constitute the heart and soul of tarot. Tarot cards were developed during the Italian renaissance, at a time when art, religion, mysticism, mythology, and science were much more intertwined than they are today. Even simple parlour games and nearly all art tended to have religious or mythological themes. It is not really known whether or not the major arcana were intended to be anything other than a series of trumps for the game of tarocchi, but it is relatively certain that they drew from and represent popular views of religious and mystical concepts which permeated renaissance art and philosophy at the time.
As such, they represent powerful archetypes that can be read on many different levels. Central to nearly every way of reading the Major Arcana is the concept of a journey, or cycle, beginning with the Fool, progressing through the trumps, ending with the World, and then starting over again. In this lesson we will explore this journey at five different levels spiritual, psychological, mythological, astrological, and mundane. There are other approaches to the Major Arcana as well, involving religion, mysticism, alchemy, and magick these are more esoteric levels which each student may involve themselves in as they choose, but should be taken up once a basic understanding of the Trumps and how to use them in tarot readings is gained.
Spiritual the Fool's Journey
A spiritual understanding of the trumps involves a journey of the soul from the moment when it was first created and its struggle to return to its higher source and become re-assimilated into the Universe (or to become one with the God/dess). The endpoint of this journey may vary according to your religious or philosophical beliefs it is a highly personal journey which is understood by each person differently. Along the way, the Fool is provided with various tools and teachers, learns lessons and undertakes tasks, and finally learns how to reach his/her goal.
Exercise #1
One way to explore the Fool's Journey is to lay out the major arcana as follows: First, set the Fool aside. Place the rest of the major arcana in order into 3 rows of 7 cards each, then place the Fool above Key 4, the Emperor, above the center of the top row. Now arrange the minor arcana as follows: Place the Aces underneath the Magician, the Twos underneath the High Priestess, and so on. Once you have reached the Tens, continue placing the court cards under Keys 11-14. This arrangement is called the Golden Dawn Tableau.
Now look at the three rows. In the first 7 cards, the Fool is provided with teachers, guides, and learns the "rules and tools" of existence. These 7 cards represent the early growth and development of the soul, a period in which he/she needs assistance and guidance. This can be considered the childhood of the Fool, and the 7th card represents a "graduation" of sorts. In the next 7 cards, the Fool struggles with earthly existence. He/she is now actively experiencing life, and learning lessons the hard way by doing this can be considered the adulthood or middle ages of the Fool. Notice that the minor arcana are associated with these first two rows. Each set of minor cards can be considered "lower vibrations" or mundane versions of the major arcana they are associated with. Once we reach the third row of cards, we leave the minor arcana behind altogether. The first two cards of the third row represent the final liberation of the soul from earthly concerns, and the remaining cards are purely a spiritual struggle for reintegration. This represents the wisdom and old age of the Fool.
There are various paths through the Tableau, all of which are read in threes. One may proceed in the "normal" manner, linearly across the rows from left to right. One may proceed downward from top to bottom, although this approach is more difficult. The "path of the adept" is diagonally, from upper left to lower right, and is more difficult still to achieve. Each of these paths has something to teach us about the spiritual journey and can be meditated on to gain insight into our own lives and journeys. Choose one card that seems to represent where you would like to go with your spiritual path. Now study the 3-card paths that lead to and through this card. While it may not be obvious right away what these paths mean and how they might work, keep them in mind as you read through the following material and at the end, see if you have gained some insight into your own spiritual path. This is one way that the Major Arcana are used as personal spiritual guides.
The basic concepts of the Major Arcana are discussed in every tarot book, and there is no real substitute for reading about them and studying them. Although insights into the minor arcana can be gained solely through intuition and a basic understanding of numerological and elemental concepts, the major arcana are more difficult and should be studied in-depth. Here are some basic concepts and keywords to get you started:
0 The Fool: Creation from nothingness, incarnation, being
1 The Magician: Self-awareness, consciousness, will, male/yang life force
2 High Priestess: Subconscious, memory, intuition, female/yin life force
3 Empress: Creativity, growth, fertility, nature, earthly mother
4 Emperor: Order, logic, rules, boundaries, civilization, earthly father
5 Hierophant: Spiritual link to god/dess, mentor, morality, institutions, church
6 Lovers:
Choices, discrimination between good and evil, leaving the Garden
7 Chariot: Will, initiation, breakthrough to adulthood, direction, movement
8 Strength:
Inner strength, overcoming animal nature, productive use of passions
9 Hermit: Self-knowledge, seeking wisdom and maturity, teaching
10 Wheel:
Understanding of cycles, living with change, going with the flow
11 Justice: Karma, just-ness, balance, fairness, clear sight
12 Hanged Man: Reversal of thinking, inner work, suspension to allow inner growth
13 Death:
Transformation, major changes as a result of inner work, rebirth
14 Temperance: Balance of mind and body, temperance, middle path
15 The Devil:
Struggles with and liberation from material world, self-imposed bondage
16 The Tower: Bolt of inspiration, tearing down artificial constructs, revelations
17 The Star:
Inspiration, hope, blessings of the universe flow, rejuvenation
18 The Moon: Facing yourself and inner demons, integrating your subconscious
19 The Sun: Becoming whole, ascending to the light, knowing and being yourself
20 Judgment: Ready to move on, self-judgment, transition to higher state
21 The World: Rejoin the all, become one with the universe, dance a cosmic dance
In order to illustrate the cyclical nature of this journey, we can conceptualize the Fool's Journey in the context of a single lifetime, although the cycle may require many incarnations to actually complete and the process may not be entirely linear:
(0 The Fool) The soul incarnates into a physical body and is born. The baby experiences his new world in a rush, without conscious thought. (1 The Magician) The baby becomes aware of himself and others. The baby begins to form his first thoughts and mental impressions. (2 High Priestess) The baby begins to remember what he has experienced and draw mental connections between objects. He begins to make associations and experience feelings. (3 Empress) The baby begins to realize that he can make things happen by behaving in certain ways. He begins to explore his environment, draw scribbles on the wall, turn over his food bowl, and bang on things just to see what happens. He develops an imagination and experiences new sensations. He becomes aware of nature and living things. (4 Emperor) The toddler learns that there are rules and certain things are not allowed, although he doesn't always understand why. He begins to ask questions, and question the authority of his parents. He tests his limits by saying "no" and running away when called. He explores the boundaries of his world.
(5 Hierophant) The child begins to learn about right and wrong, and his parents try to instill a sense of morals and values. The child learns what is expected of him in society, and goes to school. The child first encounters the concept of religion, and goes to church. He begins to encounter authority figures and teachers other than his parents. He begins to form a value system, and for the first time realizes that there may be something more than the material world. (6 The Lovers) The teenager begins to have a mind of his own, and starts the process of separating from his parents. He faces tests of right and wrong, good and evil, and makes his own choices. He becomes interested in dating, love, and sex. He believes he can stand on his own, and rejects the philosophy and beliefs of his parent on the surface (while not realizing they are firmly instilled underneath). (7 The Chariot) The teenager leaves home, goes to college or gets an apartment of his own. He believes he is invincible, and can do or be anything he wants. He travels and gains experience in the world, and tests the limits of his strengths and abilities.
(8 Strength) The young adult faces many temptations, and may give in to some of them for a time. Eventually, he learns how to control his impulses without external guidance, and puts his passions and drives into productive use. (9 Hermit) The young adult struggles to define himself and his chosen path in life. He finishes graduate school, chooses a career, joins the Peace Corps, or otherwise decides the path he wants his life to take. (10 Wheel of Fortune) He discovers that life does not always go as planned, and he is not invincible after all. He develops coping tools and ways of dealing with disappointment, learns flexibility, and continues undaunted on his way. (11 Justice) He begins to realize that life is not random things happen for a reason, and each person gets what they deserve. He begins to take responsibility for his own life and his own actions, and sets out to right some past wrongs he has done others. He has a clearer sense of his own failings, as well as his strengths and skills. He deals honestly and fairly with others.
(12 Hanged Man) As a middle-aged man, he faces a time of internal crisis. His career no longer seems meaningful and his marriage is facing difficulty. He wants to take some time out for internal processing, and decides to take a sabbatical. He spends quite a while soul-searching and evaluating his life so far, and where he wants to go next. (13 Death) As a result of this process, he realizes that he wants to make some major changes in his life. Not all of what has been in his life so far can be carried through this transition he may lose his job, leave his marriage, change his residence, or any number of other significant changes. (14 Temperance) He attempts to live a more balanced life, integrating work, family, personal interests, and spirituality into a whole life. He begins to have a sense of his mortality, and tries to exercise and watch his weight. (15 The Devil) In spite of his efforts, he becomes increasingly tied to material things he has a big mortgage, he has to take out college loans for his kids, he buys a fancy car so he won't feel middle-aged, and starts daydreaming about his neighbor's teenage daughter.
(16 The Tower) His company gets bought out and he is forced to take early retirement. Two months later, his daughter announces that she's leaving university to become an actress. His whole world seems to be falling apart then he has a heart attack. (17 The Star) His brush with death seems to pull the whole family together. He and his wife go on a second honeymoon and renew their wedding vows. He decides to go to his daughter's plays and support her as best he can, even though he no longer has much of an income. He realizes that he was put on this earth for a reason, and for the first time, begins to seriously think about what that might be. He takes a renewed interest in spirituality and philosophy. (18 The Moon) Having lots of time to reflect, he begins to think back over his life and look at his actions in a new light. He starts to have frightening dreams, and thoughts begin to surface that have been buried for a long time. He faces these aspects of his life and self honestly, and begins a long process of coming to terms with himself and forgiving others. (19 The Sun) After long contemplation, he finds peace with himself, and begins to actively enjoy his retirement. He now has grandkids to play with, gardening to keep him busy, and enjoys a pleasant and loving relationship with his wife. He is content. Many years later, he dies in his sleep. (20 Judgment) With the help of his spiritual guides, he reviews his earthly life and assesses what he has learned, and whether the soul has achieved its purpose for this life. The soul selects its next set of tasks and lessons. (21 The World) The soul returns to the universal energy for rejuvenation and reintegration. For a brief period between lives, it exists in perfect harmony and light. Eventually, it will be reincarnated and the cycle will begin again.
Psychological Aspects of the Journey
Many authors, particularly followers of Jung, see the major arcana in the light of Jungian archetypes and the development of the mind and personality. Jung introduced the concept of the collective consciousness, in which certain archetypes are "hard-wired" into our psyches. These archetypes appear over and over in world religions, myths, and philosophies, and because of this can be understood at a purely intuitive level. Followers of Jung believe that the journey through the major arcana can be viewed in terms of the development and integration of the personality over a lifetime, and introduced the concept of a "shadow self" which is first created and separated from the conscious ego, then later must be recognized and reintegrated into a whole personality. The cards become tools for projection of what is going on in our inner minds.
Exercise #2. Before reading any further about the major arcana and the psychology, first conduct this exercise. Shuffle and lay out all the trumps before you, upright, but in no particular order. Examine these cards and choose the one that appeals to you most, on a gut level. Then re-examine the cards and choose the one that you dislike the most. Put these two cards aside, next to each other with a space in between. Now examine the trumps once again, and choose one card that you feel could form a bridge between these two cards in a positive way. Place it in the center space.
The first card represents your positive and conscious perception of yourself and what you aspire to your ego. The second card represents your shadow self those parts of yourself with which you are most uncomfortable, but nevertheless exist in your subconscious and with which you will eventually have to come to terms. The third and central card represents the path toward integration of these two aspects of yourself, to become whole. Read on to find out how these cards reflect Jungian archetypes and aspects of the mind.
Note: in the psychological and mythological sections that follow, Justice and Strength are in their original order, with Justice as 8 and Strength as 11. If your deck has these cards reversed, simply switch the order of these cards and ignore their numbers for the purposes of this part of the lesson.
0 The Fool
Archetypes: Wanderer, court jester, divine fool, joker, coyote, trickster, eternal youth
Psychology: Essential self, ego-less and eternal
1 The Magician
Archetypes: Magician, miracle worker, trickster, alchemist, juggler, Adam, yang
Psychology: Ego, self-consciousness, synchronicity
2 High Priestess
Archetypes: Priestess, moon goddess, Isis, Virgin Mary, oracle, sybil, Eve, yin
Psychology: Memory, subconscious, intuition, awareness of the not-self or other
3 Empress
Archetypes: Mother, Madonna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Mother Nature, muse
Psychology: Development of the right-brain, creative process, emotion, feeling, imagination, attachment to mother
4 Emperor
Archetypes: Father, king, protector, authority figure, civilization
Psychology: Development of the left-brain, rational thought, logic, language, realism, weaning away from mother and attachment to or emulation of father and authority figures
5 Hierophant
Archetypes: Religious teacher, wise man, pope, savior
Psychology: Conscience, morality, values, spiritual striving, transcendence, consciousness of self as part of a larger society, beyond the immediate family
6 Lovers
Archetypes: Lovers, Eros, Cupid, Adam and Eve, Garden of Eden
Psychology: Free will, integration of conscious self with inner animus/anima, first step toward individuation, separation from parents, separation and suppression of the shadow-self
7 Chariot
Archetypes: Hero, knight, warrior, sun-god
Psychology: Persona, psyche, will, initiation into society, strengthening of the ego, danger of ego trip/ego inflation
8 Justice
Archetypes: Justice, fairness, balance, karma, equilibrium
Psychology: Taking responsibility for actions, discrimination, insight, self-judgment resulting in further strengthening and suppression of the shadow-self, as well as the conscious ego
9 Hermit
Archetypes: Wise old man, hermit, sage, philosopher, monk
Psychology: Self-knowledge, search for inner wholeness, acceptance of self, the first attempt to seek the inner depths
10 Wheel of Fortune
Archetypes: Fate, destiny, fortune, cycles, reincarnation, evolution, sphinx
Psychology: Humility, objectivity, flexibility, awareness of cycles and larger patterns, turning point in development of psyche from outward issues toward inner growth and from strengthening of the ego to integration
with the shadow-self
11 Strength
Archetypes: Inner strength, courage, endurance, triumph of good over evil
Psychology: Mediation between conscious ego and primal instincts through the anima, acceptance and transformation of one's animal nature, healthy sexuality, positive channeling of anger, lust, violence and other
instinctual behaviors
12 Hanged Man
Archetypes: Sacrifice, initiation, crucifixion, suspension, reversal
Psychology: Giving up ego-centered images of life, confronting the abyss, giving oneself up to the universe, connection with a transpersonal self
13 Death
Archetypes: Death, change, transformation, rebirth
Psychology: Acceptance of mortality, facing the moment of truth, reduction of self to the bare essentials, mourning and celebrating the transience of life
14 Temperance
Archetypes: Angel, union of opposites, temperance, patience, healing
Psychology: Beginnings of subconscious reintegration, a glimpse of inner wholeness, becoming aware of our inner guides or angels
15 The Devil
Archetypes: Devil, evil, materialism, vice, bondage, libido
Psychology: The collective Shadow, ego-indulgence, destructive instincts, refusal to acknowledge and thus unconsciously becoming a slave to our shadow-selves, guilt and self-punishment, dehumanization
16 The Tower
Archetypes: Tower of Babel, chaos, destruction, catastrophe
Psychology: Liberation from artificial constructs of the mind and rigid mental processes, breaking down of walls between the conscious and subconscious, dissolution of the ego, illumination, truth
17 The Star
Archetypes: Star, hope, inspiration
Psychology: The soul, spirituality, meditation and contemplation, awareness of self as part of the cosmos, access to the collective unconscious, assimilation and understanding of Tower events, insight, a conscious
vision of wholeness
18 The Moon
Archetypes: Moon, dreams, instincts, Dark Night of the Soul
Psychology: Descending into the subconscious, facing, acknowledging, and eventually embracing the shadow-self, coming to terms with instinctual wisdom and the primordial self, letting go of illusions
19 The Sun
Archetypes: Sun, success, fulfillment, joy
Psychology: Spiritual illumination, inner harmony, seeing the world with new eyes, spontaneous joy, the natural self, the inner child
20 Judgment
Archetypes: The Last Judgment, resurrection, ascension
Psychology: Awareness of impending transformation, reunion between subconscious, conscious, and higher self, inner awakening, rebirth, heeding a higher calling
21 The World
Archetypes: Wholeness, synthesis, completion
Psychology: Integration, psychic wholeness and equilibrium, self-awareness, transcendence, self-actualization, one with the universe
Mythology the Journey of the Hero
In many mythical stories and fairy tales, there is a hero who goes on a quest, and these heroes share many of the characteristics of the tarot Fool, and meet many of the Jungian archetypes on their journeys. This section explains how the tarot trumps reflect the mythological Journey of the Hero, and how these archetypes are expressed in the myths of many cultures. One you see how the spiritual, psychological, and mythical journeys fit together and compliment one another, you will have a much clearer vision of what the Major Arcana are all about.
0 The Fool. The Hero/ine of our myth (especially western European fairy tales) typically shares many characteristics of the tarot Fool. He or she is usually a youngest child of no particular talent or distinguishing characteristics. He/she usually has brothers or sisters who are expected to complete the quest due to their superior equipment, beauty, or favor of their parents, yet who invariably fail. The youngest child undertakes the task out of a spirit of adventure, and usually has little in the way of provisions, which he or she gladly shares with whomever they happen upon. This child has no sense of inflated self-worth (lack of ego), and happily converses with any person or animal they meet along the road, thus receiving valuable clues and help along the way. Without worrying about the future, they traipse along the road, going wherever their path may lead, but always keeping the goal in mind. In the end, they succeed because of their Fool-ish attributes, not in spite of them.
1 The Magician. The Magician and the High Priestess represent the Hero/ine's heavenly or magical parents, as opposed to their earthly parents. In many fairy tales, the child's true parents are not known or no longer living they live with step-parents (Cinderella, Baba Yaga) and often have supernatural guardians. The Magician is a wizard who sets the stage for the story by creating the circumstances of and need for the quest, and who watches over the Hero's progress throughout the story (Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings). In the end, he may be revealed as the Hero's true father, or he may simply stay behind the scenes and allow the Hero to find and leave with the magical treasure. Sometimes he appears as a demonic or impish creature, such as Rumpelstiltskin, who nevertheless ends up benefiting the heroine in the end.
2 High Priestess. The High Priestess represents the Hero/ine's heavenly mother or guardian, and she may appear in the form of a fairy godmother (Cinderella) or good witch (Glenda in the Wizard of Oz). She usually provides a valuable clue or assistance just when the heroine is in dire straits. She may turn out to be the heroine's real mother in the end, or takes the place of the real mother, who is dead. She usually cannot directly interfere, but provides assistance of a more indirect nature or magical items that later protect the heroine at key moments.
3 The Empress. In the Empress we find the hero/ine's earthly mother, or the one who appears to be their mother. This may be a loving mother, such as the poor mother who loves her youngest son the best, and weeps to see him go with nothing but a crust of bread, or the cruel step-mother who features in so many European fairy tales. Here we have the Goddess in both her creative and violent aspects, a personification of the destructive powers of nature. She may secretly be a witch who uses the forces of nature against the heroine and who stands in opposition to the High Priestess.
4 The Emperor. Here we have the hero's earthly father, or the King, who is often prominently featured in the story. Often it is the King who sets the nature of the quest (in response to the machinations of the Wizard) and offers a reward to any who can solve the puzzle or retrieve a magical item. His reward is usually part of his earthly kingdom and the hand of his daughter, and he fully expects a prince or knight to win the prize. Imagine his surprise when the lowly Fool is the one who succeeds!
Notice how in these four cards we have the heavenly parents or forces working in opposition to the earthly parents or forces, with the Fool or Hero as something of a pawn in between. This is very typical of Greek and Roman myths as well, and illustrates the nature of the formative influences on the Hero, and his later struggle to complete the quest and at the same time free him or herself from these parental influences. At this point in the cards, the Hero/ine has not yet set out on their journey, these cards all represent the background of their childhood and development, the forces which surround them, often entirely unawares.
5 The Hierophant. The Hierophant appears as a teacher or educator for some heroes, particularly in Greek and Roman myths this is someone who understands the potential of the Hero and works to prepare them for the journey that they know the Hero must eventually undertake, even if the hero himself does not know it. An example might be Merlin in the King Arthur stories or the Dwarf Regin who raises Siegfried in the Ring of the Nibelungen. The young hero or heroine often has a wise teacher in childhood who instills values of goodness and wisdom, and who blesses them when they set out on their journey, but cannot accompany them any farther.
6 The Lovers. The Lovers represents the point at which the Hero/ine learns about the quest and makes the decision to set out on the Journey. He or she may wait until many others have tried and failed, or may leap out on the road as soon as they hear of the magical quest to be undertaken, but either way, this represents a step toward maturity, a realization that one can leave one's parents and do something worthwhile. Here the Hero may gather together their few belongings and whatever items they wish to carry with them, and make plans and preparations for the journey.
7 The Chariot. At this moment, our Hero walks out onto the open road in broad daylight, not knowing what he/she will find, but certain of their task and their willingness to try. There is a kind of naοve certainty that any obstacle they may meet can be overcome, and the quest will succeed. There may be a sense of invincibility or youthful indestructibility, that carries with it some aspects of the Fool. Indeed, at this point our hero may fail if he tempts fate or hubris too strongly such as Icarus flying too close to the sun.
8 Justice. Justice represents a series of tasks or tests that the Hero/ine must complete before they can begin their journey and find the help they need. For example, agreeing to share the last of their food with a dirty old beggar woman (who is really a good witch in disguise), or Arthur pulling the Sword out of the stone. Sometimes they find the guide (Hermit) first, but are required to complete certain other tasks before learning what they need to know to complete their quest. Often there is equipment they must gather, particularly swords for the more martial heroes. Always these tasks require discernment, and often include tests of the hero's virtue, temper, quickness of mind, and ingenuity.
9 The Hermit. In nearly every one of these myths, the Hero/ine cannot succeed alone. He or she meets or is told to seek out a wise man or woman, represented by the Hermit. This Hermit is in reality their inner wise voice, but in myths this voice is personified. This person gives them valuable advice or assistance in their quest, and oversees the tests represented by Justice that strengthen and prepare the Hero for the rest of the journey. The Hermit knows where they have to go next, but usually does not reveal this information until the Hero is fully prepared. The Hermit may also reveal the Hero's true name and origins, or the true names of other people or creatures the Hero may meet in the coming journey. Learning one's true name is a metaphor for knowing oneself and one's true nature, and being in control of one's destiny.
10 Wheel of Fortune. Now comes a turning point in the journey. Once our Hero has gained the knowledge of his true self and has passed all the tests, he is ready to know the full nature of his task. Up until now, everything has passed in the light of day, yet now he or she must descend into the underworld in order to complete the task. The cards that follow chronicle this journey through the underworld, and final emergence back into the land of the Sun and completion of the task. This cycle of day and night is reflected in the turning of the Wheel, and also mirrors the psychological journey described above, where the conscious ego is first formed and strengthened, then descends into the subconscious to come to terms with the shadow-self. The last gift of the Hermit is knowledge of the task and travels ahead, but the Hero must descend alone. As in psychological terms, this descent often entails finding the lost or neglected parts of yourself, so too must the Hero rely on his or her hidden strengths and abilities to face the unknown dangers ahead. The Sphinx sitting on top of the Wheel represents the guardian of the underworld, which the Hero meets in the next step of the journey.
11 Strength. Guarding the entrance to the underworld, there is usually a beast which must be dealt with, and cannot simply be killed (or if it is killed, the hero will suffer later!). Those who fail in dealing with the beast are often turned into beasts themselves, and it is here that the youngest child may find their older brothers and sisters turned into animals. The beast is a metaphor for our own inner animal selves, which is what we first encounter when descending into our subconscious minds. This is a very frightening experience, and only the hero/ine who approaches the beast with compassion, courage, respect and love may succeed. The guardian beast is often tamed through an offering of food, love, or the knowledge of its name. The beast may then turn into a strong and protective companion, who fiercely guards the hero/ine through the rest of their travels in the underworld. In addition to encountering the beast within (or below), there is often an encounter with a beast of the opposite sex that carries sexual undercurrents a male hero may have to deal with a female sphinx or naga, a female heroine may need to tame a male lion or wild dog. This is a reflection of our first encounter with the suppressed portion of ourselves that is our anima or animus, our opposite sexual nature.
12 Hanged Man. In the Hanged Man we find the upside-down person reflecting the fact that our Hero's world has turned upside-down answers to questions are to be found in the depths of the earth and not in the sunlight. He or she is faced with making great sacrifices, and often turns away from the task. The Hero may be afraid of becoming trapped in the underworld, never to return. The Hero may repeatedly try to avoid or accomplish the task in another way, only to fail over and over. At this point, the Hero may be tempted to turn aside from his or her journey for which he or she is punished by the Gods and often becomes trapped in a form of limbo (e.g., Jonah in the belly of the whale) until they willingly choose to continue their journey. Once the Hero finds the inner strength and sense of purpose to continue, he is released from purgatory and makes his final descent.
13 Death. Here the Hero gives himself up to the underworld, without looking back. The descent into the depths is complete, and although he may despair of ever seeing the light again, he perseveres. This is akin to a conscious surrender of the ego in order to fully experience the subconscious. In this card the Hero/ine faces death with open eyes, and may remain in the underworld for some time, in some cases even becoming the wife or consort of Hades. The hero/ine is often required to leave behind all their earthly possessions as a condition of entering. Note that the "underworld" described here is metaphorical in myths or fairy tales it may appear in many forms, such as Aladdin's cave, Baba Yaga's hut, the Giant's castle, or a deep dark forest, but it always symbolizes entering the scary regions of the subconscious mind, in which one may find monsters, spirit guides, and treasures of great value, if only one dares to enter.
14 Temperance. Just as in the depths of the subconscious we find not only fears and terrors but also hope and the potential for wholeness, our Hero, having dissolved his ego and given himself up to the underworld, finds a spirit guide there waiting. This spirit guide may come in the form of an angel, a fairy, an animal, a dream, or voice. This is a messenger of hope from the gods, that gives a glimpse of the path back to the light and gives the Hero hope that he will indeed pass through the depths of hell intact and out the other side. The yellow irises in this card symbolize Iris, messenger of the gods, and the path leads to a crown, reminiscent of the King who started this whole journey off, and the earthly rewards that may await our Hero should he succeed in his task. It also symbolizes the alchemical transformation of self in the great work, whose final step is represented by gold and the sun. This guide represents our animus or anima, the other half of ourselves that resides in the subconscious, and is its best guide, able to travel through this realm without being harmed by it.
15 The Devil. Now our hero descends to the lowest point, the central room of the castle, the darkest heart of the forest. Here is hidden the treasure or princess he must liberate from bondage, guarded by a terrible beast, giant, serpent, ogre, or dragon. Here we come face to face with our inner demons and see them for what they are. In the depths, the Hero must recognize aspects of himself, or he will not be able to free the prisoner. To use a modern example, this is Yoda's dark cave, where Luke Skywalker confronts his shadow self and learns that Darth Vader is his father (which later makes him stronger, as he accepts his dark side). For a male hero of the fairy tales, the object of the quest is almost always either a maiden, or a treasure that will win him a maiden Sleeping Beauty, or the king's daughter. This is represented by the two chained lovers in the Devil card the unification of the sexes and their liberation from bondage. In a psychological sense, this represents the unification of the male and female halves of the psyche into a whole person, and reverses the process of differentiation begun in the Lovers.
16 The Tower. The Tower represents the moment when the Hero liberates the object of his or her quest, unlocks the door, frees the prisoner, and attempts to escape. However, this act is never without a price often the castle comes crumbling down around them, the earth shakes, dragons fly up and begin terrorizing the village, demons are let loose, angry djinns materialize and demand retribution. Here, with the help of our anima or animus, we are freeing ourselves from the constructs that hold us back, at the cost of our security structures. Often this involves slaying a guardian or an internalized shadow-mother or shadow-father image that has been keeping us enslaved Hansel and Gretel stuffing the witch into her oven, for example, or Jack killing the Giant. It is amazing how often wicked stepmothers meet their demise in children's fairy tales, without the slightest qualms on the part of the hero/ine!
17 The Star. The hero/ine feels joyful success, as they have gained what they came for, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is hope, and promise of a bright future. Often, an omen is seen at this point, a shooting star, or a vision of hope. Yet, our Hero still has a ways to go this journey was a long and difficult one coming, and there is a long return yet to go. The Star represents a moment of rest, and a rejuvenation before the travels that await.
18 The Moon. Having gained the object of his quest, the Hero must now return and deliver it to the King. This return voyage is often fraught with difficulties, which are all the more unexpected because it seems that the hard part should be over. However, they are still deep in the underworld, and many tales are told of the lover lost at this point due to carelessness or not following the rules of the quest. Lot's wife turns into a pillar of salt, travelers are led astray by elves in the forest, a pomegranate seed is eaten and Persephone must stay forever in the underworld. The shadow world is still a dark and dangerously inviting place, and great care must be taken to pass successfully through it and reach the light. All that has been learned until now must be remembered and faithfully followed, or all will be lost and the Hero will lose his way. There are temptations on all sides, inviting us to stay in the underworld, and we must stay true to our goal and remember to stay on the path, even when it is faint and hard to see. In many myths, one can drink from the waters of forgetfulness and lose one's memory and even one's name, which has been previously bestowed by the Hermit. Often the hero must pass over an abyss on a narrow bridge, or pass yet one more guardian (Cerberus, represented by the wolf in the Moon card) before he can emerge into the sunlight. Often the hero/ines must follow a narrow trail the thread leading out of the labyrinth or the bread crumbs in the forest to escape.
19 The Sun. At last our Hero has truly succeeded he reaches the sunlight Percival finds the Holy Grail, Dante emerges from Hell, the lost children are joyfully reunited with their father. The two lovers are together and the two aspects of the self stand side by side in the sunlight. In another version of the story, brothers are reunited that were previously separated, or even fighting one another. In older tarot decks, this theme was represented by two children playing in the sun, rather than just one.
20 Judgment. This card represents the moment when the quest is fulfilled and the kingdom is won a magic spell is lifted, the frog turns into a prince, Sleeping Beauty wakes up, and the holy grail is used to heal the king and the land. Those who are evil are revealed for what they are and banished forevermore, and those who are proven good receive the kingdom and the beautiful princess (or the handsome prince). This is an allusion to Judgment Day and the Kingdom of Heaven, but also represents our own self-judgment and healing that can come about when we are truly united and whole.
21 The World. And they lived happily ever after .
Exercise #3. Reread your favorite fairy tale, myth, or children's story, and identify as many of the archetypes and characters described above as you can. Not every fairy tale will have all of these aspects of the mythological journey, and they will not always appear in the same order.
Astrological Correspondences
Many authors have drawn astrological correspondences with the tarot cards, and this set of archetypes will round out our initial study of the Major Arcana. While there are many methods of assigning the signs and planets to the trumps, we will focus on two main systems which appear to have the most historical validity and meaning a system based on symbolism and art prevalent during the Italian renaissance and the Golden Dawn system. Which one you choose to use will depend largely on the type of deck you are using, and which system feels right to you. Since most modern decks derive from the Rider-Waite deck, we will start with the Golden Dawn system. However, if you are using a pre-Golden Dawn deck, your deck will almost certainly work better with the renaissance version. And if you are using a pagan deck or one that is based on a completely different set of cultural images (such as Chinese, Native American, or African) these systems may not work at all for you, and you will want to learn about the gods and goddesses portrayed in your deck instead.
The Golden Dawn system draws its correspondences from the 12 astrological signs and the 10 planets (in astrology, the word "planets" includes the sun and the moon) perfectly corresponding to the 22 trumps. The planets and signs were assigned to the Trumps according to a modern view of their astrological attributes, and which trumps most closely reflected those attributes, a system which, on the whole, works quite well. However, the GD insisted that the astrological signs should go in order through the trumps. This is almost certainly one of the reasons that Waite switched Justice and Strength, because Leo comes before Libra in the order. This resulted in one or two attributions that feel forced, such as the assignment of the Chariot to Cancer. In addition, it should be recognized that even in Waite's time, three of the planets had not yet been discovered. These three trumps were originally assigned to the three primary elements of Air, Water, and Fire, and were subsequently reassigned to Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. I have also added Earth, because many modern authors feel that all four elements should be included.
0 The Fool Air/Uranus
1 The Magician Mercury
2 The High Priestess Moon
3 The Empress Venus
4 The Emperor Aries
5 The Hierophant Taurus
6 The Lovers Gemini
7 The Chariot
Cancer
8 Strength - Leo
9 The Hermit Virgo
10 Wheel of Fortune Jupiter
11 Justice Libra
12 The Hanged Man Water/Neptune
13 Death Scorpio
14 Temperance Sagittarius
15 The Devil Capricorn
16 The Tower - Mars
17 The Star Aquarius
18 The Moon Pisces
19 The Sun Sun
20 Judgment Fire/Pluto
21 The World Earth/Saturn
An older system of correspondences is based on renaissance art and mythology, and more closely follows the mythological portrayals of the gods and goddesses, beasts and other symbols that are associated with these signs and planets. At that time, only seven planets were known, so not every card has a correspondence. No attention is paid to signs being in order or having one per card, since this was almost assuredly not an issue in the original development and ordering of the cards.
0 Fool None
1 Magician Hermes, or Mercury
2 High Priestess Taurus interesting since this card was originally called the Popess and was the counterpart to the Hierophant, or Pope, who is assigned to Taurus in the Golden
Dawn system
3 Empress Cancer
4 Emperor Jupiter, the ruler of the Gods
5 Hierophant or Pope Sagittarius
6 Lovers
Venus the card was originally called Love or The Lover and featured Cupid
7 Chariot Mars and Aries
8 Justice Libra
9 Hermit Saturn this card was also known as Chronos or Time
10 Wheel of Fortune Gemini
11 Strength Leo
12 Hanged Man Capricorn
13 Death none
14 Temperance Aquarius
15 The Devil Scorpio
16 The Tower none
17 The Star Virgo
18 The Moon Moon
19 The Sun Sun
20 Judgment Pisces
21 The World Gaea
Exercise #4: Decide which system of correspondences works best with your deck, and feel free to modify it until it works for you. Once you have a system you like, try the following exercise working with your astrological chart. First, take a look at your chart if you have one, and if you don't have one but are interested in doing this, go to one of the many on-line sites that make up instant charts (you must know your birthdate, exact time of birth, time zone, and location) Astrodienst is a great one. Write down the planet and astrological sign corresponding to your sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign (the first planet that appears on your chart, starting in the first house and moving counter-clockwise). Now draw the trump cards that correspond to these three signs. For example, if you have your sun sign in Aries, take the Sun and the Emperor and put them together. Do this for all three signs. Now study these cards, based on what you have learned in this lesson, and see if this gives you any insights into your basic personality. If you think of your sun sign as your main self, and your moon sign as your shadow self, what do these cards tell you about the interaction between the two? How does the rising sign modify the picture? If you are really interested in astrology, you can do this for every planet in your chart, modified by the house that each planet/sign combination is in.
Mundane Manifestations of the Trumps
Finally we come to real-life manifestations of the trumps, after exploring their spiritual, psychological, mythological, and astrological attributes. The trumps also appear as real events in our lives, and there are many things we need to know about this. First of all, we do not always experience the trumps in linear sequence. Sometimes we get them out of order, skip over some, come back to others. Sometimes we repeat a mini-cycle many times over before getting beyond it. We may be in different trumps in different parts of our lives. We may spend one area of our entire life in a single trump, while in other areas we may pass through several cards in rapid succession. It is useful to reflect on the appearance of these archetypes in our lives, so we can better understand them when they occur and can help our clients recognize how they relate to their own lives. Although there are many deep concepts associated with each trump, as Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes the Chariot is just the family car. So be prepared for the trumps to manifest not only when you are having a deep spiritual crisis, but when their imagery and concepts apply perfectly well to everyday aspects of your life.
Exercise #5: Think about your life and divide it into different areas such as work, relationships, kids, tarot reading, spirituality, other significant activities, whatever is important to you. Look over the trumps and see if you can identify which trump seems to reflect where you are at in each part of your life. What kind of energy do you see there? How long do you think you might stay in this trump? Might there be a transition coming anytime soon, and if so, where might you be going next?
Exercise #6: Think about some of the "ruts" that we all get into in our lives, where we seem to repeat the same cycles over and over. Pick one, and try to identify what series of trumps seems to reflect this repeating cycle (you don't have to put them in the same order that they appear in the deck). Based on what you have learned about these trumps and which trumps come next on the journey, what would be one possible way for a person to break out of this cycle?
