Tarot Cards
Major Arcana
the MAJOR ARCANA – SOUL/MYSTERY CARDS
The MAJOR ARCANA describes an individual’s journey from the invisible, into color, light and sound and into physical form, and the realm of duality. through initiations and tests, to fulfillment and back to the sacred formless mystery. These can also be called Soul Cards, as we are becoming aware of the Greater Powers inherent in our own True Nature. In this deck, we follow the Hero or Heroine’s Quest to the wholeness of the Grail.
The journey through the Major Arcana is a voyage that involves rediscovering personal magic, co-creating with four or five elements, and discovering the wholeness of your beautiful and unique design. Moving through the Major Arcana, you are invited to understand yourself and the powers of the Cosmos in a deeper way. It is the great inquiry.
To me the difference between a Hero and Heroine’s Journey is not about gender. The Hero’s Quest is more about an external world adventure such as riding on a horse to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, or facing the blade of the Green Knight. The Heroine’s or Priestess Quest, is more about taking an inner journey into the imagination, or through the trunk of an Oak Tree or through the reflections in a well, or a Shamanic Journey. If we look at the archetype of the Magician, he or she has probably quested in both ways. And that is why someone like Merlin is magic.
The Major Arcana – Guides, Powers & Forces
The Allies 0-VI
Tarot teaches the reality of the archetypes as powers that have animated the stories of existence since the beginning of time. These powers can appear in the form of guides or allies. Following the Major Arcana, we observe 0 Fool who steps out into the mysteries trusting the unfolding process. The next five cards act as embodiments of the five magical helpers: I Magician, II Priestess, III Green Woman (Empress), IV Green Man (Emperor), and V Hierophant, who may act as a spiritual guide. VI Lovers can be an archetypal romantic ally, or present its force as a dualistic challenge.
The Challenges VI-X
The Soul then faces the challenges of the dualistic world in the form of the VI Lovers (Choices), VII Chariot (Duality), VIII Strength (Fortitude), IX Hermit (Introspection), and X Wheel of Life (Karma).
The Virtues XI-XIV
We then encounter the ethical teachings and virtues, the moralistic teachings inherent in the Tarot. Plato first described these as the characteristics of a good human. Virtues encourage good habits. The four cardinal Christian Virtues named by Ambrose in the 4th century are Prudence (represented by II High Priestess who is in touch with Wisdom), Temperance (XIV Temperance, reminding us of the calm that comes over us when we are connected to the Angelic Realms), Fortitude (VIII Strength and the virtue of courage), Justice (XI Justice, reminding us of the consequences of our actions). The main theological virtue named by Paul the Apostle is Love, which adds a dimension to VI Lovers, and the loving light. There are three more theological virtues: Charity (V Hierophant), Faith (XII Hanged Man) and Hope (XVII Star).
The Cosmic Forces XV- XXI
The Force behind the XV Devil limits and binds; XVI Tower teaches us that illusion will be destroyed and ultimately it only is the truth that can set us free. Truth in the end is all that remains. There are also universal Forces that impact us behind the XVII Star, XVIII Moon, and XIX Sun. XX Judgement is the primary Force that keeps us from Self-Realization, and it is here that we can set ourselves and others free, generally through forgiveness. The XXI World card implies that Self-Realization is possible, although it may require a re-imagining of the self. As we find ourselves in this mytho-poetic landscape, we begin to understand the Guides, Powers and Forces that move in the external and internal worlds. Although we might begin the Quest for the Grail or True Self feeling fragmented, we realize along the journey that we are much more than we could have ever dreamed. We begin to realize we are all One.
