THE MAJOR ARCANA
The cards that compose the Major Arcana are a collection of archetypal images that symbolize the building blocks of the unconscious mind. Each card contains an archetype that speaks directly to the unconscious with clear, unvarnished clarity. When a Major Arcana card appears in a reading, it calls your attention to the inner workings of your situation. When several Major Arcana cards appear, it means you are confronting the “big stuff,” the inner workings of your unconscious life that are having direct and indirect influences on your external situation.
The Major Arcana consists of twenty-two cards. They can be read sequentially as the “hero’s journey.” The hero in this case is the Fool, numbered 0, who confronts a powerful archetype along each step of his journey. The adventure through the Major Arcana is full of high and low points. There are times when the path feels smooth, and yet there are other times when the path places the Fool in direct contact with his greatest shadows and fears.
There is always another step to take, even when your pathway appears darkest. Nothing is ever truly hopeless. The Fool journeys across the brightest landscapes and into the darkest caverns. This journey mirrors our own lives. However, the Fool’s journey always concludes with him returning to the light again. Arriving at the World, he completes one cycle and begins another.
Risking looking like a fool.
The Fool is the archetype of freedom, humor, and positive new adventures. He is the wayward hero of the tarot, the embodiment of the young adventurer just getting started on his quest. He is the only card numbered 0 in the deck. This means that he is not attached to any identity that he must prove to others. He’s not the “King of this,” or the “Knight of that.” He’s just a fool: simple, unencumbered by worry, and completely free to go where he chooses.1 The Fool’s wisdom lies in his lack of pride and ego. He never despairs if he doesn’t look competent. That’s just another box he would hate to be suffocated in. He’s not afraid if people laugh at him. He laughs at himself ! This humor gives him an inexhaustible resilience. It also carries magical healing powers for himself and others.
Are you ever afraid of looking stupid? Can you laugh at yourself as you haphazardly try to learn something new? Is there an unrealized dream you still have, but you are too scared to go for it?
The Fool knows that people who buy into maintaining an image limit themselves to a self-imposed box to suffocate in. That’s not living! The Fool is open and curious, journeying wherever he dares. The Fool can never be boxed in, kept, or defined by others. He represents the wild and rebellious part of your nature. He goes his own path. The sun is shining, and his spirits are soaring. He is wearing the ugliest pattern this side of creation. It brings him great joy to flaunt it. He loves to shock onlookers as he passes by. If he gets happiness from it, that’s all that matters. After all, it’s not like he’s hurting anyone.
The Fool has packed his travel bag, emblazoned with the symbol of an eagle. Eagles represent Spirit and higher perspective. The Fool is on a spiritual journey. This is also reinforced by the color white, which appears so prevalently on the card. White is the color of purity, innocence, and spiritual light. The Fool’s rose is white, his loyal dog is white, even the sun shining down on the Fool is white. The Fool prompts you to perceive the journey spread before you through the luminous eyes of your own Spirit.
The Fool doesn’t seem to be paying any attention to the possibility of future calamities. His head is occupied with the thrilling possibilities of the day. Could he be in danger of going over the edge of the cliff ? Possibly, but maybe that would be fun; he’s never actually died before. The Fool knows an important secret: things are never as bad as they might appear. Somehow, he always manages to get back up unscathed. The Universe has a soft spot for fools and blesses them with the craziest luck. The Fool also wears a wreath around his cap. This symbol features prominently on the final card in the Major Arcana, the World. Although we begin the Major Arcana with the Fool, the wreath implies that he will go the distance and reach his destination. The Fool already possesses the symbol for victory and completion even at the beginning. Knowing this, you realize he really isn’t in danger after all. You also have everything you need to achieve a victorious completion of your journey.
When the Fool appears, he is calling you toward a new adventure. It’s time to escape from the confines of ruts and routines. What are you afraid of plunging into? What would make your life feel lived? The Fool represents the need for taking risks. Even if others might think you are foolish for trying, it’s time to throw your hat in the ring for your dream. Take an action toward your goal and don’t overthink it. Just begin, and momentum will follow. Leap into the unknown landscape of possibility.
Release your inner Fool, for your heart’s desire awaits! Abandon the self-
consciousness that prevents you from appearing too enthusiastic in public. Release thoughts of “I really should do this,” or “What will so-and-so think?” from your consciousness. Learn to laugh at yourself and the world. Remember that after all the work and worry of crafting an image for others, you are still a primate. Let go of fears that stem from the ego and concerns about how you appear to others. Find the sunny, warm, funny, innocent, and optimistic spark that waits deep within you, and set it free! You will be much more fun to be around. When the Fool appears, approach your situation with optimism and humor.
The Fool gleefully whispers his words of wisdom to you: “Let go and cast off your fears of trying, of dying, and of looking stupid. They’re cheating you out of a full life.”
The Fool Reversed
If the Fool appears reversed, he asks you to release your fear of failing before you begin. The fear of failure is a crippling companion. It can completely halt your momentum. Errors are our best teachers. We need them to grow. When the Fool is upright, his instinct is to begin his new journey unselfconsciously. When the Fool appears reversed, he represents the need to release limiting self-consciousness, which can keep you feeling stagnant.
The Fool often appears reversed when we feel lost, confused, or like we are being pulled by an overwhelming life full of unknowns and uncertainties. What “future unknowable” feels scariest to you currently? What avoidance mechanism is holding up your success? The Fool is only a fool because of what he doesn’t know. Anyone can gain more knowledge to solve any difficulty. When you challenge yourself to learn new things that are out of your comfort zone, you build self-esteem and become empowered.
The Fool reversed can also indicate a sense of imposter syndrome. This is the fear that others will find out you don’t know everything about a position you hold or a subject you are studying and therefore you must not belong. The fear that others will discover you aren’t somehow qualified is very common, even among the most successful people.
Ask yourself what you need to learn more about to empower yourself. Challenge yourself to take a risk and learn something new. This will ultimately put you on a direct path to reaching your goals. Don’t be afraid of doing it wrong, looking stupid, or not knowing what’s ahead. You will find that the choice to act will give you great power. The Fool safely finds his way through openness and trust. Be brave and take the steps you are afraid to take.
Your thoughts are magic spells that create your reality.
Each of us is a magician, and our predominant thoughts are the magic spells that produce the life we are experiencing. All the situations you see in front of you can be changed, but first you must change where your mind is fixated. The Magician is in complete control of his environment. He represents the power of your mind’s focus, which creates the reality you are living in.
What predominant thoughts do you harbor during the day? Are your thoughts generally positive or negative? Do you feel in control of your thoughts, or do they run uncontrollably on automatic?
The Magician stands before his altar. Before him are four objects: a cup, a pentacle, a sword, and a wand. Each represents the different elements of his external environment: his emotional life, monetary life, predominant thoughts, and ambitions. The Magician has the power to move the objects on the altar any way he chooses. This symbolizes your ability to affect your external environment by choosing to focus your thoughts and intentions. The Magician’s white wand is raised high, channeling his Higher Self. He also wears a white diadem. When you are channeling your Higher Self, you can manifest marvelous things as if by magic. The garden symbols of the white lily and the red rose are also significant. The white lily shares the color of the Magician’s wand and robe (transcendent spiritual awareness). The red rose represents passion. It takes passion to manifest your loftiest goals. The red rose reminds us of the color of blood and vitality. The Magician blends the energies of his Higher Self (lily) to manifest what he is passionate about (rose) in the real world.
Your Higher Self is the part of you that feels limitless. The Magician taps into this infinite power symbolized by the infinity sign above his head and the Ouroboros serpent biting its own tail around his waist. When you invoke your limitlessness, you will you feel energized, motivated, and confident. Unfortunately, we live in a society that barrages us with images of how we don’t measure up. This affects our unconscious mind, which will run on autopilot until it is challenged. Once self-doubt takes the megaphone, your Higher Self can feel all but drowned out. If your predominant thoughts are “I’m too fat,” “I’m not good enough,” “I can’t do this,” “I don’t know how to make this work,” “Guess that’s just life,” “I’m a fraud,” “I know I won’t succeed at this anyway,” then you are tuning out the voice of your Spirit.
To reconnect with the limitlessness of your Spirit, remember a time in your life when you felt truly powerful. Recall when you stood up and did the difficult thing. Hold that courageous feeling. That person of your memory is still you. No matter what’s transpired, this is still the true essence of who you are.
When the Magician appears, you must take responsibility for where you allow your mind to dwell. It’s totally controlling your reality! Challenge negative thoughts instead of letting them run on autopilot. If your focus is on the negative, place it instead on something that makes you feel good. You can make your life so different if you just change your mind to do so.
The Magician Reversed
If the Magician appears reversed, he calls your attention to thoughts that feel out of control. The Magician teaches, “As above, so below,” meaning that your inner beliefs about yourself shape the reality you are experiencing. The reality that you see in front of you can be changed, but you must take ownership of your thoughts and beliefs about yourself. The Magician (upright or reversed) is a messenger from your Higher Self. The message is that you can change what you are experiencing by altering how you think about your current circumstances and your power over them. Are the hidden beliefs uplifting and empowering, or fearful and self-sabotaging?
Remember, your thoughts are like magic spells. They create your life experiences.
The Magician reversed encourages you to clean out your mental attic. It’s time to throw away the clutter that appears in the form of negative, self-limiting thoughts that make you feel powerless and small. You are so much more powerful than you think! If you want proof, just look back at all the challenges you have overcome without giving up.
To throw out negative thoughts, stop yourself when you are having them. Hold that thought in your mind. Does it make you feel tight, anxious, worthless, or afraid? If it does, tell that thought, “You are garbage, and I’m taking out the trash. I don’t need you anymore. You aren’t true, and I’m better than this.” Then shift your thoughts to something beautiful about yourself or your life. Acknowledge a hard-fought achievement you’ve made. Have a few thoughts handy that always make you smile to shift gears.
You are the magician of your life. Be mindful of what spells you are casting.
Trust your inner knowing.
The High Priestess is the personification of wisdom and inner knowing. If you’ve ever trusted your gut instincts, then you were trusting her. You know far more than you think you know. To access your instincts and inner wisdom, you need to push aside the veil of the endlessly chattering, “rational” mind. The High Priestess guards the realm of your deeper feelings. When you access the deepest core of your being, you will often find you already know the answer. You just might be too distracted (or too afraid) to trust it.
Do you trust yourself and your instincts? Is it hard to access your inner knowing because you are distracted by anxiety? Do you confuse fear with your feelings, causing you to not trust your instincts?
The High Priestess is the mistress of what lies beyond the veil. She is the keeper of your deepest wisdom. She challenges you to look past the thin shroud of your rationality and experience the deep sea of your inner knowing. She is crowned with the moon in its three phases: waxing, full, and waning. The High Priestess sees the big picture and knows the beginning, the middle, and the end.
The High Priestess sits between two pillars: one black, and one white. This symbolizes that life’s answers are hardly ever black or white but, like the Priestess’s position, are found somewhere in between. The pillars are decorated with the letters B and J. These are the initials for Boaz and Jachin, which were the names of the two entrance pillars to the ancient temple of King Solomon.2 Like the High Priestess, King Solomon is an archetype of wisdom. The High Priestess sits before a veil decorated with pomegranates, the fruit of the Underworld. This symbolizes her answers are found beyond the anxious fears of death and change. Peeking from beyond her veil is the vast sea of the unconscious. All the answers to your questions can be found in those primordial waters.
The High Priestess appears today to guide you back to your instincts. Instead of throwing your hands in the air and yelling, “I don’t know what to do,” go further within yourself. The Priestess knows that feelings of helplessness are just superficial exclamations of fear on the surface. She asks you to summon the courage to pull back the veil blocking your vision and access your deepest self for the answer. The answer is right there, beyond the veil of fears, and you already know what to do.
Trusting your instincts can be difficult. The what-ifs begin to emerge from your fears. “What if I’m wrong?” “What if this is just a big mistake?” “What if I don’t really belong here?” “What if I fail?” These fears are as thin and superficial as a skimpy veil attempting to block the vast sea. Your fears are not your instincts.
To know the difference between your fears and your instincts, check in with your body. Fears will make you feel tight and anxious. Instincts, on the other hand, make you feel sharp, clear, and empowered to act. Your instincts can be found in the place beyond the tightness, deeper within your core, deeper within your Spirit. Your inner wisdom is an instinct that will guide you, like an infallible compass, whenever you feel lost.
The High Priestess Reversed
If the High Priestess appears reversed, she asks you to notice any recurring signs or symbols you are receiving. The High Priestess is a teacher. She alerts you to a lesson you are learning. When the High Priestess appears, she tells you that the issues you are experiencing are deeper than they may at first appear. She is also calling your attention to the language of signs and symbols. Like an abstract painting, the High Priestess reversed asks you to examine the situation from different perspectives to understand it. There is deep wisdom to be gained from recurring signals.
The High Priestess speaks in a language of pictures, signs, and symbols. This language is not literal and cannot be understood by the rational mind alone. Trust your feelings to illuminate what the message is. There is nothing to fear when the High Priestess appears, upright or reversed. There is magic afoot. The Universe is communicating with you in serendipitous and synchronistic ways. It is encouraging you to find the answers to your questions by accessing your inner wisdom. Today, notice any unusual signals you receive. Is there a bird or an animal that finds its way onto your path? What could that animal be teaching you? Is there a color or something that catches your eye? Ask yourself what this means to you. Is there a card from your tarot deck that keeps emerging? What could it be telling you? Today, look on the grand design of the world with the wise eyes of the High Priestess. The answers will be found within, but the Universe will always provide clues in the form of recurring signs.
You are nurtured and safe and have everything that you need.
When the Empress appears, worries can no longer exist. The Empress is the ever-loving Great Mother who encourages, nurtures, and protects all her children. The Empress reassures us that we are safe and protected and have access to all the abundance we need. She lovingly holds out this truth even when you are unable to feel it, see it, or believe it.
The Empress archetype has gone by many names throughout human history. She’s appeared in every land and in every culture since the dawn of time. There have been many attempts throughout history to repress her, discredit her, or forget her completely. However, after every dark age in human history, she always reemerges with a gentle smile. The Empress appears today to tell you that there is something important in your life that needs to feel loved, nurtured, and protected to thrive. She advises you that self-love will be your strongest shield moving forward.
Are you feeling safe, reassured, and abundant right now? What part of your life needs nurturing, love, and protection currently? Are you able to access the fearless place within you where love resides?
The Empress sits in her abundant garden. She looks kindly at you as you approach her throne. She wears the sparkling Crown of Twelve Stars, signifying her status as the eternal Queen of Heaven. The crown symbolizes her ability to see the big picture, or the eternal context of every situation. The Empress also wears a second laurel-leaf crown, which corresponds to the final card in the major arcana, the World. The crowns give her the ability to see the time before, the beginning, the middle, the end, and the great beyond. Seeing situations in the context of the eternal is a great remedy for fear. The Empress reminds us we have so much more purpose in our existence than our fears would have us believe. The Crown of Twelve Stars also reminds us of the months of the year—the signs of the zodiac—and represents all things growing at their appropriate time. The crown of leaves (which we will see again on the Chariot) represents victory within the world, while the crown of stars represents the perspective of the heavens.
The robes of the Empress are covered with images of fruit, representing her power to bring prosperity and abundance to everything she nurtures. A shield in the shape of a heart lies at her feet, emblazoned with the symbol of Venus, the Goddess of love. This symbolizes that the Empress uses love to protect what she cares for. Her field of wheat signifies her ability to feed and nourish her children. She reminds us that there is more than enough for everybody. The Empress embodies comfort, love, and understanding. She is the nurturing face of Mother Nature, who gently guides you back to your Authentic Self. She patiently waits with open arms to unburden you of troubles and wipe away all tears. The Empress can always be felt in the part of your heart that transcends fear and glows with love.
The Empress makes all things grow with the power of gentle patience. This loving force is always busy at work. It can be seen in our major life events and rites of passage. The Empress is also busy in the background of our lives, making the trees blossom, the grass grow, and the generations pass on their torches. Her loving energy is present when a mother holds her baby for the first time and when an old man calls out to his mother before he is about to pass on. The Empress reminds you of the power of your highest ideals. This energy allows you to manifest whatever dream you are trying to create. When the Empress arrives, she unburdens you of worries because she places issues in the context of the big picture. The Empress reminds you that all that really matters is love. Therefore, you can believe her when she whispers, “Everything is going to be okay.”
The Empress Reversed
If the Empress appears reversed, she gently asks you to consider which area of your life is feeling neglected. The Empress represents love and nurturing, so if there is an area that feels abandoned, it is time to make it a priority. Ask yourself, “What have I been neglecting within myself ?” Your instincts will probably be shouting the answer as you’re reading this. The Empress is a comforting card, upright or reversed. When reversed, she asks you to shower a neglected part of your life with your love, care, and attention.
The Empress is the Great Mother archetype. When she appears reversed, she could be providing insight into your current situation through the lens of your own experience with your mother. Relationships with mothers are complicated, but they always reveal interesting patterns. What behaviors did your mother figure model when confronting similar situations? Sometimes this card brings healing to learned behaviors from parents. As an adult, you get to choose which parental traits you wish to exemplify, and which are not working for this situation.
The Empress reversed might also appear when there is a fear that there will not be enough of something. This could be love, money, understanding, or safety. The Empress archetype does not understand the concept of scarcity. Upright or reversed, the Empress assuages your fears and reminds you that you exist in a Universe of plenty. There are a plethora of good experiences still waiting for you out there, no matter what past issue is being healed. The Empress reminds you that love will protect and shield you. So often, just giving yourself a little more love is all that is needed to make a huge breakthrough. Therefore, the Empress carries the shield in the shape of a heart, inscribed with the symbol of Venus. This symbol represents opening your heart and allowing love to be the solution. The shield also symbolizes protecting your heart by viewing your current situation with unconditional love.
Look at your plans, projects, and priorities as your children. They need attention, consistency, love, and discipline to grow and thrive. The Empress bestows all forms of prosperity whether she appears upright or reversed. When reversed, abundance may seem a little more elusive, but it is still there. When looking for answers, this card reassures you that the solution to insecurities will not be found out in the world or from another person. The Empress will open the pathway forward when you nurture the part of yourself that’s been neglected.
Establishing strong foundations and boundaries.
The Emperor is the archetype for assertiveness and initiating a firm foundation for success. He teaches you that feeling secure can only exist when you establish strong boundaries. If you don’t stand up for yourself, you are metaphorically wearing a sign that tells others they can take control of your life and its direction. To the Emperor, this is the same as ceding his crown to a lesser king. The Emperor’s personal honor code forbids victimization. The Emperor is the personification of the voice within that urges you to speak up assertively when something feels unjust. If you continually feel resentful that others aren’t treating you with respect, it’s probably because you haven’t been letting your inner Emperor speak up.
Do you feel respected by others and that your personal boundaries are honored? Do you have trouble saying no without an apologetic excuse or a fib? Do you want to “be nice” and think that assertive people are somehow mean, selfish, and don’t care about others?
The Emperor is seated on his throne, which is decorated with rams. Rams charge forward, assertively defending their territory and mates. The Emperor wears armor under his robes. This symbolizes that he is ready for action at any time. He is not afraid to stand up and protect his realm. His beard symbolizes his wisdom gained from experience. The Emperor is never aggressive just to prove his masculinity. He acts only when his realm needs to be stabilized and protected. The mountains surrounding him are protective barriers. They are also his seat of power. From their peaks, he can survey all his realm and swiftly act to protect his personal boundaries. The Emperor wields the scepter and the orb. The scepter is a symbol for masculine energy, and the orb is a symbol for the feminine. The Emperor holds both in balance and understands that each are equally indispensable. The Emperor is relaxed and at peace with his masculinity and femininity. If you look closely, there is even a stream emerging from his mountains in the distance. The Emperor does have contact with the sensitive element of Water. This spring will flow down his mountain and feed the Empress’s waterfall far below.
The Emperor appears as a firm figure, the compliment of his soft-featured wife, the Empress. The Empress sits relaxed in her garden, dispensing love, peace, and nurturing to her children. However, the Empress’s garden can only exist because the Emperor protects its borders, giving her this safe space to do her important work. Within you, there is not only an Empress, but an Emperor as well. Both are vitally important to be a balanced human being. If one archetype is ignored, inner turmoil often results.
American society is obsessed with gender roles. It brainwashes children into believing that life is a series of “boys are this” and “girls are that.” Boys should act more aggressive and assertive; girls should be nicer and more accommodating. The truth is we all have both the Empress and the Emperor archetypes within us, regardless of what gender we are. Both archetypes must be respected for inner and external balance to occur. Too much Emperor can make you overly aggressive, combative, and belligerent. Too much Empress can make you passive, a doormat, and a victim.
Today the Emperor is calling you to be assertive. You don’t need to justify your right to be, but you do need to stand up for it. Respectfully asserting your position is very empowering if you’ve been overly passive. This card also portends the need to create structure to aid in the achievement of a goal. Take responsibility for yourself and your dreams. Stand up and protect your realm. Stop meekly saying yes when your inner Emperor is bellowing “NO!”
If you honor your inner Emperor, you will feel secure in yourself and your place in the world.
The Emperor Reversed
If the Emperor appears reversed, he may be asking you to identify what feels unstable in your realm at this time. Often this instability results from procrastination on pressing matters that require confrontation. Sometimes this card alerts you to embodying too much passive Empress energy. Confrontation can seem like an uncomfortable concept. We often would much rather avoid the conflict. In truth, avoiding and procrastinating lead to a perpetual sense of inner turmoil and anxiety that is much more difficult to exist with. Confronting issues or projects that have been avoided will revitalize and restore your sense of order, control, and self-confidence. Take responsibility for all that is under your charge. It’s time to lead, not follow. The Emperor’s role is to defend, promote, and protect all that he cares for.
When the Emperor appears reversed, he also reminds you to step into your majesty. Stop fooling yourself into thinking you can’t do this. Instead of avoiding that which needs to be reinforced, dive in and change it. Take charge and create the stability you wish to see. Face the issues confronting you and act. The Emperor is the archetype of pro-activity. Meet your deadlines and take charge of your life. Confront your finances, take care of that cavity, dust off your to-do list. The Emperor exemplifies not only control of his empire, but self-control as well. Your self-esteem will skyrocket when you summon the courage to do what is right.
Revealing the Sacred Mystery.
The Hierophant archetype symbolizes seeking the Sacred. Every culture since the dawn of human history has had a concept of (and instinct toward) spiritual awareness. Some names for this awareness are God, the Universe, the Gods, Higher Power, Spirit, the Goddess, Nature, Angels, the Higher Self, the Great Mystery … the name is different depending on whom you talk to. Nobody’s really right or wrong because no one can perceive the complete scope of this infinite thing. Each of us is part of a divine collective, describing the same “Holiness” from different vantage points. What is sacred to one may hold no meaning for another. However, the part of our psyche that prays and wishes is universal. Spirit transcends cultural identity and imperfect human perceptions of religion.
Even most atheists concede that humans evolved with a biological component in the brain that developed into an instinct toward spiritual belief. Whatever your personal beliefs are, the Hierophant symbolizes one important thing: we humans have an instinct to commune with an awareness bigger than ourselves.
Does religious baggage prevent you from connecting with the Divine? Are you skeptical that a Goddess/God/Awareness/Spirit even exists? When was the last time you prayed for something and felt truly heard?
The two monks pictured on the card are seeking wisdom from His Holiness the Hierophant. One wears a robe of roses, while the other wears a robe of lilies. The Monk of Roses represents your heart. The Monk of Lilies represents your soul. The Hierophant knows how to reconcile the needs of your heart and soul to overcome your worldly troubles. The Hierophant raises his hand in a gesture of blessing. He is the guardian of rites of passage that you choose.
The Hierophant archetype is the awareness within that knows your whole story. This awareness reflects the radiant divinity within you. He balances the concerns of the earth with those of the heavens. This Holy Awareness exists deep in your Spirit and patiently waits for you to ask for what you need. The Spirit that inspires the Hierophant can find the quickest path to transcend whatever challenge you are experiencing. The Hierophant’s unwavering faith can make him appear stubbornly fixated on his own beliefs. Try to embody the tenacity and faith of the Hierophant without becoming dogmatic.
In ancient Greek language, the hierophantes is the one who teaches the rites of sacrifice, traditions, and worship.3 For miracles to take place, a personal sacrifice of some sort is usually required. The Hierophant unlocks the gateway toward answers. He can tell you the “why” behind what you are experiencing. He will also reveal what you need to sacrifice in order to pass through this gateway. The keys at the Hierophant’s feet represent the need to unlock the sacred place within. Reaching out to the sacredness within can assist in releasing burdens that feel bigger than you. If your prayers are true, they are always heard. You may not get what you expect, but you will receive a sign pointing the way forward.
What has been feeling so heavy, so unsolvable, and so hopeless? You’re being heard right now. The Hierophant encourages you to ask for whatever your heart and soul need. If you are willing, he will safely guide you through this spiritual rite of passage.
The Hierophant Reversed
If the Hierophant appears reversed, he warns against inflexibility. Many people turn away from cultivating their spirituality because of the inflexible examples of dogma in religions and religious leaders. When the Hierophant appears reversed, he asks if there are beliefs in your own life that are keeping you in a state of rigidity.
Where might you need to bend more? Are your assumptions calcifying a once open mind? Is there an inflexible person who is irritating you right now, reflecting a part of yourself that is also intransigent?
Try to approach your current situation with open-mindedness. Sometimes the Hierophant reversed represents an inflexible situation that you must find your way around. When two inflexible and immovable objects are about to collide, it often leads to suffering. Be the bigger person by embracing the part within you that can transcend needing to be right. Allow yourself to ask for help when needed. The Hierophant is the messenger of the Great Mystery. Perhaps all that is needed is more time for meditation and reflection. Take a time-out from controlling behaviors. Allow all answers to reveal themselves to you on your path. Look on this situation with the same magnanimity as your better angels.
The formula for unconditional love, inner peace, and balance.
The Lovers represent love in all its forms. This includes relationships with lovers, friends, family, and, most importantly, yourself. The Lovers symbolize inner balance and peace. They represent the different aspects of you that must be brought into harmony in order to regain perspective. The Lovers card also represents choices. They remind us that we can heal any situation and free ourselves from suffering by viewing the matter through the eyes of authentic love.
Do you have difficulty truly loving yourself ? Are you able to open your heart and be completely honest about who you are and what you feel? Are you able to look at your place in life right now with acceptance and inner peace?
The Lovers are brought together in a state of harmony under the acceptant gaze of the Angel. They are naked and feel no shame for it. They don’t need to cover up or put on a front to impress each other. A mountain separates the Lovers, creating a barrier. However, the Angel transcends all barriers and allows the Lovers to relate to one another, no matter what obstacles are present. The male gazes at the female. She in turn gazes up through the fog at the Angel. When these different aspects of yourself are brought into balance, you can then experience the most fulfilling relationships with others.
The male represents your worldly, conscious self.4 Behind him is the Tree of Life.5 This fiery tree is a symbol for vitality and external awareness. He is the part of you that operates in the real world. The male part of the self wants to mentally figure everything out with a rational explanation. He fears the unknown and yet is strangely attracted to the mysteries embodied by the female on the card. Status, strength, and reason matter to him. However, by himself, he is incomplete. He needs to connect with something much deeper than what he finds in the world. He sees this in the female. He gazes at her beauty and is mesmerized by her. She is the part he is missing. She is very precious to him and reminds him of what really matters in life. The male looks to the female for clues on what kind of person he should present himself as in the world. If the female is wounded, it alters his perception of his value.
The female represents the psyche, your unconscious awareness, and your capacity to feel.6 Behind her is the Tree of Knowledge.7 The snake of transformation and wisdom coils around its trunk. The snake represents the transformation that occurs when you tap into your inner wisdom. The woman takes what happens externally and creates change by incorporating these experiences into her inner knowledge. She is sensitive and kind. She loves beauty and comfort. She feels compassion and wants all things to go smoothly. And yet, on her own, she is incomplete. She has the tendency to avoid conflict at all costs. Without conflict, there is no growth. She needs the male on the card to bring balance, healing, protection, and growth. She also feels too much sometimes. This makes her forget that there is a wider world outside of her feelings. In order to heal the wounds in her sensitive heart and find peace, she must look to the Angel.
The Angel represents your Higher Self: your superconsciousness.8 He looks down on the different parts of the self with compassion, acceptance, and perspective. He bathes the male and female aspects with an unconditional, loving light. There is no judgement in the Angel’s face—only love and acceptance. He does not judge them for how they look, what they do, how much they have, or what may have happened in the past. The Lovers are below a misty cloud. This represents that it is not always easy for the different aspects of the self to see things from a spiritual perspective.
The gazing figures on the Lovers card show a formula for inner peace. The external worldly self (male) must know his real feelings (female) to find peace and harmony. He must make peace with his feelings by being honest about them. The nakedness of the figures means baring it all, releasing feelings of inhibition that keep you covering things up to maintain an image. But stopping at the realm of feelings isn’t looking deep enough. To heal the wounds that all people eventually acquire, one must go even deeper within for harmony. This is the realm of the Spirit (Angel). Only the Angel can see things from a vantage point of complete perspective. No mist covers the Angel’s eyes. Only the Inner Spirit can truly validate the self. When you look on the naked truth of who you are with the eyes of the Angel, there is nothing but love.
We fall out of harmony by attaching ourselves to only one aspect of our lives and losing the perspective of the Angel. By ruminating with emotions too much, we lose sight of the world’s unlimited opportunities. Concern for status or how we appear to others can bring an equal measure of suffering. The only way to free yourself from suffering is to love yourself enough to go within and seek your light. Seek your Higher Self. Look on yourself with wise, radiant, luminous eyes. The Angel resides deeper within, beyond the pain.
When the Lovers appear, it’s time to love yourself. You may have to dig deep within to find love, but it’s there, patiently waiting. Reflect on yourself through the eyes of your Inner Angel. Then look at other people in the world with those same eyes. This perspective will reveal a lot to you. Instead of feeling wounded by the actions of incomplete people caught in their own suffering, you can see how they have unfortunately forgot to be their own better angel that day. Just like you occasionally do. Look on yourself and others with the love of your Inner Spirit. This frees you from all suffering and will restore harmony every time.
The Lovers Reversed
If the Lovers appear reversed, it is time to restore harmony and tend your relationships (romantic, professional, and familial). This card represents healing the connections you share with others. It also reveals that the things that are driving you crazy about someone else may be highlighting an imbalance or disconnected part within yourself. Notice the three figures on the Lovers card. They are all aspects of you. They all need to communicate with one another. If they are not in harmony, imbalance occurs. This disharmony will most likely surface in your relationships with others. It may be simpler to think that they have the problem; however, the Lovers reversed ask you to reflect on your own part to play in the drama.
This card asks you to look at where disharmony may be occurring between you and another. Instead of getting angry at this individual, ask, “What is this relationship challenge teaching me about myself ? How am I putting myself in a state of suffering?”
Challenging people and situations are teachers. Frustrating people get on our nerves because they highlight what we have difficulty accepting or facing within ourselves. People who annoy us can illuminate our shadow. Everyone has a shadow. It is the amorphous thing within us all that we have a hard time loving or accepting.
The Lovers hold the secret to solving all internal imbalance and external drama: love. Love begins with acceptance. You cannot heal your own heart if you are busy blaming another (past or present) for your imbalance. Being miserable because of what someone else did in the past is a choice. You don’t have control over the past, but you do have control over presently creating harmony within your own heart. Once you decide to love and let go of the source of internal imbalance, you will begin to see even the most irritating people in a new light. They are teachers for you, too. What are you learning about yourself through others?
When the Lovers appear reversed, it is time to fall in love with your life again and to let go of anything that is prolonging a sense of suffering. What part of yourself used to give you the greatest joy, making you feel empowered, full of possibility, and awake? Don’t romanticize the past, but do look at the truth it holds. When the Lovers appear reversed, they signify that the shortest route toward inner peace will be engaging with the neglected parts of your heart, talents, and abilities.
Heal your relationships by understanding yourself first.
When you choose courage over fear, you’ve already won.
The Chariot symbolizes courage in the face of uncertainty. It represents taking risks and stepping toward what you really want out of life, even when there are no guarantees. The Chariot illustrates that victory does not come from the attainment of a goal, but instead occurs at the exact moment you choose courage instead of fear.
Do you avoid making decisions that could lead to your happiness because you are afraid of failing? Have you ever stayed in unhealthy situations longer than you should have because you feared an unknowable future? Is there something you would like to change about your life right now, but you are too scared?
The Chariot is led by two sphinxes, one black and one white. They face in opposite directions, representing two possible futures. The sphinxes are creatures of riddles and mysteries and represent the unknown. The man in the chariot is taking a risk and letting the mysterious sphinxes lead him. He doesn’t know what lies ahead, but he has taken the risk anyway. The sphinxes both hold their tails. They reveal that accessing the wisdom that is behind you will give you the courage to face the unknowable future.
In the background of the card, there is a large castle surrounded by stable walls. This represents leaving the safety of the home to go out into the world. A large moat surrounds the castle and has also been crossed. This represents bypassing emotional decision-making, which usually favors comfort over self- improvement. The Chariot is covered by a veil imprinted with stars. Stars are eternal and ancient. They symbolize that the charioteer is seeing the big picture. His Higher Self is directing his path.
Look at the Charioteer’s armor. The mantle covering his shoulders is decorated with two moons. This symbolizes that trusting his instincts is his best defense while he is out in the world. The two moons could also indicate that the success you seek could manifest in about two months.
The charioteer is still advancing toward his goal, and yet he is already double- crowned (like the Empress) and sceptered. He has already won. He made the decision to have courage—instead of a need for comfort, assurance, and security—
direct his path.
The Charioteer advises you to take risks to improve your life, even if there are no guarantees. Choosing courage empowers you and already makes you a winner.
The Chariot Reversed
If the Chariot appears reversed, it warns of indecision, which can rob you of feeling in control of your life’s direction. This card will often accompany a feeling that you are being pulled in two opposite directions. Fear of committing to a choice can lead to a sense of being stuck. Avoidance of taking ownership of your life’s direction and making a choice will only make things feel more out of control. The Chariot driver reminds you that you are in the driver’s seat of your life. You get to choose whether to respond assertively or reactively to the situation confronting you. Once you make the choice you have been avoiding, you can reclaim your self-confidence and self-esteem.
The only wrong decision for you currently is making no decision at all. Be bold and proactive. Take charge. Even when this card is reversed, it reminds you that you still embody the powerful qualities of the brave charioteer. The Great Mystery symbolized by the sphinxes will lead you to safety every time. You can still be victorious, but only if you have a horse in the race. There is no need to fear mistakes. Even if mistakes happen along the way, they will prove to be your best teachers. Success comes from action, not avoidance. Reclaim your personal power and make the decision you’ve been too scared to make!
You are stronger than the challenge before you.
The Strength card is a symbol of inner fortitude, which helps us prevail in the face of life’s challenges. Strength is something that needs to be reinforced every day. Just as muscles need to be continuously used to maintain their power, so too does inner strength need to be habitually exercised. Every time you act in your own best interest despite your fears and inner weaknesses, you are developing strength. Strength is a choice. You can either buckle to what keeps you stuck and afraid, or you can choose excellence.
At what time in your life did you feel you were strongest? Do you sometimes forget you are that same person? Do you need to get back on track by standing up to inner weaknesses that have been keeping you stuck and afraid?
The woman on this card does not sport bulging muscles, but she is the epitome of inner strength and confidence. The lion on the card represents her lower impulses, such as fear, anger, bad habits, belligerence, and other out-of-control behaviors. She confronts her lion by gently closing its mouth, thereby not allowing it to consume her. She loves the lion and it loves her, too. You can see the lion licking her affectionately. Your Higher Self appreciates when you focus your passions constructively. The infinity symbol above the woman’s head shows that she is eternally confronting the lion. Her strength is part of her now. It has been habitually reinforced by confronting and overcoming weakness every day. The lion’s tail is between his legs, symbolizing submission to the part of you that knows best.
Strength is not manifested by large displays of power, but by gentle, compassionate, self-directed corrections in the form of good decisions. Strength is also not just used once and then you’re done! It is a daily routine that becomes much easier with practice and time. It’s also important not to make self-corrections because of how guilty you feel. Inwardly directed corrections should come from a place of self-love and compassion, or they won’t work (later the lion will rebel and revert if it has guilt or shame to latch on to).
You are more powerful than you may give yourself credit for. Human beings get stuck in ruts, and sometimes it feels that we can’t change something because we’ve been acting that way for so long that it is just part of who we are. If a certain behavior has been running amok like a wild lion and you feel it can’t be self-controlled, think again. Every day you have the power to be excellent. You have the choice to direct your own life or leave it to the shadows. Being strong in the face of your inner beast can feel difficult at first, but with continued positive action, the lion is always tamed.
Commit to three choices you can make today to rein in the beast. This will affirm your strength.
Strength Reversed
If the Strength card appears reversed, it usually comes at a time when you are starting to doubt your courage, personal power, and abilities. Don’t let this happen! A good way to remind yourself of your strength is to keep a courage journal. This invaluable little book is where you will record your victories, great and small, each time you faced your fear and prevailed. Every time you meet a challenge you are afraid of and persevere, write it in the courage journal. Every time you make a huge life achievement, write it in the courage journal. This special little book can be taken off the shelf anytime you are facing a frightening challenge. It will immediately remind you of your personal power.
The courage journal is written proof that you can accomplish what you once thought impossible. It will be a repository of hard evidence, proving that you can handle the issue confronting you. To begin your journal, start with the five most pivotal turning points in your life where you kept going, even when you thought you couldn’t. That is where your courage and character are found. Write about who you were before the event and who you became after. Remember that you have come so far and can go even farther. Add pages to your courage journal each time you choose bravery instead of fear. In time, you will see written proof of your excellence. Your record book of strength will be there to pull off the shelf anytime you need it.
Strength reversed can also indicate that you are being too hard on yourself in the quest for self-improvement. The woman on the card is making gentle self-corrections. She isn’t beating the lion up. Today, be kinder to yourself when taming the unruly parts of your experience. It is important that you aren’t just courageous, but that you are also respecting who you are and what makes you strong.
Seeking answers within.
The Hermit symbolizes that the answers you seek to any problem can always be found if you look within. If you make time to center, feel your real feelings, and quiet mental chatter, your inner wisdom will guide you out of any rut. Sometimes the biggest block to hearing your Spirit’s inner wisdom is the fear of feeling something uncomfortable. Many people distract themselves from the discomfort and avoid resolving the imbalance. The Hermit represents the need to periodically withdraw from the world and reconnect with your deeper awareness.
Do you take time to regularly reconnect with the wisdom residing within your center? Do you habitually distract or numb yourself from what is causing your discomfort rather than looking at it? Are you conscious of the Wise One who resides within?
The Hermit takes his lantern into the dark, uncomfortable places to examine what’s there. His staff and beard symbolize the stability and wisdom that you can always find within. If you examine the card, you’ll notice he’s traveling over snow. This symbolizes feelings that you have “put on ice.” The snow can also represent freezing or numbing pain. The gentle Hermit comes with his warm, illuminating lantern and his sturdy staff of wisdom. These can melt the cold ice that metaphorically forms around the heart, allowing feelings to be resolved and released. Under his gentle guidance, he can show you the hidden lesson beneath the ice. Does your heart feel like it’s keeping something frozen? Can you feel the feelings within your heart, or does it feel numb?
The fear of discomfort is just a mask, preventing you from accessing your deeper wisdom. One error many people make with the lesson of the Hermit is mistaking “wisdom” with “thinking.” “If I just sit here alone and think about this uncomfortable thing for a long time, I will figure it out.” Thinking about problems just leaves the anxiety in the background to go unchecked as your mind frantically races from one hollow solution to another. Thinking about the discomfort doesn’t really resolve it. Feeling it does. Many times, people are so scared of feeling that they pull out their phone, have a drink, or binge-watch television, thinking, “That will get that inner chatter to shut up for a while!”
Avoidance freezes the feeling for a time, but the unfelt feelings remain under the ice and grow in strength until they finally burst through. This process takes longer for some people than others, but it always ends the same … with a twitch, a feeling of being hollow, or a nervous breakdown.
If you are courageous enough to go within, seek your discomfort, pull the mask back, and feel the feelings you are avoiding, you will discover that this discomfort is a wise teacher and friend. The deeper awareness residing beneath the fear will calmly tell you what you need. This is your inner Wise One. The inner Wise One will show you how to resolve and release what is troubling you.
Today, reflect on what is going on within you. Is there something making you anxious? Are you dulled, numb, or frozen? Take time to connect with the sacred hermit within. He will safely guide you to what lies beneath the ice. There is nothing to fear with the Hermit guiding you. Take the time to light a sacred candle in a quiet place. Be brave and melt any ice that may have formed around your feelings. Pull back surface fears. Look beneath the ice. Examine what the Hermit is guiding you to understand. Another card drawn may illuminate the issue that needs healing. You will know that you have found the answer when you say, “Aha! That’s what I needed to resolve within myself.”
The Hermit is an old man walking through snow. This symbolizes slow movement. Take your time to find your way. The lamp of your inner Hermit will guide you out of darkness every time.
The Hermit Reversed
If the Hermit appears reversed, it indicates that it is time to reemerge from your inner landscape and share yourself with the outside world again. After a period of introspection and self-work, you have gained new insights and wisdom. Now the demands of the external world may be calling you back. Duties will multiply, and events may pick up speed. The Hermit is the “way-shower” from within. Don’t be surprised if you become a way-shower to others now that you have made your own journey. It is time to engage with the world around you and share your unique wisdom and experiences.
The Hermit reversed also indicates that you may possess something important that can contribute to the world around you. However, you cannot share it if you are hiding. It is so important that you don’t hide, avoid, or become shy about what you offer. The Hermit represents the authentic place within you. Have the courage to reveal your Authentic Self to others. Your challenges and introspective journey have given you valuable wisdom. Reconnect with the world and share that wisdom with others. When the Hermit appears reversed, he reminds you that you are not alone. It is time to seek the company of others who have also done the inner work to know their Authentic Selves. Sometimes this card simply means that you are not as isolated as you think. New friendships, partnerships, and connections will appear. A breakthrough will happen if you are open and reconnect with others at this time.
Making peace with life’s unpredictability.
The Wheel of Fortune symbolizes unpredictable events, both fortunate and unfortunate. These are the events that occur with seeming randomness. They leave you feeling as if you have no control over them. The figures on the turning wheel illustrate that life moves in cycles; during some periods you feel on top of the world (like the sphinx), and during others you feel down and out (like the descending snake and Anubis, the God of the Egyptian Underworld). Chaotic and unplanned things do occur in life. The rim of the wheel represents the external world with all its chaotic unpredictability. The center of the wheel represents your center: the seat of your best self. If you can find your way home to your center, then the random things that occur in the world outside of your control will not feel as disturbing.9
Are you stuck at the rim of the wheel, rising or falling with each unexpected event in your life? Can you take unexpected events in stride, or are you rigid and inflexible? Do you panic when something doesn’t go exactly according to plan?
The Wheel of Fortune floats amid the clouds, the domain of the element of Air. The sphinx, symbolizing all that is mysterious and unknowable, is seated on top of the wheel wielding a sword. The sword and the cloud imagery represent the element of Air and symbolize the powers of the mind to find the patterns in seemingly random occurrences. We do this every time we chaotically shuffle tarot cards and identify the patterns laid out in front of us. The mind organizes data through patterns. Amid the Hebrew letters around the wheel are four English letters: T-A-R-O. If read clockwise, starting and ending at the top of the wheel, they spell TAROT. If you begin reading the letters at the bottom of the wheel clockwise, they spell ROTA (Latin for “wheel”). The Wheel of Fortune can reveal patterns in seemingly random occurrences.
In her book Following Your Path, Alexandra Collins Dickerman perceived the rim of the Wheel of Fortune as a metaphor for the changeable external world.10 If you wrap up your whole identity and self-worth with what everybody out there thinks at the rim of the wheel, then you will be doomed to emotionally rise and fall with each acceptance or rejection you receive. However, if you can reconnect with your center (symbolized by the hub of the wheel), you can remain centered without taking the chaotic ups and downs of life personally. When you operate from your center, life no longer feels random, and you can control the direction of the wheel of your life.11
When the Wheel of Fortune appears, it is time to get off the emotional roller coaster and detach from external dramas. Staying fixed at the edge of the wheel can get emotionally exhausting rather quickly. The truth is we don’t have complete control of every life event that occurs. Sometimes bad or unfair things just happen. Other people have free will and can also act unpredictably. Good things can happen to awful people, and terrible things can happen to good people. Some people win the lottery without having done anything to deserve it. Others get hurt through no fault of their own. In life, events rarely go exactly according to plan. These occurrences are outside of our control. However, you do have the ability to control how you respond to life. You can choose to let either your wise Spirit handle the situation, or your fear.
The Wheel of Fortune appears when it’s time to take unexpected things in stride. Good or bad. Fair or unfair. Don’t take random events in life personally. All you have control over is you and your chosen response. Choose to respond with excellence. Reclaim your connection with your wise center. Sit peacefully within the eye of the storm. View your current situation with the higher awareness that resides within you. If you are centered, you will operate from a place of great personal power. The Wheel of Fortune foretells good luck for those who find their way back to their center.
The Wheel of Fortune Reversed
If the Wheel of Fortune appears reversed, it illuminates repetitive cycles, patterns, and recurring life lessons. Just as a wheel that moves in reverse brings a vehicle backward, so too the Wheel of Fortune reversed can take you back to an old life lesson that seems to be repeating itself over and over. Getting frustrated at the repeated lesson is fruitless. The lesson is recurring because it holds the key to moving forward. Once you accept the lesson and do the work on self-improvement, the wheel will begin to move forward once again. Surrounding cards may illuminate what this life lesson is rooted in. Human lives are governed by cycles. Sometimes you are up, and sometimes you are down. The key is to not link your whole identity with the place on the wheel where you find yourself at this moment.
It can feel frustrating when you eagerly wish to move forward only to find that you seemingly keep moving backward. However, success is hardly ever arrived at in a straight line. The journey toward success bends and curves and spirals. Like a spiral, it sometimes loops back over itself. Sometimes you will feel like you are back where you started with no progress being made, but this is an illusion. Wisdom is accumulated with each cycle. Each time you revisit a challenge, you know it more intimately and can see dimensions that were not apparent before.
The wheel is more than just its outer rim (a symbol for the external world); its source of strength is its center, the hub (a symbol for the divine center within you). Don’t get angry at recurring cycles, for there is an important pattern revealed in them. The Universe is always showing you ways to move forward through patterns. Sometimes you do need to go back and pick up an important part of your center that was left behind.
Don’t allow your feelings to be hurt by the ever-turning Wheel of Fortune—whether it is upright or reversed or if you find yourself rising or falling. Ask yourself what the Universe is teaching you through the cyclical patterns you are experiencing. Are you learning about your true worth? Perhaps you are remembering how to reclaim your courage. Often, revisiting the place where you are stalled to reclaim the part of you that seems lost is just the remedy needed to begin progressing forward again.
Honesty.
Justice is the archetype of honesty, which is essential for restoring balance and harmony. Lady Justice grasps her mighty Sword of Truth. Her goal is to restore order and equilibrium, symbolized by the golden scales she holds in her left hand. The Justice figure in the tarot is not blindfolded. She sees the situations confronting her clearly. The sword she wields represents that assertive action is needed to cut away the source of our imbalance. Imbalance often occurs when we aren’t being 100 percent honest with ourselves. Lady Justice restores balance and clarity through facts.
Does your life feel balanced right now? What do you need more or less of ? Do you need to speak your truth to yourself or to another, even if the thought of it makes you uncomfortable?
Justice personifies that little voice within us that is observing the truth of any given situation, no matter how inconvenient that truth might be. The figure of Justice is flanked by two gray pillars. The color gray is associated with neutrality. Whenever Justice appears, it is helpful to look at all the facts in an unbiased, neutral manner. To be neutral requires that you not let your emotions and expectations distort the facts. Wanting to believe something is true even when the facts prove otherwise will place you on a collision course with reality. If you look closely, you’ll see that Lady Justice has a square clasp at her neck and a square jewel in her crown. Squares are associated with honesty and strong foundations. We’ve all heard the expression “fair and square.” In astrology, squares aren’t considered easy aspects, but they are considered responsible for the development of character and strength. The squares decorating Lady Justice symbolize that truth may not always be easy to confront initially. However, if you choose to proceed with integrity and honesty, you will find yourself on a stable pathway toward happiness, harmony, and success. Secrets and buried truths have the potential to create feelings of guilt or shame. Justice asks you to face the hidden things so that they can be released.
Lady Justice reminds you to be clear with yourself and others to restore harmony. Be warned, however: honesty may require you to add the word “N-N-N-N-N-N-No!” to your vocabulary. Justice advises you to approach the source of your imbalance dispassionately. The scales of justice symbolize the need to weigh all the facts before deciding how best to act.
If you’ve already been doing the work of facing your life honestly, Lady Justice arrives to declare, “Good for you! Isn’t the sensation of balance derived from honesty wonderful?” It takes courage to be honest with yourself. This is especially true if you are attached to a certain outcome. Other cards that appear around Justice can highlight which areas of your life require honesty at this time.
Justice Reversed
When Justice appears reversed, she symbolizes periods when your life feels lopsided. This sense of imbalance occurs when we are so focused on one part of our lives that we neglect other important aspects. Perhaps it’s time to step out of your routine to gain some clarity and perspective. Which area of your life is demanding too much of your energy? What part of yourself could you invest in to remedy this?
Justice reversed can also appear in the guise of situations that seem unfair or unjust. You may be tempted to blame someone or something for a sense of imbalance, but, ultimately, you are the one who is responsible for restoring order in your life. Not everything in life is fair. Sometimes you must make the best of what you are presented with and proceed with excellence regardless. The situation may not seem fair, but a larger universal order and balance are always working behind the scenes. This concept is known as the Law of Karma. Perhaps you need to detach from a desire to teach someone a lesson. Step out of the drama and let Karma take care of it. If the source of the injustice originates from another person, they’ll reap what they sow eventually. Sometimes a seemingly unfair situation will illuminate how you are being unfair to yourself. Are you tolerating something that violates your personal honor code? Upright or reversed, Lady Justice supports you in taking a clear-eyed look at the facts to restore your personal power.
Sacrificing for the greater good.
The Hanged Man represents making a temporary sacrifice to achieve a greater goal. This could mean sacrificing time, energy, comfort, resources, old habits, or an outdated attitude. For success to be achieved, a sacrifice is often required. By pooling your best energies and resources into your goal, you will ensure that it manifests.
What changes would you like to see in your life? Do you have a goal that requires a lot of work? Is making a sacrifice scary for you because it means that everything will change?
The Hanged Man is suspended from the branches of the Tree of Wisdom. He is seeking to improve himself. By hanging upside down, he is gaining a new perspective, and he looks at the world from a different vantage point. All the blood rushes to his head. All his energy is being pooled into his mind. He is temporarily sacrificing the use of his legs and arms. This represents sacrificing the desire to walk away. The Hanged Man is suspending his normal routines to focus his energy. His face is calm. Although he is not comfortable, he is not suffering. He knows that sacrificing his usual stance of keeping his feet firmly on the ground will free his mind to new solutions. The Hanged Man is looking ahead. The position of one leg crossed behind the other mirrors the final card in the Major Arcana, the World. The World represents completion and attainment. The Hanged Man symbolizes temporarily enduring discomfort to ensure the achievement of your greatest goals.
If you want to achieve anything of lasting value in this life, you will need to make sacrifices. The currency of the Universe is exchange. What you put in, you will get out. It is comforting to know that if you make the sacrifices and do the work, you can alter the course of your destiny. Any goal you have can be achieved, but it does require that something must be given up. At first, sacrifice may feel like you are losing something. This is an illusion. Investing time and energy into what empowers you can release you from habits and attitudes that have been keeping you stuck.
For example, if you want to lose weight, you may have to sacrifice eating after 8 p.m. and cut your calorie intake. To get a wonderful new job, you may have to sacrifice some of your leisure time to look for a job and meet with the people who can open doors for you. To foster a talent, you may have to sacrifice a lot of time to refine your skills.
The appearance of the Hanged Man is often a good sign. He represents looking at your life through the lens of transcendent wisdom. Viewing your experience from a different point of view leads to breakthroughs that will lead to a glorious new you. You can achieve your goal if you are willing to be courageous and make the proper sacrifice.
To free yourself from dissatisfaction, you may have to sacrifice your routines, habits, and the status quo, just like the wise Hanged Man.
The Hanged Man Reversed
If the Hanged Man appears reversed, he is back on his feet again! After spending considerable time suspended upside down from the Tree of Wisdom, he is now ready to walk out into the world with valuable new insights. He has made tremendous sacrifices and has surrendered his ego’s assumptions of how life should unfold. He has given himself over to the greater wisdom of the tree he spent so many years suspended from.
When this card appears reversed, it is as if all that felt upside down is turning right-side up again. You may also feel more grounded and surer of your path. You have been suspended from your own metaphorical Tree of Wisdom, and now it is time to engage with life using the wisdom you’ve gained. All your sacrifices up until now have been indeed worth it. This is because you are perceiving your experiences within a wider context. Be proud of the things you have achieved and sacrificed for. When you look on the world with the wisdom you’ve earned through your many sacrifices, it no longer appears upside down.
Accepting inevitable change.
The Death card is the tarot’s most notorious symbol for change and transformation. Many people are afraid to sit at a tarot reader’s table because the dreaded Death card might show up! We’ve all seen the movies in which the dark and mysterious fortune-teller turns over the Death card to foretell someone’s ghastly end. In actuality, the Death card is an invaluable card to get in a reading. It indicates that you are undergoing vitally important changes, for your own good. Although not always welcome and sometimes shocking to experience, the changes before you are the next step in your personal evolution. Although Death outwardly appears frightening, he is always accompanied by rebirth. Like the legendary phoenix, you too will rise from the ashes to live a joyful new life, revitalized and renewed.
Do you struggle with accepting change? Does the fear of death keep you from living your life? What old, unneeded part of yourself are you resistant to letting go of, even though you know releasing that part would set you free?
Death appears astride his white horse, heralding an end to old ways. His steed marches over kings and commoners alike. No one is immune from his power. All must change. Everything that lives must die. Death’s banner is a white rose on a black background. This is a stark symbol of a truth that is black and white. Light and life (the white flower) always emerges after darkness and death (the black background). Although his skeletal face looks scary, Death is not a monster. Nobody wants to see Death, even though he has the thankless job of kindly ending suffering. Death cannot be bargained with and eventually visits us all. The king under the horse found that out. No amount of money could put off this day for him. The adolescent girl in the card averts her gaze, unable to look Death in the face. The priest has been preparing for Death his whole life, and yet even he kneels uneasily. The priest reminds us of the fixed quality of the Hierophant card. Death shows us that change is coming, whether our own fixed beliefs allow for this eventuality or not.
Only the fearless little child in the foreground holds a flower up to Death. Children don’t get scared of change the way adults do. Children don’t fear Death because they don’t understand a fear of the realm beyond. It’s a land filled with infinite light where they were just residing not too long ago. What’s so scary about a realm of infinite peace, release, joy, and laughter?
Look closely at the background of the Death card, past the river, way up in the distance where the two towers form a gate. A realm of light lies beyond, represented as either a rising or setting sun. Whether the sun is rising or setting is unimportant, for as the sun is setting here, it is simultaneously rising there.12 Could that be a shining city illuminated in the sun’s radiance?13
Overcoming your fear of change is the requirement of this card. I find it fascinating that the card we associate with change in the tarot is also the card that elicits a twinge of fear whenever many of us see it. This illustrates that change, no matter how positive the promised outcome, is still scary. And yet change is inevitable. Much like the boat in the distance crossing the river Styx, you need to cross over into the next phase of your life. In nature, that which cannot change and adapt becomes extinct.
The changes occurring for you are leading you to new life. Other cards that surround the Death card will indicate what part of your life is undergoing change at this time. Have courage and let go of all that you no longer need. The light of rebirth awaits you.
Death Reversed
If the Death card appears reversed, it asks you what changes you are resisting. Often the answer can be found in what you are avoiding. It’s time to challenge any form of denial. You know what needs changing. You know what needs your courage right now. The question is if you are going to approach your personal transformation with passive or assertive energy. Passive energy is going to make you dread change. You will say to yourself, “Why is this happening to me?”
When you approach difficult changes and life challenges with courage, then you have some control over your response to the situation. Facing fears gives you great power over them. You no longer find yourself running and hiding from reality. Death reversed brings you in touch with the very things you’ve been avoiding. This is where you will find the next steps toward your personal evolution.
Death reversed asks you to step out of the shadow and back into the light. Confront and let go of all that no longer serves you. What has been keeping you stuck and in a state of fear or immobility? This card is very healing for clearing out energy blockages. Death (upright or reversed) is always accompanied by rebirth. Rebirth is the yang to Death’s yin. As the sun sets here, it is simultaneously rising elsewhere. Do not fear what is changing right now. Often the fear isn’t of something, but rather of stepping up, taking your power back, and allowing yourself to grow past this lesson. The “old and familiar” can often seem comfortable even if it’s killing you inside. Joseph Campbell used to say, “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” 14
Have courage; the transformation you are resisting will lead to a better you. Let your changes happen. Your sun will rise again.
Finding the right recipe for balanced living.
Temperance signifies balance, moderation, and slowing down. This card represents your inner stress barometer, which notifies you when your mind and body are under too much strain. When Temperance appears, it is time to give your body more of what it needs right now in order to restore your equilibrium. The card encapsulates finding the right balance between two opposing forces to restore harmony.
Does your body act up when you’re stressed? Do you get strange sensations that make you worry you might have something seriously wrong with you? Do you listen to your inner needs when you are spread too thin, or do you power through, depleting yourself further?
The Angel on the Temperance card represents your Higher Self, which knows just how much of anything you can endure. The Angel is pouring just the right amount of water from one cup to replenish the other. This represents your need to replenish what has been depleted. The Angel also has one foot on dry land and the other foot in the stream. This symbolizes that although he is operating in the real world (the dry land), he keeps one foot in contact with his intuitive inner world (the stream). The path behind him leads to a bright destination. If you follow the Angel’s example and look after your equilibrium, you will also find a healthier, happier future awaiting you. The iris flowers call to mind Iris, the Messenger Goddess. Your body, mind, spirit, and the Universe surrounding you are constantly offering messages of how to best heal.
Temperance is sandwiched between the Major Arcana’s most challenging cards: the Hanged Man and Death, and the Devil and the Tower. It is an oasis in this leg of the journey. Temperance represents a place of self-care and restoration before getting back in the ring. The many Angels that appear in the tarot represent your Higher Self. The location of Temperance in the Major Arcana symbolizes the need to reconnect with a transcendent big-picture perspective while amid difficulties. Stressful situations can deplete you quickly. It’s like holding your breath underwater and endlessly swimming. The symbol of Temperance can be described as returning to the water’s surface and replenishing yourself with a fresh breath of sweet air. Temperance enables you to go within and return to the surface renewed and revitalized.
You may think that life is just too demanding and busy and that you don’t have the time for self-care. Many people give all the energy they have and wonder why they feel strained, stressed, and even crazy. The answer is simple: they are burning the candle at both ends. Temperance reminds you to listen to your body, quiet your mind, and come up for air. No matter what demands are being placed on you currently, you need to replenish yourself.
Not wanting to disappoint others makes us jump through impossible circles and hoops, attempting to be Superman or Superwoman. All the while, we slowly deplete ourselves to the point where we need rescuing! Temperance gently guides you to protect your own health and well-being first. In this way, you will have plenty to share with others.
To restore your balance, what is your body signaling that it needs? More water? More rest? Some quiet time? A vacation? A break? Time with your favorite books? A reading?
Wrap yourself in the Angel’s wings and lovingly give your body some attention. The Angel of Temperance is guiding you back toward what you need for balance. Taking the time to restore your equilibrium will ensure that you have an abundance of energy to invest in all the people, goals, and improvements that are waiting for you.
Temperance Reversed
If Temperance appears reversed, it signifies depletion and a need for restoration. You may be literally or symbolically dehydrated. Temperance reversed calls your attention to areas of your mind and body where knots of tension have formed and asks you to release them. The Angel on the card symbolizes the need to surrender current stress to the Divine. You are being called back to reconnect with what is personally sacred to you. The imagery of flowing water on the card signifies the healing properties of water. An easy way to restore equilibrium is to give your body more water. This will do wonders for your mood and energy level. Perhaps it’s time to reconnect with the bodies of water in nature. Rivers, lakes, and oceans naturally have a soothing effect that can release accumulated stresses that are disturbing your mind and heart.
Temperance is all about balance and moderation. When this card appears reversed, you will find that it is necessary to release excessiveness: excessive worry about a stressful situation, excessive focus on only one area of your life, excessive consumption of something that depletes your energy, excessive escapism, excessive obsessions. Your personal energy field needs to be cleared to move forward at this time. If you find yourself excessively doing one thing, shift your energy to focusing on another aspect of your life that would benefit from your attention. Know that where you are today is just where you need to be. Be okay with areas of your life being works in progress. Other cards in a reading may illuminate what the source of your depletion is.
Confronting your inner saboteur.
Nobody likes to confront the Devil. The Devil can be a jarring image to face. This is because he represents our shadow self, the inner saboteur. This is the insidious voice within that tells us we aren’t worthy, that we can’t be successful, and that we are stuck with our lot. Often this voice pipes up just before we are about to make a huge breakthrough. This voice comes as a final test to see what we really believe about ourselves. The Devil is known by many names, but by far the most fitting is the Prince of Lies. The biggest lie the Devil tells is that he is more powerful than we are. Each day you have a choice to believe the voice that tells you you are garbage or to hear your better angels who remind you that you are worthy.
How does your shadow manifest in your life? Do you struggle with self-
esteem? Do you feel trapped in a situation that feels beyond your control?
When you look at the image of the Devil card, you can see a man and a woman chained to his throne. They are a corrupted version of the innocent and pure man and woman who appear on the Lovers card. The trees that were featured on the Lovers card now appear in the form of unnatural tails sprouting from the pair. This shows how applying life and knowledge solely toward materialism and external gratification leads to corruption. The two figures also sport horns, symbolizing their enslavement to the animal parts of their nature. The animal nature is only concerned with survival and protection of itself. It is not enlightened and manifests in the form of fear, excess, jealousy, anger, hatred, addiction, unforgiveness, and the pursuit of personal comfort over all else.
Look closer at the figures chained to the Devil’s throne. The chains represent the falsehood of being stuck; the chains the figures wear are quite loose. In fact, they could step out of them at any time! This shows that despite the fearful size of the Devil, one can be free of him whenever they choose. When the Devil appears, he calls your attention to the self-limiting thoughts and behaviors that are keeping you imprisoned. You can be free at any time, but you must stop rationalizing these behaviors and confront them honestly. Written on the Devil’s right hand is the symbol for Saturn. In astrology, Saturn rules limitations, setbacks, and self-improvement over time. This implies that honestly confronting your inner shadows will compel you to improve over time, even if the process feels uncomfortable.
The Devil highlights any untruths you may be telling yourself that are keeping you from being the best version of yourself. The shadow is real, but you are more powerful.
The best way to transcend shadows is to embody love. Be loving to yourself and others. Don’t get hooked into defending yourself in the face of someone else’s shadow. Lovingly help someone else. Be of service. Be kinder. If you are feeling fear, help someone else feel braver. Challenge the lie that you are stuck. Send light and love to those people you can’t quite seem to forgive. Unhook yourself from the Devil’s chains.
By embodying your better angels, the Devil will lose all power.
The Devil Reversed
If the Devil appears reversed, then the loose chains on the upside-down figures will easily fall away from gravity alone. Old habits that once kept you stuck are no longer the insurmountable challenges they once were. You are letting go of these outdated, self-limiting beliefs. You may find that you outgrew them and that they no longer hold you in bondage.
Often, habitual cynicism will rush in to justify why it’s important to hang on to past negative beliefs. The familiar, even when destructive, is far more comfortable than the unknown. The ego’s cynical aspect hates not knowing things, so it looks for something to attack. The Devil reversed represents releasing the negative habits and assumptions that keep you in a pessimistic hell.
When the Devil appears reversed, your shadow’s power is fading. It is time to challenge any remaining unconscious attitudes of fear, anger, or sadness that you have been carrying. Bring it all into the sunlight. Each day you work on your best self, you become less stuck than the day before. It’s time to remember your strengths, talents, and abilities. These are who you truly are. You are not the awful things your shadow wants you to think you are. Be kinder to yourself and be on your own team!
The Devil reversed also means that you have received your “Get Out of Hell Free” card. Let the chains of negative thinking slip off and fall away. Know that when these chains manage to hook you, they are born from fear and old shadows from the past. Choose to step back into the radiant light of your limitless Spirit. Your power is in the present, not the past. You are so much more than what the shadow wants you to believe. The light within you is stronger than the darkness, and it’s time to affirm it. As always, sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Coming back to earth.
The people falling from the Tower were prisoners of their own making. They built walls around themselves that grew taller and taller. These walls separated them from feeling reality. The Tower gained in size and made them numb. Being numb kept them “safe” from being hurt by the past and the present. In the Tower, they could pretend there was no loss, change, or death happening outside. They would say things like, “I’m great! No sad things ever happened; what are you talking about?” The lightning on the card represents the inevitable crisis the Universe always sends to cause those in denial to wake up and to heal what needs healing. One falling figure is crowned, while the other is not. This symbolizes that being in a state of denial is unsustainable, whether you are a commoner or a king.
Are there unresolved hurts from the past that you need to heal, surrender, and clear? What would you rather not deal with right now? Do you zone out to deny reality? Is there a fear that, if you open yourself to feeling it, it will hurt too much and won’t stop hurting?
Despite the destructive imagery, the Tower is one of the most healing cards in the tarot. The Tower snaps us out of pretending we are not hurting. It is a cathartic card where old pains are finally felt and released for healing. In that way, the old pains no longer keep us a prisoner escaping reality. When you reflect on your life, you’ll realize the moments that made you strongest are often the hard times. Avoiding challenges doesn’t make us strong—dealing with them does.
Denial of truth is unsustainable. Spirit, God, or the Universe always sends along a proverbial lightning bolt to snap us out of delusion. The breakdown moment is surprisingly a blessing. Lightning bolts symbolize flashes of divine magic and epiphanies at play in your life. Once reality is accepted, it can then be healed. The people falling from the Tower are returning to earth. Not only are they returning to reality, but they are returning to their true nature as well. The crowned roof of the Tower is also being ejected, symbolizing a need to get out of the rationalizations of your head and get back to reality.
When the Tower appears, it’s time to stop avoiding something that you know needs to be felt. Don’t deny your feelings another day or they will continue to keep you imprisoned. Give yourself some privacy and space to really feel something that hurts. Release it through tears or even yelling. A wise teacher of mine told me that if you can’t scream in the house because there are people around, do it in the car. People will just think you’re singing.15 It’s time to be honest with yourself and feel your real feelings. The Tower represents freedom from feeling trapped.
The Tower Reversed
If the Tower appears reversed, you may have just undergone a period where everything felt shaky, uncertain, and full of volatile changes. Although the Tower indicates a transformative period that can be deeply healing, it always accompanies feelings of instability. Old, outdated structures in your life are being swept away. This clearing is making room for positive new beginnings. If you cooperate with your life changes at this time, you will feel electric—as if there is divine momentum propelling you forward on your path. Although you may not feel very sure about where your path is heading, the Tower reversed indicates that there’s nowhere to go but up.
This card position often feels like a hurricane just ran through your life, and now you are charged with the duty to clean it all up. The thing you must keep in mind is that the storm is over. It is time to move forward and not be fixated on what has just changed. There will be time enough in the future to emotionally process your recent transformation. For now, you must stay clear and focused on your present priority.
Upright or reversed, the Tower advises you to allow what you don’t need to crumble away. The changes you are experiencing will only feel traumatic if you resist them. The sun is peeking through the clouds again, and hindsight will reveal the necessity of the storm’s passing.
Transcendent wisdom.
The Star is a symbol of renewed hope after turbulent times. The hope comes from seeing your life transcendentally. From this higher vantage point, you can see the big picture and your real-life purpose. The Star asks you to follow your proverbial North Star, the compass point that leads you back to your Authentic Self—the best of who you really are. In fact, the eight-pointed stars depicted on this image resemble the points on a compass. When the Star appears, then you will find your way. The Star is associated with the eternal, immortal part of your Spirit. This authentic essence continues long after your body has gone. By tuning in to the eternal aspect of yourself, you can transcend any challenge you confront in the mundane world.
What is the meaning of your life? Have you lost perspective, becoming consumed with something that really isn’t that important in the long run? When was the last time you felt clear about your purpose?
The woman on the Star card has drawn from the healing waters of the universal pool of the collective. She is pouring some of these waters on the parched earth beside her, symbolizing a replenishment of her world and the neglected parts of herself. What feels dry and parched in your world? What needs replenishment and watering? The woman is taking some of the water for herself. She knows she is worthy and that it is wise to do so. By taking the gifts of the Universe to replenish herself, she will be able to share more of herself for the benefit of all.
The woman is also pouring some of the water back into the universal pool. She is giving something back to the collective to improve and enrich it. To whom much is given, much is required. If she keeps returning some of the water to the pool, she will ensure it never dries up and that she’ll be able to draw future blessings from it when needed.
The Major Arcana in the tarot can be interpreted as a path laid out in symbols toward a deeper understanding of the self. In the Major Arcana, the Star is numbered XVII and occurs immediately after the most challenging cards (XII The Hanged Man, XIII Death, XV The Devil, XVI The Tower). After accepting sacrifice and death, confronting the shadow self, and returning to her true nature, the superficial layers of the ego are stripped away. The Star represents the imperishable light within you that transcends the fears of the ego. This is the eternal starlight of Spirit. Each of us possesses this light. This light is always sparkling within us. However, sometimes it is so buried beneath burdens and layers of ego and fear that it is hard to feel or see. Some people forget this light exists altogether—until they see a laughing baby or are moved by pivotal (sometimes traumatic) life events. The Star card reminds us that our inner light exists. When we draw from this eternal source, we can bounce back from death and defeat, transcending all challenges. Knowing this, we come to understand there is really nothing to fear.
In the background sitting in a tree is an ibis bird. The ibis was very sacred in ancient Egypt. It is the emblem of the God of wisdom, Thoth. The ibis calls us to the wisdom we need in order to fly above our present challenges. The ibis, high on his tree, grants the perspective of the big picture. He is the God of the moon and writing. Perhaps it’s time to journal your deeper revelations.
The Star reminds you to replenish yourself by accessing the transcendent light within. When you have drawn from the power of this light, pass along its blessings and reinvest in the universal pool. Open your eyes to where you are truly needed in your world. If you’ve ever helped the homeless or sat with an old, lonely lady who needed to talk or left a huge tip and a sweet note for a hotel maid or waitress going through a rough patch, then you’ve been doing the work of the Star. You’ve been replenishing the waters of the collective good. The Star is all about restoring hope in yourself and others.
Follow your North Star back to the best parts of you and your true purpose.
If you continue to pass on blessings to others, you will always be blessed.
The Star Reversed
If the Star appears reversed, it signals a need to balance practicality with transcendental spiritual concerns. Upright or reversed, the Star encourages balance. It is important to give consideration to your spiritual needs while also remembering to invest time and energy in the practical. Many spiritual people need to be reminded to face the external world and its challenges without getting too carried away by the higher planes. When this card appears reversed, it can indicate a neglect of practical concerns. These earthly concerns include money, financial planning, taking care of your physical body, or experiencing life outside of your ivory tower. The Star is a very spiritual card with an emphasis on the eternal, otherworldly, and mystical. The appearance of the Star reversed can also indicate that you have been swimming in the universal pool for too long and may be ignoring some important practical matters. Look at how the woman on the card takes water from the pool and spreads it on the dry earth. You may need to invest some more of your energy into something mundane yet necessary.
Conversely, the Star reversed can indicate a neglect of what is eternal within you. By pouring all your energy on the dry earth, you may be forgetting to look at the situation from a transcendent place. It may be time to draw inspiration from the pool, reclaim your wisdom, and step into an awareness that you are a luminous and eternal Spirit in human form. It may also benefit you to invest time in activities that make your Spirit feel inspired, vital, and engaged.
We are all children of the stars. The same atoms that make up the cosmos are present in you. Your creative contributions to the planet are part of a larger universal pool. Today, it is not all or nothing. You can be a practical person who remains connected with your Spirit. You can also be a spiritually evolved individual who pays their bills on time! After you have balanced your inner and outer worlds, the Star (upright or reversed) requires you to give something of yourself back to the universal pool—something to benefit all. Share your gifts without expecting a return. This will ensure that the eternal pool within remains full.
Unconscious influences.
The Moon symbolizes your instincts and unconscious emotions. These deep undercurrents can alter your perception of the world around you. If you harbor habitually negative emotions, you will look at the world and constantly see evidence of negativity. Likewise, if you are brimming over with positive energy, you will see a world full of joy. The Moon reminds you to check in with your unconscious moods and feelings. These emotions are coloring your perception of the good or bad things you are seeing in front of you.
What color would best describe your emotions today? Are your emotions a healing blue? A depressive gray? A heartfelt pink? A sunny yellow? An emerald green or a dirty yellow-green? Have you been feeling a bit moody lately?
The moon beams brightly in the sky, pulling on the instincts of the animals on the card in very mysterious ways. A wolf appears in the image, howling at the moon. The wolf represents the primitive, instinctual side of your nature. A domesticated dog also appears alongside the wolf. The dog represents your civilized self.
What is the dog doing in the card? He is howling at the moon just as loud as the wolf is! This represents that no matter how rational and intelligent you may like to think you are, you will still be pulled by mysterious and irrational forces. The moon is a force of nature that tugs on your deepest instincts and emotions.
A lobster is drawn out of the deep waters, pulled from its lair by the power of the moon. Lobsters have hard shells to protect them from the world. However, there is no armor that can contend with the moon’s power. This symbolizes that no matter how much you try to wear hardened armor over your own vulnerabilities, you will still be influenced by your habitual, sensitive nature. A pathway winds up the mountain in the distance and past the gate made by two towers. This shows that when you take the time to look inward, your pathway of ascension will be revealed.
Nature feels the moon, because the moon tugs on the earth’s gravity as it orbits. The moon’s great weight pulls on the oceans, lakes, and rivers as it circles, creating the tides. Humans are made up of about 65 percent water. It is probably safe to say that our bodies are unconsciously affected by this rhythmic, cyclical pull each month.
The moon tugs on our instincts. When this card appears, it is time to listen to your deepest feelings and let them guide your path. Tune in to your intuitive hunches. Trust yourself when something doesn’t feel right. Reconnect with your wiser, magical self. Like the lobster emerging from the depths, let your deeper wisdom rise to the surface and bring valuable insights to your conscious mind.
When the Moon appears, it reminds you to trust your impressions, hunches, and instincts. With time and practice, your intuition will grow sharper and guide you through any challenge. Many people in our modern society would like to think the rational mind is the only foolproof way to experience reality. However, it is undeniable that we are creatures of nature and instinct. Sometimes people don’t act rationally. Sometimes there is no logical explanation for why something occurs. Sometimes signs do present themselves on our path. Sometimes we need to tune in to the undercurrents that are shaping the realities we experience. You possess great depth. It is time to allow it to emerge.
The Moon Reversed
If the Moon appears reversed, it indicates that you may have been neglecting your deeper instincts. More recently, you may have had to conform to the demands of the external world to survive. Conformity is sometimes necessary to function in the world, but it should not come at the expense of your deeper feelings and instincts. The Moon reversed calls you back to your instinctual self. It’s time to ask yourself how you really feel. It’s time to reconnect with the natural world, with magic, with the changing seasons, and with your deeper wisdom.
When your instincts are neglected, they begin to act up. In Latin, the moon is called luna, which is where we get the word “lunatic” from! Neglected instincts will often make you feel crazy. The Moon reversed can signify illusions created from unresolved feelings. If you have felt unlucky, are imagining terrible things, or feel psychically lost, the Moon reversed asks you to look deeper within and feel what is trying to emerge. If you keep encountering the same cycle or problem in the external world, the reason could be linked to what you still need to resolve within. The other cards that appear around the Moon reversed can give you a glimpse into what those unresolved feelings are about.
When the Moon appears reversed, it can also indicate a time when mysterious forces are working through the undercurrents of your life. Be open to magic and listen to your deepest hunches. Destiny may be calling. This could be a time when doorways begin to open and the creative potential that was beneath the surface suddenly emerges. Most importantly, trust the voice of your intuition. You unconsciously know more than you think you do. Your instincts will guide you toward the right action every time, but only if you are tuned in to them.
The best card in the deck!
The Sun is considered by many to be the best card in the deck. It signifies success, optimism, and everything generally working out as it should. The Sun is life, light, and vitality. The truth is, the sun’s energy (figuratively and literally) is present not just for today, but every day. We just get so wrapped up in our dramas and inner turmoil that we forget to remember this. Every day the sun rises. Every day there is a new opportunity to feel grateful for existing, to make good choices, and to celebrate living.
Is your life presently feeling sunny? Are you approaching this moment with joy or dread? Do you know you can instantly change your feelings by changing your perspective?
The imagery of this card is vibrant and joyous. The Sun Baby riding the horse represents the dawn. He wears the optimistic red plume, just like the Fool. Innocence, joy, and positivity are returning to your world. The child reminds you to look at the magic of existence with wonder, not as a problem that always needs solving. You don’t need to be in control of everything. You don’t need to run the solar system—that’s the sun’s job! The Sun Baby is having a blast riding his horse. Horses symbolize assistance. These are the animals that aided humanity in the growth of civilization. Horses made it possible to cross once vast and impossible distances. Horses symbolize that the help you need will come when you need it. It may not seem possible now, but solutions to the impossible will find their way to you every time!
Why am I so confident everything will work out? Because it always does! Don’t you remember all the other times it did? If you can’t trust this truth, then you may as well believe that when night comes, it will stay dark forever. Sounds preposterous, doesn’t it? The light will always return. That’s just common sense.
The sun is always up there in the sky, blessing us with life. We wouldn’t be here without it. Even when it is hidden behind the clouds, it always reemerges. Even when light leaves our world each day, the sun promises to come back with the dawn. This is a fundamental truth for all of us. Light will always return, even after your darkest moments. Sometimes this card appears when you must surrender a situation that you can’t solve alone. Look to the symbol of the horse. Magical assistance will find its way to you when you choose to step into the light.
The Sun arrives to tell you to lighten up! Stop being so negative about life’s snafus as they appear. It may get dark periodically, but it won’t stay that way for long. Like the sunflowers, turn your face toward the light. Everything is working out just as it should.
You can be as sure of this as the sun rising in the east.
The Sun Reversed
Upright or reversed, the Sun is always the best card in the deck. This card refuses to be a buzzkill! The Sun reversed may be indicating that you have had your share of cloudy setbacks up until this point. However, now things are beginning to brighten up. Express your vitality, move, and brighten the lives of others by exuding joy. The horse on the card is a reminder to ask for and seek out assistance when you need it. Look at your possibilities with the magical eyes of a child—with wonder, excitement, and promise. There is so much good stuff still ahead for you! Do you truly believe this? If not, it’s time to start! Positivity is a choice. Don’t dull your enthusiasm to gain the acceptance of snarky sarcastic people or Debbie Downers. Stay true to your joy.
A new day has dawned, and you can choose your life’s direction from this point forward. Proceed with confidence as the sun illuminates your golden path.
Rebirth.
Judgement symbolizes rebirth, renewal, and restoration. It represents reawakening and returning to life after loss. Often when people see this card, they are afraid that somehow this means they will be judged. The only judgement this card decrees is that you are worthy to rise again and make your life as joyful, healthy, and full as it can be. Judgement represents your ability to abandon the thoughts, habits, and attitudes that keep your mind in “death consciousness.” Fear, hopelessness, avoidance, procrastination, self-limiting behaviors—these are all mental graves that it’s time to step out of now!
Do you wish you could break away from the depressive feeling that you are slogging through life like the walking dead? Have you been avoiding a personal goal that promises to make your life better because you are afraid of failing? Have you forgotten that you still have the power to make your dreams come true?
A luminous Angel emerges from the clouds, blowing the golden trumpet of life. Its brazen notes resonate across the whole earth. Angels throughout the tarot symbolize your Higher Self. The notes blown from the trumpet symbolize that you are going to be hearing your Higher Self loud and clear. All that appeared dead, lost, and forgotten will rise again, reborn and revived. A new day has dawned. The graves are cast aside. Judgement declares there is still life to live!
All the figures on this card represent the different facets of you. The Angel is your Higher Self, calling the long-dead parts of yourself to return to life. Dreams abandoned, goals forsaken, hopes crushed; all these trials were necessary to make you the strong person you are today. It wasn’t for nothing. The Angel is the voice in your head that says, “What am I doing? I deserve better! I am ready to get the most out of life!”
When Judgement appears, your best self is giving you a wake-up call. It’s time to get up and step out of the self-imposed grave your mind has been confined to. Today it’s time to push past self-limiting behaviors about your potential and worth. Breathe new life into projects and dreams long thought dead. You can start living the life you want now, today, at this moment, if you summon the courage to step up and live consciously. Rise up like the fiery phoenix out of the ashes.
Everything in nature changes and dies. It can be sad to look back at the times when something important felt lost and you felt forsaken. But remember, everything in nature reflects rebirth. This includes you. This is the divine and natural law. This is the benevolent judgement of the Universe.
Judgement Reversed
When Judgement appears reversed, it asks if you are sleepwalking through life. Upright or reversed, Judgement represents awakening and transformation. Judgement reversed indicates that in order to progress, you must be fully conscious about what is occurring at this time. Only by being awake and alert can you choose to establish new conditions.
Periodically, we wake up to realize we’ve become entranced. A whole day or week or month has gone by without a sense of awareness, memory, or vitality. Procrastination is often a side effect of this; however, at the root of procrastination is detachment. It’s as if there is a disconnect between the mind and the heart. Ask yourself today, “Am I feeling my heart? Do I recognize the sensations of feelings like love and joy in my chest?”
There are all sorts of reasons to allow yourself to become entranced. Many times, it’s because of fear. Fear of pain, fear of discomfort, fear of taking responsibility, fear of letting yourself down—the list goes on and on. The Angel of Judgement represents your Spirit, which needs to periodically blow bombastic notes from its trumpet to give you a wake-up call. If you can tune in to the sensations in your heart, you will gain valuable information about what you need to do next. Allow yourself to feel your real feelings, especially the neglected or difficult ones.
Judgement reversed asks you to alert your Higher Self if you have been sleepwalking through life. Renew your passion for your goals, projects, and interests. If you feel dead toward them, try to do a little work on them anyway. Even fifteen minutes can be enough to rekindle the flames of creativity.
If you don’t like the sleepy direction your life is heading in, you can choose to wake up now. The phoenix within your soul is restlessly stirring. Set her free!
Completion.
The World represents the successful completion of a life cycle. This card encourages you to finish what you’ve started. The old is being completed, and loose ends are now being tied up. When the World appears, you are crossing an important threshold. The World symbolizes that you aren’t just completing a chapter of your life, but an entire volume. This card also rules important rites of passage. Magical new possibilities are opening to you now. Take a deep breath, summon your courage, and boldly cross the finish line.
What are you working on finishing? What world have you been creating for yourself ? Are you aware of new opportunities currently opening to you?
The World card is the zenith of the Major Arcana. The figure depicted on the World card has faced all the wonders and perils of the previous twenty-one cards. This image depicts her graduation. To mark this rite of passage, she has been given not just one white magical wand, but two. The two wands symbolize total empowerment, perspective, and mastery. The right hand symbolizes assertive, outwardly directed energy. This is the hand the Magician uses to hold his white wand. The left hand symbolizes receptive energy, directed inward. The wands symbolize that the figure on the World card has mastered both the active and passive parts of her psyche, the left and the right brain. She can give and she can receive.
The figure on the World card is a powerful sorceress and knows it. Some tarot readers view her as an intersex being who has synthesized the polarities of both sexes, becoming enlightened. This could be the case as her genitalia is obscured. Her left leg is bent behind her right, just like the Hanged Man. This shows that the sorceress has achieved all that she has sacrificed for. She is not afraid of her future because she sees herself in the context of the universal. She is past the fear of death, having faced it along with her shadows to be born anew. She is aligned with her Spirit’s authentic purpose. She knows who she is.
The World reminds you that you can create miraculous changes in your life when you remember your Spirit. Only by honoring your whole journey with all its losses, successes, and disappointments will you be able to accept wholeness. The sorceress on this card can send her energy out into the world to effect change, just like the Magician. They both hold magical white wands in their right hand. However, this sorceress has also done her inner work. The wand in the left hand symbolizes her mastery of the unseen, darker pathways on her journey. Acceptance of her entire path opens her to receiving. Not just the joyful, successful times, but the hard times as well.
Think back on your life’s journey. What hills and valleys did you pass through to arrive at this moment? Breathe in the magnitude of your presence and perseverance! If you are here, you still have new purpose and new work to do.
Completion can be frightening. It requires you to commit yourself to unknowable new experiences. When the World appears, allow yourself to feel excited about this rite of passage! Be proud of your accomplishments and your total journey. You now know thyself … and through you, the Universe is conscious of a precious part of itself, too. There is powerful magic in remembering that you are infinite and limitless.
The World Reversed
If the World appears reversed, it asks you to stop procrastinating and complete that which remains unfinished. If your world feels upside down, it may be linked to resistance to change. Are you hanging on to something you no longer need? Do you keep confronting the same issue again and again? It’s finally time to grow and allow yourself to graduate to the next level of development. Close the door on a pattern that continuously prevents you from moving forward. You will know what needs to be released because there will be a twinge of resistance to letting it go. Often, the thing you are afraid to let go of also makes you feel comfortable.
Procrastination is often fear in disguise. By putting off completing one phase, you still hold on to the past, pretending that you need more time to let it go. Pivotal life changes are rarely made with 100 percent assurance that everything will work out. Often, your best transformations come from having the courage to let go of old tired patterns and commit to a new way of seeing your life.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. The truth is, when your world gets turned on its head, it offers you the opportunity to release outdated perspectives about yourself and what you think is possible. Stop the insanity and do something new!
To help you get off the hamster wheel, you may have to reach out for the perspective of another. A trusted loved one can often offer you an understanding assessment of your experience if you ask for it. To escape from entrapping mental patterns, sometimes you need to get out of your own head. Go for a walk. Get into the world. Other cards may reveal clues as to what patterns need to be released. If you make a choice to move on from the old and tired ways of doing things, boundless possibilities will await you.
1. Pollack, Tarot Wisdom, 18.
2. Pollack, Tarot Wisdom, 45.
3. Liddell and Scott, Greek-English Lexicon, 377.
4. Pollack, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot, 78.
5. Fiebig and Burger, The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot, 34.
6. Pollack, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot, 78.
7. Fiebig and Burger, The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot, 90.
8. Pollack, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot, 78.
9 . Dickerman, Following Your Path, 131.
10. Dickerman, Following Your Path, 137–39.
11. Dickerman, Following Your Path, 131.
12. Dickerman, Following Your Path, 167.
13. Fiebig and Burger, The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot, 48.
14. Osbon, A Joseph Campbell Companion, 18.
15. Retzlaff, Cinderella Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, 90.