The Fool sets off on his journey through the Tarot. He represents the start of a new adventure, but like a child, he blunders into this new world blindly and without wisdom. If not for the warnings of his barking dog (his conscience), he could easily lose his footing and his adventure would be over before it begins.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Magician
The Magician represents the skill of mastering possibilities. He takes the desires of the Fool and transforms them into avenues of destiny, reflections of what could be. The Magician embodies inventiveness and not just creativity, but the purpose of putting creativity into action, but be warned: The Magician has no true power. He merely shows you what already lies within. But now you know his trick.
The High Priestess
The High Priestess is the female embodiment of wisdom and a complement to the trickery of the Magician. She is a teacher of history and secret knowledge. She is the Fool's intuition and instinct. Her teachings temper the many possibilities that the Magician put forth, so one would be wise to counsel her before rushing into risky situations.
The Empress
The Empress is the force of creation. She is both the spark of something new and the energy that pushes you to nurture it. The Empress is fertile with the potential to create something new by assuring abundance and love. As a mother, she will protect her child from the pitfalls he is not old enough to see, for she loves him and won't see him fail.
The Emperor
Seated beside the Empress is the other creator, the Emperor. But where the Empress smothers her child with love, the Emperor gives the child distance to make his own mistakes and learn from them. His advice is stern and logical. His instincts on decisions often seem harsh, but are grounded in reality. His will is the highest authority, yet he offers you a taste of his power to push things into motion.
The Hierophant
Like the Magician and the High Priestess, the Hierophant is purveyor of arcane knowledge. But he guards his knowledge and doesn't give it freely. Instead he prefers to lend his wise utterances at moments of crisis. He may or may not support the path the Fool takes, but will at least offer harmony. The Hierophant wants to erase his fears and show him the joy of having a supportive community. His gift is faith.
The Lovers
The Lovers represent passion, temptation, trust and lust. They are each the other's mirror reflection- different but comfortable to be surrounded by. Their intense fire for one another sparks anguish when the needs of the physical body clash with the desires of the soul. Is it perfect harmony or mere infatuation? Danger or destiny? The power may be too strong for the Fool to make a clear decision.
The Chariot
Just as the Fool grows weary on his treacherous path, he encounters the Chariot. Here he has the means to reach his destination and avoid some of the dangers he attracted on foot. The Chariot represents the drive and focus to push forward. With determination this chariot will hold up well to travel. Just be certain to point it in the right direction...
Strength
Strength is the tamer of the beast. She represents the calm and gentleness required to constrain the wild passions of the lion within our hearts. She teaches the Fool not to be ruled by his impatient instincts, but by a love for his own well-being. She settles the wild energy within so that it may be focused into something useful for challenges ahead.
The Hermit
The Fool on his journey has been illuminated by a savage reality. The tide and turn of his adventures is too much excitement for him, so he shelters and turns within for clarity and balance. In this innerspace, he shuts himself off from outside influence and shines his light onto his own dark mysteries to glimpse his true self. This is when the Fool must walk alone and become The Hermit.
Wheel of Fortune
The Hermit arises from his meditation with renewed purpose. Having discovered that he is the greatest master of his fate, he is ready to cast his lot upon the Wheel of Fortune. With the universe at the center spinning out a myriad of possibilities, the Fool chooses his path of evolution. Whether it leads to prosperity or retribution, he must embrace the change to achieve his goals.
Justice
Justice teaches us fairness. She is a mature influence on our Fool by showing him the importance of balance. From her, he learns how to satisfy his needs in both the material and spirit worlds. She is just and open to different perspectives. Justice tempers selfishness with selflessness. Instead of taking sides, she seeks a compromise that can soothe all parties equally.
The Hanged Man
At learning the lessons of Justice, the Fool learns compassion and sympathy for his fellow travelers. He begins to realize that his souls is not entirely unique, but a single unit of an intricate web of human cultures, and beyond that a great interconnected chain of life. He hangs himself from this tree of life for nine days, studying the world from a new perspective. He surrenders all his fear of death and resigns his fate to the physics of nature that birthed him. He finally feels a sense of inner peace as if he finally knows his place in the universe.
Death
Everything born must die. The Fool reaches the end of his life and usefulness. Alone and separated from the web of life, his lost soul purifies itself through grief until it transmutes into a higher state, filtered and evolved from his losses. Death signifies the end of one journey and the promise of the next.
Temperance
The Traveler's journey through the Tarot has taught him the role of balance in the quest for harmony. He has been mother and father, communed with religion and peeked behind the veil, has died and been reborn. Our Traveler begins his new life by finely balancing the opposing forces of his nature, so as to not let one side rule his intellect. He knows moderation and uses it. He has learned Temperance.
The Devil
The Traveler has forged a new life, but is he being honest with himself for the sake of an ideal? Is he denying his instinctive wants? Part of his lesson in Temperance was learning to responsibly control his wild desires and temper them with logic, but can he truly know those desires without indulgence and abandon? The Devil invites the Traveler to be honest about his vices and tempts him to test the limits of his own carnality.
The Tower
The Traveler encounters the familiar Tower. It is familiar because it is built from the frozen moments of his old life. It appears stable enough from the outside, but as the nostalgic Traveler thinks of climbing to the top, lightning strikes from the heavens and crumbles the tower to rubble. Shocked by the destructive power of nature, it is only now that our Traveler understands how fragile this tower of self was constructed and just how weak life can be without the strength of knowledge and experience.
The Star
Humbled by the destruction of his Tower, the Traveler wanders through the darkness. At first he is blinded by darkness, but clouds dissolve to let the Star light his way. The Star twinkles faintly in the distance. The Star illuminates many pathways to travel upon, but still he follows the direction of the Star. He knows not where it leads, only that it is brighter than the land he left.
The Moon
In the night sky, The Moon rises to taunt our Traveler. Staring into the darkness, his head fills with visions, confusion,self-doubt. Is this the right direction? Is the Traveler lost alone in a dangerous place? His panic roots him to the spot, and he is tempted to abandon his journey. In this state of fear, how can he trust himself to make the right decision? He can only rest here for the night and wait for The Moon to pass.
The Sun
The night passes, and The Sun wakes our Traveler. In the radiance of the sun, he can see that the world is much less frightening than he thought. It is alive and abundant and ready to nourish him. He finds himself inspired and hopeful, prepared to make bold decisions. It's as if he can see everything in a rational, useful light. His fears retreat into the shadows under the rays of The Sun.
Judgement
Judgement is a wake-up call to the unbridled optimism the Sun provides. The Sun will inevitably fade and darkness will return. The Traveler must prepare for the darkness by laying his past and old guilts to rest. He must respect the violent battle between darkness and light and hold no grudge, for the Judgement is his last lesson in this world. He will emerge with his wounds healed and his soul transformed.
The World
Ace of Wands
Two of Wands
Three of Wands
Four of Wands
Five of Wands
Six of Wands
Seven of Wands
Eight of Wands
Our traveler feels overcome by his many burdens. As the stress builds, he finds himself moving too fast. If only he could relax a bit, he could handle his responsibility efficiently and passionately. The 8 of Wands card warns the traveler not to drown in burdens, but to prioritize them . Deal with the toughest problems and push on. The traveler may even receive a message that help is on the way.
Nine of Wands
Ten of Wands
Page of Wands
Knight of Wands
Queen of Wands
King of Wands
Ace of Pentacles
The journey begins with the Ace of Pentacles, when our traveler uncovers a treasure. It signifies a substantial amount of wealth or abundance of material goods. It is a lucky card, though beware: material luck can spur jealousy in the hearts of friends.
Three of Pentacles
The 3 of Pentacles foresees the foundation of something profitable. The traveler's hard work has been recognized and he will see himself be paid accordingly. But he would do well to remember that the profit he makes will have to be shared with his benefactors.
Six of Pentacles
Eight of Pentacles
The 8 of Pentacles teaches our traveler the value of being skilled in a trade. By learning marketable skills and experience, he will ensure his financial livelihood forever. It may take a while to learn this new skill, but it will result in stability and financial gain. Nobody will come to the traveler's rescue at this time. He must learn his own value in the world.
Nine of Pentacles
Ten of Pentacles
Page of Pentacles
Knight of Pentacles
Queen of Pentacles
King of Pentacles
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