User blog:Strawhat Neo/Tarot Cards

​TAROT CARDS MEANING

The Fool
 The Tarot Fool card is a jolly one, judging from the image on it. He may be a fool, but doesn't he look happy? Maybe that's what it takes to be joyous in this world. Ignorance is bliss.

The Fool is my favorite Tarot card. Looking at it, I get a sense of his happiness, which makes me smile. It's the introverted happiness, and that's the most difficult one to obtain. If you're happy when you're on your own, then you are truly happy, at peace with yourself. This fool must have made it, because he look euphoric.

There are many kinds of happiness, most of them short lived, ending in the gloom that their departure induces. But the Tarot Fool has found something lasting - a joy that emerges from deep inside, seemingly for no reason at all. He has discovered that deep inside, he's content. Such happiness remains and is easy to return to.

The dog by the Tarot Fool's side can feel the authenticity of his happiness and that it's just as unconditional as canine love. So, of course they join.

Well, the dog does. The Tarot Fool is too inebriated by his joy to notice anything around him. He's by the edge of a cliff, his face turned to the sky. But it seems that if he takes another step, he will not fall. He'll probably just keep on walking - in mid-air.

The Tarot Fool card definitely indicates happiness. Whatever problem there was, it's gone as if all by itself, leaving you carefree. Other threats might appear, but they'll not damage the one who doesn't worry. The cure is always to never cease taking delight in life.

The Magician
'''Among devoted Tarot users, the Magician is often the favorite card. That's because already using the Tarot is a kind of magic - opening the door to a reality yet to be explained in scientific terms, if that's ever going to be possible. The Tarot Magician seems to have everything in control, like a master of fate, but that might just as well be an illusion.'''  In our days, most magicians are illusionists, but the one of the Tarot Magician card is the first to fall for the illusion. That's particularly true for those who favor the Magician card. They want the illusion.

 In the picture of this Tarot card, the Magician has gathered the symbols of all four suits on his table, as if the whole Tarot and thereby everything in the world is at his disposal. Hardly. If teh Tarot Magician believes it, he's more of a fool than the card with that name - because the real Tarot Fool knows he's a fool. That makes all the difference in the world, and it's precisely the weakness of the Tarot Magician.

 The Tarot Magician card indicates things being solved as if by magic. It can be a person making big problems disappear or splendid solutions appear as if out of nowhere. But life doesn't work like that. If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't.

 The Magician's solutions will by time prove to be somewhat lacking. Either they don't last or they don't solve everything, so new problems will emerge - this time more difficult to handle.

 That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the initial solution was probably urgent and beneficial. Without it, who knows what would have happened? It's just important to understand that the Magician's solution is rarely the final one. The problem is not really dealt with, but just made to disappear for a while. Still, that can be a blessing.

 The Tarot Magician's weakness is to be overly confident. Just look at the sign for eternity like a halo above his head. So, we tend to be overly confident about solutions of that kind. When the Tarot Magician card appears in your reading, expect a fantastic turn of events, but also watch out for what remains to be done - that which is at first invisible in the dazzle.

 The High Priestess  The Tarot High Priestess is the ruler of what's hidden and secret, the essence behind the scenes. She knows what really goes on. The High Priestess is not that eager to reveal it, though, at least not to those who are fooled by the superficial. You have to deserve the revelations to which she holds the keys.

 The Tarot High Priestess card has a counterpart in that of the Hierophant, the pompous pope who is indeed powerful, but mainly carries the treasured symbols, having less to do with actual rulership. The High Priestess is the opposite - much more modest in appearance and rare in making public appearances, but still running the show. She can be compared to a grey eminence, someone in charge although not carrying the office.

 The Tarot High Priestess guards the secrets and ensures the masterplan. In doing so, she knows to act with caution, very discreetly, and paying attention to details that are believe to be insignificant.

 But it's in the shadows and the periphery that the future of the world is forged. The microcosm rules the macrocosm. The High Priestess is a master of the microcosm.

 When the Tarot High Priestess card represents a person, it's someone who has the key to the solution, but holds on to it unless you are deemed worthy - and your intentions are the ones approved.

 If the Tarot High Priestess card refers to an event, there's a complicated problem needing to be solved, almost like a riddle, and you must contemplate in order to see it. Others may not even realize that there is an obstacle, but if not recognized and dealt with, failure is certain - although it may come as a complete surprise and nobody knows why.

 <h2 style="text-align:justify;"> The Chariot  The Tarot High Priestess card has a counterpart in that of the Hierophant, the pompous pope who is indeed powerful, but mainly carries the treasured symbols, having less to do with actual rulership. The High Priestess is the opposite - much more modest in appearance and rare in making public appearances, but still running the show. She can be compared to a grey eminence, someone in charge although not carrying the office.

The Tarot High Priestess guards the secrets and ensures the masterplan. In doing so, she knows to act with caution, very discreetly, and paying attention to details that are believe to be insignificant.

But it's in the shadows and the periphery that the future of the world is forged. The microcosm rules the macrocosm. The High Priestess is a master of the microcosm.

When the Tarot High Priestess card represents a person, it's someone who has the key to the solution, but holds on to it unless you are deemed worthy - and your intentions are the ones approved.

If the Tarot High Priestess card refers to an event, there's a complicated problem needing to be solved, almost like a riddle, and you must contemplate in order to see it. Others may not even realize that there is an obstacle, but if not recognized and dealt with, failure is certain - although it may come as a complete surprise and nobody knows why.

The Empress
The Tarot Empress is a ruler, make no mistake about that, but a gentle one getting her will by peaceful means. She suggests and convinces, making her choices seem like the only reasonable ones. Quite often they are. If you follow the Tarot Empress you will have a pleasant ride, but if you oppose her it will all be uphill.

While the Tarot Emperor is armed for battle and eager to engage in it, the Empress remains on her throne, relaxed, getting things done seemingly without any effort. If the Emperor is a warrior, she's a politician. He might win the war, but the Tarot Empress controls the land during the peace that follows.

The ways of the Tarot Empress are so soft and gentle that even her enemies feel blessed, while she strips them of their power and turns them into loyal subjects, whether they are aware of it or not.

The Tarot Empress is what's called the enlightened monarch, an expres­sion used (and debated) for rulers, especially of the late 18th century, who had cultural and academic ambitions for their countries inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment. One such monarch was Catherine the Great of Russia, who is portrayed in all her splendor on the painting below by Alexander Roslin in 1777.

==''' The Emperor '''== The Tarot Emperor has real concrete power in abundance. He's no politician in need of allies and careful diplomacy. He's raw force. Anybody dealing with him should yield or else perish. On the Tarot Emperor card, he sits firmly on the throne, but in armor - he will stand up and strike at the moment he is challenged. He tolerates nothing but obedience.

We've had a number of emperors through history, several of them so majestic that 'majesty' is not enough to describe them. The first and probably still the most impressive one was Alexander in the 4th century BC, who conquered most of the known world at that time, when he was still a young man.

Below is a later painting of the legendary moment when Alexander cut the Gordian Knot, so complicated that the one to untie it was fit to rule the world. Alexander did so by swinging his sword - a warrior's solution.

The Hierophant
There's no doubt that the elevated figure on the Tarot Hierophant card is the pope. The word hierophant is Greek, meaning someone who shows the holy. The card is sometimes called The High Priest, which is just about the same: the one claiming to be closest to what's holy, thereby kind of holy himself, too. But that's far from certain.

The Lovers
The Lovers Tarot card is almost parodical in its emphasized innocence. The two lovers are not even holding hands, but remaining apart, forcefully separated by an angelic figure - albeit with red instead of white wings, as a discreet indicator of passion. The Lovers card speaks more of Agape than of Eros, the non-carnal love instead of the lustful one. No sin committed - yet.

Talking about sin, another one than that of the flesh is implied by the apple tree and the serpent on the left side of the Lovers card image. This certainly refers to Adam and Eve, and the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. We know how that ended. Here's a painting by Masolino in 1425 of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the Fall, showing some similarity to the Tarot Lovers card.

Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune Tarot card image looks like a roulette. The outcome is uncertain, no matter what you do, so you can only hope to be lucky. The one thing to be expected is surprise. Sometimes fate plays tricks on us, and what can we do but wish for the best? You need to look beyond this point of time to get a glimpse of how the outcome will affect you - winning the lottery or losing a costly bet. If you worry, maybe you just shouldn't take this path.

The powerful methods of divination (that's most of them) have no problem revealing the future. But sometimes it's like they just don't want to, as if that's against some master plan concealed from us. The Wheel of Fortune card of the Tarot deck is a reminder of this, whenever it appears in a reading. Don't try to know everything in advance. It's not allowed.

At heart we have to agree with what the Wheel of Fortune Tarot card implies. What's the fun of living if there are no uncertainties and no surprises? We thrive with curiosity. Like any nutrition, it only keeps working if we keep feeding on it. What's hidden from us, even in divination, mainly has this function - keeping us awake and eager to meet tomorrow.

As a personal characteristic, the Wheel of Fortune card indicates too much trust in chance. Happy-go-lucky. Some people are blessed with a multitude of joyous tidings, so it may work for them - mostly. Never always. Even the luckiest among us will be struck by misfortune, now and then. If they trusted luck too much, such a blow can be devastating to them and they may find that they lack any kind of insurance, any alternative by which to minimize the losses.

So, the Wheel of Fortune can signal a formidable opportunity ahead, but always also a warning: Don't bet your whole fortune on the most fortunate outcome. Save something for a rainy day. Consider in advance what you can do if things don't go your way.

The Justice
The Justice of the Tarot is not blind. There's the sword representing the sharp firmness of the law, and the scales by which to judge the actions of men, as carried by every image of Justitia. But the Tarot Justice has no blindfold, the guarantee that all people are treated as equals before the law. Unfortunately, that has often proven to be closer to the truth about justice.

The blindfold on the personification of justice appeared at the end of the 15th century, as on the 1543 statue by Hans Gieng which may be the first known representation of blindfolded justice.

The Strength
The strength on the picture of the Tarot Strength card seems delicate: A maiden pure at heart holds the jaws of a lion, making it harmless. That's real strength, far beyond what mere muscles can accomplish. It's so powerful because it has an ideal.

It's very significant that on the Tarot Strength card image, she masters the lion not by forcing its jaws apart, like any Tarzan would, but by keeping them together, hiding its teeth. The lion has become harmless and its tongue suggests that it enjoys this. So, it's the strength of neutralizing strength. A beneficial paradox.

Some would say that the Tarot Strength card is not about strength at all, but the path away from it. Maybe so. But strength is a force that tends to yield only to superior strength. Therefore, it can only be pacified by being defeated. That's the fundamental weakness of strength and the strength of weakness. What yields will prevail, what resists will break, Tao Te Ching has told us.

An expressive example of this is Achilles, the hero of great strength who had just one weakness: his heel. That's where his mother held him when dipping the infant Achilles in the potion that made the rest of his body invulnerable. This tiny weakness killed him. Every strength has one. Here's a Roman sculpture of Achilles, just when an arrow pierces his heel.

The Hermit
The Tarot card picture of the Hermit is a gloomy one. That's because of the solitude the card represents. Although in the case of a hermit it's voluntary, solitude is still somewhat sad. It's not chosen as a wish of separating oneself from fellow human beings, but for a certain purpose where being alone is instrumental. Usually, it involves an effort to get to know oneself at depth. That's why the Tarot Hermit is often linked to wisdom. That can be discussed. The hermit might find out plenty about himself and what goes on in his own mind, when avoiding the company of others. But that's in his mind, the ultimately secluded place where no one else can go. It rarely applies to the outside world, so the scope of any wisdom reached is limited, indeed. You go inwards to learn about yourself, but you have to go outside to learn anything about the world and your place in it.

On the Tarot card, the lantern in the hand of the Hermit and the dim blue background suggest night. The stillness and closed eyes of the Tarot Hermit suggest repose, even sleep. Indeed, the self-discovery one does on one's own is like a dream, fading away quickly when one opens one's eyes.

It's said that we're always alone at heart, in our souls. "I believe in the lust of the body and the incurable loneliness of the soul," said the Swedish author Hjalmar Söderberg. That's true, in a sense, but it's also true that we never are completely alone. We have so much in common that wherever we go, even inside our minds, others have done the same and discovered the same. We are alike. Therefore, the experience of one person, no matter how internal, has some relevance to all others. In that way, the Hermit of this Tarot card can become wise.

But the wisdom reached by the Hermit has no substance before it's shared. What we discover in our loneliness becomes real when we share it with others and thereby discover that there's so much we have in common. In this manner, loneliness can be the way out of it.

It's not sure that the Tarot Hermit will come to that revelation. He seems committed to stay on his own, as if renouncing the world altogether. That leads nowhere. He must snap out of it, lift his head and open his eyes. Until then he's in sort of a coma.

Still, occasionally in life we all need the recluse of the Tarot Hermit. To contemplate what we have been through and what we can expect in the future, to heal from emotional wounds, or simply to get some rest. It's a healing process, but it's not a final destination.

The Hanged Man
The Tarot Hanged Man card is about personal sacrifice, of course. But this figure seems not to be broken, although hanging upside-down. He will bounce right back, as soon as he manages to get free. It's not that he heals easily. The Tarot Hanged Man is one of the few who is not hurt to begin with, as if invul­nerable. Maybe that's what tempts other people to use him as a scapegoat.

The Tarot Hanged Man has a halo, and not a small one at that. Hanging from the wooden structure it makes him look a bit like Jesus on the cross. The martyr. He's probably hanging upside-down not to bear too much resemblance to Christ. That would have been blasphemy in the time when this image took its shape.

The Death
Death is, no doubt, the most terrifying of the Tarot cards to get at a reading. Therefore, guides to the Tarot usually point out that it's not necessarily about death, but some significant loss, change, or revelation. Well, it's about death, too. That's part of life.

I've had Death appear just a few times in my Tarot readings, but in those cases it has proven to be about real death, or at least something almost as sinister. Not my own death - yet - but one happening in my surroundings or the surroundings of the person I did the reading for.

We have to respect the simple fact that life has its horrors. Therefore, so do all methods of divination. If we want to peek into the the future, everything isn't going to be good news. We have to prepare for that, before trying any system of divination.

Just looking at the Tarot Death card gives a hint of its grimness. Death on a white horse, black flag in hand, people mourning beside a corpse. The bishop, too, indicates that something definite and shocking has happened. It could be the scene after a battle, or an accident, or a plague ravaging the country.

The Temperance
The image of the Temperance Tarot card is one of stillness. The simple explanation of Temperance is moderation, but there's nothing simple about it. This quality is regarded as the finest of all in just about every philosophy and religion of the world, all through time. Living modestly, with patience and contemplation, brings life into balance. That is what perseveres. The oldest and most consistent philosophy of temperance is that of Taoism, as described by Lao Tzu around 2,500 years ago. He called it wu-wei, non-action, and insisted that the universe always returns to perfect balance if left alone. So, don't rock the boat.

The Devil
The Tarot Devil is all about temptation and how we're often enslaved by our lust. There are many other devils, pointing to other vices and weaknesses of mankind. This one focuses on sexual aspects, which makes it much less frightening. At the time of the production of this Tarot card deck, the beginning of the 20th century, lust was generally regarded as a sin, and sex was shameful - at least out of wedlock. Times have changed, though not completely and not everywhere. Still, modern society usually has a much brighter view on the sexual urges and their satisfaction than what the picture on the Tarot Devil card implies.

The Tower
The Tower is evidently a card indicating disaster. The picture shows that clearly. But what leads to the disaster? One legendary tower explains it - that of Babel, surely inspiring both the image and the meaning of the Tarot Tower card. Babel was built to reach heaven. This megalomania angered God, who crushed the tower completely - and made people strangers to one another, so that they would never be able to repeat the feat. The flash from the dark sky on the Tower card image is God's anger, and the people who fall from its height are punished for their hubris, comparing themselves to God by wanting to reach his abode. The crown thrown off the top of the tower is the symbol of utter human vanity. Great plans invite great failures. If the plans are too great, failure is certain. We invite it by aiming far too high.

The Star
The Star is very distant and mysterious. Although the sky on the Tarot Star card image is light blue, the Star is a nocturnal being. Its shimmering light inspires contemplation and dreaming. It's emotion is melancholia. You need to pause and ponder what existence is all about.

Don't expect the Tarot Star card to answer questions. Instead, it raises new ones - or old ones that you've forgotten because you were so occupied with worldly matters, ambitious plans, and what-not. Who doesn't become somber and thoughtful when watching the stars in the night sky? All the things that mattered so much seem to lose importance and attraction.

The Tarot Star is about emotions, which is indicated by all the water on the card image, poured serenely by the woman. The element water represents the emotiononal. But these feelings lead to stillness, and the stillness leads to thoughts.

What moves through our heads when we are at rest, not involved in all those things that make a lifetime pass so swiftly? That's what the Tarot Star card urges us to explore. If we never do, it's like we never lived.

If the Tarot Star card represents a person, it's someone who inspires reflection, making you ponder where you are in life and where you really want to go.

If the Tarot Star card represents an event, it's a moment when things halt so that you have time to reconsider, which you should do. Goals are questioned. So are values previously upheld. You should sit down and meditate, until you're open to completely new perspectives.

The Moon
The Tarot Moon card stands for longing, the needs of the soul, just like the moon does in astrology. The link to astrology, older by far than the Tarot, is obvious in several ways on the card's image. Mainly, the sign of which the moon is the ruler, Cancer, is suggested by the water as well as the crayfish - the element and the original symbol of this Zodiac sign.

The age-old astrology is a primary source to just about every system of symbols and metaphysical thinking. The Major Arcana of the Tarot deck has three cards particularly connected to the components of astrology: the Moon, the Sun, and the Star. The first two are present in any horoscope, whereas the third one can be said to represent the astral perspective as such.

The Sun
The sun brings light and life to our whole planet. It's the source of seemingly endless energy, without which we couldn't exist. The Sun card of the Tarot shows this splendid star of ours, and the abundance it brings. So, it's certainly a fortunate Tarot card, if not the very card of fortune as such.

The image on the Tarot Sun card suggests the sun at its triumphant return at the vernal equinox, maybe also its zenith in the middle of the summer. The vernal equinox was in the past regarded as the start of the new year, because of how the expanding daylight of spring rejuvenates all of nature. That's implied by the child greeting us with open arms, as it rides towards us on the white horse.

The proud sunflowers and the sun's central position, with its strong rays in every direction, suggest summer, too. Midsummer, with the longest day and the shortest night of all the year. The sun at the peak of its power.

The sun is the great nourisher. That's confirmed by the image of the Tarot Sun card. But its force can be terrible if not respected. The sun is pure power, beyond any intent of good or bad. It just is, and all of us reached by its light prosper from it. The sun is a resource that's not spent, no matter how much it's used. Yet, an indifferent one, so it allows itself to be used for whatever purpose. That's not without risk.

The Judgement
The picture on the Tarot Judgement card makes no secret of what judgment it refers to: the Last Judgment, when all the people who ever lived are awakened and sent either to Heaven or to Hell for eternity. Ultimate justice. Sublime reward for the good and terrible punishment for the bad. This moment is also the one of the end of the world as we know it.

The Tarot Judgement (spelled with an archaic e in the middle) card, then, signals the promise of justice being done, eventually. The villains will be revealed and the righteous ones will be rewarded. At a cost.

The World
The World is a place of infinite opportunity, there for the grabbing. You can conquer it and you can lose it.

Many people still don't hesitate, but go for it, happily forgetting about the price until they're handed the bill. Then they realize that they should have hesitated and eaten moderately from the buffet. Although you may at times be offered the world, curb your enthusiasm and ask yourself how much of it you really need.