Tarot 101~
Major Arcana I-X
Remember to keep note of how you feel about the cards (i.e. if you like them or not).
Please only scroll down once you’ve done this!
Major Arcana I – The Magician
~You’ve jumped through, and you’ve landed in another realm. In front of you is a table.~
If you look closely, the four suits are on the table (wands, cups, swords, and pentacles).
You have everything you need to succeed in life right in front of you. All you have to do is pick up the tools.
This is the card of focus.
Do not waste your energy on meaningless things, like jealousy… Focus your energy. Take the tools. Move on.
~Once you’ve got your focus, you move to the next realm… Which you can do, now, since you have all the tools you need.~
Major Arcana II – The High Priestess
(she’s a couple with the magician btw)
This is the card of knowledge, both classical knowledge and spirituality.
Notice all the the symbolism around her:
The moon (Wicca)
The crescent (Islam)
The cross (Christianity)
The Torah (Judaism)
The headdress (Egyptian mythology)
And, one that most people will gloss over… The embroidery on the veil behind her is shaped in the Kabbalah’s tree of life… As are the two columns on each side of her. (not super important rn, this isn’t a class on Kabbalah ha)
Now, the other thing that is super important to notice… She doesn’t seem to be in movement, is she? She is still – almost statuesque.
This is also the card of stillness.
She asks us to stop spiraling, to go still and to collect knowledge before acting and reacting. It is not easy. At all. But once we do this? Then we can keep growing.
She also requires us to go inside… And when we start looking, we realize how little there is outside. The way we see the world is just that, the way WE see the world. It’s all projection. If we were completely objective, there would be no pain. Things would just… BE. We are human, though, and whilst we can never be the High Priestess, we can try and emulate her more – to find the balance.
Major Arcana III – The Empress
The Mother.
She can be nurturing, giving… But she can also be choking, smothering.
Just like how cushions can be comfortable, they can be too soft and suffocate you. Depending on your question, you might want to try and relax more, or notice that you’ve relaxed too much.
You must find the balance between her and her husband…
Major Arcana IV – The Emperor
The Father.
Look at his throne, and how different it is from the Empress’ cushions. His is cold, rigid, uncomfortable.
He is the representation of discipline, making decisions, and logic. This is not a bad card, despite what most people see it to be. Just like the Empress’ comfort, in small doses, this is necessary to life. Too much of it, and we suffer.
ONE IS NOT BETTER THAN THE OTHER.
You need both in order to live a fulfilling life. You must develop the one that is harder for you – balance is key.
Major Arcana V – The Hierophant
(N.B. ALL 5 CARDS ARE TRICKY!!!! I will post about numerology at the end… also, hierophant means some kind of priest/pope~)
Notice the main character, who holds power and truth. Notice now, that there are two monks kneeling before him. Are they listening to the authority? Or looking at the keys on his throne and preparing to take them and leave to listen to their own voice?
…Or are you the Hierophant himself, believing that you are always right?
Usually, Tarot asks for introspection, to look within yourself for answers, but this is the one card that screams: “look outside. Look at your environment.”
I know that the different interpretations are tricky, but it all depends on your questions when you finally get to spreads. When we get there at the end of this course, you can definitely ask questions as to what the HECK he means.
Major Arcana VI – The Lovers
Whilst the man is admiring the woman’s body (passion, also represented by the tree on fire behind him), she is looking up at the heavens. ~Only through your “feminine” (your open, intuitive side) can you achieve ascension.
SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE
Pixie and Waite did not believe in the binary social coding of gender as is still perpetuated in most Western societies. They believed that, as we in the universe are all made of the same things, and therefore are one, there was no gender. However, they represented different facets of humanity by the binary, female and male, yin and yang, etc.
This is the inner marriage card.
You have to access ALL of these parts of you to move on in life, to grow.
P.S. if you pick this card in any spread, you should immediately pick out two other cards and ask “which two parts of me aren’t getting along?”
Major Arcana VII – The Chariot
Pay attention to this card. Really look at it. What’s wrong with this picture?
The “chariot” doesn’t seem to be moving, does it? There are no reins, no wheels, and it seems to be made of a block of concrete. The sphinxes also seem to be pointed in two different directions.
This is the card of will, of alignment.
No matter how difficult, you CAN make that chariot move. Align all the parts of you (sphinxes represent the “male” and “female” again), and WILL the chariot into moving.
If there’s a will, there’s a way – but, if you fall out of alignment, you will stay stagnant.
Major Arcana VIII – Strength
Look at the woman and the lion. Whilst lions are traditionally represented as strength….. who really seems to be in control here?
She is. Strength does NOT equal force.
This is the card of “gentle” strength.
The lion has also traditionally been used to represent one’s Shadow, and gentle strength is the only way you can learn what it is and how to overcome it. If you attack the parts of yourself that you hate, your Shadow only becomes stronger. TAME your Shadow, just how she is taming the lion.
Only then can you become Master of your path.
Major Arcana IX – The Hermit
What’s different about this one?
It’s all grey – very different from the previous cards.
Alone (but not lonely) stands this man on top of a mountain (knowledge). He hold a stick, which represents endurance, patience, and resilience.
The is the card of looking inside oneself.
The issue that you are facing has nothing to do with the outside, with your environment. You have a wound, and you must find it.
Only then can you heal and see with more clarity and objectivity what is actually going on outside.
Major Arcana X – Wheel of Fortune
Disclaimer: one of the hardest cards in the deck to undedrstand, so please don’t feel bad if you don’t really get it. This is tarot ~101~ after all.
Imagine this wheel being your life. This wheel, just like life, keeps turning, no matter what you try and do. You have no choice.
Or do you?
If you stand on the outside, it can, and will, crush you. But, you can make the conscious decision to stand on the inside of the wheel – and at the very center, is stillness.
This is the card of reactions.
When you are on the outside, you react to everything. You get hurt easily, and you blame the wheel.
But you can control how you react – not everything has to hurt as much. Step inside the wheel, and you will see that what’s on the outside doesn’t really matter.
If you have a deck on hand, I would suggest doing your first pull with the first eleven (11) cards – ask the cards what you should be paying attention to as you shuffle, and pull. If it’s reversed, flip it back upright for now: again, this is Tarot 101.
[beginning | next: major arcana xi-xxi]
