#universalwaitetarot

There are two distinct schools of thought surrounding the Major Arcana:

According to one school, we can learn the Majors by grouping the cards thematically. For example, THE HIGH PRIESTESS, THE MOON, DEATH and JUDGEMENT all speak to “Underworld” themes of intuition, the subconscious mind, and “shadow work.” If we understand these cards to represent higher-order life lessons that spur us on to evolve, then these experiences can happen in any particular order. Undergoing the lessons of the High Priestess one day, does not mean that the following day will bring an “EMPRESS” experience.

For other readers, however, the Majors build off of one another, and are best understood in their numerical sequence. When we place the cards in numerical order and arrange them in 3 rows of 7, a clear story of our psycho-spritual evolution emerges…

Row 1 from THE MAGICIAN to THE CHARIOT represents the development of the ego and how we construct our identities in relationship to the environment. Think of the “training” a young child undergoes to learn what it means to be a productive adult.

Row 2 from STRENGTH to TEMPERANCE represents the point in which we realize that there there is more to life than living up to the expectations of society. We feel a yearning to turn inwards and discover who we are beyond the roles that we have constructed for ourselves.

Row 3 from THE DEVIL to THE WORLD represents the point at which we turn away from ourselves to merge with the collective. We are no longer concerned with knowing who we really are on the inside, but with knowing our place in the grander scheme of the cosmos.

THE FOOL we can understand as the individual soul fragment who has incarnated into his or her “meatsuit” to undergo the lessons of the human experience. He grows as he enters the doorway of each Major Arcana card.

What approach do you prefer when it comes to learning the Majors? Does it help you to understand these cards as part of a sequence, or as independent life experiences that can happen in any given order?

TAROT TIP: As the Gateway Card to THE MOON, THE HIGH PRIESTESS tests our ability to still our minds.

Two days ago I mentioned the concept of “Gateway Cards.” There are three cards that feature a figure sitting between two pillars: The High Priestess, The Hierophant, and Justice. These cards signify an “initiation,” in which we are called on to undergo a test. If passed, these cards allow us to access new information. Integrating the lessons of the Gateway Cards brings a shift in consciousness that enables us to move onto the next stage in our journeys.

The imagery of The High Priestess shows a scene of quiet receptivity. On her head lies the lunar “Crown of Isis,” symbolic of the “Mother, Maiden, Crone” phases of womanhood, and at her feet sits a crescent moon. She sits in front of a veil, behind which we see a vast body of water, a symbol of the subconscious.

The High Priestess serves the Gateway Card to The Moon, which represents the realm of emotion, imagination, and our shadows. In The Moon, we confront the parts of ourselves that we keep hidden away because it’s not easy to see what’s there. On the one hand, this is the side of ourselves that we do not like. Here is where our deepest fears lie. Here is where we struggle with our most frightening demons. On the other hand, The Moon is the wellspring from which all our creativity springs forth. It is here where we imagine the things that we want to bring into our realities.

Before we get to that point, we must first learn how to be still with ourselves. The High Priestess teaches us that there is real value in doing nothing. To her, we must prove ourselves able to disengage from daily responsibilities. Take some time off work, and go somewhere where you can get away from everything to be on your own. Cut off the monkey chatter of the mind through meditation, and go deep within yourself. This is easier for some people than it is for others. Regardless, this is the entry point that we must pass before we can truly know ourselves.