MAJOR ARCANA

  • The Major Arcana are the first 22 cards of the tarot, the only cards labeled with Roman Numerals AND their official titles. 
  • Each Major Arcana Card represents either a planet in our solar system OR an astrological star constellation
  • The planets represented are Uranus (The Fool), Mercury (the Magician), the Moon (the High Priestess), Venus (the Empress), the Sun, Jupiter (the Wheel of Fortune), Neptune (the Hanged Man),  Mars (the Tower), Pluto (Judgment),  & Saturn (the World)
  • The astrological signs represented are Aries (the Emperor), Taurus (the Hierophant), Gemini (the Lovers), Cancer (the Chariot), Leo (Strength), Virgo (the Hermit), Libra (Justice), Scorpio (Death), Sagittarius (Temperance), Capricorn (the Devil), Aquarius (the Star) & Pisces (the Moon) 
  • In terms of personal & spiritual growth, the Major Arcana is split into two distinct phases of & development
  •  From the Fool to the Hermit, the tarot focuses on relationship with self
  • From Justice to the World, the tarot focuses on relationship with others

THE FOOL TO THE HERMIT:
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

The Fool (Uranus) represents unconscious instability. As individuals we are constantly seeking the truth of who we are. As humans we are in a state of continuous change, ever leaping toward the places, faces & situations that resonate with the newest version of ourselves. This desire for self-discovery can feel like falling into the unknown, but we do so with confidence because understand that wherever we go, there we are, even if its somewhere we've never been. The Fool requires no assurances about where his path leads, for he knows it will no doubt bring him home to himself. 
The Magician (Mercury) represents the swift ways in which we communicate & manipulate energy within ourselves & our reality. On his table, the Magician has all the tools required to master every aspect of life: spiritual (wand), emotional (cup), mental (sword) & physical (pentacle).  This means we communicate with our spirit (actions), our emotions (feelings), our thoughts (words) & our reality (situations). These are all the tools we require to build our lives, & we must be wise enough to 1) master our tools & 2) know when & when NOT to use them. 
The High Priestess (Moon) represents our intuition. She is the voice inside us that makes us know-without-knowing how we know. This isn't magic though, its common sense. The High Priestess is the part of us that remembers every single experience & event of our lives. Even if we've consciously forgotten, our subconscious remembers. This is why the High Priestess has a full moon on her head & a new moon at her feet. From beginning to end, she recognizes every cycle, pattern & mystery of our lives. The book in her lap is where she records our every thought, word, deed & preference. She knows us better than we know ourselves. Therefore when she speaks, we should listen.
The Empress (Venus) represents the creative principle within us. Whatever the Empress thinks about grows, from food, to babies, to nature. She is abundance, fertility, flow, love. Her eternal sunshine reminds us that nature is never stagnant. Life is always in one stage of growth or another; both the desirable & the undesirable. Notice the river to her left flowing through the trees- if we understand that in the tarot, water represents feelings. the river reminds us that tangible reality will manifest in direct correlation & proximity to the course of our emotions.
The Emperor ( Aries) is as austere as the Empress is extravagant. Whereas she is surrounded by lush beauty & fertile ground, his throne rests on the desert floor. It is hot, barren, lonely. The Emperor represents the balance we must employ when manifesting our lives. If we must create we must also know how to destroy. If we must flow we must also have boundaries. If we express, we must also know when to conceal. If we begin, we must also know when to end.
The Hierophant (Taurus) represents the fact that with all the tools we've been given- spirit, emotion, speech, situations, manifestation, control- we are going to need a strong moral code. The High Priest holds us two fingers to remind us that as we travel the paths of life, there will always be duality. There are two sides to everything. We will have to choose. Balance, integrity & perspective will be required so that we don't abandon who we are for what we want.
The Lovers (Gemini) represent the fact that we all have a balance of masculine & feminine energy within us. There are many obstacles that appear on the path that keep us bound & rooted to behaving from one energy or the other; but we must push past our comfort zone of automatic responses in order to become a balanced, well rounded individual.
The Chariot (Cancer) represents our emotional body. The sphinxes pulling the Chariot depict how our emotions (both seen & unseen) are a mystery even to ourselves. We are often pulled forward by feelings we don't understand. Yet it is our responsibility to grow in maturity & logic so that we can harness & direct our own (e)nergy in motion (emotions) so that we can move through emotional blockages that would otherwise keep us stuck & stagnant.
Strength (Leo) depicts our spiritual/ energetic body. We often act impulsively out of anger, ego & pride. Yet with maturity we learn to tame the wildest parts of ourselves so that our inner strength can be used for noble purposes & pure intentions, instead of attacking others.
The Hermit (Virgo) represents inner solitude, wisdom & reflection. The Hermit refuses to turn forward & face others until he has done the inner work of understanding his own soul. Once a person truly understands themselves- their faults, weaknesses, strengths, choices, triggers, behaviors, etc., their self-illumination becomes a shining beacon to others. This is also a person who has grown to view the past in light of themselves & is able to takes personal responsibility for the events of his life.
The Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter) is the hand of fate forcing the Hermit out of seclusion & reflection into opportunities to interact with others from a new perspective. Once we master ourselves, we are given the opportunity to master our relationships.

JUSTICE TO THE WORLD:
​UNDERSTANDING THE OTHERS

Justice (Libra) depicts the fact that all relationships- whether romantic or otherwise- are a balancing act. Life brings us what we need, or requires what we are meant to give- through relationship with others. In this way, we either serve or are served based on what will balance the scales of life.
The Hanged Man (Neptune) shows the purpose of relationships. We unite with others so that we can experience a complete shift in perspective, & grow in our ability to see things from the other side. This energy allows us to pause for a moment & imagine ourselves in another person's circumstances before moving forward with our own selfish desires. This shift in perspective provides illumination; suddenly we understand what we didn't understand.
Death (Scorpio) depicts total transformation. When we experience illumination triggered by a change in perspective, we become forever changed. This process either alters or ends our closest relationships & long-held identities. Suddenly we are different & we must be reintroduced to ourselves & others. This is not a physical death but a death nonetheless, for we can never go back & become the person we used to be. It is natural to feel a sense of loss & want to mourn. Feelings must be allowed to flow.
Temperance (Sagittarius) depicts the inner wisdom that comes from being able to temper our emotions within our present reality. We are grounded & balanced between what is happening/what has happened & how we feel about it. We are able to think highly of the past because it led to the current moment, & we are able to think highly of the current moment (no matter how uncomfortable!) by being kind to ourselves, appreciating our journey & transmuting our lower energies of fear, blame, jealousy & anger into higher energies of faith, acceptance, patience & love.
The Devil (Capricorn) shows what happens when we don't experience Temperance. We become bound & stuck to a reality & identity that feels impossible to change. When we are unable forgive ourselves & others, we remain stuck in the energy of injury, forever bound to either being a victim or villain. Our growth - and the growth of anyone connected to us- becomes stagnant.
The Tower (Mars) represents the raw, primal power of life that flows through us all, whether we desire it to or not. No one is helpless; if we are living, then we are powerful, period. Any other reality is self deception. If we deny & refuse to take responsibility for our personal power in situations, & remain stuck in a state of shame or blame, our internal power is inevitably directed outward. This causes instability & chaos; it can appear again that negative events are happening outside our control, but really its an external manifestation of our inner power that we refuse to deal with internally. If we don't willingly accept responsibility for our own energy, we will be forced through circumstance.
The Star (Aquarius) represents the deep, cleansing, soul healing that takes place after the Tower. This is someone who is healing their idea of themselves; who is finally able to submit to the raw vulnerability of their own pain; who has found comfort in being exposed on a soul level; who accepts responsibility for their emotions; who learns to forgive themself & others.
The Moon (Pisces) represents a person who has experienced the entire spectrum of human emotion, & is ready to push forward through their fear of the unknown to discover what new experiences await. This person is guided by their senses, for all is dark. Clarity & understanding will come later; this is someone who moves through life trusting their instincts, moving at their own speed, with complete faith in their journey trusting that one day, all will be revealed.
The Sun represents the clarity that dawns once a new reality is revealed. A person who makes it through the dark night of the soul feels born again, joyful in the realization that they have been carried & supported by universal love through painful, confusing times, yet they have emerged miraculously on the other side, somehow protected, happy, loved, innocent, new.
Judgment (Pluto) represents the power of life & the transitory nature of death. Nothing lasts forever, not even endings. People who emerge in the Sun, basking in the dawn of a new day, might surprise themselves by reconciling with relationships & situations they once thought impossible. In the absence of fear, blame, shame & anger, only love remains. This card also represents how close we may feel to our ancestors & others who have crossed over once we walk through our own shadow of the valley of death & step into the light.
The World (Saturn) depicts a completely enlightened individual, who has completed a whole cycle of experiences and is ready for a new adventure. The spiritual wisdom this person has achieved is permanent. The blessings they have earned through their trials can never be taken away from them. This is a person who has become their own solid foundation & portal from which their new life & next self will emerge like a butterfly from a chrysalis. This card is a journey come full circle, & a rich reward for a job well done.