The Fool
0 (or unnumbered) spirit
The Fool is innocent and simple. He blithely steps towards the cliff edge, not looking where he is going, living in the moment, and trusting in a benign universe (represented by a shining sun in a golden, cloudless sky).
Zero is the number of God, the Alpha and the Omega: the circle has no beginning and no end. The Fool has the innocence of pure divinity, an observer with no direct experience of Earthly life. His naivety may lead him towards peril, but his innocence, simplicity, and faith will protect him.
As the unnumbered card, the Fool is the wild card, the Joker, the Trickster. He is always at hand, at every fateful moment. He observes, doing nothing himself. He can occur anywhere, and his appearance alters the nature of everything. He is the end of things, and the beginning - in this way he connects the last card of The Major Arcana, The World, with the first numbered card, The Magician. He is unexpected. He is fate. He is the shaman entranced with the wonders of the ....(more)
0 (or unnumbered) spiritThe Fool is innocent and simple. He blithely steps towards the cliff edge, not looking where he is going, living in the moment, and trusting in a benign universe (represented by a shining sun in a golden, cloudless sky).
Zero is the number of God, the Alpha and the Omega: the circle has no beginning and no end. The Fool has the innocence of pure divinity, an observer with no direct experience of Earthly life. His naivety may lead him towards peril, but his innocence, simplicity, and faith will protect him.
As the unnumbered card, the Fool is the wild card, the Joker, the Trickster. He is always at hand, at every fateful moment. He observes, doing nothing himself. He can occur anywhere, and his appearance alters the nature of everything. He is the end of things, and the beginning - in this way he connects the last card of The Major Arcana, The World, with the first numbered card, The Magician. He is unexpected. He is fate. He is the shaman entranced with the wonders of the ....(more)
The Magician
1 fire
One is symbolic of the erect phallus, and thus the active principle, but The Magician is a spiritual being. The infinity symbol above his head indicates spiritual understanding and power. His wand reaches to the heavens and conducts divine energy to Earth. He is the Grand Conductor, turning darkness (ignorance, fear) into light (wisdom, spiritual power).
He also represents Thoth (or Tehuti), the Egyptian God of writing, a.k.a. Hermes Trismegistos (thrice-great Hermes), the Greek god of all knowledge and the inventor of writing.
He is the source of all knowledge, and on a more mundane level he also represents the seeker of wisdom. ....(more)
1 fireOne is symbolic of the erect phallus, and thus the active principle, but The Magician is a spiritual being. The infinity symbol above his head indicates spiritual understanding and power. His wand reaches to the heavens and conducts divine energy to Earth. He is the Grand Conductor, turning darkness (ignorance, fear) into light (wisdom, spiritual power).
He also represents Thoth (or Tehuti), the Egyptian God of writing, a.k.a. Hermes Trismegistos (thrice-great Hermes), the Greek god of all knowledge and the inventor of writing.
He is the source of all knowledge, and on a more mundane level he also represents the seeker of wisdom. ....(more)
The High Priestess
2 water
She is Sister Moon.
The High Priestess has occult (hidden) knowledge, and intuitive understanding, and the power and inspiration that comes from this.
She is Isis, Juno or Hera, the Queen of Heaven. ....(more)
2 waterShe is Sister Moon.
The High Priestess has occult (hidden) knowledge, and intuitive understanding, and the power and inspiration that comes from this.
She is Isis, Juno or Hera, the Queen of Heaven. ....(more)
The Empress
3 earth
The Empress is the archetypal mother.
While The High Priestess represents the intellectual aspect of the feminine principal, the Empress is motherhood, the physical, earthy body of woman, warm, yielding and maternal. In place of the hidden wisdom of the previous card, she offers human understanding and generous sensuality.
She is Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Gaia, beauty and happiness, but perhaps with a hint of over-ripeness, even decadence. Deprived of the fire of intellect, she may sink into luxurious idleness, mothered by the richness that she herself has engendered. ....(more)
3 earthThe Empress is the archetypal mother.
While The High Priestess represents the intellectual aspect of the feminine principal, the Empress is motherhood, the physical, earthy body of woman, warm, yielding and maternal. In place of the hidden wisdom of the previous card, she offers human understanding and generous sensuality.
She is Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Gaia, beauty and happiness, but perhaps with a hint of over-ripeness, even decadence. Deprived of the fire of intellect, she may sink into luxurious idleness, mothered by the richness that she herself has engendered. ....(more)
The Emperor
4 air
The Emperor is the archetypal father. He represents temporal power, fatherly protection, strength and leadership, authority, and administration.
On a higher level, he represents the principal of everlasting life; the breath that God breathed into the clay when he made man; the divine inspiration that causes some to rise above the rest; the spirit of renewal; the idea of persistance in the face of continuing opposition.
He is the archetypal father figure, the counterpart of The Empress, masculine as she is feminine, independent as she is all-embracing, creative as she is interpretive. ....(more)
4 airThe Emperor is the archetypal father. He represents temporal power, fatherly protection, strength and leadership, authority, and administration.
On a higher level, he represents the principal of everlasting life; the breath that God breathed into the clay when he made man; the divine inspiration that causes some to rise above the rest; the spirit of renewal; the idea of persistance in the face of continuing opposition.
He is the archetypal father figure, the counterpart of The Empress, masculine as she is feminine, independent as she is all-embracing, creative as she is interpretive. ....(more)
The Hierophant
5
The Hierophant represents formal education, religion and hierarchical structure (control).
He holds the keys to knowledge, redemption and spiritual healing, and he represents natural law and justice. He is advisor, confessor, and confidant, but also represents the repressive aspects of a too rigid orthodoxy.
upright:
5The Hierophant represents formal education, religion and hierarchical structure (control).
He holds the keys to knowledge, redemption and spiritual healing, and he represents natural law and justice. He is advisor, confessor, and confidant, but also represents the repressive aspects of a too rigid orthodoxy.
upright: - conventionality
The Lovers
6
The Lovers represent choice, relationships, conflicts.
The lovers have undoubtedly chosen one another, but while he looks at her (passion, pleasure), she looks to the archangel (conscience, wisdom).
The outcome of the choice is decision, followed by commitment. It demands an end to vacillation, but also emphasises the difficulty of making the correct decision. ....(more)
6The Lovers represent choice, relationships, conflicts.
The lovers have undoubtedly chosen one another, but while he looks at her (passion, pleasure), she looks to the archangel (conscience, wisdom).
The outcome of the choice is decision, followed by commitment. It demands an end to vacillation, but also emphasises the difficulty of making the correct decision. ....(more)
The Chariot
7
Sometimes called Mastery or The Chariot of the Sun, The Chariot symbolises triumph of will, achievement, success, ultimate victory, and not only in a material but also a spiritual sense. The charioteer controls the spiritual horses (sphynxes) with his reins (willpower, symbolised by the wand). He rides in victory, a symbol of dominion and success. But one horse wants to go to the left, and the other wants to go to the right: the balance that has been attained through force of will is precarious. A moment's inattention and the Chariot may be overturned, and what began in triumph will end in defeat, perhaps in spiritual destruction.
This is the war-chariot of Mars, the Indian juggernaut, clearing everyone before it, or crushing them beneath its' wheels. Also the fiery chariot of Ezekiel's vision, the merkabah or Throne Chariot of God that Jewish mystics believed they could attain in trance.
On a more mundane level, The Chariot can represent essential or important progress or trave ....(more)
7Sometimes called Mastery or The Chariot of the Sun, The Chariot symbolises triumph of will, achievement, success, ultimate victory, and not only in a material but also a spiritual sense. The charioteer controls the spiritual horses (sphynxes) with his reins (willpower, symbolised by the wand). He rides in victory, a symbol of dominion and success. But one horse wants to go to the left, and the other wants to go to the right: the balance that has been attained through force of will is precarious. A moment's inattention and the Chariot may be overturned, and what began in triumph will end in defeat, perhaps in spiritual destruction.
This is the war-chariot of Mars, the Indian juggernaut, clearing everyone before it, or crushing them beneath its' wheels. Also the fiery chariot of Ezekiel's vision, the merkabah or Throne Chariot of God that Jewish mystics believed they could attain in trance.
On a more mundane level, The Chariot can represent essential or important progress or trave ....(more)
Strength
8
The spiritual maiden effortlessly tames the lion through the gentle power of purity and the love and compassion it generates. This is beauty taming the beast. Her purity (simplicity and virginity) is symbolised by her white clothes and the flowers she is garlanded with. The infinity symbol above his head indicates spiritual understanding and power.
upright:
8 The spiritual maiden effortlessly tames the lion through the gentle power of purity and the love and compassion it generates. This is beauty taming the beast. Her purity (simplicity and virginity) is symbolised by her white clothes and the flowers she is garlanded with. The infinity symbol above his head indicates spiritual understanding and power.
upright: - triumph through purity and the spiritual strength it confers
- conquering the beast within
- faith in one's own powers
The Hermit
9
This wise old man slowly walks the path towards greater truth. His lamp, into which he gazes, represents the inner light. The truth is found within, in contemplation and introversion.
It is as if he is the Fool nearing the end of his journey, now wise from many experiences, and no longer reliant on external help, but learning to find true spiritual strength from within the self.
The Hermit usually represents spiritual growth form working on the self, but can also indicate struggle in attaining (or applying) knowledge and wisdom, and at a more mundane level a tendency to escape from the responsibilities of everyday life. ....(more)
9This wise old man slowly walks the path towards greater truth. His lamp, into which he gazes, represents the inner light. The truth is found within, in contemplation and introversion.
It is as if he is the Fool nearing the end of his journey, now wise from many experiences, and no longer reliant on external help, but learning to find true spiritual strength from within the self.
The Hermit usually represents spiritual growth form working on the self, but can also indicate struggle in attaining (or applying) knowledge and wisdom, and at a more mundane level a tendency to escape from the responsibilities of everyday life. ....(more)
The Wheel Of Fortune
10 (reduces to 1)
The Wheel of Fortune is the Wheel of Karma, the law of cause and effect, which always brings change. The wheel represents the zodiac, and the natural cycles of the moon, the sun, and nature (regeneration: birth, copulation, death). It also represents the circular transformation from one to another of The four elements, represented here by four angelic archetypes: man (Aquarius, fixed air), eagle (Scorpio, fixed water), lion (Leo, fixed fire), and bull (Taurus, fixed earth).
The Wheel signifies change - all the ups and downs of life - and the ability to accept it, whether good or bad. It reminds us that few changes are permanent and irreversible - sooner or later an upward swing of fortune is followed by a fall, or vice versa. The wheels of destiny turn slowly but they always turn full circle in the end.
upright:
10 (reduces to 1)The Wheel of Fortune is the Wheel of Karma, the law of cause and effect, which always brings change. The wheel represents the zodiac, and the natural cycles of the moon, the sun, and nature (regeneration: birth, copulation, death). It also represents the circular transformation from one to another of The four elements, represented here by four angelic archetypes: man (Aquarius, fixed air), eagle (Scorpio, fixed water), lion (Leo, fixed fire), and bull (Taurus, fixed earth).
The Wheel signifies change - all the ups and downs of life - and the ability to accept it, whether good or bad. It reminds us that few changes are permanent and irreversible - sooner or later an upward swing of fortune is followed by a fall, or vice versa. The wheels of destiny turn slowly but they always turn full circle in the end.
upright: - karma
Justice
11 (reduces to 2)
Justice holds the sword of truth, representing fairness, and the scales of balance: everything must have its opposite, and each side must be equal within and without. While The Wheel Of Fortune represents the cyclical flow of actions (karma) and their results (karmic return), Justice represents the Law of Karma that lies behind that cycle, and the inherent fairness and balance of this cosmic law.
Justice is traditionally identified with Themis, the Greek Goddess of justice and good advice, who is shown blindfolded, to indicate that law does not discriminate but applies to weak and powerful alike. But that is social justice, represented in the tarot by The Emperor. Here there is no blindfold - we are concerned with psychic and cosmic justice, by which we advance according to our ability to understand the past, and to see the truth about ourselves and about life. Through inner wisdom (The Hermit) we learn that we get what we give, and to accept responsibility for what happens to us ....(more)
11 (reduces to 2)Justice holds the sword of truth, representing fairness, and the scales of balance: everything must have its opposite, and each side must be equal within and without. While The Wheel Of Fortune represents the cyclical flow of actions (karma) and their results (karmic return), Justice represents the Law of Karma that lies behind that cycle, and the inherent fairness and balance of this cosmic law.
Justice is traditionally identified with Themis, the Greek Goddess of justice and good advice, who is shown blindfolded, to indicate that law does not discriminate but applies to weak and powerful alike. But that is social justice, represented in the tarot by The Emperor. Here there is no blindfold - we are concerned with psychic and cosmic justice, by which we advance according to our ability to understand the past, and to see the truth about ourselves and about life. Through inner wisdom (The Hermit) we learn that we get what we give, and to accept responsibility for what happens to us ....(more)
The Hanged Man
12 (reduces to 3)
The Hanged Man is suspended and at peace. His legs form a cross - this is the cosmic cross of inner and outer reality being in balance. He is comfortable and at peace, accepting his fate. His halo is of radiant inner light - he has found that for which The Hermit sought - and he is enlightened and illuminated.
He symbolises surrender of the ego to the inner (higher) self; the need for pause, for purification, and for self awareness; the ability to face change bravely with no fear. He has knowledge of the future, and understanding of the past.
On a more mundane level, he can indicate sudden, violent change, which (unlike the slow turning change of The Wheel Of Fortune) demands sacrifice, or surrender and acceptance. ....(more)
12 (reduces to 3)The Hanged Man is suspended and at peace. His legs form a cross - this is the cosmic cross of inner and outer reality being in balance. He is comfortable and at peace, accepting his fate. His halo is of radiant inner light - he has found that for which The Hermit sought - and he is enlightened and illuminated.
He symbolises surrender of the ego to the inner (higher) self; the need for pause, for purification, and for self awareness; the ability to face change bravely with no fear. He has knowledge of the future, and understanding of the past.
On a more mundane level, he can indicate sudden, violent change, which (unlike the slow turning change of The Wheel Of Fortune) demands sacrifice, or surrender and acceptance. ....(more)
Death
13 (reduces to 4)
The skeleton of Death rides his white horse over the corpses on the battlefield. The living skeleton implies that eternity triumphs over the transitory. Beyond the land of the dead, across the river, past the twin towers of separation, the sun shines over a distant city - a new era beckons. Through death we feel the radiant power of life.
Death means transformation through ordeal to rebirth. While death takes away, he also restores. Every conclusion is also a new start. "When one door closes, another one opens".
Number 13, unlucky for some! Death is The Great Leveler - it comes to kings and commoners alike. Death exposes the vanity of worldly wealth and position. The traditional scythe of The Grim Reaper is the scythe of Saturn and Time - it cuts away the "dead wood" in our lives. Without death to clear away the old, nothing new could find a place in the world. ....(more)
13 (reduces to 4)The skeleton of Death rides his white horse over the corpses on the battlefield. The living skeleton implies that eternity triumphs over the transitory. Beyond the land of the dead, across the river, past the twin towers of separation, the sun shines over a distant city - a new era beckons. Through death we feel the radiant power of life.
Death means transformation through ordeal to rebirth. While death takes away, he also restores. Every conclusion is also a new start. "When one door closes, another one opens".
Number 13, unlucky for some! Death is The Great Leveler - it comes to kings and commoners alike. Death exposes the vanity of worldly wealth and position. The traditional scythe of The Grim Reaper is the scythe of Saturn and Time - it cuts away the "dead wood" in our lives. Without death to clear away the old, nothing new could find a place in the world. ....(more)
Temperance
14 (reduces to 5)
With restraint and accuracy, the angel of Temperance stands balanced with one foot on earth (real life) and the other in the water (the unconscious), and properly mixes the contents of her two cups.
Temperance is not about abstinence, but about careful combination.
The distant road represents return to the outer world. Along this road, two mountains replace the two pillars from Death, and earlier cards Justice, The Hierophant, and The High Priestess. This shows that abstract ideas are becoming reality. ....(more)
14 (reduces to 5)With restraint and accuracy, the angel of Temperance stands balanced with one foot on earth (real life) and the other in the water (the unconscious), and properly mixes the contents of her two cups.
Temperance is not about abstinence, but about careful combination.
The distant road represents return to the outer world. Along this road, two mountains replace the two pillars from Death, and earlier cards Justice, The Hierophant, and The High Priestess. This shows that abstract ideas are becoming reality. ....(more)
The Devil
15 (reduces to 6)
The Devil represents Maya, the illusory world of the senses, and thus materialism, and bondage to that. His posture, one hand up, one down, is like The Magician but while The Magician's wand points to heaven, bringing down spiritual power, the Devil's torch points to Earth, signifying the belief that nothing exists beyond the material. His upward palm has the astrological glyph of Saturn, representing limitations, weaknesses and restrictions. The reversed pentacle on his forehead, a symbol of black magic, points Earthwards - this symbolises letting your desires overcome your judgement. His torch inflames the man's tail, - this is the destructive and overpowering fire of lust.
The denial of the spiritual realities of life keeps us chained in a dark restrictive hellish world. His victims are chained, but not securely - they could remove their chains - their enslavement is voluntary. They do not look miserable, and do not try to escape from the bondage of materiali ....(more)
15 (reduces to 6)The Devil represents Maya, the illusory world of the senses, and thus materialism, and bondage to that. His posture, one hand up, one down, is like The Magician but while The Magician's wand points to heaven, bringing down spiritual power, the Devil's torch points to Earth, signifying the belief that nothing exists beyond the material. His upward palm has the astrological glyph of Saturn, representing limitations, weaknesses and restrictions. The reversed pentacle on his forehead, a symbol of black magic, points Earthwards - this symbolises letting your desires overcome your judgement. His torch inflames the man's tail, - this is the destructive and overpowering fire of lust.
The denial of the spiritual realities of life keeps us chained in a dark restrictive hellish world. His victims are chained, but not securely - they could remove their chains - their enslavement is voluntary. They do not look miserable, and do not try to escape from the bondage of materiali ....(more)
The Tower
16 (reduces to 7)
A bolt of lightning from the heavens destroys the tower and sets it on fire, sending the inhabitants tumbling to their end. This symbolises that the burning flame of divine inspiration must be received with humility lest it should destroy.
The Tower recalls the medieval tumbling of temples and alters, and the destruction of the Tower of Babel. It represents the shattering of established things, both inner and outer. It indicates a move towards illumination - that which no longer serves a purpose is destroyed to make way for a new foundation.
upright:
16 (reduces to 7)A bolt of lightning from the heavens destroys the tower and sets it on fire, sending the inhabitants tumbling to their end. This symbolises that the burning flame of divine inspiration must be received with humility lest it should destroy.
The Tower recalls the medieval tumbling of temples and alters, and the destruction of the Tower of Babel. It represents the shattering of established things, both inner and outer. It indicates a move towards illumination - that which no longer serves a purpose is destroyed to make way for a new foundation.
upright:- destruction of that which is no longer useful
The Star
17 (reduces to 8)
After the darkness of The Devil and the upheaval of The Tower, The Star brings light, serenity, hope, and a promise of pleasure or salvation. This is the calm and healing after the storm.
Symbol of all the planets and stars beyond the sun and moon, we see Venus (or Aphrodite), the goddess of the waters of rebirth flowing from "behind the region of the summer stars", the "source of the dew that falls from heaven just before the dawn". The bird represents the soul. The pitchers represent the bath of rejuvenation: the fountain that stood at the heart of paradise and fed the rivers of the world. One pours on land, indicating the outward world, and the other in the waters of the inner world (now brought into consciousness through the rending of The Tower).
This goddess is very reminiscent of the angel of Temperance. Both cards come after a crisis, but while the angel is controlled, the Goddess is free - while the angel is clothed in white, the goddess is naked - while the an ....(more)
17 (reduces to 8)After the darkness of The Devil and the upheaval of The Tower, The Star brings light, serenity, hope, and a promise of pleasure or salvation. This is the calm and healing after the storm.
Symbol of all the planets and stars beyond the sun and moon, we see Venus (or Aphrodite), the goddess of the waters of rebirth flowing from "behind the region of the summer stars", the "source of the dew that falls from heaven just before the dawn". The bird represents the soul. The pitchers represent the bath of rejuvenation: the fountain that stood at the heart of paradise and fed the rivers of the world. One pours on land, indicating the outward world, and the other in the waters of the inner world (now brought into consciousness through the rending of The Tower).
This goddess is very reminiscent of the angel of Temperance. Both cards come after a crisis, but while the angel is controlled, the Goddess is free - while the angel is clothed in white, the goddess is naked - while the an ....(more)
The Moon
18 (reduces to 9)
The Moon is the imagination, giving shape, in visions, myths, and images, to the energy of the unconscious. Unlike The Star or The Sun, which radiate their own light, The Moon's light is a reflection. She is like a mirror - she can allow clear sight or distort our vision.
The Star transformed darkness into light, and provided hope. To use that light, and to realise that hope, we must navigate through the distortions and fear produced by the unconscious psyche. The Star stirred up the waters - as we return to outer awareness these waters give forth their monsters and madness, their "lunacy".
The towers of abstract polarity have returned to the picture, and the dog and the wolf represent the "animal self", aroused to howling by the moon. The crayfish represents even deeper horrors - "that which lies deeper than the savage beast" - now emerging from the depths of the unconscious, represented here by the water. These are the monsters encountered by intense meditato ....(more)
18 (reduces to 9)The Moon is the imagination, giving shape, in visions, myths, and images, to the energy of the unconscious. Unlike The Star or The Sun, which radiate their own light, The Moon's light is a reflection. She is like a mirror - she can allow clear sight or distort our vision.
The Star transformed darkness into light, and provided hope. To use that light, and to realise that hope, we must navigate through the distortions and fear produced by the unconscious psyche. The Star stirred up the waters - as we return to outer awareness these waters give forth their monsters and madness, their "lunacy".
The towers of abstract polarity have returned to the picture, and the dog and the wolf represent the "animal self", aroused to howling by the moon. The crayfish represents even deeper horrors - "that which lies deeper than the savage beast" - now emerging from the depths of the unconscious, represented here by the water. These are the monsters encountered by intense meditato ....(more)
The Sun
19 (reduces to 10 then 1)
The Sun represents everything good under the sun, the source of all life, light, warmth, nourishment. The Sun brings illumination and success to all who accept challenges, and promises further rewards in the future.
The Sun is the bright, active, and energetic counterpart to the dark and passive surrender of The Moon. Under The Sun, everything becomes simple, joyous, and physical.
Enlightenment is an experience, not an idea. You feel struck by a burst of light. Suddenly the world is seen and felt as spiritual and eternal, rather than a day to day existence of drudgery and confusion. You feel totally alive, with a childlike joy, but without the child's fear of darkness. You feel wise, and you see everything with total clarity, You are lucid, filled with light. You see every person, every animal, plants, rocks, even the air, as alive and holy, united through the light that fills all existence. You are optimistic, energetic, and filled with wonder ....(more)
19 (reduces to 10 then 1)The Sun represents everything good under the sun, the source of all life, light, warmth, nourishment. The Sun brings illumination and success to all who accept challenges, and promises further rewards in the future.
The Sun is the bright, active, and energetic counterpart to the dark and passive surrender of The Moon. Under The Sun, everything becomes simple, joyous, and physical.
Enlightenment is an experience, not an idea. You feel struck by a burst of light. Suddenly the world is seen and felt as spiritual and eternal, rather than a day to day existence of drudgery and confusion. You feel totally alive, with a childlike joy, but without the child's fear of darkness. You feel wise, and you see everything with total clarity, You are lucid, filled with light. You see every person, every animal, plants, rocks, even the air, as alive and holy, united through the light that fills all existence. You are optimistic, energetic, and filled with wonder ....(more)
Judgement
20 (reduces to 2, see also 11)
Judgement is about rapture, the ascent to heavenly existence. The angel blows her horn and we rise from our earthbound "graves". Here we shed our bodies of skin and bones, and ascend to unite with the divine, in our perfect bodies of light.
While Death concerned spiritual rebirth - the ego handing over to the soul - Judgement concerns physical death, and the resulting "Dharam Raj", or "Judgement Day", when all outstanding karmic debts are settled. To the enlightened being, the child of the sun, who has traveled the whole journey through The Major Arcana, this is a formality, as their karma has long been settled: from The Hanged Man onwards, they understood the process, and were led through many changes, during which all karmic balances were settled, in life experiences and scenes.
For the less enlightened, Judgement means reliving your every mistake and selfish action from the point of view of those who suffered from it. In this way aton ....(more)
20 (reduces to 2, see also 11)Judgement is about rapture, the ascent to heavenly existence. The angel blows her horn and we rise from our earthbound "graves". Here we shed our bodies of skin and bones, and ascend to unite with the divine, in our perfect bodies of light.
While Death concerned spiritual rebirth - the ego handing over to the soul - Judgement concerns physical death, and the resulting "Dharam Raj", or "Judgement Day", when all outstanding karmic debts are settled. To the enlightened being, the child of the sun, who has traveled the whole journey through The Major Arcana, this is a formality, as their karma has long been settled: from The Hanged Man onwards, they understood the process, and were led through many changes, during which all karmic balances were settled, in life experiences and scenes.
For the less enlightened, Judgement means reliving your every mistake and selfish action from the point of view of those who suffered from it. In this way aton ....(more)
The World
21 (reduces to 3, see also 12)
The World indicates the end of one major cycle of life, and the beginning of the next. It represents understanding, freedom, and rapture beyond words, perfect balance between the material world and the interpenetrated spiritual world.
This completion, perfection, and balance, of The World is depicted as an ecstatic dance of being, the Word Dancer - this is Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. The Lord of the Cosmic Dance. True unity lies in movement - everything in the universe moves.
We have come full circle from The Fool, but where the lightness and joy of the dancing fool came from innocence, the World Dancer is all knowing. These are the only two characters in The Major Arcana which are moving. ....(more)
21 (reduces to 3, see also 12)The World indicates the end of one major cycle of life, and the beginning of the next. It represents understanding, freedom, and rapture beyond words, perfect balance between the material world and the interpenetrated spiritual world.
This completion, perfection, and balance, of The World is depicted as an ecstatic dance of being, the Word Dancer - this is Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. The Lord of the Cosmic Dance. True unity lies in movement - everything in the universe moves.
We have come full circle from The Fool, but where the lightness and joy of the dancing fool came from innocence, the World Dancer is all knowing. These are the only two characters in The Major Arcana which are moving. ....(more)