Inner Revealings Tarot

Tarot Thursday: The Magus/Magician part 2 (my homework)

This card has really hit me.  I had a fairly clear idea of what I would share last week about this card.  I sat with it in a meditation, pulled out my notes to get my thoughts together and then BAM!  The thing is that I lack the words to really share with you what is going on with me clearly.

I have been in a deep practice since Winter Solstice.  And after doing this work for over 4 months now, I literally feel that there is a physical, spiritual, mental transmutation.  And there have been layers, some very clear and tangible and some incredibly illusive and frustrating.  When it came time to prepare for writing about the Magus, all of a sudden all of the keys to unlocking specific doors within me began to leap out at me.  What I understood about this card before, somehow coalesced with all this other information that I had stored, but never integrated with this card.

So ideas and notions about manifestation, chakras, alchemy, individuation, mastery, command, and power are swirling around in me and all I seem to want to do is chant more and draw more.  Its as if  the program is still downloading into my being.  I know this sounds crazy, but what happened with I began pulling information together to write about the Magus was in many ways an answered plea for deeper movement.  And now... I'm still in it.  Coming here and trying to deliver this card to you in a neat package feels completely impossible.

We are only on the second card!!!!  Can you imagine what the rest of this will be like???

And I suppose in some ways this is a Tarot Thursday lesson in and of it self.  These cards are keys.  Keys to unlocking a treasure trove within ourselves.  And also keys that let us into the repository of truth that is the collective unconscious.  They are not just for telling the future you know!  :) 

So in an effort to try and bring together a bit of what is going on with me, I will write this:

I know that the alchemical formulas to turning metals into gold are in me.   I know that the ability to conjure, manifest, make real, bring forth and birth have always been in me, and have already been used by me throughout my life.  I know that the reason I felt unable to access these alchemical formulas in the last couple of years has been about me hitting up against a deeper wall that wants to be transformed.  A wall that has required me to make different choices and commitments about the type of internal work I am willing to do.  I know that this card is trying to reconnect me with the miracle of magic that I hold within me.  I open and allow this to come forth.

Things have been quiet round here.  And I have been terrible about returning emails and responding to comments.  This next week will open up a bit more for me, and I look forward to checking out how you are all doing.

Blessings.

Tarot Thursday: The Magus/Magician part 1

Personal note:  Ah my friends...   This Magician has got me on a ride.  I had most of my notes ready and then pulled out Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey, and have been spiraling down the rabbit hole all evening long.  This card is coming back to me now with some very powerful lessons that relate to what I have been doing in my 4 month long spiritual practice.  I found that the hidden dimensions of The Magus that sit just below the surface had escaped my conscious mind, and it wasn't until today that I felt hit in the face with it.  I want so desperately to coalesce this into words so that I may share it with you.  I am still in it.  So what I give you here is the first layer.  Correspondences, connections...  Next week... we go deeper.

Keywords:

Action, conscious awareness, concentration, singleness of purpose, power, intention and understanding it, directed will, realizing /knowing your potential, vitality, creative, planning, focused energy, precision, harnessing power, producing, manifesting.

Archetype:

The active masculine principle, the ultimate achiever, driven by the motivation of control and mastery.  He taps into the universal forces to use them for creative purposes.  His efforts and production is external, manifest and tangible. This archetype can be found in both men and women. 

Symbols:

The following are common symbols to this card and will vary from deck to deck.  Again I encourage you to dive into the imagery of your own deck to see what it reveals to you in its commonality and in its uniqueness in relation to the list below.

~Wand: directing of will

~White Inner Garment:  purity of purpose

~Red Cloak:  Power and the running and harnessing of his own energy with mastery

~White Lilies:  spiritual truth and abstract thinking.

~Right arm skyward and left arm to the ground:  this symbolizes the receiveing of higher energies with the right arm and grounding it or transforming it into something manifest with the left arm.  This is hugely significant because this speaks to the energetic practice of manifesting in our tangible reality.  There are several systems that speak of this and although not all cards have the Magus in this position, the energy and meaning behind it is still in the card. (more on this next week)

~Lemniscate:  This is the infinity symbol, the figure 8 on its side.  This is timelessness, the interaction of the conscious and the unconscious, the regeneration cycle that is endless.

~Urobus:  The snake swallowing its own tail which creates a circle, and reminiscent of the Fool's 0.  Again, eternity, cycles, regeneration and the mystery that out of death new things arise.

~The Four Suits:  In most decks the Magician has with him on this card the four suits of the Minor Arcana.  This is the only card in all of the Major Arcana that contains these symbols.  These are his magical tools and through them he opens the worlds fo the 4 suits and literally opens the 4 worlds and these tools align him with the 5 element of Spirit.  The are as follows:

            Cups-water, preservation, emotion

            Wands-fire, renewal, passion, will, wand,

            Pentacle-earth, form, form, protection, manifest

            Sword-air, activities, intellect, mind, logic

Alchemy:

~Type:  Metal

~Name: Mercury

Hebrew Letter:

BETH ~ The image of the Hebrew letter Beth (Baith, Beith) is a house, a tent, a dwelling. The house is the dwelling of (the body of) man in the world of duality and illusion. A house also gives protection and shelter. A house is a containing form. In the spiritual sense it contains the Light, the Spirit.

Runes:

FEHU is the first rune. It indicates possesions, income won or earned. Wealth which must be calculated wisely to be of any relevance (be it social or monetary). Karmic wealth invested wisely.

Homework:

1.  I haven't given you a lot with this post.  But already with this information and the card sitting at my desk in front of me, I feel an electric crackle all around, and in my brain.  This card contains ancient alchemical truths that unlock our power.  Are you willing to open yourself enough to unleash the power within yourself to manifest the destiny you long for?

2.  Create a mini altar for this card.  Take 10 minutes each day to come to it and sit infront of it with a soft gaze.  Just breathe slowly and deeply allowing this image to speak to you.  There are lessons to be learn in this place of our journey.  And given what information is already in this post see what comes up for you throughout the week.

Tarot Thursday: The Fool

Keywords: 

Adventure, innocence, trusting, independent, free spirit, awakener, originality, faith, optimism, new

Archetype:

Depending on what you read, you will find that The Fool is attributed to the Wanderer, Child, or Trickster archetype.  For me over all with the deck that I use, and the symbology of the journey The Fool takes, I really resonate with the Wanderer.  Which leads me to remind you that although I will give you as much information about each card as I can, we are still dealing with an imagery based sub conscious system, that we are trying to put into linear languaged description.  So this becomes just a template from which to work from.  After spending some time with The Fool, what archetype speaks to you most?

Themes Of The Fool

The Fool is an innocent, happy-go-lucky fellow full of wonder and flies by the seat of his pants.  He represents a new level in our evolution from a more primal being to a modern human being.  This is symbolized in various ways in depictions on decks (dog, alligator, tiger, birds...).  He embodies faith that life is good and worthy of trust, and is open to whatever may come his way. He is willing to take risks because he has no fear, and his curiosity of the new, of the endless possibilities ahead are what drive him forward.

There are many layers to this card.  The Fool is blank slate or vessel (0) but also complete in his integration of the masculine and feminine, shadow and light.  There paradox here is that he is at the beginning but also at the end, he knows nothing but knows everything.  Its the point at which we all start as children, then spend the rest of our lives relearning to arrive at the same place of wisdom, innocence and wonder at the end of our journey.  For this reason The Fool can be found at the beginning of some decks with the number 0 or at the end of some decks as the number 22.  Both Karmic numbers and both that connect the end and the beginning endlessly in a circular cycle.

The Fool functions from within, not influenced by forces outside of himself.  He is lead by his impulses, sometimes impetuous and careless, but instinctual and without hesitation.  He is free, and he revels in that freedom as this is purpose.  To go out and experience possibilities, lessons, opportunity. He is unpredictable and he is a mirror for our own innocence, impulsiveness, daring and foolishness.  We must make room for the renegade aspect of ourselves and admit The Fool to our inner counsel, which means psychologically that we must admit to him.  Doing so, can open up a wellspring of fresh ideas and new energy to our lives. 

"His impulsive curiosity urges us on to impossible dreams while at the same time his playful nature tries to lure us back to the laissez-faire childhood days.  Without him we would never undertake the task of self knowledge, but with him we are always tempted ot dawdle by the wayside."  ~ Jung and the Tarot

(I want to point out here that there are always positive, neutral and negative aspects to all cards.  Determining which is coming up in a reading depends on whether it is up right or reversed, or where it comes up in the actual spread you are using.  I won't be writing too much on reversals, as I don't use that tool at all.  For me the cards tell you exactly what they are trying to say based on where they are in the spread, what question was asked, and what cards it is surrounded by.)

For me, The Fool is the reminder to risk heading into the unknown, to stay open and fully engage the moment as it comes without trying to figure it out or control it.  I always remember one of my favorite moments in the movie The Matrix, when the Merovingian comes to a huge confrontation that was so out of his intended plan, and with cool detachment said, "Very well... lets see where this takes us."  And it really stuck with me after all these years.  It was such a moment of surrender, embracing, curiosity, openness...  He was just on for the ride.  And this cards speaks to that for me.  An opportunity to see where life will lead.  And the Fool is so complete and so void of lifes fears and cautions that he merrily moves forward, because the moment is all he/we really have.

Numerology:

The 0 is the empty and full vessel.  Beginning and end is the same here as the cycle is perpetual. There is a blank slate with no karmic debt in this number  There is so much to really be absorbed in that truth.  It is also important to notice that being at the number 0, The Fool doesn't fit into the 3 rows of the Major Arcana progression.  The Fool stands apart with a clear view of all the other cards or stages ahead of him.  He can come and go as he pleases. 

"The power of zero is inherent in its circular form.  To experience the essential qualities of this form, it is helpful to contrast the feel of a circle with that of a square.  Suppose that you wanted to draw a perfect circle.  First you would set one foot of your compass down at the spot which is to become the center of your circle.  Now you are ready to draw the circle's circumference.  But until you have pinpointed its center, you cannot begin to draw a circle.  There is no chicken or egg about it; the center comes first, is in fact central to the whole concept of circle, a fact not true of any other geometric figure"  ~Jung and the Tarot

Astrology:

The Fool card represents the planet Uranus.   This is one of the outer planets... the fate planets.  Uranus is change, liberation,  and freedom.  Its an itchy restlessness and rebellion against those imposed norms by society and culture.  It brings up the need to break out of those ruts and strike out onto an original path.  Surprising events that lead you on a roller coaster ride of unconventionality... That is Uranus.  And you can see how this is reflected in The Fool. 

Symbols On Cards:

Every deck of cards is different, so each card will vary in how the traditional imagery is conveyed.  I am going to list some of the most common imagery for The Fool here, but I encourage you to really study your card and then do some research of you own into what different colors and objects may mean on your specific card.

~Animals:  usually a dog or an alligator which speaks to The Fools inner primal innocent knowing

~Bird/Eagle or Feather:  an elevated view, seeing the full picture from high above and also closer to the spiritual heavenly realms.  Elevated divinity.

~White Rose:  Purity

~Wand or Staff:  Free will

~Flute:  Like the Pied Piper, a merry fool leading others astray

Again each deck will have different elements and may contain some of these symbols or not.  Its important to make not of what is on your card and familiarize yourself with the language that you deck speaks to you through.  This is another way of sensing whether or not its a deck that is well suited for you.

Alchemy:

~Type:  Element

~Name: Air

Hebrew Alphabet:

ALEPH, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet signifies the head of a bull.  Not the whole body, as the rest is still unmanifest and in another dimension.  This letter is the beginning of unity.

Rune:

WUNYO signifies bliss, joy and pleasure.  It is the embodiment of merriment.

*Runes and Kabbalah symbols are later additions to the Tarot.  There is quite a bit of information online about both.  Neither are systems that I work very closely with so I have very little information to share about it.  I recommend doing some research, especially if these symbols are included in the deck that you are using. 

Homework:

Spend some time looking at this card.

1.  Make note of what comes up for you as you look at it.

2.  What sense do you get from his "personality"?  How similar or not similar to that are you?

3.  When faced with an abrupt change in course how do you instinctually respond?  How does that serve you?  If its different then what The Fool would do, how would it be for you to approach something new the way the Fool does?

4.  What thoughts or feelings come up for you when you think of doing that?

5.  What are some ways in which you can embrace characteristics of The Fool in a way that enhances your life experience?

6.  Now lay out the cards of the Major Arcana the way we have been.  Knowing the Fool the way you do now, imagine how he would approach each step along the path as depicted by each card.  Note any changes in how you view the journey given what you know now.

Until next week... Blessings to all of you.

Tarot Thursday: Major Arcana part 4 ~ Numbers (2)

So last week I mentioned that in Numerology, most of the time numbers are reduced to a single digit.  This is true and in using the Major Arcana we find that there are quite a few double digit numbers.  What is done with cards 11-21 is twofold:  You take into account the meaning of the single digit, and the double digit as well.  In other words if you have the World card which is number 21, you would look at the meaning of the number 2+1=3 as well as the number 21 itself.  I am going to just give you a reference for what the numbers mean for each card here, but as we go through each individual card starting next week, I will go into more detail regarding the number of each card.  (The information below is taken from the numerology book in the sidebar)

10 ~ The q0 is the number of completion and rebirth.  Its a karmic number.  The 1 stands beside the 0 of unmanifested energy and the 1 has moved through an entire cycle of 9.  Now at 10, the 1 energy is ready to begin a new cycle. 

11 ~ Considered a mastery number, you have the number 2 which is balance and the number 11 which gives balance to the 1 beginning an new cycle.  Sure footedness on the new journey.  This number also deals with justice and fairness, and points to self illumination.

12 ~ Here you have a 10 and a 2.  A 2 at the new level or cycle, and also the number 3 when all numbers are added together.  There is a conflict here between the independence of the 1 and the partnered union of the 2.  And the movement through is the 3, the place of creative manifestation, and finding the movement that pushes you through when you learn to balance the ability to maintain your own individual boundaries while trusting the surrender that union requires of you. 

13 ~ The individual 1 meets the creative drive of the 3 to form 4... restriction, form, stability.  Its almost a paradox... and it is in many ways.  In order for there to be something new created something must die.  Its the death and rebirth cycle that is so pivotal to all of our changes and stages of growth.

14 ~ This is a karmic number suggesting a past that lacked discipline, hard work, and practicality.  The 1, now on a new level of development is paired with the 4 to establish form, structure, limitations.  Together they form a 5 and this becomes the new lesson.  The need for adaptation, change, resourcefulness and integration of self control through that ability to change.

15 ~ Here the 5 is in its negative function of instability.  The 1 is back at a place of evaluation.. those old habits, addictions, stories need to come back up for review so that the choice to engage in this behavior or not is made again.  And that is what the 6 is the choice to do it differently, committing to responsibility for the life you will create for yourself.

16 ~House cleaning, that is what this number is about.  The 6 is about balance, duty, responsibility and order (its interesting to note that the number 6 is also Virgo which is ruled by the same motivations of order, duty and responsibility among other things.  Its all so tied together!).  And being that this is a karmic number as well it speaks to past lack or abuse in this area of a person's life.  And so the house cleaning is karmic, ancestral, and runs much deeper then a yearly spring cleaning.  Together the 1 and the 6 make 7 and this is the number of purification. Creating a clean slate from which to continue on the journey with.

17 ~ So the 1 is not at a place to purify the slate so to speak with the 7 and together forming 8.  A number of power and its ability to manifest from a new place of enlightenment.  Inner power is awakened and a new confidence leads you.

18 ~ And now, with this inner power awakened (8) the 1 is able to traverse the secret inner realms which is the 9.  This is the moon, the psychic, intuitive... the inner wisdom that flows from the deepest plains.

19 ~ the 1 and 9 bring us back to 10, or 1 and so another level is reached, a new phase is begun as a deeper layer of renewal and enlightenment has occurred on the journey.  The identity of the 1 has shifted and become more visible, firm, and integrous as symbolized by this card, which is the Sun.  For me this is also analogous to our Saturn returns... but more on that much later!

20 ~ And here we are... an entirely new cycle lead by 2 and not 1.  Really feel this shift.  No longer completely individual and alone, but aware of the dance of union, and community and compassion for others.  This is a karmic evolutionary shift.  The sense of the world is different here and 2 leads the way itno a broader experience of life.  Joined here by 0, the spirit and the manifest are coupled and an understanding begins to occur with regards to the fact that although we are all Fools on a wandering journey alone, we are all one and connected.  Its a mystery that begins to unfurl itself.

21 ~ "It's been said that the number 21 is the most joyful of all the numbers.  It blends the 2 and the 1 into a thrid energy, the 3.  With the 21, the second cycle in the numbers i complete and you stand at the threshold of a new cycle, which has been called the cycle of angelhood.  The issues of duality (2) are no longer separating you from yourself (1) and your higher  consciousness has merged with your independent earthly self.  The number 3 is strongly present with this card as well, bringing the profound feeling of being glad to be alive and a sense of dancing with joy.  As Eden Gray says, 'It is a life well lived and a job well done.'  the power of spirit inspired creativity seeds your next cycle.

Homework:

If you really want to dive in a bit this week, I would take the last two posts and your cards along with a journal and begin writing all this down.  I would take each number and pair it with each card and write down the correspondences between the two, along with what comes up for you from the card about its meaning in your life.  It will be a bit of a lengthy study, but the keys... those secret keys hidden in the visual of the cards and its symbols will begin to crack open doors in your subconscious.  I promise!  :)

Next week we begin!  The Fool beckons us and its going to be amazing!

Tarot Thursday: A Brief Break...

Hi!  My name is Pumpkin, and I live over a Cafe Aroma , one of Elena's favorite restaurants.  She asked me to come by for her and let everyone know that she won't be able to do her Tarot Thursday post, because the cold she has is making it super hard to keep her thoughts straight!  Meow!  But she will be back next week!

Oh!  And, she wanted me to remind you to keep looking through your cards and getting familiar with the images.

Meow Meow!

Tarot Thursday: Major Arcana part 2 ~ Archetypes

This week's journey of looking through the Major Arcana has been a deep one.  Pulling through the sensations and the knowing that I feel within while looking through each card and then coming here to put that into words is incredibly challenging.  I had no idea it would be this way!  My biggest challenge has thus far been deciding what to write about and what to leave out.  There is just so much information in any given area of the Tarot!  I find it exciting though, because I am revitalizing parts of my subconscious and deepening my communication with this amazing tool.

Last week, we laid out all the cards in the Major Arcana and went with the Fool on a walk through the cards.  Each card representing an Archetype of some sort. This week I want to touch on more of what this means and how to begin relating to this language of symbols and energetics.  This topic is vast.  Vast.  I am pulling a bit here so as to give you a taste.  I highly encourage doing your own reading and research on this amazing topic.

Archetypes are, according to Dr. Carl G. Jung, innate universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic themes of human life emerge. Being universal and innate, their influence can be detected in the form of myths, symbols, rituals and instincts of human beings. Archetypes are components of the collective unconscious and serve to organize, direct and inform human thought and behaviour.

According to Jung, archetypes heavily influence the human life cycle, propelling a neurologically hard-wired sequence which he called the stages of life. Each stage is mediated through a new set of archetypal imperatives which seek fulfillment in action. These may include being parented, initiation, courtship, marriage and preparation for death.

~Wikipedia

Archetypes are almost a spiritual repository of information that is beyond the verbal or written. They are visual symbols and energetic imprints that exist in our psyches and as a result in the Seen world around us.  Some are obvious and some seem subliminal which can trigger a deep unconscious/subconscious feeling or sensation that is almost impossible to put into exact defining words.  We encounter images and symbols of archetypes in art, literature, sacred texts, even in advertising.  And these symbols can be individual and universal. 

This is a language of the soul or deep mind (subconscious).  Its a world of dreamlike significances and story lines that are enacted, not literally told.  In his work, Carl Jung came up with a list of what common archetypal energies and rolls are in the span of a human life. These are archetypes that he found across all cultures, which then led him to believe that they are fundamental forces that exist beyond us and which we play out.  Here are some, and I am not going to include any lengthy descriptions of these because it will serve you to just let the name activate the deeper knowing within you.  We will also be covering all these and more in detail as we go through each card.

~The Shadow

~The Anima

~The Animus

~The Syzygy

~The Self

~The Father

~The Mother

~The Child

~The Magician

~The Goddess

~The Trickster

~The Hero

~The Maiden

~The Wise Old Man

~The Witch

There are so many more.   And many have been added or discovered after Jung's work in this area because we as a human race have continue to dive deeper and deeper into the dreamlike realms of our psyche in pursuit of wisdom and understanding.  The works of our psychological forefathers has been a tremendous stepping stone for all of us.

So the Major Arcana are visual symbols of potent archetypes in the human journey.  Each step or card represents an energy, a lesson, a roll, a task, a key wisdom to being human.  And its important to note that although we speak of archetypes being of the collective unconscious, they are energetic influences from and to our unconscious mind.  We are propelled in our lives by these archetypes or themes that are part of the collective and individual human psyche. 

Phew!  Are you with me still?  :)

So these influences are effecting and driving us whether we know it or not.  They are in our dreams, our motivations, our stories, the way we make choices and the things we feel we should be or should not be in this life.  Self inquiry and self facing particularly through the use of tools like psychotherapy and tarot is to uncover the ways in which these themes are wanting to play out in our lives and bringing them forward into our conscious mind.

But as I'm sure all of you have experienced by reading all I have written so far, there is a tremendous elusive quality to archetypes.  We are walking through the realm of the subconscious.  There are no words or numbers that rationally add up in this world.  This is a world of symbols, sensations, colors and images that represent concepts and instinctual wisdom.  Part of learning Tarot is learning to think in a way that is very separate from the words we use to structure our thinking.

Learning Tarot is learning to access this part of your deep wisdom and intelligence.  Its a part of us that is seldom encouraged or developed in our society.  This is an intelligence that speaks through intuition, through the ability to Listen with a capitol L.  Listening that hears the unspoken, the thoughts that reverberate at frequencies not heard by physical ears.  This is an intelligence that communicates through dreams, art, painting, movement.  Its a very colorful world, rich with information we have yet to fully grasp.

This is getting very long, and I applaud you for sticking with it this far.  There is so much more to talk about regarding this.  I am going to be working with my notes through out the week to try to widdle some of this down and getting more concise.  

Home Work

Last week I had you place your cards in order with the Fool at the top. This week I want you to lay them out the same way again.  A journal may be helpful for this as well.

1.  Taking a deep look at each card one by one and in order, pull out cards that feel as if they may be strong themes in your life.  You may find that there are themes in your life that have been there all along, and then there are those that have been prevalent in the last few years of your life.  Again, you may not "know" exactly what the cards mean, or what archetype they represent.  Just go with your gut.  Practice Listening to the wordless impulses within.  Pull these cards out, and write them down as a list.

2.  Next take these cards that you have pulled aside and write a bit about your thoughts and feelings regarding why this card feels like a theme in your life.

3.  If you have an altar, place these cards there, or in a place where you will see them each day.  Open an energetic space for these cards to speak to you about their role in your life at this time, and what wisdom comes through from them about you and your journey. Write this down as it comes to you.

Ok!  Wow.  I want to thank all the magical souls that have decided to embark on this journey.  Your posts have been amazing and I can't wait  to read this weeks musings on the cards.  If you would like to join us click on the badge below and read about Tarot Thursday.

Tarot Thursday: The Major Arcana part 1

The Tarot is comprised of 78 cards that are divided into two groups; the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.  For the next couple of weeks or so we will be talking about the Major Arcana before embarking on a card by card journey.  More then anything it is important to know that the Tarot is made up of many many layers of meanings and mysteries.  As I attempt to unravel them in order to share them here, I am awed and overwhelmed by its complexity.  I am acutely aware that this will be as much a learning experience for me as it will be for you and truly, no one ever stops learning about Tarot.

The Major Arcana, also called the Trump cards or the Keys, are comprised of 22 cards.  The word Arcana is Latin for "secrets or mysteries".  So the Tarot is a collection of secrets that are comprised of major secrets or mysteries, and minor, mundane secrets or mysteries and they are designed to explain our universe and our existence within it. 

The Major Arcana are the cards with the most symbolic and divinatory importance in the deck.  Each of these 22 cards represents an archetypal truth/lesson that each person must learn or integrate while moving through the evolution of their lives.  Archetype is a term coined by Dr. Carl Jung to describe imagery, personalities, themes and experiences common to all humanity.  (An example of this would be the Emperor card being the archetype of rulership etc.)  We will cover this in more detail as we journey through the cards. 

So, in the story played out for us in the cards, the Fool, the first card in the deck, is said to be on a journey through the path laid out for him by the cards.  And each lesson or step in his human evolution is represented by each card he must pass through in order to move forward in his development.  Each card or step on this path revealing another Key to the secrets held in the wisdom of the cards. 

Each card has a name, a number and depending on the deck you have it can also contain astrological, or planetary symbols, a tree of life or Kabbalistic symbol, and sometimes a runic symbol.  The cards come with their own imagery and symbolism and although they each represent specific themes and archetypes, they are ultimately filtered through the psyche of the reader and the context of the questions.  This is why it is important to not only learn what the established meanings of each card are, but the nuances of their energy as well.  This is something that comes with time.

The following is the list of the 22 Major Arcana in the order they appear:

0. The Fool

1.  The Magus

2.  The High Priestess

3.  The Empress

4.  The Emperor

5.  The Hierophant

6.  The Lovers

7.  The Chariot

8.  Strength

9.  The Hermit

10. The Wheel of Fortune

11. Justice

12. The Hanged Man

13. Death

14. Temperance

15. The Devil

16. The Tower

17. The Star

18. The Moon

19. The sun

20. The Judgment

21. The World

As you read this list, please keep in mind that all decks have variances between them and you may find that these names vary slightly then the ones in your deck.  Thats ok, it will lend new layers to your understanding of each card.  Look over the list and compare, see what comes up.

This will serve as the first layer for this topic.  There will be several more in the weeks to come, and really allow yourself to take your time and absorb the information mentally and viscerally as well.  This takes practice, but as you read the above information, and as you look at your cards and do some of the home work listed below, check in with your body from time to time.  How do you feel?  Where do you feel tension?  Is there a sense of lightness, anxiety, intrigue, a strange and wordless knowing?  We need to learn to think and feel beyond the words of our brains.  It refines our intuition and our ability to really Listen.  And this ability serves us not just in working with the cards but more importantly in our day to day lives.  And really... thats what the Tarot is for to begin with.

Home Work:

It would be good to have a journal to work with as you go through these posts together.  More then anything what the cards are about is self inquiry, and I will have you doing a lot of self inquiry over the next year or so!

1.  Lay out your Major Arcana cards the way I have them in the picture above.  The Fool card on its own on top and then dividing the remaining 21 cards into three rows according to their number.  This layout will be the basis of another post/lesson in the future so its good to begin familiarizing ourselves with this visual.  You may want to space them out a bit more then i have done in the picture above.  I had to squeeze them together to get a shot of them in the space I was working with.  :)

2.  Take as long as you can to really look at each card.  Get to know them, the colors, numbers, words.  There will be some you like immediately and some that you really don't.  Make note of these in your journal. 

3.  Now shift a bit and look at them within the story of a journey.  Look at the Fool, and then "walk" with him/her through the other cards.  Make note of any story that pops into your mind.  We tend to do this when trying to make sense of what we see.  This is important.  There is no right or wrong narrative here, its just important that you Listen to the narrative you are giving this journey.  Write this down as well.

4.  Finally, scan the cards again individually.  Pay attention now to any symbols that your cards have.  Just See them.  Let your Subconscious just recognize that they are there.  (please note, that not all cards contain these symbols and varying cards have some but not others.  Again, there is no right or wrong, but we will be covering these layers of meaning as well in our exploration, so it may be helpful to find a deck that has this layer added in.)

Wow! Thats it for now!  I thought that I would have been able to fit all I needed to about this grouping of cards in 2 posts, but it looks like it may actually take 3 or 4!  I suspect that we are going to be diving pretty deep together friends...  ;)

Please please share on your blogs and here in the comment section what your explorations yielded.  I would love to see images from your deck and read about your experiences. 

If you would like to participate in Tarot Thursday, please click on the badge below and read all about how!

Tarot Thursday: Learn Tarot

A couple of weeks ago I was staying at a friends house down in Long Beach for the weekend while I vended at an art fair.  My friend, Tree rents a back house from our mutual friend Tanya, and late late late one night, after a long rainy day of vending we all converged in the front house in our jammies with our little snackie snacks.  It was the perfect ending to a very exhausting day, and the kind of evening that I had been craving for a while, as I don't get to see my Sister Souls as often as I used to.

There we were, late into the night, Tanya's hub had long ago gone to bed, when we break out with the Tarot cards.  We took turns looking over cards, sharing our favorites and the ones that always seem to come up for each of us, and of course readings for each other about where we were at in our lives and what needed to happen next. I love my Soul Sisters, don't you?  It was the kind of evening I imagine to be so ancient and so timeless as well.  Forever, women have been gathering together in circles big and small to tell stories, consult oracles and share the wisdom of their intuitive hearts.  

Tarot Thursday is my way of creating that same circling here in our blogging world - a virtual gathering around a candlelit table, delicious hot tea and our cards...  It will be a weekly touch stone for learning tarot intimately, sharing our thoughts and inklings about what we see and going over the symbolism, numerology, elementals and astrology of each card.  We will have journal exercises and meditations to help imprint each card into our subconscious and give us an anchor into each card and the deck as a whole.  And of course our dialogue... I would love for all of us to comment, share, connect with each other about what insights and experiences are happening for you as we go through this journey together. So... read on my lovelies!

Having your own deck to follow along and begin establishing a deeper relationship with Tarot is essential.  If you don't own a deck yet, you can find them at your local New Age shops, Barnes and Noble or Borders.  I also recommend checking out the 100s of cards listed and reviewed at Aeclectic Tarot.  Purchasing a deck is an incredibly subjective and intimate process.  You will find that some cards will "speak" to you and others won't at all. This is why its always ideal to be able to handle them and look through several decks in person.  But clearly, not all of us have access to stores that may carry decks.  For this reason Aeclectic Tarot is great.  You can browse through so many cards and at least see a sampling of the imagery you will be working with.  If you find a deck you want, they provide links to sellers for you.

I will be using the Rohrig Tarot , which follows the model of the  Thoth Deck.  Another commonly used deck is the Rider Waite.  There are so many!  I spend hours looking through the decks at Aeclectic.  Have some fun with it.  The artistry you will find is exquisite and its also a great place to get ideas if you yourself want to embark on the adventure of making cards of your own.  I will from time to time post reviews of my own as I continue adding to my collection. There will be a post in the upcoming days offering more information about choosing cards for yourself.

If you are interested in gathering together here, leave your name and blog address and I will place a link to you in the side bar.  Like Wellness Wednesday at my other blog, I would love for you to also include a post on your blog for Tarot Thursday, sharing your journey and insight with the card we are working with for the week. It would be wonderful if we all shared images of our individual cards on our posts.  This will add a variety of textures and depth to our exploration and seeing the many different interpretations of each card by other artists will enrich our journey.   As the weeks pass I would like to pull from these postings and feature various posts that you have contributed throughout the journey. Linking here and having an archive folder of your own on your blog will also create a great resource for all of us to check out and with permission we can also print out the information we get on each card and create a file/folder or book of our own for our personal library.  The ideas and possibilities are endless! So more on this in the weeks to come.

You are welcomed to join at any time, just stop by and introduce yourself to us and I will add you to the blogroll.  Below is a badge you can take and place on your blog as well.  Just copy and paste the code into your posts or sidebars or both.

<a href="http://lunarmusings.typepad.com/inner_revealings_tarot/2009/02/tarot-thursday-learn-tarot.html"><img src="http://lunarmusings.typepad.com/inner_revealings_tarot/TarotThursdayBadge.jpg"/></a>