Majoring on the Major Arcana

Tarot reading is exciting! There is nothing more satisfying than listening to someone’s concerns, crafting a custom spread for them, and seeing the lightbulb come on as they go through the reading and give their feedback.

It is particularly exciting when a Major Arcana card pops up in the reading (I always extra beat in my chest when I pull one). That’s because these cards (also numbered 0 to 21 in the deck) are a magnificent opportunity for us to learn more about ourselves and our path forward.

You see, the Major Arcana are all about the archetypes (the firsts), pointing us to a karmic life lesson that we need to be learning, or some big shifting energy surrounding the question that you have asked. It begins with The Fool entering the world, fresh-faced, innocent and naïve. And so it moves through the cards on what is known as The Fool’s Journey until it reaches The World, signifying completion, having come full circle, and the ongoing cycle of life.

Let’s talk through these cards so we can better understand where they are coming from and what they are pointing us towards.

[NOTE: I should point out that these interpretations are guides, and our intuition should be the ultimate referee in determining what they are saying to us.]

I will divide the Major Arcana into 3 sections: 0-7, 8-14, and 15-21.

Group 1 is the start of the Fool’s Journey, referencing our early development, consciousness, becoming aware of rules and structures… in the Rider-Waite deck, the first 6 cards are singular images on the face of the cards, and then begin to move into duality with the last 2 cards of this section, incorporating others into our frame of reference.

• The Fool – Beginning, curiosity, naiveté, spontaneity.
• The Magician – Manifestation, resourcefulness, pragmatic action (connects the conscious with the subconscious).
• The High Priestess – The Intuition card of the deck, inner wisdom, secrets, hidden knowledge.
• The Empress – The mother archetype of the Tarot, nurturing, creative, birthing, femininity and sensuality, beauty.
• The Emperor – The father archetype, embodying rules, control, the divine masculine, authority and structure.
• The Hierophant – Teaching, doctrine, membership and following, adherence to traditions.
• The Lovers – The first of the duality cards. Connection, harmony, love, values and choices, alignment, making your own decisions.
• The Chariot – Focus, grit, discipline, determination and strength (in other words, managing chaos into order).

From here, we find our Fool moving from learning about the world around them to discovering the world within them. Group 2 sends us on the journey into our subconscious, the ego, our internal dialogue as we move into the middle age of life.

• Strength – Inner strength, subtle control, will power, power without dominating.
• The Hermit – A spiritual journey, introspection, soul searching, your inner guide (the knowledge that is already within you).
• The Wheel – Karma, fate, cycles, turning points, times of decision, ups and downs, and learning to be flexible.
• Justice – Universal law, balance, justice, truth, fairness, and intentional justice, and, of course, consequences for actions.
• The Hanged Man – New perspectives, waiting, suspense, being held by the universe, assessing options.
• Death – Change, and end and a new beginning, a threshold, closing a chapter, learning to let go.
• Temperance – Balance, harmony, integration, blending, patience, the dark and the light, learning to flow.

The final group of our Major Arcana is moving into an even greater sense of self-awareness and discovery. Group 3 brings us to a spiritual awareness, a type of hyper-consciousness, rising above the nonsense, and achieving the wisdom that comes with age.

1. The Devil – Materialism, bondage, being controlled, addictions, obligations, desires (sex so good it could be addictive), pleasure but with long-term negative effects, bordering on co-dependency with someone.
2. The Tower – A catalyst for change, a breakdown, having the rug pulled out from under you, chaos, the opportunity to rebuild even stronger than before.
3. The Star – Regeneration, rebirth, hope, renewal, being supported by the universe (there is a reason why The Star follows The Tower).
4. The Moon – The deep subconscious, uncovering fears, illusions, looking internally (below the surface), illuminating your fears, anxieties and limiting beliefs.
5. The Sun – Success, achievement, energy, fun, radiance, freedom, completeness, looking outward, the feeling that you are arriving.
6. Judgement – Assessment, evaluation, graduation, achieving enlightenment and wisdom, finding your authentic existence and truth.
7. The World – Completion, coming full circle, choices, (literally) travel, integration, the ongoing cycle of life.

Perhaps you can see why I get excited when these cards pop up in a reading. They are powerful! They are big and beautiful and expansive and share with us some of the wonderfully large things that are happening in our orbit (and inside of us as well). These cards are nothing to be afraid of, because all of them are here to share with us our most authentic self, and light up our path as we travel The Fool’s Journey through our own beautifully unique life.

Embrace that journey. And remember, you hold all the cards.