The Major Arcana:The Royal Road To Wisdom

The Trumps or Major Arcana are twenty-two of the seventy-eight Tarot cards that represent a "missing" fifth suit that is not found in traditional playing cards. The archetypes and images relate to soul qualities that are mirrored by humanity. When studied and applied to our waking life, the powerful images help us to move along the royal road to wisdom, or, our initiation path to higher consciousness. There is a progression of experience and symbolic movement an individual meets when working with the Major Arcana that opens one to new dimensions of awareness and life direction. The journey begins with the Trump 0, The Fool, and ends with Trump 21, The World, and then cycles back toward a new level of gestation and birth. Some people refer to these cards as Soul Cards, for they speak directly to the High Self, offering a mirror from which one can perceive themselves more clearly. They are also seen as helpers and guides.

The Fool: This card is represented by the number 0 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign of Aquarius. It is the void or unknown place that we all must surrender to at different times of our life. The Fool is symbolically within the primordial egg or unconscious stage of development and carries with it an expression of chaos which is the beginning of new art or creativity. This is the invisible force of change that moves us toward surprises and unexpected occurrences in life.

The Magician: This card is represented by the number 1 and is ruled by the planet Mercury. It is also connected to the sign Leo, for the Sun quality is very strong in this card. This card mirrors upright action in the world and is the possibility in us all to create our own reality. The Magician has the four elements at hand; water, earth, air, and water. The possibilities are unlimited, and power is given to the individual to use according to the stage of his or her own development. Great things can occur when one is moving through the archetype of the Magician or Magi. Mental work is especially important, for the High Mind and High Self are seeking inner union in order that "action" can be impeccable and clear.

The High Priestess: This card is represented by the number 2 and is ruled by the Moon. She is the a guide who whispers the knowledge of intuition and refinement of education within us. She asks that we pay attention and listen to the inner calling of our Divine Memory. She is receptive and calm, and she expresses her self through the watery realm of feeling, therefore, she helps to balance the mind-full-ness of the Magician. She does not judge, she listens. With this stage, one has not yet fully entered the realm of physical manifestation, yet the Soul has now balanced with the Spirit of the Magician, and the inner work is in the process of becoming complete.

The Empress: This card is represented by the number 3 and is ruled by the planet Venus. The Empress opens us to the experience of becoming physical, sensual and integrated in the human body. This is the first stage toward wholeness and represents the feminine aspect of the psyche. It is heart energy full of compassion and joy. This card celebrates union, including union of the opposites. She is the great mother for she births forth the potential for all creations to prosper.

The Emperor: This card is represented by the number 4 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Aries. Number four holds the power of the four elements and all of building materials it takes to create structure. As a powerful archetype, The Emperor shows us the way to manifestation either for good or for the worse. Our patriarchal society is a good example of the Emperor in poor form, for our culture exemplifies the oppression of the feminine nature within all beings. With no blame, it is all of our task to reunite the energies of the feminine and masculine. When the Emperor and Empress are in balance, the golden marriage of alchemy can occur, whether in actual union with another, or within oneself.

Two pairs have become complete; The Magician and The High Priestess, and The Empress and the Emperor signifying Spirit (will) and Soul (receptivity), and Body (Heart) and Mind (Constructive Patterns).

The Hierophant: This card is represented by the number 5 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Taurus. Another aspect of Venus, The Hierophant is governed by the higher forces of the soul, and is seeking to merge the male/female energies into a more divine expression of art. Five will always bring a fair amount of chaos because there is new expansion and freedom to explore. In this case the hope is that one will now move, traditionally, from state to church, or ultimately, seek to merge the two. This card is the final step toward true and lasting union, for it does not defy the need for earth and heaven to unite.

The Lovers: This card is represented by the number six and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Gemini. It speaks for itself, for number six is the apex number exalted in numerology. It illumines the possibility for total union and love to join together creating balance and oneness. Gemini is represented by the "twins" and in this card there mirrors the possibility for one to find their twin soul, within or without. This card will always signify the coming together of opposites.

The Chariot: This card is represented by the number 7 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Cancer. Once we have found our way into balance, we than need to find a way to journey into this potential. This card indicates a time of deep inner work. A meditative time takes over as one examines and researches the quality of life. One must take the middle road, the road that balances dark and light, good and bad, and spiritual and material. Ultimately The Chariot takes one back home, back to the origins of their existence, the place of non dualism. The sign Cancer is associated with matters of the home and security and on a higher level we can see how this home is "the soul" and the security is "knowing and remembering" who we are. The Chariot is pulled along by two horses, one black and one white. The charioteer holds the reigns but he is not completely guiding the journey. He lets a part of his wild nature, the horses, pull him to his destiny, and this is where he will find peace and strength in the next stage of development.

The Strength Card: This card is positioned as number 8 in some decks and number 11 in other decks. This card is ruled by the sign Leo. There is much power and vitality evident in this card and after the journey inward with The Chariot, one is prepared to discover the stamina required to pursue the path of Self Awakening. As one turns their inner self to Gold, finding true virtue within, the alchemical process of transmutation occurs. Power and strength become a gentle and kind medium, one of passion, stemming from the heart. The sign Leo is ruled by the heart, and Love is the universal principal guiding this card. There is always the chance that one could abuse this power and invert the beauty of Strength into a Power Trip. In most cards a woman is seen opening or closing the jaws of a lion. In the middle ages the lion was an alchemical symbol for the Sun, for gold, and for sulphur.

The Hermit (traditionally) or The Crone: This card is represented by the number 9 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Virgo. Having gone to the depths with The Chariot where one was able to retrieve the power stored within, one moves into an inner place of silence and solitude in order to listen once again to the inner voice and vision. There is profound wisdom stored within the memory of the psyche, and the Hermit mist go down into the cave or cavern to gather it again. Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury, a planet that is connected to the mental plane as the messenger. In the Hermit Card one is gathering the message that he\she must deliver to the world as the server. The Hermit carries a lantern as he walks from the cave into the light or the outer world. The initiate has become a beacon of light.

The Wheel of Fortune: This card is represented by the number 10 and is ruled by the planet Jupiter. The wheel is turning again, around and around, and a new beginning is at hand. There is much to be grateful for because fate has turned in the initiates direction and goodwill is at hand. There is opportunity and expansion and new avenues to pursue. It is rewarding the intelligence of those who seek. It is evolution, chance, probability, and fate. All that was inward becomes creative essence in motion.

Justice: This card is represented by the number 11 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Libra. At this juncture on the Royal Road to Wisdom we seek to "set things right", and out of the wheel of fortune or karma, one must meet the consequences of ones actions. One learns not to judge themselves or others, for it through the eyes of the Higher Powers that one is truly seen. We do our best, and when we come close to despair or tragedy, it is the Fates or Destiny that set the stage for true healing and forgiveness. Our virtue is weighed by understanding the value of our hearts, not by our actions alone. In our culture we are busy judging people for what we see on the outside. Higher Powers see all sides and all facets of any given situation and therefore acts according to all levels of consciousness. As we grow into this new understanding, we come into new Power and Love, and this is the gift of Justice.

The Hanged Man: This card is represented by the number 12 and is ruled by the planet Neptune. At whatever level our lesson has offered consequences to us in the Justice card, it is in the Hanged One that we resurrect beyond the material reality and move into Divine States of Surrender. Here one is turned upside down and literally shaken loose of all the old habits and patterns we cling to. I often tell my clients that it is something like having all of your pockets emptied out. This archetype carries the myth of the crucifixion and of the Yogi standing on his head. In all instances, an aura of light and radiant love surrounds the individual. In very old decks this could be seen as punishment or actually being hung after Justice has been done.

Death: This card is represented by the number 13 and is ruled by the zodiacal sign Scorpio. There is a similar quality in the Wheel of Fortune and the Death card, for there is one thing that all people will encounter whether rich or poor and that is change and death. We all come together as a humanity in these two archetypes, and in a sense, they humble us to the Higher Powers. The secret to immortality is to understand the nature of continuity. This card mirrors major transformation in ones life, and it calls for the deepest work of letting go that we can imagine thus far on our journey. One must honor endings, and learn the majestic honor within Death. Perpetual change is a the root of all things.