Below you can find a series of educational articles to help you learn the meanings of the Major Arcana and the Court Cards in tarot.
Tarot Special // The Court Cards: 4) The Kings
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Context
After we dabbled in the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana, I would like us to focus now on the tarot’s court members, those royal characters that round up the suits of the Minor Arcana. They are infamously difficult to interpret, especially if you are a novice at reading tarot. Also, these characters are part of the Minor Arcana, because this Arcana deals with mundane and everyday aspects of our lives and their energies (while the Major Arcana deals with fated, predestined and deux-ex-machina kind of events in life).
After some time spent on feeling through their energies, I find that the court cards are also the most fun apparitions in a spread, especially in love readings. Tradition has it that they represent real people that might appear in your life, but they could also speak of traits that are energetically looming around you and you just need some tarot awareness to reach out and grab those traits and integrate them into your full, loving and wholesome Self.
Overall, these cards show action, or the potential for action that appears in your life, and they mark events and the human energies that infiltrate such events.
The Kings
The Kings represent social authority, the traditional institutions on which out society is built (chruches, hospitals, police sections, universities etc.). They are the fathers, grandfathers and forefathers. This is the energy of each specific suit at its fullest completion.
Their placement in the tarot deck is significant: The Kings lost the spunk of youth that the Pages had and they cooled-off the sexual energy and charisma that the Knights embodied; they are stable now and weathered by life’s experiences. So they are as mature as the Queens but instead of creating environments where things and people can flourish, they bring calculated risks and strategic action into these beautiful environments to sustain them and protect them. The Kings and Queens are on the some level in terms of their energy and maturity.
In my own tarot practice, I see them as the energy of protection. The King of Swords protects through intellect, the King of Wands protects through passion and enthusiasm, the King of Coins/Pentacles protects in material and tangible ways, while the King of Cups protects by providing emotional security.
Let’s take each King one by one and see more deeply what these mature men are all about. Below is a summary I created from the booklets of my tarot deck collection, to which I added a personal twist:
The King of Swords
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This King represents completed Libra/Aquarius/Gemini energy (usually post-second Saturn return and the 60s or the 70s of a person’s life)
- One who plans and strategizes thoroughly before acting. Brings a brilliant mind to any situation, he banishes chaos and exposes cheaters and liars. As a profession, this might mean a politician, a journalist, an airplane pilot, a university professor.
- An active and determined person, experienced, controlled, commanding, a professional man, an intellectual authority, a highly analytical person, superior mental power and abilities to understand the truth, a therapist.
- Using one’s willpower to an end, controlling leadership, determination, discipline, lawmaker, logical, an engineer, a planner.
- An idealist, a brilliant thinker, one who unifies emotions, reason and action into a grand master plan, a master communicator. This energy is so mentally strong that no spells function, so our King is a spell diffuser, a protector.
- I see this king as the energy of Archangel Michael, the one who uses his holy sword to help cut and remove all the energetic chords attached to you, and that have been draining your energy.
- According to the Santa Muerte Tarot, this is the king of dominion, security and justice, but his extreme reliance on the cool air of thinking can make him cruel and severe. Remember to exert empathy and pair judgement with kindness, when this card shows up. In its highest vibration, this energy is very similar to the Gevurah emanation of the Sephiroth, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the King of Swords: “I work the universal laws of truth with clear intention.”
The King of Cups
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This King represents completed Scorpio/Cancer/Pisces energy (usually post-second Saturn return and the 60s or the 70s of a person’s life)
- One who controls emotions. Knows how to use relationships in order to get things done. This is the King of faithful emotion and true love, this man exhibits an intense depth of feeling; he is highly psychic and perceptive.
- A learned, possibly religious person, responsible and creative, a scientist or researcher, a considerate person, who feels a lot but keeps it hidden until the right moment appears, kind and reliable, liberal. An artist or art curator/historian, a musican, a romance writer, a storyteller, an actor, a chef, a doctor. Artistic, creative leadership, free thinker, nonjudgemental peacemaker, mediator.
- I see this energy as the energy of Archangel Raziel, the Secret Keeper, the one who Guards over the Book of Life, and who is capable of trasmuting negative emotions like fear into positive intent.
- According to the Santa Muerte Tarot, this is the king of steadiness, calm and benevolence, but he could easily become corrupt, caught up in illusions or develop a wondering eye. In its highest vibration, this energy is very similar to the Chesed emanation of the Sephiroth, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the King of Cups: “I honor and respect all beings, including myself, and see the commonalities we share and the Spirit that is in all of us.”
The King of Coins/Pentacles
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This King represents completed Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn energy (usually post-second Saturn return and the 60s or the 70s of a person’s life)
- One who brings practical solutions and personal power to any situation. A masculine energy which pushes through any barriers to achieve success.
- An experienced and succesful teacher/author, a person of character and intelligence, a man with business acumen who makes wise investments, a loyal, traditional and reliable partner (can be stern at times). A man with the Midas touch in terms of acquiring money and valuable possessions. A philanthropist, conscious manifestor. Although skilled in the ways of business and trade, he might be too focused on material gain over spiritual enlightenment.
- This King is a natural born leader because his fire burns through all obstacles; he has an uncanny belief in his own power, which brings him closest to his own Divinity than all the other kings. He ushers you into your spiritual journey with faith.
- I see this king as the energy of Archangel Jophiel, the angel of wisdom, joy and prosperity. Through his good will and kind heart, this angel manages to spring abundance wherever it moves, and so does our King of Coins like to operate.
- According to the Santa Muerte Tarot, this is the king of materialism, good earning and certainty, but he can be too attached to what is in front of him and he runs the risk of being too pesimistic. In the highest vibration, this energy is very similar to the Malkuth emanation of the Sephiroth, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the King of Coins: “I manifest all that I desire, consciously aware of the need to stay focused and grounded in the everyday work required.”
The King of Wands
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This King represents completed Sagittarius/Leo/Aries energy (usually post-second Saturn return and the 60s or the 70s of a person’s life)
- One who dominates any situation through the force of leadership. Needs to keep control of anger and impulsiveness.
- An honest and consciencious person, mature, wise and devoted, physically dominant, friendly, sympathetic and educated, a charming gentleman, the lifeblood of any social group, a spiritual influencer.
- The king of wands leads his children on exciting adventures in life, to help them gain perspective, knowledge and grow strength. His fatherly guidance sets a good example to follow, for his optimism and generosity makes his children feel that the world is a place that deserves to be enjoyed and explored.
- I see this king as the embodiment of Archangel Uriel, the one who guards the Holy Flame that purifies all negative intentions. The king’s coat is clad in salamanders, and these feisty little fellows stand for the transformation that happens when you undergo trials by fire.
- According to the Santa Muerte Tarot, this is the king of honesty, rectitude and ambition, but when angry or full of spite, this man can lack scrupules and be intolerant and untrustworthy. In its highest vibration, this energy is very similar to the Keter emanation of the Sephiroth, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the King of Wands: “My mastery benefits others as I teach them, directly at times, and indirectly at others, modeling what they might aspire to.”
Alternative Tarot Interpretations
Various tarot decks have unique interpretations of the way they understand the energy of these tarot kings. In the Mystical Dream Tarot the Kings take the form of the Lords: the Lord of Swords is an enlightened ruler, the Lord of Cups is the master of esoteric secrets, the Lord of Wands becomes the God Ganesh – the opener of ways, and finally the Lord of Coins/Pentacles is the one who reveres tradition, the keeper of the Blue Flame of Spirit.
The Mary-El Tarot sees the kings as the those who have complete control over their elements, they represent the Kingdom, the land, the foundation and its strength. The King of Wands becomes the Sumerian Sun God, Shamash/Utu, while the King of Cups is represented by Poseidon, the God of the Oceans. The King of Swords takes on the role of the Charioteer, the weathered and hardened soldier who drives the Chariot in the Major Arcana, while the King of Pentacles/Coins becomes the God Atum, a sel-pleasuring and indulgent ruler over the prosperity of the Earth (in some versions he could also be seen as Cernunnos the, Spirit of Wilderness, Fertility and Nature).
The Voyager Tarot presents the energy of the Kings as that of wise old men or sages (at least this is how I choose to see it, since the court cards are not numbered). So the King of Cups is replaced by the Sage of Cups or the Regenerator, the King of Wands is now the Sage of Wands or the Seer, the King of Coins/Pentacles is the Sage of Worlds or the Master, and finally the King of Swords is the Sage of Crystals or the Knower (check out the image of Albert Einstein in the collage 🙂
The Muse Tarot considers the Kings as the epitome of creative inspiration, the Muses: we have the King of Cups as the Muse of Emotions, the King of Wands as the Muse of Inspiration, the King of Pentacles/Coins as the Muse of Materials and the King of Swords as the Muse of Voices.
These are just some of creative adaptations of the original Rider-Waite court cards, and I described them here with the intention to inspire you. I hope this post helped you see your own tarot practice in a new light. Keep in mind this is only my perspective which was acquired from studying the tarot since 2012, but feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Special // The Court Cards: 3) The Queens
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
To all my lovely subscribers and followers, most of whom are women, identify as women or are men with strong Anima relationships, I send you love & dedicate this post to you!
Context
After we dabbled in the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana, I would like us to focus now on the tarot’s court members, those royal characters that round up the suits of the Minor Arcana. They are infamously difficult to interpret, especially if you are a novice at reading tarot. Also, these characters are part of the Minor Arcana, because this Arcana deals with mundane and everyday aspects of our lives and their energies (while the Major Arcana deals with fated, predestined and deux-ex-machina kind of events in life).
After some time spent on feeling through their energies, I find that the court cards are also the most fun apparitions in a spread, especially in love readings. Tradition has it that they represent real people that might appear in your life, but they could also speak of traits that are energetically looming around you and you just need some tarot awareness to reach out and grab those traits and integrate them into your full, loving and wholesome Self.
Overall, these cards show action, or the potential for action that appears in your life, and they mark events and the human energies that infiltrate such events.
The Queens
In casual interpretations, the Queen of Swords cuts people off really easily with the power and her intellect and sharp tongue, the Queen of Wands is fun and sexy and full of confidence, the Queen of Cups is moody and intuitive but also very kind, while the Queen of Coins has every material resource imaginable and tends to keep things this way through her patience and common sense. But there is more to these ladies than meets the eye. They speak about an intuitive and inward energy, the energy of holding space and grounding things in order to help them grow and materialise. Just as they are aptly described in the Mary-El tarot, Queen Cards talk about an environment, where potential action can take place; they do not necessarily describe the action itself but the circumstances.
It’s mostly women who dabble in magic, witchcraft and tarot, or men with an acknowledged Anima, so when Queen cards appear in your spread if you are a woman, this is an indication of your current energy – you might have created an energetic space around you where intellect and communication (Swords), creativity and self-expression (Wands), emotion and memory (Cups), or material goods and sound reason (Coins), can thrive now. If these cards appear in combination with the other court cards, they might show what type of actions (The Pages, The Knights and the Kings) you need to take to change or balance out your circumstances/environment (the Queens).
Let’s take each Queen one by one and see more deeply what these goddesses are all about. Below is a summary I created from the booklets of my tarot deck collection, to which I added my personal twist:
The Queen of Swords
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This Queen represents Gemini/Libra/Aquarius energy in full bloom (usually the middle of a person’s life, the 50s & approaching the second Saturn return)
- This regal presence speaks of wit, intelligence, good advice and strategic thinking and communication. She is a shaman of the mind, she protects and nurtures her throughts so that negativity and other people’s vile intentions stay away from her magnetic field. The Queen of Swords raises her weapon in a defense position, she is not chasing an argument, but she is appealing to the power of her intellect to protect her energy and that of those around her.
- This Queen is eminently intelligent and I really dislike the bad rap she sometimes gets, when she is interpreted as a cut-throat influence. She can be direct but never impolite or confrontational. With Air energy she is too intelligent for pettyness and too elegant for bad-mouthing. Instead she appeals to her rhethoric and impecablle grammar or syntax skills to help us understand a situation or a relationship from a completly new light.
- She helps us attain a higher state of consciosness, when she appears in a spread she is a sign that your dark night of the Soul has ended (especially if she stands close to the Hermit or the Hanged Man). This is a self-actualized, deeply aware woman who has been through a lot in her life and is capable of picking up a lot of informational clues. She reads people like none other and she cautious to a fault. In the traditional meanings of tarot, she would stand for the figure of a widow.
- This is the most open minded Queen. She isn’t blunt but fair, she might be too much in favour of justice rather than kindness but that does not mean she is cruel (maybe if the Devil is sitting by her side in a spread, but even then I would see her as the limit of toxicity). She reminds me of Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, wise, funny and so powerful in his speech that he can block out the force of pure evil with his spoken command and clear intention. When you see this Queen, trust in the logic of your intuition and set healthy boundaries to achieve success.
- Our Queen is using her mind to direct nervous human energy towards positive outcomes, reconciliations, equality and succesful negotiations. I see her as the quintessential image of the judge. She attracts information whether overt or covert like a magnet, and she uses this information to manipulate outcomes; she also multitasks to fullfil two or three goals at the same time in her efforts to maintain balance and peace at all costs: where there is too much, she cuts back, where there is too little she trains and educate to multiply. This Queen loves honesty and wit, and she admires those who speak the truth with compassion and honesty.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Queen of Swords: Can I let go of false truths and be rigorously honest with myself and others?
The Queen of Cups
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This Queen represents the Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces energy in full bloom (usually the middle of a person’s life, the 50s & approaching the second Saturn return)
- This is our most sensitive Queen, compassionate and loving, she is the Queen of the inner santuary, the type of person who requires a couple of hours of solitude each day to be still and peaceful in order to hear the voice of her intuition and to connect with Spirit. This Queen is so in tune with the rhythms and fluctuations around her that she might suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), or she could have odd and unique illnesses that mostly have to do with her empathy not fitting the rough conditions of the material world. And so she lives secluded, in a protective, ‘womb-like’ environment most of the time (could work from home, retreat in an old library, antiquarian or museum, or could be a stay-at-home mom devoted to caring for others).
- This Queen is a nostalgic sweetheart. She is emotionally strong, precisely because she can be so vulnerable and perceptive. She feels people’s intentions and their thoughts, she reads bodily messages like no one else and because her senses are so sharp she has the gift of premonition, pre-empting things before they happen. She is an extraordinary storyteller, whispering meaning into being, calm and soothing into the world, healing with her words where others have cut deep wounds within your self-worth.
- She governs over the exiled, excluded and downtrodden – this woman uses her material resources to heal others through her affection, her touch, her wise words of solace and the pleasure she is able to offer you. She is an excellent caretaker and listener because she feels what others need before they are able to ask for it. Her dreams are prophetic and rich and produce many deja vu’s in reality. She inspires others to be humble and considerate, and when she appears in a spread she is a sign of practicing more self-care and self-love. It can indicate the presence of a healer in your surroundings.
- The Queen of Cups is comfortable in her own body and encourages you to do the same, to not be shy about it; she governs over the menstrual cycle. She contains our anxieties and the wealth of our collective and ancestral wisdom. The body stores emotions and if you feel too heavy or uncomfortable in your own, then when you receive this card it is an indication that you need to release unprocessed feelings. So work at letting go the pain and emotional baggage through breath-work, then let the beauty of life fill your heart as you go with the flow.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Queen of Cups: I am my best friend. My relationships with others reflect my security in knowing I am always worthy of love and respect.
The Queen of Coins/Pentacles
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This Queen represents Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn energy in full bloom (usually the middle of a person’s life, the 50s & approaching the second Saturn return)
- The Queen of affluence, charity and the careful management of resources. An expert on physical health, a loyal, fertile and prosperous woman with a consistent family. A dignified presence, a noble soul. When she appears in a spread, this card also signifies community support.
- A regal woman who is extremely patient, watching her efforts grow to full fruition, in time. Generous and abundant, a giver, a resource of wealth. The keeper of tradition, preserving the body through proper nutrition, maintaining the social fabric of home and family life.
- She is an ambitious woman who loves to perfect herself and her environment, wanting to always improve and go higher. This Queen is however hiding a fear of being poor and making mistakes, but she carefully crafts a strong public image that hides these insecurities.
- Our Queen could also worry too much about risks, but in order to keep prospering she is aware that calculated risks are necessary for material and financial growth. She plans and plots to get the desired outcomes, but also works hard to sustain her wealth.
- To me, this Queen is like a baby Empress card; it’s sometimes hard to distinguish them, especially since both this Queen and the Empress represent Venusian signs, and more precisely Taurus energy. As always, follow your intuition when reading tarot.
- This Queen’s lower vibration is stubbornes, inertia and greedy stagnation, but her higher vibration is a magnet for wealth because she understands the moral principles of equitable exchange: to receive, you first must give and viceversa.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Queen of Coins/Pentacles: I use all my resources wisely, whether they are finances, opportunities, or people willing to help me and my endeavours.
The Queen of Wands
Meaning & Interpretations:
- This Queen represents Sagittarius/Leo/Aries energy in full bloom (usually the middle of a person’s life, the 50s & approaching the second Saturn return)
- The woman of power and self-assurance, a person who teaches you self-knowledge, self-fulfillment and transformation. An excellent hostess, a sympathetic and understanding woman, the life of the party. A sincere, confident, assertive woman – she looks at things in life with a playful wonder and loves to laugh and have a good time. A woman who radiates a self-assured energy that radiates from her heart and thereby attracts everyone around her.
- Attracting others through beauty, physical fitness and charisma, but can be slightly arrogant and selfish as well. This Queen is to me, the ultimate of all Queens because she has a flair for the dramatic. She is the one who encourages the Knights to set off on new adventures and sends the Kings to war. Nonetheless she is a good artist, and can be an excellent dancer, singer, actress, opera singer, or manager.
- The Queen of Wands is similar to the Queen of Pentacles in her energy, just that she is slighlty more fun and passionate and less loyal and generous than the latter.
- This Queen uses her intuition to see through many masks, diguises and defenses, she offers her observations honestly, because of her razor-sharp perception. A shamaness, walking the Earth to revitalize, liberate, heal and energize.
- She is capable, energetic and optimistic, drawing upon her experience to bring self-assurance to any professional endeavours. She doesn’t like other people’s extra behaviours, cutting out any unecessary behaviours, especially those that eclipse her. She can represent obstinacy and envy when paired with more difficult tarot cards.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Queen of Wands: How might I join in the dance of co-creation, letting Spirit flow through me and inspire me to express my passions?
Alternative Tarot Interpretations
In the Mystical Dream Tarot the Queens become Ladies, Guardians of different natural elements, both by supporting them and by feeding of their energies. The Lady of Swords ushers in a period of spiritual awakening, the Lady of Pentacles is approached for support during the fiercest of upheavals, the Lady of Cups fiercely protects those she loves even if she can become moody under the influence of the Moon, while the Lady of Wands brings the seeker to the plane of cosmic love.
In the Muse Tarot, the Queen of Emotions allows you to flow into portals of self-discovery, while the Queen of Voices teaches you to speak with clarity and profound insight. The Queen of Inspiration helps you move in the direction of desire and the Queen of Materials teaches you how to manifest prosperity and then maintain this abundance.
In the Mary-El Tarot, The Queen of Cups hides deep layers of feeling and emotion that resemble Tiamat, the primordial goddess of the sea, while the Queen of Coins stands for Hathor, the goddess of women, motherhood, childhood, joy and birth, then the Queen of Swords symbolizes Odin’s left and right eyes, Huginn and Muninn, and lastly the Queen of Wands is the archetypal Witch, Hecate the powerful shapeshifting goddess of the Hearth, clad in obsidian and nursing a jaguar to maturity.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while or saw my Youtube readings, you might know how in love I am with the Mary-El tarot, and it was the original way in which the Queens were described in the booklet that sealed the deal for me – it was a perspective shift, when I switched from seeing these goddesses as women to understanding them as environments. In these environments free-speech, self-expression, material resources and emotions can grow and mature to their fullness.
These are just some of creative adaptations of the original Rider-Waite court cards, and I described them here with the intention to inspire you. I hope this post helped you see your own tarot practice in a new light. Keep in mind this is only my perspective which was acquired from studying the tarot since 2012, but feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Special // The Court Cards: 2) The Knights
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Context
After we dabbled in the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana, I would like us to focus now on the tarot’s court members, those royal characters that round up the suits of the Minor Arcana. They are infamously difficult to interpret, especially if you are a novice at reading tarot. Also, these characters are part of the Minor Arcana, because this Arcana deals with mundane and everyday aspects of our lives and their energies (while the Major Arcana deals with fated, predestined and deux-ex-machina kind of events in life).
After some time spent on feeling through their energies, I find that the court cards are also the most fun apparitions in a spread, especially in love readings. Tradition has it that they represent real people that might appear in your life, but they could also speak of traits that are energetically looming around you and you just need some tarot awareness to reach out and grab those traits and integrate them into your full, loving and wholesome Self. Overall, these cards show action, or the potential for action that appears in your life, and they mark events and the human energies that infiltrate such events.
The Knights
For some reason, writing about the knights is difficult. I think it’s because it’s the pool of men of my generation, whom I am mostly interacting with and occasionaly dating. So there is this sense that I lack an objective perspective and need to detach a bit more – like a pointilist painting, you need to see the Knights from afar to truly understand what they mean But precisely that is the effect: when a Knight enters your life or your tarot reading, it leaves things a bit blurred. Whether due to their charming aura or the things they promise, they always leave the person who got the reading and the tarot reader a little bit ‘school-girl/boy’ giddy.
In a nutshell, The Knight of Swords usually means an incoming brutal message of truth or a piece of surprising news; the Knight of Wands is everyone’s favourite Casanova, announcing the beggining of a passionate adventure in your life; the Knight of Cups is a sign of an upcoming pleasurable invitation or a new romantic opportunity; while the Knight of Pentacles, although reliable and stable is a sign of things progressing very slowly, through hard-work and effort.
These are the casual interpretations, but let’s take each Knight one by one and see more deeply what these charming men are all about. Below is a summary I created from the booklets of my tarot deck collection, to which I added a personal twist:
The Knight of Swords
Meaning & Interpretation:
- Represents the signs of Gemini/Libra/Aquarius in their prime (usually from the 20s up until the 40s of a person’s life).
- The knight of the learned response, he who acts much too quickly based on subconscious programming and because of this, he often ends up creating conflict and strife where there was previously peace. He is starting a journey into greater self-awareness, by tickling his Shadow Self out into the light, rushing in to confront it. When this card appears it is a clear sign that the situation at hand requires a broader perspective, and that if you are dealing with an argumentative person only reason and measured tones would help.
- This card ushers in dynamic thinking, forward movement and an unexpected breakthrough when it appears in a relationship spread (consider the power of this card in combination with the Chariot!). In an erotic spread, I always see this Knight as a symbol of passionate sexting.
- He is impetuous, as he heroically rushes into the unknown – could also indicate a lack of tact, a sore loser or a dispute over a romantic partner.
- When this card appears next to more negative cards such as The Tower or the Devil, it denotes a rash man who is dangerously aggressive. He may harm others through carelessness and reckless haste.
- Despite the fact that air energy is mental and governed by reason, Air signs usually repress their strong feelings because most of the time they are not capable of logically understanding them – these then come out in ugly ways, and in the form of Shadow parts of the self. The Knight of Swords is a harbinger of this repressed and intense energy, unleashed.
- This knight has yet to reach the emotional control of the Queen of Swords, but he is able to coach and guide the Page of Swords, who shares a mutual sense of mistrust and suspiciousness with our resident knight. At his best, this guy is a rational co-worker/friend/lover/father, who is able to communicate his ideas clearly and sincerely and can take up any debate with ease and fairness – he’s also good at apps/online surfing/gadgets and technology.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Knight/Messenger of Swords: If I am swift and move quickly, ensuring my actions are for the highest good, positive outcomes are assured.
The Knight of Cups
Meaning & Interpretation:
- Represent the signs of Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces in their prime (usually from the 20s up until the 40s of a person’s life).
- The knight of the heightened emotional response, the man who sees the best in others because he loves who he is and is comfortable with himself. This is the nurturer, the counsellor, the care-giver, the stay-at-home dad who changes the nappies when you are out jogging, healing or resting (he might throw in a foot massage too, at the end of the day).
- In some interpretations, this knight represents an intermediary, a messenger of good news. He usually stand for attraction and a proposal, a call to completely surrender to your emotions and let them tenderly wash over you. This guy is the sensitive poet or artist, the introverted tatto artist, the calm fisherman, the lsitening drinking budy and the idealistic best-man at his best friend’s wedding.
- Our knight is a pursuer of romance, but he might be afraid of true and deep commitment (he isn’t the King yet). However this card in combination with other tarot influences such as the Death card, speaks of emotional transformation. This Knight is on an emotional journey that changes not only his looks and his body through the ravages of time, but also his soul. Nonetheless, he is the one who obeys the comands of the heart and does not hesitate to pursue a moral goal.
- This knight is training his Page of Cups to take charge of romantic opportunities and come out of his shell, by showing him that shyness only blocks the heart’s way to experience happiness; he is also not as moody as the psychic and intuitive Queen of Cups, but also less emotionally prepared to deal with grief and loss as she is.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Knight of Cups: I can have what I desire. There is no need for jealousy, anger, resentment, or fear when I am love and love flows into me powerfully.
The Knight of Coins/Pentacles
Meaning & Interpretation:
- Represents Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn in their prime (usually from the 20s up until the 40s of a person’s life).
- The knight of stamina, resourcefulness and determination. He proceeds with integrity and grit. Nothing, not even a landslide or an earthquake can stop this man to reach his goal. He takes each bruise in his stride, brushing aside each setback and knock-off, and he gets back on the horse, plodding on towards his destination. He is inertia incarnate in the lowest form, and a paragon of hard-work in the highest vibration.
- This card shows an assured gain, a lucrative opportunity, or a good ocassion to build something stable. In a low vibration, our knight can be egocentric and unconcerned about the feelings of others as long as he can achieve his own interests. He is training the Page of Pentacles to understand the efforts involved in getting a job done, in completing a project, but he is not as kind or nurturing as the richly established Queen of Pentacles.
- Some tarot decks see this man as the one who fights against injustice and protects the weak, always working on behalf of the oppressed and the wounded. His life is one of slowly patroling and always completing the tasks, but can turn towards the unerringly monotonous. His narow-mindedness is however superseeded by his laborious organization. This is the lover who helps you fill in your tax form, the administrative employee who finds your birth certificate on time, the public persona who starts his/her own charity or fund-raising campaign.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Knight of Coins: I am dedicated and determined, knowing my efforts will pay off.
The Knight of Wands
Meaning & Interpretation:
- Represents the signs of Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn in their prime (usually from the 20s up until the 40s of a person’s life).
- This knight usually gets a bad rep in the You Tube tarot community since he is seen as the ‘player’ romantic type, a guy with purely sexual intentions who swoops in and out of your life as he pleases, only to get bust a nut and leave you hanging. But the original meaning of this beautiful Knight is taming the wild fire within, and using that force to overcome spiritual blockages and any creative or sexual limitations. Our Knight is the embodiment of Jung’s Hero Archetype, and he is a fierce, bold and passionate badass. In everyday life, this guy is the loud-mouth swimming coach or any sports coach for that matter, the rebellious race-car driver or motorcycle fiend, the wildlife protector, the caravan traveller and the technological nomad.
- As a Knight he is bound by a code of honour, so I would be tempted to refrain from reducing our Knight to the status of a ‘player’, since Players in life might be best represented by the Ace of Fire in combination with the 7 of Swords. While our Knight might not have reached the wisdom of the King of Wands yet, or the soulful energy of the Queen of Wands, he is nonetheless on the path to success, and he is most likely to suceed at his endeavours because of the sheer force of his confidence, physiciality and utter belief that he is the right guy for any undertaking (the tougher, the better even).
- This knight is an adventurer capable of channeling and efficiently moving his enery and his instincts. He is training the Page of Wands on matters regarding courage, sexuality and creativity, by instilling confidence in the young one through the power of his personal example; he is however not as spiritually evolved as the witchy and enthralling Queen of Wands.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Knight of Wands: Surrounded by Spirit, illuminated by the wisdom that rises up within me, I set forth on a path to innovate.
Alternative Tarot Interpretations
Together with the Mary-El Tarot (pictured below), the Dreams of Gaia Tarot (pictured above) ofers the most in-depth and unique interpretation of Knight-energy that you may find. I love the darkly mystical undertones of these two decks as well, almost as if they hold space for both light and dark to co-exist in tarot. Personally, this dual vibe makes me feel like I can provide readings which are rich in meaning when I’m using them.
The Voyager Tarot considers the court cards to be symbols of dominion, although I tend to see them more as action cards. In his tarot vision, James Wanless adapted the old take on these royal characters to modern times and represented the Pages as the Children, The Kings as the Sages, the Queens as the Women and the Knights as the Men (but to be fair, you can switch the meaning of these cards as you’d like since they are numberless).
However, the most interesting interpretation is the one offered by the Mystical Dream Tarot that somehow – for reasons that remain obscured – considers knights as spirits. Spirits are entities that can take any form (human, animal, mythic and abstract) and they serve to guide and assist spiritual practitioners to deliver messages. So if we understand the knights as the spiritual links or relationship bridges between the enthusiastic inexperience of the Pages and the ripe knowledge of the Queens and Kings, then this interpretation would make a lot of sense.
In the Muse Tarot, the Knights are a group of bashful horses (and the Knight of Swords is even an unicorn!). Their interpretations come with tiny haikus as well, such as the one of the Knight of Emotions:
Excitement kicks, and like a prince
A show. Display. Affection
Emotion drips, a charming rinse
Now go. Display. Intention
These are just some of creative adaptations of the original Rider-Waite court cards, and I described them here with the intention to inspire you. I hope this post helped you see your own tarot practice in a new light. Keep in mind this is only my perspective which was acquired from studying the tarot since 2012, but feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Special // The Court Cards: 1) Pages
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Context
After we dabbled in the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana, I would like us to focus now on the tarot’s court members, those royal characters that round up the suits of the Minor Arcana. They are infamously difficult to interpret, especially if you are a novice at reading tarot. Also, these characters are part of the Minor Arcana, because this Arcana deals with mundane and everyday aspects of our lives and their energies (while the Major Arcana deals with fated, predestined and deux-ex-machina kind of events in life).
After some time spent on feeling through their energies, I find that the court cards are also the most fun apparitions in a spread, especially in love readings. Tradition has it that they represent real people that might appear in your life, but they could also speak of traits that are energetically looming around you and you just need some tarot awareness to reach out and grab those traits and integrate them into your full, loving and wholesome Self. Overall, these cards show action, or the potential for action that appears in your life, and they mark events and the human energies that infiltrate such events.
The Pages
In today’s post, I want to focus on the Pages. What is a Page? This is a young person, an apprentice, a mind waiting to be newly formed. Metaphorically speaking, the pages symbolise the life force bursting at the seems, and the excitement we all feel when faced with a new adventure. The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines a page as:
1): a youth being trained for the medieval rank of knight and in the personal service of a knight (2): a youth attendant on a person of rank especially in the medieval period, b: a boy serving as an honorary attendant at a formal function (such as a wedding), 3: one employed to deliver messages, assist patrons, serve as a guide, or attend to similar duties
So Pages represent potential and its awakening. They show what lies in balance, at the in-between, much like young people transition from the stage of childhood to adulthood, through adolescence – exactly this part, the tumultuous adolescence is marked by the Pages.
If Page energy could speak it would say: “Whooaw! Let Me Do it (Page of Wands)/Have it (Page of Coins)/Think it (Page of Swords)/Love it (Page of Cups)”. But while that yummy impulse is there, the skills and expertise are sadly lacking; most of the time the plan is lacking as well, but the drive is certainly there. And that is the Divine purpose of the Pages, to build on that drive, to allow it to manifest in order to prepare for the adventure (The Knights Group), which indicates how the energy of the Pages ripens at the Knights-stage in the tarot.
I always love to consider the order of the cards in the tarot, since to me it doesn’t appear random at all. The Pages usually follow the 10s of the Minor Arcana and are preceeded by the Knights. If it is easier to consider the growth of the youthful Page into the charming Knight, it is not usually discussed among the tarot readers on YouTube, what links are there between the 10s and the Pages. In my interpretation, what each ten ripens into and completes, the Page then shifts to another level. For example, the 10 of Swords is the epitome of the death of the Ego brought on by too much over-thinking; it is a dramatic card that contains a lot of pain and betrayal but also a lot of hope, since traditionally in the Rider-Waite deck it portrays a man stabbed in the back by 10 swords, bleeding to death on a peaceful shore over which the sun is rising or setting (at that beautiful Zenith hour of the day).
So the Page of Swords comes in after this energy, and you can imagine that considering the landscape just described, the Page of Swords is not a very happy guy – on the contrary he frowns, he is ready to defend himself, he is also swift and easy on the feet, capable of escaping the scenery any second now. The Page of Swords is about that uncomfortable realization that we can be our own worst enemies, through the pesimistic and victimsing thoughts we sometimes think. He is Air energy, and his light-footed stance shows us that to dispel lingering frowns, we are asked to change the way we think, and thereby how we speak to ourself and to those around us.
But let’s take each Page one by one and see more deeply what these young men are all about. Below is a summary I created from the booklets of my tarot deck collection, to which I added a personal twist:
The Page of Swords
Meaning & Interpretations:
- Represents the signs of Gemini/Libra/Aquarius as adolescents.
- This Page speaks of a new spark of inspiration, a change of mind that shapes your reality differently, a creative idea that can unblock communication, a desire to start up a new study program, to improve your education and social status. Air energy is about how we come across to others, it is about the creation of culture and many different forms of speech and communication, and the Page shows this potential, like a match lit in the dark, or ‘in the beginning there was the Word’.
- Practical application of ideas, putting words into action and renewing your thinking. Acknowledging your curiosity about something, developping your capacity to rationally balance sides and analyze a situation, and training your spirit of observation.
- This card can also indicate somebody who is skilled at perceiving hidden truths but is often underestimated due to his youth. A person with a very inquisitive mind who needs a lot of mental stimulation, a person adept at perceiving the unknown – so in a love spread this Page indicates that the truth will be revealed and swift communication is on the way (could be blunt). There is a struggle here to birth the truth by marrying opposing forces, the unconscious archetypes with our conscious reasoning. This card also indicates a frenetic mind, one which is not mature enough to find profound stillness – a storm of learning, restless communication and uncomfortable nervous states, buzzing about with intellectual excitement and impatience to know as much as possible, and quickly.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Page of Swords: If I explore this way of thinking, what can I learn?
The Page of Cups
Meaning & Interpretations:
- Represent the signs of Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces as adolescents.
- This Page speaks of new emotional spark, a timid beginning, a flash of insight into the workings of your unconscious, a love offer, an invitation to open up your heart and just go with the flow. The act of surrender will actually benefit you in your next endeavour (think here of the Hindu Goddess Akhilanda).
- This card can also indicate a compassionate person, a moment of deep gratitude, someone who is innocent and has a dreamy nature, but can also be overly-sensitive or deeply vulnerable. He comes right after the blissful 10 of Cups, so he has the consciousness of personal bliss and is able now to take action in fulfilling his dreams into reality (that is, if he decides he genuinely wants to pursue his feelings and not simply feel them and remain remote).
- This is the Page of impressions, he prefers quality over quantity anytime and he sometimes might prefer the act of imagining over that of doing or genuinly manifesting something into being. Often the realm of romantic fantasy is somehow more real to our Page than reality itself.
- This card indicates a person who is willing to offer help and services. Our Page is learning from our Knight of Cups how to court without coming across too aggressively, how to sensitively approach a relationship and how to deal with delicate matters, even how to keep secrets and to become good at love-making of all kinds (the Water element is fertile, imaginative, secretive, creative and retentive).
- This young man is just about to begin his psychological journey, where he will have to rise above jealousy, manipulation, possession and seduction; he will need to reconcile his intuition (the fish in his cup) to his physicality (his human body). He is a great romantic who falls in love easily without observing the entire situation. I love how in the Muse Tarot, this Page symbolizes a light releasing of control, similar to the water pouring into his cup to save the fish asking for his help.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Page of Cups: I open my heart fully, allowing myself to feel childlike wonder and innocence
The Page of Coins/Pentacles
Meaning & Interpretations:
- Represents the signs of Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn as adolescents.
- This Page represents a new material spark, learning the ropes of the trade, developping a good work ethic, beginning to understand how the law of manifestation and a prosperity mindset work in everyday circumstances.
- The Page looks like he just discovered a precious coin, a treasure, and he is about to pour all his energy into making that coin into his farm/his house/his castle. So this card symbolizes a gift from God, much like the Ace of Coins, but with the Page you have to put in the effort to take advantage of the opportunity, and invest your gift wisely.
- You are now learning how and whom to trust with your gifts, whom to listen to and take on as a mentor, and how to use your energy in pragmatic ways: how to build things and preserve them, how to eat well, dress well, study well, and save up money, how to keep your body healthy and in line with traditional expectations.
- The Page of Coins wants to understand tradition in order to uphold it. Keep in mind he comes into being right after the 10 of Pentacles, so he has the abundance mindset, unconsciously wired into his being, which means that he knows deep down inside that the land is wealthy and filled with opportunities that he can capitalize on. So he wants to invest well his gifts in order to learn how to control his resources and make from one coin, a thousand coins.
- This Page is slowly learning from the Knight of Pentacles, how to work well in the service of others and thereby acquire material goods and financial rewards. I think I just realized while writing this article, that the Page of Pentacles is the one closest to my heart, or at least the one I am better able to comprehend.
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Page of Pentacles: Everything starts with a plan, and I am beginning to see results generate prosperity
The Page of Wands
Meaning & Interpretations:
- Represents the signs of Aries/Leo/Sagittarius as adolescents.
- This Page speaks of a new dynamic spark, a burst of excitement, starting on a new endeavour/project/game/chase/adventure. Building your self-confidence through conscious awareness of how others perceive your actions. Setting the intention to explore your sexuality, to improve and be more confident in your romantic pursuits.
- Indicates a free spirit, one crowned by the soul’s path, a visionary who oftens forges ahead into unexplored territories, guided only by belief. An envoy, a stranger with good intentions, a bearer of important news. One who is learning about magic and energy, by carefully controlling his will and his body (the staff the Page is admiring seems to be a strong phallic symbol, so in a love reading this card also indicates the control over an orgasm or physical pleasure in general).
- Our fiery Page has a zest for life, and is very vibrant and a little bit cocky In the Muse Tarot this card signifies a symphony of solutions, answers and potentials. He represents a willingness to try new things, to take risk, to be playful and to bravely confront and battle inner demons. Our Page wants to become the hero, and he is learning this under the tutelage of the Knight of Wands, who carves the path forward on which our Page is optimistically treading, as he is becoming independent and learning to handle himself in many unexpected situations.
- He comes right after the 10 of Wands, which speaks of releasing a tremendous burden and letting go of the fight. So in this well-rested mood, our Page dresses up to the Aces and with confidence and gusto tries to see what manipulating only one and extensively long wand could do for him (cue all the sexual innuendos you’d like, this card is as straightforward sexually as the phallic Ace of Wands).
- The Good Tarot offers the following affirmation to pair with the Page of Wands: I am finding my purpose, as I take the next step into something new
Alternative Tarot Interpretations
In my view, there is no better and more comprehensive interpretation of the court cards than the one provided by the mystical Mary-El tarot. This was the first deck I purchased, after the classic Rider-Waite deck was gifted to me, and its mystical energy can be deeply felt just by holding the large cards. Marie White took 20 years to paint the images that are depicted in the cards, and most of them stemmed from her therapeutical sessions. The booklet that accompanies the tarot deck has a comprehensive explanation of the Kabbalistic, Christian-Orthodox and Occult significance of each Page, and many times their are portrayed in a gender-bending manner which appeals to me very much!
In the Muse Tarot the elements of the Pages get transformed – from Swords to Voices, from Wands to Inspiration, from Coins to Materials and from Cups to Emotions. Then in the Voyager Tarot the Pages take the shape of the Children of a family group (while the Knights are the Men, the Queens are the Women, and the Kings are the Sages). It’s a beautiful interpretation that is close to my heart, since I also see the Pages as this vibrant and youthful burst of energy, that requires some training to grow into something magnificent. On a deeper level, Page energy is about bringing back a spark into your life, or restarting a relatioship by approaching it in a different way (whether through a new mental, material, emotional or sexual medium).
Lastly, in the sensitively channeled Mystical Dream Tarot, the Pages are now Dreamers. They bridge the realm of the realm with the realm of the possible. I love this vibe and I feel that this entire deck has a very strong Neptunian influence, as if captured from a life-long dream. Unsurprisingly, it inspired me to create a Dream Love Story Tarot Series, so all my gratitude goes to Janet Piedilato for creating this deck. Janet much like Marie White, spent a considerable amount of time paiting this deck, which also stemmed from her therapeutic sessions where she explored images from her unconscious. I think such a background in personal development adds some extra ‘spiritual weight’ to these two tarot sets and makes them unique.
To some extent, I see modern day tarot readers as the brave explorers of the unconscious much like the Dada and Surrealist Group of Artists were between the World Wars, with figures such as Dali, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington and Lee Miller. I hope this post helped you see your own tarot practice in a new light. Keep in mind this is only my perspective which was acquired from studying the tarot since 2012, but feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 11: Judgement & The World
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hey crew, today’s post marks the end of our Tarot Saturday series, in which we explored more deeply the meanings of each of the 22 Major Arcana cards. We wrap everything up with the Judgement and The World cards, and I think that the painting above by Pieter Bruegel aptly summarizes the combined energies of these two cards. Our human endeavours (no matter how great or ambitious) are eventually drowned in the constant flow of life. In the big picture our grand achievements are infinitessimal, so you might as well live from the heart and do as you please since life will inevitably move on without you. There is something hopeful and tragic in this modest approach, much like the enlivening energy of our Judgement card and the expansive energy of our World card. Have a look below at the compilation of the notes I made while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks, and see what new insights you might uncover about these two cards. I hope this serves you well in your own divination practice!
Judgement (linked to Pluto)
- The card of releasing the past, a wake-up call, a profound epiphany, finding your place in the world and discovering your calling. A sign of redemption, a need to forgive yourself so you can let go of negativity. In the Chinese Tarot, this card depicts Confucius, whose work described themes such as morality, duty, benevolence, justice and wisdom.
- When this card shows up, the ability to exercise understanding and forgiveness is emphasized. It heralds for a change to be recognized, an improvement, a completion, motivation and inspiration. The Angel plays the trumpet to announce the arrival of a new life, following on from the awakening of your consciousness (some considered this Angel to be Gabriel, while others think it represents Sandalphon). When this card appears in your spread it is an indication to assess your path and understand that what you have chosen in the past, has led you to your present situation. Judgement is always a moment of spiritual enlightenment.
- Beyond the battlefield there is a place of silence and harmony, of hope and forgiveness. Completing a conflict but neither through victory and also not through surrender. Past mistakes are behind you now, as this card heralds a new beginning. The necessary conditions of renewal have been laid out, so follow them with a self-critical yet conciliatory approach. Take accountability for your actions.
- The liberation of something we kept closed and isolated; leave the coffin, step out of the muck, even if leaving things behind brings about a fear of failure, you are now getting your second chance.
- Judgement also represents a call to express your vocation, after you have pondered over your situation – act rapidly now and indulge whatever desire for new life is awakening within you (think of this card in combination with the Chariot for an interesting perspective)
Imagine you could open your eyes to see only the good in every person, the positive in every circumstance, and the opportunity in every challenge.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe
The World (linked to Saturn)
- Often, this card appears as the Universe in other tarot decks, symbolizing victory, prosperity, wholeness and completion. This card marks the end of the Major Arcana, and its energy is powerful since it is the energetic summation of all the previous 21 cards. It symbolizes an open-ended conclusion, one that allows a potential beginning to emerge out of the closing of an important cycle. The character in the center of the card represents the perfect being, the dancer who balances the cosmic forces to create a holistic approach to life.
- When the World appears, it is a sign to embrace the lessons you have learned in life, so far. It is a call to balance the emotional / spiritual / mental / physical realms of your life and once this balance is achieved, then work to maintain it throughout life (it’s easier said than done, right? ). The Chinese Tarot depicts this card as Kuan Yin, the goddess of salvation, who leads people from the gutter to the stars.
- Even if everything seems complete and perfect as it is, don’t be afraid to shake things up to see what new pattern will emerge from your actions. The birth of perfection, as the human and the divine come together as one and spirit and body proceed together. An integration of all the fixed 4 elements (water, fire, air and earth). The successful end of your journey (imagine this card showing up in combination with the Sun!) & looking onto bolder horizons.
- Ending where you began, facing for one last time all the obstacles you had to overcome; a deeper sense of life’s meaning and your part within it; a hard-fought journey. Total realization, expansion and achievement.
- Encouragement to not give up and to not be afraid. The road you have taken is indeed the right one and whatever difficulty you encounter will be short-lived and will ultimately offer you the desired results.
In a gentle way, you can shake the world.
Mahatman Gandhi
In your own divination practice, you can adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the themes of the spread used. They can be used in a career, love or spiritual development reading – the point is to let them stimulate your imagination. Reversed cards are to me just blocked energy, so feel free to use your psychic abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. As you unlock these two Major Arcanas, simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 10: The Moon & The Sun
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hey crew, we continue to explore the deeper meaning of the Major Arcana in our penultimate tarot post in this series, by analyzing the Moon and the Sun Cards. These are two cosmic energies that help us sustain life on Earth, they are regenerative and cyclical. Please have a look below at the compilation of the notes I made while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks, and see what new insights you might uncover about these two cards. I hope this serves you well in your own divination practice!
The Moon (linked to Pisces)
- This card represents instincts, emotions, fecundity, dreams and imagination. The Moon speaks of cycles, rhythms, magnetism, the feminine principle (or the female essence of nature), and the generative subconscious.
- The Moon is a symbol of hidden and covert activity which takes place in the nocturnal realm. Pay attention to your dreams when this card appears, as your unconscious holds the many mysteries which can unlock your conscious path. A place where the darkest passions are lived out, a state of permanent doubt, an uncertain reality and shadow-play.
- Under moonlight, everything is vague and outcomes are undetermined. Be careful not to give in to illusions, so wait until daylight, for clarity. The Moon is about fear and fantasy, a gradual revelation and realization. But beware of dark influences and trickery.
- In this card, the female principle is at its most concentrated – first experienced in the High Priestess but now elevated to the Heavens as a celestial body. When the Moon appears this is a clear sign to trust your intuition but also to observe your surroundings to carefully discern their true nature and people’s true intentions. In the Chinese tarot, The Moon goddess is represented with a hare, as a symbol of longevity.
- When this card appears it is an omen to revealing and overcoming the illusion of existence, so draw messages from your inner self. In a negative light, it can indicate a period of depression, of casting strange shadows on the ground. In a more positive light, this is an invitation to deepen your intuition by seeing the world differently.
“Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Sun (linked to Leo)
- This is the card of confidence, freedom and growth, symbolizing the male principle and the vitality and vigor of life. It denotes a time of prosperity, after some depression (it follows after the Moon card). Unlike the Moon card, you cannot hide anything under the bright sunlight. The sun illuminates the darkness, bringing the light of day and restoring clarity in any situation. Pragmatically speaking, this is the card of cooperation, partnership and group work. With this card everything becomes clear and direct. You can help others easily as you know what you can now accomplish.
- An indication that positive energy, good fortune and contentment are coming. Affection and passion are born out of truth and not pretense. Openness to the world, a naked vulnerability. This is a sign to use reason over intuition, to guide you in your query. The Sun warms your way forward. An arcana of power and command. Leave all your worries behind you, as your projects are now infused with serenity and benevolence.
- The Sun signifies happy times, pure joy and successful social relationships. In a love reading, this can be an indication of engagement (consider this in combination with the Hierophant!) and a sign of being ready to fully realize your potential. The cycle of lucidity, happiness, talent and geniality reaches its zenith in this card.
- All good things are coming to you now, open your hands to receive them. Sweet happiness is yours for the taking. The ultimate card of accomplishment and achievement. I personally think this card is a greater omen of true love than the Lovers, but that’s just my preference.
The sun, whose rays are all ablaze with ever-living glory, does not deny his majesty–he scorns to tell a story! He don’t exclaim, “I blush for shame, so kindly be indulgent”; but fierce and bold, in fiery gold, he glories all effulgent.
The Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan
In your own divination practice, you can adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the theme of the spreads used. They can be used in a career, love or spiritual development reading – the point is to let them stimulate your imagination and to allow your intuition to interpret their meanings. I don’t offer explanations of reversals, because reversed cards are just blocked energy to me, so feel free to use your divination abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. As you unlock these two Major Arcanas, simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 9: The Tower & The Star
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hey lunar beams! We continue to explore the deeper meaning of the Major Arcana in this post, by analyzing the Tower and the Star Cards. The energies of these two cards are complementary and taken together they remind us that after any misfortune in life, there is always renewed hope. Please have a look below at the compilation of the notes I made while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks, and see what new insights you might uncover about these two cards. I hope this serves you well in your own divination practice!
The Tower (linked to Mars)
- This card is dramatic – it represents an unforeseen trauma which takes place fast. Externally, this card is associated with a complete and sudden change, a violent act, being thrown out, being fired or suddenly losing a person or finding out some shocking news. This happened to alert you that the structures you built are not as stable as you believed they were, so expect the unexpected. The tower makrs the shattering of certainty and of the need to live with what you thought was necessary.
- Internally, it is about changing one’s opinion and breaking down old beliefs, severing relationships, and a renewal after the destruction of old forms. The Tower shows that too much pressure has been building up, and this is the breaking point that finally makes everything erupt. The lightning represented in the card is about a release from delusions and mysteries.
- Depending of which other cards surround this influence, the Tower is about inner & pent-up energy that explodes on the outside or external pent-up energy that affect our inner perceptions of ourselves and of reality.
- The Tower is intense because it is a sign of upheaval and ruin. It marks the end of complacency. It is traumatic, because abrupt change happens before you could prepare for them. However, even if events feel fated, you do have a choice about how to proceed in the after-math.
- In a sexual tarot reading, the tower can signify an erect penis, but one which comes with an inconsistent level of excitement and might peter out as fast as it erm…arose.
- What you have resisted this far is about to explode and emerge out into the world. A sense of being overcrowded and overwhelmed. As difficult as it is to go against the current, this strategy is necessary to receive sudden illumination. Otherwise a violent separate looms, a true catastrophe, an expulsion that gives birth to a crisis. Keep in mind, the crisis can generate new life, just as a supernova that explodes and in the process gives birth to new stars.
- The Tower in its most positive interpretation is about unblocking energy; just like the Elephant spirit, that can release obstacles and run through any blockade, so is the Tower card an energetic anti-pressure valve. This card is associated with Mars, the ruler of the primal Fire Sign, Aries. Fire burns away the old forms and all useless conditions – only what matters remains.
I survived because the fire inside of me burned brighter than the fire outside of me.
Anonymous
The Star (linked to Aquarius)
- Hope springs eternal, a sign of a very good omen and that you are on the right path for you. It comes right after the Tower and shows how after a difficult time of change, relief follows. After the storm comes sunshine, a sign of recognition and self-confidence.
- The gift of premonition, a vehicle of light, optimism and spiritual love. Have faith in divine guidance and trust your own intuition. The flowing of water from the naked vestal’s pitcher gives wisdom and life to the world and activates the subconscious. Continue with your endeavor knowing that the more you give, the more you will receive.
- Receptivity, altruism and fertility. The Star card shows the action of irrigating the world, which was once parched. The action of reconciling opposites. Carnality which does not arouse disgust but a feeling of protectiveness and openness to the world, a beautiful vulnerability. Finding fulfillment in life’s simple pleasures.
- An indication that you are right where you need to be, your goals are within reach and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Grief and despair are released. You are an integrated part of the universe’s song of hope and beauty – you belong. In the Chinese Tarot the Star card depicts the God of Longevity.
I dwell in possibility.
Emily Dickinson
In your own divination practice, you can adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the theme of the spreads used. They can be used in a career, love or spiritual development reading – the point is to let them stimulate your imagination. Reversed cards are to me just blocked energy, so feel free to use your divination abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. As you unlock these two Major Arcanas, simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 8: The Angel of Temperance & The Devil
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
As promised crew, here is the second tarot post of the day We continue to explore the deeper meaning of the Major Arcana, by tackling a universal duality, two powerful and enduring collective archetypes: the forces of good and evil as they are represented in tarot by the Temperance and the Devil cards. The energies of these two cards are oppositional, but they also speak about the profound duality of our mind, emotions and actions which can be reconciled with effort and perseverance. So have a look below at the compilation of the notes I made while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks, and see what new insights you might uncover about these two cards.
Temperance (linked to Sagittarius)
- Represents protection, healing and divine assistance. If the query is about work this shows integration, synthesis and synergy in the process of creation; by bringing two opposing forces together, something new can be created.
- Temperance is similar to Justice in its vibe: shows a reconciliation of paradoxes and conflicts, so adopt a calm approach to life by avoiding extremes. The Angel keeps one foot in the water (our emotions) and one foot on land (our actions), the vessels it holds are of a different design yet the mixture created is harmonious.
- Marks a period of stillness and veneration, patience and adjustment. This is a good sign and shows a positive influence in your life. Blend the earthly with the spiritual within you, the conscious with the unconscious. No darkness can exist without light, no life without nourishment, no soul without compassion.
- Whenever there is desire, there is also a need for balance and moderation. This card is about self-restraint and compromise, it for everyone’s benefit to find the middle ground in this relationship (if the spread is about love).
- To move what is unmovable and shake what is unshakeable; evaluate the situation well to reach a mutually-pleasing balance. Be as adaptable as you and let things slide off you to achieve a better outcome in your present circumstances.
It is only in light that we see our shadows.
Matshona Dhliwayo
The Devil (linked to Capricorn)
- This card is about fear, temptation, over-indulgence and vices. It shows you might have lost sight of the path. In a more positive light this is actually about a boiling point of creativity and passion. The Devil represents will, audacity and charisma. Could also represent arrogance, possessiveness and dependency in relationships. The suffocating ties of obsessive love and mental agony, refusing to let go and to forgive.
- Don’t give in to flattery and evaluate the dangers surrounding you, so you can liberate yourself; follow the guidance of your inner fire and release bonds (they are mostly in your mind). Sexual pleasure derived from pain; the drama of love. Extreme sensuality, a focus on bodily pleasures and anxiety.
- Remember that the Devil was once a beautiful angel, a light-bringer and close to God; yet this Angel chose the darkness and fell from grace, so Lucifer now roams the Earth binding souls to his sorrow – if only It realized that anything can be mended with an apology or a sense of atonement.
- Know that the mindless pursuit of pleasure and power can lead you down a dark path, but if you face the unknown you can re-emerge into the light. Don’t be a slave to your fatal instincts, and might even show that nothing good can come out of this situation.
- When this card shows up in a deck this is also about black magic and bad outside influence or advice. We cannot find complete freedom without examining the dark sides first. Usually depicts Pan, the Goat-God. Confront your inner demons, fears, obsessions and drama. At its best, The Devil is about powerful insight into your own darkness.
Inner darkness, which we call ignorance, is the root of suffering. The more inner light there is, the more darkness will diminish. This is the only way to achieve salvation or nirvana.
The Dalai Lama
In your own divination practice, you can adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the theme of the spreads used. These cards will give you different insights according to whether you are doing a career, love or spiritual development reading. Reversed cards are to me just blocked energy, so feel free to use your divination abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. As you unlock these two Major Arcanas, simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 7: The Hanged Man & Death
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
My crew, we skyped a Saturday because I was too busy with personal readings to post anything, so today is your lucky day because you will be getting two posts! As I accustomed you by now, each Saturday we explore the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana Today we are focusing on two difficult influences in the human soul’s spiritual development: The Hanged Man and Death cards. These two cards are always strange presences in a tarot spread and can inspire confusion and dread. But have a look below at compilation of the notes I made while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks, and perhaps they can help you understand what lies beneath first impressions.
The Hanged Man (linked to Neptune)
- Represents a sense of peace through self-discipline and freedom from distraction. Putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation in order to understand it differently, from a fresh angle. Can also symbolize breaking free from the constraints of the past, from old patterns, a reversal in your values, or breaking through the constraints of society. Maintain a belief which is higher than your personal power or allow a new point of view to form,
- The tree on which the Hanged Man is hanging from is the Kabbalistic tree of life (The Sephirot) and the yoga pose of the character also represents ‘the tree’, a sign of infinite vitality and wisdom. The Hanged Man is reaching illumination through self-restraint and in some cases, self-sacrifice. This card signifies a pause, a period of distance which is necessary to think deeper about what lies ahead. This is not the right time to act or make a choice, if we have in mind profound change; we first need to ponder how to instigate it, so this card denotes this a sudden break
- I’m also reminded of the game ‘the Hanged Man’, where if you make a lot of mistakes trying to guess letters to a word, you end up in a hanged man state and the game is over. So to me, this card represents arriving at a turning point in life, when after a lot of personal setbacks you stop and realize ‘Enough is enough! How can I change deeply to turn my life around? (this is significant since this card is placed right before the Death card).
- A sign of halting, since you cannot observe the world if you run at the same speed as the world and you also cannot find any new things when you view the world the same way that everybody else does. Also a sign that too much apathy can get you stuck, and if you can’t free yourself than life will pass you by. Missing opportunities and in a love reading, potential sign of a short-lived love affair.
- Suspend your disbelief and expand the limits of your consciousness by submitting to your destiny. Coming to the altar of sacrifice, which hands between freedom or necessity; repentance and atonement. In the Chinese Tarot, this card is breathtakingly eerie as it is named ‘Hanging Ghost’ to symbolize those who had no recourse to social justice and committed suicide.
- I love the spiritual energy of the Hanged Man/Woman (in the Decameron Tarot) as to me it speaks about a major perspective shift after accepting the consequences of your actions, a sense of renunciation, life in suspension, the changing forces of life and a necessary transition from negative past patterns. It is the card of placing other people’s needs above your own.
I learned that the interior of life was as rewarding as the exterior of life, and that my richest moments occurred when I was absolutely still.
Richard Bode
Death (linked to Scorpio)
- Not an actual death, but a transformation of the self; letting go of parts of yourself that are no longer serving you, releasing old baggage, and emotionally detaching. Releasing the ego to embody an expanded consciousness. A passage-way, rites of passage that change your identity. The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth, a restoration emerges from the crumbling. This card also stands for the shift from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius, so a shift from oppositions to holistic perspectives. In the Chinese Tarot, this card depicts Yama who governs over hell and accompanies souls through many trials before they choose to reincarnate.
- This card represents the cycle of creation, renewal and destruction; a proper revolution, life generates death and death generates life; a continual exchange of energy between complimentary elements; the necessary abandonment of suffocating ties; a painful mutation which imposes itself in your life; an inevitable transition.
- Accepting that time passes and we can’t slow it down, so don’t turn down joy just because of fear; a finalization that comes about without your will, but it is imposed from the outside; a conclusion which can be traumatic and unexpected. Can also represent a regeneration of your shadow aspects and your own inner demons. Do not cling on to who you thought you were; awaken reborn.
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone
Harriet Beecher-Stowe
In your own divination practice, you can adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the theme of the spreads used. These cards will give you different insights according to whether you are doing a career, love or spiritual development reading. Reversed cards are to me just blocked energy, so feel free to use your divination abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. As you unlock these two Major Arcanas, simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 6: The Wheel of Fortune & Justice
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
My crew, it’s Satur(n)day so I’m coming at you with another tarot post about the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana cards. Today we are focusing on two stellar influences in the human soul’s spiritual development: The Wheel of Fortune and Justice. These two harbingers of good luck and divine retribution are always good omens to see in a tarot spread. Again, I am sharing with you a compilation of the notes I made while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks. Hope they can help inspire your divination practice!
The Wheel of Fortune (linked to Jupiter)
- Tha card of Vision. When it appears it portends good luck, chance, unplanned and unexpected happenings. A clear sign that destiny calls (imagine this card together with the Judgement card in a reading!).
- It also represents a crossroad, the point where fortune changes; something has to break in order for something else to emerge. Can also signify the end of a difficult period.
- In a love reading, it depicts how you move through the ups and downs of of your relationship (and whether things are stalling or are being set in motion again). It might predict a change in status (imagine this card together with the 4 of Wands or the Hierophant in a reading!).
- A threshold; bad luck will be overcome with solidarity and mutual help. Accept that being at the mercy of fate is part of the human condition; let go of the struggle, a sign that whatever situation you are considering will improve. Portrays the cyclical nature of things, the natural cycles of life and seasons. New circumstances are eing created through Divine guidance.
- Plans are set in motion; step back a bit from your work to see the full cycle. You are soon to stumble upon new opportunities. You are soon to experience many synchronicities that remind you that Spirit has your back. Continue to move, to be fluid and changeable.
- Divine chaos. A series of lucky breaks will manifest which shows you are on the right track. The risk or gamble will play out to your benefit. Inevitability and culmination.
- In the Dreams of Gaia Tarot this card is represented by Wisdom – breaking a cycle, loving the whole, the situation can have many different outcomes, many destinations. You are blessed with options.
Life’s a wheel of fortune and it’s my chance to spin it.
Tupac Shakur
Justice (linked to Libra)
- The card of balance, mediation, compromise and fairness. When it appears in a reading it indicates that the veils of illusion, misdirection and self-deceit are finally lifting. Justice demands clarity, simplicity and honesty. We must accept the truth of what we have done and what has happened to us. There is a need to balance our actions with our circumstances.
- In a love reading, this card represents the perfect woman, the ideal female counterpart. The scale brings into focus our integrity and our creative spirit. It marries our present with our future, signalling the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of a situation.
- The symbolic tools of Justice are the sword of rigor and precision & the scales of impartiality, foretelling the equal importance in life of both reward and punishment. In some decks, Justice is surrounded by spheres like full moons, and these represent ideas put into words.
- A fair outcome is at hand, after a time of struggle. A reminder to check in with yourself, to ensure that your beliefs are in tune with your visible actions. Any move you make now will have consequences so choose the higher ground. Justice stands for Libra and the rule of Saturn, so it represents honor, karma and responsibility in legal matters.
- Actions favoured by this card: accepting the outcomes of your actions; applying the same moral standard to yourself and to others; setting a course for a decisive action after carefully weighing all the facts; dealing with the situation at present, in a methodical way and by checking all the facts and controlling your passions.
- Denotes a strong character who can vacillate between corruption and fairness. This card also shows the ability to attain what we really merit. Could symbolize a castrating maternal figure as well.
- In the Chinese Tarot, this card depicts Wei T’o, a soul who postpones its self-enlightenment in order to help others reach enlightenment. So Justice in this context is about considering the greater good of everyone involved. Commitment and trust are the necessary qualities to find a positive solution to the problem.
- NOTE: In some tarot decks (for inexplicable reasons) the number of the Strength card is flipped with the number of the Justice card. So you might find that the Strength card is nr. 8 in some and 11 in other decks (and viceversa with the Justice card).
Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
Ruth Bader-Ginsburg
Adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the theme of the tarot spreads used. These cards will give you different insights according to whether you are doing a career, love or spiritual development reading. Reversed cards are to me just blocked energy, so feel free to use your divination abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. As you unlock these two Major Arcanas, simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 5: Strength & The Hermit
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hey all, another Satur(n)day, another tarot post about the deeper meanings of the Major Arcana cards. Today we are focusing on two cards that usually describe the support available to the human soul when it has reached a ‘dark night’ phase in its spiritual development: Strength and The Hermit. I think as well that these two cards go so well with the overall transformative energy of 2020. Below is a compilation of the notes I made, while studying the booklets of my 13 tarot decks <3. Hope they can help inspire your divination practice!
Strength (linked to Leo)
- Represents endurance & going the distance. Allowing Spirit to move through you will help you become strong enough to move mountains. In the situation you are asking about, this is an indication to work with gentle persuasion and perseverance to solve the problem.
- More boradly this card speaks of the themes of building trust, courage and overcoming desire; having faith in your own capacity and being fully yourself, being honest and without masks; enthusiasm, passion and brilliance; ownership, acting in a slow and steady, honest manner; and finally, expanding consciousness through personal effort. This is the ‘I take my destiny in my own hands’ type of energy.
- Can be a sign of reconciliation and softening up emotionally; if you allow yourself to be overcomed by affection, than you are able to tame brute force and stop violence (imagine the emotional outburst described by this card together with the Lovers, in a love spread <3)
- The Shadow aspect of this card is that what you seek to control might end up controlling you! You are asked to be defiant, zealous and resolute, embodying the Hero archetype (this is the Hercules card). Do not back down because you are fighting the good fight. This card symbolizes the forces of good overcoming evil, a sign of emerging inner goodness. True strength comes from human compassion and acceptance; defending the weak.
- A sign that you need to remain patient and acknowledge things as they are; this acceptance liberates. This card can also represent a strong sexual force, the kingdom of the physical, a piercing desire that needs to be controlled (imagine this card in combination with the Devil, in a sexual spread!). Control the animal nature within, and channel this force towards something new.
- In the Gaia Tarot this card is depicted as the Death/Rebirth card and it speaks about mustering up the energy to sustain your Spirit during a gradual process of transformation. Use your own hands to create your destiny, and enact fortitude. Knowing and doing what is right, is based upon knowing your own soul very well. Direct every movement in your endeavour with the strength of your heart.
- NOTE: In some tarot decks (for inexplicable reasons) the number of the Strength card is switched with the number of the Justice card. So you might find that the Strength card is nr. 8 in some decks, and 11 in other decks (and viceversa with the Justice card).
Stand up straight and realize who you are. That you tower over your circumstances. You are a child of God.
Maya Angelou
The Hermit (linked to Virgo)
- In ancient times, scholars often retreated in the remote places to study or create art. When this card appears it is a clear indication that you must withdraw from social life in order to reflect, process your emotions, meditate and reconnect with yourself. But be aware that you can never hide from yourself, if you thought the journey away from society will calm your mind. So this a sign to make peace within, by practicins self-forgiveness.
- The card of the introvert, describing research and solitary investigation. It depicts a self-made outcast, and can also represent secrecy, concealment and disguise (imagine this card together with the Moon in a reading!). However, this social retreat needs to be for self-consideration and not used to run away from problems. Use this self-created solitude to study and analyse deeply what is not working in your life, and only after some answers have been found then return to help others.
- Denotes sacrifice without regret, self-care, a slow evolution in a rather long period of silence and removal. Prudence, someone who silently walks with us and illuminates our path until we reach the light of the Sun (imagine this with the Sun card in a tarot spread!).
- This card also speaks of a natural and profound presence, a person who is able to reflect on the past, present and future to create an awareness of what exists on the fourth plane (the 4D, or the realm of synchronicity & time).
- I see the Hermit as a medicine man as well, a shaman who is more in touch with nature and more independent than the sacerdotal Hierophant, but is also less confident than the Magician. To my mind, the Hermit is the true counterpart of the High Priestess, since they are both bookworms
- An indication that introspection is necessary for growth. When you take a step back to re-group you gain a new perspective on life (imagine this card in combination with the Hanged Man in a spread!) So find your own truth – you actually hold the light of truth in your hands so you are never lost. You might find that what you seek is taking you in a new direction.
- Adopting an ascetic lifestyle to distract yourself from illusions or temptations. Accepting that part of the growth/healing process involves the anguish of pain and the sadness of loneliness. Can also represent a withdrawal and emotional regression experienced after a traumatic event.
- Associated with the Knowledge card in the Gaia Tarot. Knowledge supports life, because it enables you to survive, to work and earn a living and to take care of your body and your everyday matters. Ask yourself “Where is your knowledge taking you? Can this learning be applied into practice?”
Never regard study as a duty but as an enviable opportunity to learn and to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit, for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later works belong.
Albert Einstein
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMqbsgwkdUs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparentA 4-minute video I created describing this card my YT channel ‘The Spiritual Social’
Adapt the meanings of these two cards according to the theme of the tarot spreads used. This card will give you different insights according to whether you are doing a career, love or spiritual development reading. Reversed cards are to me just blocked energy, so feel free to use your divination abilities to energetically unblock these two cards. Then simply feel the power and deep inner knowledge that is available to you as you unlock these two Major Arcanas. Enjoy!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 4: The Lovers & The Chariot
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
My lovely crew, here we are again on a beautiful, sunlit Satuday studying the meanings of the Major Arcana cards. Today we are focusing on a card of action and one of unconditional love: The Lovers and the Chariot. Below is a compilation of the notes I made while perusing the booklets of my 13 tarot decks <3. Hope they can help inspire your divination practice!
The Lovers (linked to Gemini)
- This beautiful card represents the unity within oneself that comes after the spiritual change enacted by the Hierophant. A choice is offered to you now that could change everything, so you are encouraged to follow your heart and choose the path of love. This card is about moral choices, an indication of soul mates approaching and of other relationships that help you grow and support you. A good omen. The Lovers is number 6 in the Major Arcana, and 6 is the number of Venus, the Goddess of Love and Beauty.
- The Lovers symbolically represents unconditional love, beauty, peace and harmony; the unlimited potential of positive, unrestrained feelings. It reminds us that true love is a deep sense of belonging in the world and of finding peace in it. A sign of creativity, faithfulness and vitality. The image depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Heaven, surrounded by the protective energy of Archangel Michael. There is also a snake is present which represents Lucifer, and denotes the transformative power of relationships – they can help us ascend to greater heights or they can destroy us. Keep in mind that this card in Tarot is the version of the Light of the Devil card, and represents the peaceful side of love rather than the passionate and obsessive side of human love.
- So this is about loving without possession, obligations or control. Allow yourself to receive the blessings of an angel, and thereby strengthen your bond with someone. Choose the harder path in life, because it will lead to love. A sign that you are finally ready to do what you like and work at what you love. A moment of altruism, meetings, enhancing your social life and starting something new.
- Take the opportunity which is offered, and show some real proof of passion; joining and separating. In the Chinese tarot, this card shows an image of twin lotus flowers, bats and a toad, all which are natural signs of a happy marriage. In the Gaia Tarot, the Lovers are symbolically represented by the Crone, a wise and wild woman with untapped power and potential, and one who is aware of her choices.
- The Lovers is about allowing yourself to give and receive abundant love, seeing that separation between your Self and the Other, is only an illusion; so choose to see the unity of all things and watching how magic abounds. This card shows that you can be comfortable with yourself and your lover and that there is no need for artifice and pretence.
- So this card is not only about attraction but also acceptance, and a general lack of judgement in relations which leads to inclusion and perfection. Being in accord with someone else is important since love is the glue that holds everything together. Finally, the Lovers shows us the beautiful fusion which emerges when we merge masculine energy with feminine energy and create something whole and completely new.
I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it
e.e. cummings
The Chariot (linked to Cancer)
- The Chariot is a powerful card and it’s meaning is linked to the philosophical work of Plato, who in his dialogue to Phaedrus, used the allegory of the chariot to explain the tripartite nature of the human soul or psyche. The chariot is pulled by two winged horses, one dark and one white, the former showing the lower instincts of humans and the latter showing the civilized and cultured growth of mankind. The third part is the Charioter, who uses his skill to gain mastery over both horses. To Plato the charioteer symbolizes reason, and it is an indication that we need to learn to apply reason to balance opposing forces in life: the white horse with the dark horse (our well-breeding with our ill-breeding).
- Symbolically, this card shows growing maturity and self-control, and the exercise of our willpower to take control and launch forward into the future. This is the ‘I know what I want and I am going to get it’ card
- When this card appears in a tarot spread, it is a sign to get back up, after a fall. Everything you have overcome is part of your current victory! The affirmation to use with the Chariot is: “I live freely again and all aspects of my life brought me to this point in time”.
- The Chariot is number 7 in the Major Arcana, the number of spirituality and the number of the 7 planets in our solar system that move around the elliptic. So keep an open heart and know that you are in control of your own spiritual journey, even as you follow the guidance of Spirit.
- This card marks a new and engaging phase of your life that will see your efforts repaid. In the Gaia Tarot this card is The Sage, which is about finding wise and communicative ways to engage with your audience.
- The Chariot represents conscious intent, action, travel and movement, an inventive solution, a breakthrough, a journey into a new place, or boldly setting forth into the unknown. A clear sign that you should continue forward. It can also mark an escape, or that you might be rushing towards a decision.
- Remarkably, in the Chinese tarot this card portends vengeance. Taking action through antagonism (this can also be when we are spurred into action because we are triggered, so again the motion forward has to be tempered by self-control and balance).
- Overall, the chariot is about getting those two opposing horses to run together at the same speed (so having to fine tune a relationship) by managing conflict. This is a sign to check your goals and adjust your actions accordingly. By doing so, you are guaranteed a triumph over (inner)demons, and a surge in your energy, strength and health.
In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.
Robert Frost
Now, you might have noticed that I did not include the meanings of reverse cards. This is a conscious choise I made, based on my personal understanding of tarot reversals as simply blocked energy. In my view, each of the 78 tarot cards which comprise both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana have a significant meaning, and when the card appears reversed in a tarot spread, I do not see this as gaining a different meaning, but rather that the energy of the card is temporarily blocked.
I also believe that each tarot reader as an energy-worker, has the power to shift this energy and unblock it when they create personal readings for other people. Talented tarot readers are energetic alchemists, who work with energy on a daily basis and develop in time the capacity to act upon this energy rather than simply feel it or to read it. I hope that this post can inspire some of you to think differently or more deeply about the two cards presented above, or merely to trust your tarot reading abilities more.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 3: The Emperor & The Hierophant
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hey crew, in today’s post we continue to study the meanings of the Major Arcana cards during this ‘Tarot Saturday’ series by focusing on its leading men. Below is a compilation of the notes I made while perusing the booklets of my 13 tarot decks <3. Hope they can help inspire your divination practice!
The Emperor (linked to Aries)
- Just like the Empress, he embodies all the kings of the suits (The King of Wands, Cups, Coins and Swords). This middle-aged man has accumulated enough experience to have confidence in himself and in his decisions and his appearance in a tarot spread means that you can exercise mental control over your emotions in order to become a great leader.
- The Emperor denotes a sense of responsibility, the father energy, animus, a traveler, a conquering adventurer and an investigator, who combines mercy with willfulness. This is the card of personal power, because it makes you realise that you must love others in order to be able to efficiently lead them, you need to be liked by the masses of people in order to be supported by them.
- A strong male figure, ambitious and accomplished, dominating everything that surrounds him. He is pleased with his achievements but is also eager to set out on new conquests, so he also embodies good planning skills. Symbolically this means that your are building your empire by attaining material equilibrium. As others look up to you, you can command them – a male role-model, a good masculine example, who is able to blend strength with goodness.
- The incarnation of masculine patriarchal power. Aim high and accept the help of an important and protective person. He is the Sun king, he who hunts and tames any wild beasts of the mind. This card denotes success over your lower urges, and mastery of the Ego – feeling sovereign and in control of yourself.
- Could also describe a mature man who values what he already has, and is concerned with the wealth and wellbeing of his family, representing stability (since he is number 4) and an indomitable spirit. A sign that success comes in time, and old age can bring a lot of rewards. Similar to Saint George slaying the Dragon (in the Chinese tarot, The Emperor has dragon symbols around him, and in the Sun and Moon Tarot he has a shield with 2 Phoenixes on him, which represent the Solar version of the God Mars).
- An indication that you need to follow the rules and receive the good advice of those around you. Dealings with institutions such as banks, governments or schools are highlighted at this time. The fate of the land is this man’s fate; he is the symbol of building, of wise expansion, of management of resources (from all 4 suits), and of healthy boundaries and endurance.
- The Emperor is (oddly) depicted as the Mother in the Gaia Tarot, and this creative switch represents control, support and encouraging the development of her children’s gifts and talents.
- In the order of the Major Arcan, the Emperor comes after the Empress which means that he takes all that abundant content she provides and organizes it, imposing laws and carefully managing her luscious abundance.
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
Jack Welch
The Hierophant (linked to Taurus)
- The word ‘hierophant’ means ‘revealer of the sacred’. This describes an Initiator, a Priest, a Spiritual Teacher. He learns and guides others to higher knowledge, providing instruction, inspiration and information. In some decks, he appears as a woman, an Abbess (in the Mary-El and the Good Tarot). In the Mary-El, the Abbess represents Babylon, the Gate of Gods and the Mother who suckles her children to spiritual maturity. This card means that the acquisition of sacred knowledge brings you closer to Spirit. It follows after the Emperor, and shows the spiritual evolution of the human Spirit after the management of material resources has been mastered.
- A sign of praying for someone else, mercy and conformity. The Priest governs over matchmaking, he has a lot of wisdom but not the same power that the Emperor has. He represents humility and faith, and how we combine understanding with wisdom. In the Chinese Tarot he is known as the Heavenly Master, and represents the first great teacher of Taoism, a healing Magician who provides protection from misfortune.
- This energy asks you to analyze your relationship to rules and structure and how you might follow existing traditions. It shows that you need to make your own rules instead of blindly giving in to cultural or religious or gender-based traditions. You are reminded that rituals matter now and exchanging vows is favoured. Also, it’s important to understand that setting rules creates the safety which allows things to flourish.
- The Hierophant represents number 5 which is indicative of change. Develop your inner guidance, fine-tune it and share it with others. You hold the keys to your own becoming, by committing to a daily spiritual practice in order to enact long-lasting change.
- The Hierophant portends that we will experience the boundaries of ourselves through a crisis or a challenge. He represents benevolence, spiritual leadership, fate and compassion. He walks with you during your dark night of the soul and helps you tune into yourself. At the end of your inner journey he baptizes you and you are reborn; you transcended the good-evil duality and reconciled the Black and White horses of Plato’s Chariot (from his ‘Dialogue to Phaedrus’) and you are now setting the emotional grounds for Union (the Lovers card follows after this card). Connect to someone else to broaden your consciousness.
- Look beyond conventions to find the truth. This Priest is a bridge, a mediator between what is above and below, what is and what will be. You are encouraged to rely on ancestral knowledge to bring an ideal into practice. But act prudently because power corrupts, as you are blending the sacred with the profane.
- In the Gaia Tarot, the Hierophant is associated with The Father (fulfil your obligations but allow others their autonomy; reflect on what have your parents have taught you).
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not the one who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela
Now, you might have noticed that I did not include the meanings of reverse cards. This is a conscious choise I made, based on my personal understanding of tarot reversals as simply blocked energy. In my view, each of the 78 tarot cards which comprise both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana has a significant meaning, and when the card is reversed I do not see this as gaining a different meaning, but rather it is a sign that the energy of the card is temporarily blocked. As tarot readers, I believe we can understand and manipulate energy, and therefore we are able to unblock it and help those who seek our spiritual support.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 2: The High Priestess & The Empress
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hey crew, we continue to dive deeper into the meanings of the Major Arcana cards during this ‘Tarot Saturday’ series, as we study the leading ladies of the Major Arcana. Below is a compilation of the notes I made while perusing the booklets of my 13 tarot decks <3. Hope they can help inspire your divination practice! Also please check one of my previous posts, which I wrote to reflect about what it means to stand in your feminine power based on these two tarot energies: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/spiritualsocial.wordpress.com/322
The High Priestess (linked to the Moon – the Remote & Virginal Divine Feminine)
- The female side of God – she is Isis, Maria or Sofia (and the Maiden in the Gaia Tarot). Ultimate intuition card, high (self and other) awareness, the keeper of esoteric knowledge, real depth of character and analyzing messages from the unconscious mind; a multitasker. Skilled with using prayer beads and chanting mantras, an abbess (a religious female authority). Serenity, objectivity and platonic relationships. Goals can be achieved though tenacity and study but be aware of envy as success has its price.
- Silencing the rational mind to uncover mysteries; the triple Moon symbol (in the Good Tarot) stands for lunar goddesses such as Hecate, Artemis, and Diana. Also often used to represent the three phases of the goddess as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Gaining wisdom through surpassing life’s trials. Virtue, scholarly, wise beyond her years.
- A prim and proper woman with an aloof and unreachable air, patient, kind-hearted, intelligent and cultivated, a teacher. Self-isolates to study and analyse texts. She is the mouthpiece for science, the duality without which nothing would exist, easily blending opposites; clairvoyant. Trust what you know to be true.
- Suggests a period of waiting and isolation during which we uncover what we need; beware of closing off your heart and being too passive. Value what you are spiritually accumulating. Seek your own answers, act with empathy, focus on self-discovery, handle the unknown with patience and grace. Explore your budding sexuality.
- She is the feminine Da’at, the fertile nothing, the primordial womb, that creates by merging opposites; she is likened to the Magician but I see her as the counterpart of the Hierophant (she governs over number 2 in the suits – 2 of wands the birth canal, 2 of swords cold separation, two of cups union, and two of pentacles as transition).
She is a wild, tangled forest with temples and treasures concealed within.
John Mark Green
The Empress (linked to Venus – The Warm & Fertile Divine Feminine)
- Fertility, connection to nature, the abundance of land and a prosperity mindset. Feeling rich and ripe with possibility, feeling loved by life and brimming with potential. Excellent time to give birth to a baby or new ideas and creations. An endless source of life-giving power.
- Emotional leadership, a nurturing and maternal presence that can put on an armour and hold her ground if she has to; soft power; the anima, the sensual wisdom of Mother Earth; loving wisdom and feminine strength, wholeness of spirit and body, cycles, an excellent caretaker, encouraging the growth of self-worth in others. The prototype of the housewife. In the Chinese Tarot (she holds a peony which is the flower of riches and honours) and represents accomplishment and fruitfulness, motivating others – the Scorpio/Taurus axis. Overflowing with inspiration!
- All of nature is connected and you are part of that whole, earth angel, the intelligence of living matter, the ruler of evolution and the bounty of nature, she who bears and transforms nausea to desire. Life is a journey of love without age limits, the Empress sets the emotional tone.
- An explosion of creativity, passion and intuition merged, she dominates through seduction and shines with happiness and health; in the Gaia Tarot she is represented by the Youth – make the most of your experiences in life, have a plan to allow things to bloom. Relying on the love and support of your family, being clear and set in your ways.
If you judge people you have no time to love them
Mother Teresa
Finally (and combining the wisdom of both cards), by studying the Mary-el Tarot it was brought to my awareness how the Empress and the High Priestess energies equate with the Chesed and Gevurah branches of the tree of life: the first one represents Emotional Empathy/Mercy, and the other represents Mental Judgement/Clarity.
Just some food for thought, for you my loves!
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
Tarot Saturday 1: The Fool & The Magician
Posted on by The Spiritual Social
Hello everyone! If it’s Saturday, then it’s time for another post on this blog During my lunar period of rest and study I revised my understanding of the Major Arcana cards of the tarot, to try to deepen it further. The beauty of tarot cards is that they are so rich with symbols and meanings that your interpretation of them could always be more nuanced and deeper, in the service of meaning. I’m sharing below the reflections I gained after studying the first arcana cards in any deck: The Fool and the Magician. These reflections are based in part on material I assembled from the 13 tarot companion booklets of the tarot decks I currently own.
The Fool (linked with Uranus)
- Represents freedom, courage, impulsivity, taking a risk, fearlessness, and the innocence of instinct
- It denotes keeping an open mind, leaping, potential and idealism.
- Without life experience you cannot fear life. Someone is searching for meaning, or making a choice and feeling the push to act on it before someone else does it for you.
- A foolish, comic and pure hearted person, could represent useless daydreaming.
- Feeling like a baby out of the womb, growing, doing the unexpected and recapturing innocence.
- Symbolises the Aleph (the beginning, the first letter), wholeness (prior to segmentation) and is a harbinger for following your heart, march to the beat of your own drum, start walking and the path will be shown to you. You are also about to get help from the invisible realm.
- Enthusiasm and inspiration, a spiritual being having a human experience.
- A great flood of energy, novelty, continue on your road and travel lightly to release the baggage, determine your direction; your choices help shape you.
- The importance of process over results, take that first step.
- What begins in folly might end up being the most profound journey of all; connected to the Sumerian God Enki (god of water, mischief and knowledge) in the Mary-El Tarot
The journey of a thousand miles, begins with one single step.
Lao Tzu
The Magician (linked to Mercury)
- Represents infinite wisdom (The Mobius strip above his head – which btw apears on the head of his true counterpart, the Strength card, the lady Lion Tamer). Hold a clear vision.
- The sign of an engineer and a strategic planner. Symbolises the ambition to succeed in all endeavors; work and love as aspects of grounding life away from illusions. Magic used to cure wounds and illnesses and to acquire power and admiration; self-confidence and originality, skill and mastery especially in communication and by using the hands.
- He is the father of all and the master of four worlds since he carries the symbols of all the four suits – these are his tools which he employs in the service of manifestation.
- Mentorship, learning and teaching others how to manifest. Everything begins with the self, a doorway to creativity, will personified (a witch/a warlock). Blending intuition with communication. The Magician is handing you your soul (he carries Metatron’s Cube in the Mary-El Tarot).
- A spark, the primordial fire – do not waste time: act! But carefully evaluate your objective. Alchemy, reminding that if you are aligned to Spirit you can create miracles.
- Use all the resources at hand to manifest; a blessing! Perfect timing, talent, being very gifted. All the power you need is within you.
- Associated with the Child in the Dream’s of Gaia (as symbols of taking delight in the moment and reminder that laughter heals)
- Seeing the good in everything and being untouched by fear.
Nature loves courage (…) This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.
Terrence Mckenna
Now, you might have noticed that I did not include the meanings of reverse cards. This is a conscious choise I made, based on my personal understanding of tarot reversals as simply blocked energy. In my view, each of the 78 tarot cards which comprise both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana has a significant meaning, and when the card is reversed I do not see this as gaining a different meanding but to me is it a case of the energy of the card is temporarily blocked.
I also believe that each tarot reader as an energy-worker, has the power to shift the energy around and unblock it, when they do a reading for someone else. Talented tarot readers are energetic alchemists, who work with energy on a daily basis and develop in time the capacity to act upon this energy rather than simply feel it or to read it. I hope that this post can inspire some of you to think differently or more deeply about the two cards presented above, or merely to trust your tarot reading abilities more.
With universal love,
Lexi ❤
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