The esoteric revisionism of the 18th and 19th Centuries produced many imaginative additions to the existing lexicon of divinatory keywords for the tarot trump cards, which was previously anemic at best. What was once a simple court jester - and mad at that - became a "wise Fool" with a mission, what began as an … Continue reading Extreme Makeover: Imperatrix to Earth Mother
Trumps
Leaving the Crossroads: A Chariot to Go
In reading Roberts Place's volume, The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, I encountered his association of Plato's threefold subdivision of the human soul with the septenary (3x7) arrangement of the tarot trumps (the Fool is set apart as a “wild card”). Plato's unevolved “soul of appetite” corresponds to the seven-card series from the Magician to … Continue reading Leaving the Crossroads: A Chariot to Go
The Moon, Pisces and the High Priestess
Since we've been having an interesting discussion about the nature of the High Priestess, I thought I would refresh a debate we once had on the Aeclectic Tarot forum about its astrological assignment and that of the tarot Moon. First some background that will bring this into focus. Someone asked about the difference between the … Continue reading The Moon, Pisces and the High Priestess
The High Priestess: Good, Bad or Indifferent?
The High Priestess is one card that idealists and advocates for a benign (or at least neutral) view of the tarot archetypes love to put on a pedestal as a lofty example of purity and virtue. She is obviously as pristine as the driven snow, never mind that she is also as crystalline as an … Continue reading The High Priestess: Good, Bad or Indifferent?
Death, Be Not Loud
Few writers have had as much fun with the personification of Death as Terry Pratchett. Pratchett's stiff-necked Death always spoke in CAPITAL LETTERS and was pompous and portentous to the point of clueless self-ridicule (which was of course the idea). I especially liked the bit where Death wanted to take a holiday and asked his … Continue reading Death, Be Not Loud
The Lover or the Lovers?
Although many modern deck creators fall all over themselves in trying to display The Lovers as two people - usually male and female but that's no longer a given - in a euphoric state of amorous bliss, more often than not naked. In contrast, the Tarot de Marseille version, titled "the Lover" and not "The … Continue reading The Lover or the Lovers?
“One Star in Sight”
In his masterful poem One Star in Sight, Aleister Crowley tossed out a few hints about the true meaning of the Star. Here is a non-contiguous fragment: "One star can summon them to wake To self; star-souls serene that gleam On life's calm lake. Behold within and not above, One star in sight!" The traditional … Continue reading “One Star in Sight”
The Trial and the Verdict
Those new to tarot have many symbolic puzzles to solve when confronting the archetypes presented in the Major Arcana, but one that arises promptly is why there are two trump cards that seem to be about the same thing: Justice and Judgement. One of the simplest and most satisfying explanations I've seen is that Justice … Continue reading The Trial and the Verdict
The Dark Side of the Sun
A perennial question that arises in tarot circles is "Can the Sun ever be a bad card?" In most of the historical literature, the answer to that is a resounding "No!" The Golden Dawn gave a nod in that direction by saying the the Sun with very bad cards can show "arrogance, display" (which I … Continue reading The Dark Side of the Sun
Devilish Details
The Devil is always a fascinating card to approach from an interpretive standpoint. As I understand it, the paragon of evil shown in early decks was intended to be a demon (or arch-demon), not the biblical Satan; its elevation came later. There is a modern tendency to see the Devil as "not such a bad … Continue reading Devilish Details
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 