MAJOR ARCANA

THE MAJOR ARCANA: ARCHETYPES OF SPIRIT

Numbers 0 through 22 correspond to the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the "wheel of life". My words alone cannot do justice to the full meaning of these symbols. Personally, I have found the images in the Rider Tarot deck to have the most meaning to me. It's as if they speak their spiritual meaning directly to my consciousness. In fact, at times, I have felt as if the deck was designed specifically for me! Egocentric perhaps ... but, that is how a lot of things are in Wayne's World.

[Please either get a Rider Tarot deck or find a book that includes pictures of the cards in this deck. Otherwise, much of the meaning from my observations will be lost on you.] Don't worry, the cards will be a good investment -- first, they will aid in teaching you a spiritual language. Second, we'll discuss particular readings that you can do for yourself to allow your superconscious to reveal information to your conscious.

I have no use for mundane numerology, or mundane tarot, or mundane astrology for that matter. My focus is solely on the spiritual and in finding ways to more fully express spirit in flesh. As with good books, good divination tools such as the Tarot carry meaning on many levels. Awareness is the key for finding these higher levels and being able to understand them and apply what they have to offer.

THE MEANING OF NUMBERS ... 0 - 22

0: THE FOOL

Consciousness descending into the world unaware. It enters to start the cycle of life. A cycle that brings it through 22 steps to completion.
There is always room for one more step. However, the focus must be on the here and now. Looking too far forward can result in great anxiety.
Knapsack indicates that The Fool carries all that is needed with him in his travels.
The White Rose he holds in his hand signifies purity and beauty. [White Rose is also 47+30 = 77 = CHRIST]
Source, Consciousness, or the God Force.
White dog beside him is an enthusiastic and faithful companion on his journeys.
Completion number is 78, the final card in the Tarot.

1: THE MAGICIAN

Unity, Oneness, the ability to Create and Manifest
Exertion of Personal Will to manifest.
Tarot Completion number is 77: The Falconer, CHRIST
Understands how to use all four elements in creation: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles.

2: THE HIGH PRIESTESS

Duality, Black and White
Knowledge/Wisdom without Compassion or Emotion. Interesting because the 2 ray is also the ray of Love/Wisdom.
Driven by the Moon ... full moon in headpiece and crescent moon at feet -- yet somewhat Sterile and Austere. Lacking the elements of abundance and creation.
White cross on chest. Simple with equal arms crossing at center. Signifying spiritual purity, but not tied to any religion.
Tarot Completion is 76: The Conscientious Worker. This is also 4 x 19 = spirit squared or brought down to Earth.

3: THE EMPRESS

Divine creative abundance from consciousness flowing forth into the world. Out of the 1:Father + 2:Mother comes 3:Spirit through which all is manifest in the physical world.
Venus symbol in stone heart at base of throne signifies great love, unconditional and unlimited.
Crown with 12 stars signifies true spiritual understanding and ties this card to The Hanged Man.
Throne is luxurious showing how great spiritual abundance truly is.
Empress is pregnant signifying the spiritual creations that are yet to spring forth from consciousness.
Tarot completion is 75: The Harvester. Interesting, this is also the pattern of the stars on her crown 7 on top of 5.

4: THE EMPEROR

Strength, groundedness, authority, leadership.
Throne is of simple stone with four ram's heads. This ties to the characteristics of Aries.
Holds an Ankh, universal symbol of life in his right hand.
Governs wisely, rightly, and fairly. Aware of great responsibility that he bears willingly.
Tarot completion is 74: The Benefactor.

5: THE HIEROPHANT

Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Leader
Cross in left hand has three crossbars for a total of 7 points at the top. This ties to 7: The Chariot.
Two keys in "X" pattern at base of feet brings in a tie to 24 = 4 x 6 = The Emperor Tetrahedron. Also = 3 x 8 = The Empress Pyramid and 2 x 12 = The High Priestess Cube.
The "Y" on the front of the Hierophant and on the backs of his two disciples brings in ties to "purpose" [WHY] and to 25: The First Knight.
Crown has 3, 7, and 5 patterned shapes on it. Total is 15, linking this card to The Devil. Interesting.
Tarot completion card is 73: True Heaven lies within.

6: THE LOVERS

The Sun = Spirit shines brightly over the top of the card.
Three main figures on the card. Male:Conscious looks to Female:Subconscious looks to Angel:Superconscious. This is the Self operating rightly!
Tree behind male has 12 flames on it linking this card to 12:The Hanged Man.
Tree behind female has 4 pieces of fruit linking this card to 4:The Emperor.
Three figures are in very similar configuration to the three figures on the 15:The Devil card.
6 is 6 x 1 = The Magician Tetrahedron.
Tarot completion card is 72 = 8 x 9 = The Hermit Pyramid. Also = 6 x 12 = The Hanged Man Tetrahedron.

7: THE CHARIOT

Spiritual symbolism is so rich on this card that I don't know where to begin. [SEE THE CARD!]
Just noticed that CHARIOT = CH ario T = 38:Vision, 1996 = This Year, and T = 20:Judgement. Interesting indeed!
Star in Crown and many stars in canopy ... ties to 17.
Crescent moons at shoulders ... tie to 18.
Belt has astrology symbols on it.
Square in front of breastplate ties to 4:The Emperor.
Sphinxes that pull the Chariot do so without reigns, so both the control from the Charioteer and the force to pull the Chariot are beyond the physical.
Tarot completion card is 71 = Building the Cathedral.

8: STRENGTH

Lady with Lemniscate over her head dressed in white with garland of flowers.
Lady has one hand on lion's head and the other under his chin.
Lion is obviously tame and under lady's control.
8 x 1 is the Magician Pyramid, the first Pyramid number.
Tarot completion card is 70: The Juggler = The 528 card. Two Pentacles within a sideways lemniscate.

9: THE HERMIT

The bearded Hermit in the Grey robe stands tall.
He stands atop the icy mountain indicating that his wisdom sets him apart from others.
He has a long staff/wand in his left hand indicating spiritual attainment.
In his right hand is a lamp whose light shines to illuminate the world.
He is looking downward offering his wisdom to the world.
Tarot completion card is 69: The Ace of Pentacles = True abundance comes from Spirit.

10: THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

In the center of the card is the TAROT, the wheel of life.
In the four corners we have winged figures in clouds: Bull, Lion, Griffin, and Angel each with open book in hand.
Atop the wheel there is a Sphinx with sword in hand (superconscious).
A snake (subconscious) descends on the left side.
An anubus (conscious) ascends on the right, with head just rising above the center line.
Tarot completion card is 68 = Page of Pentacles = 4 x 17 = The Star Square.

11: JUSTICE

Male figure in red robe sits on throne.
Crown is simple but elegant as is attire.
Sword is held pointed up at shoulder height in right hand.
Left hand holds a set of scales.
Overall meaning is that justice is both fair and swift.
Clear ties on the card to the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Tarot completion card is 67:Knight of Pentacles = Knight on Black Workhorse.
88 completion card is 77: Nine of Pentacles = The Falconer = "CHRIST".

12: THE HANGED MAN

Man hangs upside down from his right foot.
Cross is in the shape of a T = 20:Judgement.
Head is illuminated brightly with a halo in the shape of the Sun signifying that the man see rightly and is connected to 19:The Sun = spirit!
Legs are crossed in an upside down 4 pattern, linking card to The Emperor.
12 = 2 x 6 = The High Priestess Tetrahedron and 1 x 12 = The Magician Cube.
Tarot completion card is 66: Queen of Pentacles = 6 x 11 = The Justice Tetrahedron.

13: DEATH

Skeleton in full black armor comes in riding on a white horse.
The King lies dead on the field.
Clergyman with two children kneeling beside him pleads for mercy to the knight.
Knight's flag has three distinct symmetric 5 patterns all centered on same point. Overall pattern is of turtle on its back.
Sun shines between two towers in the distance. Appears to be a setting sun.
Tarot completion card is 65: King of Pentacles = great material abundance.

14: TEMPERANCE

Angel with white robe occupies most of card.
Angel stands with one foot on land and the other in water, indicating a balance of conscious and subconscious.
Angel has cup in each hand and is pouring stream of water from the left one to the right one.
Triangle within a square is on the robe just below the neckline. Here we get ties to 3, 4 and 12.
Symbol for the Sun is on forehead, just above location for third eye.
Path on left side of card from water in foreground to distant mountains and sun.
Tarot completion card is 64: Ten of Swords = Renouncing my will to Thy Will. 64 = 8 x 8 = The Strength Pyramid.

15: THE DEVIL

This card is very similar to The Lovers card in overall layout, while the symbology is quite different.
Angel is replaced by a Devil that is half-man, half-beast.
Background is dark signifying lack of "light", of expression of Spirit.
Figures have horns and chains around their necks, but the chains are lose and could easily be removed .
Man looks down, and woman looks to man ... signifying that control is via conscious and subconscious takes its cue from conscious. This is quite different from expression in The Lovers card.
Upside-down pentacle on top of Devil indicates lack of abundance.
Devil's torch is held down where it's light is wasted and benefits no one.
Tarot completion card is 63: Nine of Swords = Suffering.

16: THE TOWER

Lightning in a W pattern stikes the tower near the top.
A beautiful crown is cast off to the left. Hmm, this crown is the superconscious!
Background is black signifying darkness and lack of "light".
Two figures, a male and a female are tossed out of the tower and are shown falling head first.
22 yods or sparks of light are falling as well. 12 around the male figure and another 10 above the female figure.
Image signifies the three parts of consciousness leaving the tower = the body.
16 = 8 x 2 = The High Priestess Pyramid.
Tarot completion card is 62: Eight of Swords = The Blindfolded Lady with binds in the form of a VII.

17: THE STAR

Large 8 pointed Star in top center ties this card to Strength.
Seven small stars plus large 8th star ties this card to it's 88 completion = 71: Building the Cathedral.
Female figure kneels in left leg and has right foot standing atop the water.
Female figure is pouring water out of vessels in each hand. The left pours two streams that hit the ground and break into five. The right pours three streams into the pond. This results in ties to 2:The High Priestess, 3:The Empress, 5:The Hierophant, and 25:The First Knight, and 32:The Six of Wands.
The smaller stars are also in a 43 or a 16 arrangement creating ties to the Three of Cups and The Tower respectively.
There is a strange looking bird on a tree in the right background. I don't know what it signifies, but it is prominent enough that it was clearly put there intentionally.
Tarot completion card is 61 = Seven of Swords = Achievement.

18: THE MOON

Large crescent Moon with face inside of a full Moon at top center. Looks very much like a Moon and a Sun combined in one. This would be 18 + 19 = 37:King of Cups = "spirit".
Moon has 32 rays coming from it, 16 large and 16 small. Direct ties to the Six of Wands and to The Tower.
15 yods fall beneath the Moon and between two towers. Obvious ties to 15:The Devil, 16:The Tower and 11:Justice.
Dog on left and wolf on right, indicating that both the tame and the wild are still present.
Path winds it's way through the middle from water (consciousness) in the foreground between the towers to the mountains in the far distance.
Lobster atop the water is at the very beginning of the path. 44 is prominent in both number of legs and number of parts in each arm.
18 = 6 x 3 = The Empress Tetrahedron.
Tarot completion card is 60 = Six of Swords = Man steering boat with woman and child across calm waters. This is also 6 x 10 = The Wheel of Fortune Tetrahedron as well as 12 x 5 = The Hierophant Cube.

19: THE SUN

Large Sun with face at top center. Overall expression is serene.
Moon has 21 rays coming from it, 11 straight and 10 squiggly. Direct ties to 21:The World, 11:Justice, and 10:The Wheel of Fortune.
4 sunflowers across middle separated into a 3-1 pattern by a large reddish orange banner. Ties to The Emperor, 31:Five of Wands = Youths Fighting, and reversed to 13:Death as well.
Young child riding gray horse at bottom middle. Child is superconsciousness.
Atop child's head are six round objects providing link to 6:The Lovers.
In addition the is a tall red feather going straight up from child's head. Combined with the six round objects, this is a tie to 16:The Tower as well.
Tarot completion card is 59 = Five of Swords = The Aquarian Age.

20: JUDGEMENT

Angel in clouds sounding a large trumpet.
From the trumpet hangs a square banner with a red equal-armed cross on a white background.
Directly below a man, woman, and child stand in open coffins that are floating atop the water. Their arms are outstretched and they are looking toward the angel.
In the background another man, woman, and child are doing the same.
White clouds, or perhaps icy mountains, are in the background.
The card represents Judgement day. My intuition keeps saying the angle is Gabriel.
Tarot completion card is 58 = Four of Swords = Peace, the Warrior laid down to rest, but ready to do battle should the need arise.

21: THE WORLD

This card is very much like card 10:The Wheel of Fortune.
Instead of four figures reading books at each corner, we now have only the heads of these figures and their expressions reveal a great awareness.
The wheel around which the snake (subconscious), anubus (conscious), and sphinx (superconscious) gathered, has transformed into a wreath which now surrounds and androgenous figure that is the integrated whole of the former three.
A long ribbon of purple cloth wraps around the figure twice from top to bottom, hiding the genitals. This is unusual for this deck.
At the top and bottom of the wreaths red ribbon is wrapped in lemniscate patterns resulting in "infinity above, infinity below".
In each hand is a wand, indicating mastery over duality. The Magician by comparison had only one such wand.
Tarot completion card is 57: Three of Swords = Carrying the burdons of the World. This is also 3 x 19 = The Sun Triangle.

22: THE FOOL

Consciousness descending into the world aware this time, for it has completed the cycle of life. A cycle that brought it through 22 steps to completion.
There is always room for one more step. However, the focus must be on the here and now. Looking too far forward can result in great anxiety.
Knapsack indicates that The Fool carries all that is needed with him in his travels.
The White Rose he holds in his hand signifies purity and beauty. [White Rose is also 47+30 = 77 = CHRIST]
Source, Consciousness, or the God Force.
White dog beside him is an enthusiastic and faithful companion on his journeys.
Completion number is 56, the Two of Swords = 7 x 8 = The Chariot Pyramid.

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