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The Major Arcana.

The Major Arcana are twenty-two major spiritual influences we experience in life. They represent the inner world, deep spiritual world, unseen drives, and passions. The Major Arcana is the complete experience of adventure, challenge, adversity, joy, suffering, wholeness, surrender, acceptance, peace, and freedom. In this essay I will look at each card in turn and explore the essence of what each one is about.

The Fool.

The Fool is the starting point of our journey, the beginning when nothing is known, and represents all potential. As we begin a journey, we need to observe optimism and caution. The Fool’s journey can mean jumping in from the heart and not from the head. It represents zero, birth and all things new.

The Magician.

The Magician represents a very balanced image and is ruled by the number one – the beginning, creation, manifestation, independence, power, and confidence. This card can represent our relationship to power and can refer to new projects and the excitement that fuels us forward. It is about skill and resourcefulness and positive conditions for success.

The High Priestess.

The High Priestess represents deeper, more subtle aspects of the psyche. This is a spiritually wise space, and is ruled by the number two, showing duality and balance. It can indicate a period of spiritual withdrawal, studying spiritually and gaining wisdom. It also indicates strong intuition and a deep exploration of self.

The Empress.

The Empress is for moving into a new and more mature worldly part of our journey through life. The Empress enjoys the bounty of life, and she is an abundant earth mother. She is a complete woman with sensuality, passion, fertility, and abundance. She is represented by the number three. She can indicate marriage, pregnancy, creative new ideas or a new project. She can show harmonious committed relationships and home balance.

The Emperor.

The Emperor is the father and symbolises the laws of society, both good and bad. The Emperor is represented by the number four and associated with stability. He is a physical manifestation, structure, solidity, rules, and authority. This card can indicate obeying rules and finding freedom within social restrictions. It can also indicate a time of stability, grounding, and order, in a person’s current life.

The Hierophant.

The High Priest/Hierophant is seen as a ruling power of religion, formalised spirituality. He is represented by the number five, indicating change and a shift after security – an expansion. It can indicate a new spiritual opportunity, a higher wisdom, another spiritual stage. It may be indicative of a spiritual mentor entering someone’s life.

The Lovers.

The Lovers is a mature place, with choice – often of a desire-led nature. It is a six card, denoting transition and considered changes in life. It opens choices in relationships and brings adjustment and focus. It represents following your heart and careful decisions need to be made and consequences considered.

The Chariot.

The Chariot is a powerful card and linked to the number seven – the number of balance. This card represents movement, bringing sides together, finding a focused route and of respect. It indicates exciting times, physical travel, and moving out of our comfort zones. It is fast moving energy, successful controlling of situations, determination, and a new adventure.

Strength.

The Strength card is a powerful stage of important learning. It indicates a deep calm internal strength with maturity and experience. The strength to confront ourselves, our light and shadow, calmly without fear. It is linked to the number eight, like the symbol of infinity (never ending) showing enduring strength. It is also a female number, representing the soft and gentle strength of a female. It represents deep courage, intuition, and emotion. It indicates you can quietly achieve your aims, and you have the strength to surpass any challenge. This is a time for using patience, quiet confidence, and courage.

The Hermit.

The Hermit is one of the greatest teachers. It requires a withdrawal from the outside world and to dive deep into our inner self and subconscious mind – exploring our inner teacher, guide, sage, and wise self. Through deep and solitary reflection, the Hermit can become a guide for others, helping to transform lives. It can be a lonely card – leaving the world to enter the mind. It is a joyous seeking and linked to the number nine, which often indicates the last step of the journey. It is a slow card and requires patience and solitude.

The Wheel of Fortune.

The Wheel of Fortune reminds us that all things change, and nothing is permanent. It indicates change and unforeseen circumstances. The card is linked to the number ten, showing us the start of a new cycle, or symbolising the closing of a phase. The card generally points to positive turns of events, just about to happen or on the horizon. It can indicate circumstances changing for the better, projects getting moving, and the stuck becoming unstuck. This encourages us to see the bigger picture and that all things happen for a reason and to trust that.

Justice.

The Justice card reveals our understanding of life, and every event we have experienced so far in our journey has helped us to build and inform our character. Justice indicates moral truth and right to judgement, especially when dealing with the law or anything official. This card resonates with the number eleven, creating self-knowledge and wisdom. It indicates honesty and fairness in legal matters, fair dealings with other people, and a pragmatic approach to challenge. It can also indicate signing of contacts and work documents, or a favourable ending or conclusion to an official argument or dispute. It points to that things will be worked out in the way they were meant to be, and what will be received – is what is deserved.

The Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man is a truthful stage and represents that sometimes in life we cannot see a clear pathway forward and it is time to see the world from another view. It can represent time to turn the situation upside down, and on its head. It can signify that this is an opportunity to get a fresh perspective, new understanding, and a jump in spiritual growth. This is a spiritual card and indicates the time of great release. It can represent taking time out and it can also signify that it is not the right time to pursue the dream or act on a project. The number associated is twelve, and this is a profound and very peaceful card.

The Death Card.

Death is a transformative card and indicates new beginnings, big change, letting go, a resolution of self and taking off the ego’s mask. Letting the old version of who we are die away and letting go of old situations we have outgrown. This card is about endings. The Death card is ruled by the number thirteen and indicates a shift and a promise of new life and growth. It is for letting go of the old situation, jobs, relationships, or a time in one’s life. It is a time to grow and release resistance.

The Temperance Card.

Temperance represents mixing the inner and outer worlds and becoming a spiritually richer person. It signifies balance and creativity and is the realm of all possibilities – bringing wonder into reality. Temperance is ruled by the number fourteen, showing a powerful and deeper transition.  It is hugely positive and often means taking the middle path to consider all people and things involved and doing the right thing. It suggests great potential (relationships, businesses, projects, life journey) and asks us to look at the importance of balance and moderation.

The Devil.

The Devil is associated with illusion of the material world. The devil is a human representation of desire, illusion, and our inner unbalanced desires. It can represent addiction, approval, power, and elevated self. It reminds us of limitation and fear. It is assigned to the number fifteen, marking a point of tension or conflict before breakthrough. The Devil can indicate obsession, love affairs, agreeing to stay in situations that don’t serve, jobs for money and the illusion of security. It can be the beginning of exploring our shadow side and meeting our fears – a necessary part of spiritual development. A new journey towards light and ultimately freedom.

The Tower.

The Tower card is positive and would indicate a shake-up. This card indicates transformation of self and the shattering of an illusion. Shattering of structures we no longer need, patterns that no longer serve us – breaking these down very quickly. It can be unsettling, but in the face of feeling like we are losing everything on the material plane – we are gaining everything. We are moving into a place of higher consciousness and anything around us that doesn’t have integrity or truth is taken away. This card is ruled by number sixteen and can be incredibly empowering. It shows struggles are coming to an end.

The Star.

The Star card is guiding us out of darkness, and indicates we are now in a space of receiving rewards for our spiritual work. It represents having a new faith in our future and a new vision of a higher picture in our life. The Star is assigned to number seventeen and indicates transformation. This card brings relief and hope and can indicate a new spiritual connection and influx of creative ideas. There is hope, with a brand-new sense of potential.

The Moon.

The Moon is where we choose to delve deep into our psychic ability and is a powerful place to be. We have spiritual knowledge but now we are looking for spiritual wisdom. The Moon is assigned to number eighteen and indicates strength and identity. It is a time to be spiritually brave and ride the waves of imagination. It can indicate private spiritual study, meditation, and introspection.

The Sun.

The Sun gives us – clear vision, hope, clarity and warms the core of our soul. It moves us into an active energised position. We move into a space of energy, wisdom, and enlightenment – feeling liberated. The Sun is assigned to number nineteen, representing a spiritual quest. It is about very good news, a time to bask in our achievements, and enjoying exactly where you are and making time for fun.

The Judgement Card.

Judgement is about a new existence and a deep desire for change. It is about getting to know ourselves and the realms of collective consciousness. It is assigned to the number twenty and represents great understanding and spiritual vision. The card indicates a new choice is emerging, and time to go for what you really want in life. It is about second chances, forgiveness, possible rewards, and improved conditions in all situations. It is time to move into the new you, and to be fulfilled.

The World Card.

The World represents a triumphant and celebratory end of a spiritual journey. This card is of new beginnings and final conclusions. The new start is in harmony with who you are. It is the card of success, movement, travel, pregnancy, family, and absolute completion. The World is assigned to number twenty-one, indicating we have now found our path of light – success and deep satisfaction. We have now integrated our knowledge and are walking on a path of wisdom.

The Major Arcana cards hold a great weight, and they often indicate the big themes of a reading, the lessons, and the influences on the path of our soul.

Author C. Donlan

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