Category: Major Arcana (Page 3 of 3)

TAROT – THE MAGIC OF THE MAGICIAN OF THE MAJOR ARCANA

January 28, 2022 / Tara Mallane / 0 Comments

Major Arcana Tarot Car 1 - The Magician
The Magician, in red and white, stands at an altar, one raised hand holding a wand, pointing at the sky, the other pointing to the ground, symbolic of the marriage of the divine (inspiration) and the earth (the work to make it happen). Above his head is the Infinity symbol ∞, indicating infinite potential, power, and options. Around his waist is a snake eating its tail, also known as an ouroboros, another sign of infinity. On the altar before the Magician sits symbols representing the suits in the tarot deck: cups, wands, swords, and pentacles, which, in turn represent all 4 elements, water, fire, air, and earth, representing wholeness – all the tools necessary for creation. — The Magician

“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Overview of Tarot -The Magician of the Major Arcana

Common Meanings

Where the fool invites us to begin, the Magician does begin. This is about taking the concrete steps to manifest. This card is about owning your personal power and ability. It is inspired action. The Magician, the magic is in YOU. It tells you that you have all the tools you need to begin this new endeavor, and that you can make it a success. It is time to focus your energy and willpower and do some kick ass manifesting. This reminds us that everything is created twice: first in mind and then in time. The Bible even talks about this same sort of manifestation in the story of creation. The Magician himself is tied to the heavens, inspiration, ideas, and then, is earth bound to manifest those things that inspiration brings. He is the lightning rod marrying divine inspiration to concrete manifestation. This is about being inspired and then knowing you have the correct tools to make that thing happen. This is building a house – first you envision, then you draw the plans, then you have the foundation, lumber, nuts, screws, drywall, wiring, plumbing, paint, carpet, furnishings. That is the earthly vision of manifestation.

The Many Faces of The Magician

The Magician is higher learning, metaphysical and spiritual values, magic married with practicality. The Magician can be the trickster in the manner of the Great and Powerful Oz, loud noises, and dramatic visuals, while the reality lies hidden behind the curtain madly twisting knobs to make the Big Show. The opposite or dark side of the Magician can be the charlatan, the false prophet leading the weak and susceptible, it can tell you that you are not quite ready to begin; that you have not gathered all the tools. I rarely talk about reversals in Tarot, simply because I feel that where and how a card shows up in a reading tells you which meaning to attribute. However, that said, I will likely do a post on reversals down the road to help deepen and develop a greater understanding of the subject.

The Journey of The Magician

A few weeks ago, in the overview of the Major Arcana, I mentioned the three septenaries within the Fools Journey. The first septenary is the journey of self-discovery, of owning your own power, it is the journey of self. The Magician IS self. YOU are the magic. I have said that before, but I am saying it again and again so that it gets through to you. If you are struggling with inspiration, the Magician is here to urge you to dig deep and find your why, your muse, what drives you, your own special fire.

Description

In Smith Waite, the Magician, in red and white, stands at an altar, or table, one raised hand holding a wand, pointing at the sky, the other pointing to the ground, symbolic of the marriage of the divine (inspiration) and the earth (the work to make it happen). Above his head is the Infinity symbol ∞, indicating infinite potential, power, and options. Around his waist is a snake eating its tail, also known as an ouroboros, another sign of infinity. On the altar before the Magician sits symbols representing the suits in the tarot deck: cups, wands, swords, and pentacles, which, in turn represent all 4 elements, water, fire, air, and earth, representing wholeness – all the tools necessary for creation. All is present; as above, so below.

Themes of The Magician

Personal Power
Taking concrete action
Inner Wisdom and Knowledge
Willpower
Creation
Ambition
Leadership
Singularity
Discipline
Responsibility

The Number One

Drive
Ambition
Momentum
Inspiration
Huge Potential

Elements of the Card and Associated Symbolism

Infinity symbol – infinite potential, power, options
Ouroboros – eternity, infinity, never ending cycles of life/death/rebirth
Red roses – unfolding wisdom, physical self, desire
White lilies – creative thought, soul, spiritual
White robe – clarity and integrity
Red cloak – worldly understanding and experience
Headband – mind, spirituality, intention

Herbs for The Magician

Carnation – Good luck, transformation
Vanilla – Vitality, Strengthening intellectual capacity
Astragalus – merging ideas with physical reality to bring about change
Acorn- courage, strength, luck
Balsam fir – change, insight, progress on goals

Questions that The Magician asks us:

What motivates you, makes you get out of bed in the morning, makes you feel capable of anything?
Do you have a clear vision of what you need to accomplish- and why- and have you learned all you need to learn?

That is the Magician! You have the tools, and the magic is you. Go create something amazing.

Wishing you a week of inspiration, willpower, and Wisdom!

See you next week for The High Priestess

Definitions of Terms used in this post:

*Magus

ma·gus | ˈmā-gəs

plural magi ˈmā-ˌjī

1a : a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians

b often capitalized : one of the traditionally three wise men from the East paying homage to the infant Jesus

2 : magician, sorcerer

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magus

** mountebank

moun·te·bank | ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋk

1 : a person who sells quack medicines from a platform

2 : a boastful unscrupulous pretender : charlatan

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mountebank

TAROT – WHY THE FOOL’S JOURNEY IS IMPORTANT

January 21, 2022 / Tara Mallane / 1 Comment

“If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise.”

-William Blake

Overview of The Fool

The fool is the joker, the trickster, Coyote from Native American mythology. In different cultures and tarot decks he is The Sacred Clown, El Loco, Le Mat, Le Fou, Derr Narr, The Jester, The Idiot.
The Rider Waite (or Smith Waite) assigns him the number 0. Zero is representative of an egg, and so the symbolism of all life being born from the egg. Originally the number zero was indicated by a single dot, which some scholars say represent a single point of light that created the universe. From zero, from nothing, anything and everything is possible. Zero is infinite potential.

Common Meanings of the fool in tarot

In most cases The Fool invites us to begin, to take that leap of faith, to embrace the world with childlike enthusiasm, to be playful and gentle, to remain teachable. He reminds us to be the fool in the most Zen-like manner, with a bright-eyed enthusiasm that sees every day with new and fresh eyes and refuses to let the world around him make him jaded. Remember how wonderful life was when you were a child? Every day was a new adventure of discovery. Embracing the fool reminds us of that more innocent time before we learned otherwise. Additionally, The Fool invites us to shed those masks and the burdens of adulthood that we embraced so eagerly as a rite of passage but now have become a cage keeping us from dancing in the rain and laughing with unbridled joy.

The Many Faces of The Fool

Another aspect of the fool is that of the court jester, which bears similarities in modern society to comedians. This is the wise fool, able say things that no one else can, to important figures like kings. This fool can make biting commentary on social or political issues under the guise of humor, the underpinning intellect hiding in plain sight under the mask of jocularity. The fool is wise and sees the world, even as he presents a face of innocence.

In older tarot, the fool was often portrayed as something dark, a cautionary tale of excess, and often hearkened the beginnings of Lent, when people put away their “foolishness” and turned to prayer.

the fools journey

The Protagonist of the story of the major arcana, it is the Fool taking the journey and learning the lessons. When The Fool shows up in a reading, nothing that comes after is going to be understandable from your current frame of reference. The Fool can also represent those seemingly innocuous and random experiences or interactions that end up being huge life lessons, or seemingly random encounters with strangers who end up being very important to you when viewed with the perspective that sometimes can only be understood when viewed through the lens of time.

Description of the fool card

In many decks the fool is at the edge of a precipice, seemingly unaware that he is about to walk off. You might say that the fool has head in the clouds. Often it appears that The Fool is eagerly straining towards the cliff – even if not aware that it exists. This is symbolic of “leaning into it,” and trusting the universe. In many decks, the fool is accompanied by an animal – in varying decks, a white dog, a cat, a crocodile. This is a metaphor for animal nature, and, like the animal who is trying to get his attention, is a reminder that to be in balance as humans, we must also honor and pay attention to our animal nature, our baser instincts, our darkness. In many ways, our “animal nature” is our primordial gut instincts, the fight or flight that kicks in during crisis. Only by acknowledging our inner animal, can we as humans find true balance in life

Themes of The Fool

Leap of faith
Embrace the unknown
New beginnings
Innocence of a child
Spontaneity
Bright eyed enthusiasm
Look before you leap
The sacred fool – remain teachable, wise in innocence, do not build “walls of knowledge” that prevent you from fresh ideas and experiences.
Shed the mask that holds you back from living fully.

The Number Zero

The spark of light that creates the world
An egg containing all possibilities of life

Elements of the fool Card and Associated Symbolism

Animal Companion – instinct and self-preservation; animal or baser nature; gut
White rose (some cards) purity and innocence, trust, new beginnings
Butterfly (some cards) -dreams and spirit work
Sacred Geometry (some cards) – the cycles of life, death/rebirth, the endless journey, the connection to creation.
Bundle – travel lightly in life, thought to contain 4 talismans representing the minor arcana
Sun – consciousness/crown chakra, life energy, clarity, confidence
Red Feather – Freedom, life force, good fortune

Herbs for The Fool

Basil – success
Lavender – purity – the innocent state of the soul
Rosemary – remembrance, steadfastness
Pine – rebirth, wisdom
Cinnamon – success, prosperity, clarity

Questions that the fool asks us

The fool can represent the masks we wear to fit into society and often, those masks can become so part of us that we are afraid to function without it. What would it look like if you were to drop the mask and show your real face to the world?
What decisions or change have you been considering but afraid to make? If you have checked it out thoroughly, what are you waiting for?

That is The Fool! Simple, and yet, so complex. Please leave comments, or ask questions.

Next week: The Magician!

Wishing you a week with fresh starts, enthusiasm, and clarity.

TAROT CARDS – THE MAJOR ARCANA

January 12, 2022 / Tara Mallane / 1 Comment

The Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a step – Lao Tzu

TAROT CARDS -THE MAJOR ARCANA

The word ‘Arcana’ is the plural form of the word ‘Arcanum’ which Mirriam Webster dictionary defines as: mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate. Since you are now learning about the Tarot and the Arcana, that means YOU are an initiate! Cool, eh?

There are two Arcana’s in a tarot Deck: The Major Arcana, which consists of 22 cards, and the Minor Arcana. which consists of 4 suits that total 56 cards.

The Major Arcana, which starts with the zero – or no number – card ‘The Fool’ is often called ‘The Fool’s Journey. These 22 cards are archetypes representative of different life lessons on the fool’s journey. There are mainly three cycles of life, death, rebirth within the Major Arcana, which culminates in the completion of the Journey, with ‘The World.’ For the most part, when a card that is part of the Major Arcana shows up in a reading it means “heads up pay attention,” these are major life lessons, or changes. These cards can also be referred to as signposts showing us the direction in our journey (or the fool’s journey).

TAROT – THE SEPTENARIES OF THE MAJOR ARCANA

The 21 cards of the Major Arcana (Not counting the fool, because he is unnumbered and is the “stand in protagonist “of the Major arcana story) can also be divided into three groups of seven – called “septenaries.” Each of these represents a cycle on the fool’s journey.

THE FIRST SEPTENARY

(1. The Magician – 7. The Chariot) represents self/ego/consciousness. It is about developing self-awareness of one’s own capabilities and consciously choosing the path to walk and taking the first steps on that path.

THE SECOND SEPTENARY

(8. Strength – 14. Temperance) This is about social and moral understandings; it is about the separation of the ego and transformation of the Self toward spiritual equilibrium.

THE THIRD SEPTENARY

(15. The Devil – 21. The World) This is about the spiritual world and attainment of enlightenment. This final septenary begins with the facing of one’s demons (the devil) and contains cosmic forces like the Sun, Moon, Star, and World, is about transcendence and religious, spiritual, and mystical understanding.

Now, if the septenaries are confusing, think of them in broader terms as stories within the story, each bearing a different lesson or theme (broadly: self, social, spiritual).

I hope this has given you a good overview of the Major Arcana. Next week, and for the 21 weeks following, we will be exploring a different card within the Major Arcana. As we make that journey through the cards, the underlying septenary themes will begin to make more sense. Each week your understanding will build just a little. Please feel free to leave a comment or a question. I am happy to discuss anything and answer any questions.

Check you out learning the Tarot…go on with your bad self!

Thank you for reading.

See you next week for The Fool!

A FASCINATING JOURNEY THROUGH THE TAROT

January 5, 2022 / Tara Mallane / 0 Comments

Welcome to the Beginning of your Journey through the Tarot.

I am Tara, and I have been involved with Tarot for over 40 years. I am excited to share what I have learned with you in a fun and easy to understand way!

Let’s jump right in with an overview of what the Tarot is, and more importantly, what it is NOT.

tar·ot | \ ˈter-(ˌ)ō , ˈta-(ˌ)rō \

Definition of tarot

: any of a set of usually 78 playing cards including 22 pictorial cards used for fortune-https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarot

a brief history of tarot

The origins of Tarot, like the deck itself, is shrouded in mystery. It is likely that the origins of tarot correspond closely to the earliest known playing cards. A German monk, Johannes, described a card game called ‘Ludas Cartarum’ in the year 1377.

The original images from which many of the modern-day tarot cards are taken, are thought to be designed by an Italian artist named Bonifacio Bembo. While there is debate, Encyclopedia Britannica states that Tarot was invented in Italy in the 1430’s by adding to the existing four suit playing cards a fifth suit of 21 cards. This fifth suit was called the “trionfi” or ‘triumph,’ which is now more commonly referred to as the ‘Major Arcana.’ At some point, In addition to these 21, there was an odd card, named ‘The Fool.’

In 1781, Antoine Court de Gebelin wrote in Le Monde Primitif the suggestion that tarot cards derived from an ancient Egyptian book, The Book of Thoth, and that the “Egyptians and Gypsies” were responsible for the deck being dispersed throughout Europe. He claimed that Egyptian priests had encoded their highest knowledge into a game to ensure its survival, entrusting the gypsies with this, which they guarded closely for centuries. Around this same time period, the Tarot de Marseilles became a commonly produced deck, but it was used for playing purposes only.

We will talk all about the Major Arcana next week. The following week, we will start with, you guessed it, the fool! What a perfect card for a new year, new beginnings, new journeys.

The intention of this blog, and the accompanying podcast is to guide you on a journey (as your compass – get it?). For the most part, we will be focused on derivations of the Smith Waite deck, as it is the most commonly used. My goal is to give you a broader understanding of the tarot, and encourage you to use the cards as a tool in your everyday life to help deepen your understanding of the world around you. The cards themselves are one of many tools that you can turn to when you are seeking answers. The cards don’t give you the answers, but rather serve as a graphic interpretation for you to draw the answers from within. The ‘magic’ is you.

That said, a grasp on the meanings of the cards (and, to confuse matters more, there are many) helps you to interpret the messages of the Tarot. Have you ever traveled in a country where you did not know the language? You could get where you were going, but it was more challenging. Understanding the language of the tarot will help guide you on your journey and will ease the way.

Please join me, and next week, we will begin with an overview of the MAJOR ARCANA