Category - Tarot Card Meanings

Tarot Card Meaning: The Magician

The Magician stands surrounded by red roses and a few white lilies. The roses are red and green, the colors of life. The symbolize magick. The lilies are white and symbolize purity. Here, the purity is one of intention, as the magician fixes his gaze and points his baton up to the heavens with his right hand, while pointing down to Earth with his left. As above, so below.

The four symbols of the minor arcana – a sword, a pentacle, a cup, and a wand, are placed at the table at his right, the side of literal righteousness. The infinity sign hovers over his head, and likewise, an ouroboros holds tight around his waist.

The Magician represents the ability to bridge the world of the spirit to the physical one. The Fool began the spiritual journey by standing at the edge of the world, and The Magician furthers it. All the tools of life are on its table, ready for use. The Magician is cunning, resourceful, determined, and focused. He knows how to make things happen because he has the skills to unite all the elements. He has quiet confidence that what he wills will eventually be. He isn’t looking above or below, but straight ahead toward the future.

The Magician is a primary indicator of creativity. This card can represent a facet of life in which the querent is creative is creative in not just solving problems, but creative in general.

When The Magician card is drawn, it tells the client or querent where they are masters. It shows an area of life where one has some sort of mastery, and where they can control and manipulate their circumstances. Here, the person is not only in control of what is, but can create and form something new. This card can indicate mastery of skills, talents, and academic achievements. This is success.

It’s also manipulation. When the card is right side up, it’s not with ill will or malice that one manipulates. It shows where a person is persuasive and can make people see things their way. It’s also where someone can mediate between two worlds to create either something new.

When Reversed:

The Magician reversed shows the dark side of the magician. This is where one is either manipulative in a malevolent way, or where they abuse their power and skills to take control of others. The upside down magician shows where someone isn’t actually a master, or skilled, but pretends to be so. This is an indication of a con, or feeling like a phony.

The Magician reversed can show were a person knows they lack skills, but tries to avoid this coming to light by creating distractions, blaming others, or constructing elaborate lies. This is someone who manipulates other’s emotions and minds to compensate for what they lack. On this note, it can also indicate a person in the querent’s life who is currently doing this, and someone they should either watch out for or flee from.

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Photos of the Fool

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The Chariot

May 23, 2017

Tarot Card Meaning:The Chariot

The Chariot depicts A determined man with a strong chin and armor of blue, gold, and black. There are the colors of spirituality, success, and seriousness, respectively. He has the moon on each shoulder, one smiling and one scowling. His crown has a six-pointed star, and his hair is orange. He holds a baton in his right hand, like The Magician. His chariot is covered with a cloth of stars, as he still has his mind on higher things. His black tunic is covered in alchemical symbols.

Behind him is the wall of a great city, and a river, and woods. He is one man riding alone, out of the woods, over the river. One individual, with two sphinxes at his feet, one black, and one white, his own man who moves by the power of his own will.

The Chariot is moving forward. He is guided by his spiritual wisdom, with his intuition helping to guide. This is his own journey, propelled by his own will. In a way, he’s like The Fool grown up. He’s looking where he’s going. He’s polished, wise, and strong-willed.

In a tarot card reading, the Chariot represents the mastery of the will, body and the mind. Whereas The Magician represents mastery of what is outside a person, The Chariot represents mastery of what is inside. It represents where the client or querent will find victory, success, and personal achievement.

This card also shows where the querent is naturally strong or strong-minded. This is where they can bravely go at it alone to achieve what they want. The querent is likely capable or ready for a new adventure or endeavor.

The Chariot also indicates when and where a querent is bold and brave or when and where they should be brave. This card indicates where the querent has to advocate for themselves, and where they have to rely on their own resources in order to become successful. They lean on no one, and no one leans on them.

This is where the querent is their own cheerleader, so to speak: they work hard but not for praise or approval. They forgo these things in order to achieve something much greater.

When Reversed:

When reversed, The Chariot card can indicate cowardice, lack of focus, lack of will, and too much reliance on other people. It can show where a person is too focused on external indicators of success. If the querent is too materialistic and attached to status symbols, or if they are too needy of approval, then this card indicates where they’re like that.

The Chariot reversed can show where a person is afraid to make it on their own. This may mean that they’ll stay in relationships that are no good but give them a sense of being in a comfortable rut.

It can also indicate where a person needs to focus or turn around and go back. A sacrifice has to be made, but the querent refuses to do it, and therefore, will achieve nothing.

Justice

May 23, 2017

Justice

Justice (XI), cloaked in red, the color of life, wears a gold crown with a single clear blue jewel in the middle, the color of peace and clarity. She sits on a throne between two stone pillars. The entrance to the temple is behind her, and cloaked in a purple silk, the color of wisdom. In her right hand, she holds the double-edged sword up in victory, and in her left hand, she holds scales in perfect balance.

The square shape of her crown, the jewel, and the clasp on her cloak indicate a balanced, steady mind and impartial, practical reasoning. One white shoe, however, sticks out from under her robe on the stone, reminding that purity and innocence – innocent until proven guilty – is of the bedrock of justice.

Out of all major arcana cards, this one is the most neutral. Whatever the querent deserves, the querent is going to get. This all deals with facts, however. This isn‘t necessarily cosmic justice or karma, so much as it is reaping what one sows right now. One will get whatever they are due; no more, no less.

On the other hand, this can indicate that wrongs will be righted. If the querent has been victimized, they’ll literally see justice, or at least be restored to where they were before the injustice occurred. They may not get anything more than to be restored, so they shouldn’t expect to get something extra with this card.

This card may show that one may be vindicated in some way. For example, if someone has been working hard at something that others have been criticizing, or if they’ve been working without receiving credit, the Justice card may tell that the querent will soon show that they haven’t been wasting their time and that they’ll get credit where credit is due.

Justice can be a warning that one will be revealed for who they really are if they’ve deceptive. A liar may be revealed to be a liar, and a cheater will be discovered. They’ll face the consequences of their actions, and they won’t be softened.

When the Justice card is Reversed:

When reversed, this card could certainly mean injustice, but it can also mean justice that isn’t entirely clean and neat. For example, the querent may get justice, but it may come at a price, and one they may or may not be willing to pay. To get Justice, one has to lose something else, like relationships or standing in the community. The choice to pursue Justice won’t be an easy one to make.

It may also mean that the querent simply has to wait for Justice, that it will come, but not right away. It may come, but not everyone will accept it. For example, time and circumstance may show that the querent was right about something, but the people around them still don’t believe it’s true. If you can believe that there are people that still think Charles Manson was framed, then you can see how this is possible.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, one generally experienced fairness or conducted themselves impartially and logically.

Present: Currently, one is dealing with things in a rational and cool-minded way, or experiencing justice, or is called to make a fair, logical decision. Or, reaping what you have sown.

Future: You’ll get your day in court, so to speak. Hopefully, you have merited a favorable outcome. If not, you better start damage control now.

The Hanged Man

May 23, 2017

The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man (XII) is one of those cards that looks more terrible than it actually is. He isn’t being hung by the neck, but rather by the right ankle from a living tau cross, which symbolizes salvation through sacrifice of worldly things. He wears both blue and red: red symbolizing the fire of life, and blue symbolizing serenity and the mind. His shoes and hair are both gold, glowing with idealism.

His left leg is bent behind his right leg, like a 4 upside down. 4 is the number representing balance of the elements, and the legs make their own cross. His arms are behind his back, we don’t know if they’re tied up, or if he’s free to untie himself. Yet, he is serene. He has a halo around his head, symbolizing his spiritual awareness.

This card is one of the most esoteric and deceptive of the major arcana. Its meaning is highly personal and may represent a side of the querent or situation the querent is in that they don’t want to readily admit to existing. After all, who wants to admit to being helpless or caught in a jam?

On the other hand, the deceptive nature of the hanged man makes him difficult to trust. After all, if his hands aren’t tied, can he not free himself at a moment’s notice? He may look serene, but he really a maverick?

When this card is drawn, it represents a situation in which the querent is given the option to surrender and let things happen as they may. However, it can also show that the querent has more power than they let on, and others may underestimate them.

This card can also represent the deliberate withholding of using one’s power. It calls the querent to wait and see what develops before taking any action, or cutting themselves loose and leaving the situation.

The Hanged Man is making a sacrifice of some sort, whether he is doing it willingly or unwillingly, whether he has no choice or absolutely has a choice.

Either way, the querent is at a crossroads and some irreversible decision or action is inevitable. The Hanged Man tells them to take their time and choose wisely.

When the Hanged Man card is Reversed:

The Hanged Man reversed tells the querent that they’re sacrificing, waiting, or biding their time but for nothing in return. Or, they think they have the power to change their mind about something, but they actually don’t, and their sacrifice is total and absolute. They have to let go of the past, accept what has transpired, and move on.

The Hanged Man reversed may also mean that the querent refuses to make a decision. If they don’t act now, someone or something will make the decision for them.

This card may also signify a person who has simply given up and no long has the will to keep going. They’re swaying in the breeze letting life happen to them. They have to get their mojo back and find direction.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, this person has made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of others, or has simply waited or done nothing, making no decisions to see through.

Present: Right now, this person either needs to wait and see what will transpire before taking action, or they need to give up and move on.

Future: There will come a point where the querent has done all they can do and will simply have to wait or move on.

The Lovers

May 23, 2017

Tarot Card Meaning: The Lovers

A man and a woman, naked but not ashamed, stand in a meadow while an angel in purple looks down. Purple is the color of royalty and high spirituality. The angel’s hair is like fire, indicating passion, and below it is the sun, warming the lovers.

On the left, female stands near a fruit tree with a snake wrapped around it. This shows temptation, the Adam and Eve story. She, however, looks up to the angel with her arms open, as if to embrace it.

The man stands to the right, next to a tree of fire, indicating passion or the burning bush that God used to speak to Moses. The man is looking at the woman, with his arms open to her.

Between them is a mountain reaching up toward the angel, and a very twisted river snaking toward them. The Lovers card represents the unity of the feminine and the masculine, creating not just the union of sex, but representing romantic love and the joy of exploring sensuality with another person. Together, with blessing of the angel who brings them together, they forge a new path.

In a way, the Lovers protect each other from the full energy of each other’s tree: the man keeps the woman from being burned by his passion, and she keeps him from being bite by the snake guarding her forbidden fruit. Though they are naked, they hide the fiercest parts of themselves from the other.

Where The Lovers card is found in a tarot spread indicates where a person finds peaceful union, acceptance, and love. It can literally indicate a romantic relationship. It also shows how a person forms bonds with equals and those outside the family. Thus, it represents equality.

The Lovers Card represents the fusion of two things in order to become something bigger and better, despite inherent differences.

The Lovers card can show the completion of a task or effort that results in a happily ever after ending for the querent. It could literally show a loving romantic relationship, too.

When Reversed:

When reversed, The Lovers card indicates disharmony, where one person is in something for their own gain without regard for the other person. It can show where the querent’s affections are taken for granted or ignored. It can also show that the querent is being led on, or is leading someone else on.

The Lovers card reversed can show where there’s an imbalance in relationships in general, where one always gives and another always takes. It may also show conditional love, where one person is expected to completely conform to another’s wishes, to lose individuality, in order to be loved. In this case, it can show dysfunctional relationships that hurt the querent.

It may also show that the querent, or someone in the querent’s life, is hiding something from someone else that would be devastating if found out. This could be marital infidelity, or something important, like their financial worth, physical health, or problems in their past.

The Hierophant

May 23, 2017

Tarot Card Meaning: The Hierophant

The hierophant is the supreme leader of religious realms. He sits on a throne between two Roman pillars, with a pillar-colored background behind him. He wears a three-tiered crown of gold reaching high into the Heavens. His robe is red, the color of life, and under that he wears white, the color of purity and blue (spirituality). His staff is a gold cross with three bars, symbolizing unity.

He gives a blessing with his right hand, while looking forward at not at the two identical monks at his feet, who wear robes of roses (magic) and blue flowers. At his feet are the keys to Heaven.

The Hierophant is an emperor of sorts, though his kingdom is a heavenly one, and his path to Heaven is based in laws, rules, study, and education. The monks at his feet study and contemplate the rules and laws as part of their devotion. It is throw the Hierophant, the representative of God on Earth, that they will pass to get into Heaven.

When the Hierophant shows up in a tarot card reading, it indicates where or how the client or querent gets a formal education, learns their cultural mores, conforms to the culture, and what formal belief system they may have. It also symbolizes how well the querent adheres to any of these.

The Hierophant indicates how the querent blends in or meets expectations, how it plays by the rules to rise through the ranks. The Hierophant is about conformity and the rewards of conformity. It can show not just where the querent is to conform, but where they expect conformity in others.

In a way, this card discourages individuality, but for the sake of something bigger than just the querent. It shows where the querent can subvert the ego in order to become part of something much bigger than itself.

It can also indicate a boss, authority figure, or institution that expects the querent to conform, give up individuality, and fall in line. It can indicate where the person is intolerance of difference, rebellion, or individuality.

The Hierophant doesn’t look at his loyal subjects but he knows they‘re there. This card can show where the querent simply expects loyalty and conformity because they have the power to withhold something that others want.

When Reversed:

When The Hierophant is reversed, the institutions that it represents are either oppressive or rebelled against. It shows where institutions are so oppressive that loyalty or forced obedience destroys individuality. The querent is being warned to leave an oppressive situation and stop blindly following leaders that don’t care about them.

However, it can also indicate places where a person’s lack of order and discipline has caused chaos and isolation. Doing whatever is desired whenever one desires doesn’t always lead to happiness. This card shows the emptiness of rebelling for no reason.

On the other hand, it can indicate where the querent is too willing to conform to remain a member of the group, even when conforming hurts them.

The Emperor

May 23, 2017

Tarot Card Meaning: The Emperor

His majesty sits on a stone throne in golden mountains, as the sky turns red, as if the world is on fire. Carved into his thrown are ram’s heads. The Emperor wears a crown of gold and jewels that look almost like a helmet. He has a long, white beard that flows down to his red robes.

He wears armor underneath on his bottom half and blue clothing on the upper half, though slightly hidden. The scepter in his right hand, the path of righteousness, is gold and looks like an ankh, the symbol of life. In his left hand, the path of the profane, he holds a gold orb.

The emperor represents masculine energy. He is old, wise, and determined. His world is one of passion, energy, and moving forward. He achieves. Though he is still intuitive and spiritual, as shown by his hidden clothing, he is tough and ready to fight, as indicated by his armor. His world is not one of fruitfulness. His world is barren, but it is his, and he protects it.

The Emperor card signifies where the client or querent is strong, stern, and decisive. A king becomes and emperor when he has an empire, which he gets when he conquers other lands. This card shows conquest of something or someone. However, it isn’t a love-em-and-leave-em card. Here, The Emperor takes and takes care of what it acquires.

Likewise, this is where the querent earns or achieves something and continues to foster it. It’s where the querent may be a leader, the breadwinner, or the wise counsel. They may be the patriarchs, or the eldest and wisest among some group they’re part of.

The Emperor imposes order where there was none before. This card shows where the querent puts things in order and maintains their focus, keeping their eye on the prize. It can thus indicate where the querent is competitive for material gain.

It can also show men or authority figures in the querent’s life that either support the querent or somehow dominate the querent. Since The Emperor has all the gold (and power), the querent may be jealous and want to get it all back.

When Reversed:

When reversed, The Emperor shows his dark side. When this card shows up reversed in a reading, it can indicate an area of life in which the querent is a tin-pot tyrant, a person who acquires power and abuses it.

Because the card is reversed, the querent may act as if they have much more power than they truly do. They lack security in their ability to lead, and resort to power plays.

It may also show where the querent cowers and gives up control.

The Emperor leads by example, but when reversed it, it’s a hypocrite. The querent may lack self-discipline but expect others to have it. They may lack respect, but expect others to show it respect. This card reversed may show where they’re a hypocrite and a bad role model for others.

Strength

May 23, 2017

Tarot Card Meaning: Strength

A woman in a pure, white robe with roses around her waist and in her hair looks loving down at a lion. She pets it on its nose and chin, and it looks up at her, standing in submission with its tail between its legs. It may fear crossing her. There’s in the rolling countryside, with a blue mountain peaking out to the west. The sky behind them is gold. She has the infinity symbol above her head like a halo.

This simple but profound card is rich with symbolism. The woman wears roses, which symbolize magic, as does the infinity symbol. The lion is, of course, danger, but also both the untamed and the top of a hierarchy. The lion is “king of the jungle” (though it lives in the savannah) and male lions with large manes are at the top of their pride.

This isn’t a big, strong woman. She wears no armor and carries no weapons. Her strength comes from her will. She gently subdues the beast.

When the strength card shows up in a tarot spread, it indicates where a client or querent demonstrates inner strength, patience, self-control, and stamina. They can stay the course and calm any terror. They have patience and know that nothing lasts forever, and nothing is permanent. Just as the lion can be tamed, o can the querent reverse the hierarchy of power not through force, but through staying calm.

The Strength card is about winning the war, not the battle. If drawn, the querent is able to meet their ultimate goals despite set backs or problems that may occur on the way.

This card could also indicate that the querent is a guide, or has a guide, who helps them stay calm and sooth their inner beast. It’s to note that the woman on the card isn’t forcing the lion into submission, but rather that he is willingly submitting. This card can represent an area of life in which the querent has the power of gentle persuasion to make big things happen.

This card can also represent times in which silence is golden, and that staying calm and quiet is the key to overcoming obstacles.

When Reversed:

When The Strength card is reversed, the querent may feel helpless, weak, or cowardly. They may not feel able to handle the problems they have right now, and may fear the worst.

This card can also indicate where a querent uses force or imposes their will instead of letting things occur naturally. Frustration mounts and the efforts al backfire.

The reversed card could represent a situation in which the querent is terrified of the outcome but feels they cannot change, and therefore something the querent can’t bear to face.

This card reversed can also indicate a person who drains the querent of their own strength. That person may be a psychic vampire, or a soul who is so dependent on others that they spread the insecurity and bring others down to their level.

Death

May 23, 2017