The next step on our journey to awakening is Death. A skeleton rides a white horse through a field filled with bodies. He carries a flag with a white rose. In the background flows a river and on the horizon stand two pillars framing the sun, but is it rising or setting? This is card… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: Death
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Hanged Man. A young man hangs upside down from a T-shaped tree. His hands are tied behind his back but he is serene and his head is surrounded by a halo of light. This is one of the few images in the Tarot that is… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Hanged Man
The next step on our journey to awakening is Strength, or Fortitude. A young woman holds the jaws of a lion in her hands, calm in the presence of this powerful beast. This is card number 11 (8 in some packs). It follows the perfect number 10 so signifies vulnerability and danger. In Arabic numerals… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: Strength
The next step on our journey to awakening is the Wheel of Fortune. The card shows a wheel surrounded by strange figures. On top of the wheel sits a sphinx holding a sword, while a serpent and Anubis move around the wheel. In each corner is a winged creature: an Ox, a Lion, an Eagle,… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: Wheel of Fortune
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Hermit. An old man dressed as a monk holds a lantern that lights his way. In this other hand he carries a staff, which in some packs is entwined by a serpent. This is card number 9 which is the last of the single numbers… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Hermit
The next step on our journey to awakening is Justice. A stern woman sits on a throne holding a sword and a pair of scales. This is card number 8 (although in some packs it’s number 11) which stands for balance, equanimity, eternity, and the workings of destiny. It represents a point of balance between… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: Justice
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Chariot. A young man rides a chariot pulled by two horses, although here they appear to be sphinxes. He carries a sceptre and is crowned with a star. This is card number 7 which stands for unity within complexity, being a combination of the numbers… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Chariot
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Lovers. In some card packs the image shows a young man flanked by two women while Cupid prepares to fire an arrow into his heart. In this version (the Rider Waite pack) we see two figures who appear to be Adam and Eve in the… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Lovers
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Hierophant, or The Pope. He sits between two pillars holding a triple-tiered cross and blesses two kneeling priests before him. This is card number 5 which stands for creative thought, moral law and intellectual synthesis. It represents life being made whole as the four cardinal… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Hierophant
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Emperor. He is the Father and embodies the principles of authority, power, order and reason. This is card number 4 which stands for organisation, order and laws. The Emperor is the consort of The Empress and also represents creation, but his is the creation of… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Emperor
The next step on our journey to awakening is The Empress. She is the Mother, an embodiment of nurturing, abundance and fertility. This is card number 3 which stands for synthesis and harmony. It resolves the tension created by the preceding duality by adding a third unifying principle. This is the number of childbirth, new… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Empress
The next step on our journey to awakening is The High Priestess, sometimes called the Female Pope or Papess. She is the Lunar Goddess and sits between the pillars of her temple, the book of wisdom in her hands. Like the sun and moon, the Magician and High Priestess complement each other – she represents… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The High Priestess
Jessica Davidson 