The Study of Tarot

The primary objective is to explain how to use the Tarot cards in order to ignite one's imagination and provoke reflection, thus bringing to the surface of the consciousness of the tarot student those wonderful, universal concepts of nature, human life and occult science that lie concealed within every human heart.

All these ideals are based on a single, fundamental and primordial reality and the belief that in every human being, knowledge of that truth is innate; but it is not available to us until it has been rediscovered and resurfaced in the light of consciousness. The ancient temple entrances often bore the sayings, "Know Thyself", as  Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God, which is within you;" and as Eckhartshausen stated: "As infinity in numbers loses itself in the unit which is their basis, and as the innumerable rays of a circle, are united in a single center, so it is also with the Mysteries; their hieroglyphics and infinitude of emblems have the object of exemplifying but one single truth. He who knows this has found the key to understand everything, and all at once."

The rich symbolism and ingenious construction make the Tarot the greatest choice for genuine occult education among all tools, i.e, to "draw out" the intelligence concealed in man's heart. Proper understanding of these symbols, however, includes solid knowledge and a detailed analysis of the elements of the Qabalah. The ten Sephiroth are rings. Their numbers are printed above their names, and from the Sorcerer to the Wheel of Fortune, they are also the numbers of the Tarot trumps. The numbers of the major trumps that also correspond to such Sephiroths are below the Sephirotic names.

I would indicate to those who are critical that some of the interpretations for the Tarots are different from most of those shared before, that a majority of the Tarot's explanations that have found their way into books have been primarily derived on the false attribution of the Tarot to Hebrew alphabets used by Eliphas Levi. Levi certainly understood the accurate attribution, but deliberately withheld it for a justification that seemed enough to him.

Let it be clear that it is offered openly and on time for the benefit of those who should doubt the wisdom of publishing this attribution. This scheme is dedicated, following Court de Gebelin, who makes the zero card head the set of major trumps, and Levi, who says the cards illustrate the occult sense of the Hebrew alphabet; and its effects in the analysis of symbolism are ample evidence of its accuracy.

The Tarot's divinatory applications are various, and a considerable number appear to deprecate its contribution to the practice of divination. Nobody who is not completely grounded in the theory of cares, wherein lies the very creation of our potential life from a complex collection of possibilities rooted both within us and predisposed in the contours of our natural world, will achieve the greatest results in forecasting or foretelling the probabilistic future events using the Tarot spreads as a divinatory tool. For detailed divination, acquaintance with the astrological meanings is basically indispensable. Highly suggested is a study of the astrological and divinatory applications of this remarkable symbol alphabet.

Major Arcana Tarot Cards Meaning & Symbolism

Choose your desired card below and discover its meaning in your life:

The Magician ~ Meaning and Symbolism

THE MAGICIAN.

I Saw the Man.

His figure reached from earth to heaven and was clad

in a purple mantle. He stood deep in foliage and flowers

and his head, on which was the head-band of an initiate,

seemed to disappear mysteriously in infinity.

Before him on a cube-shaped altar were four symbols

of magic—the sceptre, the cup, the sword and the

pentacle.

His right hand pointed to heaven, his left to earth.

Under his mantle he wore a white tunic girded with a

serpent swallowing its tail.

His face was luminous and serene, and, when his eyes

met mine, I felt that he saw most intimate recesses of my

soul. I saw myself reflected in him as in a mirror and in

his eyes I seemed to look upon myself.

And I heard a voice saying:

— "Look, this is the Great Magician!"

With his hands he unites heaven and earth, and the

four elements that form the world are controlled by him.

The four symbols before him are the four letters of the

name of God, the signs of the four elements, fire, water, air.

earth.

I trembled before the depth of the mysteries I touched...

The words I heard seemed to be uttered by the Great Magician

himself, and it was as though he spoke in me.

I was in deep trepidation and at moments I felt there was

nothing before me except the blue sky; but within me a

window opened through which I could see unearthly things and

hear unearthly words.

The Fool ~ Meaning and Symbolism

THE FOOL.

And I saw another man.

Tired and lame he dragged himself along the dusty road,

across the deserted plain under the scorching rays of the sun. He

glanced sidelong with foolish, staring eyes, a half smile, half leer

on his face; he knew not where he went, but was absorbed in

his chimerical dreams which ran constantly in the same circle.

His fool's cap was put on wrong side front, his garments were

torn in the back; a wild lynx with glowing eyes sprang upon him

from behind a rock and buried her teeth in his flesh. He

stumbled, nearly fell, but continued to drag himself along, all

the time holding on his shoulder a bag containing useless things,

which he, in his stupidity, carried wherever he went.

Before him a crevice crossed the road and a deep precipice

awaited the foolish wanderer. Then a huge crocodile with open

mouth crawled out of the precipice. And I heard the voice

say:—

"Look! This is the same man."

I felt my head whirl.

"What has he in the bag?" I inquired, not knowing

why I asked. And after a long silence the voice replied

"The four magic symbols, the sceptre, the cup, the sword

and the pentacle. The fool always carries them although

he has long since forgotten what they mean Nevertheless

they belong to him, even though he does not know their

use. The symbols have not lost their power, they retain it

in themselves.

The High Priestess ~ Meaning and Symbolism

THE HIGH PRIESTESS.

When I lifted the first veil and entered the outer court

of the Temple of Initiation, I saw in half darkness the

figure of a woman sitting on a high throne between two

pillars of the temple, one white, and one black. Mystery

emanated from her and was about her. Sacred symbols

shone on her green dress; on her head was a golden tiara

surmounted by a two-horned moon; on her knees she

held two crossed keys and an open book. Between the

two pillars behind the woman hung another veil all

embroidered with green leaves and fruit of pomegranate.

And a voice said:

"To enter the Temple one must lift the second veil

and pass between the two pillars. And to pass thus, one

must obtain possession of the keys, read the book and

understand the symbols. Are you able to do this?"

"I would like to be able, " I said.

Then the woman turned her face to me and looked

into my eyes without speaking. And through me passed a

thrill, mysterious and penetrating like a golden wave;

tones vibrated in my brain, a flame was in my

heart, and I understood that she spoke to me, saying

without words:

"This is the Hall of Wisdom. No one can reveal it no

one can hide it. Like a flower it must grow and bloom in

thy soul. If thou wouldst plant the seed of this flower in

thy soul —learn to discern the real from false. Listen only

to the Voice that is soundless... Look only on that which is

invisible, and remember that in thee thyself, is the

Temple and the gate to it and the mystery, and the

initiation."

The World ~ Meaning and Symbolism

THE WORLD.

An unexpected vision appeared to me. A circle not

unlike a wreath woven from rainbow and lightnings,

whirled from heaven to earth with a stupendous, velocity,

blinding me by its brilliance. And amidst this light and fire

I heard music and soft singing, thunderclaps and the roar

of a tempest, the rumble of falling mountains and

earthquakes.

The circle whirled with a terrifying noise, touching the

sun and the earth, and, in the centre of it I saw the naked,

dancing figure of a beautiful young woman, enveloped by

a light, transparent scarf, in her hand she held a magic

wand.

Presently the four apocalyptical beasts began to appear

on the edges of the circle; one with the face of a lion,

another with the face of a man, the third, of an eagle and

the fourth, of a bull.

The vision disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. A

weird silence fell on me. "What does it mean?" I asked in

wonder.

"It is the image of the world," the voice said, "but it

can be understood only after the Temple has been

entered. This is a vision of the world in the circle of

Time, amidst the four principles. But thou seest

differently because thou seest the world outside thyself

Learn to see it in thyself and thou wilt understand the

infinite essence, hidden in all illusory forms.

Understand that the world which thou knowest is only

one of the aspects of the infinite world, and things and

phenomena are merely hieroglyphics of deeper ideas.

The Empress ~ Meaning and Symbolism

THE EMPRESS.

I felt the breath of the spring, and accompanying the

fragrance of violets and lilies-of-the-valley I heard the

tender singing of elves. Rivulets murmured, the tree-tops

rustled, the grasses whispered, innumerable birds sang in

choruses and bees hummed; everywhere I felt the

breathing of joyful, living Nature.

The sun shone tenderly and softly and a little white

cloud hung over the woods.

In the midst of a green meadow where primroses

bloomed, I saw the Empress seated on a throne covered

with ivy and lilacs. A green wreath adorned her golden

hair and, above her head, shone twelve stars. Behind her

rose two snowy wings and in her hands she held a sceptre.

All around, beneath the sweet smile of the Empress,

flowers and buds opened their dewy, green leaves. Her

whole dress was covered with them as though each newly

opened flower were reflected in it or had engraved itself

thereon and thus become part of her garment.

The sign of Venus, the goddess of love, was chiselled

on her marble throne.

"Queen of life," I said, "why is it so bright and joyful all about

you? Do you not know of the grey weary autumn, of the cold,

white winter? Do you not know of death and graveyards with

black graves, damp and cold? How can you smile so joyfully on

the opening flowers, when everything is destined to death, even

that which has not yet been born?"

For answer the Empress looked on me still smiling and, under

the influence of that smile, I suddenly felt a flower of some clear

understanding open in my heart.