TAROT CARD MEANINGS The seventy-eight cards from the Tarot, with their powerful, challenging images, have fascinated people since the late Middle Ages. The origins of the cards are lost in time, giving us the option to believe any - or all - of the myths and legends that surround the deck. We have no idea when the cards first appeared, though they were first described in 1377, and since then have been used in many different ways. The deck comprises the Major Arcana - 22 powerful allegorical images including The Fool, The Hanged Man, and Death; and the Minor Arcana, which comprise 56 cards of four suits, which correspond closely to ordinary playing cards available today. The cards may have been used for divination right from the beginning, though the medieval interpretations would probably have been quite different to our own. The decks around today are mainly influenced by Arthur Waite, president of The Order of the Golden Dawn, an esoteric society formed in England in 1887. Waite's cards (the Rider-Waite deck) were illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith and are the most widely used of all tarot decks. Waite reordered a few of the Major Arcana and asked for illustrated pip (number) cards, an example most decks follow today, as it means reading the cards can be done more intuitively by reading the symbols on the cards themselves. At the same time it is always useful to have a grounding in traditional meanings, which is what this website offers. The Major Arcana – Meanings Fool: Take a leap into the unknown! The Fool is about taking risks. He may indeed be seen as a Fool by those around him, but indicates that you need to think outside the box. The Fool also can be a warning to take care - that pitfalls lie ahead. Magician: Conscious awareness of yourself and your world. New initiatives, new dreams and creative ideas. Very much a card of manifestation. Skill with communication, self-confidence. You need to get out there to make things happen! High Priestess: Intuitive insights and wisdom. The ability to act with empathy and understanding. For a man, his anima (muse and soulmate). For a woman: dreams. Can indicate creative blocks and loss of spiritual connection; creativity, intuition and spirituality probably need to be given more emphasis in your life. Empress: Abundance, womanhood. Great prosperity and self-awareness. The Empress nourishes as well as receives. Bountiful fate, the weaving of destinies. Sensuality, fecundity, receptivity. Harvest. May indicate you need to take care of yourself. Emperor: Authority, integrity, focus, vigour, willpower. The Emperor indicates a strong masculine energy, someone with real influence and power. Patriarchal issues - obedience, duty, family, control. It can also show a tendency to tyranny and workaholism. Hierophant: An impartial adviser, elder, priest, teacher. Meditation, bridge-building, peacemaking. Firm, deep traditions upon which to build. Morality, integrity, understanding, compassion, spiritual connection. May indicate a slight rigidity and close-mindedness. --------------
The Intuitive Tarot, the tarot deck used by the author, is the work of Cilla Conway and is published by St Martin's Press (USA) and Connections (UK). Cilla is a visionary artist who has been reading since 1981, when The Intuitive Tarot was completed. Her approach is psycho-spiritual, based on Jungian philosophy, and she is a member of the Tarot Association of the British Isles.
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