Mystic Goddess: A Journey in Tarot

 The lovers card in the major arcana is full of vibrant symbolism and meaning. While it is clearly a card of love or union, it stands for so much more than that. Let’s take a look Here we see a man and a woman standing in what appears to be a garden, with a bright sun shining above them and a tall mountain in the background. While that all seems fairly normal, there are some unusual sights here. Looming above the two people is the archangel Gabriel, presumably there to share a message as Gabriel is the messenger of god. It’s also valuable to realize that this is very clearly the garden of Eden in the picture, as we see the snake climbing up the fruit tree, located behind the naked woman. While the woman is in front of the fruiting tree, the man is standing in front of a burning tree. Additionally, if you look closely, you see the man is looking at the woman, while the woman is looking up at the angel. The man is eager to experience carnal knowledge while the woman is eager to exper...

The hierophant is number 5 in the major arcana but is technically the 6th card. The hierophant is an interesting character as most people aren’t familiar with what a hierophant is. Let’s take a look!  The hierophant is the name of the Ancient Greek priests who were privy to and guardians of the Elysian mysteries. The Elysian mysteries were sacred rites that celebrated Demeter, a Goddess worship cult, if you will, who’s beliefs, rites, and rituals were closely guarded secrets. They did such a good job guarding said secrets that we actually know very little about it. That being said, the hierophant in the tarot represents some sort of mentor, someone who is there to lead by example or through sharing closely guarded knowledge. His robes are red representing his authority on the material plane and the white in his robes represents his spiritual divinity which supports said authority. His left hand is holding a staff with 3 crosses and his triple crown both represent the papacy and the...

The Emperor is number 4 in the major arcana and is quite the match to the Empress. While the Empress embraces the flow and bounty of the divine feminine, the Emperor embraces the force and fight of the divine masculine.   Here we see an emperor sitting on his throne draped in rich crimson and vermillion robes, robes of status, power, and material wealth. But he did not come by these robes by chance or by name, the Emperor fought his way to his thrown. We can see that under his robes a full suit of armor, signifying the literal battles he has fought and won to reach this level of power and prestige. On his head he wears a golden jewel encrusted crow  and in his left and right hands he holds a royal scepter with snd ankh symbolizing eternal life, or the breath of life, and a golden orb symbolizing his dominion over the world. On the arms of his throne and flanking the back on either side, we see rams, the symbol of Aries the sign the empires card embodies, with its head str...

Card 4 of the Major Arcana, numbered 3, is the Empress. This card is one of the most fertile and abundant cards in the deck. It is always a blessing to pull this card in a reading… and on occasion it can be a warning of a blessing that may or may not be desired… let’s take a look!   Looking at The Empress card we can see there is a lot to establish her place as the personification of abundance. We see a young woman dressed in a tunic covered in peonies and roses with a crystal scepter in her right hand, symbolizing wealth beauty and opulence, and her place in divinity. The Empress commands her space with love and divine feminine flow. She doesn’t have to chase.. no baby, she attracts everything she desires. The crown upon her head is adorned with a 13 stars, the number of the Goddess and the number of full moon cycles in a year, further supporting her place as divine feminine royalty and connection to the natural cycles of life. She reclines on what looks like a plush velvet chaise...

The third card in the Major Arcana is The High Priestess. This card is so auspicious, in my personal opinion, as she really represents the Goddess manifest, in Her priestess. Naturally, this card is rife with symbolism, so let’s take a look.   The High Priestess comes after the magician, and if you believe the major arcana is a succession of events or processes in a journey to wholeness. Just as in the card before, The Magician manifests using the elements, or manipulates the elements to manifest his desires, The High Priestess has earned the privilege of guarding the spiritual secrets that are only accessible to a select few. Dressed in blue robes, not unlike the ones Mother Mary is frequently dressed in, she sits between two pillars, one black, one white. These black and white pillars with the letters B and J on them for Boaz and Jachin they are the pillars to King Solomon’s temple, and they represent the Masonic spiritual ideals of complementary energies of the universe.  U...

The magician, while technically the second major arcana is numbered with a Roman numeral I indicating that this is the first step of the journey the fool has led us on.   Taking a look at the magician card, our vision is flooded with a variety of things all clamoring for our attention. The young person is dressed in a white robe of a spiritual novice with a belt of light blue indicating intuitive connection, and a red cloak indicating material pleasure, groundedness, good fortune, and physical materialization. Above their head is an infinity symbol reminding us energy is infinite and never ending. In front of the wooden table and above their head are massive vines filled with lilys and roses, signifying both an abundance of spiritual protection and material pleasure/beauty. On the table we see a sword, a wand, a cup, and a disk, representing each of the elements and the minor suits of the tarot. With each of their hands pointing both above them and below them, they are holding...

 The first card of the major arcana, The Fool, ironically starts with the number 0. There is however an excellent reason for this.. The fool doesn’t quite represent the beginning of the journey, but rather the space between the end of one journey and the beginning of the next. To be the fool requires a lot of optimism and trust that the universe loves you and will guide and protect you no matter what is happening. In the card, we see a young person walking towards the edge of a cliff, dressed in fancy clothing, signifying wealth or status, carrying a small sack at the end of a stick. It looks as though they might walk right off the edge of the cliff as they aren’t even looking in the direction they are walking. How foolish?! To trust that everything will work out, and you will learn so much on the journey. There is also a little white dog walking closely to the person, and it is clear this pup will look out for its friend, whether the cliff face is 2inches or 10feet. The sky is a b...