"If anyone sat down and contemplated their psyche, in an effort to understand and analyse what is inside themselves, what are their actions and reactions, their feelings, the way they are functioning in the world, at any time in creation, in any culture of the world, they would come up with a picture of these arcana cards.
So we can safely say that the origin of the Arcana cards is the human psyche.
It is THAT simple."
- Ernst Wilhelm
Feminine. The Inner realm
The drawing: the 27 constellations, floating together, resonating beautifully in their perfect imperfection.
- The inner realm.
- The vastness of the psyche.
- Our spiritual nature.
- The heavens.
- How we feel about ourselves.
- Self-worth.
- The potential for inner fulfillment.
- The subjective reality.
The World
Male. Outer world
The drawing: the 12 zodiacal signs as an integral part of the physical manifestation of human nature.
- Everything within the world.
- The world that we created.
- The context of our functioning.
- What is real to us.
- The result, the manifestation of our creativity, inspiration, will, energy and consistency.
The Moon
Female. BIRTH of an awareness of a feeling
Number one. Planetary ruler: The Sun
The drawing: round, water; emotional, seeing every perspective from its own inner knowing; illuminated by the Sun.
“Abounding in Vata and Kapha and filled with knowing is the Moon of round body, O’ Twice Born, auspiciously eyed, of sweet speech, fluctuating and love sick.”
Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra, 3 - Nature and Form of the Grahas, 24
The Sun
Male. BIRTH of something concrete
Number one. Planetary ruler: The Sun
The drawing: Square. Fiery. Intelligent. Focused. Consistent.
“Honey-yellow eyed is the Sun, square and radiantly pure, O’ Twice Born, of Pitta nature, intelligent, masculine, with but little hair, O’ Twice Born.”
Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra, 3 - Nature and Form of the Grahas, 23
THE EMPRESS
Feminine. Emotional accomplishment
Number two. Age 0 to 1. Planetary ruler: The Moon
The drawing: motherly, nurturing, compassionate, safe, magical
- management of inner feelings
- handling of the emotional life
- inner satisfaction
- inner comfort
- psychological/emotional health
- emotional development
- mother figure
THE EMPEROR
Male. External accomplishment
Number two. Age 0 to 1. Planetary ruler: The Moon
The drawing: stable, aligned chakras, resourceful, focused.
- material accomplishment – a goal, a project, an inspiration, an ambition
- brings something to a satisfactory conclusion with a sense of peace
- hands on
- the reality of a situation
- dealing with the facts/the problems
- father figure
- reversed: stressed, worried, frustrated
TEMPERANCE
Female. Inner Hindrance
Number three. Age 1 to 3. Planetary ruler: Mars
The drawing: emphasizing number three, circles expressing the energy of Mars, psychological depth, inner resourcefulness, stability
- Management of the inner life
- Restraint
- NO-power
- feminine energy guides itself by saying no to what feels bad
- restrain from what is harmful or leads to unhappiness
STRENGTH
Male. External Hindrance
Number three. Age 1 to 3. Planetary ruler: Mars
The drawing: emphasizing number three, stability, focus, complex tasks, keeping things together
- strength of character
- willpower
- fortitude
- the strength that the male half of our psyche uses to hold our life together and succeed, especially when things get difficult
HIGH PRIESTESS
Female. Inner Security
Number four. Age 3 to 12. Planetary ruler: Mercury
The drawing: emphasizing the diversity of our times and cultures, acceptance, uniqueness, openness
- the security of our inner knowing
- knowing the truth of something
- free from judgement of the intellect
- knowing our personal inner truth
THE PRECEPTOR
Male. External security
Number four. Age 3 to 12. Planetary ruler: Mercury
The drawing: emphasizing the book of life, based on traditional precepts, but also leaving a place for personal life directions, as they are dictated by individual paths, that lead to a new understanding and a new language to express personal truth. Traditional ways of living combined with inner understandings.
- The security that comes from following the laws
- security achieved by living a proper life that you deserve because you've been playing by the rules
- teaches the laws that have been proven to work
- the male side in its religious practices, following the precepts of the guru or the teacher
JUSTICE
Female. Averted
Number five. Age 32 to 50. Planetary ruler: Jupiter
The drawing: emphasizing an unstable environment, where choices and events can bring different results, ultimate safety of any path, blessings in disguise
- the virtue of knowing that things are fair, even when it appears they're not.
- the virtue to treat people right, even when they don't seem to deserve it.
- something that is just in the greater scheme of things
JUDGEMENT
Male. Averted
Number five. Age 32 to 50. Planetary ruler: Jupiter
The drawing: emphasizing the blessings of any situation. Right action. Following the right path.
- prudence: the virtue of right action.
- The ability to think things through and do the right thing in the situation.
- helps us make hard judgment calls to do the right thing during a difficult time.
THE DEVIL
Female. Inner Fulfilment
Number six. Age 12 to 32. Planetary ruler: Venus
The drawing: emphasizing the ability to run away from what does not feel good. Right attitude in situations that are less than desirable. Reversed, feeding off addictions and distractions
- the beast: it is what we are scared of, what makes us uncomfortable and fearful and feel unpleasant.
- Keeping our feminine side from getting entangled in harmful things
- When our feminine side is incapable of rejecting what is wrong for it, it is running away from its inner knowing - thus, running away from its happiness.
THE LOVERS
Male. External Fulfilment
Number six. Age 12 to 32. Planetary ruler: Venus
The drawing: emphasizing the ability to connect to that which is good and desirable. The Past that cannot be changed. Taking action to move in the right direction
- represents the male energy pursuing that which it loves. When we love something, we use our male side.
- The pursuit and acquisition of that which we love, being with that love, makes the male half of the psyche feel fulfilled.
DEATH
Female. Inner Destruction
Number seven. Age 70 onwards. Planetary ruler: Saturn
The drawing: emphasizing the many forms and paths of life overlooked by the same finality.
- symbolizes the inner transformation, the inner part of us that transcends our body to continue onwards. the transference of the consciousness out of the body onwards into the heavens
- Transference of consciousness can happen when we die and our consciousness gets transferred to another plane, but transference of consciousness can also happen within ourselves when we allow the death of one internal paradigm as we embrace another one.
- Death of inner concepts, ideas, hopes, wishes, dreams that are not going to prove satisfying.
THE TOWER - The House of God
Male. Outer Destruction
Number seven. Age 70 onwards. Planetary ruler: Saturn
The drawing: emphasizing that which has to be destroyed so that transformation can occur.
- the capacity of the masculine side to destroy things when necessary.
- Letting our external forms of security fall apart because we realize we haven't found satisfaction.
- The things we need that are only going to limit us from now on become torn up to give us a chance to embrace our greater happiness.
THE HANGED MAN
Female. Inner Friendship
Number eight. Planetary ruler: Rahu
The drawing: emphasizing that everything is a reflection of our inner reality.
- going into a complete state of surrender
- Life then happens in a way that is a perfect reflection of the inner self and it would only attract what is within
THE CHARIOT
Male. Friendship
Number eight. Planetary ruler: Rahu
The drawing: emphasizing the present, living in the now, the right path.
- Achieving a high accomplishment
- The most natural, unique thing to do to towards a balance of creating a life and doing the things that really are us
THE FOOL
Female. Divine Friendship
Number nine. Planetary ruler: Ketu
The drawing: emphasizing the aligned chakras, being open to the present moment, being guided by the divine.
- the female side realizes that everything is just the subjective manifestation of how it feels about itself.
- The realization that everything in life is just there to reflect how we feel about ourselves.
THE HERMIT
Male. Divine Friendship
Number nine. Planetary ruler: Ketu
The drawing: emphasizing the focussed knowing of one’s reality, being able to draw the right action and conclusions based on experience
- the male side contemplating his nature in meditation
- retreating from all the things that can be done, and consciously and actively trying to discover the truth of what is
THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Female. Escalate
Number ten
The drawing: emphasizing fated events of life
- represents the path of least resistance
- A change in fortune, luck, different things coming
THE MAGICIAN - The Juggler
Male. Escalate
Number ten
The drawing: all stages and aspects of life manifested
- can make things happen through his skills and intelligence
- High-level use of the masculine energy
- the use of free-will to create miracles in our lives
- taking all of our skills, our abilities, our power, to take things to the next level, to do something more remarkable than we've done before