Strenght - Leo

'Did you ever wonder why

the beast you always ride

is only your hidden pride?'

The Strenght is represented by a woman dominating a lion. The meaning seems, thus, evident. It’s not a card of violence, muscles, or forceful manners. It is the delicateness and graciousness that conquer the solar, male, brutal and fiery character, here, represented by a lion. The feminine element can control, through her spiritual and ethical power, the physical strength of a wild animal. It foresees that, through discipline, effort and firmness, everything can be achieved, no matter the nature of what is desired. When it comes up to a consultant, it also translates energy, vitality and health.

The Charriot - Cancer

'Everyone's waiting for the hero,

to whom they want to show their best,

ignoring that his victory and success

will bring them less than a zero.'

The Charriot corresponds to the number 7 and closes the first cycle of the Major Arcana with the meaning of triumph and success.
Like a conquering hero that returns and enters in the city, in order to be received and ingratiated by the people; like the man that controls the horses and, therefore, the mind that takes over the instincts and that leads the individual to a conscious goal, through an imponent use of the power of will.
In addition, the end of this first phase denounces that the self has gone through the tests of the first cards and that has been submitted to an evolution. This process of self-creation and self-improvement has been, thus, coronated with success.
Not forgetting the psicopomp – souls’ guide- role of the horses not only in some ancient societies but also in modern days, this Arcanus may also mean the victory of the soul over mortality.
On general terms, it reflects the individual mastering his own destiny and overcoming the obstacles that may appear along the way.
Moreover, when it appears in a spread, it may mean travels and change of residence but always under a good omen.

The Lovers - Gemini

‘ Only one is the choice.
Between the monster and the sword,
There is the standing in the Void.’

The card number 6, often associated to sentimental issues, holds a meaning that goes much further than, simply, that aspect. The proof of that is that its graphic representation, in some very important Tarot decks, does not correspond to Eros aiming at a man who is supposed to choose between two completely different women (see Golden Dawn deck). Therefore, this card means indecision between two alternatives. The indecision is not, necessarily, connected to the nature of the alternatives themselves but, sometimes, to the nature of the one who is supposed to choose that, for a matter of emotional inconstancy or inner restlessness finds hard to choose simply one path since his intellect can bear both, even if they represent the opposite. As a result, it may lead to an incompatibility between the intellectual dimension – which may hold infinite possibilities of action – and reality itself that is limited to the actual circumstances. The indecision that one may face works like an exam that one must overcome in order to exert the freedom of choice in a responsible and consequent way.

The Hierophant - Taurus

‘ You who give the right advice,
understanding us all,
did you ever wonder why
you are crying all alone?’

The Hierophant symbolizes the spiritual power, in a conservative and dogmatic perspective. It is the councilor, the certain spiritual help for those that seek it. His ability to analyze the situations along with patience and perseverance make him the perfect guide for those who are in search for an inner path and an absolution through forgiveness and confession. The card number 5 translates expertise, wisdom, altruism and warmth when it comes to the understanding of the problems of others at the expense of the hierophant’s own life as a human being. This self-sacrifice may mean loneliness and, somehow, chastity which, in fact, can result on prejudices, austerity and moralistical appreciations of others’ behaviour. He assures the persistence of the religious / social conventions because he stands for the institutionalized power. This energy, in case it isn’t properly oriented, can lead to manipulative tendencies over the others for whom he self-sacrifices in order to maintain his own power.

The Emperor - Aries

‘Imposing to others to live like you,
isn’t it the perfect way
To escape from what is really you?’

This card corresponds to the archetype of the Father, by excellence. The father is the connection of the ego to the ‘outside’ world, to the social conventions and institutions. While the Mother rules Nature and the household, the Father articulates the relationship with the others, through the notion of ‘status quo’ and material possessions as a way to affirm his power. It is a steady, earthly power, resistant to change and impossible to be influenced by any external energies or agents, which may lead to some kind of blindness when it comes to the Other’s needs and persona. The stability of his power is a source of security to others, who may seek him precisely for that. Wrath and despotism may alternate with a paternalistic sort of understanding that ends up working as an element that guaranties the persistence of that same power.
The Emperor affirms himself through the leadership and authority that he exerts socially and through what he owns, people included.

The Empress - Moon

‘Who protects you from the power
you are proud to spread outside,
is the other who allows you,
or are you just a lonely bride?’

The card of the Empress represents the other side of the feminine archetype: Whereas the High Priestess embodies the feminine spiritual powers and her realm is the realm of esoterism and occult matters, the Empress symbolizes the general concept of fertility through the representation of a pregnant woman therefore, a woman deeply bounded to the material world, where she rules using her femininity as an inspiration. The Empress is the responsible Mother that gives birth and protects and that applies her authority not only in the family but in the society, as well; the Universal Mother, altruist and generous in her embrace. As she rules over the material world, realism is a guideline used to approach all the practical matters. Nevertheless, the Empress, being deeply connected to the earthly dimension, demonstrates a reverse tendency: she may become a frivolous woman, focused on the status and appearance, dwelling in a mundane existence, never caring about the essence that lies beneath the surface but only caring about her most immediate interests which vary according to her changeable moods. Her maternal role may lead her to exert a blind authority over the children, in order to assure that they will always be dependent on her and that she will never have to give her power away.

The High Priestess - Moon

' Find the Priestess

ask her twice:

''Are you happy with your sixth sense

or do you want to be my wife?''

The card of the feminine power and, therefore, of the characteristics, usually, attributed to women. The High Priestess deals with the occult forces that rule over destiny and uses her intuition to apprehend the surrounding reality.
As a priestess, her realm is the matters of the spirit, where love is idealized and, hence, not physically lived. She rules with intelligence and serenity, and masters the secrets of all existence, as a sorcerer masters the Craft.
As essence of the feminine and in archetypical terms, she may represent the Mother Nature, the ‘alma mater’, the Goddess or the goddesses that, with all their might and wisdom give a sense to the creation.

The Wizard - Mercury

‘As this life has many ends,
does it surely all depends
on our only magic hands?’

This Arcanus represents the realisation of the Fool. He takes, now, active part in the setting of his own life and he masters, with craftiness, the tools of his destiny which are lying on the table ahead of him. He, no longer, lets himself go with the flow: he decides, he creates, he controls, he coheres and doesn’t leave anything to chance. The Wizard who is also an alchemist, transforms raw matter into sophisticated elixirs, throught his oriented and conscious will and creativity.
However, this energy, if not properly used, may lead to arrogance, opportunism, charlatanism, manipulation catalyzed by the cunningness of the Wizard.

The Fool - Air

‘Look at the Fool,
look at the Fool,
did you ever break your rule?’

The card number 0 is the beginning of the Fool’s trip throughout the Major Arcana.
In his innocence, he takes for his journey nothing but a bundle and his optimism.
He walks through life with the sheer conviction that all he needs is himself. Therefore, when The Fool appears in a spread, it is always the sign of lack of control, instability, irrationality, inconsequence, volubility, shallowness and self-centrism. The landscape that surrounds him is a mere detail for this character that is guided, simply, by his autistic belief in himself. The small dog that bites him (in some decks, it appears also as a wolf) represents the basic instincts that may warn him about the dangers that lay ahead, of which he is unaware.
Nevertheless, the other side of the Fool’s energy also brings about the naïveté, the ‘puer eternus’,the risk-taker, the one that is free from the social conventions and that doesn’t know fear.