The Hanged Man – Tarot Card Meaning

the hanged man

The Hanged Man Neptune Water Keywords: tranquility, transcendence, divinity, waiting, patience, self-sacrifice, suspension Rider-Waite-Smith In the Rider-Waite-Smith we see a man calmly hanging upside down with one foot tied to a wooden “T” cross, with greenery on the top beam. Waite calls the cross a “gallows” and “tree of sacrifice,” like the Norse Yggdrasil, or … Read more

Strength – Tarot Card Meaning

Strength rider-waite-smith

Strength Leo Sun Fire Keywords: courage, strength, fortitude, compassion, love, spirituality Reversed: discord, abuse of power, materialism, immorality, carnal A woman robed in white and adorned with red roses stands beside a lion, closing his mouth. She tames the lion, the great beast, not through brute force, but through calm resolve, pacifying his brutish tendencies … Read more

The Hermit – Tarot Card Meaning

hermit

The Hermit Represents Virgo Mercury rules and is exhalted Earth Keywords: wisdom, scholarship, mentorship, helper, attainment, teaching, solitude, enlightenment, spirituality, introspection Reversed: not heeding wise counsel, foolishness Rider-Waite-Smith “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” ~ Lao Tzu An old man in grey robes stands on a snowy mountain top, … Read more

The Chariot – Tarot Card Meaning

Chariot tarot RWS

The Chariot Ruled by Cancer Water Planet: moon Keywords: victory, control, willpower, manifestation, mystery Rider-Waite-Smith In the Chariot Tarot card, we see the Charioteer beginning his journey from the city behind him out into the world beyond, starting a journey in his vehicle, the chariot. He is in full control of the two sphinxes who … Read more

The Lovers – Tarot Card Meaning

The Lovers Ruled by Gemini Keywords: Primordial choice, relationships, unity, love (including self-love), guidance, equilibrium, alchemy of the self Reversed: moral quandary, temptation, corruption Rider-Waite-Smith The Lovers card represents the Garden of Eden before the fall, with Adam and Eve both naked underneath the watchful eyes of an angel, with wings outstretched. Besides Eve we … Read more

The Moon – Tarot Card Meaning

The Moon RWS

The Moon Ruled by Pisces Keywords: insight, intuition, femininity, spirituality, power, womanhood, psychic powers, creativity, occult, astral consciousness, darkness, mysterious, strange Rider-Waite-Smith In the RWS Moon we see the mysterious Moon looking down on a strange scene. Two dogs, one light, one dark, stand at the edge of a pool of water with a lobster … Read more

The Emperor – Tarot Card Meaning

The Emperor RWS

The Emperor Ruled by Aries, which is ruled by the planet Mars, exalted in the Sun. Keywords: authority, reason, logic, masculinity, foundation, stability, leadership The emperor represents the authority of the Father figure, the masculine ruler, the rational principle. Where the Empress is connected to the Earth, the Emperor is connected to the civilized world … Read more

The Empress – Tarot Card Meaning

The Empress Rider-Waite-Smith

The Empress Ruled by Venus Keywords: The Empress represents the great Mother Goddess, the Earth Goddess, Gaia, the Great Divine Feminine who is receptive to the energy of the Sun, who takes it and sublimates it into a form of energy uniquely hers. She represents fecundity and beauty, Maternal instincts. She is the softness of … Read more

Reflections on the Full Moon in Pisces – 2020

thoth the moon

As we reflect on the Full Moon in Pisces tonight, let’s remember why Crowley called the Moon in the Tarot the “Gateway of Resurrection.” What is the meaning of the Tarot card The Moon? The sacred Beetle holds the Sun in his mandible during the dark silence of the night and winter.In this card, Pisces … Read more

The Sun – Tarot Card Meaning

The Sun Rider-Waite-Smith

Sun Le Soleil Keywords: achievement, success, positive energy, happiness, innocence, childlike wonder Rider-Waite-Smith A.E. Waite’s version shows a single child riding on a horse out of the garden but apparently the original version was two children playing in a garden. Why did he make these changes? It’s unclear. Regardless, the Sun is generally a card … Read more