tarot card meanings

As I was writing my upcoming Tarot card meanings e-book, which should be out in June, I had a bit of an epiphany and an idea for a fun Tarot exercise.

My epiphany was this: the Major Arcana in the Tarot (The Fool through to The World) represent different aspects of your self, while the Minor Arcana represent the different aspects your life.

This of course is not my own idea, as I’m sure it’s been written about in many Tarot books before, but I really truly got it as I was writing this book. It was one of those things I already knew intellectually, but suddenly understood it on a deeper level.

So here’s my idea for a fun Tarot exercise:

As a way to practice card combinations, lets pair up a Major Arcana card with a Minor Arcana card (not a court card, though). I chose the The Emperor and the Four of Cups.

 

How would The Emperor deal with feeling bored and uninspired (Four of Cups)?

Or, how does your inner Emperor – the part of yourself that is independent, a bit rebellious and stubborn – respond to feeling this way? When you feel like the mopey moper in the Four of Cups, how does that effect your ability to be the Emperor in your own life (ie: the captain of your ship)?

Personally, when I’m feeling bored and blah about life, I tend to feel un-confident about making decisions and taking charge of my own life. This is when I might sleep till noon and spend the evening watching shit TV or reading celebrity gossip blogs. Aka Saturdays.

Let’s try another!

How would Death – the part of you that ruthlessly clears out what is no longer needed  – experience the Ten of Wands (feeling overburdened and exhausted by crummy chores and stuff)?

 

I’ll bet he’d delegate certain chores and start saying “no” more often. He would have no trouble allowing things to die (like droopy houseplants, dull friendships or lacklustre hobbies) if the upkeep of those things didn’t make him feel alive.

Through this exercise, you’re able to learn things about yourself and explore all the possibilities of who you really are.

Now it’s your turn!

Choose your favorite Major Arcana card and then randomly pick a card from the Minor Arcana. Ask yourself this:

1. When I feel like the Minor Arcana card, how does that effect the part of myself that is like the Major Arcana card?

2. How would the part of myself that is like the Major Arcana card deal with the life situation illustrated by the Minor Arcana card?

3. What does this tell you about yourself? Is it relevant to your life right now?

Share your results and interpretation in the comments below 🙂