A Tarot Journey - part I

Once in a while I like to do a blog project, something to provide structure. This blog is dedicated to the lifestyle, and I'll continue to blog about that. But one of my other interests is Tarot. When I read Last Call by Tim Powers I was struck by the author's use of Tarot symbolism and the connections to other mystical traditions. I also noticed that some of the archetypes found in Tarot correspond to those found in Jungian psychoanalysis. So I bought a pocket-sized deck that came with its own book and learned the basics. Recently I bought a more thorough book, and I've decided to write some meditations on the cards of the Major Arcana. This is partly in order to help myself learn the cards better, since the Major Arcana are the least familiar to me. It's also because I find the figures compelling and I want to explore my thoughts about them in more depth.

We begin, as all things do, with 0.

The Fool



In the Rider-Waite-Smith and Hanson-Roberts Tarot decks, as well as others, the fool walks merrily towards the precipice, seemingly unaware of his imminent demise.

The book I'm reading, "The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot" by Mark McElroy, sums it up with the usual interpretations of "taking a leap of faith" "innocence before the fall", etc. The archetype is the Divine Madman.

I think I'm channeling my memories of Tim Powers here, but this is all way too nice. The Fool is indeed a divine madman, because he symbolizes Chaos. Corresponding to the number "0", which seems unlikely to have been in use by the Italians in the 14-mumbles when Tarot originated, The Fool is nothing. He is non-existence, oblivion... chaos. The void from which all things emanate and to which they return.

The Fool is dressed as a jester, probably corresponding to the Harelquin of the Commedia dell'arte in Italy. Because the jester rules nothing, he has complete freedom. Again, he represents the duality of being and nothingness and the false dichotomy of the two. Only by embracing nothing (walking towards the chasm) can we attain true freedom. It is this spirit of cosmic knowing that makes him so powerful. All beginnings are fraught with chaos, and yet it is the beginning, not the end, we yearn for.

Once we have begun, we require tremendous amounts of energy to maintain our journey. Which brings us to card #1:

The Magician



The Magician often holds a wand, has a cup in front of him, sometimes levitates objects before him, and has the sign of infinity hovering above or near him. He is a spirit of tremendous masculine energy. In the Jungian tradition, he is not the animus itself, but a more subtle and almost more powerful figure. He is the masculine figure that is also capable of communing with the feminine. His skill with magic indicates that he is capable of communicating with nature. He interprets the feminine for the animus, providing the instinct and dark knowing necessary to temper the energy and action of the masculine.

To interpret the magician only as being Ego, or capability, or infinite power is remarkably narrow. He wields a specific type of power. In the hierarchy of the spirit, his role is that of an adviser to the king, or animus. He represents a merging of masculine and feminine, a trait that becomes clouded when viewed through a masculinist lens.