Tarot Cards

• Reversals can be seen in a multitude of ways
  • The upright card cannot be fully expressed because it is being repressed.
  • The upright definition is implied but turned on its head.
  • The reversal shows a potential not fully manifested yet.
  • The “shadow side” of the upright meaning.
• We can observe some divisions between the Tarot cards.
  • The Triumphs (from I Trionfi) - The Lovers (Love), The Chariot (Chastity), Death, Temperance (Fame)
  • The Four virtues by Aristotle form one category - Temperance, Justice, Strength (Fortitude) and The Hermit (Prudence)
  • Hell - The Devil and The Tower
  • Heaven - Judgment and The World.
  • The Celestial Cards - The Sun, The Moon, and The Star. They form a bridge between Heaven and Hell

0 - The Fool §

• Early: Someone who is mentally different and unable to act reasonably. In particular these are the simpletons who were treated as outcasts and madmen. ¹ The court jester comes to mind.

• Tarot de Marseille Interpretations shifted from The Fool being a madman to being a jester or chaotic trickster. This interpretation alludes to freedom and detachment from society — creative genius but also impulsiveness and folly.

• Levi: The sensitive principle; The flesh; Eternal life. The Fool represents someone wandering without aim, potentially full of folly and vice.

• Golden Dawn: innocence and new beginnings, someone on a journey to enlightenment, inexperience. That which endeavors to rise above the material.

  However, it can also be seen as stupidity, eccentricity and mania. Regardless, it can be characterized with an impulse from an eccentric source.

• Waite: Folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy.

• Modern:

  • Upright: A New Beginning
  • Reversals:
    • Self-doubt and fear of the unknown. Becoming jaded or closed off.
    • A warning to not take a leap of faith
    • The idea of a new beginning yet to be manifested
    • Acting like a reckless, naive fool. Remaining stagnant or blissful

Upright	Reversed
Beginnings Freedom Innocence Originality Adventure Idealism Spontaneity	Recklessness Carelessness Distracted Naive Foolish Gullible Stale Dull

I - The Magician §

• Early: The traveling conjurer and swindler. Usually he is either depicted performing a sleight of hand trick or conjuring illusions. The Magician was seen as a street performer who was also a deceitful conman.

• Tarot de Marseille: The Magician is seen more in line with its archetypal role — someone who can pull an audience in and (seemingly) manipulate reality though the supernatural .

  Hence, The Magician is associated with skill, charisma, dexterity, and confidence. However, he can also be seen as a conman and charlatan who can deceive the audience through cunning.

• Levi: The Magician can be associated with The Creator whose material creations can be seen as illusions that hide spiritual reality.

• Golden Dawn: The First Magus — someone who can connect and bridge the divine, intellectual and physical. Someone who can control reality.

• Waite: Skill, Diplomacy, Subtlety, Snares of enemies, the inquirer - if male.

• Modern:

  • Upright: Power and Skill
  • Reversal:
    • Self-doubt. struggling to make progress due to lack of resources or clear intention
    • Overconfidence. A misdirection of energy. Wasting potential.
    • Unclear intentions or a lack of opportunity to realize one’s “magic”
    • Manipulation, Illusions, Deception

Upright	Reversed
Willpower Desire Resourcefulness Skill Ability Concentration Manifestation	Manipulation Cunning Trickery Wasted Talent Illusion Deception

II - The High Priestess §

• Early: The High Priestess represented a Popess - a holy woman. Due to the perception of women at the time, it was also associated with secrecy, both in hiding the High Priestess’ femininity to keep their position, and also to keep sacred knowledge and history.

• Tarot de Marseille: Scholarity or scientific knowledge, mental clarity, A sacred woman acting as a wise advisor, A secretive figure who was in touch with the spiritual

  Negative feminine stereotypes were also projected on her — proud, hysteric, emotional, superficial, close minded.

• Levi: Associations to the moon, occultism, speech. The High Priestess sits at the entrance to an inner sanctum analogous to the House of God.

• Golden Dawn: Associations with the Moon, Isis, and the ultimate expression of water. She presides over things that fluctuate and are partly hidden.

• Waite: Secrets, mystery, the unrevealed future. The woman who interests the inquirer, if male; the inquirer herself, if female. Wisdom and science.

• Modern:

  • Upright: Intuition, Higher Wisdom
  • Reversal:
    • Lack of self-trust. Distractions in the outside world that prevent one from accessing their inner landscape.
    • A return to power. Taking action on one’s intuition, instincts, and emotions
    • A private understanding of the truth without sharing or the intention to share. Being too wrapped up in one’s own inner world.
    • Dishonesty or using knowledge to harm others

Upright	Reversed
Unconsciousness Intuition Mystery Spirituality Higher Power Inner Voice	Repressed Intuition Hidden Motives Superficiality Confusion Cognitive Dissonance

III - The Empress §

• Early : Depicted status, wealth and power. Seen as a pragmatic and powerful authority figure who is nonetheless compassionate. It is seen in both a positive light — with the Empress’ role as wife to the Emperor, and also a negative light — in the sense of being associated with the negative aspects of femininity. She is thus the Archetypal Mother Figure

• Tarot de Marseille: Associations as Isis. Association as the Queen of Heaven, someone who has risen above the world. Associations with the throat — i.e., where concepts are uttered. In this sense, she is representative of a Maternal role by actualizing creative energy into something tangible .

• Levi: The Holy Triad. Plentitude, Nature. Associated with the Woman of the Apocalypse

• Golden Dawn: Beauty, Pleasure, Success, Luxury. Sometimes Dissipation. Associated with Gaia. Has both the positive and negative connotations of femininity — pleasure, charm beauty; frivolity, changeability, superficiality.

• Waite: Fruitfulness, Action, Initiative. Linked to the goddesses Ceres and Persephone. Still associated with femininity and motherhood.

• Modern

  • Upright: Fertility, Abundance, Creativity
  • Reversal
    • Lack of creativity. Too much concern with pragmatism than creativity, Forcing things, Being unfeeling, cold, or apathetic.
    • Creating structures and plans.
    • Healing the connection to the body and nature. Developing individuality, Reparenting oneself. Desire for Change.
    • People pleasing, Putting others first. Fear of one’s own depths. Trauma related to women. Imbalance of power.

Upright	Reversed
Divine Feminine Sensuality Fertility Nurturing Creativity Beauty Abundance Nature	Insecurity Overbearing Negligence Smothering Lack of Growth Lack of progress

IV - The Emperor §

• Early: The Archetypal Patriarchal figure (i.e., kings who ruled over civilizations). If the High Priestess represented the Pope, the Emperor represented the authority of the State.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Depicted a person of highest status or someone about to pass legal judgment. The Emperor is the ultimate authority with the potential to either be tyrannical or benevolent. Confident, Rational, Strong Willed.

• Levi: Associations with alchemic sulfur (i.e., spirit dominating matter). Associations with the symbol of Jupiter. Stability, Fixed Energy. The Emperor presides over the birth of all things and rules over the material world.

  Also interpreted as someone with mastery, strong will, power, and a influencing, dominating presence. Could also be seen as a tyrant.

• Golden Dawn: Son of the Morning. Chief of the mighty. War, Victory, Strife, Ambition. Associations with Mars and by proxy, conquest, courage and force.

• Waite: Stability, Power, Protection, Realization, A great person, Aid, Reason, Conviction, Authority, Will. The Emperor is not just a worldly ruler, he is the Lord of Thought sitting on a throne of intellect. He is the father to the Empress’ mother.

  The Emperor emphasizes political power, authority and leadership. He also signifies will, control over one’s emotions, and the rule of society.

• Modern

  • Upright: Authority, Leadership, Stability
  • Reversal:
    • Self-doubt. Being resistant to existing power structures . Lack of discipline or control.
    • Being receptive. Creativity. Benevolence. Compassion
    • Inner authority. Clarity around standards that come from within.
    • Fear of external power structures or people. Trauma relating to men. Abuse of Power.

Upright	Reversed
Stability Structure Protection Authority Control Practicality Focus Discipline	Tyranny Domineering Rigid Stubborn Lack of discipline Recklessness

V - The Hierophant §

• Early: The contrast / rival to the Emperor, the Hierophant (corresponding to the Pope) was another powerful person in the Middle Ages.

• Tarot de Marseille: Depicted someone who had authority over the spiritual; The pinnacle of religious authority and thus the highest authority; The bridge between man and divine who interprets the mysteries of the universe to his followers; The great teacher, but also one who has the potential to be dogmatic, judgmental, or authoritarian.

• Levi: The Initiate of the Mysteries of Isis. The Pope taught the people via theology and piety.

  Indication, Demonstration, Instruction, Law, Symbolism, Philosophy, Religion

• Golden Dawn: The great teacher; channeler of occult wisdom. The one who translates divine wisdom into human terms.

  Conformity, Respect for authority, Obeying the rules, Staying within traditions and values; Aspiration

• Waite: The Highest authority in any hierarchy, esp. spiritual; The religious leader channeling divine grace through institutions.

  Conformity, Bondage to social conventions, Dogmatisms and ritual; Large social establishments; Servitude; Mercy and goodness; Inspiration

  Can become power hungry, controlling and authoritarian.

• Modern

  • Upright: Institutions. Group Identity.
  • Reversal:
    • Being in the process of learning or gathering one’s ideas.
    • Rejecting tradition or authority in favor of personal or radical beliefs. Nonconformity. Freedom.
    • Personal rituals and practices, intimacy with the spirit and what gives life meaning.
    • Trauma relating to learning institutions or authority. Judgments around a perceived lack of education. Cultism.

Upright	Reversed
Tradition Social Groups Conventionality Conformity Education Knowledge Beliefs	Rebellion Unconventionality Nonconformity New methods Ignorance

VI - The Lovers §

• Early: Relating more to the concept of (courtly) Love not the people involved; Being torn between Vice and Virtue

• Tarot de Marseille: Being at a crossroads and having to choose between competing values and committing to the choice. Conventional vs following the heart; Duty and Love; Vice and Virtue

  Alternatively, being indecisive, hesitant or having self-doubt; Letting oneself being a victim of faith

• Levi: Deciding between Virtue and Vice ; Being a young adult, away from home and taking on life’s risks and following the heart

  Entanglement; Union; Combination; Equilibrium

• Golden Dawn: Love and being motivated to love; Inspiration; Motive Power

• Waite: The (Biblical) union of male and female. The conscious, unconscious and superconscious; Spiritualized and pure love

  Attraction; Love; Beauty; Overcoming trials

• Modern

  • Upright: Love, Union, Bonds
  • Reversed
    • Honing one’s personal values. Identifying what really matters. Fear of commitment. Broken Promises and Weak bonds.
    • Misalignment of values due to differing beliefs or priorities. Feeling Disrespected or unvalued.
    • Self-love or struggling with self-love. A sense of disharmony with the self.
    • Dishonesty with the self around needs and wants. Communication breakdown. Harmful intentions in relationships.

Upright	Reversed
Love Union Partnerships Relationships Choices Romance Balance Unity	Disharmony Imbalance Conflict Detachment Bad choices Indecision

VII - The Chariot §

• Early: Depicted a victory parade — a triumphant procession celebrating people of outstanding achievement (which at the time mainly involved war and conquest). A display of wealth and splendor.

  Sometimes interpreted as the Triumph of Chastity over Love (since it comes after The Lovers).

• Tarot de Marseille : Forward movement towards success, honor and fame. The charioteer masters his fate by extending his will, mastering his emotions and overcoming challenges.

• Levi: The charioteer is the exemplar of self-mastery and intellectual power; He is in command, not only of his own emotions, but of nature and the elements.

  The Chariot is pulled in two opposing directions so the charioteer must exert their control.

• Golden Dawn: Triumph, Victory, Health, Success (sometimes not enduring)

• Waite: The victorious hero; a worldly prince dominating the physical world. Rationality and the triumph of the intellect.

  However, note that the charioteer is only a master of the world and not the divine, spiritual world. If he becomes unbalanced, he could become a prisoner of logic.

  Providence; War, Triumph, Presumption, Vengeance, Trouble

• Modern

  • Upright: Victory, Assertion, Momentum
  • Reversed:
    • Coming up with a structure or channeling energy towards achieving a goal.
    • Lack of progress. Burn out. Changing oneself forward. Inner resistance. Distraction
    • Reaching milestones around inner or invisible goals. Inner discipline. Encountering setbacks and challenges. Need for Introspection and Growth.
    • Goal obsession. Productivity as distraction. Loss of control with one’s life.

Upright	Reversed
Success Ambition Determination Willpower Control Self-discipline Focus	Forceful No direction No control Powelesss Aggression Obstacles

VIII - Strength §

• Early: The virtue of Fortitude — the steadfast mind that’s able to endure adversity and persevere in hard times

  The lion in the Strength card can be associated with Hercules and the pillar imagery with the Biblical Samson.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Putting mind over matter and subduing one’s animalistic nature; Success due to confidence, drive and determination

• Levi: Self-mastery — the wiser higher self masters its lower nature. The lion, representing one’s animalistic side, is not violently repressed but transformed

  Strength; The hard in the act of grasping and holding

• Golden Dawn: Daughter of the Flaming Sword; Leader of the Lion; Fortitude Strength; Power not arrested in the act of judgment but passing on to further action, sometimes obstinacy

• Waite: The lower nature (symbolized by the lion) has been subdued by the spiritual power of the higher self. Both are in balance.

  Fortitude, Power, Energy, Action, Courage, Magnanimity, Success and Honors

• Modern

  • Upright: Courage, Self-Control
  • Reversed:
    • Lack of self-trust or faith. Lack of confidence
    • Forcing things. Overthinking.
    • (Suppressed) Inner strength. A budding self-love journey.
    • Self-harm. Self-loathing. Passions becoming the enemy. Vulnerability.

Upright	Reversed
Courage Bravery Confidence Compassion Self-confidence Inner power	Self-doubt Weakness Low confidence Inadequacy Cowardice Forcefulness

IX - The Hermit §

• Early: Began as a representation of Father Time. The design of the card evoked metaphors for the passage of time — its swiftness and impact on human life.

  It also depicted people of melancholic temperament — people whose lifestyle required isolation.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Transitioned from depicting the passage of time to depicting a hermit or monk. The hermit is a philosopher devoted to a quest for wisdom.  He turns inward and lives simply and austerely while pursuing solitary studies or spiritual practices.

  Silence, Celibacy, Absence of Passion, Austerity, Solitude, Contemplation, Melancholy, The Misery of Illness and Old Age

• Levi-Wirth: Extended the meaning from the Tarot de Marseilles deck to include Prudence. The lantern in the card symbolizes the light of the mind.

  The Hermit is austere, withdrawn and detached from life. He meditates on great truths in silence.

  Goodness, Revulsion from Evil, Morality, Wisdom

• Golden Dawn: The Light Bearer — someone who, by their spiritual practices, is receptive to divine wisdom. Instead of being withdrawn however, he is ready to share his wisdom to the world.

  The passage of time here depicts the acquisition of wisdom as we age.

  Wisdom sought for and obtained above; The Prophet

• Waite: Disagrees with the Levi-Wirth interpretation. The Hermit is not isolated nor in a quest for wisdom, he has already completed the quest.

  The Hermit is the guide and mentor to others on their spiritual journey.

  Prudence, Circumspection, Treason, Roguery, Corruption

• Modern

  • Upright: Soul searching, Solitude
  • Reversed:
    • Outside sources leaking in. Being persuaded.
    • Coming out of one’s shell. Sharing one’s truth and wisdom. Being seen.
    • The beginning towards starting a person’s spiritual journey. Need for engagement
    • Clinging to the superficial. Fear of looking inward. Feeling isolated. Excessive Isolation. Paranoia.

Upright	Reversed
Self-reflection Introspection Contemplation Withdrawal Solitude Search for Self	Loneliness Isolation Recluse Being anti-social Rejection Returning to society

X - The Wheel of Fortune §

• Early: Lady Fortune who indiscriminately gives or takes fortune.

  The Ship of Fools. The people on the wheel depicted a cycle — that misfortune will eventually befall the fortunate, and that the unfortunate will eventually find fortune.

  Typically it means a change in luck, usually for the better. One’s success is due to luck, and thus their success is unstable and the good fortune won’t last.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Largely the same as early interpretations.

• Levi-Wirth: Principle, Manifestation, Praise, Manly Honor, Fire, Fecundity

  The ascending figure is creation and good. The descending figure is destruction and evil.

• Golden Dawn: Good fortune and qualified happiness

• Waite: God’s will as the driving force of all fluctuations of fate. Fate in itself is detached from human concerns.

  Fortune, success, elevation, luck, happiness

• Modern

  • Upright: Karma. Turning a cycle
  • Reversed:
    • Resistance to moving forward
    • New awareness around how one can take responsibility for one’s own life. Unwelcome Changes. External forces affecting one’s life.
    • Introspection. Looking at one’s own personal cycles. Learning through struggle. Acceptance and Adaptation.
    • Crisis of faith. Feeling powerless. Chaos.

Upright	Reversed
Change Cycles Fate Decisive Moments Luck Fortune Unexpected Events	Bad luck Lack of control Clinging to control Unwelcome changes Delays

XI - Justice §

• Early: Divine justice which maintains law and order; The Last Judgment.

  The Justice card embodies the government — its executive, legal and judicial system. It could mean that justice will prevail to uplift a victim. Alternatively, the hand of justice will be enacted in a cold impersonal manner.

  Both decisiveness and impartial retribution and punishment.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Largely the same as early interpretations.

• Levi-Wirth: The beams of a balance scale; Justice administered harshly as punishment is necessary for order.

  Proper conduct, Piety, Social Accord, Good administration, Balance, Attraction and Repulsion, Life, Terror, Promise and Threat

• Golden Dawn: A well-organized society where all components work together harmoniously.

  Justice, Strength arrested in the act of judgment, Legal Proceedings, A court or trial by law

• Waite: A mind that is scientific, objective, logical, and impartial.

  Justice, Equity, Probity, Vindication,

  Rationality, Discipline, Rigidity, Perfectionism, Playing by the rules, Being honest, Facing reality squarely, Taking responsibility

• Modern

  • Upright: Fairness. Cause and Effect.
  • Reversed:
    • Important information missing. Being inhibited from acting on the truth.
    • Injustice. Concealment of the truth. Dishonesty. Corruption.
    • Dishonesty with oneself.
    • Denying one’s own responsibility for their life. Victim mindset. Karmic retribution. Unfairness

Upright	Reversed
Justice Karma Consequence Accountability Law Truth Honesty Integrity Cause and Effect	Injustice Retribution Dishonesty Corruption Unfairness Avoiding Accountability

XII - The Hanged Man §

• Early: Possibly originated from “paintings of infamy” (Pittura Infamate) . Traitors who couldn’t be executed were hung in effigy as paintings on the walls.

  Thus, the hanged man was considered a Traitor — A betrayer of trust, friendship or loyalty. The world has been turned upside-down and nothing can be relied on. The betrayal resulted in social humiliation, shame, loss of status, torture and a violent death.

• Tarot de Marseilles: The original meaning of being associated with Traitors was lost.

• Levi-Wirth: Example, Instruction, Public Teaching

  One who inverts the worldly values of the previous tarot cards and surrenders to a higher power. Letting go of the past and changing one’s viewpoint. The Hanged Man has transcended the human condition — the body is helpless but the soul is free. He is actively practicing self-denial while surrendering passively to his intuition. Devotion.

  Judas the traitor but also Prometheus punished for betraying the gods and giving fire to humanity.

• Golden Dawn: Enforced Sacrifice, Punishment, Loss, Suffering

• Waite: The hanged man is no longer suffering, but in a trance. It is reflective of the relationship between the Divine, the Universe, and the Promise of Resurrection It is mystical death.

  Circumspection, Discernment, Trials, Sacrifice, Intuition, Divination, Prophecy.

• Modern:

  • Upright: Letting go. Suspension.
  • Reversed:
    • Resistance to stillness or silence. Unwillingness to slow down.
    • Coming off the fence. Making a decision. Letting go. Apathy. Disinterest. Detachment
    • Contemplating the self. Meditation.
    • Stagnancy. Impatience. Clinging to something. Addiction. Impulsiveness.

Upright	Reversed
Sacrifice Waiting Uncertainty Lack of direction Perspective Contemplation	Stalling Disinterest Stagnation Avoiding Sacrifice Standstill Apathy

XIII - Death §

• Early: The art emerged as a rising taste for the macabre (due to the Bubonic Plague) . Death was no longer seen as a release from this sinful world but as the end of individual personality and the enjoyment of the good things in life; the end of one’s prestige and social position.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Death as the Grim Reaper; Death as cutting down the old to give way to the new. The horseman of Death from the Book of Revelations.

  Death as the end of something that needs to end anyway. To eliminate unnecessary baggage and hope for a new beginning.

• Levi: Death promoting life by clearing away what is old and worn out so that something new and better can take its place.

  Domination and force, New birth, Creation and destruction

• Golden Dawn: Death, time, transformation, change, sometimes destructive.

• Waite: Physical death that comes for everyone. End, Mortality, Destruction, Corruption

• Modern:

  • Upright: Endings. Beginnings. Transformation.
  • Reversed:
    • Resisting releasing what is lifeless. Fear of the unknown. Resistance to change. Fear of endings.
    • Returning to life in some way.
    • Transformation on a personal level, or the potential to transform.
    • Depression. Concealing inner fears. Feeling dead inside. Stagnation.

Upright	Reversed
Transformation Endings Change Transition Letting go Release	Fear of change Repeating negative patterns Resisting change Stagnancy Decay

XIV - Temperance §

• Early: One of the four virtues; Regulating the enjoyment of sensual pleasures and enjoying in moderation.

• Tarot de Marseilles: The placement of Temperance between Death and the Devil can be interpreted as an angel that acts as a guide.

• Vievil / Rouen-Brussels: The Triumph of Fame over Death.

• Levi: Temperance, Climates, Seasons, Motion, Changes of Life — ever new yet ever the same

• Golden Dawn: Life, Temperance, Combination

• Waite: Balancing human and animalistic natures, Moderation, Frugality, Management, Accomodation

• Modern

  • Upright: Balance. Healing.
  • Reversed:
    • Avoiding peace. Fear of knowing one’s truth.
    • Willpower and forward momentum. Asserting one’s self.
    • Realizing purpose through connecting forward.
    • Lack of self-awareness. Staying stuck in an extreme. Staying stuck flipping back and forth between two options. Overindulgence. Imbalance. Hastiness. Recklessness.

Upright	Reversed
Balance Peace Patience Moderation Calm Tranquility Harmony Serenity	Imbalance Excess Extremes Discord Recklessness Hastiness

XV - The Devil §

• Early: The Biblical Devil. Demons that tempt people and make them stray from virtue.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Can be seen as a parody of the Pope / Hierophant. Can also be seen as a sinister version of The Lovers — the women in the card aren’t free but aren’t in distress .

  Bondage, Violence, Evil, Being a slave to one’s emotions and desires, compulsions, addictions, and nightmares, Animal Magnetism, Wielding Hypnotic power over others, Manifesting desires, Magnetically attracting wealth

• Levi: Occult science, Magic, Commerce, Eloquence, Mystery, Moral force

• Wirth: Energy circulation, Polarity, The union of conscious and unconscious, The urge to construct a unique personality by attracting things to ourselves

  Magic, sorcery, suggestion, being able to charm, hypnotize and dominate the masses.

  Greed, Lust, Perversion, Hysteria, Lack of Compulsion

• Golden Dawn: Material Force, Temptation, Obsession, Sex, Reproduction, The powers of nature, Illusion, Distorted perceptions

• Waite: Violence, Vehemence, Fatality.

  Choosing to remain in bondage. A corruption of the Lovers card.

• Modern

  • Upright: Bondage. Restriction.
  • Reversed:
    • Attempting to break free of psychological bonds but struggling to free one’s mind. Preventing harmful situations.
    • Breaking free of pre-existing limitations. The past coming back to haunt someone. Experimentation. Freedom and Independence. Reclaiming power.
    • Shame. A spiritual awakening.
    • Addiction. Feeling trapped in a negative cycle.

Upright	Reversed
Oppression Addiction Obsession Dependency Excess Powerlessness Limitations	Independence Freedom Revelation Release Reclaiming Power Reclaiming Control

XVI - The Tower §

• Early: Depicted scenes of people disobeying God. The Tower in the Middle Ages represented one’s lofty status and thus represented arrogance and pride. The collapse of the Tower therefore was the collapse of one’s status.

  The Tower can also be seen as a Keep. So the fall of the Tower is the fall of the city by a great disaster.

  Interpretations focus on the Tower’s destruction as reflective of God’s anger .

  Alternatively. The Tower is the House of the Devil.

• Tarot de Marseilles: The Tower here was called the Maison Dieu (God House) — a hospital. Thus, the Tower represented the final catastrophe — the moments before one’s death.

  The Tower is interpreted as a catastrophe, a natural disaster, a shocking experience, life-changing or disturbing news. A reminder of how precarious life can be and how the world can be turned upside down in an instant. The loss of security for a thing that was thought to be long lasting.

  The fall of the regime. Pride meeting its end. The destruction of false or limiting beliefs.

• Levi: A reversal for fortune. The punishment for pride. Alteration, Subversion, Changes, Fallings

• Wirth: Energy hardened to dogma. Exaggerated ambition.

• Golden Dawn: Ambition, Strife, War, Courage, Destruction, Danger, Fall

  A dramatic realization; The sudden collapse of old beliefs.

• Waite: Energy hardened to dogma. Exaggerated ambition. The downfall of intellectual error committed when trying to understand God’s ways.

  Misery, Indigence, Calamity, Adversity, Disgrace, Deception, Unforeseen catastrophe.

• Modern

  • Upright: Sudden Change.
  • Reversed:
    • Resisting rock bottom. Keeping a tight control of the status quo. Delaying the inevitable.
    • Liberation. Encountering a near miss with a disaster. Embracing new beginnings.
    • Crisis of faith. Identity crisis.
    • Turning inward on the self. Self-destruction.

Upright	Reversed
Disaster Destruction Upheaval Trauma Sudden Change Chaos	Averting Disaster Delaying the inevitable Resisting change

XVII - The Star §

• Early: The Star of Bethlehem, Hope, Gift.

• Tarot de Marseilles: The Eight Pointed Star, Gift. The naked woman can be interpreted as representing innocence - nothing to hide, approaching life with trust and simplicity. The act of pouring water is an act of nurturing life.

  Divinely inspired guidance, Altruistic compassion. ²

• Levi-Wirth: The resurrected immortal soul. Immortality

• Golden Dawn: Hope, Faith, Unexpected Help, Contemplation, Listening to one’s inner voice.

• Waite: Loss, Theft, Abandonment, Hope and Bright Prospects.

  The woman pouring the water represents eternal youth and beauty.

• Modern

  • Upright: Hope. Spiritual Guidance
  • Reversed:
    • Closing oneself off from hope. Resisting calm. Aversion to self-love.
    • Inner demons dominating the psyche. Hopelessness. Despair.
    • Prayer. Setting intentions. Personal rituals. Rediscovering creativity and inspiration. Need for nourishment and self-care.
    • Disillusionment. Crisis of faith. Disconnection.

Upright	Reversed
Hope Inspiration Positivity Faith Renewal Healing Rejuvenation	Hopelessness Despair Negativity Lack of faith Despondence

XVIII - The Moon §

• Early: Followed astrological interpretations. It is where mental images are stored which gives rise to visions and dreams. The Moon is also associated with water, deception and the hidden dangers of night time — enemies in the shadows, getting lost, nightmares, being deceived.

• Tarot de Marseilles: Deception and the dangers of the night. The dangers of the subconscious mind where nothing is clear.

  Motherhood, Femininity, Pregnancy, Tides, Repeating Cycles,

  Alternate Realities, Dreams, The Occult, Visions

  A good omen for doing intuitive work or anything requiring psychic sensitivity like poetry or art.

• Papus : The lowest point of spiritual development, Savagery.

• Wirth: Our primal instincts and irrational fears, the moonlight is deceptive and following it makes us stray from the path. Imagination as the cause of errors as it distorts mental reality in the same way moonlight distorts how objects appear.

• Golden Dawn: Flux and Reflux, Dissatisfaction, Voluntary Change, Delusion and Mental Error, Impulses repressed by the subconscious

• Waite: Hidden enemies, Danger, Calumny, Darkness, Terror, Deception, Occult forces, Error.

• Modern

  • Upright: Illusion. Mystery. Dreams
  • Reversed:
    • Lacking information to move forward. Lack of ability to trust intuition.
    • Breakthroughs. Clarity. Having a newfound perspective. Unveiling secrets and lies.
    • Deviating from the path most commonly taken and finding one’s own way. Release of repressed emotions. Overcoming fears and anxieties.
    • Fear. Disillusionment. Addiction.

Upright	Reversed
Illusion Intuition Uncertainty Confusion Complexity Secrets Unconscious	Fear Deception Anxiety Misunderstanding Misinterpretation Clarity

XIX - The Sun §

• Early

• Tarot de Marseilles

• Levi

• Golden Dawn

• Waite:

• Modern

  • Upright: Success. Vitality. Youth.
  • Reversed:
    • Lack of trust in the universe. Lack of self-worth. Struggling with joy and happiness.
    • Being in the dark. Feeling isolated and alone. Uncertain and hopeless. Reduced enthusiasm and optimism.
    • Self-love. Making amends with the inner child. Call to play and enjoy life. Call to balance realism and optimism.
    • False optimism. Putting up a facade. Overconfidence. Egotism.

Upright	Reversed
Happiness Success Optimism Vitality Joy Confidence Truth	Blocked Happiness Excessive Enthusiasm Pessimism Unrealistic Expectations Conceitedness

XX - Judgment §

• Early

• Tarot de Marseilles

• Levi

• Golden Dawn

• Waite:

• Modern

  • Upright: Inner Calling
  • Reversed
    • The person wants to answer the call but doesn’t know how to. Self-doubt. Connected to worthiness. Indecisiveness.
    • Remaining unaware of the reality of one’s current situation. Refusal to learn karmic lessons.
    • Inner calling. Judging oneself.
    • Trying to hide from the truth. Shirking responsibility. Regret. Trauma around the concept of god or heaven. False accusations and blame.

Upright	Reversed
Self-evaluation Awakening Renewal Purpose Reflection Reckoning	Self-doubt Lack of self-awareness Failure to learn lessons Self-loathing

XXI - The World §

• Early

• Tarot de Marseilles

• Levi

• Golden Dawn

• Waite:

• Modern

  • Upright: Completion. Accomplishment.
  • Reversed
    • Trouble moving forward to the next part of one’s growth or journey. Delayed success and failed plants.
    • Incompleteness. Trying to move forward with a shaky foundation. Burdens and disappointment.
    • Reaching a personal milestone.
    • Staying stuck in the past. Stagnation.

Upright	Reversed
Completion Achievement Fulfillment Sense of belonging Wholeness Harmony	Lack of closure Lack of achievement Incompleteness Emptiness

Links §

• Tarot Heritage

• Modernmetaphysicae

• Labyrinthos

• The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Waite

• Kabbalah - Tarot has Kabbalah Associations, most apparent in the Levi interpretation of the cards.

• I Trionfi by Petrarch - possible inspiration of the Tarot Cards.

• Tarotoo - AI powered tarot card readings. Might be good for themed ideation.

Footnotes §

1. The traditional deck, the Fool had no rank and no power but can mimic any card. ↩

2. Note the interpretation of the TdM deck for The Star is largely unchanged. ↩