I have always been intrigued by the Tarot, the card deck consisting of 78 cards, 22 major Arcanas and 56 minor Arcanas, without knowing why. But since Arcana means “mystery” … I think that the minor Arcanas are the “playing cards” of the Tarot, while the major Arcanas are the survival of an archetypical old “wisdom” about life and conscience. The most ancient complete Tarot of “Marseille” is the tarot of Jean Noblet, preserved at the National Library of Paris, and dates from around 1650.
The contemplation of a major Arcana card is done by the interpretation of various symbolisms inside the cards, like space, the body, clothing, the colors and the numbers, among others. The details are not arbitrary.
This old song of the French Compagnons du Devoir (the Companions of Duty) is supposed to inform us a little on the colors: white, the tears of Maître Jacques / black, the earth which bore him / red, the blood he shed / Blue, the blows he suffered / yellow, perseverance / green, hope.
The symbolism of space: a figure sitting or looking at us often expresses the “static”, turned towards the left it expresses “the materiality”, turned towards the right interiorisation, and upright it expresses dynamism and activity.
The body: the head symbolizes thought, the neck affectivity, the abdomen the instincts, a beard virility.
Clothing: the belt is the domination of the instincts, a necklace means dependence.
This varies from deck to deck.
The 22 cards of the major Arcana are in a medieval style (I speak here about the Tarot of Marseille, mother of all modern Tarot decks). Since they are composed of 21 numbered cards + The fool without number, we can see seven ternaries (7x3) and three septenaries (3x7). And 22 is the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each ternary expresses a kind of trinity. The law of three: + = and -, two polarities and their balance. For example: father-child-mother, spirit-heart-body etc…
One finds the same symbolism in the three septenaries: the cards I to VII symbolize the spirit, cards VIII to the XIIII the soul, XV to the XXI the body. It is really necessary to have the cards at hand to see it. Since The Fool has no number, it’s a free card.
The Fool, a kind of vagrant, is dressed like the buffoon of the king, who can say everything without consequences, as if he didn’t exist. Pushed by the dog, The Fool is like the wandering Jew, without stopping or stabilizing himself. The fool represents man directed by external circumstances, without the will to tackle them. He symbolizes the zero and potentiality. He is also the principle of the endless new beginnings.
Traditionally, The Magician symbolizes reason, will, activity and initiative. Man who masters in a logical way the material world he lives in. This implies also his “swindler”side, materialistic superficiality and action without morality . The cards have always a “positive” and a “negative” side. The accessories on the table represent the tools and talents he has at his disposal.
The Popess represents intuition, receptivity and passivity (in the sense of patience and discretion). The veil suggests Isis: the Popess raises the vail to show the interior side of things, the esoterism if you want. While The magician represents spirit and consciousness, the animus of Jung, The Popess represents the soul and the unconscious, the anima. The first three cards already tell us much about ourselves, and it is interesting to observe how their properties work in our lives of every day.
The Empress, the third card of the first ternary of the Tarot, is the female side of “power”. She symbolizes comprehension, wisdom and intelligence, or reason supported by intuition.
After the presentation of the first four cards, one can wonder: so what? Well, the goal is: to learn to know yourself. And there is much to know… And it should be seen as a game, not too seriously. One can for example observe oneself consciously from time to time (emotions, reactions, reasoning) to see when one is on the level of The Fool, The Magician, The Popess or The Empress, in simple daily situations…
0 The Fool • directed by external circumstances • potentiality.
I The Magician • reason • will • activity and initiative (Spirit).
II The Popess• intuition • receptivity • passivity and patience (Soul).
III The Empress • comprehension • wisdom • creative intelligence (Body).
Jean Noblet Tarot
Crowley-Harris Tarot
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