6 The Lovers

Are you tying the knot? Or is it less formal between you two on the social plane, but as emotionally binding as you can possibly imagine? Is a physical attraction becoming an obsession, weakening your decision-making powers and other boundaries you ordinarily have in place? Is this struggle with temptation bringing about a transformation in who you have been in the world and who you are becoming in the universe? Have you attached yourself to the philosophy of some interesting belief system that satisfies your quest for knowledge on the way life works and where its meaning can be found? If your Tarot reading reveals The Lovers card, some of these scenarios are already well in place in your day-to-day life.

This card is divided into a top and bottom. On the bottom half stand a man and a woman. They are naked before the world. A tree of flames stands behind the man, while a fruit tree with a snake around it is behind the woman. The ground is a bright spring green and a mountain rises in the distance between them under a blue sky. In the middle of the card, aligned with their heads, is a billowing cloud, upon which rests the top half of an angel. The angel wears a purple cloak and lifts its hands in the air, but not as high as its crimson wings. The flames that make up its hair light its face a golden yellow to match the endless rays of sunlight encircling it from above.

The couple illustrated here are Adam and Eve. It is the moment that they are being told about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They now know not to eat its fruit. All is perfect as the radiant energy of the angel gives this card a glowing color throughout; we know that the snake will strike and that the couple will be shamed into putting on some clothes. They will be cast out of the Garden of Eden and propagate the human race. This serves as a metaphor for all relationships – the moment that we decide to enter into a union with someone else, all seems perfect. Eventually we will discover flaws that might have been unacceptable were we to have seen them prior to getting together with this person. Adam and Eve are the metaphor for every couple – the relationship starts off pure, falters and then the best must be made out of it after the initial bliss is gone.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

When a Tarot reading commences, the cards are dealt out into specific places. Each location in a reading covers your past, your present or your future. A card in the past means something different than it does were it to land in the present or future spot.

When The Lovers card lands in the past position, the foundation of your current situation can be found in a love relationship. If you are very young, this could be your parents. Usually it represents a past love or for long-married couples, a confirmation that the union is a definition of your identity.

If the location of The Lovers card in your reading is the present, you are palpitating with passion over a budding partnership. If you are alone or lonely, this card in this position will end that in a hurry. You might already know this partner, but regardless, the power and influence you will have on each other shall be transformative over all aspects of your life. You will be able to look back on the present day as a before and after scenario.

If you are single and The Lovers card is in the future position, now is the time to approach dating with a clear idea of what you want. The Lovers card signals the intense affection that will blind a new couple to reality. While you still have your sight, think long and hard about what you want in a relationship and send that energy out into the universe. If you are prone to becoming lost in the billowing fog of love's spell, the plans you make now to focus on the type of lover and relationship you really want can be invaluable to your future. The presence of The Lovers card in this position gives you time to make that checklist and start looking for those specifications in every man you meet.

Card Combinations

When the cards are dealt in your Tarot reading, they are laid out near each other. The proximity of any one card to another influences the meaning of each card and the overall tone of the reading. Some combinations of cards are quite powerful.

The Lovers is closely linked to three other cards from the Tarot's Major Arcana: The Hierophant (card #5), The Devil (card #15) and The Tower (card #16). As this card is about partnership, it is only natural that there are two other cards in the deck that reflect this partnering up. The Hierophant and The Devil are both cards that, like The Lovers card, feature two people in the lower half under a powerful archetype in the upper center of the card. In The Hierophant card, the two acolytes are monks with shaved heads, bowing before the leader of the cause to which they have devoted themselves. In The Devil card, the winged devil replaces the angel from The Lovers card, and the naked couple is unashamedly nude and chained to that thing which gives them so much pleasure that it has become a destructive addiction. When either The Devil or The Hierophant cards are paired with The Lovers, intense and transformative commitment can take a relationship to a deeper place, although it might be a darker one as well.

The Tower card shows people being cast out of a tower that is being destroyed by lightning. This is akin to Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden when it is in the same reading as The Lovers. A breakup or other separation is inevitable, and the permanence of this chasm is not under your immediate control.

http://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/the-lovers-tarot-card

5 The Hierophant

Have you joined a group that makes you feel like you belong? Are you following a course of instruction that has you deeply immersed in a new way of looking at life? Have you developed a newfound interest in your cultural heritage? Has work or family recently forced you to conform to certain standards? Is a person in your life or a philosophy you are interested in pushing you to behave to a norm? Expect to see The Hierophant card in your Tarot reading if you are submitting your individuality (consciously or unconsciously) to a group, a cause or an ideal.

A man sitting on a throne is holding up the two-fingered sign of peace with one hand while holding a gold staff with three crossbars in the other hand. He is the Hierophant. He has an ornate crown and wears a red robe with white trim. On the trim are crosses that are also embroidered onto his white shoes. These rest on a red carpet. Behind the man is a gray wall with two large gray pillars on either side of him. Around his head and shoulders, the backing of some of his throne can be seen. In the card's foreground are two men kneeling before the Hierophant. These kneeling men wear ornate robes and have prominent bald spots on the backs of their heads. In between them are two golden skeleton keys crossed in an X pattern. The keys are directly beneath the Hierophant's feet.

The Hierophant is the medieval Pope. Unlike today's Pope, in medieval times, the Hierophant had his own army and the Vatican State was a sizable area of present day Italy known as "the Papal States." The Hierophant is the embodiment of political and spiritual power that can only be found in groups. Even though the Hierophant is a man, he is merely holding his office until he dies and is replaced by the next Hierophant, but it is the maintaining of the papacy itself over two millennia from whence its power emanates. The keys illustrated here are presently on the flag for Vatican City. The bald spots on the heads of the kneeling men are traditional shavings that medieval priests and monks would make to show their submission to the authority of the Pope. As the priests submit to the authority of the Hierophant, so to does the Hierophant submit to the authority of the very office he holds.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

A Tarot reading is divided into three sections: Your past, your present and your future. A card's meaning changes depending on the location it lands in your Tarot spread. When The Hierophant lands in the past position, this indicates a structured belief system and strong sense of cultural identity in your past. Perhaps you were raised among an ethnic group that stuck together. Maybe your early life saw much interaction in a religious setting.

In the present position, The Hierophant represents you following a new belief system. Perhaps you are volunteering for a political cause or attending religious services regularly after years of not doing so. The loss of some individuality in your life may be offset by the great feeling of being a part of something much bigger than yourself. Sticking to a new diet or workout routine is a manifestation of the conformity of the Hierophant card that is also self-improvement.

The Hierophant card in the future position is a powerful placement. Here the card reveals a strong pull toward an individual who will explain the meaning of life to you, as well as your role in it. This might be a good affiliation for you to make, or it could be a detrimental affair depending on just whom this person is. The Hierophant is not inherently a good or evil card, it is a card of wisdom beyond the personal.

Card Combinations

The Hierophant is one of the Tarot's Pillar Cards. The Pillars represent knowledge. The High Priestess has knowledge that she chooses to withhold revealing until it suits her. The Hierophant shares his knowledge to those who join his organization or are otherwise initiated into his ranks. The Justice card is the highest manifestation of the Tarot's three Pillar Cards as it uses knowledge impartially, regardless of mood or membership, to help humanity. When more than one Pillar card is in your Tarot reading, the knowledge you are taking in these days is possibly the most transformative of your lifetime.

The Tarot deck has a grouping known as the Acolyte Cards. The Acolytes are a pair of subservient individuals in the card's foreground. The Hierophant is the first Acolyte Card, numerically, in the Tarot. The Acolytes are the two priests who kneel before the Pope. Following him are The Lovers Card, which illustrates a man and a woman surrendering to their love for each other; The Chariot, which shows two sphinx submitting their control of the riddle of fate to the chariot's driver; The Devil, who has two prisoners chained to their self-destructive cycle of pleasure-seeking; The Tower, which shows two previously comfortable homesteaders randomly disrupted from their domicile; and one card from the Minor Arcana, the Six of Pentacles, which is the card of giving or receiving charity. If The Hierophant appears in your reading along with another Acolyte Card, your individuality is being subsumed to a higher cause in an epic surrender of self to ideal. This may or may not be a good thing, but it is something to be aware of.

The Minor Arcana cards numbered with a 5 are much more influential in your Tarot reading when the Hierophant is also present. The Five of Cups represents loss and teamed with The Hierophant, it only magnifies the loss of self-respect represented by that intense Cups card. The Five of Swords is a card that illustrates the breaking of a bond and teamed with The Hierophant it can foretell you joining a religious, cultural or political organization that pulls you away from friends and family. The Five of Pentacles revels in its victimhood even more when The Hierophant is present, bending away from the light that life has to offer to the cold sorrow in the snow banks of self-pity. The Five of Wands suddenly becomes less about frivolous play and more about making your passion in life become a profitable venture instead of a mere hobby.

http://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/the-hierophant-tarot-card

4 The Emperor

Are you in control now? Has a situation bent to your authority? Have the principles you live your life by created an orderly world for you? Have you been obsessed with alphabetizing your collections and files or otherwise turned into an organizational obsessive? Is there an authority figure in your life showing you the way? All of these situations call forth The Emperor card from the Tarot deck. This is the card that asserts authority, organizes systems to retain maximum control and is the paternal influence of the Tarot deck, assuring that protection and security are provided to all those playing by the rules.

A bearded man sits alone on a stone throne. His white beard extends to his chest. He is crowned and wears royal robes. But his legs and feet are still in a suit of armor. In his right hand he holds a royal staff of gold. In his left, he holds a golden globe. An orange sky glows behind him, lighting the mountainous landscape into a brilliant yellow. The ornamentation of the throne, though, does not glisten, as the ram skulls adorning the corners of his armrest and chair back are a solid gray stone. He is looking straight at you.

The long beard is, of course, an indicator of wisdom accrued through age. The crown asserts his status. The staff and globe are his authority and his domain, respectively. He is still wearing armor, assuring us that he will do battle if necessary, but that his sitting on the throne alone should assert that which has already been established through conflicts now settled. The sky and background are unique in the Tarot. The deck delivers cloudless blue skies on cards that favor positive outcomes, black backgrounds when there are hopeless elements to our situations and all manners of grays and cloud formations to be interpreted as positives, negatives and neutrals regarding your outlook. An orange sky occurs in sunrises and sunsets near large bodies of water. The card that asserts so many absolutes again has the final word, as The Emperor himself is lit by the light that only exists at land's end.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

When your Tarot reading is dealt out, the cards are placed in a pattern. Each position of this pattern represents your past, your present or your future. The Emperor may represent you or someone in your life depending on where it lands in your reading.

In the past position, The Emperor represents a father or other authority figure who laid down the law and set a firm definition of acceptable behavior for you. Perhaps you rebelled against him or his teachings, or maybe they helped to keep you out of harm's way. If you are in a secure position now, you have The Emperor in this position to thank. But some people do abuse their authority and if you are alone and alienated after being witness to the abuse of authority, this card confirms that the blame is there. Often we are given rule over our world and mess things up ourselves. Other times, the trust that put us in the care of another is at fault when this person goes overboard and so The Emperor represents a tyrant.

When The Emperor is in the present position, you have the rule of law before you to guide you on your journey. This card is especially strong in the present position as it gives you an absolute confidence to move toward a goal. This can also represent the influence of another person in your life right now. Are you so enamored of a new friend or lover that you have started following the advice and lifestyle habits of him or her? Have you discovered a new hero in the arts whose work has expanded your consciousness to the point that it is hard to relate to people who have not had a similar reaction to this person's artistic output? Is there a new teacher in your life who has changed the way you think? Perhaps a new person at work is transforming the way you approach your on-the-job goals. The theme running through all of these possibilities is that one way of seeing the world is coming to dominate the way you experience life.

The future position is an uncomfortable position for The Emperor. The days and weeks ahead are vague and quite affected by the smallest decisions of the here and now. The Emperor card demands to assert itself. When The Emperor card is here, anticipate a change to come into your life in a bold manner; expectations to conform in the way you carry yourself may be part of this picture. Regardless of the situation, understand that new demands to follow a specific behavioral prescription will be coming your way and coming in the near future. Prepare now to submit, evade or resist.

Card Combinations

Your Tarot reading features a selection of cards from the deck. While every card has its own complex meaning, each one has a relationship with other cards in the deck that is expressed when they join up in your reading. The presence of each card influences all of the cards spread before you.

Numbered 4, The Emperor is related to card #14: Temperance. This is the card of self-discipline. When Temperance and The Emperor are in a reading together, it is a Tarot reading reveling in your astounding level of self-control.

When any of the Minor Arcana cards with the number 4 appear, this reading is underscoring aspects of The Emperor's reign: The Four of Wands emphasizes establishing structures to make a joyous life. The Four of Swords underscores the patience and virtue of The Emperor. The Four of Pentacles reinforces the absolutes of this card and reminds us that in some circles, The Emperor is downright close-minded as he is so set in his ways. The Four of Cups is a card that convinces us to do without in the name of personal integrity, a hallmark of The Emperor.

When The Chariot is in a reading with The Emperor, you will be rewarded with a leadership position after a hard-fought victory. When The Devil card is present, an authority figure is being cruel with you and those close to you – or you are abusing your authority and could be closer to a crisis than you realize.

The High Priestess interferes with the reign of The Emperor as this card can represent a love interest far out of your league and simply becomes a roadblock to your enjoyment of life. If The High Priestess is not pursued, though, you can benefit from the wisdom of a platonic friendship. The Empress is the best card to pair up with The Emperor in your reading, as she is open-minded enough to balance the rigidity of The Emperor, but still regal enough that you can succeed on your own well-established terms.

http://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/the-emperor-tarot-card

3 The Empress

Has a run of good luck or a generous friend allowed you to take it easy? Have you been immersed in art, music or other indulgences that expand the mind and soul? Are you exhausted from all the shopping? Look for The Empress card to appear in your Tarot reading before too much of a good thing starts to spoil you.

In a lush forest clearing, under a golden sky, she sits on a stone throne, padded for her with luxurious cushions and cloth. The Empress wears a flowing white robe decorated in a busy floral pattern. The robe has a gold trim at the collar. She rests one hand on her knee and barely lifts the other to raise her golden scepter. On her flowing blond mane rest a crown of twelve stars. At the side of her throne leans a heart-shaped shield emblazoned with the symbol for the planet Venus, ruler of love, art and beauty. In front of her is a field of wheat.

Throughout this card, our Empress sits on the precipice of sharing the wealth and being too spoiled to think about others. While the mighty scepter is a symbol of royal power throughout history, hers is a mere bauble, as if the power of her position is yet another trinket. The crown of twelve stars represents the twelve signs of the zodiac and her mastery over anyone of any sign, a power of seduction. Her hand on her knee is idle, indicating plenty of time to be immersed in the joys of life and the pursuit of pleasures. Some Tarot decks illustrate her holding a flower in this hand, also representing this tendency for casual engagement with the niceties of life. The shield nearby is a metaphor of protecting herself with her beauty. If someone were to break her heart she would deflect the hurt by being able to find yet another man of her dreams. The wheat at her feet indicates that the basic needs in life are taken care of. The things over which most people struggle are not even a concern for the Empress. She can be immersed in the good life while most other people are busy earning a living.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

Every Tarot reading is different but the patterns of the reading are the same. Cards land into three specific sections: past, present and future. Where a card lands can greatly change its meaning.

When The Empress appears in the past position, you are being confronted with some diva-like behavior in the recent past that has caused the tumult in your interpersonal relationships. If things are not too chaotic at the moment, this card represents coming from a background of being taken care of by your family. Growing up a little princess has its benefits.

If the present position is occupied by The Empress card, you are likely in a great mood, perhaps even satisfied with life to the point that you wonder if there may be something you should be doing. Is boredom setting in? Is your Tarot reading just another diversion like a day at the beach or a weekend in Las Vegas? There is a superficial streak running through The Empress card and you may be enjoying the casual glow of a glittery partnership instead of a deep and committed love that would ultimately satisfy you.

Looking into the future position, The Empress card foretells good things when landing here. This is the fairy tale happy ending. When the future holds as much promise as The Empress represents, you can know that a symbol of hope is becoming more real with each passing day. The card here can be an indicator of becoming wealthy or of finding a person who loves and appreciates you as their definition of beauty. The former is true if your reading has been fixated with economic and career questions. The latter is true if you sat down for a soulmate reading.

Card Combinations

As the cards are laid out in your Tarot reading, each card informs and influences the cards nearby, and every card is simultaneously under the spell of those very cards they touch. The circle of influences assures you of receiving a unique Tarot reading that is as individual as it is unrepeatable.

For a woman receiving a reading, The Empress card represents her in relationship to other cards. When paired with The Emperor card, your relationship with your father or a lover becomes the subject of the entire reading. When The Empress is in a reading with The Devil card, you will be oblivious to some hurt you cause a person. This will lead to a situation where the person seeks revenge. The closer these two cards are in your reading the more you are advised to avoid gossiping and casual dismissals of the efforts of others.

Another intense card combination with similar results is when the Tarot card Death appears alongside The Empress. This means a longtime relationship will end because of a perceived grievance you have delivered to the other person. So much of The Empress card revolves around not realizing the effect you have on others as your pursuits of pleasure take you out of the daily struggle just enough to lose touch with how the world conducts itself. Death is numbered 13 in the Tarot, a higher echo of the number 3 held by The Empress. Both of these cards signal detachment. Death has no relationship to what came before or what ill comes after; it simply moves through with impunity, ending one chapter before another begins. The Empress is detached from having to worry about day-to-day affairs. She can get by on her looks and coast on her money, and she usually does.

The Empress paired with The Hermit card indicates a woman who is alone because she has not developed enough skills to succeed in life when her youthful beauty begins to fade.

The core attributes of The Empress can be found individuated in the Minor Arcana cards that are numbered 3: The Three of Wands exemplifies the material success enjoyed by The Empress, while the Three of Swords underscores the constant alienation that her obliviousness creates. The Three of Cups shows that her nurturing of relationships can find a healthy outlet if she forgoes selfishness and works to enrich the aspirations of those around her. The Three of Pentacles is the card of teamwork – reminding us that The Empress is where she is through efforts of others beyond just herself.

http://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/the-empress-tarot-card

2 The High Priestess

When you are not sure how to act but you are calm, knowing that the answer is probably out there or that things will sort themselves out without your interference, you might notice that your relaxed posture on the seat of wisdom mimics that of The High Priestess Tarot card. This card assures you to trust your gut, to be passive and wait to respond to provocations instead of provoking responses. The world has many secrets in it to be unlocked and taking the less obvious path to any or all of these answers is the route favored by this card.

A woman in a blue robe stares straight ahead. She is seated between two pillars, her chair almost completely covered by her flowing robe. Her headdress curves out from her head and carries a large sphere in its center. At her feet is a golden crescent moon, balanced as if she is stepping on it to keep it in place. She holds the sacred Torah scroll, has a white cross on her chest and sits in front of a decorative tapestry illustrated with patterns of fruit bursting out of its skin in between palm trees. The tapestry is suspended between the pillars. One pillar is black and sports the letter B, the other pillar is white and is emblazoned with the letter J. Behind all this is a blue background reminiscent of a night lit by the fullest, brightest moon.

The Letters B and J stand for Boaz and Jachin. These are the pillars from King Solomon's Temple. Boaz is roughly translated as "completion" and Jachin is "begin." The high priestess sits between the end and the beginning, intuitively understanding that change is a constant with or without one's involvement or influence. King Solomon's Temple only had high priests, not priestesses, so this card is a radical step away from established traditions and conventions. The Moon at her feet represents a foundation of the unconscious as the primary influence and the pomegranates and palms on the tapestry represent the fertility of the imagination unrestrained by logic and consequence. The sphere in the headdress is the pearl of wisdom and the cross above the Torah illustrate that wisdom is achieved by finding the best of any tradition to guide you. Nothing in this card is obvious; there was no high priestess in King Solomon's Temple, and yet there sits The High Priestess on a foundation of intuition and blending traditions along the way.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

A Tarot reading is about the entire picture: Your past, present and future. A card's meaning can be quite different in one part of a reading than another. When The High Priestess is in your past, this can indicate a passive childhood or a recent time in your life when patience and understanding was required. If you spent a lot of time in the library or surfing the internet studying up on one subject, The High Priestess here shows that your ability to survive on hunches and intuition is quite good and that the knowledge you have acquired in life is a simple foundation and not something that props up your ego.

In the present position, The High Priestess signifies that you are best advised to avoid conflict and to not necessarily believe what is being presented to you as "the truth." The High Priestess is a card of following your hunches. We are told by many elements of society to only go on what we know rather than how we feel. The High Priestess card runs counter to this. Is there a situation in your life where someone is insisting that things are one way when you feel strongly that they are not? Many women who are dating or living with alcoholic partners are asked to embrace the false reality that a constant state of being "buzzed" brings on. Do you have a hunch that your life or relationship could be better than it is at present?

When The High Priestess occupies the future position in your reading, there is a coming confrontation that is best spotted ahead of time in order for you to sidestep or avoid altogether. Follow your hunches if a friend or co-worker attempts to get you involved in conspiring against someone, even an enemy. The High Priestess is a card that knows without knowing; if the behavior is not something you are known for, you should know better than to start embracing it now.

Card Combinations

When your Tarot cards are laid out for your reader to see, the cards that are nearby each other harmonize and subtly alter each other's meanings. The cards that are around The High Priestess in a reading describe the area of your life that is most impacted by this powerfully meditative card. When there are many cards from the suit of Pentacles in your reading, this indicates that your hunches about a good way to make money are right on. This is a green light to be bold in a new field despite not being an expert. Some people might tell a woman that she needs to study at business school before attempting to start her own business. The High Priestess and some Pentacles appearing in a reading would indicate otherwise. Go for it!

If the suit of Cups is present near The High Priestess, cool emotions are called for. There could be an overflow of demands on your feelings, but without having the facts in front of you, just feeling like you might be in the presence of a manipulative individual is reason enough to pull back on deep commitments. Sometimes people create a false sense of urgency. The High Priestess is never swayed by these situations.

The suit of Wands focuses your reading on many creative options for The High Priestess. It is said that the Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci took over 4 years to paint and that she bears a superficial resemblance to the posed and poised High Priestess. If you are in the middle of creating your masterpieces, this card combination signals that you do not need the knowledge of the academics to be great if you are keeping focused on a creative vision.

When the suit of Swords is near The High Priestess card, observe angry words all around and understand that the silence offered by this card will be your greatest weapon. To not respond to a verbal attack is the ultimate response because the attacker does not get the confrontation he or she so demanded. The High Priestess is ultimately a card of finding and manifesting an inner peace as a response to the outside world.

Numbered Two in the Tarot Deck, discover the connection The High Priestess shares with the other cards numbered two in the Tarot deck.

http://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/the-high-priestess-tarot-card

1 The Magician

When the opportunity to use your best talents arises, your performance will seem like magic to those around you. When you have a set of plans and enact them to perfection, quickly accomplishing your goal, people will be shocked. Your accomplishments will seem ordinary to you, as if they should have happened without question, but others will look at what you do like it is a new form of magic. All of these circumstances summon forth The Magician card from the Tarot deck. This is the card of making things happen, being in control, getting what you want because you understand how to earn it … and impressing everyone in the process of doing what comes natural to you.

Under a golden sky and surrounded by lush, flowery vegetation, a robed man stands before us, behind a waist-high wooden table. On the table there is a sword, a cup, a pentacle laying flat as a plate and a wooden walking stick, also known as a wand. These are the four suits of the Tarot and they appear here as they do on the numbered cards of the Tarot's Minor Arcana. The man raises his right hand. He is holding a small white magic wand. Above his head floats a lemniscate (represented as ∞), the symbol for infinity.

The Magician is pictured here at the moment he is casting his spell. The magic wand in his hand is elevated as high above his head as possible and over his head the lemniscate underscores that the possibilities in all of this laying before him are infinite. The table represents bringing in our own constructs and belief systems into the natural world. We change the universe we live in with our perceptions. That each of the Tarot's suits is represented indicates that The Magician has the power and control over these things. Cups represent emotions, wands indicate creativity, pentacles are money and issues of the material plane, while swords represent the cerebral sphere of human activity and the verbal expressions inspired within that area. The Magician has domain over these areas of your life and is casting a spell to influence them. This is the card that indicates the ultimate level of control over your life and the events in it. This magician takes responsibility for who he is and what he can do; the objects representing the four Tarot suits are there on the table, he stands alone, nothing is hidden. The magic is in his supreme confidence over ruling the things in his domain that he knows he can control. The Magician is the Tarot's card of being genuine and open, and transparent in any interpersonal dealings. This is the card of making it happen because you practice what you preach. The Magician is the complete package.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

Your Tarot reading is an examination of the pattern of cards dealt from the deck. This pattern is called a Tarot spread. The pattern has positions for your past, your present and your future. Where a specific card lands changes the focus of that card to carry meaning related to that time of your life.

In the past position, The Magician underscores a surge of displaying your talents and getting far in the world based on accomplishments. Perhaps you are resting comfortably on a foundation established during that time. Or you may miss the days when you could seemingly put it all together with a snap of your fingers.

In the present position, this card signals the urgency of a situation of which you must seize to take advantage. In this position, The Magician indicates that your ability to be yourself and impress the right person or people can have a big impact on the direction your life takes. The Magician in the present position is a metaphor for your free will and good luck combining in a rare opportunity to move way ahead in life. When this card is in this position, take your great leap forward.

In the future position, The Magician is a card of amazing potency. This is an indication of your wishes being granted because you take the time to earn everything you want. The Magician represents manifesting your desires and visions. In the future, what you want will arrive when you follow the necessary course of action. You will no longer have to dream about being it; you will have become exactly who and what you wanted to be.

Card Combinations

The Tarot spread is not a series of isolated cards; the presence of any card influences the others. All of the cards sing together in your reading, and it is a unique tune, harmonizing just for you.

When The Magician card is accompanied in a reading by The Sun, your drive to accomplish a big goal is given a great amount of energy, but selfish tendencies and self-absorption may emerge. When The Moon card is in the same reading as The Magician, your emotional desire to get what you want blinds you to everything that you already have. You could lose it all to gain one specific goal, be it a lover or a career promotion, no matter; it will come at a great cost.

The Fool is a card that complements The Magician wonderfully. Your talents come in handy when you are least concerned with getting ahead. The lack of desire creates a trust in friends and strangers alike and soon many people are helping you accomplish goals you never imagined pursuing. Temperance is a great card to have with The Magician, as you will selflessly work to help others reach their goals. The only problem might be that such a zest to help others leaves you not helping yourself despite an abundance of talent and connections.

The Three of Wands is another favorable card to have in your Tarot reading along with The Magician. This is the card of possibilities occurring in your favor out in the universe. The Magician has a wand on the table before him and holds a small wand in his hand to cast his spell. The Three of Wands continues this sequence; therefore, this card combination is as good an indicator of coming success from your present project as the Tarot has to offer.

http://www.keen.com/articles/tarot/the-magician-tarot-card

0 The Fool

Are you feeling like you want to get away for good? Do you have no ties that bind or can you take everyone you love with you if you decided to get up and go? Have you tasted a little freedom and want more? Are you oblivious to what is going on around you? The Fool card is the "wild card" of the Tarot deck, but if it shows up in your reading, the chance to find out what your free will can create is being offered to you.

The setting of this card is under a bright sun and a golden sky. Front and center is a garishly dressed young traveler, complete with his (or her) possessions wrapped in a small sack tied to a stick. He is dressed in brightly patterned clothing as he skips along an isolated road at a high elevation. And speaking of this mountain path, it is quite the treacherous route. High above other mountainous, snow-capped peaks, The Fool is looking blissfully above, enraptured in his own reality; a small flower he no doubt recently picked is in his left hand. He is walking perilously close to a cliff and his only companion, a small dog, is energetically attempting to alert him to where he is headed. In some Tarot decks the dog has actually begun to pull The Fool back from his careless veering off the path.

The Fool's impractical clothing, chosen for its fashionable sense, is not the best choice for the mountain road on which he is walking. Everything about this journey seems to be impractical. He is more interested in the flowers and the exhilarating walk than in the possible disastrous fall that may await at the next step. He did not bring a watchdog, he brought a small companion valued for its appearance and yet this is the only thing that seems to be saving him from himself.

The Fool remains the most controversial card in the Tarot deck. It is the only card that has a zero on it; the other cards all adhere to the Roman numeral system. The origin of The Fool remains a mystery, with some translations of this card insisting that it is inherently a negative connotation and is more properly labeled "The Idiot." Other research reveals the card's origin as "Troubadour," an inspired aesthete traveling a long distance to entertain at the court of a king in some far off land.

There can be no doubt, though about the power of the zero, historically. Once the Arabic numbering system included the zero (thought to be sometime between the years 400 – 600 AD/common era), human consciousness was expanded as the whole sciences of algebra and geometry were invented and put into practical application. Measuring, trading, and building all experienced a rapid expansion, of benefit to all of humanity. At one time, perhaps it was foolish to think that so much could come out of a number representing nothing?

The Fool is a powerful card because its possibilities all start in nothingness and reach into infinity.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions

The Fool's appearance in a Tarot spread does not necessarily mean that it applies to the person receiving the reading. It could represent prominent people in your life. Every Tarot spread places cards in the past, present and future positions. There may be a few questions about your path in life from a good Tarot reader in order to determine just whom The Fool represents.

In the past position, The Fool can represent you wasting time that you could have used for studies. It could represent a lover from days gone by if you had a deep relationship with an artist or musician or some person who lived outside of conventional society.

The Fool in the present position signifies that you are about to abandon commitments and constraints in a search for a self-defining freedom. The Fool is the most powerful card in all the Tarot deck when it is in the present position. Your free will can literally move mountains at this moment in time – the Tarot is telling you an ancient slogan: carpe diem – seize the day.

In the future position, The Fool most likely represents you enjoying a new life. It can also represent a coming love interest who is not ordinary by any of your measurements.

Card Combinations

There are cards that you definitely want to see around The Fool and others that deliver an illustration of some big warnings about your life.

When The Devil is near The Fool in a reading, your pleasure-seeking ways are about to create a disaster. This combo appears in the readings of drug users who are starting to hang out with a crowd that is decidedly edgier and unlawful than they are used to. Being naïve around this element will not serve you well. This is also a card combination seen with women who leave stable relationships to go with a bad boy.

The Fool is a great card when The Magician is paired with it as long as a sensitive Tarot reader can assure you that both cards apply to you. If this is the case, the chance to break free and create a new reality will be a success. If it is determined that The Magician represents someone else, beware. You are slowly falling for a person's lies, and this self-neglect may cost you your money and much of your credibility with friends and family.

The Fool combines well with The Sun, The Star and The Moon as these cards inspire your ego, your aptitude and your emotions respectively. Any of these three cards combining with The Fool deliver you tangible results and deep personal insight.

When The Fool is in a reading that contains many cards from the suit of Pentacles, a new risky venture may make you wealthy! When there are cards from the suit of Swords abounding around The Fool, expect much criticism for not being a follower. The suit of Wands is a natural for The Fool, in fact this card seems to attract this suit as The Fool himself holds his bag on a staff resembling a wand. This combination reinforces the following of one's own muse. When the suit of Cups dominates a reading that includes The Fool, look for love to be the issue and abandoning everything for it the likely outcome.