Start Today with Guidance and a Glimpse of Possibilities

The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana; and yet he does not have a number. He is ‘0’, standing for both everything and nothing. The Fool is infinite possibilities; he is the decision to make a journey, to have an adventure, and to discover - even if that decision isn’t made consciously. The Fool is a special card, and careful attention should be paid to him whenever he pops up in a reading.

Life is like a wheel and, sometimes, we need to accept that it will turn, this is the fundamental message of this card. Just as the snake depicted on the card follows the downward slide of the wheel, so the fox ascends with the very same turn. The sphinx that sits on top of the wheel in the Rider Waite version of the card symbolizes both mystery and Horus, the Egyptian God of resurrection. Whereas The Chariot depicted the sphinxes pulling the carriage, facilitating its passage, in this card the sphinx’s position at the top of the wheel, above its relentless cycle, suggests that there are things beyond the turning wheel of life that we can only dimly comprehend but that infuse our existence nonetheless.

The Hermit stands on a high peak, hooded and alone. The star-shine of his lantern is the only light to guide his passage through the mountain passes. This card represents isolation, but not loneliness; it symbolizes the light that we all carry within us, that can show us the path to take if we can block life’s distracting dazzle for a moment so that we may find it.

Let go of that which does not serve you, is the message of the Death card. This is not a card that represents literal death but, rather, the death of old ways of being and the opportunity for rebirth that this brings with it. Of the three figures depicted in the card that is before the armored skeleton, it is only the child that looks Death fully in the face, without fear - indeed bearing flowers as a gift for him. This indicates that it is our attitude towards change that must be overcome, to welcome it as a chance for redefining our lives.

We see in the traditional Rider Waite image of the Seven of Wands the figure of a man in the midst of battle; despite the clear effort and intense focus of his expression, he has literally risen above his attackers and is holding the high ground. We do not see his adversaries, simply the Wands with which they are fighting; we have the sense that, despite their greater number, he is in no danger of being overwhelmed.

The Lovers is the card that seems, on the surface, to epitomize romantic love. Bet when examined more closely: the essence of The Lovers is the concept of choice. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the choosing of a romantic partner, and, ultimately, the decision to follow a path of love. Taking an even closer look: the idea of choice permeates this card. In traditional decks, the figures are depicted as Adam and Eve, with the snake in the tree symbolizing choosing knowledge, perhaps even wisdom, over idealization. Some decks feature a male figure choosing between two female lovers, making the connection even more explicit.