Start Today with Guidance and a Glimpse of Possibilities

The Devil card depicts a male and a female demon, with chains about their necks, held captive by a central devil figure. Although if examined more closely: the chains are loose. These human-like figures could easily slip out of them and be free. Their captivity, therefore, is optional; or perhaps a price that they are willing to pay for something else. The Devil, thus, represents what can happen when primal forces, kept in harmony by Temperance and used with direction by The Hanged Man, are allowed to rage unchecked.

In the Four of Wands, we see two dancers, followed by a joyous troupe of people, leave a castle for a flower-garlanded bower. This is a card of celebration, joy, openness, and freedom; the citizens of the fortress have chosen of their own free will to come forth into the sunshine - the card can be seen as a parallel of The Tower. Here, though, rather than allowing the castle to become their prison, the people have left it of their own accord, carried along by hope, trust, and the will to celebrate the bounty that life has to offer.

The King of Pentacles represents wealth and influence. In the depiction of this card, the king holds a scepter representing the extent of his power, while the gold in his opposite hand represents the amount of material wealth he has within his reach. He is in a position of leadership and a high level of control. The greenery at his feet that takes shape in plants and flowers conveys material successes. 

In the Eight of Cups image, there is a sense of deep sadness but also resolve; we see a figure walking away from a collection of Cups that remain upright and unspilled. The stick that the figure uses and his cloak suggests a long journey ahead: we intuit that he is not planning to return.

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.

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.