Tarot and Relationships, Part 1

[kokopelle]

Introduction

Love and money seem to be the most common questions put to the divinatory powers of the tarot. These notes will examine the nuances of reading the tarot for relationships. While the common, traditional methods work sufficiently for relationship matters, there are some rules of thumb and alternative meanings for cards that supply better answers to those looking for love.

The traditional tarot deck is comprised of major and minor arcana cards. Within the minor arcana are four suites and each suite has number cards (1-10) and court cards. Each division (major/minor/suite/court) has a different emphasis and energy. The result is more to learn, but the end result is a very powerful tool for discerning the twisted avenues of love and life.


The Major Arcana

The major arcana symbolize basic and universal factors in the question at hand. These universal factors should not be considered good, bad, or ugly anymore than the sunset, a hurricane, or the tides. Given their universal nature, the major arcana is not driven by personal motivations or objectives, and there is a very limited ability to alter them within the framework of a relationship. In contrast, the minor arcana illustrates everyday life issues that the querent has power over.

The limited ability for personal choice and change sounds scary, but the affect of the major arcana is usually less than the minor arcana. While the major arcana holds much energy with its archetypes, that full energy is not burdened by the individual. An analogy is that the major arcana is like a Presidential election, and the minor arcana is like deciding whether or not to call-in sick to work. The election is really big in scope, but has much less affect on the immediate present than the decision to go to work or not. When seen in this context, the querent should work be aware of the factors shown by the major arcana, but not feel pressured to change the message presented. Relationship action, a very personal event, is best achieved by working with the minor arcana.

The Major Arcana

 

#	Card	Keyword(s)	Expression
0	The Fool	Awareness	Choice or decision
1	The Magician	Initiative and Will	Self confidence and strong self-image
2	The High Priestess	Mystery	A secret revealed
3	The Empress	Growth	Support from a friend
4	The Emperor	Authority	A leadership success
5	The Hierophant	Conventions	Involvement in a group activity
6	The Lovers	Coming Together	A temptation or opportunity
7	The Chariot	Completion	Rising to a challenge
8	Strength	Power of Love	Overcoming your fears
9	The Hermit	Objectivity	Useful advice or counsel
10	The Wheel of Fortune	Cyclical Nature	New area of life success
11	Justice	Equity	A decision in your favor
12	The Hanged Man	Abandonment of pleasure/Ego	A sacrifice made for another
13	Death	Winding Down	A significant change in attitude
14	Temperance	Blending	A surprising outcome
15	The Devil	Self-gratification	Sexual involvement
16	The Tower	Personal Identity	A change in lifestyle
17	The Star	Aspirations	A new aspiration
18	The Moon	Illusion	Doing something foolish
19	The Sun	Life	New venture or project
20	Judgment	Karma	A lesson learned
21	The World	Return	A end that is a beginning