Tarot: The Emperor IV

The fifth card in the major arcana is The Emperor. This card usually features a king on his throne, but my deck has the mythical steed, Pegasus. He was the winged horse ridden by the Greek hero Bellerophon and in some tales, Perseus.  He carried Zeus's lightning bolts until he was made into a constellation for his duty.

Meaning: The Emperor is a card of masculine power. Masculine power is self-discipline, leadership, taking chances and facing challenges. It can represent wisdom though trials of life. There is also stability and security through  this power.

Reversed: When the Emperor is reversed he shows weakness, lack of self discipline or self-control, lack of courage, or even loss of power and a time of chaos.
OR
Reversed (2): An abuse of power. Dictatorship can occur with an improper use of masculine power so be weary of tipping the balance either way.

Tarot: The Empress III

The fourth card in the major arcana is the empress. This card usually has a pregnant woman on a throne, but my deck features the goddess Morrigan. Morrigan is called a triple goddess featuring the Maiden, Mother, Crone trichonomy. I believe she could also feature the Warrior, but the art of the card didn't feature that side of her. 

Imagry: Beyond Morrigan walking through the woods we have: Rabbit of the maiden and spring, Apple of the mother and summer and fall, and the raven of the crone and winter

Meaning: The Empress is a card of feminine power. It represents the cycle of  traditional womanhood and life. She holds the secrets of the feminine divine within all of us. She teaches us to appreciate the fertility of the season in our life and in the world and reminds us that there is a season for everything. She reassures us that now may be a prosperous time or it will come soon.

Reversed: The Empress reversed is a card that means a lack of growth or fertility. It could just mean that it is not the right time or season for what you want. But it could also mean that you are out of balance or working against the cycle in a negative way. Remember to work with the earth and the cycles all around us. She also can mean that you are neglecting your inner feminine divine (even if your identify as male). 

Tarot: The High Priestess II

It has been a long time since I have had time to write one of these, so I hope to write a few and schedule them.

This is the third card in the major arcana, the High Priestess, a Egyptian Ua Zit (similar to the Wadjet).
She was a winged Cobra goddess said to be a protector of the Pharaohs.

Meaning: She is the guardian of inner knowledge and secrets. She often symbolizes that you need to listen to your inner self. She can also be your connection to divine energy and your destiny heeding you to listen to them.  She represents the link to the subconscious mind, which cannot be accessed through the physical world but only through dreams and symbols. Pay attention to your dreams and let that inner knowledge guide you.

Reversed: When she is reversed she is telling you that you are not listening to your inner self of inner calling or even not trusting your instincts. She warns that you need to take some time to reflect and even meditate to find what you should be doing. Or, she wants you to gain a deeper understanding to what knowledge you do have to fully understand it


This card has never appeared in any of my readings but I do think there is plenty to learn from her.

Tarot: The Magician I

We move to the second card of the major arcana. This card is associated with wisdom and I love the imagery of a winged cat. If I was to make my own deck, however I would like to make this card "The Artisan". As the Magician is a person who knows their craft, not necessarily magical. This card's background is one of my favorites because of all the details.

My Meaning:
This card symbolizes working towards a goal and bettering yourself through a pursuit of wisdom. With this card you are inspired to apply skill and initiative to accomplish all your goals.  This card honors the wisdom of someone who knows what they do, and works with creativity by utilising the skills, tools and resources that are available to you. This fits the cat (and my idea for The Artisan) because of their secret wisdom and creativity to use their resources to get what they want.

Reversed:
Just as a cat can use their creativity and resourcefulness to manipulate, the reverse of this card warns of greed and manipulation that can happen with the skills. This means your true potential is not realized because you are using your skills to take advantage of others, not better yourself. Similarly, the Magician reversed can suggest that you have a particular skill or talent that could help your growth but you are not yet using this skill.

In fact this card recently came up in one of my spreads for myself so I am having to look within to find that skill I may be overlooking. When researching this card one line of an example stuck out for me:

"For example, you may be studying the Tarot and reading for friends and family but what you do not realise is that you have a real talent for reading Tarot and could be reading professionally for a much wider audience. If you were to expand your Tarot reading, you may find that it also has benefits for your own spiritual journey." 

Tarot: The Fool 0

The Fool is the first card of the Major Arcana. It represents the beginning of a story that is told through the Major Arcana. In my deck the card features an Amphisbaena, a 2-headed poisonous snake with feathered wings from Greek mythology. While this is not one of my favorite cards in this deck art-wise, the actual card meaning is one that comes up frequently in my life as I am trying to find my path.

Booklet Meaning: Expect the Unexpected. New beginnings or journeys into unknown areas. A leap of faith is required. Decisions must be made. If this card represents a person, she/he will be very unconventional, or may be a wanderer without goals.

This meaning is choppy and left me unsatisfied. And also doesn't fit the poisonous snake that they chose for the artwork. So I spent some time going over my connection with this card, and what others have written on it. While I can't add much without seeing it into a spread, I wanted it as a reference to myself.

My Meaning:

The fool symbolizes the beginning of a journey, and the youthful joy and naivete that comes with it.  This can mean a new job, a new house, or a new love, or the beginning a search for them. This card represents the querent almost always, however if it is the first card in the spread it can mean that the querent is not asking the right question or they are struggling with choosing a path.

Reversed:

When reversed the fool represents damaging indecisiveness. With the Amphisbaena the two heads must work as one so any indecisiveness between them would lead them to going no where. This could point to a conflict between the head and the heart or just stuck between two choices. It can also be a warning to not "play the fool", a warning to be careful to not be naive or foolish in your journeys.