The Fool's Journey Through the Major Arcana (Part One)

A look at the Tarot

The first and arguably most important card in the Tarot deck is the Fool, numbered ‘0’. The Fool represents ourselves, the seekers. Those with any sort of interest in the Tarot, whether just starting to learn or reading for years, has heard of The Fool’s Journey.The 78 cards of the Tarot are a metaphor for our journey of spiritual enlightenment throughout life. They tell the story of the Fool’s journey from spiritual ignorance and naivety to enlightenment, and the obstacles and difficulties he faces along the way. 

The 78 cards of the Tarot deck come in two groups; there are 22 numbered cards in the Major Arcana, and 56 cards of the Minor Arcana. The cards of the Minor Arcana represent the situations, happy and sad, as well as the struggles and challenges, that we face in our everyday lives. The Major Arcana depicts the bigger themes and events we deal with in our lifetime.

The cards of the Minor Arcana are arranged in four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit has its own theme and represents different aspects of our everyday lives.

• The Suit of Wands focuses on our career, and the cards in this suit represent hard work, enterprise, creativity and professional growth.
• The main theme of the Suit of Cups is love, and the cards focus on our emotions and relationships.
• The Suit of Swords is about mental activity, and all of the cards are associated with troubles and strife.
• The Suit of Pentacles focuses on the material things, such as money, possessions, and land.

The Fool’s Journey sees the Fool travel through the cards of the Major Arcana, dealing with the big, important issues we face in life. Here we take a look at his experiences with these themes and challenges, and how they help him achieve enlightenment.

The Magician represents new beginnings, and explains to the Fool that all of our actions have consequences. His message to the Fool is that with self discipline and responsibility for our actions, you can go forth and achieve your goals and dreams.

The High Priestess represents the ability for reflection on ourselves and the world around us. However, she tells the Fool, remember not to be a slave to your thoughts, and put them into action.

The Empress is the third person the Fool encounters on his journey, and she is the mother figure. As the Fool begins to explore the world and his eyes open, he is almost like a baby in some ways; naive and wary, and in need of somebody to care and look out for him. The Empress represents the comfort, security and protection of a mother.

The Emperor is next, and represents the Father, exuding power and authority. He explains to the fool the importance of stability and building strong foundations from which we can grow and achieve great things.

The Hierophant is the first person the Fool meets when he leaves home. He is a representation of formal education and organised belief systems. He is wise and powerful, making a wonderful teacher and leader, and he encourages the Fool to use the resources available to him, and to be thankful for the achievements and inventions of those who came before us.

The Lovers represent the Fool’s growing need and desire for love and relationships as he grows and goes through adolescence. As the Fool gets older, he begins to experience hormones and sexual attraction, and this card warns him to be careful in his choices, and remember not to let his heart rule his head.

The Chariot is a card that represents strength, both physical and mental, and examines the idea that with lots of willpower and hard work, we can achieve anything that we set our minds to.

Strength is about the need for self control and discipline. This card reminds the Fool not to get carried away with his new found strength and power, and not to let his desires to overcome his logic, but instead master them and use them to his advantage.

The Hermit is the representation of the Fool’s need to look deeper into life’s most important questions and find the deeper truth. As we grow into young adulthood, we start to question certain things in love, and often believe we need to ‘find ourselves’. Our attention turns inwards, as we investigate who we are and what we believe in.

The Wheel of Fortune represents balance and the cycle of life. After a lot of soul searching, the Fool realises that everything in life is in balance, ruled by fate, and he knows that this journey was his destiny. With his sense of purpose restored once again, he is ready to stop thinking, and move forward.

Justice asks the Fool to make some important decisions about how to move forward in his journey. The Fool reflects on his past choices, and takes responsibility for his actions which have lead him to this point; he knows now that we reap whatever we sow, and he is willing to learn from any mistakes he made in the past and move forward with the lessons he has learned.

Click here to join the Fool as he continues his journey through the Major Arcana. In the meantime, if you would like advice or guidance on your own spiritual journey, give one of our psychic readers a call.