Posts Tagged ‘tarot lothian’

Tarot Archetypes in Action
& How to Calculate Them
by L. A. Lothian

Archetypes are energetic imprints that exist in the psyches all of us, even though throughout history we have tended to externalize these archetypes as Gods, Goddesses, and planets. For instance, the 11 known celestial bodies of our solar system (Chiron included) are often misrepresented in astrology as forces out there, acting on us.

In truth, the planets represent archetypal forces within us–from Mercury our communicator/thinker to Neptune our inner mystic/dreamer to the Moon, our emotional nature. It is when we disown the energy of any particular planet within us, that we misconstrue the influence of that planet as a malefic trouble maker!

The 22 archetypes of the Major Arcana come to us from the shadowy realms of forgotten pre-history, in all likelihood part of a wisdom that once passed for general knowledge, yet was lost in the looting, pillaging and burning of Hellenic and Alexandrian libraries. That said, the tarot re-emerged in medieval times, was fortified in the late 19th century mystery schools a la Aleister Crowley, and with the mass distribution afforded by modern games companies, have seen a major resurgence.

Although Tarot cards have long been used as a parlor game and fortune telling device, Tarot archetypes are a key to 22 expressions of soul energy, and to the 21 steps we take on the journey of soul growth. The 22nd archetype is the Fool, who represents the vagabond traveler we all are through out the cycles of incarnations on the physical plane.

Twenty-two might seem like an awfully crowded room, a giving us a psyche of Sybil-plus proportions. However, there are really 10 core archetypes, with the remaining 12 representing a deeper level or another layer of one of these primary archetypes. One way to imagine our psyches is as a room full of 10 pregnant women, two carrying twins. The room IS crowded, it just doesn’t seem unmanageable because the other 12 are nascent and dormant beings that have yet to be born. It is an evolutionary challenge as a species, then, to begin to express the 12 Higher Archetypes by giving birth to and nurturing them in our lifetimes.

So who are the all star cast? In order of appearance: Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgment, World, and Fool.

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