Tarot

A Window to the Unconscious:
The Major Arcana

From the very begining, the Major Arcana of the Tarot have fascinated for their complex and assortment symbology. It's medieval imaginery seems to misteriously adapt itself to different cultures, predating or not their origin. Whether we're talking about egyptian or celtic cultures, native american myths or hebrew cabala, the old time and modern schollars have found ways of applying them upon the different versions of the Tarot that have been spawning, and among all of them we're sure to find one that "speaks" to us in a clearer voice.

And as the Major Arcana are where the decks present their most distinctive differences, it's here where we'll focus, dealing first with the general aspects before starting a revision of some of the available decks.

Needless to say, an in depth study of each card would take volumenes before covering them. Reading a book can save us time, but nothing can replace direct experience we can get by making readings. That is why I'll attempt a general outlook on each Arcana before getting into the subtleties of each deck.

The chosen method is very popular, and it consists of dividing the 22 major Arcana into three lines of seven cards each, leaving the Fool (arcana 0, 21 or 22 depending on the deck) aside. Each of these lines deal with our inner struggles and evolution from different angles, whether it's the outer world, the inner world or our spiritual evolution.

The three levels are:

Index