Major Arcana Flashcards
The Fool
Upright (5):
- spiritedness
- new beginnings
- jumping into the unknown
- exuberance
- childlike innocence
Reversed (5):
- recklessness
- inconsideration
- naïveté
- being taken advantage of
- looking like a fool
The Magician
Right Side: willpower, desire, creation, manifestation, “as above so below”, inner guide of insight and new opportunities
Reversed: trickery, illusions, out of touch, moving away from truth
The High Priestess
Right Side: intuition, unconscious, inner voice, the world within, higher consciousness, being drawn to the esoteric or interest dreams or feeling like something is at work in one’s life that lead to destiny
Reversed: lack of center, lost inner voice, repressed feelings, not listening to yourself
The Empress
Right Side: motherhood, heart over head, femininity, fertility, nature, nurturing, marriage or birth sometimes implied, patience
Reversed: dependence, smothering, emptiness, bitterness and resentment at change and separation
The Emperor
Right Side: fatherhood, masculinity, head over heart, authority, structure, control, stability
Reversed: tyranny, rigidity, coldness, sternness, domination, arrogance
The Hierophant
Right Side: tradition, conformity, staying on the path, morality and ethics, pursuit of knowledge or guide, seeking philosophical answers
Reversed: rebellion, subversiveness, new approaches, road less taken
The Lovers
Right Side: partnerships, union, duality, choice, choice in love, inner harmony, looking carefully at the implications of one’s choices
Reversed: loss of balance, one-sidedness, disharmony, love triangles
The Chariot
Right Side: control, direction, willpower, harnessing the reins, conflict and struggle that results in a stronger personality, facing one’s own competitive and aggressive drives with strength and containment, facing aggression from others
Reversed: lack of control, lack of direction, aggression, battle for domination
Strength
Right Side: collision with the lion within, creative handling of one’s rage and pride, bravery, compassion, focus, exuding inner strength and power, trust in the self
Reversed: inflated ego and self-importance, untempered rage and anger, self-doubt, weakness, insecurity, acknowledging vulnerabilities,
The Hermit
Right Side: contemplation, search for the truth, inner guidance, self reflection, wisdom of patience, being willing to wait
Reversed: loneliness, isolation, a resistance to change and the passage of time, impatience, lost your way
The Wheel of Fortune
Right Side: change, cycles, sudden change of fortune, inevitable fate, new phase of life
Reversed: no control, clinging to control, helplessness, bad luck
Justice
Right Side: cause and effect, clarity, truth, karmic retribution, balanced thought, impartial decision-making
Reversed: cutting truth, too idealistic, lack of tact through honesty, dishonesty, unfairness, unaccountability
The Hanged Man
Right Side: sacrifice, sacrifice for the purpose of acquiring something of greater value, internal or external sacrifice, release, martyrdom, relinquishing of control so that a greater sense of life can emerge
Reversed: stalling, needless sacrifice, fear of sacrifice
Death
Right Side: end of a cycle, beginnings, change, metamorphosis
Reversed: fear of change, holding on, stagnation
Temperance
Right Side: the middle path, balance, patience, finding meaning, adapting, cooperation, mediation, balanced heart leading to a happy relationship or marriage
Reversed: extremes, excess, lack of balance, stagnation through always keeping the middle path
