The Emperor : Discipline and Authority

The Emperor and the Major Arcana

    Marked with the number 4, the Emperor stands in a position of authority and power. Where teh Empress brought intention to life, it is in the discipline of he Emperor that raw potential power is harnessed into change. He sits on the throne of emotion, under the stability of earth and the power of fire. In one hand is a censor, symbolic of domination and control. The other holds a staff with the symbol of life. Truly, while the Empress is the source of creation, it is the Emperor that controls it and protects it. In relation to the Fool, we find that coming form the rush of creation in the Empress, the Fool seeks to hold tight to his own thoughts and intentions. Suddenly free from their sway, the return of force is a wanting to wrestle those thoughts firmly into his own control. However, the negativity of the card, as there is in all cards, can warn that the Fool is fighting his own inner voice. Much as suppressing intrusive thoughts only causes them to grow stronger, the Fool wrestling his own intentions only sends him further into his own mind, undoing the freedom he had only just found a taste of.

    When the Emperor card appears it marks a time for self discipline and finding the confidence to stand in one's own authority. As the querent card, the Emperor is firm and forceful. In a positive light this is confidence. The querent is sure in where they stand and practiced in their own being. the negative to this is a false belief of that very confidence. Suddenly that power becomes stubborn arrogance. The question of what the card reads can only be answered with the surrounding context. As an abstacle, the Emperor could be that same false confidence mentioned - or it could be the influence of someone in a position of authority over the querent, someone that stands arrogant and doesn't take any answers but what they want to hear. As an outcome card, the Emperor often signals stability and power in the situation. Things coming to fruition are not going to quickly fall away. A job is going to turn toward a promotion. However, if the card or context is inversed, the stability becomes its own trap. Suddenly what felt like security now feels like prison, and change can only come when the Emperor realizes he is actually wrong.

The Emperor and the Fool Together

    If the Emperor and the fool are paired, the implication of false confidence is intensified. This could be by the querent's own shortcomings, or by the influence of someone else. The biggest factor in discerning the meaning of these comes in the question of which cards are directly about the querent. If, say, the Emperor is the querent card, and the outcome is the Fool, the implication is that the querent is going to be made to look like a literal fool. I'd be evaluating the spread for cards signifying deception or lies. The meaning easily translates into the fable of the Emperor wearing no clothes. However, if the positions are swapped, then the querent could be seen to be stumbling into a position of power. This would be the idea of "fake it 'til you make it". In this situation, the direction of the emperor card also has implications. A reversed card could mean the new position of authority is too much and the querent might need to step back.

    If the cards fall in relation to the querent's timeline (past to future), it marks the progression or stumbling in a life lesson. This part of the journey is, after all, the time most often stumbles and relapsed on. Folks realize they've embraced the potential power of the Empress and then fail to hone and control it - causing them to question whether they'd ever had it to begin with. Others  find that they were already self disciplined enough that when they came into their own power, the control they needed over it was present and ready for them.

The Emperor as a Spiritual Authority

    There is question over whether the Emperor holds his power of the querent's spiritual/faith life; or if that role is exclusive to the Heirophant. The answer is yes he does hold power, but not high authority. If the Emperor is appearing in relation to questions over faith and the querent's spiritual journey, it may be a calling for them to spend more time studying their faith and putting it into practice. This means deepening their intellectual learning, while at the same time using what they already know to help their community. It does not mean teaching the faith to folks not already following that path.

    As an example for comparison - each of the figures of authority could be perceived as part of one's spiritual practice. In wicca/pagan practices, the Magician marks a person learning the core principles of the path. This is where all the research and the most basic practices come in. The person may not know what type of practice they want, or where they are being called yet. That comes with the High Priestess. With the High Priestess, the beginner has learned enough to find what they feel drawn toward on a surface level, but perhaps they haven't discerned a specific deity or pantheon to follow. The Empress is the calling of the deity. Here the person knows who they worship, and will typically focus on altar practices, but not much more. It is then, with the Emperor, that they begin to learn the more specific rites and practices of that spiritual path, and what nuanced principles differentiate it from other paths. Then, the Heirophant marks the final point of the learning journey. The Heirophant is a leader of a community - able to take what he's learned and teach it to others.

        For a more Christian-centric example : The Magician is the person that attends church on Sundays, because "that's what good Christians do"; the High Priestess is the person that builds from that to bible study, seeking their own deeper understanding of scripture; The Empress is when the pwoer of teh holy spirit moves a person to begin taking part in the greater church body, volunteering for Sunday school or serving in one of the other facets of the church function; The Emperor is the church elders, folks that have served the body and while are not honed enough to give sermon they are able to spread the joy of the Word; and Heirophants are literally the leaders of the church, and the missionaries spreading and teaching the Word in other countries. 

The Empress : Giving Life to Intention

The Empress in the Major Arcana

    Fourth in the major arcana, the Empress carries the number 3 and marks birth and creation. The image of the Empress is often shown with growing wheat and flowing water, adorned with crown and scepter. She is marked as the mother earth and giver of life and abundance. The stars on her crown represent the planets. The Empress sits on the throne of earthly creation. Not the high goddess, but divine in her own authority. It is the Empress that exemplifies the feminine and the nurturing.  In the fool's journey, the Empress is the combination of the Magician's mind and the High Priestess' intuition. Together, it is through the Empress that all things can be manifested.

    The position of the Empress has a good deal of influence on the interpretation of this card. When referring to the querent directly, her traits are highlighted in the querent. This can, however, be for good or bad. Where abundance and nurturing are held in the positive - in excess they can be read as obsession and toxic positivity. A caring mother becomes smothering. A lover becomes possessive. When reversed, this may signify a lack of traits or a refusal to express them. If the Empress was revealed in the "obstacles" position reversed, I might say that compassion or nurturing was needed in the situation. Or that there would be none given if the querent were in need of the care. But if the card was upright, I might say that what first looks like compassion and care will quickly become obsession or possessiveness. Especially if the Emperor appeared somewhere in reverse (signifying someone being overly controlling).

The Empress and the Lovers

    Paired together, this is a very powerful combination. But the caution given above is also amplified in the same breathe with this pairing. The bond of the Lovers - most notably in readings to do with love and relationships - makes the abundance of the Empress so powerful it threatens to cross the threshold into excess. Doubling this, any feeling that the Empress is lacking in the relationship begins to feel like it's not there at all. In the context of relationships, the Empress may also signify literally becoming pregnant. *Do not rely on tarot for medical diagnoses. The tarot can not predict medical conditions, and should not be relied on exclusively for medical decisions.* 

    When reading for wealth or business, the Empress and Lovers represent a project coming to fruition, or a raise/promotion. In these readings it's important to evaluate the surrounding cards for signs of "too much work". This can signal that the abundance that the Empress brings has also made an excess of responsibilities the person may not be able to maintain. In opposition to this, if the Empress is inverted it ma signify a demotion, pay decrease, or (especially if the Lovers are reversed as well) a firing or quitting.

The Empress and Manifestation

    The Empress signifies manifestation of intention and giving life to thought. However, this manifestation is yet unstable. Raw and moving like the water she is often depicted sitting by, the Empress can be as destructive as she is nourishing. This is why the major arcana follows the Empress with the Emperor - authority and practiced discipline. Her image as Mother Earth is often seen as exclusively positive, but most folks will easily overlook the fact that natural disasters are as much the Empress as a gentle rainstorm or a bright spring day. What the querent receives from the Empress depends entirely on their own preparation and intention. When the Empress is in a spread it is not quite time to celebrate. Instead, the querent is being called to ready themselves for this abundance and make space for it or give it a direction to flow. Excess abundance can easily be redirected as generosity, and the overflowing cup can fill other cups. The Empress' manifestation echoes throughout the rest of the Fool's journey through the major arcana. When given the power of authority and council (from the Emperor and Hierophant), she becomes a source of inevitable change. Intentions begin to shape how the world reacts to the querent. As the querent adapts to the changes and grows, the nurturing Empress remains even in the darkest parts of the journey (as the hope of the Star following the fall of the Tower).

The 3 Journeys of the Fool : (2) Manifesting Balance and Adapting to Change

 

The Major Arcana and the Querent
    The Fool and the querent here have found the turning of their manifesting potential, and are now in a place of constant shifting and change. Having taken the reigns over their own thoughts and intentions, the Fool sees their choices and reactions with an eye for not just what they want but how it effects the world around them. They are placed on a path of changing themselves and seeing the very world around them change in response. If the first journey as the Fool seeing how the cogs of life are laid out, the second journey is the Fool watching as the cogs begin to turn - and in turn move each other. The lesson, at its heart lies in how no cog turns on its own. Each both is turned by, and itself turns, another. By the end of this journey, the Fool will find themselves in tune with the ebbs and flows of life enough that they maintain their own balance and self control despite the circumstances around them. In the first journey the Fool finds freedom from being ruled by their own unchecked thoughts; in this second journey they find freedom from being controlled by circumstance and change.

Creation Arc
    The Fool begins their second journey with eyes on their own emotions. The raw potential of their self awareness has brought them face to face with their own unchecked emotions. Strength begins the journey, marking a need for patience and courage; and just as the Magician and High Priestess may come as a pair and interchange so too are Strength and the Hermit. It is in these two that the Fool finds that he needs to control his emotions (the appearance of Strength and the call for patience), and he turns to soul searching (the Hermit's arrival and signifying of stepping out of the chaos of life to find an inner truth). For the querent these can happen in either order - the consequences of unchecked emotions leads to the need to soul search, or soul searching leads them to find their own emotions are being left unchecked. And just as intention and will together bring about the ability to manifest in the first journey, the need for self control and the awareness that come from soul searching bring about the ability to find change within the Fool/querent/ This change, however is not guaranteed to be either positive or negative in the moment. The Wheel, marking the climax of the first arc, reminds us that while Justice might be blind, Fate cares not for what is earned or what is deserved. It only cares about the turning of the cogs and the inevitable moving of life forward. This, for the Fool and for the querent, comes regardless of for ill or good.

Discipline Arc
    As the Fool realizes their own awareness has brought change into their life, they are fored to stand and answer for the results of their past choices. Justice, as said, is indeed blind. And the Fool must take the acceptance he was taught from the Hermit and apply it to himself now - for while the Wheel only cared for the order of time, Justice only cares for truth. And regardless of what the Fool might do, the truth with always always make itself known. They can either stand and face it with the patient Strength they've forged, or they can let it tear them down piece by piece. By being accountable for the truth of their actions, the Fool sacrifices the bonds of their past and is finally able to find new perspective as the  upside-down strung Hanged Man. This hanging Fool sees the world in reverse, and can find those ways their own actions have caused the very changes they were fighting against. They see that when intention becomes choice, change is indeed unavoidable.

Realization Arc
    Now fresh with new perspective, the Fool allows their past to fall behind them. The Death card at this point marks the transformation, and the removal of old patterns of behavior for the fool. The "old Fool" is dead and gone shed away like old skin form a snake. In its place a new, more intentionally aware Fool looks to the world, and finds the ability to create the balance both within themselves and how they choose to engage with the world around them. In this balance, the Fool finds Temperance, a calm and centered being that does not bend to the whims of life's currents. Instead they see who they are, and where life places them - and they find the potential to create change in every aspect of their life. It is here, with their eyes turned outward, that they now see the last bonds of their own being and what keeps them from their full potential.

    Where their personal transformation has grown deeper with each journey, the impact of each change has also grown exponentially. At the crossroads from the second to the third journey, the Fool begins their greatest manifestation - the manifestation of their own reality. The first journey has given them the ability to manifest their own intentions. The second journey has allowed that to manifest change in the world around them. The third journey will bring all of this to a point of ascending and creating a whole new worldview and as a result an entire new experience in the reality of their life...

The Hermit and the Wheel - Accepting When Change Happens

The Hermit and a Sate of Mind
        "Everything happens."
    When Hermit is the point of the journey where the Fool steps away from people and returns to center. It's seeing the changes and chaos of life happening, and feeling that change within one's self. When the Fool leaves their community to seek the wisdom of the Hermit, they are looking for answers about themselves more than the people and events around them. And the Hermit in response asks them what change they are resisting, for change will always come. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it. The same is being asked of the querent. What change are they resisting? What transformation within their own being are they holding back? In the position of the present circumstance, this may mean the querent is standing at the heart of this change, like someone watching the chaos from the eye of the storm.

The Wheel and the Inevitability of Fate
       "Nothing gold can stay."
    When the Wheel card appears, it is a signifier of life's ever-moving changes. Things go up, and things go down. There will always be good and there will always be bad. And in both there are lessons to be learned. We must cherish those moments of golden joy. Savor them and appreciate them, for they soon will turn to straw. And as we find the straw laid across the floor, we can find solace in the knowledge that eventually that straw will return to gold. The Wheel (often referred to as "Wheel of Fortune" or "Wheel of Time") relates to that cyclic fate that comes with life. Change happens. It always will, no matter how hard one fights it. You can stand against the forces of time, and be run over by it; or just as the Fool learns, you can accept it and move with it and find that in time things turn back for the better.

The Cards Paired
    When the Hermit and the Wheel are together it signifies a turning point in life and a distinct change in directions - and it calls attention to the fact that this change in life brings change to the querent as well. Depending on the positions of each and whether either of them are reversed, could indicate what the changes are and how it is effecting the querent. If the Hermit is a positive card position it signifies the person's ability to accept change. It could also signify the existence of a person that can help guide the querent in the upcoming changes. As an outcome, the Hermit signifies that inner transformation will come after the turning of the Wheel changes the querent's life. Inverse to this, if the Wheel is the outcome card, then it can be read that the querent's own inner transformation is what will bring their life into a new direction.

    Reversed, the Hermit signifies a refusal to accept change, or depending on position a need for the change coming. When the reversed Hermit is the outcome it may mean an upheaval and destructive change in who they are. How this reveals itself depends entirely on the circumstances of the other cards, but could be read as either the querent's choices causing harm to those around them or even their own downfall, or it could signify that others are keeping them from the change they need. A reversed wheel signifies a perceived negative turn in life. The loss of a job or financial struggles. Health problems. A relationship struggle. The point with the Wheel remain in the hope of a future joy though. It is important to remember that every reversed meaning can, with applied intent, be turned upright. Negatives can always be a soil bed for positive growth. 

The High Priestess : Intuition and Direction

 

The High Priestess in the Major Arcana

    The High Priestess is the third card in the major arcana, marked with the number two. The two here is symbolized by the dual columns - pillars that mark the veil between the seen and unseen, or the logical mind and intuition. The pillars on their own are symbols of extremes, with the priestess standing between them, exactly where one needs to be to best receive intuitive sense. The essence of the High Priestess is finding an inner balance, and weighing intention and will against the guidance of the inner voice. In the journey of the Fool this is still very early in the path of growth, and at the heart of the Fool understanding who he is. Where he may have discerned what it is he wants, the intuition of the High Priestess can signify the why, and when the two come together some direction can be taken toward an eventual goal.

The High Priestess and the Querent

    When the High Priestess appears as the Querent, this is a nearly direct description regardless of whether the card is upright or reversed. She is intuitive and she is balanced, as the person (regardless of gender) would also be. Or reversed, she is unbalanced, and probably too heavily guided by her intuition or heart. When intuition comes without logical reasoning, emotions run high and response boils down to reactions, regardless of what harm it may cause. These meanings can also be seen in the card's position in the spread, be it strength/weakness or circumstance/outcome. When the High Priestess is involved, the message is always summarized as a call or affirmation of the balance and the clarity that tempering logic with emotion can bring.  The querent, ever in the place of the Fool through their journey, may also be in a position of learning to balance parts of themselves. Overall, the High Priestess is a card for internal, personal attentiveness, and the potential that with the right mindset what the Magician seeks for, the Empress will soon bring to life.

The High Priestess in Other Decks

    Outside of the common imagery as shown above, much of the meaning of the High Priestess card keeps the essence of an inner truth. The High Priestess is a card about looking inward, and for that most decks that apply the journey of the Fool in the major arcana will keep this step at its core. The Fool must find their inner truth before they can manifest anything outside of their own mind. So, too, must the querent. It is for this reason I always apply the word "intuition" to the card - regardless of the context of what is being asked, the High Priestess says "What is it you truly believe and why?" Creation cannot become manifest in a metaphorical bed of uncertainty.

When the High Priestess is an Outcome Card

    As an outcome, the High Priestess signifies a major point in the person's life (as do the appearance of all the major arcana cards). The event, in relation to the question, signifies that the querent is at a point of discovering their deep inner truth regarding the question at hand. They know what they want, and have finally come to understand why it calls to them.

    In matters of love, the high priestess asks if you are internally ready for the commitment. It asks if a relationship is what you truly want and calls you to follow your inner truth. In the case of already established relationships, it asks for you to address that same inner truth and question why you have the question you do. Are you not trusting for a reason? Are you wanting more than the other person is giving? All of these are things that, depending on the other cards in play, may be present for the querent. Or - in the case of a relationship not yet seen, it may also point to the type of person the querent would benefit from being with. Someone emotionally present, and balanced. Someone that knows their own inner truth and able to see past the veil of their own ego.

    In matters of business and wealth, the card is a signifier of things to come. Change is in the frocess of fruition but may et be forthcoming. Patience and a calm balance of emotions and will are what bring the success/change the querent seeks. If  the High Priestess is reversed here, it qould signify a stifling of the outcome in the exact same way - the querent is so invested in the outcome that their emotions are getting in the way of bringing the change to life. Logic and reason must be applied in order to carve a path for the possible success.

    In matters of home and health, the High Priestess is a signifier of confidence and foundation. The pillars of the veil in teh common imagery are from a sacred temple - and what is more sacred than the home and beyond that the temple of one's own body. If the person is suffering ill health, the High Priestess may ask two things of the querent. First, what is the cause of the ailment? Is this something the person is failing to address in their own actions? This is especially direct if the fool card reversed is appearing in the spread. Second, the High Priestess asks if the change to health is something the person wants. This is most likely with questions around mental health. *When reading about any medical health, the querent should be seeking a medical professional. While the High Priestess is asking what the querent wants, the fact is that sometimes a person's health relies more on what that inner truth is and requires a doctor or mental health professional whether they like it or not. Tarot and other divination is no substitute for medical treatment from a trained professional.* If the High Priestess is appearing with the Magician present this may also signify the need for the help of a professional in the field. Serious health concerns will always rely on that, and in fact just as the High Priestess comes partnered with the Magician - so too must the want to be healthy come with the aid of a professional. Only together will positive healing happen.

The Magician : Act of Will

The Magician in the Major Arcana

     The Magician is the first card with a real number in the major arcana. He stands at an altar, exerting control over his own world. The elements of creation are paid out before him, and he directs change exactly as he wishes. Where the Fool is implied to be present throughout the path of the arcana, the Magician is his first teacher. It is here we learn the fundamental rules of manifestation, and it is here we are called to identify exactly what our intentions are. Before thought. Before action. There is intention, the seed of free will manifested.

The Magician and the Querent

     When the Magician is in the position of the Querent card, it is the need for control that is often reflected. This is not always a bad thing, depending on the rest of the spread. The Magician asks if you are ready to learn, and demands you reveal what it is you think you already know. Any placement of the Magician in cards relating to the Querent will reflect power of will in some way.

The Magician and the High Priestess

     When the Magician and it's partner card, the High Priestess appear together, it is a sign of things being brought into the world. The Magician marks the force of will, but the High Priestess marks the way towards creation. Only together can the Magician's intentions be made real. These two cards together may also signal the beginning of some greater lesson. Often the desire for change and the path to change arrive simultaneously. This is the marauder if the Magician and the High Priestess.

Different Answers for Different Questions

   Depending on what you're if question is being asked, the tone of the Magician card may change. It's important to consider what the card is reflecting a need for control or an altitude for making things happen when considering how the Magician related to the question.

If the reading relates to money, the Magician may be calling the querent to be more mindful of their budget. However if they are in a good place financially, it may be a reflection of how much they already do control their finances. If the Magician appears in a live shower, the card may be related to the Querent being someone toward their partner. Or, in a positive placement it could be a reflection of confidence in the relationship. In a career spread the Magician may be saying it's time to take the reigns and drive for bigger and better things. Or, it might be representative of the person's boss. 

Beginnings and Endings : The Fool and the World Cards

 

Within the Major Arcana
    The Fool card and the World card represent the dual epitome of the major arcana. Whereas the Fool is the ever-learning querent - always a step behind the lesson and always not quite aware of what may yet come; the World card represents life and its many lessons, and how just as one might realize the essence of a lesson, they find life has already turned pages and a new chapter lies before them. We as the Fool never truly find an ending to our journey. And that's both the joy and the rub. as every lesson brings the promise (not potential, but certainty) of both struggles as well as happiness. Such is life, and such is the way things are. We can only face it by continuing forward, eagerly embracing each new lesson life presents us.

Within the Spread
    When found within a spread, the Fool and World card represent exactly what they signify - endings and beginnings. If these are obstacle cards, it may signify a resistance to the inevitable change, and a longing for a more innocent time. As strength cards, it reflects optimism and the energy of new adventure. These cards are unique in that their meaning doesn't much change, regardless of the position they take up. Are you eager for change? Strength. Did you just come into a new chapter in your life? Past. Each card could indeed be read independently on its own. However, the nuance is found when the two show up together. An obstacle Fool and an outcome World could mean the person is rushing toward the end of this part of their life and are ignoring pitfalls along the way. A strength World with a hope Fool could reflect the querent being adaptable and ready to accept whatever life brings them, as their optimistic faith and their experience in a changing world allow for them to follow the tides of life.

Other Symbolisms and Signifiers
    The pairing of these cards is typically so central to the story of the major arcana that unless a very different deck is being used, the message won't shift much in tone. Instead, what's important is identifying that this is a critical point in the querent's life and while they may be confident in what they've already gone through, the world ahead is new and full of lessons still not yet learned.

    Something else to note with the occurrence of the World and the Fool together is that this is the full realization of the querent's lesson at hand. This is the power of the World card - it sits as teh completion of the whole journey. Everything the querent was put through. Everything they had to learn the easy or the hard way. They learned to harness their will and apply it both to themselves and to the world around them. And here, with the World card, there is the expression of that manifestation. 

A Brief Understanding of "The Fool"

Within the Major Arcana

    The major arcana largely tells a story, where the fool goes through life growing, learning, and re-learning various lessons. All in all, however, the main attribute we find in the character is a blind innocence toward the path ahead. The Fool has never trod this path before, and has no idea what may befall them - for good or ill.

    While other major arcana cards relate as much to where in the journey the querent may be, the Fool has no journey. The card itself is a symbol of a mindset, not a circumstance. When you've no idea whether you're coming or going; and when you've no idea what step is the right one to take/ This is the essence of the Fool.

The Fool as the Querent

    The querent and the Fool are, in all points, interconnected. Why would they be seeking tarot if not for needing direction they can't find elsewhere? This is NOT a judgement of intellect! The fool is no dummy. And neither is the querent. Indeed, in all things a person can only know from where they've been. Just as the Fool is always implied as part of the journey of the major arcana (hence their number being 0), the Querent is always implied to be on any number of life journeys, learning lessons from the choices they make. Every step can be an opportunity to learn and grow, regardless of the outcome it brings.

    If the Fool is dealt in relation to the querent, it signifies their place as not knowing the road ahead. This can be blind faith, or foolhardy progression. In either case, the first lesson is to trod lightly. And the second lesson is to seek direction before moving forward.

Past Card vs Outcome Card

    When the Fool appears in the past, it signifies the lesson has only just begun. There is no mastery, and the first steps may even still need to be taken. The Fool signifies it's time to embrace the lesson and find your path. Nothing is holding the querent back outside of their own uncertainty.

   

    When appearing in an outcome - or future - placement , the Fool is indicating the need to take risks. Most especially, there is the implication of a leap of faith here. (Though, if the reading includes reversed meanings, there may be a caution against making decisions blindly.) This decision signifies the beginning of some new journey for the querent - regardless of what their choice may be. And in their decision, there may be a number of outcomes already lined up like dominos ready to topple.

The Fool in Different Deck Themes

    While most decks incorporate the imagery and meaning of the Fool along with the major arcana, it's important to account for the deck you're reading from and its tone and theme. Depending on the deck, the Fool may lean more toward a n aloof ideology, or a reckless state of inhibition. The difference lies between what  story the deck tells of the whole major arcana, and what cards are dealt for the spread in question.

The 3 Journeys of the Fool : (1) Manifesting Will; Taking Control Over His Mind

 

The Major Arcana and the Querent
    The querent, as the Fool, begins a journey learning to harness and act through their own free will. Here, and in each of the three journeys, the path is separated into three overlapping arcs. For this first journey, we begin with the Creation arc. The querent/Fool learn to identify what they want, then must discern how to get it, before finally putting in the energy to allow their will to come to life. In the second arc, Discipline, they find that the power of their will only grows in the spiral of their own thoughts, and they learn to seek the help of others more wise than themselves. Will begins in the mind, but soon enough they must balance their own self authority with how they interact with others. Finally, in the Realization arc, the wisdom of the Heirophant points them to their interpersonal bonds, they find that what began as a willful though soon becomes a rush of potential energies.

Creation Arc
    The first arc encompasses the first three cards of the arcana - the Magician, the High Priest, and the Empress. The Magician represents the harnessing of free will. Where the querent/Fool understands that there is something they want and they identify it. In this moment, all the forces of creation are there together. Every element sits on the altar before the Magician. But Will without a Way does not create reality. So, the journey continues as the logic and reason of the Magician's control over their world are balanced with the intuitive sense of the High Priestess. It is with her, the Fool understands the why behind their force of will.

    Sometimes, the order of these first two cards can be interchanged - and this applies in each of the journeys. The sensing of will, and the need for a way often happen so close together that the order of events can get muddled. Eventually, though, the two find an equilibrium and from their union emerges the Empress - the mother of creation. It is with her that the querent/Fool find the first fruits of their own intention. Thought and desire begin to define attitude and behavior. Choices are made with only the goal of her wonderful creation taken to mind. And it is in this growing power that the Fool finds they are already moving into the second phase of the journey...

Discipline Arc
    With the growing power of their own will, the Fool stands in the world with their own sense of authority - an Emperor of their own mind. They don't necessarily claim the power over other people, but the Fool always does claim authority over their own life and being. No longer accepting going with the flow of someone else's will, the Fool now only follows their own ambition, but the life of a one man army is lonely. Eventually, they must seek council - the words of a wise man, a Heirophant.

    The Heirophant gives council, pointing the Fool to their own self interests. The very will they push means nothing without their bonds to the world around them. The fool is instructed that just as they had to temper the harsh edge of the Magician's control with the soft intuition of the High Priestess, they too must temper their own self-authority with their care for the world around them. 

Realization Arc
    With the Heirophant's words taken to heed, the Fool is turned out to build their own community. Bonds with others are forged or broken, as the Fool chooses. Sometimes this is for good. Sometimes it's for ill. In every case, it's a lesson in what makes their intentions truly important - how it effects the world around them. By the time the Fool has taken place not only as a leader of the people, but a member of the people. It's here he finds the wealth of potential in his every act of will. Every choice he makes has the opportunity to help or harm; to create or destroy.

    It's in this rush of possibilities that the Fool, now finding himself fully in control of his own thoughts, realizes that the control he has in his mind must also be held in his heart. With the first journey all but complete, the next journey as already within the horizon, and every step only bring the Fool/querent closer to that new realization...