12. The Hanged Man

Upright – Sacrifice. A pause. New life approaches.

Reversed – Selfishness. Useless sacrifice.

 

The Hanged Man is where he is voluntarily; however, he is "all tied up" – to a cause, an idea, a person. Nothing is really being accomplished; instead, there is a gap, a hiatus, a waiting period while life-forces regenerate. It can be rather boring, waiting there, but nothing will happen until the Hanged Man realises that he isn't really helping anyone in the position he's in. The subject of this card has the best of intentions, but he'd do more good if he either helped (as opposed to trying to help) or left well alone. "Do or do not – there is no try" as Yoda says!

Reversed, the card can indicate selfishness – someone who is unwilling to make a sacrifice that could help the situation. Alternatively, it can indicate useless sacrifice.

11. Justice

Upright – Impartiality. Responsibility for self.

Reversed - Bias, prejudice. Unfairness.

Justice is just what it says on the box – it is being dealt with fairly and impartially. It implies that we must ultimately be responsible for our own actions. As you deal, so are you dealt.

Justice is not capricious. She does not judge you on what is beyond your control. "As the fellow did, he must/himself be done by – and that's just."

 

Reversed, Justice becomes injustice, or justice without mercy.

10. The Wheel of Fortune

Upright – Luck, destiny – the end of a problem. Kismet – unexpected but nevertheless inevitable. Events come full cycle
Reversed – "Your come-uppance"


The wheel turns, and whatever you put on the wheel comes back, with interest! You cannot send anything away for good. Eventually, as the wheel turns, what you sent away will come back to you. This is what the Wheel card tells us. A cycle is ending, with an unexpected stroke of luck; nevertheless, there is an inevitability about it – a case of being the right person in the right place at the right time.
Reversed, this card warns you that, as you sow, so shall ye reap. This card heralds your come-uppance. Whatever is coming, it jolly well serves you right!
Note that the wheel can be stopped – but opportunity must be grasped.

9. The Hermit.

Up –Caution, counsel – slow but sure. Solitary, secrets, patience.

Reversed – You're old enough to know better! Bad advice. "He who hesitates is lost". "Grumpy old man" attitudes.

He is a wise old man, and if you seek him out he will give you the benefit of his vast store of knowledge- but he doesn't see why he should share his secrets with everyone. He is self-sufficient and not a disseminator of knowledge; neither does he see any practical use for his secrets: he enjoys them for their own sakes.

He suggests that the way ahead can only be negotiated slowly. Slow but sure is the only way, and problems can only be overcome by employing patience and prudence.

Reversed, he is the old man who persists in acting childishly; he's old enough to know better. He is the cantankerous, stubborn old man whose views have calcified. He wants his own way and will nor listen to reason. There's no fool like an old fool; everyone has to learn every day, nobody knows it all. Alternatively, he could represent over-caution. He is so afraid of the unknown he will not move at all, and causes unnecessary hold-ups.

8. Strength

Up – Fortitude, spiritual power. Well-founded confidence. Knowing the factors involved and being aware that one can overcome. Moral fortitude.

Reversed – Lack of moral fibre. Abuse of power. Aggression.

Strength conquers by being a superior being; her strength is in her inner conviction that the lion will submit, not in physical might. She has calmness and a sense of purpose that will not permit her to be harmed. Her power is not in displaying might for its own sake, rather in the manifestation of a great inner resource. She may not have realised that she had it in her. This is the faith that moves mountains; all things are possible if we but believe.

Reversed, the card points to lack of moral fibre – cowardice. If you don't believe in yourself, who will believe in you – and what can you believe in?

The other extreme is abuse of strength. Most strong men are gentle. If you are secure in the knowledge of your own power, you have no need to keep proving yourself by being aggressive. Aggressive people lack inner strength; they are afraid that if the other party gets in the first blow, they will be destroyed. "Do unto others before they can do unto you" is their motto.

7. The Chariot

Up – Control, Success by own efforts. Active, effective control. Balanced, firm controlling of diverse factors – "pulling together what is trying to fly apart."

Reversed – Ruthlessness, collapse of plans, losing what you thought was within your grasp.

The Charioteer must exercise constant vigilance over the beasts drawing the chariot. They naturally want to pull apart, but he compels them to do his bidding by force of his superior will. Left to themselves, they would cause disaster, so he cannot afford to relax and let things ride: meanwhile, he is on top of the situation, he has earned his success. This card is about being in control and constantly alert – the Charioteer must constantly watch the road ahead and take appropriate action.

Reversed, there are two extremes. Either the Charioteer fails to appreciate that others have a right to be on the road and becomes a road hog, or else he loses his grip. If he loses control, it will be difficult to regain and the Chariot will be overturned, with breathtaking suddenness. It may be, then, that the Charioteer will blame everyone else for his failure.

6. The Lovers

Up – Choice. Intuition can help.

A love affair implies a choice. Fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A test. Responsibility for one's actions.

Reversed – Moral lapse. Wrong choice. Failure to meet the test. Less a wrong choice than a refusal to choose.

The Lovers is about choice. The Fool has many options open to him, but the choice shown by the Lovers is more defined. It is, basically, the choice between growing up – taking responsibility, becoming an adult, marrying- or remaining a child, becoming a "mother's boy". Adam became a man, rather than remaining a trusting puppet, by eating the fruit of the tree. He could have chosen not to eat the fruit and remained a creature of instinct and innocence – a baby.

A man chooses a wife. Life is not guaranteed to be happy. He and his wife will certainly quarrel. Nevertheless, he has chosen to stand on its own two feet.

Reversed, The Lovers is a wrong choice, a refusal to grow by recognising that it is time to put away childish things, and so, by passiveness, the choice is made. It's like stopping a car by taking your foot off the accelerator rather than by pressing the brake; a negative, unsatisfactory solution.

5. The Hierophant.

Up- Orthodoxy, conformity. "The Vicar".

Believer in tradition. Not an original thinker, but sound and well-meaning. A comforter.

Reversed, unconventionality. Misinformation. "Throwing out the baby with the bathwater." Reactionary; the Inquisition.

This is "The Vicar."

He is gentle and compassionate, but slightly "square". You wouldn't expect revolutionary, earth-shattering revelations from him; in fact, you'd feel uncomfortable if you got them. All the same, he is a source of comfort when in trouble, a good and selfless friend. He is a persuader, not a compeller, and if he dislikes what you are doing, he will pray for you, not fight you. Sooner or later, we all need him. His outlook is orthodox and kind; he is moderately open-minded.

Reversed, he is the cult leader. He is unorthodox, the False Prophet; he tells his followers what he thinks they should know. Otherwise, he is a believer in Modernity; the past made mistakes so let it go! Unfortunately, he often discards valid concepts, throws out the baby with the bathwater.

The other extreme is the Reactionary, ultra-orthodox person who hates the new and is unwilling to consider that any new thought can be – the Inquisition, stamping out heresy.

4. The Emperor

Authority, "The Headmaster". Paternity, firmness. Listens to advice but makes up own mind. Stability, wealth. Reason triumphant. Dominant male.
Reversed, immaturity, subservience.

The Emperor is the Head; of State, of a school, of a family. He is in charge, he's the boss. He has authority and is secure in the knowledge that he knows best and as long as he's in charge you had better by-God do as he says! He is Will imposed on others, but he is fair and willing to listen to the opinions and advice of others. He will make up his own mind, however. In his own dominion his word is law, but he is not all powerful outside his home, school, or country. All the same, he didn't get where he is today by letting others walk all over him ; don't think you can get away with ANYTHING!

Reversed, he has no power. He is a puppet who must do as he is told, the headmaster who is afraid of the students and whose authority is a joke. Authority is largely a state of mind, you know; if you think you'll be obeyed you will. And you don't get unquestioning obedience by being conciliatory or timid.

3. The Empress

Fertility, motherly virtues. Feminine progress. Level ~ headed and practical. Mother Nature, the all-mother. Pregnancy, Nest-builder, the faithful wife. Reversed, poverty, over-protectiveness. Delay. Unwanted pregnancy or barrenness.

The Empress is the mother. She makes the home and keeps it comfortable. She lets her husband deal with The BIG issues, like what to do with Foreign Policy, while she sees to it that the family has clean clothes and food and that the fire is going. She is a source of comfort and discipline. Her children tun to her when they are hurt or sick or in trouble, and she soothes and cares for and helps them. She is Vesta, Hera, and Demeter.

Reversed, she is Demeter mourning for Persephone. There is no comfort at home; the fire is out, Mother has left. Fertility is absent; no babies will be born. She is no longer the faithful wife, but the whore. Children are unwanted. Alternatively, she ties her children to her, becomes a smother- mother. She will not let them become independent. Of course children grow up but, she says, hers are only babies still. Why, the youngest is only 30- much too young to leave home!

2. The High Priestess

The subconscious; what you know in your heart, deep down. The 'still, small voice'.

The High Priestess represents what is known by the subconscious mind; instinct and intuition. She is wise, but her wisdom is not freely dispensed; she is the oracle who gives her pronouncements in a strange language, only half understood. If you take the trouble to listen carefully, and learn the language, you can be taught wisdom. She is the mysterious, divine woman-chaste, but potentially fertile. She represents serene, intuitive knowledge; she is lsis veiled.

Reversed, she is Diana, who had Actaeon torn to shreds for daring to look upon her naked body, the virgin who is afraid of the emotional commitment of sex. She is Mata Hari, who destroyed her lovers. The wisdom from the subconscious is poorly understood and wrongly interpreted; she misleads you into believing that she is in possession of the truth: if you believe her, you're only kidding yourself.

1. The Magician

The Magician signifies skill. When the card turns up in a reading, it refers to the ability to use one's capabilities to complete a task. Keep in mind the saying, " The quickness of the hand deceives the eye."

The Magician knows exactly what he can do, and he is willing to do it. He is a master in his own area of expertise. This card signifies will, in the sense of knowing one's own mind and acting upon it. However, he is also a manipulator, a sleight-of-hand operator. He works alone, and so this card indicates that no useful help will be forthcoming from others. They stand amazed at the magician's "miracles", which are so easy for him because he has the know-how. If you read a book on stage magic, you will see how simply some of the tricks can be performed, yet how convincing they are if delivered with confidence. Believe in yourself!

In reverse, the Magician becomes the Juggler - entertaining and undoubtedly skilled, but not mysterious. Could he use his skills to find fame and fortune? Perhaps he could, but he's afraid to try