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Tarot Card Meanings: Justice
Welcome to my wheel(s) of justice! Hot on the heels of the Wheel of Fortune, Justice, the eleventh card in the Major Arcana, is another Tarot card concerned with karma, balance, and consequence. But where the Wheel asks us to recognise forces beyond our control, Justice turns the question back onto us. It asks us to think about the choices we've made, the ethics we live by, the power we have - and how we wield it. Life constantly asks us to decide, to weigh things up, to choose which path we want to take. And once weāve made those choices, we donāt simply move on from them: they become…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Wheel Of Fortune
My first mnemonic for this card was the simple phrase āwhat goes around, comes around.ā And honestly? However much more I study Tarot, that still feels like the essence of the Wheel. This is a card of change: often good luck sweeping in (itās ruled by Jupiter, planet of expansion, after all). However, other times it's that sinking feeling when our luck runs out, fortune turns against us, everything tilts topsy-turvy, and we're thrown into uncertainty. Either way, it speaks to the rise and fall of fortunes beyond our control. The Goddess Fortuna, who could crown or crush with the same spin of her wheel, personified that ancient recognition of…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Hermit
The Hermit is one of the most iconic cards in the Tarot. Often seen as a symbol of solitude, wisdom, and introspection, the Hermit invites us to step away from the noise of everyday life and follow the quiet glow of inner guidance. In this deep dive, weāll explore Hermit symbolism, history, astrology, shadow work, and the many animal archetypes that walk beside him, from owls to snakes. Whether youāre a Tarot beginner or a seasoned reader, this card has much to teach us about walking alone, but never being truly lost.
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Tarot Card Meanings: Strength
Strength is the eighth card of the Major Arcana in many Tarot traditions, and represents inner fortitude, self-mastery, and the power of gentleness. In this post, I explore what the Strength Tarot card means: from mythology and theology to personal experience, deck art, feminist readings, and more. Some Tarot traditions have Justice in this position (8), but I like Strength here, as it points to such a radically different kind of power than the previous card - the Chariot - the strength to confront yourself calmly, and without fear.
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Chariot
The Chariot is the seventh card of the Major Arcana, representing willpower, victory, determination, and the challenge of keeping opposing forces in balance. In this post, I explore what the Chariot means in Tarot readings: its triumphs, its warnings, and its many fascinating depictions across different decks. Though itās called the Chariot, this card isnāt really about the vehicle, itās about the driver. The charioteer is the one who draws your eye, commanding your attention and immediately asking you to identify with him. And in my experience as a reader, querents love identifying with him. Honestly, Iād legit say heās one of the most well-received cards in the deck. I…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Lovers
The Lovers is the sixth card of the Major Arcana, and it's often misunderstood. While it can represent romantic love, its deeper meaning is about choice, commitment, and soulful alignment. In this post, I explore the many layers of the Lovers Tarot card, from mythology and symbolism, to popular deck imagery and how we experience the energy of the Lovers card in our day to day lives. I found The Lovers card a bit tricky when I was first learning Tarot because it fools you into thinking it's easy. Ah, The Lovers! Itās all about love, right? True Lurrrrrvvveeee. But then when you read a bit about Tarot it turns…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Hierophant
In this post I am focusing on the Hierophant (typo-enemy of indie deck producers everywhere š). The Hierophant is the fifth card of the Major Arcana, representing tradition, spiritual teaching, community wisdom, and the bridge between the sacred and the everyday. Here I'll explore what the Hierophant means in Tarot readings, how the archetype has evolved, and how to work with both its light and shadow. Given The Hierophant can be accused of many of the same institutional sins of the patriarchy as the Emperor (authoritarian, fearful of change, stodgy, literal) - with an added dollop of organised religion thrown in for good measure - I expected to struggle with…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Sun
The Sun is the nineteenth card of the Major Arcana, and represents joy, clarity, vitality, and childlike wonder. In this post, I explore The Sun Tarot meaning - from classical symbolism and Rider-Waite-Smith imagery to reflections on happiness, embodiment, and how to let yourself really feel the light. It's my belief that every card in the Tarot has both positive and negative connotations (and why I don't read reversals per se, rather I'm guided by both the spread and my querent as to whether a card's energy is light or shadow), but The Sun is BIG on the positivity and doesn't leave the shadow many spaces to hide. It's one…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Moon
The Moon is the eighteenth card of the Major Arcana and represents dreams, intuition, illusion, and the unseen forces of the subconscious. In this post, I explore the Moon Tarot meaning through traditional symbolism, dreamwork, poetry, personal experience, and an in-depth look at how it shows up across Tarot decks. The Moon is the wild card of the Major Arcana. She has been popularly described as the 'Wild Unknown' that lies within all of us, or, by Thoth creator Aleister Crowley*, as representing the "Long Dark Night of the Soul". The Moon certain is an unsettling card, but then - too much settling is not necessarily A Good Thing. Sometimes…
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Tarot Card Meanings: The Emperor
Ah, The Emperor... The Emperor is the fourth card of the Major Arcana, representing structure, leadership, responsibility, and the power to create order from chaos. In this post, I explore the meaning of the Emperor Tarot card - from traditional symbolism to modern deck interpretations, and how we can make peace with this often divisive figure. I have to admit I have some natural resistance to this card - which is probably quite understandable for someone who has 'ftp' [fuck the patriarchy] tattooed on their wrist! Both visually and symbolically the card has a lot of āmasculineā energy, and strong connections to the laws of society and the powers that…
