Search For The Lost Paradise

TAROT Mystery

A deck of Tarot cards is a pristine book – fundamental, key, and central. It enables us to decipher the messages left to us by the most ancient civilizations. Tarot images were created in order to transmit esoteric knowledge and are the result of an encoding method borrowed from humanity’s greatest myths. Before the invention of written language traditions were passed down orally. Later signs and symbols were the first harbingers, the first steps towards the creation of the enormous allegorical universe, which laid the basis for playing cards and also Tarot.

If we consider the 78 arcana as an architecture or a carefully organized book of images, which conforms to a strictly defined hierarchical structure, we will come to understand Tarot as an ideal system made up of a closed set of symbols. Wisdom and occult knowledge are hidden by their harmless, innocent appearance.

However, one should always remember the philosophical, spiritual, and psychological aspects of the cards, and that the Tarot combines in itself many dimensions. Therefore, Tarot can be interpreted from different perspectives: alchemical, Kabbalistic, esoteric, magical. Undoubtedly, Tarot can be used as an instrument for achieving self-knowledge and personal development.

A little bit about terminology: TAROT in Sanskrit means ”star” and Torah in ancient Hebrew means ”the law of Moses”. TAR means ”road” and RO is ”roya” in ancient Egyptian, while Orat is translated as ”he say” in Latin.

And now about the content:

78 cards contain 78 Arcana: 22 major and 56 minor (which include 40 number and 16 face cards).

It is rather the term of arcana, and not the card, that fills Tarot with its esoteric meaning. Through the allegory that the cards contain—hidden in their inherent forms and colors and painted characters and objects— the card becomes an Arcana, which is the guardian of secret alchemical operations.

Handling Tarot automatically evokes the notion of archetype. This concept originates in the philosophical study of Jung and links us with the most archaic and ancient content of human history, which we perceive through the prism of collective unconscious.

In other words, the system of archetypes is one of deep behavioral patterns (a sample, scheme or an example of the universal matrix) which we can identify in ourselves. 22 Major Tarot Arcana correspond to the 22 steps which need to be overcome in order to connect to the 22 components of our psyche.

The major arcana represent the main motives, leading accents, and directions, while the Minor Arcana display processes and the dynamics of our soul – the infinite variety of life facets, phenomena, events and ideas that life throws at us.

The 4 suits of minor arcana symbolize the 4 natural elements, which form the basis of the physical world.

Wands are fire cards of the spiritual world and are associated with passion and inspiration. They are a source of light that can create the spark that will ignite a whole flame of ideas.

Cups are water cards associated with deep-felt emotions. We use bowls for pouring liquids and drinking, and we drown our sorrows in wine.

Swords are aerial cards of the mind and are associated with spiritual awareness and communication. Sword cards represent the thoughts, ideas, and words that cut the air like swords.

Pentacles are earth cards symbolizing material existence and are associated with the physical aspects of life in the world of four dimensions. They are symbols of the material reality of the physical world, such as objects and money.

The perception of the symbolic function of each Arcana pushes a person to look deep inside himself or to get a closer look at the surrounding world through the probable foretelling of events.

The tree of life

The Kabbalistic diagram, the Tree of Life, is an archetypal system of states of consciousness that depicts the relationship between 10 sefirot, which are channels of God’s manifestation. The system of 10 sefirot, or attributes, allows us to understand not only the nature of God (to the extent that it could be comprehended at all), but also the flow of the universe. Each sephirah is associated with one of the names of God in Hebrew, and each of them corresponds to a planet, a color, an angel, and a metal.

The ten Sephirot – Kether (Crown), Chokhmah (Wisdom), Binah (Understanding), Chesed (Kindness), Gevurah (Severity), Tiferet (Beauty), Netzach (Eternity), Hod (Splendour), Yesod (Foundation) and Malkuth (Kingdship) – are the virtues of God, the manifestation of all the degrees of consciousness, shining beacons. The paths, of which there are 22, present access to these states of consciousness and are the ways we must take in order to reach the ten Sephirot.

The 22 Tarot Major Arcana and the 22 paths of the Tree of Life allow us to move gradually from the roots of the tree to the top, growing, and developing along the way. To connect to the Tree of Life, as well as to get in touch with 22 Major Arcana, means to enter into a network that gives primeval man the possibility of following divine ways and reaching the divine himself.

Creation of the world and journey through the night sea: the Hero’s journey though the 22 major arcana

Creation of the world

Major Arcana cards tell us about the journey of the Hero, in part reflecting the stages of the world’s creation. The cards show how from initial chaos (0 – Fool) emerges two diametrically opposite principles, masculine (I – Magician) and feminine (II – Priestess), which should later reunite (1 +2 = 3) to give impetus to the creation (III – Empress, which embodies the forces of nature, fertility and constant rebirth). This is how a well-ordered cosmos, the world and its four elements, the four cardinal directions, and the four seasons (IV Emperor card represents order) are created. Man becomes the crown of creation and he is aware of its meaning. He is exploring its mysteries hidden under the veil of the obvious (V – Hierophant, 5 is the number of quintessence and of secret knowledge). Card VI, Lovers, relates to the topic of mutual attraction and interpenetration. There is a turning point at this stage in mythology and in Christian tradition where the Hero sees the forbidden fruit and must make a choice. This situation is an archetypal intersection where the road splits apart, and man definitively loses the integrity of original paradise with the decision to eat the forbidden fruit. Finally, he is sent to live in the world on card VII, Chariot.

On another level, the same cards tell us the story of the Hero’s birth, his growth, and his coming out into the world in search of paradise lost.

The Hero is the Fool (0). Why a fool? Perhaps because often in life the solutions to our most difficult problems are very simple and lie where we least expect them. Heavenly parents Magician (I) and Priestess (II) symbolize the two basic elements, yin and yang. The Empress (III) and the Emperor (IV) are the earthly parents of the Hero; through them the origin of polarity takes shape in our world. The Hierophant (V) denotes the education of the Hero, symbolizing the process of the Hero’s learning. And the Lovers card (VI) represents a major turning point in the journey of the Hero, where he must decide whether to leave home and go his own way.

The Chariot (VII) makes burst of energy, helping the Hero to come out into the light—this is the true beginning of the journey in search of the Holy Grail, the lost paradise. The Hero is convinced that now he is responsible for his own actions and that he will reap only what he has sown. This is Justice (VIII). Next the Hero should meet an old sage (Hermit IX), thanks to which he learns his true name and gets a magic word or magical attributes. The next step is to appeal to the oracle (Wheel of Fortune X) with the question: “What should I do?” The answer will be to go down to the kingdom of night to get something very valuable.

The second decade of the Major Arcana cards opens with the feminine card Force (XI). It signifies the beginning of the Hero’s descent into the depths, where there are many dangers, but ultimately, he finds wealth. The Hanged Man (XII) symbolizes a sick, setting sun, and reminds us that we must have full confidence in life and a willingness to change. The card of Death (XIII) continues the theme of helplessness; it is a symbol of profound transformation—near death. Temperance (XIV) shows the way to the light—to the sun—and shows that, beside the waters of death are the waters of life, and there is healing.

The Devil (XV) is the prince of the underworld. In this place of sold souls the hero will have to redeem himself. This battle takes place on the card, The Tower (XVI), where lightning destroys the prison, liberating the souls trapped inside. The Arcana The Star (XVII) symbolizes new hope, and that the Hero has reached the source of living water. But the Hero went out in a dangerous meadow, and the kingdom of the night will not let him go (The Moon XVIII). The Sun (XIX) embodies the newborn light and triumphant culmination of the Hero’s journey. The Child, as a character card, tells about the simplicity with which the Hero returns after all the traveling. He made the final decision and was liberated. He faces no further obstacles. Here is the Judgment (XX): the liberation of the Divine from earthly bondage (the three characters on the card are the three manifestations of God.) Our Divine essence was released from the burden of all earthly things, and on the Arcana, The World (XXI), the Hero reaches his goal: a newfound paradise.

I wish you all good luck in your search for the lost paradise!