The Major Arcana: A Life Journey (The Fool’s Journey)
Breaking down the Tarot’s Major Arcana
In the Tarot, the Major Arcana represent life themes and events that we can all recognise: Birth, Decision-Making, Strength, Death, Disruption, Hope, and more.
These are 21 themes that we all experience at some point in our lives.
We can begin to understand and relate to these themes and the Major Arcana through the metaphor of The Fool’s Journey which is symbolic of our progress through life.
Each card represents a stage of learning on that Journey although we can experience these stages at various times in our own life journey.
We begin with The Fool and work our way through the Major Arcana to The World – zero to 21 – beginnings to endings and back to beginnings again.
So, let’s take that journey with The Fool.
The Fool’s beginnings
The Fool is ready to embrace their life’s adventures, perfectly positioned between safety and the leap into the unknown.
Fresh, open, carefree and innocent.
Setting off into the world, The Fool encounters The Magician and The High Priestess, who represent the conscious and unconscious parts of our being.
First comes creativity, awareness and power followed by intuition and unrealised potential.
The Fool becomes more aware of their surroundings and recognises a connection with their mother figure, The Empress, who offers nurture, caring and nourishment.
Naturally, The Fool then encounters her father figure, The Emperor who offers structure, control and authority.
Learning and evolving
The Fool is now prepared to enter the world outside the home but needs the education to do so.
Enter The Hierophant to teach beliefs, traditions and the sense of belonging.
This begins the process of life-long self-discovery to find our own core beliefs and values.
The Lovers enables The Fool to seek union and communication with another; to be able to share and experience passion and sexuality.
With more self-knowledge and an experience of love, The Fool must learn to make personal choices which, in turn, will teach victory over adversity.
The Chariot represents this force to develop self-mastery.
Self-reflection and resilience
With more and more challenges that The Fool faces, there is a need to develop character in order to handle situations in a calm and controlled manner.
That ability and depth are found in Strength.
Although we may develop Strength, we can all relate to those times in our lives when we are spent; we are done; we need a break.
Taking time out at this point in the Journey to recoup, review and refresh, The Fool turns to The Hermit for a period of solitude.
Looking inward to understand the myriad of feelings and emotions which are now becoming part of The Fool’s character.
After this ‘time out’, The Fool is realising that life is a process of ups and downs, there is an ebb and flow to everything and we are all at the mercy of The Wheel of Fortune.
The Fool’s place in the world
The Fool must now show personal accountability and responsibility for their decisions to stand with integrity in their own truth.
Admitting to mistakes, being fair and taking this responsibility speaks to Justice.
Every now and again through their Journey, The Fool must endeavour to see things from another perspective.
This might be in order to let things go or to understand the viewpoint of another person.
Here The Hanged Man meets The Fool on their Journey.
It might seem as though life is upside down but everything will work out as it should in the long run.
With the wisdom that The Fool has now gained, having taken time out and tried an alternative viewpoint, there may be people or experiences which need to be left behind.
Stepping away can be difficult and yet essential for The Fool’s growth and progress through their Journey.
Death shows The Fool that this is a period of transition that can often be a transformative experience.
At this stage, the Fool has been on an emotional rollercoaster and needs to find balance and stability.
Here we find Temperance to calm everything down – patience is a virtue and The Fool will learn it here.
Overcoming challenges and obstacles
The Fool is now much more composed and feels more courageous to continue their Journey, only to be faced with The Devil.
Temptations are the order of the day now, feeling trapped, bound and enslaved.
The Fool is learning the lesson to step away from obsessions but it is a tough lesson to learn.
It’s often said that we all need a Tower moment to change things in our lives.
The Fool experiences The Tower after The Devil in order to free themselves.
Sudden change and upheaval shake The Fool’s beliefs and, hopefully, set them back on their more soulful path.
Calm and self-assurance
After the chaos, The Fool is calmer again and The Star shines the beacon of hope to guide the way.
The path is no longer hidden, The Fool can trust and have faith in their Journey again.
The Moon is a reminder that there are still illusions, falsehoods and fantasies to be wary of and The Fool is left confused again waiting for clarity.
The Sun brings the clarity that The Fool so desperately needs.
Self-confidence, fun and enthusiasm fill The Fool with warmth and happiness.
The Fool is nearing the end of their Journey, there have been many trials and challenges along with joy and growth.
Having become fully aware, Judgement is a time for The Fool to reflect and take a self-inventory; to understand their soul’s calling.
At last, The Fool has reached the end of their Journey and The World is both the ending and the beginning.
Full circle, through all the ups and downs, there is a sense of completion but here we understand that there is always another chapter.
The Fool’s Journey has given them a full range of emotions and helped to guide and teach them all the lessons of life.
The Fool has learned that love, perseverance, truth, justice, acceptance, honour and self-mastery are key to a purposeful and vibrant life.
The Fool’s Journey is not so foolish, after all.