Archetypes in the Tarot

by Beth Phillips

  

"Archetypes in the Tarot" will be a series of articles examining the archetypes represented in the Major Arcana of a standard Tarot deck and the way that is used in developing an advisory reading.  For the purposes of this series archetype will be defined as the general characteristics of a specific kind of person as indicated by several factors shown on and associated with the Tarot cards.  Due to the widely varied styles of the many versions of the Tarot deck I will use the Rider-Waite as the visual basis for this discussion. 

 

Every culture has it's myths, legends, theology, fables and tall tales.  These are used to teach the lessons of behavior, right and wrong, social expectations and give identifying markers of how to tell what kind of individual is being dealt with.  Using these as examples I will show the relevance to the world today. Acknowledging the differences in culture I will focus my comments to the specifics of tale and culture.  This will show the application of archetypes through the eyes of many cultures and why the Tarot is so easily translates to global application.

 

As there are several of the Major Arcana that do not specifically use human figures I will deal with them in a separate article. 

 

Use of the Tarot to determine an individuals character is especially problematic unless you are confident of the culture which you are reading for so I will confine my evaluation to Western societal interpretations.  In comparing the cards to their archetypes I shall include the astrological associations. For this series I will use only Western astrology as the comparison of Chinese, Taoist and other systems would become too cumbersome.  There are several decks of tarot that put astrological symbols directly on the cards but as there are several symbols on each card I find it confusing for the client to attempt to explain all the relevant information. It distracts from the issue under consideration.

 

There are fifteen cards to be considered. The Fool (0), the Magician (1), the High Priestess (2), the Empress (3), the Emperor (4), the Hierophant (5), the Lovers (6), the Chariot (7), Justice (8), the Hermit (9), the Hanged Man (12), Death (13),Temperance, and  the Devil  (15).   In each of these cards the human figure plays an important part in the meaning of the card.  Each symbolizes a quality of a human and as such has overlapping qualities with some of the others.  It is by taking the information of this archetype and in consideration of it's placement that we can derive a substantial meaning and relate it to the question posed.  In combination with the other cards and their placement we begin to see a cohesive message that can be interpreted. This interpretation is where most of the misunderstandings take place. Skill is needed to accurately decipher the applicable meaning. It is paramount in any discussion of "fortune telling" that we understand that no one can tell the future absolutely.  All that can be done is advise what the probable aspects are and the potential for finding a particular answer. By virtue of free will humans make it unwise to give advise in the guise of foretelling the future.  Using archetypes and suggesting certain courses of action will however lead the client to a examination of themselves and more importantly give them both permission and direction to closely examine the character of those they encounter by providing them with the tools to understand why a certain person may behave in a specific manner in a given situation.  That said, we can begging our examination with a few comments on the generalities of what cards refer to which sex. Yes, only certain cards have a sex designation. The Fool can be either gender. The Magician, the Lovers, the Chariot, Justice, the Hermit, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance and the Devil are also not necessarily of either gender in meaning. The High Priestess,  the Empress, the Emperor and the Hierophant each have a designated sex that doesn't change with placement or question. They may not mean a human person and may only mean an idea or influence but they are fixed in their gender.

 

In the next installment the Fool will be the focus of our attention.