Looking before you are leaping; not paying attention. Also can
mean having not a care in the world; being free from any constraints. In
the decks that I have seen, there is a dog tugging at the ankle of the
young man; he doesn't even notice.
Reversed:
Can mean cautiousness; could also mean taking a chance that didn't
or will not work out for you.
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1 - The Magician
To me, this card signifies someone who can take what they are given
and mold it to suit them. Being able to control the forces around you.
Reversed:
Being clumsy; unable to get anything to go right.
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2 - The High
Priestess
A wise woman or person; able to make good decisions.
Reversed:
Cloudy decision-making; unable to see where you are going.
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3 - The Empress
Fruitfulness; personal growth and fertility. The woman in this card
is very resourceful and providing.
Reversed:
No growth; stagnation. Unable to acquire something you need.
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4 - The Emperor
Power, being in control or in a position of authority.
Reversed:
A loss of a powerful position; a weakening of some sort.
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5 - The Heirophant
This card suggests to me someone looking for spiritual guidance. Can
also mean a pattern; something someone does even when it doesn't always
make sense.
Reversed:
Breaking out of the mold; finding ones' self and one's niche in society.
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6 - The Lovers
Love; a partnership or union. Pretty self-explanatory card.
Reversed:
The loss of someone; a break-up of some sorts.
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7 - The Chariot
Resolve to do something; power. Triumphing over an obstacle.
Reversed:
The loss of some sort of battle; fear to do something you have wanted
strongly to do.
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8 - Strength
Another self-explanatory card; having resolve and strength.
Reversed:
Weakness; inability to accomplish something in the face of an obstacle.
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9 - The Hermit
Solitude and introspection; a card that has deep meditative meaning.
Retreating to find something within yourself.
Reversed:
Retreating inwardly to escape reality; fear and withdrawal.
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10 - Wheel of
Fortune
No this is not the game show -- this card signifies Fate and luck.
Taking chances and seeing where it leads you.
Reversed:
Luck isn't with you; everything is going the wrong way.
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11 - Justice
Balance and harmony; everyone gets what they need.
Reversed:
Bias, injustice. Unfairness.
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12 - The Hanged
Man
A spiritual quest; this person is seeking knowledge and spiritual gain.
In the Norse tarot, this card is represented by Odin hanging from the tree
of Yggdrasil and grasping the runes, which signify knowledge and wisdom.
Reversed:
Not seeing the spiritual side of a situation; maybe not realising how
important something is. This is a difficult card to give a general interpretation
to; it is different in every reading.
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13 - Death
This card will probably never really literally mean death. It means
a transition of some sorts; a changeover. A very powerful card, this generally
means a life altering transition.
Reversed:
Stagnation; not going anywhere. The querent may have an opportunity
to make a positive change in his or her life and is not taking it or not
seeing it.
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14 - Temperance
This is not temperance in the sense of toleration; it means temperance
as used in the art of metallurgy. Temperance means to be able to mold and
shape something the way you want it. This card could mean being able to
take a situation and make it your own.
Reversed:
Out of control; not able to control the situation your in; feeling
powerless.
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15 - The Devil
This is not an "evil" card a some may see it. The meaning I often get
in this card is a sense of powerless and feeling indebted to something
or someone; possibly an addiction or vice that is causing problems. In
the Rider-Waite deck, this card shows what many would picture as the Devil;
however, I believe the interpretation Robin Wood decided on in her deck
is best -- two people in a dark tunnel trying to drag a heavy treasure-laden
chest to the end, but they can't make it, yet they are unwilling to let
go of it. In the Norse deck, this card portrays Loki's punishment by the
gods of Valhalla -- he is chained to a rock while a venomous snake drips
poison onto him. His wife catches the poison in a bowl, but eventually
the bowl fills, and each time she must empty it, causing the poison to
momentarily drip onto Loki. You get the picture now of what this card represents.
Reversed:
Freedom from pain and suffering; the ability to defeat that part of
yourself that holds you back or hurts you.
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16 - The Tower
This card usually represents some sort of setback or possible disaster
in the querent's life; perhaps an irretrievable loss.
Reversed:
Perhaps loss with something left over. Something terrible may have
happened, but there is still something to gain from it.
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17 - The Star
This is a difficult card also to give a general interpretation to;
it usually signifies for me darkness with a hint of light; possibly the
querent is totally in the dark about something, but they have a little
glimmer of an idea of what would be goin on. This also could be interpreted
as meaning that the querent sees that they are in a bad situation right
now and don't think they could get out of it; this card would suggest that
there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Reversed:
Could suggest that the querent has the wrong idea about a situation.
Again, this is hard to say definitely; you will get a feeling for what
it means in each reading.
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18 - The Moon
I often find that this card is usually closely allied with the Star.
This usually means secrets that are hidden from the querent. If you are
Wiccan like myself, however, this card can sometimes take on a more spiritual
meaning.
Reversed:
Something hidden from the querent that could be hurting them; possibly
lies or someone cheating them out of something.
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19 - The Sun
This card suggests happiness and luck, that maybe the gods are smiling
on the querent. Also suggests good fortune.
Reversed:
Bad luck maybe following the querent; things don't look so good right
now.
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20 - Judgement
Having to account for all the things one has done, good or bad, is
what this card usually represents. I find that with many who consider themselves
Christians, this card takes on a spiritual meaning for them. This also
means taking stock of your life and taking responsibility for your actions.
Reversed:
Not taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. Not realising
that everything that you do has far-reaching consequences.
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21 - The World
This is another hard-to-generalise card. It usually means coming full-circle;
maybe a completion of some sorts. Could also mean something very important
to the querent and everyone surrounding him or her.
Reversed:
Not finishing what you started; feeling like there are loose ends that
need to be tied up.
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