Tarot Major Arcana: A story of spiritual growth – Part 3

Having made the decision to leave the comforts of our safe world and to dig deeper into one’s soul, we entered the second part of the story which represented the mind and our inner struggles to fight that which we cannot change.

Now that the opposites of victory and loss have been accepted, and balance guides our acts, we are ready to enter the third and last part of this story.

Stage III: Soul – Upwards – Heavenly

This is the last chapter where our hero (we are our own heroes) achieves his goals and the world: he’s free!

Have you noticed that sometimes before healing definitely it only seems to get worse? The same happens at the beginning of this final stage.

Right after balance and recovery of the second stage were set, life exposes dependencies and slavery to conventions; ego, primitive desires and the determination to get things “the way I want” take over. These elements remain even though reality asks for recognition and acceptance of that which we cannot change or control (“The Devil”).

It’s hard to realize that what one thought was completed is actually not ready yet. Burdens and slavery are still there.

Therefore, and once again inspired by God and the heavens, crisis painted by “The Tower” card takes over and shakes up the entire world. This is a deep cleansing action which finally burns all that’s superfluous and not spiritually constructive, all attachments to old customs are gone; they were burnt down to its roots.

Material and personality burdens are cleasend away.

This crisis can be self induced sometimes; but if man doesn’t make the necessary decision, life usually takes over, and those energies (guardian angels) in charge of guiding and helping us through spiritual growth and evolution are indeed involved in taking us through these necessary experiences.

Once clean from ego, after so much fighting with the world and one’s self, looking up to “The Stars” in recognition of the spiritual and universal values learned along the way: there’s peace and sweet joy.

The abundance of stars and the generosity of their universal powers wake the urge to reach out and touch them. It is the will to be in harmony with spiritual values: beauty, truth and goodness… enlightment takes place.

“The Moon” represents the long and “dangerous” path that is the search for divinity, the quest for truth, the way to spiritual growth. The shine of “The Moon” allows seeing the purpose or goal, which lies in the future (intuition), in the dark. You can also see that it still takes a while to get there.

After all that has been achieved and lived, the road has finally led home, the place where one is welcome (“The Sun”), where warmth and light reigns. And it is as if time never existed, it seems like never having left. Did we ever?

Time is inexistent; in Judgement day (“The Judgement”), after having gone this long and dangerous road, you are not only free of attachments or ego, you are free of fear.

Material/Temporary mind is free. The spiritual mind is born or has been expanded, spiritual realities are attained, and lessons are definitely learnt.

The consciousness of God (the Eternal Father/Mother), also known as Nirvana is the card of “The World”: True light.

This process of spiritual evolution repeats itself over and over again, each time at higher levels, in a movement that could be graphically represented as an upwards opening spiral; each round is bigger and wider. The end is in reality a never ending new beginning.

In other aspects of life, “The Fool” starts its process again, that free soul parts from its comfortable settings and sets about to conquer the world; the quest for true values is long and beautiful.

This has been a story of attainment of Universal values:
Beauty of actions, truth in our minds, and goodness in our souls

Thanks for taking your time to read this story!

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Tarot Major Arcana: A story of spiritual growth – Part I

This story begins with “The Fool” and ends with him.

There are three states described in this story which are analogue to the “road of enlightment” led by Siddhartha; but these three stages are also pretty much like the process everybody goes through in life, personally or in relation to the always evolving paths of human civilization, it’s called “Spiritual Growth”. These states are patterns or archetypes which repeat themselves throughout all great quests.

I have prepared this image in order to follow each card as if it were a spiritual diary with three chapters. You can click on it for a bigger view.

Stage I: Body – Outwards

The first line of cards represents the state of “worldly life” or “material life”, the place where one influences others and is influenced by society. This is your everyday life. Material values are at display in the form of ignorance (not seen as negative), manipulation, the quest for power, concentration on acquiring material fortunes. Spirituality or spiritual purposes are not really present. This is Plato’s “soul of desire”.

Although today “The Fool” and “The Magician” cards have different meanings for us today – as you will see in my further descriptions- these represented archetypes, as original concepts, are rather negative.

• The unwanted, the renegade, he who doesn’t fit in and gives his back to society and its mores represented by “The Fool”.
• “The Magician” is the greedy street performer who will trick you out of your money without blinking, the con artist.

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