Tarot Constellations

This constellation is about the spark of a flint, the burning of a fire, and all the forces of effort and resistance that come between. It is the process of manifestation. Held within these three cards is a desire to bring something forth, to see something through to the end. The Magician is intent on the thrill of creation, while The Sun settles us into the warm comfort of completion; The Wheel of Fortune, though, reminds us that between those two polarities is where life happens. Consider the literary hero, embarking on some epic journey: through The Magician they are called to an adventure, perhaps given some magical tools or skills that make them uniquely qualified for their quest. If this hero were to be instantaneously successful, if they encountered no hiccups or setbacks, no roadblocks or plot twists before their return home—represented here by The Sun—there would be no story worth telling.

Not to sound trite, but these cards remind us that life is about the journey rather than the destination.The Wheel of Fortune is what makes every plot beat essential to the growth of our hero, so they don’t come home the same person they were when they left. Every quest begins with the energy of The Magician, but none could end without the humbling and spiralic (to borrow a term from tarot practitioner Lindsay Mack) trials of The Wheel of Fortune, and no homecoming would feel quite so satisfying without both.

These three cards all serve as witness: The High Priestess is concerned with the internal, with our subconscious and the voices of our intuition and our spirit guides; Justice turns their attention to the external, to the workings of the conscious world, and they search for the nuanced gray of truth within highly contrasted interactions; Judgement flips the perspective and shifts our positions to the outside looking in at ourselves with an evaluative gaze. This constellation is one of receiving and learning, for the studious soul who grows through gathering existential information. Their main goal is not necessarily to influence change or resistance; instead they gain clarity through acceptance, they learn empathy through discernment, and they make peace by embracing personal responsibility. This is not to say that they may never act or participate, but rather that when they do, they act from a position of informed confidence.These archetypes are matriarchal pillars of wisdom, as applicable to our souls’ evolution as they are to our legal systems.

The three major arcana cards that make up this constellation ask us to release ourselves from soul-hindering resistance. 

The Empress seeks to heal us—mind, body, and spirit. They inhabit a space of matresence, of internal mothering; they are our doulas, guiding us through the transformative experience of every transition. We accept care. 

The Hanged Man has made their share of inevitable human mistakes and endured a series of unfortunate experiences; they digest the wisdom they’ve gained, overcome shame, and rehabilitate themselves. We accept consequence. 

The World symbolizes the successful manifestation of our soul’s purpose. We accept fate. 

These cards plot themselves on a path of maturity: from the helplessness of infancy, to the growing pains of adolescence, to the soul embodiment of adulthood. They are reminders that we cannot control the external; we can only control ourselves and adjust how we respond. This acceptance gives us the power to design our own realities, rather than fighting to live through somebody else’s.

This constellation is about knowing when to seize control and when to acquiesce, when to fight and when to retreat, when to say yes and when to say no. With The Fool we learn to master ourselves, to circumvent the tangled web of crushing doubt or worst case scenario thinking that our minds weave so that we can make an autonomous and soul-led choice; however, the fool is aptly named, because sometimes it is wiser to heed the warnings of a well-intentioned voice. The Emperor is master of the world around them; they create order and systems of efficiency from a place of authority; however, some rules are meant to be broken. And Death, the great equalizer, is master of us all; we can postpone the inevitable to a certain extent, but everything ends eventually.

The Shakespearean interaction between these three cards is inescapable. Consider the tragedy of King Lear, or Hamlet’s soliloquy to Yorick’s skull: the lines between king and fool, nobility and servant are blurred in life. Then, in death, they all become the same humbled dust. 

This constellation is concerned with the synthesization of information that must happen between listening and preaching. The Hierophant is the lifelong educator, but also the perpetual student; the more they learn, the more they understand their ignorance, and so they dedicate their earthly time to the reciprocal nature of their pedagogy. Similarly, Temperance straddles the earthly plane and the spirit world; they are in communion with their intuition, their guides, and a greater power, but also grounded and down to earth. They are influenced by spirit, yet they maintain free will. Additionally, they can receive council and enlightenment without seeking to indoctrinate others. For these two cards there is great power in their inclination towards awareness, and much danger in their perception as figures of indubitable authority. Infallibility is a delusion; humility is the objective.

This constellation is concerned with the reconciliation of our shadow selves and our conscious selves. These two cards represent the dichotomy of our perception and the way we project our subconscious onto the external world. In The Lovers we are attracted to the aspects of ourselves that we most wish to unbridle. When we do not act on these mysterious parts of ourselves, our subconscious projects them on to something else, to something outside ourselves so we can seek them out in a tangible way. On the other hand, The Devil appears when that which we hope to keep hidden in our subconscious for fear or shame is reflected back to us in the form of a triggering experience or an interpersonal conflict. The collective unconscious is vast; as humans we hold it all, although we can only embody small bits at a time. This constellation invites us to be open to the synchronicities that draw out aspects of the collective unconscious of which the world needs to be reminded or that would support our shared experiences.

Both The Chariot and The Tower are in the business of dismantling. The Chariot is a trailblazer, bravely leaving behind the security and comforts of a home base and metaphorically deconstructing unfit modes of travel, if only to later repurpose those parts in the creation of vehicles more suited to clearing new, more efficient paths towards our soul’s destination. Contradictorily, the dismantling of The Tower favors methods of destruction and demolition; whether the structure comes down slowly, brick by brick or in a staggering implosion, the debris must be cleared before anything can be rebuilt. This constellation is concerned with the shattering, but not necessarily the repair. Like muckrakers sniffing out corrosion and corruption, these cards reveal the loose bolts and expose the cracks in foundations. By dismantling—indoctrinated beliefs, systems of oppression or inequity, generational traumas, cycles of abuse, etc.—we make space for something more supportive. By doing this work we serve ourselves, but we also contribute to the betterment of the shared human experience. 

This coupling of cards is concerned with healing both our subconscious and our conscious wounds. The figure in the Strength card offers a form of mothering: they tame the beasts within by tending to forgotten scars; the shame of being hurt, of feeling pain, of lashing out is absolved. Through this gentle parenting, our most feral monsters are rehabilitated; they are ushered into peace. The Star offers the space for a slow and mindful recovery, one in which rest is prioritized and progress is incremental. The hope offered by this card is careful, never naive. Together, Strength and The Star are a salve for the collective wounds of generational traumas or ancestral curses. This is transformative and sustainable healing that transcends the individual mind, body, and soul. 

These two cards bring up the interplay between our own personal subconscious, influenced by our unique experiences, and the collective unconscious, created by the spectrum of human existence. The Hermit uses mindfulness, quiet solitude, and introspection as tools of self-actualization, while The Moon brings forth the mysteries of the universe through things like dream work, hypnotherapy, or channeled art. Each card brings up one of humankind’s greatest fears: The Hermit submerges into the fear of being alone with oneself, and The Moon explores the fear of the unknown. These fears are obstacles of soul truth and enlightenment, and so they must be vanquished.