De la Mano con El Tarot

(Hand in hand with the Tarot)

Image by the author

Introduction

This short article is part of a 22 day series. For me it is a Psychomagic Act. If you have never heard of Psychomagic, there is an article that I am currently working on to expand (feel free to follow me). But in the mean time, I can tell you that Psychomagic one of the many contributions of Alejandro Jodorowsky to the field of Spiritual Psychology.

In a nutshell, Psychomagic is a symbolic ritual that engages with the unconscious aspect of the self. Psychomagic is a powerful technique that brings forward perspective and healing.

The next 22 days are my own Psychomagic Act to engage deeper with the Tarot. More specifically, the 22 Major Arcana or Trump Cards. As this is the section of the deck that I use in my readings with clients. They become a clear projection of the unconscious and open up the door to potential, perspective, and most importantly, hope.

What’s in it for me? As a perpetual student of the Universe, I am always looking to connect and reconnect with the cards in order to find new insights. These insights have helped me step into new perspectives, generate great connections, and most importantly, live my life purposes by communicating the wisdom of these different traditions to those souls that are called to work with me.

The Tarot

We can define The Tarot as a system of Divination that divides into:

1. 22 Major Arcana or Trumps numbered 0–21
2. 4 Suits that represent an Element or aspect of the self:

a. Wands — Fire — Sexuality

b. Cups — Water — Emotions

c. Swords — Air — Thoughts

d. Coins — Earth — Matter

3. 4 Sets of Cout Cards:

a. Page

b. Queen

c. King

d. Knight

Let’s note that as long as the Tarot has been around, there has been different ways to read and interpret it. Therefore, the way I have divided the Tarot above could be different than what others are used to. I am a student of the Jodorowsky school, as well as other Magickal traditions. Thus, I have a certain view of the Tarot that works for me.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana of the Tarot is numbered 0–21. Traditionally, these cards are known to represent major milestones and experiences along the journey. To take it a step further, Alejandro Jodorowsky possits that numbers 1–10 in the Majors represent our conscious selves. Whereas numbers 11–20 represent our unconsious aspects.

If you take a look at the rendition below, you can see that from 10 onwards, there is a transition from human figures to different beings. Something that some people may refer to as fantasy or not real. What we will start to realize is that a lot of what happens in cards 11–20 is the language of our dreams. This is how we communicate with the unconscious.

But wait, what about the numbers 0 and 21? Let’s talk about those.

Arcanum 0 is what most people know as “The Fool”. In the Marseille tradition we refer to this card as “Le Mat” (there is no direct translation to the English language for this term). Regardless of what we call it, Le Mat is everything and nothing at the same time. Le Mat is pure radiating potential. Therefore, Le Mat is the beginning, but also the end. Thus, we could see Arcanums 1–20 as a point of transition between Le Mat and The World.

The World is Le Mat and Le Mat is the World. If we follow most schools of spiritual through, life is eternal. The Spirit, being a fragment of the “all” continues to experience itself over and over. Therefore, the travel of Le Mat is similar to that of a Pilgrim. Le Mat experiences all that the different aspects of its conscious and unconscious self has to offer until there is a point of balance and unison.

As those experiences are integrated, then out the cosmic womb that is The World, Le Mat once again emerges to start the journey once again. This will make more sense to you if you follow the daily articles into day 22.

What Can We do with The Tarot?

We can see The Tarot as a mirror and as a door. A mirror, because within the cards we will project what we need to see and integrate at any given point. And it becomes a gateway, because it allows us to open up the connection to the deepest aspect of our being.

We can materialize this as:

1. Discovering insights from our family tree and ancestors.
2. Connect to the Akashic Records and tap into our cosmic blueprint.
3. We can use the language of the cards to craft practical Magick to unify the ethereal with the physical.

Conclusions

The Tarot is a tool of introspection that can open different doors based on our specific needs and situations. Sometimes is to connect to the events of the day and others to reconnect with those that came before us to help them be seen.

Join me over the next 22 days as we dive into the Major Arcana.