By Sarah Taylor
Like last week, this week we have a major arcana, minor arcana, major arcana configuration — however, this time with a different quality to the majors, which makes for a different feel and emphasis to the reading.
The Fool, Nine of Wands, The Judgment from The Röhrig Tarot deck, created by Carl-W. Röhrig. Click on the image for a larger version.
Whereas last week the majors were both personal in nature — referring to the development of Self, or Soul, at the level of you as an individual — this time the majors are transpersonal in nature. Or, more specifically, one is transpersonal (The Judgment) and the other is ‘extra-personal’ (The Fool).
What does this mean in plain language?
To put it as succinctly and clearly as possible, your reading today concerns an aspect of your development that holds the tension between a part of you or your experience that is on the verge of being birthed, and an aspect of your experience that is on the verge of a rebirth. So there is going to be a quality of complete newness and unpredictability, combined with the integration of something already existing in you that needed to go through the fires of transformation and come out the other side, stripped-down and purified.
Both of these aspects or states or experiences are in some way connected, but the clear message from the Nine of Wands here at centre is this:
“Don’t confuse yourself into thinking that what is new is one-and-the-same with what is being reborn. You are experiencing two things simultaneously that may feel the same, but in truth they are simply similar, and each has something different to offer you. Each is its own gift.”
And both situate you not simply as an individual, but as a crucial part of existence. You have something to give that others will benefit from as well as yourself.
Let me explain further. Imagine both your hands open in front of you, with one shiny coin in each palm, both the same size — let’s say a US Quarter for argument’s sake. Both Quarters may look the same; but it is clear that they are not the same coin. One is brand-new; the other you’ve been carrying with you for ages — years, even — but which has been shined to an as-new condition by the experiences you’ve just come through.
The importance of this distinction is clear, because to reduce them to the same thing is to do yourself out of what is yours (two gifts, abilities, or opportunities) and to diminish the journey you’ve had to make to craft and polish one of them — the one that you may have thought at some point in the relatively near past that you had to give up on.
Well, it’s back, and it’s far more in tune with the direction you’re headed in. And you’re back, too, and if you’re not yet clear about the next step you can take, that clarity isn’t far behind.
What happens when The Fool goes on a journey to find himself?
Look back and review your life. I’m suggesting that some part of who you are will be starting to come quite clearly into focus as something you’ve been working on for a long time — perhaps unknowingly. This can now join forces with that other shiny, brand-new Quarter that’s just appeared in your other hand. One part of The Fool has found another.
You are wearing two different hats (quite literally in The Fool card). You are free to make use of them. When you do, something is going to shift, and quite dramatically. What may have felt blocked or unavailable to you has the potential to open up. If once it felt like a door was locked to you, try it again. Try it again in spite of your doubts or protestations — because those doubts and protestations may be the biggest obstacles of all. Throw your own caution and self-talk to the wind and take that step. That’s what a Fool does, after all.
Astrology/Elemental correspondences: The Fool (Uranus), Nine of Wands (Moon in Sagittarius), The Judgment (Pluto)
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
Thank you, Sarah. This is so perfect, just the insight I have been needing.
I second that thought Christy… Big thanks and deep appreciation for your thoughtful explanation Sarah. Sometimes we are also the fire that our inner Phoenix will be reborn from.