Instructions In The Cauldron

We then find The High Priestess-II: she is the symbol of intuition and wisdom. We must be able to keep detached from the material world and listen to the voice of our guide spirits; only by knowing ourselves we will be able to understand the world surrounding us. Can you see the eyes of the woman in the drawing, lost in her thoughts and far away? It looks as if she could see beyond everything. I think she reminds me of an oak, strong and still.

The Empress- III: this card brings romanticism, love and sensuality. It’s the symbol of a happy moment, full of creativity and emotional fertility. She could be compared to spring, to rebirth. Soon after there is The Emperor- IV: it represents stability, respect of the rules and the ability to listen to our fellow men. It reminds us of a family father and tells us never to use other people. After the Emperor we have The Pope- V: it’s a sign connecting the material to the spiritual word, a Pontifex, that’s it. This card warns us to follow our heart and never to give up to temptation. That’s why it’s in opposition with the Arcane number XV, The Devil. But let’s follow the order; after The Pope there are The Lovers- VI: we are all made of two opposite sides, male and female, positive and negative. We must accept also our shadowy  sides and confide in other people, it’s the symbol of new relationships coming.

Moving further there’s The Cart-VII: it obviously refers to travelling. You see, the image is that of a coach drawn by two horses. The journey represented could be our soul’s journey on the Earth, so the Cart will represent our body, the means which we need  to live. The card can also foretell the choices we are going to take in a short time, we might afford some extremely uncertain moments. It’s no accident that two horses are represented, the  number “two” reminds us that we always have different choices. The next Major Arcana is Justice-VIII: this one always urges us to uphold our ideas and to act having a full faith in ourselves. We have to find peace and harmony. If we go on we find The Hermit-IX: it underlines how we sometimes need to be alone to find a light, which means wisdom. The card is usually represented by an elderly person holding a lantern in his hand, the symbol of intuition and knowledge, and in the other a stick, the means to overcome the troubles of life. It could be considered as the young man in the first card, The Crazy, having grown up and with a wider knowledge. If we move further we get to the Wheel of fortune-X: it’s the symbol of fate, of the wheel of our life turning in spite of our will. The condition of mankind is not unalterable, it’s continually changing. Our true lightness is often to have the ability to let ourselves be dragged by events. We find soon after The Force-XI: our adult side, the one which has to guide us. We must never hide our emotions, but follow them instead. We don’t have to tame the lion by cruelty, but by our will and wisdom; the lion represents our instincts. We can often find Force and Justice in the opposite order, that’s  Force at number VIII and Justice at number XI. In the following position there’s The Hangman-XII: someone who looks at the world from a different point of view. It could be considered as the moment of “reflection break” leading us to Illumination. Its roots, the feet, point upwards, to the sky, reminding us that we come from the Divine, from something above us. Going on we run into the card we fear the most, Death-XIII: it means the end of a period and the beginning of a new one. That’s part of our life, it’s not always something negative. We must be able to throw away what has become useless in our spiritual growth. In the next place there is Temperance-XIV: it foretells a period of quietness, full of harmony. Moderation leads to peace of mind. This means that the phases of peace and rest are necessary to recharge ourselves.

We then find The Devil-XV: this card reminds us that the souls descended into the material world and that we are always being tempted. In certain phases in our life, the force of our selfishness brings to light the hidden sides of our Ego, those sides we try to hide from everybody, including ourselves. What the Devil represents is just that: the tempting Ego, our material side which makes us heavier and prevents us from being uplifted. We have to know and to face evil if we want to gain awareness and become  better. Taking the decision of becoming incarnate on the Earth is not easy. Let’s go on to The Tower-XVI: the sudden collapse of a situation. Destruction was necessary to open doors to something different and new; this card will make us understand that unfortunately nothing is eternal.

The next Arcane are The Stars-XVII: a new phase of life starts with them, characterized by inspiration and creativity. Starlight makes our wishes brighter.

After the Stars, there’s  The Moon-XVIII: the interpretation of this card is that something mysterious and unknown can interfere with our intuition and deceive us. Nourishing our wishes in the shadow and acting  shrewdly is better, to avoid becoming the target of envy. After the Moon and the Stars, here’s The Sun-XIX: this card wants to tell us that obstacles have been overcome.

The Sun represents a moment in life characterized by a strong positive energy and by success. It is usually drawn as a child because, after a long journey to discover ourselves again, we have reached Knowledge and we feel like light-hearted children. We’re almost coming to the end. The next card is Judgment- XX: our soul has woken up, we’re wearing new clothes. We’ve learnt to look into ourselves to find the truth again and to get free from prejudices. Let’s finish with The world-XXI at last: a cycle is coming to an end, we’re going to be rewarded for our hard work. New opportunities are looming up on the horizon.

You see, these are in a few words the Major Arcana of the Tarots. They are wonderful, aren’t they? The most important thing is to be able to look at them, the figures can speak. Let’s have a break now, I’m having a glass of wine, which is never bad, and then I’ll go on, if you wish…”

“We don’t want to make you tired, Stella”, my sister claimed with fondness.

“Absolutely not! I’m pleased that you are being so attentive. Will you let Anne and Alison read your notes too, if they ask you?”