The Goddess Gift Tarot
 

Skills and abilities, going from sleight of hand (or stage magic) to working with the elements and changing consciousness and the world. The focus is on the mind - intellect, concentration and willpower - the so-called “masculine” or consciousness gifts. Too little of that leads to self-doubt and a weak ego. Too much of that can lead to an inflated ego and hubris.

Intuition combined with common sense, and the feminine path and way of knowing, experiential wisdom. The High Priestess is aware and open to the interconnectedness of the Universe, and the Goddess mysteries. The High Priestess can also embody the Life Force, and as such she’s softening, strengthening or confronting the ego.

The union of The Magician and The High Priestess, and inner union of the “masculine” and “feminine” gifts, propels us into true creativity and even creative genius. This is the Goddess energy in Her enlightened form - conscious Life energy - and the mystery of evolution. She’s sovereign, powerful, and fertile.

The Emperor is naturally the consort of the Goddess, the King received by the Goddess in the Sacred Marriage, the descent of consciousness in its embodied, powerful form. He is authority and power, leadership, honor, and ready to sacrifice himself for the land and the people. In his extreme forms, and if the connection to the feminine is weakened, he can become distorted by the power and the office he holds.

This is the card of the traditional values and institutions, but because of how our history evolved, it now represents The Patriarchy, and the path of “masculine” values and spirituality. If these teachings are detached from the Goddess (or are suppressing Her), they can become ossified, fossilized, rigid, inflexible, and therefore distorted.

I created The Matriarchy as the counterpart to The Hierophant. This energy is just as extreme - the onslaught of emotions, the devouring mother, and the Queen Bee can all be represented here. By being overly detached from or rejecting “masculine” values, the Goddess energy too can become distorted and destructive.

Traditionally considered a card of harmony, union, or romantic love, The Lovers is really about values, and how to balance the dynamic dualities inherent in how the Universe actually works. In its highest expression, it is the blissful Shakti/Shiva dance. In its most frequent human expression, it is a lesson in patience and a reminder that love must be practiced, not professed.

This card is generally related to directed, focused energy and action. Sometimes, it’s about overcoming obstacles and challenges. Or, it can be about motion, changes, achievement, and travel. The Chariot traditionally has no horses or anything else pulling it forward - it is self-propelled by our own energy and willpower. There is no other way to advance.

Visibly a Durga-esque energy, resembling the Great Goddess of olden times, this is a solar feminine energy denoting inner strength. It is generally seen to represent conquering one’s inner nature and emotions, but the key to working with this card is that we conquer by accepting. Only when we are able to consciously hold our wholeness we have reached this point.

Contraction follows expansion, it is the way of the world, as natural as breathing. Sometimes we need solitude and soul-searching, recentering and re-focusing on our connection to ourselves. Sometimes, solitude and isolation are forced upon us. Either way, it’s a time of integration and pruning out what does not belong.

Traditionally called The Wheel of Fortune, it can also be seen as The Wheel of Time, successive incarnations, or astrological signs. It signifies change, cycles and it’s a reminder that time is not linear and that we all have everything inside of us. The key to working with The Wheel is to remain centered and balanced - then we see that up is down and the only truth is movement.

Justice stands for causality, complexity and karmic lessons. It’s not about fate as punishment or any fear-based paradigm - it is about destroying ignorance and everything that stems from it. Developing compassion and empathy by truly being in someone’s shoes, being broken open and given grace, fall and redemption are all part of the human story. Every death is a liberation, and every birth is a blank canvas for a new human to rise.

This is Odin hanging from the World Tree, sacrifice of the self to gain the wisdom of the Runes. A change of perspective is needed whenever we become stuck, whether in our own ego and power or by the force of external circumstances - what are the eternal lessons we can use as a foundation to pivot to a higher state of being?

The change of perspective, sacrifice of the ego, or simply external circumstances, can force upon us a transformation, a death-and-rebirth. Everything moves in creation-and-destruction cycles, endings-and-beginnings, and a profound understanding of the cycles of nature helps with the fear-based response of the caterpillar becoming the butterfly.

This is a card of alchemy, of subtle but potent mixing of opposites and holding them in balance, transforming them into inner peace and the highest expression of self. Further integration of the Justice, Hanged Man, and Death experiences have brought us to a point of contentment and enjoyment of life. Temperance is also a traditional virtue, and we truly feel like gold at this stage.

Modern interpretations of the tarot refer to this card as the shadow. Addiction, fear, greed, envy, depression, feeling trapped, feeling like a victim, all the negative emotions which we have been taught to repress and deny are suddenly taking their toll. The dark is what has been hidden and rejected, in the collective as well as ourselves, and now these forces are holding us hostage.

I added this She-Devil card because truly what we demonize will be different, depending on whether we lean into our “masculine” or “feminine” sides. The Succubus is the forbidden, temptation, the original sin, the rebellion of Lilith who chose exile rather than submission. By demonizing and warping sexuality, we suppress our own vitality, life force, and creativity.

Traditionally The Tower is a scary card, akin to the tower of Babel upheaval of the world. Everything changes after a Tower moment, and the destruction can be sudden and traumatic. However, the Tower carries a very Kali-esque energy, and often when things get destroyed the world is rebuilt around better and more solid foundations.

Almost to compensate for the destruction of the Tower, the Star reminds us to take shelter in our connection to Spirit and have faith in the Universe and in ourselves. Anchored in the Heavens, we can rebuild and recreate, and every iteration will bring us closer to our true selves, and to the universal values. Clarity, healing and an outpouring of creativity often follow.

Ever-changing and mysterious, the Moon is not what it seems to be. This card speaks of illusion, tricks of perception, veils, deluding ourselves and others, seeing what we want to see. The Moon’s influence in our lives is immense and hidden at the same time, its pull on our emotions unmistakable, its light-and-shadow a reminder that all is a matter of perspective.

Sunshine is the best cure, we say, or shine your light. This card stands for the power of authenticity and spiritual advancement, a cheerful, bright, joyful energy which radiates out and feeds the world. Also, we should not forget that it is the Earth’s turning on itself that brings sunsets, nights and dawns, and it is the weather patterns in the Earth’s atmosphere that sometimes occult the Sun. The Light is always there.

This card is traditionally called Judgement, as if the Earth were a prison colony. Besides, we already have the Justice card. I changed it to Awakening as a reminder that life is what we make of it, and Heaven on Earth is something we need to build before we get to inherit. The angel is there, yes, and the hour is near, but we are the ones we have been waiting for.

The World signifies completion, and the end of a cycle. It can also stand for accomplishment, success, and well-deserved reward, even Heaven on Earth. It can represent the energy of the Universal Mother, true wisdom and enlightened states. It is the understanding that we are one world, and the triumph of the dharma.

I placed The Fool card at the end of the Major Arcana to illustrate the fact that striving doesn’t get us anywhere for the simple fact that the journey never ends. With the wisdom of accomplishment we embark on the next adventure in another world, where we become again The Fool. This is the energy of the beginner’s mind, and a true blessing.