Among the twenty-two cards of the Tarot Major Arcana, three keys unlock the doors to understanding ourselves and the universe. They are: The Fool, The Magician, and The High Priestess. These three cards correspond to the numbers 0, 1, and 2 — and to three archetypal forces of human consciousness: fearless creation, skillful communication, and deep intuition.
0. The Fool — The Fearless Creator
The Fool represents the state of consciousness before birth and after death. In life experience, this state is often described as mystical, transcendent, ecstatic, and transpersonal in nature.
Image and Symbolism
The Fool is represented by Dionysus, the Spring-time god, wrapped with four coils of a large umbilical cord. His Bacchus horns and grapes symbolize the creative power of giving birth to new forms from a state of wonder and anticipation — rather than from fear.
The Oriental symbol of fear is the tiger. The tiger attempts to gnaw at his leg, but Dionysus gives no power to fear. He looks straight ahead — therefore, fear cannot make a dent.
The Four Coils: Four Creative Capacities
The Fool’s green tunic and the different swirls of the umbilical cord represent his capacity to give birth to various forms:
- The first swirl goes around the heart: giving birth to new feelings.
- The second swirl carries four symbols:
- The caducei (winged serpents facing each other): giving birth to new ways of health and well-being
- The butterfly: giving birth to new ways of transforming
- The vulture: giving birth to new ways of setting limits with vulture-like people and situations
- The dove: giving birth to new ways of being compassionate with one’s vulnerabilities
- The third swirl reveals two people intertwined in an embrace: giving birth to new forms of relationship.
- The last coil reveals the Egyptian Crocodile God, Souchos: giving birth to creative vision in our work and creativity.
The Fool as Alchemist
The Fool holds fire in one hand and an upside-down cup in the other. He unifies feelings (water) with energy and vision (fire) to create original and innovative ideas (steam — the white drops in the background). With his sun-belt, he commits himself to bringing creativity into solid, usable matter.
For Those Born with the Number 22
For individuals whose birthday adds up to 22, The Fool is their life-time personality symbol. Such persons are seen by others as highly creative and in need of variety. Fool people are not foolish or fool-hardy. They are courageous and risk-taking. They come across as fearless even though they might feel fear gnawing within them. They are drawn toward and tend to explore the mystical, transcendent, and transpersonal realms of consciousness.
Affirmation
I am a radiant being.
I am a living treasure.
I deeply honor and value the unlimited resource of courage that is within me.
I respect the nature of who I am.
There is nothing to fear.
I. The Magician — The Master of the Art of Communication
The Magician represents communication that is inspired, resilient, and well-timed. This symbol represents an individual’s capacity to communicate equally well in both oral and written communication.
Mercury: The Winged Messenger
The golden figure of The Magician is Mercury, the winged messenger from Greek mythology. The double serpents rising from Mercury’s head represent the power of communication that is balanced, healing, and transformative.
The Ten Tools: The Complete Arsenal of Communication
The Magician is surrounded by ten tools, each representing a way of picking the appropriate tool or tools for communication that would best serve a particular context:
- First, the coin. Represents the ability to communicate in ways that can assist finances and practical endeavors.
- Second, the floating lantern. Represents communication that, like Aladdin’s lamp, inspires or evokes the “genius” within one’s communication and nature.
- Third, the ibis or phoenix wand. Represents the ability to communicate from a philosophical, religious, or spiritual base.
- Fourth, the arrow moving toward the winged eye of Horus. Represents direct and honest communication that is well-timed.
- Fifth, the winged eye of Horus with the dove within it. Represents inspired vision that is articulated.
- Sixth, the floating scroll or book. Represents the power of written communication.
- Seventh, the winged egg. Reminds us that all communication is prompted from our essence (the wings) and is constantly being reformed and delivered (the egg).
- Eighth, the cup with the coiled serpent. Represents the transformative power (serpent) to communicate the range of one’s feelings (the cup).
- Ninth, the sword. Represents the ability to articulate ideas and thoughts clearly and succinctly.
- Tenth, the golden monkey. Represents Thoth, the Egyptian God of Wisdom, who transforms himself into a golden monkey to demonstrate that in communication we must be flexible and aware of all communication lines.
The Art of Communication: Combining Timing and Content
The Magician organizes communication patterns by picking the appropriate tools or content and combining them with well-timed delivery.
Blunt communication is communication that lacks correct timing.
Confused communication is communication that lacks appropriate content, yet may be well-timed in delivery but poorly organized.
The wizard-like quality of The Magician is to artfully combine good timing with clear content and appropriate context.
For Those Born with the Number 1
For individuals whose birthday adds up to 1, The Magician represents their life-time spiritual symbol. These persons are generally skilled in any arena where communication is required and would function easily in teaching, counseling, consulting, media, design, film, photography, T.V., public relations, diplomacy, negotiation, management, music, and writing.
Affirmation
I communicate effectively.
I create magic when I use my inherent gifts and talents.
I deeply honor and value the unlimited resources of skilled communication that are within my nature.
II. The High Priestess — Intuition and Independence
The High Priestess represents the universal principle of intuition, independence, self-trust, and self-resourcefulness.
The Androgynous Balance
This is an androgynous figure who archetypally represents balance:
Above the navel: curved lines, soft, magnetic, receptive
Below the navel: straight lines, strong, dynamic, assertive
The High Priestess with her sun/moon crown represents each person’s commitment to have equal balance in strength and softness. This archetype serves as a reminder that we are not to sacrifice our strength for our softness or our softness for our strength.
The Crystals and Intuition
The crystals represent the multifaceted aspects of intuition present at each level of consciousness:
The triangular crystal represents mental intuition. The round crystal represents emotional intuition. The diamond crystal represents spiritual insight. The octagonal crystal represents physically registered information.
Intuition is like “the great still lake” — reflective, contained, deep, and always present, waiting to be accessed and trusted.
The High Priestess in Different Cultures
The High Priestess appears in different cultures under different names and forms:
In Egyptian mythology, she is Isis, the Goddess of Intuition. In Oriental mythology, she is Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion. In Greek mythology, with her bow and arrow, she is Artemis, the Nature Goddess getting in touch with her own nature.
Mythically, this archetype also represents the journey homeward or the return to oneself. The camel within the oasis symbolizes the return to the inner oasis or garden within. The camel also represents self-resourcefulness in its capacity to go long barren distances, yet always find the oasis.
For Those Born with the Number 2
For individuals whose birthday adds up to 2, The High Priestess represents their life-time spiritual symbol. These persons strongly value independence and self-resourcefulness. They have a deep regard for balance and harmony. They are unusual people to know in that they are equally as dynamic as they are receptive. They are very tenacious and able, like the camel, to go long, barren distances — but invariably, they find the oasis.
High Priestess people can immediately tell one what is out of balance and can supply creative solutions to bring situations, projects, or people back into balance. Such persons would be excellent negotiators, consultants, or diagnosticians.
The High Priestess as a Growth Symbol
Whenever one has The High Priestess as a growth symbol, there is the beginning of a long, nine-to-ten-year cycle that emphasizes the process of creative self-sufficiency and individuation. During a High Priestess year, one evaluates who one is and who one is not. It is a year in which there is a need for balance and harmony, requiring trust in one’s own independence, self-resourcefulness, and perceptions. Often during a High Priestess year, an individual will experience the emergence of a new identity.
Affirmation
I deeply value and honor the human being that I am.
I am a very perceptive and intuitive human being.
I trust myself and value my sense of integrity.
The Fool — the fearless creator who gives birth to new forms from wonder and anticipation.
The Magician — the master of communication who artfully combines timing, content, and context.
The High Priestess — the independent one who trusts intuition, maintains balance, and returns to herself.
These three keys open not only a Tarot deck — but the map of consciousness within each of us.
References
- Arrien, A. (1987). The Tarot handbook: A practical guide to using the Thoth Tarot. Arcus Publishing.
- Douglas, A. (1972). The Tarot: The origins, meaning and uses of the cards. Victor Gollancz.
- Johnson, R. A. (1986). Inner work: Using dreams and active imagination for personal growth. Harper & Row.
- Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and his symbols. Doubleday.
