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The Major Arcana moves in a chronological order from 0 The Fool to 21 The World. Many of the articles that I have written for Healing Currents features one or more Arcana cards that may relate to the monthly theme of the journal. One card can hold a tremendous amount of information regarding a specific issue. Another way of exploring meaning within the Major Arcana is by finding the inner dynamic connections within the twenty-two cards from a numerological perspective in order to find hidden story lines and lessons within the context of this great body of wisdom. The numerological story lines are found in groups of threes, for instance, 3, The Empress, 12 (3), The Hanged One, and 21 (3), The World. There are many of these triads within the Tarot, and they are fascinating to study. For the theme of this month, Women and Power, I want to focus on the above triad because it relates to the unfolding evolution of the Sacred Feminine.
In historic fables and fairy tales, the number three represents power and magic. Most fairy tales have a theme of three, be it three wishes, three daughters, three spells, or three tasks. These symbolically represent the formation of the plot, and the inevitable journey toward enchantment, or rebirth. Once the three tasks are complete, the prince, (spirit). and princess, (soul). live happily ever after in the Kingdom, or, the Spiritual Home. Three breaks the spell, for the Triple Goddess Triad, living within the fabric of the number three, reveals the maiden, mother, crone trilogy which mirrors the life, death, rebirth cycle that we must all embark upon in life in one way or another. The death of one myth and the re-birth of another is the profound work of the soul that fairy tales mirror to us in the unconscious realm.
Hidden within the mysterious context of the Tarot is the unfolding story or myth of the evolutionary path of the Goddess. The story, as it unfolds, offers a refined understanding of the plight of the Feminine and Her perilous, courageous, and sacred journey including the roots of Her incarnation, the vessel of Her sacrifice, and Her return to the world, empowered and complete within Her Self again. To understand this cycle, we look to the three significant Major Arcana cards that reveal this Truth.
The Empress, card number Three, ruled by Venus, represents the first manifestation of physical form on Earth and opens the gateway into organic living and initiation. The Empress is proceeded by the High Priestess, card number two, the Holy One, who carries the vision of Her manifestation within her cosmic matrix. The Empress is Natura, or, The Soul of Nature. She is alive with the power of procreation on all levels. She unifies the stars, the seeds, the planets, the gems and crystals hidden in the depths of the Earth, and connects them to human rhythms and cycles. She is the Goddess incarnate holding the Truth and the Key to Feminine Integrity. She must live a sacred life, and she does.
The hanged One, card number Twelve, numerologically reduces to Three, (1+2=3), is ruled by Neptune, the planet most connected to sacrifice, suffering, and martyrdom. The next step the Goddess must take on Her journey to Feminine Consciousness is to empty Her vessel and birth life outside of Her own Matrix. She gives herself up to a greater service and sacrifices the wholeness she once new to be entirely Her own. This sacred act entitles Her to meet the under world, where the shadow side of sacrifice becomes the suffering, martyrdom and victimization the Goddess has endured for the last five thousand years. She epitomizes the concept of Zen, for Her nothingness is everything and leads Her toward the actualization of fullness. In time, Her vessel turns upward, and She radiates unconditional love on the highest level.
The next step on Her path is resurrection and consummation, seen as the World, card Number 21, which numerologically reduces to another Three, (2+1=3). Complete and unto Herself, The Goddess stands within the four corners of destiny, represented by the four fixed signs of the zodiac. She has given,(Leo), received, (Taurus). emptied, (Scorpio). and become whole again, (Aquarius). In Her wholeness she finds Her unique and eccentric beauty pulsating with the electric tides of Universal flow. Her place in the world grows stronger and She has the ability to choose Her own course of action. She births what she wishes, how she wishes, and when she wishes. Her birthing extends beyond Her body, integrating Soul, Spirit, and Mind. She is inspired to serve the world in various ways; Her Feminine Integrity restored beyond Her wildest dreams. Her enchantment changes the myth of Woman, and a new world order is born. The archetype of the feminine re-births Her Self once again.
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