In his book The Pictorial Key to Tarot, Arthur Edward Waite says that The Empress is:

“A stately figure, seated, having rich vestments and royal aspect, as of a daughter of heaven and earth. Her diadem is of twelve stars, gathered in a cluster. The symbol of Venus is on the shield which rests near her. A field of corn is ripening in front of her, and beyond there is a fall of water. The scepter which she bears is surmounted by the globe of this world. She is the inferior Garden of Eden, the Earthly Paradise, all that is symbolized by the visible house of man. She is not Regina coeli, but she is still refugium peccatorum, the fruitful mother of thousands.”

Universal Waite Tarot
©U.S. Games Systems

Both the High Priestess and Empress wear crowns. Paul Foster Case asserts that is no fundamental difference between the two, “but the High Priestess symbolizes the virgin state of the cosmic subconsciousness, as it is in itself, whereas the Empress typifies the productive, generating activities of the same subconsciousness, after it has been impregnated by seed-ideas originating at the self-conscious level represented by The Magician.” (The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages).

The four elements are found throughout philosophy, myth and literature, in addition to being foundational for both magical work and Tarot.

But what do they mean? What does the energy of each feel like? How are the four elements expressed in the real world (apart from literal manifestations in movies like The Last Airbender)?

I thought I’d create a fun post on how the four elements might look through various lenses, including Star Trek races, candy, Retro TV, music and Hogwarts houses. Although these are light-hearted associations, they can still be utilized in magic making with the elements.

A powerful and enigmatic archetype, The Magician is arguably one of the most troublesome cards of the Tarot, perhaps because it embodies several powerful patterns that can be, at times, conflicting.

One of the main differences between the Light and Shadow permutations of The Magician is motive: gain for others versus gain for self. After all, every permutation of this archetype involves some form of skilled manipulation.

Let’s examine a few of the powerful archetypal permutations of The Magician and some examples of each pattern:

Whether through myth, fairy tale or film, one of the most easily recognized archetypes is that of the Mother. Archetypes are universally understood patterns of behavior that transcend geography, ethnicity or era.

Triple goddesses spanning many cultures have three expressions: Maiden, Mother and Crone. The Maiden, or Virgin, reflects independent women who are often unmarried. The Mother is the second stage heralded by fertility and growth. The last stage, Crone, is the archetypal expression of the “wise old woman” who has come into her own. Perhaps the most popular Goddess Triad found in mythology is Persephone (Maiden), Demeter (Mother), and Hecate (Crone).

The Greek goddess Demeter (known as Ceres in Roman mythology) was the goddess of the grain, and is one of the most well known maternal goddesses. In the classic myth, Demeter was one of the 12 Olympian gods and goddesses and had a daughter, Persephone. One day, Persephone was out picking flowers when the ground split, and out rode Hades atop a chariot drawn by black horses. Hades abducted Persephone into the underworld, and when Demeter found out, she was devastated. Demeter roamed for nine days without food and water looking for her kidnapped daughter. Demeter was so consumed with her grief that nothing grew, and nothing could be born. Persephone was eventually restored to Demeter, but her daughter had to spend two-thirds of the year with Hades.

“The archetype of the Bully manifests the core truth that the spirit is always stronger than the body. Symbolically, our physical bodies can ‘bully’ our spirits with any number of reasons why we should back down from our challenges, which appear to overwhelm us by their size and shape….Conventional wisdom holds that underneath a bully is a coward trying to keep others from discovering his true identity. Symbolically, the Cowards within must stand up to being bullied by his own inner fears, which is the path to empowerment through these two archetypes.” – Caroline Myss, in Sacred Contracts

Goliath, Biff Tannen from the Back to the Future films, Bluto from Popeye, Patty Farrell in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films, Mean Girls, Lotso Bear from Toy Stoy 3, Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts…the Bully archetype is arguably one of the most recognizable in literature and film.

Fortunately, there’s now a strong anti-bullying movement, largely because modern, technological breeding grounds for this archetype—Facebook, texting, YouTube and other social media outlets—spawned a new mutation known as the Cyber-Bully.

I've been fascinated with Archetypes for well over a decade. It's one reason I blog on the topic (along with Symbols) here at PaganSquare.

Turns out that Caroline Myss, a modern pioneer on Archetypes is out with a new book on the topic (that's coming under fire on Amazon from seasoned fans of her work) called Archetypes: Who Are You?. I guess it's a watered down version of Sacred Contracts that reads like a commercial tie-in.

Myss has partnered with the founder of Philosophy body products (I think it is). So I came across a potentially cool site based on her newest book: ArchetypeMe.com

If ever there were a “breeder” card in the Tarot, it would be the Queen of Pentacles.

You know, women like Michelle Duggar and the Octomom?

Somewhere over the rainbow—according to the cinematic song from The Wizard of Oz—is where bluebirds fly.

Every March, we’re reminded that a pot ‘o gold lies at the end of the rainbow. Some say wisdom hides there, too.

When denigrating New Age space cadets, some mumble under their breaths “unicorns farting rainbows”.

Here in the good ol’ Keystone State (Pennsylvania USA) we’re celebrating Groundhog Day on February 2.

In case you’ve lived under a rock the last few decades (or underground in a burrow), in 1993, Groundhog Day was commemorated in a movie starring Bill Murray.

And it’s a very funny movie, actually.

Symbols are motifs, letters, numbers, figures and characters that represent something else.

Ultimately, symbols are short-cuts. Like the tip of the funnel, they lead to something wider and deeper. But the entrance to that "biggerness" lies at the point of symbol.

Interestingly, the Greek origin for the word symbol is sýmbolon which means "to throw a sign". 

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought it would be fun to explore one of the ubiquitous symbols of the season: the cornucopia.

From the Latin words cornu (horn) and copiae (plenty or abundance), cornucopia’s other namesake is quite literally this interpretation: horn of plenty. We often see this woven, hollow centerpiece festooned with flowers of orange, red and yellow—along with grapes, sheaves of wheat, apples and other fruit.

The Magician from the Snowland Deck

You’ve just put down yet another Harry Potter book, relishing the time spent among wizards, house elves and boggarts. Or maybe you’ve had the privilege of watching Criss Angel’s live show, BeLIEve, at the Luxor in Vegas, or reserve a front seat on your couch every week to watch his TV show Mindfreak. Alternatively, you may be a fan of the beloved Oz books by L. Frank Baum, or an avid devotee of the Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.

Guess what? You’ve just spent time in the presence of the Magician archetype.

It can be difficult to discover personal meaning and purpose when we don't zoom out to get a big picture of the patterns and symbols in our life. One way we can discover the patterns and purposes of our life is by discerning prevalent Archetypes and symbols.

What is an archetype? An archetype is a template or original pattern from which copies are made. Psychologist Carl Jung, author Joseph Campbell, storyteller/author Clarissa Pinkola Estes, psychologist Jean Shinonda-Bolen and others are among those that have brought the concept of Archetypes into our consciousness. 

To break it down in practical, every day terms, Archetypes are patterns that are universally recognized. We see Archetypes in myths, fairy tales, literature, and movies. Think about your own life. Which types of movies do you like? Do you consistently cast yourself in the Hero role? The Underdog or Victim? The Detective? What about the Warrior, Princess, or Femme Fatale? 

Hello Tarot Detectives!

Today at Tarot Eye we're going to spy on the symbols in The Magician Tarot card in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition.

Universal Waite Tarot ©U.S. Games Systems

Number 1 – First movement; Breath of life. The numeral 1 is upright and phallic, a masculine number of initiation. It links Above and Below.

©1990 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc

Today we're going to explore the abundance of symbols within the enigmatic High Priestess Tarot card from the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition.

Number 2 – Balance; Yin/Yang; Opposites Unified (Taoism); "Good Things Comes in Pairs" (Chinese philosophy); Diversity (Pythagoras); Potential for Disorder/Evil (Pythagoras); Balance; Duality; Opposition

Black and White Pillars – As the number 2, black and white signifies duality—yin/yang, dark/light, feminine/masculine, severity/mercy, passive/aggressive, esoteric/exoteric, heart/mind, intuition/logic and so on. Toggling back and forth, they are "either/or". However, the central veil featuring pomegranates and the date palm tree connects the two pillars—suggesting integration and the union of opposites. The two pillars, when joined by the veil, signify "both".

B and J – In I Kings 7 (Old Testament), the author offers a detailed description of Solomon's temple, including the pillars that marked the entrance. Verse 21 states: "Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz." (NKJV) In Hebrew, Jachin means "He Shall Establish", while Boaz means "In It Is Strength".