Essay on The Twenty-Two Tarot Trumps

The following essay is based on material from my book A Model of Consciousness. An expanded version of this essay is available as a video series on my YouTube page.


The Tarot Trumps serve as illustrations to an Archetypal story. The Archetypal story is the perennial adventure of a hero who defeats an adversary. It is the fable of the knight who slays the dragon and rescues the princess. Each Trump illustrates and epitomizes a chapter in the story.

The twenty-two Trumps constitute a universal analog. An analog is a system of measurement in which one set of values corresponds proportionally to another set of values. Using the Trumps in this manner, a proportional correlation can be established between the hero’s adventure and conscious development. The Archetypal story is an allegory of conscious development.

What follows is an outline of the Archetypal story as illustrated by the twenty-two Tarot Trumps. I provide a brief description of the physical appearance of each of the Marseilles Tarot Trumps and explain their symbolism. My arrangement of the Trumps differs slightly from tradition.
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I. THE FOOL
The first Trump shows a jester who carries his possessions in a bag tied to the end of a stick that he rests over his shoulder. With his right hand he uses a walking stick. A dog tears a hole in the seat of his pants but he pays no attention. He gazes absentmindedly into space.

THE FOOL is the potential hero. A hero is someone who undergoes a dynamic transformation, someone who accomplishes a remarkable feat. The hero is the central figure of the Archetypal story. He is the hub around which the events of the story revolve.

THE FOOL signifies you and I. In as much as we lack self-knowledge, we ourselves are fools on the journey of self-discovery. We already possess everything we need for the journey ahead, whether or not we know it. Our absentmindedness and the troubles that hound us signify our lack of self-mastery.

THE FOOL signifies undifferentiated energy. Energy is a capacity for work, the potential for action. Energy is the medium of sensation and perception, the basis for consciousness. Each successive Trump can be understood as symbolizing a development or modification of energy.
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II. THE PRIESTESS
This Trump shows a woman seated wearing a robe. A miter embossed with rows of flowers rests on her head. She holds an open book in her lap. A veil or curtain hangs behind her.

THE PRIESTESS symbolizes the plot or motive of the hero’s adventure. There exists an injustice that needs rectifying. There is a dilemma that needs resolution. An adversary arises. These are the necessary components that form the backdrop for the moral of the Archetypal story.

The plot begins in abstract and acquires more detail through the course of the story. Typically the hero is only dimly aware of the real motive behind his calling.

THE PRIESTESS signifies our budding awareness. The veil that hangs behind her represents the unresolved mystery of consciousness. Her book tells the story of our investigation of this mystery. It tells the tale of the hero’s adventure.

Awareness is energy organized into subject and object. Awareness implies an awareness "of" something. Awareness consists of sensations and perceptions. There are degrees of awareness.
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III. THE MAGICIAN
This Trump shows a man with curly hair. He is wearing a sombrero. He stands before a table on which assorted items are displayed: cups, coins, a knife and sheath, cubes and an open bag (this could be a cauldron with a tongue of flame licking out). He is holding a tube in one hand and a coin or ball in the other. He appears to be staging a performance or conducting an experiment.

THE MAGICIAN represents the heroic ideal. The hero achieves his ideal by undergoing the adventure. This Trump embodies the wisdom of experience. The heroic ideal is often manifest from the very beginning as the hero’s mentor. The mentor is an idealized form of the hero himself. In the mentor, all the latent qualities of the hero are fully realized.

THE MAGICIAN signifies the intelligence of our true identity, the aim of conscious development. The first three Trumps epitomize the plot of the story: THE FOOL, through THE PRIESTESS, becomes THE MAGICIAN. You and I, through self-discovery, achieve self-knowledge and self-mastery.

THE MAGICIAN signifies bodily awareness. Bodily awareness is our sense of being present, our elementary consciousness. It is the seed of our conscious development. Bodily awareness is a gestalt generated by the sum of our sensory impressions. Bodily awareness occurs prior to memory or thought.
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IV. THE EMPRESS
This Trump shows a woman seated. She wears a crown and holds a scepter. With her other hand she embraces a shield embossed with a bird.

THE EMPRESS is the hero’s mother. Although the hero possesses a transcendental identity, he is born of an earthly mother who nurtures him.

THE EMPRESS represents the environment of the hero’s upbringing. It is the environment in which the hero finds himself immediately following the potential plot established by the first three Trumps.

THE EMPRESS signifies memory. Memory is a record of experience. A memory is a subtle form of energy.
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V. THE EMPEROR
This Trump shows a bearded man seated. He wears a crown or helmet, and holds a scepter forward. The thumb of his other hand is confidently tucked under his belt. His legs are crossed. Resting upright against his seat is a shield embossed with a bird.

THE EMPEROR is the hero’s father. This Trump represents an event or person that commands the hero’s obedience and respect. The hero listens to his father.

THE EMPEROR signifies the volition of thought. Thought is a voluntary process. It begins with conceptualization. Conceptualization is our initial act of associating impressions. A concept is an assumption of similarity or identity between different things. It is another subtle form of energy.
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VI. THE HIEROPHANT
This Trump shows a bearded man wearing a robe. His seat is elevated. Two pillars are visible behind him. A miter embossed with rows of flowers rests on his head. He holds a pastoral staff. Two robed figures, evidently pilgrims, look up to him with open arms as he gives the sign of benediction.

THE HIEROPHANT represents a person or object that foretells the destiny of the hero. With the HIEROPHANT, the hero’s role is foretold.

THE HIEROPHANT signifies the intellect and its capacity to anticipate. It signifies thought. Thought is the process by which concepts are associated. Thought is a troubleshooting mechanism whereby we can imagine improvements. Thought includes remembrance. It is a process of separation and comparison.
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VII. THE CHARIOT
This Trump shows a man in breastplate armor standing in a chariot. He wears a crown and holds a scepter. His other hand rests against his side. Two masks, expressing fear and sadness, adorn his shoulders. The chariot is drawn by two horses, both looking in the same direction as the man.

THE CHARIOT represents the masculine aspect of the hero’s childhood. As a child, the hero begins to explore his surroundings. He is an investigator.

THE CHARIOT signifies chronic thought. It is the endlessly running monologue in the mind. Chronic thought is the result of steadily vesting thought with energy. It seems involuntary. Chronic thought creates a separative perspective.
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VIII. THE LOVERS
This Trump shows a young man standing between two women. One woman is old, the other young. The man looks at the older woman. The older woman places one hand on the man’s shoulder and the other on his thigh, perhaps urging him toward the young woman. The young woman is gesturing toward the man. The man’s right hand is on his belt. His left hand is extended toward the young woman. Cupid hovers overhead.

THE LOVERS represents the feminine aspect of the hero’s childhood. It introduces the hero’s companion. Heroes typically have companions. The hero’s companion may be his best friend, his brother or sister, his lover or his future spouse.

The hero’s companion is often captured and in need of rescue. The separation of the hero and his companion, and the ordeal of their becoming reunited, is a frequent theme of the Archetypal story.

THE LOVERS signifies the self-reference. The self-reference is the thinker, typically referred to as "I." The thinker does not exist independent of thought. Thinker is thought.
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IX. JUSTICE
This Trump shows a woman seated. She holds up a sword in her right hand, the pommel resting on her knee. In her other hand she holds scales.

JUSTICE represents social law and order. It is the school of the hero’s childhood. The hero learns patience.

JUSTICE signifies the paradigm of separation, our sense of being separate. It is a perspective perpetuated by chronic thought in which awareness identifies with the self-reference.
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X. THE HERMIT
This Trump shows a bearded man in a hooded robe. He uses a walking stick. He holds up a lamp in his right hand and looks forward.

THE HERMIT represents the masculine aspect of the hero’s physical nature. The hero stands apart from others.

THE HERMIT signifies the dilemma. The dilemma is our identification as a separate self. The dilemma is a process of fear, desire and conflict.
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I. STRENGTH
This Trump shows a woman wearing a sombrero. She stands holding open the jaws of a lion.

STRENGTH represents the feminine aspect of the hero’s physical nature. The hero possesses an inherent ability or skill. The hero hones his skill.

STRENGTH signifies the contraction. The contraction is a concentration and dissipation of energy. It occurs when energy is vested into identification with the separate self. The contraction temporarily increases the oscillation rate of energy, creating a temporary rush of pleasure but only at the expense of dissipating energy.
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XII. THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
This Trump shows a wheel with six spokes. It turns counterclockwise. It is fitted to a stand and a hand crank. There are three creatures astride the wheel. The creature at the top wears a crown and holds a sword. This creature has wings that have been covered over. The creature that descends the wheel has a face like a man but the body of an animal. The creature that ascends the wheel is animalistic. It wears a collar.

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE represents maturity. With THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE, the hero comes of age.

When the necessary components of the plot are in place, the adventure can begin in earnest.

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE signifies the establishment. The establishment consists of the institutions within which we live that reinforce our dilemma. The establishment reflects the contraction within us. The movement of the contraction resembles a wheel or vortex.

This is the wheel of incarnation. Incarnation is a process of transmuting unconscious energy into conscious energy. It is the process of conscious development. We incarnate to perfect our being, to grow the soul.
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XIII. THE HANGED MAN
This Trump shows a man hanging upside down. He is suspended by a rope tied around his left ankle. His right leg bends at the knee and crosses behind his left. His hands are evidently tied behind his back. Two poles on either side of him support the horizontal pole from which he is suspended. He appears to hang above a pit.

THE HANGED MAN illustrates the hero’s descent into the proverbial Underworld. The Underworld is the spiritual world. The Underworld is where the hero is tested. He enters the Underworld to confront his adversary. The hero’s departure is often one of difficulty and disgrace.

THE HANGED MAN signifies attention. Attention is the intentional act of vesting awareness with energy. Attention increases our sense of being present. When we pay attention we become more sensitive to the conflict of our psychological condition.
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XIV. DEATH
This Trump shows a skeleton with a scythe. The dismembered remains of a king and a child are under its feet. The skeleton appears to have severed one of its own feet with the scythe. The skeleton’s head is endowed with flesh but the flesh has been removed from the face, revealing the skull underneath.

DEATH represents the hero’s severance from the world. Although the hero may appear to literally die, his death is figurative. The hero lives on in the altered state of the Underworld.

DEATH signifies detachment, a divestment of energy. Attention divests energy from contraction.
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XV. TEMPERANCE
This Trump shows a woman standing with a cup in either hand, circulating water between them. Her hair is parted in the middle, and a flower is affixed there. She has wings.

After being severed from the world, the hero must learn to manage his resources. He learns to make the most out of what he has. With TEMPERANCE, the hero gathers his wits to face his adversary.

TEMPERANCE signifies an increase in energy that is the result of detachment. It signifies conscious energy. Conscious energy is produced by steady attention. It can be felt throughout the body like an electromagnetic energy.
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XVI. THE DEVIL
This Trump shows a winged beast standing on an anvil. The beast holds a naked blade (or a flail) in its left hand. If it is a blade, it may in fact be wounding the creature’s own left wing. The right hand of the creature is raised palm opened. Two bestial figures, one male and one female, stand on either side of this devil. They have horns and wear hats with antlers. They wear collars from which ropes are tied to the anvil on which the devil stands. Their hands are evidently tied behind their backs. They look at each other, the female apparently smiling.

THE DEVIL is the hero’s adversary, the villain. The hero is imprisoned. The villain may also hold the hero’s companion hostage.

THE DEVIL signifies the condition of our energetic body. The energetic body is the medium of sensation and perception that interpenetrates the physical body. The energetic body is organized or held together by the physical body and permits awareness. The energetic body remains dependent on the physical body until fully developed. The energetic body is our potential body of consciousness.
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XVII. THE HOUSE OF GOD
This Trump shows a stone tower. The top of the tower—its crown—is blasted off by a flame from above. Two people fall headlong to the ground. There are balls or coins all over the sky.

THE HOUSE OF GOD illustrates the hero escaping from prison and freeing his imprisoned companion.

THE HOUSE OF GOD signifies a recognition of the fundamental insecurity of psychological separation. It is the recognition of the fallacy of identifying with the self-reference.

THE HOUSE OF GOD symbolizes self-enquiry. Self-enquiry involves silently posing the question, "Who am I?" In the space immediately following the question, thought is released. Self-enquiry is a means of holding that pose and consciously releasing thought.
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XVIII. THE STAR
This Trump shows a naked woman holding a cup in either hand and pouring out their contents. One cup is poured into the water next to which the woman kneels. The other cup is poured out onto the land next to the water. The night sky is filled with seven stars surrounding a larger star. The dark silhouette of a bird can be seen atop a tree in the background.

THE STAR guides the hero toward the exit of the Underworld. The hero’s guide can be either a person or an insight. The insight is a form of intelligence and prognostication. Its source is often the hero’s mentor. THE STAR provides unexpected help.

THE STAR indicates the direction in which conscious energy rises. The water pouring out of the cups symbolizes the emptying of the mind. It also represents conscious energy expanding from the body.

THE STAR symbolizes right conduct. Right conduct expands and circulates conscious energy. Right conduct increases the oscillation rate of energy.
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XIX. THE MOON
This Trump shows a total solar eclipse. The "face" of the moon appears sullen. Drops fill the sky and appear to be falling upward toward the moon. Below, there is a pool of water in which a lobster is rising to the surface. Beside the pool, two dogs lap up the drops in the sky. Two fortified buildings, like watchtowers, stand in the background on either side. They may form the two ends of a walled enclosure.

THE MOON represents the hero’s perilous ascent from the Underworld.

There is a critical moment toward the conclusion of the adventure when the hero does something that seems contrary to his purpose. The hero appears to reverse his role and become the villain. Whether it is a willful deception or genuine confusion on the part of the hero, this reversal turns out to be instrumental in securing the success of the adventure.

THE MOON signifies a radical reversal of perspective, a revolution in how we identify ourselves. The lobster emerging from the dark is our perceived personality. The drops in the sky rise like conscious energy toward the source of consciousness, beyond the dogs of desire and the watchtowers of our divided intellect.

THE MOON signifies the witness, our rediscovered sense of being. The witness is the perspective in which we distinguish ourselves from the flesh and personality. The witness is either our emerging conscious being or merely a projection of the waking physical body.
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XX. THE SUN
This Trump shows the bright "face" of the sun shining. Drops that fill the sky are falling from the sun. Two children stand below wearing loincloths. They reach out to each other. They stand before a low stone wall that extends across the background.

The hero exits the Underworld and emerges into the light of day. In THE SUN, the hero finds sanctuary.

THE SUN signifies the foundation of consciousness. Consciousness is a process and a being. Consciousness means self-knowledge. Consciousness is self-evident.
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XXI. JUDGMENT
This Trump shows a winged angel in the sky. The angel blows a trumpet from which hangs a banner decorated with an equilateral cross. Below, three people rise naked from their coffins, their hands in an attitude of prayer.

With JUDGMENT, the hero’s adventure is reviewed and the hero is praised. The hero receives his reward.

JUDGMENT signifies love, the cornerstone of moral values. Love is the highest oscillation rate of energy.
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XXII. THE WORLD
The final Trump shows a naked woman with a sash that drapes across her shoulders and covers her genitals. She stands on her right foot. Her other leg is bent at the knee as though she had just taken a step forward. Perhaps she is dancing. She reminds me of a runner who is first to the finish line. She holds what appears to be a tube or baton in her left hand, and something like a vial in her right hand. She is encircled by a woven wreath. In the four corners of the card are a winged man, a bird, a lion and an ox.

THE WORLD represents the return of the hero. It is the resolution of the story, the hero’s marriage and the child of that marriage.

The woven wreath is the completed circuit of conscious energy. The dancer is the spiritual body of man. The baton and the vial represent the balance of masculine and feminine. The beasts in the four corners represent the universe resolved into its fundamental elements.

With the ending of an adventure, new circumstances are established for the possibility of yet another adventure and for the emergence of another hero. The Archetypal story is a continuous cycle. It consists of cycles within cycles.

THE WORLD signifies the soul. The soul is an energetic body with integrity. The soul is a genuine individual, a fully conscious being. It is a Microcosm, a perfectly proportioned self-sustaining totality.


Copyrighted by Michael William Bennett