Tarot Symbolism: The World, The Magician, and The High Priestess

We have spoken about what we mentioned at the beginning and what the World is. Here we have the Initiate at the end of his journey. It represents the revelation of the Great Work, the union of the Magician with his creator, which was what we had said at the beginning, that the Magician would make a journey to meet this Divinity. The quaternary is here resolved in Unity, the mystery is unveiled. The four Forces that we saw at the beginning, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor and the Pope, find themselves coagulated in this last Blade because it is the realization of all the work that was developed. The arcane therefore represents this finality, the realization, the all in all, these faculties that are represented by the four living beings of the apocalyptic vision and that are around and in the middle of God's throne. Here they are represented by the symbols of the four evangelists: the Bull, the Lion, the Angel or the Man and the Eagle. Man is the synthesis of the historical, initiatic and interior path, and all these Forces he now has in himself. The figure we saw inside is, once again, naked, in the center of the ouroboros because it is a serpent that bites its tail, and this represents a naked truth, there are no more veils. The Initiate had a total revelation of himself, of the World, and partly of God, because that God will go much further. We see the movement of Forces that illustrates the movement of the forces of life. We have Solomon's star symbolizing a union of fire and water, of feminine and masculine principles, of microcosm and macrocosm. The principles of feminine and masculine are here represented by the red and green colors of the ouroboros, of the Star of David, and of the wands that this feminine figure holds in her hand. The four powers are also for the tetramorph that composes the sphinx: the bull's flanks, the lion's claws, the eagle's wings and the man's head. The head, that is, man's intelligence; the eagle's wings which are his capacity to rise above the highest peaks; the lion's claws to make the way and the bull's flanks to produce the work. These are four characteristics of the Initiate, four aspects of one who has reached this state. As we said at the beginning, the Magician had four powers in himself, symbols of his qualities and faculties, what was in the Magician's power. This power, after he makes a journey through these twenty-one blades, means that he has finished and accomplished what is called The Great Work. 1 The Magician Identifies the Initiate, one who begins a path whose evolutionary stages are represented by the successive blades of the Tarot. He is represented standing; he is the will that will proceed to action. His mantle is white, the symbol of original or rediscovered purity. On his head is a sign of infinity, a sign of transcendence or spirit awakened to divinity. The Magician holds a golden scepter, a figure of command, and is raised toward heaven, as a sign of aspiration to science, wisdom and strength. His left hand extends its index finger toward Earth, meaning that the perfect man's mission is to reign over the material world. This double gesture also expresses that human will must reflect divine will here below, to produce Good and prevent Evil. In front of the Magician, on a cubic stone, are placed a cup, a sword and a gold coin with a cross engraved in the center. To the four powers correspond the four symbols in the Magician's power: the cup to drink the water of life, the sword to separate good from evil, the scepter of power and the gold necessary for multiplication. Meaning: The beginning of all things: the first cause, the principle-unity, pure spirit, the unique and universal theme of thought, refracting in the ego of all intelligent creatures. Initiative, the center of action, the spontaneity of intelligence, avidity of discernment and understanding, presence of mind, self-possession, autonomy, a rejection of all impertinent suggestion, freedom from all prejudices. Dexterity, skill, diplomatic cunning. Persuasive orator, lawyer, cunning, agitation. Lack of scruples, opportunist, schemer, liar, charlatan, exploiter of ingenuity in human nature. Mercury's influence for good as well as evil. 2 The High Priestess or the Sanctuary The second arcane is represented by a Woman seated on the threshold of the Temple of Isis, between two columns. The right column is red and indicates pure spirit and its luminous ascension above matter. The left column is black and represents the night of chaos, the imprisonment of impure spirit in the bonds of matter. The woman is crowned with a tiara in the form of a crescent moon and wrapped in a veil that descends over her face. She wears the solar cross on her breast and on her knees...