Tarot Symbolism and the Magician's Alchemical Journey

The itinerary of the Magician, who is the Initiated. He is the beginning, it is he who initiates the path to follow, we have four arcana that represent the four powers that he has in his possession. Next we have what we can call intermediate arcana, they constitute the alchemical itinerary to reach arcanum XXI, the World, the one we spoke of at the beginning, the one that has those four figures that are the four powers also in his possession. These first four arcana, saying once more, represent the four powers that are symbols of the qualities and faculties in the Magician's possession. Then we have the Papess, who symbolizes wisdom. She represents Gnosis, the Secret Wisdom that is learned in the sanctuary and whose access is protected by two guardians. Two guardians that here are represented by two columns. The Papess stands for the verb 'to know'. We see represented in the blade, a feminine figure with a face covered by a mask, seated on a throne and who has in her hand a papyrus, this papyrus that is closed to symbolize the wisdom that is hidden, occult, but that can be opened. The fact that the Papess's face is veiled also alludes to a secret knowledge that can be learned in a sanctuary. The symbols referring to Egyptian tradition such as the case of a leonine throne that stands for royalty, for fire, for divine motherhood. This divine throne is a throne where feminine figures are seated, why is this? Because we will see that in the case of masculine figures they have a leopard's tail. Next we have the Empress. The Empress who stands for the verb 'to dare'. She has the scepter of command, the staff, the spiritual-political power. She represents a perfect spiritual ideal, that's why she possesses twelve Stars as a crown, because she represents a total perfection, that's why this blade represents a celestial woman, a feminine ideal. She has her feet on a moon because she possesses dominion over all phenomena and over illusion, because the Moon represents here all these variations. Next we have the Emperor. The Emperor stands for the verb 'to will', for the sword, for will and for dominion of will. The Emperor, we see here represented on a cubic stone, he is seated on this cubic stone that represents a perfection achieved because the stone represents his consciousness, it is cubic because it means it is perfect, because its measures are perfect, that is, this cubic stone becomes an altar or a throne where a king can sit, that is, the Spirit, the will. Then we have the Pope. And the Pope stands indeed for teaching, for doctrine. If the Papess represented occult wisdom, and esoteric knowledge, then the Pope expresses more a double esoteric aspect. He with his right hand makes the sign of blessing but which is also a sign of silence, that is, he is imposing the Discipline of the Arcane, to signify that teaching is for everyone but not everyone is ready to receive in the same way. So there are those who are ready to enter the deep esoteric aspect of doctrine, and receive illumination, and there are those who are not yet ready and, therefore, the deeper aspect remains hidden behind a dogma. In fact he is speaking to two people, the words are the same but the two receive different teachings, that is, it depends on the understanding of each one of them because the form of symbols has this faculty, we are now seeing some symbols and they have this faculty of speaking on various levels, it has to do with the knowledge we are apt to receive. The Pope has dominion over these three Worlds: over the human World, the spiritual World and the divine World. From the Pope we then enter the intermediate arcana and from here the alchemical itinerary is constituted. And we have the first card of this itinerary which is the Lovers. The Lovers symbolizes the test, the choice, free will. We saw that the Magician undertook the path, right? He undertakes the path to know himself. We also saw that he, the Magician, has in his possession faculties and qualities, represented through the four previous arcana, and that he will have to use them to accomplish this path and overcome the various stages and tests that present themselves to him. Thus we can say that the Lovers marks this first stage in this journey. It represents a young man, as we see there in the middle, a young Lover who has the possibility of choosing between two women. In the Blade of the Lovers there is a bifurcation, there is a path there. In fact, the young man finds himself between these two women who indicate that this Force or this fire, this creative passion that can be directed upward with an interior transmutation, or can remain below and be lost in an ordinary life, a satisfaction of unbridled and instinctive passions. This arcanum represents the moment of choice, of free will, and there is a test because the Magician is subjected to these two aspects. Therefore this blade is