Interpreting Tarot Cards
Part 2

by Maria Svensson

Last time we looked at a simplified tarot card reading scheme based on the 22 major arcana cards, and got as far as the Emperor. We will continue this week with the 5th card, the Hierophant.

A Hierophant is someone who interprets secret knowledge, and represents learning, often in a religious context. In readings, the Hierophant represents learning from the experts, or official institutions. This card can symbolize the fact that you face an internal struggle with reactionary drives or forces, and need to be more freethinking. It also puts you on warning that not all learning comes from dusty old text books.

Next tarot card is the Lovers. Obviously, this card represents both love and sex. In a reading the Lovers can indicate a crossroads in your path, usually moral in nature. The choice between the high ground and your base desires is yours, of course. How you make that decision between the base and the lofty reflects what sort of a person you are, as the easy route quite often turns out to be not so easy after all.

The Chariot is the next Tarot card we shall look at. At www.psychicsuperstore.com we believe that this card signifies the need for positive control. This means firm decisions, not brutal ones. Self control is strongly marked with this card, as is the concept of victory. The Chariot, though, does not allow for win-win scenarios - there will be a loser in this episode. Your competition must be defeated in order for you to win, is the message of this card.

After the Chariot comes Strength, and this is not just physical strength, but the inner qualities of perseverance, courage, determination and calmness in a crisis. These qualities are the ones that help you not to give up, and persistence is the message here. You must also note that too much strength can be counter-productive. Forbearance and patience can also be signs of inner strength.

Next up is the Hermit, an image familiar to most of us. The Hermit can mean you need space, or time by yourself away from the distractions of everyday life. If your life is manic right now, he can imply a need to 'center' yourself, and provide a solid core on which your life can revolve. In a more obvious sense, he can be a warning that you should pull back from whatever it is you are pushing at. On a higher level, the Hermit means searching for deeper truths, and the education of others in those truths.

The last tarot card we will look at this time at www.psychicsuperstore.com is the Wheel of Fortune. As one of the few tarot cards without a human illustration, the Wheel of Fortune is above the level of human kind and stands for visions or unexpected clarity, realization. The card may be alerting you to the possibility that by taking a broader perspective, you may suddenly grasp the big picture you have been struggling to find. It also represents twists of fate, and unexpected developments. As a wheel, the card symbolizes the circularity of all things, and the knowledge that what goes around, comes around too.

Next week we will look at the 11th tarot card, Justice.