| 0 Fool Young boys know no differences between 1 and 0 only that the curve of the line has hanged momentum. Young boys have no fears of cliffs dogs and indiscernible future because their intent is pure. Behind them they hold a universe in checkered cloth the subconscious in a knapsack. In front of them is the next moment, unknowable in its beauty or pain. Oh young boy what can’t I learn from you. |
| 1 magician See his table laid out, all of the elements he gathered just for this moment? With a wicked smile and intent true he focused our light to the sky. Roses and lilies bloomed; not on command but out of love and respect for this magickal force. |
| 2 The High Priestess She can command the maiden, mother, crone, and encapsulate the forces of all three. But instead, she chooses to stare and point to the truth. No gale forces Or coercion does she need. Bearing ancient cross and communing with gods & spooks this woman knows who to reveal her wisdom to. This matron knows the silence in wisdom and the wisdom of the pomegranate seed. |
| 3 the empress gold overwhelms her, by way of wheat and glistening skies. Pearls align her throat as her sole symbol of the moon and it’s dark beauty. She’s just sitting (my mother) resting from growth of grain and the braiding of ever-growing hair. She sits radiantly prompting me to toil harder for her glory. |
| 4 The Emperor More roman god than any Christ figure. He sits old; weathered; burdened by laurel wreathes and rams heads, but he is stoic until the end which is forever un-seeable. The mountains know his barren mind and the fire of his confidence. They suffer more than any desert or deserter. No matter how his world spins (too fast, or too slow) he will hold his crux of life and death. |
| 5 Hierophant As dogmatic as Santa-laced-holidays his white beard shows his age, and his distance, from the young & dancing. He may hold the keys to a kingdom. He may sit between the pillars of the holy and just, but even his bowing servants know his time is up. Oak, marble, and dogma always crumble eventually. |
| 6 the lovers entwined in tragedy romantic: Romeo & Juliet, or if you prefer: the older Adam and Eve. Youth and passion have their price. But the moment, this moment, this feeling will never admit the charge. The angel watching flowers and tears bloom, is too sweet and kind to break the lovers spell with reality. |
| 7 The Chariot Fleeing the city to meet the impossible, this man-father-uncle is my warrior. Good and evil pull his weight working together to create the most valiant story hero villain ever told. |
| 8 Strength Like any archetype she is forever in stasis In extreme movement throughout lives and the universe. She holds my fear in her lap stroking the impossible into submission. With the gentlest touch she encourages me to move forward without a second thought to all my doubts. With an offering of roses and rocks She lets me see more than the lava and thorns. |
| 9 The Hermit Only once in my life did his lantern shine over my den. Only once in this history did he look past the mountains to share the terror and beauty of his mind’s concentration. Multiplying six by three then adding my lines of worry he found the name of my baby. scrying by sky and tossing rocks in a pond he found delight and god in every action. |
| 10 Wheel of Fortune Unlikely characters, mythos, and archetypes gather for each moment, just to decide when I suffer, and when I succeed. The zodiac’s colors and Hebrew’s letters guide my inevitable life far more than the fates let on. |
| 11 Justice Steel composes her crown, her dual blade of truth, and her spine which never sags. She keeps her eyes wide glad for the light, glad for the lack of blindfold. In her hands the scales never slip. |
| 12 Hanged Man He could be in pain or misery, but this face will never let you know. Perhaps he got caught in some wooden spider web giving him a chance to ponder the inevitable death. Perhaps all these crosses and “T”s mean more than the holly bush surrounding them. |
| 13 Death Don’t fear black flags, white flowers, or skeletons. Don’t fear the fallen prince or sickly child, their fate’s lesson is their own. Don’t fear what you can’t change. This red sun setting will change more, than sky and the gleam on his bones. |
| 14 Temperance Bright angel, measures water with heart and eye rather than the harshness of math. Her crown was lost to the mountains but she loves it’s beauty no matter, the placement. |
| 15 The Devil He is nightmares unleashed. He is a product of imagination. He is dogma. He shakes you still, and rules you with your own fear. |
| 16 The Tower God’s wrath killed the tree. Man’s pride built this tower. God’s wrath knocked man down. It is a hard lesson to separate accomplishments, from objects of clay and stone. |
| 17 Star Light radiates above her soul; above her garden. The water sifting through fingers gives her a peace no man knows. The clear blue skies and star’s bright glare give her a peace no woman could bear. |
| 18 The moon Some see her deception, and ambiguity as evil or wicked. Not everyone can see the eclipse of planets, or the roots of the tree. She is where tame meets the wild, and they dance without shame. All beasts sprout from shells and hiding. We all started feral and we all die with answers unsaid. |
| 19 the sun Youth straddles innocence with perfect balance, reveling in golden rays and perfect flowers. All is ripe and fruit-full. Even the horse enjoys his delighted burden. |
| 20 judgement Angelic forces of absolutes fly in undaunted into every life. Angelic force: the equal lengthened cross, it’s red banner flaps in the wind of reality. My family emerged from the sea: fresh and new, without a wrinkle and that angel saved us. |
| 21 The World Sacred dancer in white and ethereal blue. Sacred dancer framed by nature and surrounded by the forces that pull at her gravity. Sacred dancer keeps her grace; keeps her beauty. Sacred dancer keeps on spinning. |
| The Major Arcana |
| poems by: Laura Craig Mason (c) 2001 |
| Swords & More Coming Soon |