The Lesson of Cycles
One of the first lessons I came to find was the Lesson of Cycles.
You see, like many before me, I began my journey by immersing myself in nature, and there I found that we were surrounded by cycles. They were all around me! The seasons, the orbits of celestial bodies, lunar phases, decomposition, mycelium, menstruation, the journey of water as it travels the skies from the seas and falls back to the land, only to slide through the earth back into the ocean, tides...the list goes on!
But these cycles were not repetitive things like a set track, rather they were more like spirals. Every turn, things changed, things shed, things grew. It was never the same, even if there were similarities.
And soon I would find that, so would I, too, go through my own cycles. The further I walked, the more small deaths and rebirths awaited me. And every time, with every change, things shed, things grew.
A Fool's Journey: Arcana & Kabbalah
Cycles are everywhere in spiritual practices all over the world. Throughout various creeds, cultures, and customs, we find the rhythm of death and rebirth echoed time after time. One such prominent example of this story can be found in the Major Arcana of any traditional Tarot deck, where we find the journey of The Fool.
The Fool begins with an open mind and exuberance for life. He isn't considered a fool because he's stupid, rather he is innocent and naive, fresh, and fascinated by the voyage ahead. Original illustrations of the card show him carrying a white flower reflecting his innocence and a flamboyant shirt, representing his appreciation for beauty. Slung over his shoulder he carries a staff which is considered a wand, symbol of his ability to enact his will upon the world, and at the end of it is tied a satchel rumored to be filled with ancestral knowledge. He stands before a precipice of the unknown; we don't know what his path will bring, but he boldly goes regardless.
From there, the Fool will embark on a quest that will lead him through the other Major Arcana's and their individual influences, each representing a force or archetype that brings its own challenges and lessons. Ultimately the Fool reaches The World card, only to return back to square one and begin the cycle again.
The Fool's journey is meant to evoke humanity's overall experience as well as the individual's karmic cycles in this existence (and potentially their others). When the Major Arcana appears in our readings, we know that these Karmic influences and lessons are actively at play in our lives.
Did You Know? The 22 Major arcana cards each correspond to a linked path between the sephiroth, or spheres, of the Kabbalah's Tree of Life. If you'd like to learn more, the book A Complete Guide to the Tarot, by Eden Gray is a comprehensive deep dive.
When it comes to the idea of Death & Rebirth of the self, three particular cards come to mind: Death, The Tower, and The Hanged Man. While all the Major Arcana hold wisdom and Karmic themes, these are the most on-the-nose, so to speak, when it comes to expecting dramatic change in our lives. When they appear in a reading, we know there's going to be something big and obvious headed our way and, more often than not, we're going to come out on the other end different than before. But, as scary as that can sound, this is for the best!
Between itself and the Tower, Death is the more gentle of transformative forces. When we think of the Death card, it helps to think of the Phoenix. We can expect to smolder out and rise again from the ashes. It is an end, but with the promise of a new beginning attached to it. For me personally, the Death card has always been a welcomed sight, as it always has brought me to a greater understanding of my authentic self on the other side of its influence. The lessons may be strenuous, but they're worthwhile, and after a while, with the other tools gathered along the way, they become easy, welcomed examinations of the self. Existential conversations with your inner beings that resolve in something new being sorted out. It can be quite nice!
The Tower, on the other hand, is usually sudden and disruptive. It is an upheaval that brings dramatic collateral damage along its wake. These events can often be traumatic and may take time to recover from. It's turbulent change whether we're ready or not. We're hucked into the deep end of a rampaging wave pool and we've got to do our best to navigate the waters. One of the biggest tasks to take on is the ability to cultivate a mindset of knowing that, no matter what, you'll be okay. Understandably, hat's no easy feat with the Tower, but it can be done! We may want to try to avoid the Tower's influences, but it, like the other guides in the Major Arcana, have valuable lessons to teach us, so we must learn to welcome it as well.
Finally, the Hanged Man symbolizes a shift in perspective. This is often the result of the Death and the Tower's transformative energies. The fellow has learned to see their situation from a different point of view. While at first he may seem bound at the ankle, he is anchored to a liminal space, the meeting place between Earth and Sky, to a living tree representing growth. The halo around his head suggests that he has achieved an enlightened state. Amid seeming suspension, he has learned to let go and found a different way of seeing things. A lot of times, this is the kind of change we come to experience throughout our cycles. The more we learn and experience, the broader our minds become, the more our perspectives shift to align more with our Higher Selves.
It is said that while the influence of the minor arcana are more mutable and subject to change depending on our day-to-day actions, the major arcana's influences are more fixed and are key transitional periods in our experiences. Whenever they appear, it's good to draw further clarifiers to help with their interpretation.
Small Deaths, Big Gains
Throughout our lives, we are meant to undergo change and growth to bring us closer to our highest self. Along the way, we will face challenges, lose things, gain things, and change our perspectives. This is all part of the process. Just like the trees will change and shed their leaves through the seasons, lose limbs in the wind and grow others, we too will face the Lesson of Cycles.
Some lessons will be harder than others, but if we set our intentions to follow the ways, to walk along the ways, that will make sure we are what and who we need to be, where we need to be, when we need to be for the greater benefit of all being, then we can be certain that we will find the tools necessary to make it.
Tarot and Oracle cards are a fantastic way we can check in with our journey and seek insight with our highest selves on what we need to work on and how. For more information on how to read the Tarot, visit our books section. Also, stay tuned to this blog, as I'll be going more in depth on the cards of the Major Arcana in the coming weeks! As always, feel free to visit the store with any questions.