The Four Virtues of Tarot

 

           Today I’d love to share with you all my take on some very interesting characters of tarot. I call them the Four Virtues of tarot. Arch Angel Gabriel is usually the one who gives me these “aha” moments on my spin of learning and teaching tarot and he usually gives me information in groups that help me understand the whole. If you are someone who is fascinated with Greek mythology you have probably heard about the 3 fates.

These 3 sisters are the ones who decide, in Greek mythology, a person’s fate. We have Clotho – Who spins the thread of human life – she gives you life, Lachesis-  who dispenses it this now made cloth of life- she give you the journey in life, and Atropos-  who cuts the thread of life at the moment of death…

From this story, I have weaved my own story of the 4 Virtues of Tarot which are all here to teach us lessons in our journey through life. A quick over view before we delve deep into the story, Because it can get quite confusing. Believe it, it took me some time to put this together in a way that made sense even for me to understand.

Strength Card in Tarot is known as the virtue of Courage

Justice card in tarot is known as the virtue of fairness and Equality

Hang Man – one of the most fascinating cards in tarot in my opinion is known as the virtue of Wisdom

Temperance card in tarot is known as the virtue of Patience and Balance.

All these 4 combine to bring our lives balance. As the fool ( this is us) journey through life ( the story of tarot) he will learn the lesson of these 4 virtues through these cards. Ask yourself :

-Are you speaking your own truth and having the courage to live the life you want to live?

-Do you live life with fairness and quality or are you judging and pointing fingers?

-How much of your journey do you allow yourself to stop and evaluate what you've learned?

-Are you currently patient with your goals and taking care of yourself?

STRENGTH: In this card we see a women who is able to contain a lion with gently yet firm hands. Looking at her you can see she is very calm and sweet. On her head is usually a sign of Infiniti which tells us that what comes around, goes around. It all looks back. What we give out, will return.  This lion is just a character in tarot, but this is a symbol of our true animalist nature. What we are born with naturally. The Lady shows us that we must be gentle with ourselves yet firm. With love, kindness and a brave heart we can overcome anything. This card isn’t about physical strength but it’s about our quiet emotional strength.  Remember in the wizard of oz how the lion lost his courage? This card is all about us finding and maintaining our own sense of courage and this comes truly through patience and balance.  We must be aware of when we need to be at our best and do what we need to make it happen and not rely on anyone or anything else. If we wish to gain courage, we have it with in us- we just need to learn to let it out. The lion can sometimes signal an ego who has been left to run amuck- this happens when we do not honor ourselves. We lose sight of who we are, we give into things because it’s easier to follow the crowd then to have the courage to find our own strength.

JUSTICE: She can sometimes be intimidating to see, most people see her and they wonder what does this mean? Truth be told, she arrives at the perfect time to remind you- that no matter what the decision our outcome, it is indeed the right and fair one. Even if we don’t agree with it. We must truth the message of this card because she comes to remind us that in life, it’s not just us that must be honored. Events will unfold and she tells us there is a check and balance system in place. Some times we win some, sometimes we lose some so don’t fret when things do go your way. It’s probably better for you.   Justice is usually wearing red which tells me she is very grounded.  I often will pull her out and pull two cards at random and place them on either side of her to see what my decisions are about. Her sword hand shows me that my mind knows what’s right and I must trust my instinct and the card on the side of the scale shows me that I must balance this card with the opposing one using my intuition. This card is all about balancing my head and heart and not pinning one again the other. She is all about speaking the truth and being fair. She ask that we step back and always remember that things will work out as they should and she reminds us not to get too enveloped in one path.

THE HANG MAN: Ah… the most puzzling yet one of the most fascinating cards in the major arcana. I’ve always wondered…. Who is this man, and why is he upside down???  Have you ever wondered the same thing? We’ll this has lead me on researching his story . He is hung upside down in a sense that he is considered a traitor of tarot.  He isa traitor because he questioned everything. He actually hung himself upside down as a way to sacrifice himself so that he gain wisdom by looking at the world in a different way.  In the old days they would hang traitors by one foot and as you can see in all of the hang man cards, he is hung on one foot, the other tucked behind forming an inverted 4. I still have no idea why.  But what I find very interesting is that he has a halo around his head which shows me by suspending himself upside- he has gained clarity and knowledge. His virtue truly is wisdom because when learning to be still – as shown with him in suspension, we gain knowledge. This card is not about acting, but of being still. Look around you and see things differently and you’ll learn more then you ever could if you had acted. He is not a card of moving forward with where you are at- he reminds you that you must stop and be still to be brought back on the right path. His self sacrifice is a reminder that  we too must also make some sort of sacrifice weither it be an outdated dream, wrong goals and bad decisions.  When you see him, he is here to gently remind you to re-evaluate where you are now and take no action til you gain some insight.

Temperance: She is an angel that turns water in wine. This is a wonderful card of alchemy. She is the teacher of truth. The truth is : With patience and balance we can bring great things into our lives. We should never over- indulge. Moderation is key. She usually arrives to remind us that we have lost balance and its time we re-gain it. The great lesson about temperance is that she shows us we will try and fail- this is all meant to teach us to find the perfect balance. Remember that through trial and error we will learn many lessons. This card truly speaks to me right now where I am in my life because she comes to remember me that I have many parts of who I am that I must balance. I am a mother, a career women, a wife, a spiritual being and also I am my own person. I often will spend too much energy in one area that I neglect the others which leave me feeling unhappy and drained.  She doesn’t judge me and call me a bad mother for working too much, she reminds me that I must leave work at work, and when I am at home, I need to focus on my family. She also reminds me that I can’t neglect my own health and that I must eat more healthy and get enough sleep.  If I were to split myself into pieces, and place them on a scale- is my life balanced? If not, don’t go crazy…. Be patience with myself as I find the right balance. 

I hope you enjoyed this lesson on the four virtues of tarot!

Blessings,

Cyndee

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