The Archetypes of Tarot

Nicolas Conver Tarot trump

The Archetypes of Tarot are the original models or the basic personality of a person. They can be classified mainly as the type of human beings including their behavior which is further sub-divided as epitomes and stereotype behavior. The tarot deck contains about 22 archetypal symbols or figures which make the tarot reading much easier.

These symbols are the 22 archetypes of the Major Arcane. They are the 22 types of expressions of soul energy found in human characteristics. The energetic imprints of the Major Arcane are the archetypes of tarot reading. Analyzing these archetypes properly helps a person in healing and therapies.

Origin of Tarot

There are basically ten core archetypes of tarot, whereas the rest of the twelve are deeper or just another part of these core archetypes. The primary soul archetype is that archetype which induces the greatest growth in this present life. The second type of archetype is the higher soul archetype which is basically for those who want to raise themselves to higher spiritual conditions. The basic 22 archetypes were developed by a band of gypsies.

List of Archetypes

The fool– the symbolism for this archetype of tarot is innocence and wonder. The person with this type of archetype is a dreamer and a mystic and wants to achieve his goals. The negative side of this characteristic is that the person is always discontent and lacks motivation. The basic archetype of the fool is the child. The fool starts the journey of his life wistfully without having any worries in his mind. On the course of his journey he meets the magician.

The magician– the symbolism for the magician is magic and power and the archetype is mainly a trickster. This type of person has creative skills and mastery of organizational skills. The magician is the person who seems to have control over the world. The negative side of this type is that the person might abuse their power.

The higher priestess– is a mystery for the fool and this secretive figure encourages the fool to look beyond the reality. The archetype of the high priestess is the hidden feminine quality of a male also known as Anima.

The empress– the symbolism of the empress is nature and fertility and she being the mother figure, shows a caring and nurturing nature towards the fool and encourages the fool to grab the opportunities that life throws his way. The archetype here is the mother.

The emperor– the nest in the list is the emperor whose symbols are the power and masculine authority. The archetype for the emperor is the father. In course of time, the fool realizes that he has to play the role of the man of power and authority.

The hierophant– then comes the role of being a guide or a master. The symbolism of this type is to be the teacher and the archetype here is the wise old man.

The lovers– now comes the chance of being a passionate lover because the fool yearns for a companion at this stage.

The chariot– this is the stage where the fool wants to earn money and wealth. He does not want to look back. The next stage is justice where the symbolism is balancing and giving the correct decision and the archetype is justice itself. Some of the others archetypes of tarot cards are the hermit, the wheel of fortune, strength, the hanged man, temperance, the tower , the devil, the moon, the sun, the star and the world. All have different archetypes and different symbolism.

In order to do a good tarot reading the reader of the tarot cards must be very familiar with the archetypes of tarot and be proficient in that skill; a skill that takes a lot of practice and not everyone will be able to give an accurate tarot reading.

Archetypes of Tarot