#major-arcana — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #major-arcana, aggregated by home.social.
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A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE TAROT
For centuries, across cultures, people have spoken of a world beyond the physical. Some call it the supernatural or God, others the subtle body, the collective unconscious or the ethereal. Whether connecting with something deep within or something divine beyond us, this non‑physical realm has long fascinated both sages and scholars. Though modern science and mysticism often clash, I have always been drawn to their boundary—a liminal space where metaphysics and quantum theory blur into what some call the ‘secrets of the universe.’
Historically, people have developed tools and methods to commune with this unseen world. With this column, I hope to explore these divination practices—both to demystify the idea that we can engage with the unseen and to consider how they might help us connect more deeply with ourselves and each other. Theorists like Albert Einstein, who envisioned an interconnected universe, and Carl Jung, who wrote about archetypes and the collective unconscious, have suggested a hidden web. I believe divination can help us tap into it, offering insight and self‑understanding.
One of the most well‑known tools today is the tarot. While tarot as we know it differs from its origins, the practice of cartomancy (using cards as divination tools) began in the Tang dynasty in seventh-century China before traveling west and evolving into the 15th‑century Italian tarot deck. Contemporary tarot decks still maintain the 78‑card structure developed in the Renaissance era, which is divided into the Minor and Major Arcana.
The Minor Arcana mirrors a traditional deck of playing cards, with four suits—pentacles (or coins), swords, wands and cups—each aligning with one of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Within each suit, ten numbered cards trace a personal journey through the challenges, growth and lessons of that element.
These culminate with the court cards—Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings—which reflect stages of maturity. Pages carry the curiosity of beginnings and knights the restless energy of adolescence, while queens and kings embody mastery of the inner and outer realms. Together, the suits form a story of self‑actualization through the elements that shape our lives.
The Major Arcana, a set of 22 cards, speaks to our broader existential journey. They follow the fool through symbolic stages of life. The fool encounters figures like the Empress, Strength, Death, and the Star that echo the hero’s journey described by Joseph Campbell. These archetypes appear across global mythologies, alchemical traditions, and Jungian psychology, offering a symbolic map of transformation.
In essence, a tarot deck is a guide to the process of becoming. It’s an archetypal narrative found everywhere from ancient myths to Alice in Wonderland and Star Wars. It mirrors what spiritual practitioners call the dark night of the soul: the leap into the unknown, the trials, the adventures, and eventually the revelations.
For this month’s collective reading, I’ve chosen the Smith-Waite deck. It was illustrated in 1909 by artist and occultist Pamela Colman Smith. Commissioned by Arthur Edward Waite, the deck was created through Smith’s intuitive practice, and her imagery has since become the foundation for countless tarot decks.
Every reader approaches tarot differently, but I begin by grounding myself, often with a quiet prayer or affirmation, before shuffling and pulling the cards the spread calls for. This month, I’ve drawn three cards for the collective: one for our past, one for the present moment, and a third for what awaits us.
In the past position, we have the Ace of Swords. This suggests the collective has recently moved through a period of sharp, and maybe even uncomfortable clarity. An essential truth has been revealed. The Ace appears when illusions fade and we’re asked to see things as they truly are. For many, this may have been a moment of honesty, a shift in perspective, or the realization that something could no longer be overlooked.
In the present, we meet The Emperor. He brings structure, discipline, and a call for grounded authority. After the clarity of the Ace, the Emperor asks us to act on what we now understand. This is a moment to establish boundaries and take leadership into our own hands. Collectively, it signals a need to envision new systems, routines, or foundations that support long‑term stability and growth.
Looking ahead, the Six of Pentacles points toward a future shaped by reciprocity and balanced exchange. We are invited to consider how we share our resources and to do so with fairness, generosity, and integrity.
Together, these cards paint a trajectory from clarity to structure to compassionate action. What we understand now becomes the blueprint for a more balanced and mutually supportive future. While I hesitate to use these tools for fortune‑telling, I use them instead as cues for reflection, and this reading suggests a collective movement toward reciprocity, —something I can happily stand behind.
#arcana #campbell #CarlJung #Column #curiousMethods #divination #edwardWaite #ElfieKalfakis #jungian #majorArcana #Photo #pyschology #tarot -
Honestly I think April Fool's Day should be celebrated by sharing our favorite Fool cards from our Tarot decks. To celebrate the Fool energy.
Way better than jumpscares and tasteless/hurtful "pranks".
#AprilFools #AprilFoolsDay #Tarot #MajorArcana #TheFool #Divination
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Pop Art Arcana Deck - Downloadable Tarot Deck - 22 Major Arcana Deck by divineandplayart https://www.etsy.com/listing/4480543341/pop-art-arcana-deck-downloadable-tarot?ref=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Tarot #PopArt #DigitalDownload #PrintableDeck #MajorArcana
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The Terracotta Arcana Deck - Downloadable Tarot Deck - 22 Major Arcana Deck by divineandplayart https://www.etsy.com/listing/4478035050/the-terracotta-arcana-deck-downloadable?ref=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #TarotDeck #MajorArcana #TerracottaArcana #EtsyFinds #CardReading
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Seeing as you're making dice that are fighting the current situation in the USA right now, I think this would be up your alley. https://stgiga.github.io/gigaware/TarouijaD120files.zip would be up your alley. It is a 3D model with OpenSCAD for tweaks, of a d120 but instead of the numbers 1-120, it has extended Tarot and extended Ouija as its symbols, via Unicode shenanigans, following this mapping https://www.reddit.com/r/d120Lists/comments/17mr2uv/d120_tarot_and_spirit_board/
Roll: Result
1: Ace of Spades
2: Two of Spades
3: Three of Spades
4: Four of Spades
5: Five of Spades
6: Six of Spades
7: Seven of Spades
8: Eight of Spades
9: Nine of Spades
10: Ten of Spades
11: Jack of Spades
12: Knight of Spades
13: Queen of Spades
14: King of Spades
15: Ace of Hearts
16: Two of Hearts
17: Three of Hearts
18: Four of Hearts
19: Five of Hearts
20: Six of Hearts
21: Seven of Hearts
22: Eight of Hearts
23: Nine of Hearts
24: Ten of Hearts
25: Jack of Hearts
26: Knight of Hearts
27: Queen of Hearts
28: King of Hearts
29: Ace of Diamonds
30: Two of Diamonds
31: Three of Diamonds
32: Four of Diamonds
33: Five of Diamonds
34: Six of Diamonds
35: Seven of Diamonds
36: Eight of Diamonds
37: Nine of Diamonds
38: Ten of Diamonds
39: Jack of Diamonds
40: Knight of Diamonds
41: Queen of Diamonds
42: King of Diamonds
43: Black Joker
44: Ace of Clubs
45: Two of Clubs
46: Three of Clubs
47: Four of Clubs
48: Five of Clubs
49: Six of Clubs
50: Seven of Clubs
51: Eight of Clubs
52: Nine of Clubs
53: Ten of Clubs
54: Jack of Clubs
55: Knight of Clubs
56: Queen of Clubs
57: King of Clubs
58: White Joker
59: Fool
60: Individual
61: Childhood
62: Youth
63: Maturity
64: Old Age
65: Morning
66: Afternoon
67: Evening
68: Night
69: Earth and Air
70: Water and Fire
71: Dance
72: Shopping
73: Open Air
74: Visual Arts
75: Spring
76: Summer
77: Autumn
78: Winter
79: The Game
80: Collective
81: 0
82: 1
83: 2
84: 3
85: 4
86: 5
87: 6
88: 7
89: 8
90: 9
91: A
92: B
93: C
94: D
95: E
96: F
97: G
98: H
99: I
100: J
101: K
102: L
103: M
104: N
105: O
106: P
107: Q
108: R
109: S
110: T
111: U
112: V
113: W
114: X
115: Y
116: Z
117: Yes
118: No
119: Hello
120: Goodbye
And in Unicode
🂡🂢🂣🂤🂥🂦🂧🂨🂩🂪🂫🂬🂭🂮🂱🂲🂳🂴🂵🂶🂷🂸🂹🂺🂻🂼🂽🂾🃁🃂🃃🃄🃅🃆🃇🃈🃉🃊🃋🃌🃍🃎🃏🃑🃒🃓🃔🃕🃖🃗🃘🃙🃚🃛🃜🃝🃞🃟🃠🃡🃢🃣🃤🃥🃦🃧🃨🃩🃪🃫🃬🃭🃮🃯🃰🃱🃲🃳🃴🃵𝟶𝟷𝟸𝟹𝟺𝟻𝟼𝟽𝟾𝟿𝙰𝙱𝙲𝙳𝙴𝙵𝙶𝙷𝙸𝙹𝙺𝙻𝙼𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚀𝚁𝚂𝚃𝚄𝚅𝚆𝚇𝚈𝚉👍👎⎆⎋
The first section of characters is the contents of the Playing Cards block in Unicode, minus Red Joker (white is kept) and Playing Card Back. So that means the 52 cards (jokers included) in an English/American deck of playing cards, plus Tarot's Knight cards, so 56 cards (and these are basically a graphical suit with the value above it, in a 12pt cell), plus the 22 cards in the Major Arcana, with "Fool" as XXII as is done on some decks. That section is rendered as a 12pt card with Roman numerals I through XXII with IX and XI having disambiguation dots. The naming I used for the cards is the alias names Unicode gives the cards. So none of the "The Hanged Man" or the generic numbered-only names that Unicode gives as their official codepoint names. After that is Ouija's 0-9 and uppercase A-Z, using Unicode's Mathematical Monospaced characters (Courier) from Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols block, in order to fit the 1800s playbill font commonly seen on Ouija boards, also 12pt. Now the next ones are the interesting ones. To represent Yes and No, I used the Thumbs-Up and Thumbs-Down emoji respectively, and the real interesting part is what I did for Hello and Goodbye. For those, I used two characters from the Miscellaneous Technical block, namely the Enter Symbol and the Escape Symbol, both seen on old Mac keyboards. The first one is a diamond with an arrow pointing inwards, and the second one is a circle with an arrow pointing outwards. The metaphor here is that "Hello" is entering a conversation, and "Goodbye" is leaving one, obviously with a spirit. And all this fills ALL 120 slots on a d120, with no empty or duplicate entries. A unique glyph for each side. The only fonts usable for this by the way are Unifont Smooth (bundled) or UnifontEX. No other font, even Unifont itself, has all the characters together, due to the fact that Hello and Goodbye symbols are in Plane 0, meanwhile the rest of the characters are in Plane 1 AND even include emoji, never mind that some fonts do not support the Major Arcana part of the Playing Cards block. So basically, you're stuck with these two forks of GNU Unifont, but UnifontEX is pixel and so is not exactly a fitting theme unless you're a hacker like I am. Plus, by a bout of sheer chance, ALL the characters after vectorization turned out fine (though White Joker's J is too skeletal in the loop), something that related characters (some of the other stuff in the same block as the thumbs up and thumbs down emoji didn't vectorize well) have trouble with. I was very pleasantly surprised that the emoji and the Roman numerals turned out fine. But ultimately this was a feat of engineering I did when I was bored from 2023 to nowadays.
Anyways, what makes this a compelling protest product is that it combines several things that fundamentalist Christians are very prone to hating. It takes Tarot cards and Ouija boards and shoves them onto dice that are literally divisible into an entire set of common and rare TTRPG dice, on top of the shape being a D&D d20 but divided into 6 triangles (putting a d4 on each face and then dividing by 2), a D&D d12 but divided into 10 triangles for each pentagon, as well as being a derivative shape of the d30 and d60. So basically, this "Tarouija" d120 combines multiple things that fundamentalist Christians consider "demonic" into one divination ritual item and thus is a great form of protest against the religious right. For the record I live in California. Hopefully this is interesting. Oh the OpenSCAD file needs the nightly build of OpenSCAD. #dicemaking #dicemaker #dice #d120 #unicode #unifontex #tarotcard #tarotdecks #tarotcards #tarotcardsreading #ouijaboard #ouija #3d #3dp #3dprinting #3dprinter #spiritboard #majorarcana #fuckice #protest #unifont #openscad #scad #3dart #art #tech #technology #code #font #fontdev #fonts #3dmodel #3dmodeling #3dmodels #3dmodeled #computerscience #compsci #boredom #activism #ice -
Novembers Doom – Major Arcana Review
By Steel Druhm
Chicago’s Novembers Doom have charted a unique course for themselves over the last 30 years. Their unnatural pairing of beefy, cargo-beshorted death metal and highly emotional doom originally felt unstable and liable to erupt into chaos at any moment, but over time, they became adept at finding the ideal balance between madman and sadboi. Albums like The Pale Haunt Departure and Hamartia were loaded with ripping riffs and plaintive gloom, and at their best, Novembers Doom can tear at the heartstrings even as they snap your neck. The wild swings from hugely emotional, weepy sadboi melancholy and femur-fracturing death could sometimes feel forced, but more often it just fucking worked. 2019s Nephilim Grove had big moments but felt underbaked with too much filler. It’s been almost six years since, but now we get their 12th album, Major Arcana, and hopefully, a rebound for these Autumnal leaf reapers of despair.
Nothing’s really changed in the way Novembers Doom approach their trade. After an ominous and forboding intro piece, they come out swinging on the massive title track and hit you like a runaway battleship with a wide collection of primal feelz. Grinding riffs are coated with Paul Kuhr’s excellent clean and death metal vocals as the intensity builds and Kuhr warns, “This has gone too far.” The way his vocals increase in intensity is gripping, and all the usual melodic tricks Novembers Doom are known for come to the fore. This is really good shit. Another high point comes with “Mercy,” where the band hits gold with an emotionally crushing piece that evokes Woods of Ypres, Pink Floyd, and latter-era Anthema. It will break your fucking heart with its beauty and poignancy. Also quite tasty is album centerpiece “Bleed Static,” which uses its 8-minute runtime to explore a variety of despondent emotions effectively. Elsewhere, “The Dance” sticks out for its very Amorphis-esque airy, melodic guitar work and a chorus that you can easily imagine Tomi Joutsen singing.
Unfortunately, the rest of Major Arcana doesn’t operate at this level, and though most tracks have something worthwhile to offer, they won’t whisk you away in a leafblower maelstrom. “Ravenous” is a basic melodeath tune that should run 3-4 minutes, but gets stretched to 6 for no good reason. The back third of the album is significantly less enthralling than the early tracks, and while the songs work in the context of the album, they aren’t especially captivating individually. At 56-plus minutes, it would have been easy to drop 2 or 3 tracks to deliver a leaner, meaner release, but that isn’t the Novembers Doom way. This is a mood piece kind of listen, though, and if you’re in the right state of mind, it will all drift by without much resistance.
As ever, Paul Kuhr is the epicenter of the band’s sound, and he does his usual first-rate job. His singing voice is so perfect for doom that he should run a clinic on it.1 He sounds so desperately hurt and broken on “Mercy” that you can’t help but want to give him a big hug and tell him everything will be OK. At times, his singing reminds me a lot of the late great Eric Wagner of Trouble, and that’s great company to be in. His death roars are also as good as ever, big, booming, nasty, and venomous. His transitions between extremes are smooth and well-timed, and he knows how to wring a song for the maximum emotional impact. Lawrence Roberts and Vito Marchese wield potent riff hammers that often feel like they belong on a caveman death metal platter. When they do lapse into doom and melancholic sadboi mode, they deliver the goods there too. On cuts like the title track, “Mercy,” and “Bleed Static,” you can feel the pathos dripping from their fretboards. I just wish they spread that quality more evenly across the whole record.
Albums like Major Arcana can end up a frustrating experience because you get a few really amazing songs and the remainder ends up looking pale in comparison, even if nothing is bad. Novembers Doom have struggled with this issue over their career, and both 2019s Nephilim Grove and this one are held back by inconsistent songcraft. This is a good release with really high points, but you’re left feeling it could be so much more. I want MOAR leaf doom, dammit!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: novembersdoom1989.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/novembersdoom1989 | instagram.com/novembersdoom
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #DoomMetal #FieldsOfNephilim #MajorArcana #NovembersDoom #ProphecyProductions #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #WoodsOfYpres
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To be a fool at the right time is an art.
https://foxandthistle.studio/blogs/impetus-inaction/offhand-cards-for-common-situations
#fool #foxandthistle #majorarcana #begin #beginnings #publicdomain #blog #blogpost #expression #art #print #greetingcard #jester
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A new 10th Anniversary Critical Role (complete) Tarot card set was released yesterday and it's a been a long time since I've bought something that fast.
They've released Limited Major Arcana sets before but never full Major & Minor Arcana
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Shade and Vix Ryder as Major Arcana VI: The Lovers
#magic #fantasy #furry #furryfandom #furryart #scalie #dragon #redpanda #sfw #digitalart #majorarcana #tarotcard #tarot #thelovers #lgbtqia #lesbian
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another genre-queer clubnight coming up!
more info on the #MajorArcana here:
https://majorarcana.kamizdat.si -
Final daily #tarot pull of 2024 and you know what? I’ll take it. The Chariot is just the mood I intend to maintain as we roll into 2025. I can only control my own actions, but I *can* control them. And I will, dammit.
The pamphlet that comes with the deck says: “Control over tension of opposites. Triumph over all difficulties through perseverance; a balanced life; success.”
Yes. Good.
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Present - THE DEVIL ⚡️🎸🤘⚡️
Keywords: illusion, hidden danger, inquisitiveness
“This was supposed to be fun; it’s not fun anymore.” Things that seem too good to be true. Overindulgence. Overconfidence, especially in one’s own cleverness. (😳)
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Past - The Moon
Keywords: subconscious, intuition, hidden talents, instincts
An invitation to connect with one’s intuition and unconscious mind. All may not be as it seems. Perils may be obscured; be careful.
Going to ruminate on this a little before I interpret it further.
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So it’s:
Past - what lesson from the last month should I reflect on? (The Moon)
Present - what do I need to know now (The Devil)
What should I keep in mind over the month ahead? (The Queen of Swords)Oh boy! 😧
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…which is Hidden Strength: Unseen strengths that aid in your self-actualization.
The High Priest, aka the Hierophant, aka the Pope, is a personal favorite since I associate this card with @jdekg. (❤️) Also a card of orthodoxy, institutions, and as Dee puts it, “the concept of moral law.” Seeing this guy show up next after The II of Wands makes me think some thoughts I won’t bore the wider world with. But I like it!
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1. The Spotlight: The II of Wands
2. Hidden Strengths: The High Priest
3. Retrograde Reflection: The X of Swords
4. Mars Motivation: Queen of Swords
5. Jupiter’s Wisdom: Knight of SwordsSo two wands (one pip, one court), two swords (one pip, one court) and one major. Wands running north-south, swords running west-easy. How balanced! I find this aesthetically pleasing and reassuring.
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To tie it all together, I’m not wrong to be distressed by disingenuous behavior from [redacted], but even though I really want to Do Something about it, the wisest course of action for the next little while will be to practice patience & refrain from interfering.
That King of Wands energy can be better directed elsewhere, to work-work & maybe even creative projects. But not toward The Situation, no matter how badly I burn with righteous indignation
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Future, The High Priestess: “Like an unexpected doorbell chime on a boring day, a visit from this card is both welcome and mysterious.”
This card might be advice: keep my own counsel; keep my crystal visions to myself; study & reflect more than I talk. The season ahead may be one for preparation rather than action. Linking back to the VII of Swords, the message here is that the wisest response to provocation is to step back & observe for now. Cultivate mystery!
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Hmm!!
1. Past - what lesson(s) should I take from the last month? VII of Swords
2. Present - what insights do I need right now? King of Wands
3. Future - what should I pay attention to in the month ahead? The High Priestess -
Do you enjoy dragons and tarot decks?
Umbral Wings, a collaboration from over 70 artists, is in prelaunch! I painted a card for the deck and drew "royal face card" themed merch.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monsterbrainsoup/umbral-wings-dragon-tarot
Slam that Notify Me on Launch button to be alerted when the campaign goes live! 🐉 💜
#dragon #dragons #tarot #tarotcards #carddeck #fantasyart #cardart #fantasy #majorarcana #earth #fire #painting #merch #artistcollab #artistsonmastodon #fediart
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The Empress, everyone loves her! Booklet says, among other things, that she indicates good luck. I’ll take it.
In terms of what to keep in mind in the month ahead, I think the Empress, like the Emperor, projects I certain calm that I could use. Embrace being chill and confident, let creativity flow, etc.
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The Emperor!
I need to act with authority within the borders of my responsibility. Understand the situation, be confident, care the appropriate amount, etc.
Nice little counterbalance to ye olde Eight of Swords, actually.
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🪄☕️🗡️🪙
Egad!
1. Past: The Eight of Swords
2. Present: The Emperor
3. Future: The Empress
