Challenge Redux - Tarot Cards
22 Doctor Who Themed Tarot Cards
I included the info on the meaning of the cards that I used for this. I hope I didn't screw up the table coding. I'm not very good at that. So if anything doesn't work it's entirely my fault.
This was so much harder than I thought it would be. And it took ages. But it was also kind of fun. If I weren't so sick of these things by now, I'd do the minor arcana as well. :D
Tarot Card Info either from Wikipedia or aeclectic.net.
In many esoteric systems of interpretation, the Fool is usually interpreted as the protagonist of a story, and the Major Arcana is the path the Fool takes through the great mysteries of life and the main human archetypes. This path is known traditionally in Tarot as the Fool´s Journey, and is frequently used to introduce the meaning of Major Arcana cards to beginners.
When the Magician appears in a spread, it points to the talents, capabilities and resources at the querent's disposal.
Commonly this card is associated with the card reader or the querant, because it is also focused on 'secrets' it also interpreted when a secret is kept or revealed, when you are holding on to the truth or revealing it, the card associated with mystery, when powerful female influences and support currently in force for the querant.
The Empress is mother, a creator and nurturer. She can represent the creation of life, of romance, of art or business. The Empress can represent the germination of an idea before it is ready to be fully born.
The Emperor symbolizes the desire to rule over one's surroundings, and its appearance in a reading often suggests that the subject needs to accept that some things may not be controllable, and others may not benefit from being controlled.
“Hierophant” literally means “the one who teaches the holy things”. Ideally, the Hierophant prepares the Querant spiritually for the adventure of life. The card also represents individuation or the point where a child starts to understand the boundaries between Self and Other, family and the community. This is the point where the individual starts constructing his or her own identity, consciously, unconsciously, or as shaped by exterior forces.*
The Lovers represent the impulse that drives us towards adulthood. Sometimes, that impulse manifests as curiosity; sometimes it manifests as sexual desire or ordinary romance; sometimes it manifests as duty (a soldier heeding the call). Whatever it is, once we have stepped past the threshold, there is no returning to the [point of origin].
On its most basic level, it implies war, a struggle, and an eventual, hard-won victory; either over enemies, obstacles, nature, the beasts inside you, or to just get what you want.
Justice mediates the various claims of right, of morality, of duty. In a world of scarcity, not every claim can be met. Justice, in theory, sets forth a system to judge between the claims. The tarot card is therefore typically closer to the notion of Jurisprudence than to the abstract concept of Justice.
The Justice card is closely connected to The High Priestess through its cross sum (the sum of the digits).
There are two possible ways this card can be interpreted:
- First, the need to withdraw from society to become comfortable with himself.
- Second, the return from isolation to share his knowledge with others.
A common aspect to most interpretations of this card within a reading is to introduce an element of change in the querant's life, such change being in station, position or fortune: such as the rich becoming poor, or the poor becoming rich
The Strength card was originally named Fortitude, and accompanies two of the other cardinal virtues in the Major Arcana: Temperance and Justice. It meant moderation in attitudes toward pain and danger, with neither being avoided at all costs, nor actively wanted.
The Hanged Man's symbolism points to divinity, linking it to the Passion in Christianity, especially The Crucifixion; to the narratives of Osiris in Egyptian mythology, and Mithras in Ancient Persian mythology and Roman mythology.
In all of these archetypal stories, the destruction of self brings life to humanity.
According to Eden Gray and other authors on the subject, it is unlikely that this card actually represents a physical death. Typically it implies an end, possibly of a relationship or interest, and therefore implies an increased sense of self-awareness-not to be confused with self-consciousness or any kind of self-diminishment.
Temperance is associated through its cross sum with The Hierophant. The Hierophant (ideally) brings the lessons of the other world into this one in an understandable form; Temperance (among other things) judges how well we have mastered the wisdom of the other worlds.
The Devil is the card of self-bondage to an idea or belief which is preventing a person from growing or being healthy. On the other hand, however, it can also be a warning to someone who is too restrained and/or dispassionate and never allows him or herself to be rash or wild or ambitious, which is yet another form of enslavement.
With Mars as its ruling planet, the Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. This is a card about anything we believe to be true, but later learn is false. This realization usually comes as a shock, hence, the violent image. It is, quite simply, that moment in any story where someone finds out a shocking truth, one that shatters their perceptions and makes them reassess their beliefs.
The Star represents a moment of renewed hope, inspiration and discovery. The turmoil of escape from the Devil depicted on the previous trump in the series (The Tower) is over, indicating calm after the storm.
Usually divined as hope for the future, it may indicate good things to come in the things represented by cards that may be close to the star in a reading layout.
The Moon can be interpreted with the feeling of uncertainty, where the past still haunts, unsure of a journey but still going ahead with it, feeling watched and because it is commonly associated with dreams, fantasies and mysteries this card can also be interpreted with surreal feelings and situations in your waking life.
This card is generally considered positive. It is said to reflect happiness and contentment, vitality, self-confidence and success. It also represents good things and positive outcomes to current struggles.
When Judgment appears in a reading, it is usually interpreted as a signal of an impending judgment, such as of postponed decisions. As the card symbolizes resurrection, it can also be interpreted to herald the return of individuals from the past. The card also represents God's promise of life after death.
The World represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool. It is completeness. It is also said to represent cosmic consciousness; the potential of perfect union with the One Power of the universe. It tells us full happiness is also to give back to the world, sharing what we have learned or gained.**
*I chose Earth as The Hierophant because the protection of earth and its citizens is as close to a religion as the Doctor (my Fool) gets if you ignore the whole Time-Lord-protecting-time-lines thing that I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to put on a card.
**If you can't quite make it out, that yellow/red thing in the earth is a regeneration. I found it quite hard to work with these things and though I was tempted to use every singe post-2005 regeneration for one card or another, I settled on one. Colouring these things is impossible.
Sorry for the Texture-Overload. I blame tumblr. It sucks you into its timey-wimey vortex of pattern and texture abuse and never lets you go. :D
