The B5 Tarot, Major Arcana (Part One)
Awhile ago, over at beyond_the_rim , alto2 and I got in a side-discussion about Tarot symbolism in Babylon 5.
This is the result.
Beware, there are lots and lots of images behind the cut. The traditional images are largely from the Rider-Waite deck via Wiki.
I've only looked at the Major Arcana because my god this is long enough already. There are 22 cards in the Major, plus the Zero card, The Fool. I've picked a person, place, or thing for each card, with some waffling and hand-waving when things didn't fit exactly. What's interesting is how much does fit.
I've always been attracted to media that makes full use of archetypes, and when I was younger I dabbled in multiple forms of divination; not really as a believer, but loving the symbols and insights it could provide. The reason people see so many parallels and derivative stories and characters between media is these very archetypes. The story, you see, never ends. It is just re-told in different ways, for different times.
The parts in italic are taken from Trevor Mendham's website. The definitions are standard, I just like the way he puts things and the emphases he places. There is some editing for length. The normal type is my B5-centric commentary. The pictures are largely taken from Wikipedia and Google Images, which led to various websites and Deviant Art. There is beautiful artwork available for a large variety of Tarot decks and cards. I've included a couple, with attribution, to give you an idea of what's out there.
The Tarot is old, first used as a card game and later as a means of divination. It differs from other packs of cards in having an additional 22 cards that comprise what is now known as the Major Arcana. The first known tarot cards were created between 1430 and 1450 in Milan according to the Wiki. The first evidence of their use as divination was as early as 1540. By 1735 and 1750, meanings were being ascribed to the cards, and systems devised for laying them out to foretell the future.
Tarot symbolism has been explored by sources as varied as Carl Jung and Timothy Leary. There are decks for cat-lovers, baseball fans, alchemists, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Fandom tarot decks and cards have been inspired by Star Trek, Asterix, Disney characters, Tex Avery cartoons, and Hellblazer. I'm sure there are many, many more out there. If I had a lick of artistic talent, there'd be a B5 Tarot.
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Peanuts Tarot, via BoingBoing (original website gone)
The Fool represents naivety and childlike innocence - yet the Fool is wise.
He carries only what possessions he really needs, having thrown off the rest of the materialistic baggage that we carry. He journeys through life, tasting everything it has to offer then letting it go and moving on.
In many Tarot decks The Fool is illustrated as being about to step off a cliff. Is this symbolic of dangerous, impulsive risk-taking? Or does it indicate one who simply refuses to be held back by the problems life throws in our path.
Jeffrey Sinclair is truly the Fool. Especially after his relocation to Minbar, he falls into the pattern of carrying only what possessions he need, of preparing to let go and move on. The fact that the Fool is pictured stepping off a cliff indicates a leap of faith that can be adduced to Sinclair, but also to Neroon during the Minbari Civil War, and Delenn with her entry into the Chrysalis.
You can make an obvious case for cliff-jumping applying to John Sheridan, but for my money, Sinclair is the journeyer in this story. He is a true Seeker, and willing to let everything go in his search. The others have much stronger ties to the world that Sinclair leaves behind. From the time we meet Sinclair, he has an air of mystery and destiny, but also of wisdom.
The Magician, also known as Magus or Juggler, represents those aspects of the personality traditionally considered "masculine". He is in control. He knows how things work, he can analyse them in detail. He takes action and makes things happen.
This is a powerful, dynamic Tarot card, yet one that operates through the application of Will rather than brute force. If knowledge is power then the Magician represents the application of knowledge. The Magician creates his desired reality.
When this card appears in a Tarot spread it indicates the attainment of goals through the application of knowledge and Will. If badly aspected in a spread, this card can represent abuse of power. It can indicate manipulation of others, trickery and deception.
Garibaldi is the one who's in the trenches making the station work, in many ways. He's good at many things. You can see Susan in this role too, but I like Garibaldi for it because of his technical expertise (shared by Susan but not seen as often in her case), his 'action' orientation, his need to be in control, his aggressive masculinity. He makes it his business (and in fact it is his business!) to know everything about everyone. Although he suffers from an addiction to alcohol, his will carries him through years of stress and war without slipping, until he is betrayed by his own mind.
There are the negative aspects of the card, manipulation and deception, also manifest in Michael Garibaldi. Even though his betrayal of Sheridan is orchestrated by Bester/PsiCorps, those tendencies are there in Garibaldi from the start. He comes close to abusing his authority a few times, and often uses subterfuge in the pursuit of his goals.
from The Fantastic Menagerie website
The High Priestess is a card of intuition, instinct and hidden knowledge. She encompasses the word "esoteric".
The High Priestess does not seek to dissect. Instead she relies on synthesis, on the bringing together of opposites. She is duality in a singularity.
An emotional singularity which can suck you in and from which you may never escape.
She knows all your secrets, you can hide nothing from her. Yet you will never know the secrets she herself protects.
If well aspected in a Tarot spread, this card can indicate the use of intuition to solve problems; trust to your instincts. If badly aspected, it can mean suppression and ignoring of such instincts - following your head at the expense of your heart.
Delenn in her first incarnation is symbolized by the High Priestess, as Mendham eloquently summarizes it; a 'duality in a singularity.' The ideas of secrecy and mystery lie at the heart of her portrayal in the first season of the series.
Synthesis, the bringing together of opposites, is at the heart of diplomacy, and particularly of Delenn's diplomatic mission. The mission of Babylon Five, her work with the League, the bringing of humans into the Anla'Shok, the establishment of the Army of Light, and the eventual formation of the Interstellar Alliance; all these fall into the category of synthesis.
Delenn's position on the Grey Council and her dual mission on the station as regards Sinclair and the other humans are secrets within secrets. She is the priestess that becomes a warrior. And she will learn a lesson about following your head instead of your heart.
The Empress is a maternal symbol. She is the mother figure who loves, nurtures and protects.
She will protect you, she will always be there when you are in trouble. When you fall over and graze your knee, the Empress will kiss it better.
Yet she is not a weak figure. Her compassion is strength. If her children are threatened she will stop at nothing to protect them.
If well aspected in a Tarot spread, the Empress can symbolise security, protection and unconditional love. If badly aspected it can represent over-protectiveness, fear of risk taking and refusal to face the real world.
The Empress is a bit difficult because it is a traditional maternal figure. Parents in general and mothers in particular don't fare well in the series. The most maternal figure in the series in my estimation is Lise, even with Delenn's pregnancy in the last season and earlier references to David Sheridan. However, taking the maternal as the bringing forth of something new, I can give it to later series Delenn, with her midwifing of both the Army of Light and the Interstellar Alliance. Security and protection are what the Alliance is all about.
I can also make a case for the negative aspects of the card. Especially before her change, and in connection with the secrecy and caution required by her awareness of prophecy and the involvement of the Vorlons, Delenn evinced a fear of risk-taking, of influencing events in ways she couldn't predict.
Besides, giving her the Empress card, allows me to give way to my shipper's instincts and pair her with the Emperor.
The Emperor represents power. There is nothing subtle about this Tarot card.
The Magician has power through intellect; the High Priestess has power through knowledge; the Empress has power through love.
The Emperor has power through power.
He is in control, he is forceful and ambitious. Nothing will stop him. He is a natural leader, having either been born to the role or having disposed of all those who stood in his way.
If well aspected in a Tarot spread this card can indicate success. It represents obstacles overcome, goals reached and ambition fulfilled. If badly aspected it can indicate either weakness or an abuse of power.
John Sheridan is the Emperor. You might be thinking Londo, but the Emperor is a powerful figure, and Londo is just not that powerful, especially once he becomes Emperor. John is a natural leader, and the positive aspect of this card fit him perfectly, perhaps aside from the ambition. I don't see him as particularly ambitious, beyond wishing to succeed in his chosen career. The negative aspects of weakness and abuse of power are ascribed to Sheridan by various people throughout history; the severing of ties with EarthGov in season three, the cult of personality he acquired after Z'ha'dum, the use of telepaths during Earth's Civil War, and the events on the station that eventually led to the Telepath War.
The Hierophant (sometimes called The Pope) represents spiritual power through the establishment. This is the card of the Church - be that a church of religion, politics or public opinion.
This card refers to accepted authority. It is a card of safety in numbers, of conformity, of social pressure. In the world of the Hierophant social order is all-important and innocent citizens carry identity cards. The illusion of security at the expense of freedom.
If well aspected in a Tarot reading, this card can indicate security and a good reputation in society. Sometimes it means an ability to subvert and escape that authority - context is important here.
If badly aspected it can represent a loss of public standing and/or the suppression of individuality by the establishment.
President Clark is an obvious Hierophant. Before I refreshed my memory of this card's meaning, I was inclined to put G'Kar as the Hierophant. I was recalling it more as a counterpart to the High Priestess. There are certainly aspects of G'Kar here, if you consider the subversion of authority. But the conformity and emphasis on social order, and most especially the phrase 'the illusion of security at the expense of freedom' leads you straight to Clark. JMS himself could have written that description.
There are also aspects of the Hierophant in Minbari culture. It seems they are a conformist, traditional, hierarchial culture which would embrace a hierophant, but I'm not sure there was one. Dukhat had aspects of it, Delenn, and possibly Valen, although we don't know much about how Sinclair ran things once he got back to the past.
The Lovers is one of the simplest Tarot cards of the Major Arcana. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
This is a card symbolising couples, marriage, relationships and strong bonds. The love does not have to be physical, nor even called by that name. Lifelong platonic friends are Lovers in the context of this card. Whether they know it or not they have made a commitment to one another.
This card indicates the trust and openness of such a relationship. The two Lovers have no secrets from each other, they are as one - and when two are as one they are as strong as ten.
When well aspected in a Tarot reading this card can indicate the forging of a new relationship, the strengthening of an existing one or simply the two Lovers working together to overcome problems.
When badly aspected the card can represent the loss of trust, possibly leading to the breakdown of the relationship. It can also refer at times to false relationships, deception and pain.
John and Delenn represent the Lovers. Duh.
And look, the traditional card has Kosh giving them his blessing! Or maybe it's Valen...
'When the two are as one they are as strong as ten.' That should be on their baseball card.
I can't put Susan and Marcus here because their relationship is doomed (Doomed, I say!) and Lise and Garibaldi are, well, meh.
The Chariot is a forceful card, a representation of forward movement. It is a card of self-control and self-motivation.
The Chariot knows its path and its destination and will get there, no matter what stands in its way. It will overcome all obstacles.
What is the journey? Is it a short journey to a particular goal? Or is it the longest journey of all, one's life? Either way the Chariot is a card that knows where it is going and will not stop until it gets there.
If well aspected in a tarot reading this card indicates progress and overcoming of obstacles. If badly aspected it can represent either failure to overcome those obstacles or - possibly more dangerous - success in achieving the wrong goals.
Mr. Morden represents the Chariot. Morden always impressed me with his cool air of certainty. He seemed like a man who knew what he wanted :) and who would stop at nothing to get it. All the later explanations of his being coerced fall on deaf ears with me. I like him as willing convert.
My second choice for this card is Alfred Bester. Also a driven man with a vision of how things should be, Bester stooped to drugs, mind control, and murder to pursue his dream of telepathic hegemony. Heh. From the expression on his face, he doesn't like being second choice.
Strength does not just refer to physical strength, it also means emotional and spiritual strength. It is the Strength to do what you know is right in the face of opposition. Strength to defy convention and authority.
Stength does not have to be used directly. It can be inner strength that supports one in the face of attacks on what they hold dear. Whilst all around are co-operating in their own oppression, the person of Strength remains true to their beliefs. People of Strength join the Resistance, burn their Identity Cards and usher in the velvet revolution.
As the martial arts teach, Strength can be used against the possessor. Therefore it is not something to be inflicted on others if there is an alternative. Strength is a shield not a sword - true Strength is used to bolster oneself. It is the Strength that allows people to protest against war in the face of international bloodlust.
If well aspected in a Tarot reading, this card can indicate overcoming of obstacles and refusal to be beaten down. It is a card that symbolises total belief in one's cause and the willingness to do whatever is necessary.
If badly aspected this card can indicate loss of faith, failure of Will. Or worse, it can mean using one's strength to oppress others.
Susan Ivanova is Strength. 'People of strength join the Resistance.' Or even become the Voice of the Resistance. Susan's is a brittle strength, and it takes a long time for her to realize her full potential. Ivanova the Strong she was remembered as, and so she was.
A second choice for this card is Elizabeth Lochley. Although she didn't join in the rebellion against Earth, Lochley shows great reserves of inner strength, in her battle against her own addiction, and in her progression from homeless addict to successful military governor.
The Hermit is a lone figure, walking through the darkness carrying the light. The light can be a great burden but is also a great gift.
The Hermit is a quiet, contemplative card. While others rush around and shout, he sits quietly alone and thinks. He goes deep within to reach wisdom.
The Hermit is a careful planner, never rushing into anything. Yet when he does act he does so all the more effectively, applying the results of his contemplation to overcome previously insurmountable obstacles. He knows the outcome of the game before making the first move.
If well aspected in a Tarot reading, this card can indicate contemplation leading to new wisdom and inner strength. It can also indicate obtaining wise counsel from such a person.
If badly aspected this card can indicate excessive isolation and withdrawl, refusal to cooperate or be involved with others.
Lorien is the Hermit. Once again, you can see Sheridan in this role, although only around the time of Z'ha'dum and the end of the Shadow war. No, Lorien is the one who sits and thinks, who plans and waits. I think we can all agree he doesn't rush into anything!
The First Ones in general show a disinclination to cooperate with or be involved with others. Except of course the Vorlons and the Shadows, who can't stop interfering with the Younger Races. But then they have their own cards to play.
Beautiful piece by bzyglowi
The Wheel of Fortune represents the cyclical nature of all reality. This is the essence of the wisdom hinted at by other cards such as the Fool and Death.
Life is change. Stability is stagnation. All things pass.
Yet for all that things change, the essentials remain the same. The wheel turns - day becomes night becomes day, rain becomes sun becomes rain, joy becomes pain becomes joy.
If well aspected in a Tarot reading, this card can indicate good fortune through change, the wheel turning for now to a better position.
If badly aspected this card can indicate what appears to be misfortune. It can also represent resistance to the inevitability of change.
Neroon at the StarFire Wheel embodies the Wheel of Fortune. The Minbari, especially the Warrior caste, showed great resistance to the idea of the need for their society to change. Neroon embraces change at the end, throwing the control of Minbari society to Delenn.
A second choice might be Marcus Cole, although I have him more pegged as one of the Knights. Still, Marcus is mired in reluctance and fear of moving forward in life. When the Wheel turns for him, he rides it from joy to pain to joy.
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