What is one word to describe life? Tumultuous? Interesting? A rollercoaster? The Fool would agree, as he has experienced many phases and stages in his life since he started out as the Fool, to the point that these changes caused him to self-reflect, which caused him to gain a different viewpoint, which changes the course of his path, indicated by the Wheel of Fortune.
That happened in the example I keep falling to the Fool at his new job. He has been through many challenges to the point that when he reached the Wheel of Fortune step, he found that destiny, after a series of incidents, was leading him to a turning point regarding his job. Let’s see what happens once he reaches Justice.
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Justice
Justice is known as the karma card because it represents all of your decisions and actions that lead to consequences, whether they are positive or negative. This is the 11th card in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and is associated with Libra. Libra is all about balance, and 11 is a karmic Master Number. Strength is assigned 11 in some decks, and Justice is eight, as both are karmic numbers.
However, I am sticking to the Rider-Waite-Smith series. The Fool evaluates his current situation by looking back at his journey to trace any cause-and-effect situations that brought him here. He realizes that he must take responsibility for any mistakes, but he also notices his achievements as he sees the positive steps he took helped him.
When the Fool is at work, he is at a point where he looks back at his journey at his job and sees where he may have played a hand in the challenges he endured, as he may see at this point that he suffered more because he made situations harder for him.
He can now balance out the negative karmic situations he may have created, and he sees it is in his hands to make the right decisions to be more responsible going forward.
The Hanged Man
The Fool has a renewed sense of purpose after reaching the turning point in his journey (Wheel of Fortune) and deciding to make amends for any wrongdoings he played a role in (Justice). He is ready to start over, but then he faces another challenge he initially feels he can manage based on his new views.
However, he encounters a crossroads, an experience that is highly challenging to endure to the point that he feels helpless. He has no choice but to surrender because that is the only thing he can do, but he also feels lost and defeated and feels he sacrificed everything. His world has been turned upside-down and reached the Hanged Man stage.
The Hanged Man, ruled by Neptune, is the 12th card. Neptune is all about spirituality, and 12 becomes the root number three, which is a number of creation, but 12 is spiritual seeking.
Even though you feel lost and helpless, the Hanged Man offers time to discover your inner self and rely on your true self for support. When you rely on your true self, you can see the troubling situation out of your control from a different perspective.
The Hanged Man also plays a role in a situation where you feel as if you are suspended in time. You feel you are working on something important but cannot make progress because you keep hitting brick walls no matter what you do.
You may realize that the timing for what you want to achieve is not ideal, which is why you keep hitting those obstacles no matter what you try.
Or, maybe you must put something important that you want to do on hold to care for another situation, which you must sacrifice, as there is an element of martyrdom with this card.
When using the Hanged Man in the Fool at work example, he suddenly learns that he must cut his working hours because his mother is ill and needs extra care. He also will have to endure a pay cut.
This is a bad time for him as he needs the money, but his mother has no one else to take care of her, so he must be there for her, as this is a big sacrifice he has to make.
Death
Death is one of the most misunderstood cards in the tarot deck, and it rarely means physical death unless it pertains to a reading about a terminal patient.
Death is all about transition and endings, as it is associated with Scorpio and the number 13, representing transformations and endings. The number 13 is reduced to four, representing creating order after transformation.
The Fool endures endings so he can transform into something else that he has been growing into, and he is forced to let go of something familiar to allow his new self to grow and evolve.
You can compare it to a first-time parent, as the parent is no longer someone who only focuses on self-survival, as they are now responsible for another being.
Going through the death phase is painful, but the Fool realizes that this is a temporary state as once he adapts to the transformation, his old self will feel like a distant memory and grow to like who he has become.
While using the Fool at work example, while he has been taking care of his mother while giving up a lot of time at work and taking a pay cut, he undergoes an inner transformation, as his old greedy self has been taken away due to this experience.
He is going through the Dark Night of the Soul, which is causing him to have an existential crisis, but what is happening is that he is experiencing ego death, whereas he is making room for a much more spiritual side to himself.
He will resist this until later (spoiler alert, when he reaches the Tower); he has no choice but to stop resisting.
Temperance
The Fool has been through emotional upheavals since he did the self-reflection indicated by the Hermit. Now is a time when he has to balance stability.
Since he has been through extremes ranging from being overly cocky, indicated by the Chariot, humbled by Strength, and then enduring situations that he can’t do anything about other than to surrender control, indicated by the Hanged Man, which leads to him having to undergo painful transformations, indicated by Death, he is at a place where he needs to find emotional equilibrium as he is swinging from one extreme to the next.
Finding that balance, patience within, and doing things in moderation are all represented by Temperance. Sagittarius is associated with Temperance, as Sagittarius is the spiritual truth-seeker, which the Fool has to do while at the Temperance stage.
It is the 14th card, which reduces to five, as it is a number representing chaos. However, Temperance’s message is to find that balance within that chaos you experience.
The Fool at work is at a point where even though he is going through the Dark Night of the Soul based on him having to be a caregiver for his mother while taking home a reduced paycheck, his challenge is to find peace emotionally.
He looks for outlets to help him release his emotions and feel more balanced. Even during his dark moments, he enjoys playing video games, which makes him feel better.
The Devil
As the Fool has embraced the task of finding emotional equilibrium indicated by Temperance, he pursues what he feels brings him purpose, and then he meets the Devil. The Devil is not evil but represents pure materialism and seductive influence.
Capricorn rules this card, the most ambitious earth sign influenced by the restrictive Saturn, where you are hyperfocused on attaining goals and success. It is a highly material and goal-oriented sign, which highlights the obsessive nature of the Devil and is the 15th card.
The number 15 reduces to six, as 15 is several extreme attachments because you are committed to something or someone, as indicated by six.
The Devil is the higher octave of the Lovers, whereas the Lovers are all about making choices and commitments. The Devil is taking it a step higher by being obsessive and attached.
Everyone ends up in situations where they become a slave to the Devil because obsessions, unhealthy attachments, and addictions often happen.
The Devil enslaves you, and you willingly fall into the trap because it becomes your escape, which is what defines addictions of any kind. Using the work example for the Fool, he has found his way to find emotional balance through video games, as indicated by Temperance.
However, the Fool gets lost in gaming as it distracts from his Dark Night. He is also not taking care of his mother and has missed going to work because he is highly addicted to his video games.
The Devil is his addiction to his video games, taking him away from the pain he is experiencing.
The Tower
The Tower is another most dreaded card in the Major Arcana, and as painful as the Tower is, it is the most freeing one, as this is the only way the Fool can free himself from the Devil.
The Tower is all about sudden changes, upheavals, and shocking revelations and breakthroughs. Mars, the planet of aggression and passion, rules the Tower, and it is the 16th card, as 16 reduces to seven.
Still, 16 is a number ruling destruction, which leads to spiritual awakenings or wisdom indicated by seven.
The Fool has to go through a crisis at times to shake him up, which will lead to freedom. The Tower destroys whatever no longer serves you so you can free yourself.
Everyone has a “Tower moment,” which is painful and blindsiding at first but later leads to something better on the other side.
Using the Fool at Work example, the Fool had to reduce his work hours to care for his mother. Then, he has missed work lately because of getting lost in his video game addiction, as indicated by the Devil. Suddenly, without any warning, the Fool lost his job.
Now, he has no income and is unsure of how and when he can look for another job because of the care that his mother needs.
You would think that this would make him want to turn to his video game addiction even more, but he broke away from it and blamed it for his Tower moment.
The Star
After going through the sudden shakeup the Tower indicates, you must find a silver lining and hope. And this is what the Star is about, as it is a card that represents hopes, aspirations, faith, and dreams.
Aquarius rules the Star as a sign that rules hopes and dreams, as it is the natural ruler of the astrological 11th house. The number 17 is auspicious as it is associated with self-expression, spiritual growth, and positive changes leading to new beginnings, as it reduces to eight, where you can find your power by seeking personal freedom.
After the Fool goes through his hell since he reached the Hanged Man stage, he is at a place where he is finding trust and having faith that things will improve. Returning to the example of the Fool at work, his mother felt guilty for what happened with the Fool, so she applied for caregiving assistance and was approved.
The Fool now has an opportunity to look for another job since he no longer has to take up his time caring for her, and he is ready to make some fresh starts and create new beginnings.
The Moon
When you start feeling more optimistic and hopeful, ready to venture out after dealing with so many blows, you need to be cautious because you could allow something too good to be true to reel you in. It is always important to remember that what seems on the outside is not the case.
Your intuition will also nudge you, but your emotions may cause you to not listen to it and allow yourself to be deluded.
That is what the Moon represents, as Pisces rules it, and it is the 18th card in the Major Arcana. The number 18 is about taking a spiritual approach to progression, as there is an element of leadership, determination, and mental focus as you keep evolving.
And 18 reduces to nine, a spiritual number of insight and completion (go back to the Hermit as that is the ninth card, all about self-reflection).
Therefore, the Moon stirs your imagination, which can open up a can of worms in your mind. Pisces is associated with the Moon. Think about the sign being the natural ruler of the astrological 12th house, the most spiritual, hidden, and karmic house. Therefore, when your imagination goes wild, it can create illusions, fears, and false beliefs you want to hang onto. This is where the Fool can fall victim to fantasy, lies, and deep-seated fears.
The Moon is a confusing card, as it is meant to confuse you too. Let’s focus on the Fool’s situation with his struggles. His mother is taken care of, and he is now looking for another job. He lands on one that provides so many benefits, and it sounds too good to be true.
His intuition tells him to be careful, but he does not listen; his emotions take over, and he gets excited. But he later finds out he was scammed. Then, his deep-seated fears bubble up about never finding a job again.
The Sun
After going through deception indicated by the Moon, eventually, you find success, and everything looks lovely once and for all, as the 19th card in the Major Arcana is the Sun and is ruled by the Sun.
This card is assigned 19 because it is the number of making starts, indicated by one, and completes what it starts, indicated by nine, as it is reduced to one. It is a solitary number that is full of determination to win.
The Sun represents the ego and vitality, so when the Fool reaches the Sun phase of the Major Arcana, he is finally successful after focusing on self-determination and hard work, and it was not easy to get to this phase.
The Sun represents not only success but also confidence and radiance. Therefore, with this example, the Fool, after going through many disappointing situations with his job search, finally finds the ideal job.
After working at the new company for some time, he feels confident, secure, and happy that he finally ended up at the right place. His mother is also well cared for so he can focus on his work and family.
Judgment
The Fool has been on a life-changing journey, and the Judgment card shows how much he has evolved. This card is associated with transformative Pluto, the 20th card.
The number 20 is known as the “Law of Attraction,” about new beginnings, manifestation, transformation, and abundance. As it reduces to two, balance and harmony are associated with it.
Therefore, Judgment is all about rebirth, awakening, and going after your calling without fear. Therefore, the ego and fear have been shed, and you are now paying attention to your Higher Self.
You don’t get to this point without going through hell, and you know that the Fool has gone through hell. There may be regrets over past mistakes, but your perspective is that you need to go through them to learn and get to this point.
Going back to that example, the Fool has been through hell and back, but once he landed on the perfect job indicated by the Sun, he approached it differently based on what he learned during his difficult path.
He is not making the same mistakes, is humble enough to handle obstacles maturely and soundly, and is making the correct choices regarding his job while balancing his family’s needs and his self-care. He is quite different now compared to when he entered the Magician phase.
The World
After attaining that rebirth and awakening associated with Judgment, the World follows, as this is the last card in the Major Arcana. The World (sometimes the Universe in some decks) is associated with karmic and hardworking Saturn and the number of diligence, success, and completion, which is 21.
The number 21 represents hard work and the ability to achieve great success after putting in a significant effort, as it reduces to three, which is all about creativity, expansion, and results.
The World is all about completing a cycle and fulfilling a purpose. It is all about accomplishments; you deserve a medal at this stage. It is another term for graduating and graduating elementary, secondary, or post-secondary schooling that fits the World’s description.
Back to the example of the Fool, the Fool performs so well at work that he gets promoted to a higher position. He started from the bottom when he got the job, as indicated by the Sun, and he has taken everything he has learned previously and applied it to his work and overall attitude. Therefore, he was promoted.
And now, he will have to start the next cycle of Fool’s journey because each time you graduate a cycle in your life, you end up repeating the journey but in a different situation.
Now, you can think about how Fool’s journey applies to your life and how many times you have been through this journey in different aspects. Everyone goes through this journey whether they know it or not.
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