Tarot Reading What lies in my future?
Reading Performed 01/12/2023 at 9:18 PM
Click or scroll down for the meaning of each position and the interpretation of its card.
Querent
The querent is the card that this user felt represented them or their situation best.
King of Cups
Card Meaning When Upright
Man of fair appearance; man of business, law, or divinity; responsible man, amenable to helping the Querent; also fairness, art and science, including those who profess science, law and art; creative intelligence.
Card Description
He holds a short scepter in his left hand and a cup in his right. His throne is set upon the sea. On one side a ship sails, and on the other a fish leaps.
Visual Layout
Row 1, Card 1
Eight of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Activity in undertakings, the path of such activity; swiftness, as that of an express messenger; great haste, great hope, speed toward an end that promises certain happiness; generally, things on the move; also the arrows of love.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Partial success.
Card Description
This card represents motion through the unmoving—a flight of wands through an open countryside. They approach the end of their path. The future they signify is at hand; it may be even on the threshold.
Row 1, Card 2
Five of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Imitation, as in a pretend fight, but also the battle of life—strenuous competition and the struggle of the search for riches and fortune. Thus, possibly a card of gold, gain, luxury.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Obstacles surmounted.
Card Description
A group of youths brandish staves, as if in sport. They play at mock warfare, and the divinatory meanings match this.
Row 1, Card 3
The Star from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Loss, theft, deprivation, abandonment.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Hope.
Card Description
A large, radiant star of eight points, surrounded by seven lesser stars—also of eight points. The female figure in the foreground is entirely naked. Her left knee is on the land and her right foot on the water. She pours the Water of Life from two great pitchers, irrigating sea and land. Behind her is rising ground, and on the right a shrub on which a bird perches. The figure expresses eternal youth and beauty. The star is l'etoile flamboyante, a symbol of Freemasonry. The figure communicates to the earth around her the substance of the heavens and the elements.
Row 1, Card 4
Knight of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Arrival, approach—sometimes that of a messenger; advances, proposition, demeanor, invitation, temptation.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Young, fair man. A friend. The lover or the loved one.
Card Description
A graceful but not warlike figure rides quietly. He wears a winged helmet to symbolize the imagination. He is a dreamer, and the images of sensory things haunt him in his vision.
Row 1, Card 5
Three of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Established strength, enterprise, effort, trade, commerce, discovery: those are his ships, bearing his merchandise, at sail.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Realization of the commencement of an enterprise. The basis of the work is now definitely established, and the undertaking can be fearlessly continued.
Card Description
A calm, stately figure looks from a cliff's edge at ships passing over the sea. His back is turned. Three staves are planted in the ground, and he leans slightly on one of them.
Row 1, Card 6
Ace of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Triumph, the excessive degree in everything, conquest. It is a card of great force, in love as well as in hatred. The crown may carry a much higher significance than usual in fortune-telling.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Commencement of enmity.
Card Description
A hand extends from a cloud, grasping a sword, the point of which is encircled by a crown.
Row 1, Card 7
Four of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Country life, safe haven, domestic harvest; home, rest, tranquility, harmony, prosperity, peace, and the perfection of these.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Obstacles to be prepared for.
Card Description
From four staves planted in the foreground, a great garland hangs. Two female figures hold up bouquets. To one side is a bridge over a moat, leading to an old mansion.
Row 1, Card 8
Four of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Weariness, disgust, aversion, imaginary annoyances; also mixed pleasure.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Serious obstacles from others.
Card Description
A young man sits under a tree, contemplating three cups on the grass before him. An arm extends from a cloud to offer him another cup. His appears discontent, as if the wine of this world had barely satisfied him. Another wine—a fairy gift—is now offered to the vagabond, but he sees no consolation in it, either.
Row 2, Card 1
Six of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Journey by water, route, travel, messenger, assistance.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Enemy powerless.
Card Description
A ferryman carries passengers in his raft to the far shore. The course is smooth, and the freight is light; the work is not beyond his strength.
Row 2, Card 2
Knight of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Utility, usability, interest, responsibility, decency—all on the surface.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A young, fair man. A stranger. An arrival.
Card Description
A knight rides a slow, heavy horse, similar in appearance to himself. He displays his symbol, but does not look at it.
Row 2, Card 3
The Sun from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Material success, fortunate marriage, contentment.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Material Happiness. Lucky Marriage.
Card Description
A naked child mounted on a white horse displays a red banner. The sun shining above represents consciousness in the Spirit—with direct, as opposed to reflected, light. The archetype of humanity has become a little child beneath its rays—a child in the sense of simplicity, with innocence in the sense of wisdom. In that simplicity, he bears the seal of Nature and Art; in that innocence, he signifies the restored world. When the self-knowing spirit has dawned in the consciousness above the natural mind, that mind is renewed and directs the animal nature in a state of perfect conformity.
Row 2, Card 4
Nine of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Signifies strength in opposition—if attacked, the person will meet that attack boldly. Possibly delay, suspension, adjournment.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Great success.
Card Description
A man leans upon his staff with an expectant look, as if awaiting an enemy. His build indicates that he may prove a formidable opponent. Behind are eight other staves—upright, in orderly arrangement, like a fence.
Row 2, Card 5
Ten of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Oppression, especially that of fortune, gain, or any kind of success. Success will be mocked if the Nine of Swords follows. If it is a question of a lawsuit, loss is certain.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Uncertainty.
Card Description
A man carries ten staves, burdened down by their weight. It represents the burden of material wealth. It may also represent false-seeming, disguise, corruption, as if the place the man approaches will suffer beatings from the rods he carries.
Row 2, Card 6
The Devil from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; matters predestined but not necessarily evil.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Immense Force. Illness.
Card Description
The main figure is entirely naked; he has bat-like wings, and his feet have the claws of a bird. His right hand is upraised and extended, which is the reverse of the blessing given by the Hierophant. In his left hand there is a great flaming torch, inverted toward the earth. A reversed pentagram is on his forehead. There is a ring in front of the altar, from which two chains are attached to the necks of two figures, male and female. These are analogous to The Lovers, like Adam and Eve after the Fall. They represent the chains and fatality of the material life.
Row 2, Card 7
Seven of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Fairy favors, images of reflection, tenderness, imagination, scrying; moderate success, but nothing permanent or substantial.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Success and happiness.
Card Description
Cups holding strange visions are presented to a figure in the foreground, as if offering a choice.
Row 2, Card 8
Ten of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Violence or backstabbing, as shown by the design; also pain, affliction, tears, sadness, desolation. It is not specifically a card of violent death.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Uncertainty in the hatred.
Card Description
A figure lies on the ground, pierced by the swords of the card.
Row 3, Card 1
Judgement from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Change of position, renewal, the outcome.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Change of Position.
Card Description
A great angel is surrounded by clouds. He blows a trumpet with a banner displaying and a cross. Beneath, the dead are rising from their tombs—a woman on the right, a man on the left, and between them their child, whose back is turned. In the background are more dead who are restored. All the figures stand as one in the wonder, adoration, and ecstasy expressed by their postures. This card represents the accomplishment of the great work of transformation, in answer to the summons of the Celestial, heard and answered from within.
Row 3, Card 2
Queen of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
A dark woman, from your hometown or country; she is friendly, chaste, loving, and honorable. If the card beside her signifies a man, she is well disposed toward him; if a woman, she is interested in the Querent. Also, love of money, or certain success in business.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Dark woman. A friend. A serious person. A very good counsellor. The mother of a family.
Card Description
Emotionally and otherwise, the Queen's personality is dark, charismatic, magnetic.
Row 3, Card 3
The Chariot from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Aid, providence, war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Triumph. Providential Protection
Card Description
An upright and princely figure carrying a wand. On the shoulders of the victorious hero are the Urim and Thummim, symbols of divination—here shown as faces within crescent moons. He has led captivity captive (see Psalm 68:18); he represents conquest on all planes—in the mind, in science, in progress, and in certain trials of initiation. He has replied to the sphinx's riddle; therefore, two sphinxes draw his chariot. He is above all things triumph in the mind.
Row 3, Card 4
Page of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Young man of fair appearance; someone obliged to render service and with whom the Querent will be connected; a studious youth; news, messages; perseverance, reflection, meditation; also these things directed to business.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Fair child. A messenger. A birth.
Card Description
A fair, attractive, somewhat effeminate Page, of studious and intent appearance, contemplates a fish rising from a cup to look at him. It is the pictures of the mind taking form.
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Row 3, Card 5
The Emperor from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person; aid, reason, conviction; also authority and will.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Will.
Card Description
He has a form of the Crux ansata (like an Ankh) for his scepter and a globe in his left hand. He is a crowned monarch—commanding, stately, seated on a throne. The arms of his throne have rams' heads on the front. He is execution and realization, the power of this world, clothed with the highest of its natural attributes. He is the virile power to which the Empress responds, and in this sense, he is the one who seeks to remove the Veil of Isis; yet she remains a virgin.
Row 3, Card 6
Queen of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Widowhood, female infertility, absence, sterility, mourning, deprivation, separation.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A dark wicked woman. A gossip. A calumniator. Jealous.
Card Description
Her right hand holds her weapon vertical, and the hilt rests on an arm of her throne. Her left hand is extended, the arm raised. Her expression is stern but humble; it suggests familiarity with sorrow. It does not represent mercy, and despite her sword, she is not a symbol of power.
Row 3, Card 7
Strength from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Power, energy, action, courage, generosity; also complete success and honors.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Justice.
Card Description
A woman, over whose head is the same symbol of life seen in the Magician card, closes the jaws of a lion. Her benevolent strength has already subdued the lion, which is being led by a leash of flowers. Fortitude, in one of its most exalted aspects, is connected with the Divine Mystery of Union. It connects also with untouched innocence, and with the strength that resides in contemplation. These higher meanings are hinted at in a concealed manner by the leash of flowers, which signifies the sweet yoke and the light burden of Divine Law, when it has been taken into the heart of hearts. The card has nothing to do with ordinary self-confidence—it concerns the confidence of those whose strength is God and have found their refuge in Him. In one sense, the lion signifies the animal passions, and the lady called Strength signifies the higher nature of Man in his liberation. The higher nature of Man has walked upon the asp and the basilisk and has trodden down the lion and the dragon (see Psalm 91:13).
Row 3, Card 8
Two of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
This card has contradictory meanings: on the one hand, riches, fortune, magnificence; on the other, physical suffering, disease, chagrin, sadness, mortification. The design gives a suggestion to resolve the contradiction; here is a lord overlooking his dominion while contemplating a globe. He resembles the sadness and mortification of Alexander, amid the grandeur of this world's wealth.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Opposition to the beginning of an enterprise.
Card Description
A tall man looks from a roof with battlements, overlooking sea and shore. He holds a globe in his right hand, and a staff in his left hand rests on the battlement. Another staff is fixed in a ring. The Rose and Cross and Lily appears on the left side.
Row 4, Card 1
Page of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Authority, supervision, vigilance, spying, examination.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A child. An enemy. Bad news. Delay.
Card Description
An agile, active figure holds a sword upright in both hands. He walks swiftly over rugged land, and around him the clouds are moving wildly. He is alert and watchful, looking this way and that, as if an expected enemy might appear at any moment.
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Row 4, Card 2
Five of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Material trouble; destitution.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Success coming that will balance loss.
Card Description
Two beggars in a snowstorm pass a lit stained-glass window.
Row 4, Card 3
The Hermit from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Prudence, caution; also and especially treason, hypocrisy, mischief, corruption.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Prudence.
Card Description
A star shines in the Hermit's lantern. This is a card of attainment, and to emphasize this idea the figure is seen holding up his beacon on a hill. The Hermit is not a wise man in search of truth and justice; nor is he particularly an example of experience. His beacon hints that "where I am, you also may be." (see John 14:3)
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Row 4, Card 4
Three of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Removal, absence, delay, division, separation, dispersion, and all that the design naturally signifies.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Hatred.
Card Description
Three swords pierce a heart; there are clouds and rain behind.
Row 4, Card 5
Seven of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Money, business, barter.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A large fortune.
Card Description
A young man leans on his staff, and looks intently at seven pentacles attached to a plant on his right. It looks as if these were his treasures, and as if his heart were there.
Row 4, Card 6
Wheel of Fortune from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Destiny, fortune, success, advancement, luck, delight.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Fortune. Destiny.
Card Description
The four Living Creatures of Ezekiel occupy the corners of the card. The symbols on the disc in the center stand for the perpetual motion of an ever-changing universe and for the flux of human life. The Sphinx is equilibrium within that state of change. The letters of Taro or Rota are inscribed on the wheel, interspersed with the Hebrew letters of the Divine Name—to show that Providence is implied through all existence. However, this is the Divine intention within, and the similar intention on the surface is represented by the four Living Creatures.
Row 4, Card 7
Ace of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Creation, invention, enterprise, and the powers producing these; guiding principles, beginning, source; birth, family, origin, and perhaps the virility behind them; the starting point of enterprises; possibly money, fortune, inheritance.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Commencement of an enterprise.
Card Description
A hand extending from a cloud grasps a stout wand or club.
Row 4, Card 8
Eight of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
The decline of a matter; something thought to be important is really of slight consequence—either for good or evil.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Jealousy and trouble.
Card Description
A dejected-looking man abandons the cups of his celebrations. They symbolize an enterprise, undertaking, or previous concern.
End of Life Row, Card 1
Four of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Security of possessions, keeping what one has, gifts, legacy, inheritance.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Loss of money.
Card Description
A crowned figure with a pentacle over his head clasps another pentacle with his hands and arms. Two pentacles lie beneath his feet. He holds on to what he has.
End of Life Row, Card 2
The World from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Assured success, compensation, voyage, travel, emigration, fleeing, change of place.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Assured Success.
Card Description
The four living creatures of the Apocalypse and Ezekiel's vision are grouped around an elliptic garland. They are attributed to the four Gospels in Christian symbolism. Within this garland there is the figure of a woman, whom the wind has clothed with a light scarf, and this is all she wears. She is dancing, with a wand in either hand. It speaks of the swirl of the sensory life, of joy attained in the body, of the soul's intoxication in the earthly paradise. However, she is still guarded by the Divine Watchers. They are the powers and the graces of the Holy Name, Tetragammaton, JVHV. These four ineffable letters are often attributed to the four mystical beasts. This card represents the perfection and end of the Cosmos, the secret within the Cosmos, its rapture when it understands itself in God. This card is further the state of the soul in the awareness of Divine Vision, reflected from the self-aware spirit.
End of Life Row, Card 3
The Hanged Man from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Wisdom, prudence, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Trials. Sacrifice.
Card Description
The figure of a man hangs head down from a gallows, to which he is attached by a rope around one of his ankles. His arms are bound behind him, and one leg is crossed over the other. The gallows from which he hangs forms a Tau cross, while the figure—from the position of the legs--forms a cross. There is a halo around the head of the apparent martyr. It should be noted (1) that the tree of sacrifice is living wood, with leaves on it; (2) that the face expresses deep entrancement, not suffering; (3) that the figure, as a whole, suggests life in suspension, not death.
End of Life Row, Card 4
Page of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Dark young man; a faithful man, a lover, a messenger, a postman. When beside a man, he will bear favorable testimony concerning him. A dangerous rival, if followed by the Page of Cups. He may signify news of family.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A dark child. A friend. Also represents a message or letter from a near relation.
Card Description
A young man stands as if making a proclamation. He is unknown but faithful, and his tidings are strange.
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The Meanings of these Tarot Cards
Row 1, Card 1
Eight of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Activity in undertakings, the path of such activity; swiftness, as that of an express messenger; great haste, great hope, speed toward an end that promises certain happiness; generally, things on the move; also the arrows of love.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Partial success.
Card Description
This card represents motion through the unmoving—a flight of wands through an open countryside. They approach the end of their path. The future they signify is at hand; it may be even on the threshold.
Row 1, Card 2
Five of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Imitation, as in a pretend fight, but also the battle of life—strenuous competition and the struggle of the search for riches and fortune. Thus, possibly a card of gold, gain, luxury.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Obstacles surmounted.
Card Description
A group of youths brandish staves, as if in sport. They play at mock warfare, and the divinatory meanings match this.
Row 1, Card 3
The Star from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Loss, theft, deprivation, abandonment.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Hope.
Card Description
A large, radiant star of eight points, surrounded by seven lesser stars—also of eight points. The female figure in the foreground is entirely naked. Her left knee is on the land and her right foot on the water. She pours the Water of Life from two great pitchers, irrigating sea and land. Behind her is rising ground, and on the right a shrub on which a bird perches. The figure expresses eternal youth and beauty. The star is l'etoile flamboyante, a symbol of Freemasonry. The figure communicates to the earth around her the substance of the heavens and the elements.
Row 1, Card 4
Knight of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Arrival, approach—sometimes that of a messenger; advances, proposition, demeanor, invitation, temptation.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Young, fair man. A friend. The lover or the loved one.
Card Description
A graceful but not warlike figure rides quietly. He wears a winged helmet to symbolize the imagination. He is a dreamer, and the images of sensory things haunt him in his vision.
Row 1, Card 5
Three of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Established strength, enterprise, effort, trade, commerce, discovery: those are his ships, bearing his merchandise, at sail.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Realization of the commencement of an enterprise. The basis of the work is now definitely established, and the undertaking can be fearlessly continued.
Card Description
A calm, stately figure looks from a cliff's edge at ships passing over the sea. His back is turned. Three staves are planted in the ground, and he leans slightly on one of them.
Row 1, Card 6
Ace of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Triumph, the excessive degree in everything, conquest. It is a card of great force, in love as well as in hatred. The crown may carry a much higher significance than usual in fortune-telling.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Commencement of enmity.
Card Description
A hand extends from a cloud, grasping a sword, the point of which is encircled by a crown.
Row 1, Card 7
Four of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Country life, safe haven, domestic harvest; home, rest, tranquility, harmony, prosperity, peace, and the perfection of these.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Obstacles to be prepared for.
Card Description
From four staves planted in the foreground, a great garland hangs. Two female figures hold up bouquets. To one side is a bridge over a moat, leading to an old mansion.
Row 1, Card 8
Four of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Weariness, disgust, aversion, imaginary annoyances; also mixed pleasure.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Serious obstacles from others.
Card Description
A young man sits under a tree, contemplating three cups on the grass before him. An arm extends from a cloud to offer him another cup. His appears discontent, as if the wine of this world had barely satisfied him. Another wine—a fairy gift—is now offered to the vagabond, but he sees no consolation in it, either.
Row 2, Card 1
Six of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Journey by water, route, travel, messenger, assistance.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Enemy powerless.
Card Description
A ferryman carries passengers in his raft to the far shore. The course is smooth, and the freight is light; the work is not beyond his strength.
Row 2, Card 2
Knight of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Utility, usability, interest, responsibility, decency—all on the surface.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A young, fair man. A stranger. An arrival.
Card Description
A knight rides a slow, heavy horse, similar in appearance to himself. He displays his symbol, but does not look at it.
Row 2, Card 3
The Sun from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Material success, fortunate marriage, contentment.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Material Happiness. Lucky Marriage.
Card Description
A naked child mounted on a white horse displays a red banner. The sun shining above represents consciousness in the Spirit—with direct, as opposed to reflected, light. The archetype of humanity has become a little child beneath its rays—a child in the sense of simplicity, with innocence in the sense of wisdom. In that simplicity, he bears the seal of Nature and Art; in that innocence, he signifies the restored world. When the self-knowing spirit has dawned in the consciousness above the natural mind, that mind is renewed and directs the animal nature in a state of perfect conformity.
Row 2, Card 4
Nine of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Signifies strength in opposition—if attacked, the person will meet that attack boldly. Possibly delay, suspension, adjournment.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Great success.
Card Description
A man leans upon his staff with an expectant look, as if awaiting an enemy. His build indicates that he may prove a formidable opponent. Behind are eight other staves—upright, in orderly arrangement, like a fence.
Row 2, Card 5
Ten of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Oppression, especially that of fortune, gain, or any kind of success. Success will be mocked if the Nine of Swords follows. If it is a question of a lawsuit, loss is certain.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Uncertainty.
Card Description
A man carries ten staves, burdened down by their weight. It represents the burden of material wealth. It may also represent false-seeming, disguise, corruption, as if the place the man approaches will suffer beatings from the rods he carries.
Row 2, Card 6
The Devil from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; matters predestined but not necessarily evil.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Immense Force. Illness.
Card Description
The main figure is entirely naked; he has bat-like wings, and his feet have the claws of a bird. His right hand is upraised and extended, which is the reverse of the blessing given by the Hierophant. In his left hand there is a great flaming torch, inverted toward the earth. A reversed pentagram is on his forehead. There is a ring in front of the altar, from which two chains are attached to the necks of two figures, male and female. These are analogous to The Lovers, like Adam and Eve after the Fall. They represent the chains and fatality of the material life.
Row 2, Card 7
Seven of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Fairy favors, images of reflection, tenderness, imagination, scrying; moderate success, but nothing permanent or substantial.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Success and happiness.
Card Description
Cups holding strange visions are presented to a figure in the foreground, as if offering a choice.
Row 2, Card 8
Ten of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Violence or backstabbing, as shown by the design; also pain, affliction, tears, sadness, desolation. It is not specifically a card of violent death.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Uncertainty in the hatred.
Card Description
A figure lies on the ground, pierced by the swords of the card.
Row 3, Card 1
Judgement from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Change of position, renewal, the outcome.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Change of Position.
Card Description
A great angel is surrounded by clouds. He blows a trumpet with a banner displaying and a cross. Beneath, the dead are rising from their tombs—a woman on the right, a man on the left, and between them their child, whose back is turned. In the background are more dead who are restored. All the figures stand as one in the wonder, adoration, and ecstasy expressed by their postures. This card represents the accomplishment of the great work of transformation, in answer to the summons of the Celestial, heard and answered from within.
Row 3, Card 2
Queen of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
A dark woman, from your hometown or country; she is friendly, chaste, loving, and honorable. If the card beside her signifies a man, she is well disposed toward him; if a woman, she is interested in the Querent. Also, love of money, or certain success in business.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Dark woman. A friend. A serious person. A very good counsellor. The mother of a family.
Card Description
Emotionally and otherwise, the Queen's personality is dark, charismatic, magnetic.
Row 3, Card 3
The Chariot from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Aid, providence, war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Triumph. Providential Protection
Card Description
An upright and princely figure carrying a wand. On the shoulders of the victorious hero are the Urim and Thummim, symbols of divination—here shown as faces within crescent moons. He has led captivity captive (see Psalm 68:18); he represents conquest on all planes—in the mind, in science, in progress, and in certain trials of initiation. He has replied to the sphinx's riddle; therefore, two sphinxes draw his chariot. He is above all things triumph in the mind.
Row 3, Card 4
Page of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Young man of fair appearance; someone obliged to render service and with whom the Querent will be connected; a studious youth; news, messages; perseverance, reflection, meditation; also these things directed to business.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Fair child. A messenger. A birth.
Card Description
A fair, attractive, somewhat effeminate Page, of studious and intent appearance, contemplates a fish rising from a cup to look at him. It is the pictures of the mind taking form.
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Row 3, Card 5
The Emperor from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person; aid, reason, conviction; also authority and will.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Will.
Card Description
He has a form of the Crux ansata (like an Ankh) for his scepter and a globe in his left hand. He is a crowned monarch—commanding, stately, seated on a throne. The arms of his throne have rams' heads on the front. He is execution and realization, the power of this world, clothed with the highest of its natural attributes. He is the virile power to which the Empress responds, and in this sense, he is the one who seeks to remove the Veil of Isis; yet she remains a virgin.
Row 3, Card 6
Queen of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Widowhood, female infertility, absence, sterility, mourning, deprivation, separation.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A dark wicked woman. A gossip. A calumniator. Jealous.
Card Description
Her right hand holds her weapon vertical, and the hilt rests on an arm of her throne. Her left hand is extended, the arm raised. Her expression is stern but humble; it suggests familiarity with sorrow. It does not represent mercy, and despite her sword, she is not a symbol of power.
Row 3, Card 7
Strength from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Power, energy, action, courage, generosity; also complete success and honors.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Justice.
Card Description
A woman, over whose head is the same symbol of life seen in the Magician card, closes the jaws of a lion. Her benevolent strength has already subdued the lion, which is being led by a leash of flowers. Fortitude, in one of its most exalted aspects, is connected with the Divine Mystery of Union. It connects also with untouched innocence, and with the strength that resides in contemplation. These higher meanings are hinted at in a concealed manner by the leash of flowers, which signifies the sweet yoke and the light burden of Divine Law, when it has been taken into the heart of hearts. The card has nothing to do with ordinary self-confidence—it concerns the confidence of those whose strength is God and have found their refuge in Him. In one sense, the lion signifies the animal passions, and the lady called Strength signifies the higher nature of Man in his liberation. The higher nature of Man has walked upon the asp and the basilisk and has trodden down the lion and the dragon (see Psalm 91:13).
Row 3, Card 8
Two of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
This card has contradictory meanings: on the one hand, riches, fortune, magnificence; on the other, physical suffering, disease, chagrin, sadness, mortification. The design gives a suggestion to resolve the contradiction; here is a lord overlooking his dominion while contemplating a globe. He resembles the sadness and mortification of Alexander, amid the grandeur of this world's wealth.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Opposition to the beginning of an enterprise.
Card Description
A tall man looks from a roof with battlements, overlooking sea and shore. He holds a globe in his right hand, and a staff in his left hand rests on the battlement. Another staff is fixed in a ring. The Rose and Cross and Lily appears on the left side.
Row 4, Card 1
Page of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Authority, supervision, vigilance, spying, examination.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A child. An enemy. Bad news. Delay.
Card Description
An agile, active figure holds a sword upright in both hands. He walks swiftly over rugged land, and around him the clouds are moving wildly. He is alert and watchful, looking this way and that, as if an expected enemy might appear at any moment.
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Row 4, Card 2
Five of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Material trouble; destitution.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Success coming that will balance loss.
Card Description
Two beggars in a snowstorm pass a lit stained-glass window.
Row 4, Card 3
The Hermit from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Prudence, caution; also and especially treason, hypocrisy, mischief, corruption.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Prudence.
Card Description
A star shines in the Hermit's lantern. This is a card of attainment, and to emphasize this idea the figure is seen holding up his beacon on a hill. The Hermit is not a wise man in search of truth and justice; nor is he particularly an example of experience. His beacon hints that "where I am, you also may be." (see John 14:3)
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Row 4, Card 4
Three of Swords from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Removal, absence, delay, division, separation, dispersion, and all that the design naturally signifies.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Hatred.
Card Description
Three swords pierce a heart; there are clouds and rain behind.
Row 4, Card 5
Seven of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Money, business, barter.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A large fortune.
Card Description
A young man leans on his staff, and looks intently at seven pentacles attached to a plant on his right. It looks as if these were his treasures, and as if his heart were there.
Row 4, Card 6
Wheel of Fortune from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Destiny, fortune, success, advancement, luck, delight.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Fortune. Destiny.
Card Description
The four Living Creatures of Ezekiel occupy the corners of the card. The symbols on the disc in the center stand for the perpetual motion of an ever-changing universe and for the flux of human life. The Sphinx is equilibrium within that state of change. The letters of Taro or Rota are inscribed on the wheel, interspersed with the Hebrew letters of the Divine Name—to show that Providence is implied through all existence. However, this is the Divine intention within, and the similar intention on the surface is represented by the four Living Creatures.
Row 4, Card 7
Ace of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Creation, invention, enterprise, and the powers producing these; guiding principles, beginning, source; birth, family, origin, and perhaps the virility behind them; the starting point of enterprises; possibly money, fortune, inheritance.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Commencement of an enterprise.
Card Description
A hand extending from a cloud grasps a stout wand or club.
Row 4, Card 8
Eight of Cups from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
The decline of a matter; something thought to be important is really of slight consequence—either for good or evil.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Jealousy and trouble.
Card Description
A dejected-looking man abandons the cups of his celebrations. They symbolize an enterprise, undertaking, or previous concern.
End of Life Row, Card 1
Four of Pentacles from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Security of possessions, keeping what one has, gifts, legacy, inheritance.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Loss of money.
Card Description
A crowned figure with a pentacle over his head clasps another pentacle with his hands and arms. Two pentacles lie beneath his feet. He holds on to what he has.
End of Life Row, Card 2
The World from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Assured success, compensation, voyage, travel, emigration, fleeing, change of place.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Assured Success.
Card Description
The four living creatures of the Apocalypse and Ezekiel's vision are grouped around an elliptic garland. They are attributed to the four Gospels in Christian symbolism. Within this garland there is the figure of a woman, whom the wind has clothed with a light scarf, and this is all she wears. She is dancing, with a wand in either hand. It speaks of the swirl of the sensory life, of joy attained in the body, of the soul's intoxication in the earthly paradise. However, she is still guarded by the Divine Watchers. They are the powers and the graces of the Holy Name, Tetragammaton, JVHV. These four ineffable letters are often attributed to the four mystical beasts. This card represents the perfection and end of the Cosmos, the secret within the Cosmos, its rapture when it understands itself in God. This card is further the state of the soul in the awareness of Divine Vision, reflected from the self-aware spirit.
End of Life Row, Card 3
The Hanged Man from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Wisdom, prudence, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
Trials. Sacrifice.
Card Description
The figure of a man hangs head down from a gallows, to which he is attached by a rope around one of his ankles. His arms are bound behind him, and one leg is crossed over the other. The gallows from which he hangs forms a Tau cross, while the figure—from the position of the legs--forms a cross. There is a halo around the head of the apparent martyr. It should be noted (1) that the tree of sacrifice is living wood, with leaves on it; (2) that the face expresses deep entrancement, not suffering; (3) that the figure, as a whole, suggests life in suspension, not death.
End of Life Row, Card 4
Page of Wands from the Vivid Waite Smith Tarot Deck
Card Meaning When Upright
Dark young man; a faithful man, a lover, a messenger, a postman. When beside a man, he will bear favorable testimony concerning him. A dangerous rival, if followed by the Page of Cups. He may signify news of family.
Papus's Divinatory Meanings
A dark child. A friend. Also represents a message or letter from a near relation.
Card Description
A young man stands as if making a proclamation. He is unknown but faithful, and his tidings are strange.
