Archetypal Essays

Introduction

“Let us then imagine archetypes as the deepest patterns of psychic functioning, the roots of the soul governing the perspectives we have of ourselves and the world.”  —James Hillman, Re-Visioning Psychology

These essays began as a creative project for Dr. Rabinowitz in the early days of the Covid pandemic. The intention was to explore the meaning of individual tarot cards by pairing them with iconic, archetypal figures. Five tarot cards were then “randomly selected” to shine a light on the essential meaning of whatever card was being explored.

This is an ongoing project, with over half of the 78 cards completed at the start of 2024. The essays below are downloadable for free.

Enjoy!

And new essays will be added to the website throughout the coming year! Get them mailed directly to you by joining the TarotMashUp list.

Email: naomireadings@fastmail.com

The Essays

Underlined card names are linked to the essay PDF

Major Arcana Tarot Cards

0: The Fool – Ram Dass

I: The Magician – David Bowie

II: The High Priestess – Georgia O’Keeffe

III: The Empress- Walt Whitman

IV: The Emperor — Coming Soon, Jeff Bezos

V: The Hierophant – The Dalai Lama

VI: The Lovers Card - John and Yoko

VII: The Chariot – Oprah Winfrey

VIII: Strength - Jane Goodall

IX: The Hermit - Siddhartha Gautama

X: The Wheel of Fortune — Tina Turner

XI: Justice — Anita Hill

XII: The Hanged Man – BKS Iyengar

XIII: Death - Martha Graham

XIV: Temperance — Philippe Petit

XV: The Devil – Pablo Picasso

XVI: The Tower – Octavia E. Butler

XVII: The Star — Kamala Harris (08/2024)

XVIII: The Moon — Leonard Cohen

XIX: The Sun — Coming Soon, George Balanchine

XX: Judgement — Rachel Carson

XXI: The World - Thich Nhat Hanh

Court Cards

WANDS

Page of Wands — Niki de Saint Phalle (09/2024)

Knight of Wands — George Lucas

Queen of Wands – Beyonce

King of Wands – Leonard Bernstein

SWORDS


Page of Swords - Greta Thunberg

Knight of Swords - Mary Wollstonecraft

Queen of Swords – Marie Curie

King of Swords

PENTACLES


Page of Pentacles - Margaret Sanger

Knight of Pentacles - Jimmy Carter

Queen of Pentacles – J.K. Rowling

King of Pentacles — Michael J. Fox

CUPS

Page of Cups – Betty White

Knight of Cups – Marianne Williamson

Queen of Cups – Princess Diana

King of Cups – Elvis Presley

Minor Arcana

ACES

Ace of Wands - Albert Einstein

Ace of Swords – Laurie Anderson

Ace of Pentacles – Hayao Miyazaki

Ace of Cups – Fred “Mister” Rogers

CUPS

Three of Cups — Naomi

Five of Cups — Keanu Reeves

Seven of Cups - Josephine Baker

Eight of Cups — Christopher Reeve

SWORDS

Five of Swords — Lance Armstrong

Seven of Swords - Edward Snowden

WANDS

Five of Wands — Muhammad Ali

Seven of Wands — Stacey Abrams

PENTACLES

Five of Pentacles — Frances Perkins

Seven of Pentacles — Beatrix Potter

Others to follow…

Disclaimer

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© Naomi Rabinowitz 2021 - 2024. All rights reserved