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
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
XII: The Hanged Man – BKS Iyengar
XIII: Death - Martha Graham
XIV: Temperance — Philippe Petit
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
XXI: The World - Thich Nhat Hanh
Court Cards
WANDS
Page of Wands — Niki de Saint Phalle (09/2024)
Knight of Wands — George Lucas
King of Wands – Leonard Bernstein
SWORDS
Page of Swords - Greta Thunberg
Knight of Swords - Mary Wollstonecraft
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
Knight of Cups – Marianne Williamson
Queen of Cups – Princess Diana
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
Seven of Cups - Josephine Baker
Eight of Cups — Christopher Reeve
SWORDS
Five of Swords — Lance Armstrong
Seven of Swords - Edward Snowden
WANDS
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