Introduction
When I read the Law of One Book , I obtained interesting new insights to the Tarot’s Major Arcana that help me create better readings for people by using archetypes as the guide to spiritual growth. In case you have not heard of this source, The Law of One Book 4, (one of 5 books) by James Allen McCarty, Don Elkins and Carla Rueckert is based on channelings from Ra (January 1981 – March 1984). These authors acted as a team in their channeled sessions, one asking the questions, one being in trance and the other taking notes. The sessions in Book 4 provide interesting information about the origin of Tarot cards, enhanced meanings of the Tarot Major Arcana and clarification that the highest Major Arcana card is not The World but is rather The Choice or what we often call The Fool.
History of Ra
Ra represents a group entity, local to our solar system, but from a higher dimension that communicated extensively with ancient Egypt to assist their spiritual growth. According to this source, the Tarot’s Major Arcana images were drawn by humans, after communications with Ra, in order to remember that knowledge and communicate that knowledge to others. Some versions of the Tarot use Major Arcana images based on the ancient drawings found on the walls in the Great Pyramid.
Major Arcana According to Ra
According to Ra, the primary purpose of the Major Arcana cards is to represent archetypes that can be used for spiritual growth. There are times in a person’s life where behaving in accordance with a specific archetype can help them manage and learn from an individual challenge. For example, seeing the Emperor card implies acting with nobility which may be beneficial in certain circumstances. People are not fixed within a single archetype but instead they area able to move through archetypes and adapt their behavior to different archetypes as needed for growth.
Major Arcana Categories
The Major Arcana archetypes are divided into mind, body or spirit which need to be in balance. Each of these three aspects of our greater selves become modified by our experiences in this dimension. There are seven categories of polarized stimulation that impact mind, body or spirit.
The seven categories of mind, body or spirit are as follows:
- A matrix is the beginning raw value of mind, body or spirit.
- A potentiator is a reactive situation
- A catalyst enhances the rate of a reaction.
- An experience represents a process being recognized by the querent.
- A Significator makes these experiences obvious or seen outwardly.
- A Transformation results in actual change having occurred.
- The great way is the culmination of the process and readiness for a new path.
The way that each stimulation affects mind, body and spirit is found on each Major Arcana card and are defined in the list below. The most basic choice that people have in this dimension is to focus on either service to self or service to others.
Major Arcana Archetypes
- The Magician – Matrix of the Mind. The Magician represents the unfed conscious mind that needs to let the bird in the cage free in order to manifest and use those mental activities. Of itself, consciousness is unmoved because it takes a potentiator of the unconscious to reach greater potential. But the self conscious entity is always full of the magic which is to come because the mind is the first of the complexes to be developed by the student of spiritual evolution.
- The Priestess – Potentiator of the Mind. The Priestess sits in a structure with a polarity indicated by the two different columns thus accepting that polarity is the third dimensional experience necessary for growth. Dips into consciousness support the ability to create, form ideas and become more self conscious. The Priestess represents the ability to understand the preincarnative and continuing incarnative series of life choices.
- The Empress – Catalyst of the Mind. The Empress represents the unconscious or female portion of the mind being able to be used successfully by the male or conscious part of the mind. Often humans notice negative catalysts more easily than positive catalysts. But, each opportunity has potential for extravagant magical possibilities.
- Emperor – Experience of the Mind. In certain circumstances, acting with the nobility of the Emperor may be beneficial. The mind can grasp what is given with firm authority.
- The Heirophant – Significator of the Mind. The significator of the mind is both actor and is acted upon. The mind desires knowledge but the questions are what to do with that knowledge and for what reason does it seek knowledge.
- The Lovers – Transformation of the Mind. The mind is transformed when it chooses between the light and the dark (the conscious and the unconscious). Either choice requires an appropriate attitude towards our own resources as well as resources of others. An arrow may protect rather than kill. Those who choose separation are protected from others whereas those on the other path are unprotected but will learn much when they see themselves reflected in others.
- The Chariot – Great Way of the Mind. The chariot is not physically harnessed to the animals which denotes the current close proximity between space/time of our world and time/space of the next dimension. The culmination and conquering of mental processes enables one to appreciate the fruits from that mental travel. The images of the sphinx represent time.
- Balance/Justice Matrix of the Body – The reflection between opposites produces unrestricted motion until the querent starts to seek balance.
- Wisdom or the Sage (Hermit)- Potentiator of the Body – A wise person understands how to regulate activity and when to step away from activity as well as when to look for new experiences.
- Wheel of fortune – Catalyst of the Body – This card represents the many opportunities present in the material world but the entity in the picture looks over to the side. It might be inferred that the left hand path of illusion offers service to self rather than service to others.
- The Enchantress (Strength) Experience of the Body – Experience produces further seed for growth. The Egyptian image on this card is the familiar one of the female gently holding a lion’s head while his mouth is open. This image indicates that alternative types of strength and power are available in the physical world.
- Hangman or Martyr – Significator of the Body. Sacrifice can either feed unworthiness or portray true richness. If one produces good works for the wrong reason, that causes confusion and distortion. Contemplate the true richness of being.
- Death – Transformation of the Body. Each moment offers death and rebirth to one who wishes to use the catalysts offered to it.
- The Alchemist (Temperance) Great Way of the body. The body is the instrument of manifestation for the fruits of the mind and spirit. Picture the body as the furnace for an alchemist manifesting gold.
- The Devil – Matrix of the Spirit. A true adept has freed himself of the constraints, bonds and opinions of others. Others sometimes look at that freedom as evil.
- The Tower – Potentiator of the Spirit. Lightning penetrates the night of the soul resulting in awakening, illuminating, and generating influence.
- The Star – Catalyst of the Spirit. Hope and faith bring illumination and thus change one’s viewpoint.
- The Moon – Experience of the spirit. Spirit works with even unhappy experiences to shine a light of illumination. We can find the power of the One Infinite Creation within the infinite shadowy depth of hidden things.
- Sun – Significator of the Spirit. The sun, as a masculine influence, shines its light to protect all catalysts. As signifier, it radiates or absorbs love of the Creator and radiates that love to others or absorbs it for the self if needed.
- Judgment – Transformation of the Spirit. Manifestations offer themselves in order to realize that the infinity of spirit is even greater than infinity of consciousness.
- The World – The Great Way of the Spirit. Typically, people think that the World card represents attainment and success. According to Ra, this card represents contact with infinite intelligence and the joy of that contact.
- The Choice – The Fool. Free will always supports an individual’s choices. True choice occurs after building, constructing and synthesizing data from mind, body and spirit to serve others or one’s self. Ultimately an individual’s choice between service to self and service to others affects ascension to the next dimension of reality. The next dimension after our third dimension is the fourth dimension which operates at a different vibration. The lesson of the third dimension is self awareness and the lesson of the fourth dimension is love or understanding.
The Court Cards
The Court Cards signify astrological energies that are currently affecting an individual and that is why there are specifically 12 Court Cards to represent the twelve astrological signs. Note that in Egyptian Tarot, the knights are classified as horsemen and not Court Cards.
Minor Arcana
The Minor Arcana foretell future events; no specific details were of the Minor Arcana were included in these Ra sessions. See https://blissfulexpression.com/blog/psychic-tools/tarot-cards-short-meanings/ for some meanings of the Minor Arcana cards.
For Further Information
https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/default.aspx The table of contents page of the team that conducted the Ra channeling sessions.
https://letstalktarot.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/the-court-cards-of-egyptian-tarot/