Tarot Strategies for Life Change

Uranus in Aries and The Fool

Tonight will bring a long awaited event in the astrological community, Uranus will enter Aries. Prognostications have ranged from the apocalyptic to the sublime when astrologers have talked about possibilities of horrendous terrorist attacks coming soon to your backyard to mind-bending technological breakthroughs.

Given that Uranus changing signs, just like any planet changing signs is an indicator of an energy shift, and that Uranus is holding up its end of the bargain in forming existing tense outer planet configurations with Saturn and Pluto, it is realistic to be prepared for everything.

And, when astrologers talk among themselves, they do have a way of framing worst case scenarios as most probable outcomes. 

But dinner table conversation at astrological conferences and forums has to give way to everyday life. 

So, in my humble opinion, it is critical to find ways to cope with what will most certainly be a wild ride.

I think we can learn a great deal from the Tarot card, The Fool.

The Fool represents the spirit of viewing the road ahead with anticipation and excitement. It is the spirit of innocence and freshness. Yes, there might be a cliff just ahead, but for now there is the warmth of the delightful sun on the skin and the company of his white canine companion.

Now is the time to venture out and explore the new landscape and become actively engaged. 

The truth of the matter is that you chose to live here at this point in time, so you chose to be part of this amazing process of transformation that is changing global society and Mother Earth, not to mention your own personal life.

The message of The Fool as I see it, not to mention Uranus in Aries, is to get out there. Then you can become a participant and put your stamp on the new world that is being created. 

The Hierophant and the Pope

Students of mysticism and the occult have found various correspondences between a given Tarot card and an astrological sign or planet. One that is particularly interesting is the Hierophant. Traditionally the Hierophant is associated with fixed earth or Taurus (Thank you, Wald Amberstone). 

As an astrologer, I think of the Hierophant as a gatekeeper of the 9th House. To me, the 9th House is where I look regarding issues around higher education and knowledge, organized religion and philosophy. In the 9th House the search for higher wisdom is institutionalized and organized religion, by its very nature is institutionalized. 

After all, the Hierophant's garb is definitely Pope-like--after all, he is called Il Papa in some decks.

The 9th House is associated with the sign Sagittarius and Sag, the Archer is seeking truth. Oftentimes when he finds it, or when he thinks he finds it, he regards it as THE TRUTH--no other interpretations need apply. Anyone who has run into a dogmatic Sag knows exactly what I mean.

And a weakness in the execution of many institutionalized religions is that they see their way as the only one. Of course, this may be as much a product of power seeking and politics as much as religious fervor. 

If the Pope is the earthly personification of the Hierophant, then current scandals around the Pope and the Catholic Church's bureaucracy show that his earthly representative wears feet of clay.

But if you can accept the card as a representative of an archetype, unspoiled by human frailty, then the Hierophant is much more likable. He becomes the personification of the Pope in the eyes of a young, innocent child. He is the guide to an ageless collection of wisdom and teachings.

It is by looking at the Hierophant's role from the perspective of his agelessness and the permanence of the teachings that a correspondence of fixed earth makes sense.