[{"category":"Kelche","link":"as-der-kelche","title":"Ace of Cups","intro":"Life, existence, hands me a new gift.
It is a chalice from which water flows into a lotus pond. Like all other chalice cards, the Ace of Cups symbolizes the water element. It stands for the receptive side of man, for his ability to feel, to sense and for his power of expression.
In many mythologies and religions, water - or a chalice filled with water - symbolizes the soul of man. Water conforms to any form. In the same way, feelings are an echo of the soul to external and internal events.
","meaning":"The staff cards, signs of the fire element, are an expression of man's active side. The Chalice cards, on the other hand, show his reactive side, how he takes in the world, what vibrations it creates in him and what sensations and feelings are triggered.
The water element, unlike the fire element, does not require any effort. It flows in every open person and always finds new spaces of experience. But feelings are most strongly addressed by the power of love.
The ability to experience, however, also opens the human being to suffering. Not only pleasant vibrations flow from the chalice of life.
The cup-As or cup-1 symbolizes like every number ONE an all-embracing ability of the human being. Here it is the gift to love and to feel.
","statement":"I have sensations, I have feelings, I am capable of love
Feelings are natural
I have a right to my feelings
I am vulnerable
","image":"1_as_der_kelche1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"2-der-kelche","title":"2 of chalices","intro":"When I meet another sensitive and open person, love can happen. Lovers open their hearts, feelings flow from one (cup) to the other. A new unity emerges that embraces each person at the same time.
Whether such an encounter becomes a big \"love story\" or a flirtation for a short moment is decided by the other cards. Because the TWO- always contains the doubt and different possibilities. So the cup-2 rather points to a possible beginning of a love. Or it wants to tell the tarot player that he swings with another person on the same wavelength.
","meaning":"Sometimes the card also refers to the fact that we are closer to another person than we believe ourselves to be. Even for a person whom we reject with our consciousness, sometimes the Chalice 2 card can be revealed. This then always means that we should investigate in our unconscious to discover the feelings of affection and love as well.
It is important not to confuse the Chalice 2 card with the Lovers (Trump VI). The trump cards represent the vibrations of the soul, in the case of the trump card VI the ability of a person to love, while the cards of the small arcanum indicate a real situation.
","statement":"An open encounter
A person who feels as I do
Exchange of vibrations
The beginning of a love
","image":"2_liebe1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"3-der-kelche","title":"3 of chalices","intro":"Three women raise their cups and drink to my health. The daughters of gaiety, love and happiness dance for me. I live out of abundance and feel loved and accepted by others.
The number THREE is a stable number, and my happiness and feeling of joy are also stable.
","meaning":"Often the Chalice-3 card refers to a solid and stable relationship. Unlike the Chalice-2, which contains only the possibility of love, now the mutual attraction is clear and strong. It also happens not infrequently that the Chalice-3 is revealed for an old, past partnership, which in the opinion of the card reader has long been overcome and forgotten. Then the Chalice-3 card indicates that deep inside there are still connections, and the Tarot player is advised to become aware of this. Only in this way can he truly free himself and begin a new love with another person.
","statement":"Cheerfulness, happiness, festivity
Abundance
A joyous event
A matter of good fortune
Happiness in love
A solid and stable relationship
Deep, emotional connections with another person
","image":"3_flle1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"4-der-kelche","title":"4 of cups","intro":"Everything happens as if in a dream, everything comes true by itself. I just sit there and enjoy the moment.
In my happiness, I don't even notice that life is handing me a new gift. I am much too absorbed in what I already have, something else does not interest me.
The number FOUR is a harmonious and self-contained number. And that's how I feel: content, calm and balanced.
But on the horizon the turn is already dawning. Who is full of happiness, easily becomes complacent and overlooks that the crescent of the lucky moon is getting narrower and narrower.
","meaning":"The Chalice 4 card does not have a definite message. Sometimes it announces difficulties for an existing partnership. It can even indicate an open or secret \"fling\" of a partner. Then again it stands for the desire for a child or for the longing of the partners to raise their relationship to a finer level. In any case, the Chalice-4 is a reminder to be aware and attentive. For the FOUR always possesses the danger of becoming too complacent.
","statement":"I rest on my laurels
I am living my \"honeymoon
I feel content and balanced
But with appropriate side cards: I am complacent and miss an opportunity
An infidelity or other disturbance in a partnership
The desire for a child
","image":"4_ppigkeit1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"5-der-kelche","title":"5 of cups","intro":"Three chalices are overturned. The daughters of happiness, cheerfulness and love have left me. Only two chalices remain to me and with them the feeling of uncertainty and \"ambiguity\", even despair and disappointment.
The number FIVE is a moving number and a fateful consequence of the FOUR. Who sleeps through the call on the level of the FOUR, bears the consequences on the FIVE.
I feel my wounded heart and I know that I have to change my life. \"The honeymoon is over\", my \"lucky moon has sunk\". But I am not lost. My heart is not only open to the pleasant vibrations of life. It is not only looking for happiness. It also finds itself in pain, in the dark dew of the night.
","meaning":"The chalice-5 always means the change of a partnership, sometimes even the \"beginning of the end\". This is caused by mutual disrespect, possibly due to the feeling of being too sure of oneself, as indicated on the previous card Chalice-4.
The figure in the picture painfully contemplates the three overturned chalices. But in the two chalices in the foreground lies an opportunity. They signal the possibility of opening up and building a more sustainable relationship in a trusting new beginning.
","statement":"Pain, sorrow, separation, loss, despair, disappointment.
\"The honeymoon is over\"
A chance for a new beginning
","image":"5_enttuschung1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"6-der-kelche","title":"6 of cups","intro":"I dive into the past, into my childhood. I seek the time when I was happy and carefree. I seek comfort.
Memories can bring happiness and pain. They bring the confidence and innocence of childhood and the longing for the lost paradise. The past is never really past. It defines my entire life. The child inside me is much more powerful than I think. It needs its space and if I suppress it, it becomes obsessive and rigid. As long as I don't lose myself in it, my childhood is like a spring from which I can draw joy and comfort.
","meaning":"The number SIX follows the number FIVEand brings possibilities to regain what was missed at the level of FOUR: the harmony of a loving partnership.
Often people who have been divided by a problem seek comfort in memory. They say \"Let's start over\" or \"Let's give each other another chance\".
The number SIX also contains the number THREE times, and so the attempt to start all over again is based on a solid foundation. The child in us is always ready for a new game.
","statement":"Regression
The child in man
I remember my childhood
A new beginning
I must not lose myself in the past
","image":"6_genuss_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"7-der-kelche","title":"7 of cups","intro":"I can find comfort in my past, but I can also lose myself in it. It is the same with imagination. It carries me into the land of unlimited possibilities, but also into the realm of illusion. Fantasy frees man from the bitterness of life and it tempts him to escape from reality.
","meaning":"The number SEVEN is the number of magic and unlimited possibilities. In the imagination there are spaces that are almost inexhaustible.
The statements of the card Chalice-7 are as ambiguous as the representation itself. Sometimes this card means an attempt to find a way to solve partnership difficulties in fantasy. Partners may say to each other, \"There are so many possibilities open to us.\"
Especially artists the card refers to their creative potential. In the same way, the card can mean a world of sound and smoke. Sometimes it indicates the use of drugs or too much alcohol. So you should always take into account the other cards that are revealed next to the Chalice-7 and carefully try to find an appropriate interpretation of the Chalice-7 in conversation.
","statement":"Meaning in favorable minor cards:
Great creative power, imagination, unimagined possibilities.
Power of the unconscious, creative dreams, art and creativity.
For partner problems:
A creative new beginning
Meaning for unfavorable side cards:
Imagination, deception, loss of reality, escape from reality, intoxication
","image":"7_verderbnis1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"8-der-kelche","title":"8 of cups","intro":"Barren is the land and dark is my heart. I turn my back on the eight goblets. I take my leave and begin a journey with an unknown destination.
Perhaps because I have lost happiness or because life is pulling me in a different direction right now. Perhaps also, because I - like the moon - look for the emptiness after the fullness.
The number EIGHT is infinite and self-contained at the same time. The swing of the EIGHT always takes the same course. Perhaps it is this endless repetition, the monotony of the habit, from which humans must break out again and again, searching, to new shores, the pain of the parting still in the heart.
","meaning":"The card always refers to an existential farewell and thus also to a new beginning. In the vast majority of cases, these are separations in partnerships. After the attempts to get consolation from childhood (Chalice-6) and to heal old wounds by the power of imagination (Chalice-7), there is now the insight to break away from the relationship - perhaps still in the hope to regain the common basis sometime.
","statement":"Pain, parting, separation, renunciation
A love that cannot be lived
A happiness that no longer fulfills me
The search for new shores
Readiness for a real, existential new beginning
Feeling of melancholy and melancholy
","image":"8_trgheit1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"9-der-kelche","title":"9 of cups","intro":"Out of emptiness grows fullness: I have found the happiness I have always longed for, and I show my joy to everyone else. Actually, now I have everything I need. I can rest, nothing is to be done.
The number NINE is a stable number (3 x 3), and full of strength and full of confidence I look into the future. However, the number NINE also stands shortly before the completion and often people are already satisfied when they stand shortly before their goal.
\"Now I have already everything and the last piece I create all the time\". In this complacency lies the seed of self-deception.
","meaning":"On the one hand, the card refers to the joy of inner wealth, but on the other hand, it also warns not to forget the last cup. Only with ten chalices is the joy complete. The last cup, however, cannot be earned by oneself. It is the loving gift of another person.
","statement":"Confidence, health, contentment
Reward for my effort
I can be seen
With corresponding secondary cards:
complacency, stiffness
The appearance of a fulfilled life
","image":"9_freude1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"10-der-kelche","title":"10 of cups","intro":"Again I am at the end of a journey, having lived through another level of human realization.
The number ONE is fulfilled in the number TEN. It finds its conclusion, its redemption.
I have arrived and this time the life does not turn against me (as with the staff-10), but it gives me a golden rainbow.
This feeling germinates in the archetype of the family and it blossoms where people meet and live together with an open heart.
The card refers to all the circumstances of happiness in life, but especially in the interpersonal sphere.
","meaning":"While the Rod cards develop their greatest strength on the cards Rod-6 and Rod-7, the process is reversed for the Chalice cards: on the cards Chalice-6 to Chalice-8 the person passes through a valley and completes himself on the Chalice-10. If one were to reproduce the intensity of the ten cards in the form of a curve, then the Rods, beginning at Rod-1, would draw an arc upward,the Chalice cards, on the other hand, would draw an arc downward. Both curves superimposed on each other make a circle. The male principle (the Rods) and the female principle (the Cups) complement each other, oppose each other, move away from each other, and finally find their way back to each other.
","statement":"Joy, a celebration, completion
I have arrived, I am at home
A community that supports me
An important friendship, an extraordinary love
","image":"10_sattheit1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"page-der-kelche","title":"Page of Cups","intro":"He is the messenger from the realm of water and presents a wonderful gift: the heart emotions of another human being. The fish in his cup is silent. Feelings cannot always be expressed, they must be felt, heart to heart. Thus, he symbolizes a person (man or woman) who is very devoted to the questioner, but cannot communicate his feelings. The realm of feelings is new to him, he is cautious and delicate in dealing with the fine voices and moods of his soul.
","meaning":"Often the card also represents a person who is not sure of his feelings or is too shy to show his feelings openly. It is advisable to research these hidden feelings through introspection or by talking to a trusted friend.
The messages that the Chalice Page delivers are always from the realm of feelings, for example, a letter from a loved one or a phone call with a friend.
As SIGNIFICANT: rare, at most for a young girl or child with the characteristics of this card.
","statement":"A young, sensitive, sometimes quiet woman
A young, sensitive man
The questioner or a close person from his\/her life
A shy lover
Even one's own child
A messenger, a message
","image":"bube_der_kelche1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"ritter-der-kelche","title":"Knight of Cups","intro":"He is the knight of the heart who exists only for his love. He is Paris, who risks his country for Helena. He is Lancelot who sacrifices his life a thousand times for his queen. He lives only for his heart, for his love, and thus also experiences the infinite torments of a defenseless soul. His closeness is very pleasant and no woman closes her heart to him. He is sensitive and tender; his sensitive soul picks up the finest vibrations and the slightest shadow clouds his mind. His horse is warm and humid like the wind from the west.
","meaning":"If the Knight of Cups is revealed in a partner session, it can always be assumed that the person for whom the Knight of Cups has been drawn will openly show his feelings and be open to an erotic and cordial connection. In general, the Chalice Knight is the strongest card for a person who seeks love and wants to give it. He can be a woman or a man. The card also directly invites you to follow your feelings, even though it may be risky.
","statement":"The knight of the heart, faithful, sensitive and gentle
The questioner himself\/herself or an important partner
Also the (secret) lover of a woman\/man
","image":"prinz_der_kelche1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"koenigin-der-kelche","title":"Queen of Cups","intro":"She is the queen of the waters, the nymphs and all other creatures of the deep of the sea. She is as still as the sea, but also as impetuous. When she is hurt, the emotions burst out of her like a storm tide.
She lives her feminine side and is the most womanly among the queens. She seeks protection and closeness and gives warmth, love and security in return. But her sensitivity also makes her vulnerable and sometimes she is as shy as a deer. Her planet is the moon and she feels strongly connected to its course. She opens up with the waxing moon, lives her passions with the full moon, and withdraws again with the waning moon. Her great sensitivity makes her a healer among women. Through her hands flow healing forces and her heart gives help and comfort.
","meaning":"The woman denoted by this card is the emotional lover and wife. However, as with all king cards, one must not expect her to be active herself. You have to woo her, win her over, if you want her closeness.
","statement":"An emotional, sensitive and loving woman
The questioner herself or a loving, well-meaning and important woman in the questioner's life
Also the loving and heartfelt mother
","image":"knigin_der_kelche1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Kelche","link":"koenig-der-kelche","title":"King of Cups","intro":"He is the king of the elves and all other delicate and sensitive creatures. His element is water, and above his head are Venus and the Moon. He lives more strongly his feminine side and is sensitive and cordial. In his proximity one feels comfortable and secure.
Because of his great openness, he is easily hurt and the pain can hit him stronger and longer than others. That is why he has to protect himself. Many people carry the King of Cups deeply hidden in their hearts. It is said that the elves also retreated far from humans because they could no longer bear their rudeness. Through his connection with the water element, he becomes the healer and therapist among the kings.
","meaning":"The card always stands for a hearty and emotional man, in partner sessions for the lover. It is important to note that the man for whom the card stands does not always show his deep feelings. For example, a woman may reveal the King of Cups for her partner and believe that in her experience this emotional card would not suit the man. Then it is important to research why the man pretends to be more closed than he really is.
","statement":"A mature, tender and sensitive man
The questioner himself or a good friend in the questioner's life
For the woman: the man of the heart, the life partner
Also the sensitive, loving father
","image":"knig_der_kelche1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"as-der-schwerter","title":"Ace of Swords","intro":"I receive a crowned sword and with it the ability of knowledge. The sword is a symbol of our mind.It cuts, separates, divides, is sharp, can hurt and symbolizes justice. The mind separates, analyzes, is clear, distinguishes, can hurt and proclaims the truth.
The sword brings blessing and curse at the same time. Through the power of the sword, man rises above his animal nature; he can recognize. But with it he is also split in himself: He thinks about himself, is subject and object at the same time and thus loses his paradisiacal unity and innocence. Adam and Eve, who have tampered with the \"tree of knowledge\", have to leave the garden of God. They begin their long journey through the world of man, a world of judgment, condemnation, doubt and despair. But it is also the realm of knowledge, wisdom and salvation from human error.
","meaning":"The number ONE or the Ace embodies the One in which everything is. With the gift of the spirit I can either seek the truth or fight it. My spirit, just like the sword, has two sides. It depends on myself how I handle it.
","statement":"Favorable Meaning:
The power of clear thought
Decision, insight, wisdom and prudence
Unfavorable Meaning: Hardening, \"headiness\", belligerence, bossiness
","image":"1_as_der_schwerter_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"2-der-schwerter","title":"2 of swords","intro":"The gift of thinking also brings me the task of decision. With it, I must weigh and commit. I must take responsibility for what I do.
The number TWO includes doubt and despair. I protect myself from possible attacks and hide behind it only my insecurity and vulnerability. I become suspicious and critical. I should open my eyes and face the responsibility.
The card beautifully shows the ambiguity of our intellect: on one side the figure demonstrates that it is powerless, that it sees nothing and therefore cannot decide. On the other hand, it carries two sharp weapons (its intellectual potential) and reveals through its blindfolded eyes that it can lash out indiscriminately.
","meaning":"The card expresses a phase of confusion, but also of an unconscious and sometimes even intentional misdirection.
The card appears when a person cannot make up his mind because there are threatening losses connected with it, for example, when a child has to decide between father and mother.
","statement":"Doubt, doubtful situation
Agonizing inability to make decisions
Self-protection, fear of vulnerability
Playing with the weapons of the intellect
Double game, negation, duplicity
","image":"2_frieden1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"3-der-schwerter","title":"3 of swords","intro":"My heart is pierced three times, I experience deep suffering and begin the journey through an inner death. I doubt myself and lose all respect for myself. It is as if there is a battle in which I am to be destroyed.
From an early age, man encounters the logic of swords. Every commandment, every prohibition, every \"You shall!\" or \"You must!\" bores into the heart and sometimes the scars remain for a lifetime. The number THREE is the most stable number. The triple pierced heart is deeply wounded and the pain seems to have no end.
","meaning":"The card always announces mental crises. Often it refers to such wounds caused by the separation of a loved one. The mind usually deals with the pain of separation through destructive self-accusation and condemnation. Because one has been abandoned, one is \"not fit to love,\" \"unworthy,\" and \"not worthy to live.\" One forgets that it is oneself who utters these sentences and words.
If the card appears, it is necessary to work through the pain and to become aware of the dynamics of self-judgment. As a rule, this requires a counselor, because it is too easy to lose oneself in this process.
","statement":"Trauma, existential disappointment
Deep hurt, tears, pain
Despair of life, heartbreak
Pain of separation
Scars of ancient injuries
","image":"3_kummer1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"4-der-schwerter","title":"4 of swords","intro":"I am so deeply distressed by the cruelty of life that I take refuge in my innermost solitude. I go through a death and seek a new relationship to life.
The number FOUR is self-contained. Here it means withdrawal and seclusion from the outside world.
When man goes through suffering, lets it penetrate deeply into him, he always sacrifices a piece of his carefree liveliness, his childlike naturalness. He thereby gains deeper and deeper insight into life, he becomes life-experienced and wise.
The card points to a healing phase of self-discovery within a crisis. However, this period may expand into depression. Talking to a friend or a counselor can therefore be very helpful.
","meaning":"Sometimes the card also represents people who intentionally turn their backs on the world of intellect, for example, because they have experienced how hurtful people are to each other. Then it is always important to realize that swords are also a natural part of life. Man cannot withdraw from a hostile world, he always takes the swords with him, perhaps only uses them more selectively and insidiously.
","statement":"The wounded soul seeks solitude
Withdrawal from the outside world
Renunciation, sacrifice
Time of purification, fasting
","image":"4_waffenruhe1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"5-der-schwerter","title":"5 of swords","intro":"I realize that I too must take up the sword, I seek the fight and I win the argument. But it is a Pyrrhic victory!
Winner and defeated are equally beaten, the pain has only increased.
The number FIVE is a mobile number and thoughts in themselves are light and mobile like air. With their help we can communicate and meet each other. They form themselves into a song and an accomplished poem.
But a difference of opinion has taken away the lightness of thoughts and forged them into weapons of steel, in order to be right, in order not to be hurt myself, in order to save face.
But as I meet others, so I meet myself. When I criticize you, I am also critical of myself, and when I condemn you, I apply the same standard to myself.
","meaning":"The number FIVE is also a karmic, fateful consequence of the number FOUR. Whoever retreats on the level of FOUR, because he wants to avoid the struggle of life, must live on the level of FIVE with even more difficult conditions.
The card always designates disputes between people, where everyone believes that he himself is in the right and is plunged into an existential injustice only by the other.
","statement":"A Pyrrhic victory, sad triumph
Meanness and deceit
Insult, betrayal
Arrogance of intellect
","image":"5_niederlage1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"6-der-schwerter","title":"6 of swords","intro":"I hide a conflict and try to make it go away. I want to end the eternal quarreling and look for a way out and a new beginning.
Whether I succeed is another matter, because the swords remain in the boat and are not thrown into the water.They can therefore become dangerous weapons again.
","meaning":"The card often stands for situations in which neutrality is important, for example, when you want to approach a conflict objectively and without emotions. Thus, the card can also apply to an arbitration award from an outside person.
However, with the positive intention that the card reveals, it is important to remember that the swords were thrust into a boat with the point down. The danger that \"the boat leaks\" is unmistakable. Thus, the figures in the boat also express a sacrificial attitude.
","statement":"A conflict to be resolved
A change that does not necessarily change anything
A new phase of life, which carries the old in it
A journey across the (big) water, with new hopes and old fears
Sacrificial attitude
","image":"6_wissenschaft_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"7-der-schwerter","title":"7 of swords","intro":"This is another attempt to end the eternal quarreling. I disarm the enemy by a cunning and witty attack. Thus peace seems to be restored.
","meaning":"The number SEVEN brings magic or supernatural powers into play. Just as Odysseus conquered Troy by a foolhardy ruse, here too the enemy is taken by surprise. But two swords are left behind, and with them the doubt as to whether this move can really end the battle.
If the card stands for the Tarot player himself, it shows his temporary superiority. However, he may not yet call himself the final winner. If the card stands against him, he must reckon with a ruse by someone else.
As with the Chalice-7, it is therefore important to reveal other cards in order to arrive at a clear statement.
","statement":"Cunning, ingenuity, shrewdness
A witty and ingenious ruse
A prank of Eulenspiegel
The cunning of Ulysses
For a clear statement, other cards must be revealed
","image":"7_vergeblichkeit_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"8-der-schwerter","title":"8 of swords","intro":"The tables have turned. Now I am defeated and feel miserable and humiliated. It is like a public condemnation and I feel as if the whole world is sharing in my defeat.
The number EIGHTis symbolic of infinity and boundless is the shame and disgrace I face.
Every human being has a natural feeling of shame. It makes him soft and vulnerable.Nothing hits his soul more than when this childlike feeling is abused. He withdraws and entrenches himself behind a wall of fear and defense.
","meaning":"As with all sword cards, one must not overlook personal responsibility in the case of the sword-8. The depiction clearly shows a demonstration of suffering. The figure is bound, but in a way that it could free itself at any time. Thus, the sword-8 also shows the conscious or unconscious intention to pretend to be more helpless than one really is. Psychoanalytically, one could say that one's own pleasure is repressed, only the suffering endured is expressed.
Especially with the Sword-8 - and the following cards Sword-9 and Sword-10 - it is important to bring the hidden and repressed self-responsibility to light through a careful and honest self-analysis or a therapeutic conversation.
","statement":"Disgrace, dishonor, betrayal, slander, public condemnation
Despair and also illness
Hidden and repressed lust
Demonstration of helplessness
","image":"8_einmischung1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"9-der-schwerter","title":"9 of swords","intro":"I can no longer find peace. The thoughts that were born in me have taken on a life of their own and haunt me even into my dreams. They become ghosts that haunt and torment me. I believe that I am lost for good.
","meaning":"The number NINE is a stable number (3 x 3). It is also the last digit before the TEN and is therefore often experienced as the end.
In the Tarot, all Sword cards are symbolic of the crossroads of life. The human being, who has freed himself from the paradisiacal purity, reaches his own, complete personality only through a painful individualization process. Each sword card shows a different stage of liberation, but also of pain. The sword-9 signifies stagnation on this journey. One wants to let oneself and others believe that one has already completed one's painful journey.
The Sword-9 is therefore also the card of false martyrs and neurotics who blame others for their suffering.
","statement":"Nightmare, Night of despair
Delusion
Self-blame
anguish over a failure, over wrong behavior
Martyrdom, suffering self-representation
","image":"9_grausamkeit1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"10-der-schwerter","title":"10 of swords","intro":"Stretched out I lie on the earth pierced tenfold by swords. It is the end, the catastrophe has fallen.
With the number TEN the series of sword cards is fulfilled and it is fulfilled in cruelty and suffering. The \"curse over the tree of knowledge\" has come true: He who relies only on the power of the mind is lost. He suffocates in his own net.
But in all my pain there is also an awakening, a realization that I am imperfect as a human being. In this realization, I can forgive myself.
Only those who go to the bitter end feel the gentle hand of redemption that shows them a new path.
","meaning":"The sword-10 often signifies a turning point and is therefore favorable. Especially for people who reveal sword cards over a longer period of time, the sword-10 brings the sorrowful peak and thus also the chance for a change.
The sword-10 should therefore be interpreted very carefully. For example, it is a great help to say aloud the hurts that each sword symbolizes, thus raising them to consciousness.
","statement":"Ruin, catastrophe, cruelty, the end
The utmost I can bear; being pinned down
Assault, threat
The end of the tunnel, a chance to turn back
Hope
","image":"10_untergang1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"page-der-schwerter","title":"Page of swords","intro":"He is a figure of the air and can be a man or a woman. Like all court cards of the swords, he understands himself and the world with his head. He wants to classify the living and shape it according to his ideals. He is not completely unreconciled to the natural and living world like the other court cards of the Swords. Often in the depictions he holds a palm branch in one hand as a gesture of peace. But the sword in the other shows his willingness to say no and to defy.
","meaning":"The card sometimes indicates a hidden conflict or an unspoken problem of the questioner. In any case, when this card appears, it is important to ask if there might be other unspoken issues.
The Sword Page sometimes also signals anger and rage that the questioner or the person for whom the card stands is not able to express. In a Tarot session in which this card is revealed to the questioner himself, one must expect intellectual resistance from the questioner as a counselor.
","statement":"A complicated, headstrong, and \"cerebral\" young man
A young woman with the same characteristics
The questioner or a person from his life. Also a person who starts an argument, also the child of the questioner
","image":"bube_der_schwerter1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"ritter-der-schwerter","title":"Knights of the swords","intro":"He is the dark knight of the night. His horse is as icy as the wind of the north. Driven by inner panic, the knight spurs it on and on against people, against life, against himself and the world. The Knight of Swords can bring destruction, but he does not symbolize death like the trump card XIII, which renews and redeems. The Sword Knight destroys out of fear of life. He is the consequence of human egoism and the enemy of everything living and natural. Where he appears, the souls fall silent like a bird at the approaching storm. Life becomes \"cerebral\", obsessive and intellectual. Then it is all about law and order, about being right and important. Its confused mind does not rest until everything alive is under its control.
","meaning":"If the card of the Knight of Swords is revealed in a Tarot session for the questioner himself, strong intellectual resistance from the questioner(s) is to be expected. Often the resistance is even stronger than the insight. Then it is important for the person conducting the conversation to move gently to another level, for example, that of feelings, and to avoid intellectual discussions.
If a Tarot player uncovers for himself the Knight of Swords, then it is important to ask what could be the reason for such an intellectual attitude. Often the reason is a deep hurt, but one does not admit it to himself.
","statement":"An opinionated, \"cerebral\" person, man or woman.
The questioner in this situation or a person in the questioner's life with the meaning of the card
Also a strong opposing force of the questioner
","image":"prinz_der_schwerter_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"koenigin-der-schwerter","title":"Queen of swords","intro":"She is the queen of darkness, attractive, but also sinister and gloomy. As a sphinx she lives behind the mountains and attracts all creatures to compete with her. To anyone who cannot answer her questions, she brings sorrow and ruin. Her challenge is dangerous. Man would only have to free himself from her attraction. But again and again he seeks the test under her penetrating eyes.
She has the figure of the punishing and condemning mother. She is afraid of closeness, because she can only play out her superiority from a distance -and she is afraid of love and takes revenge for it on life. But she is also the daughter who wants to free herself from the paternalism of others and go unconventional ways.
","meaning":"If you draw the card for yourself, you will be reminded that you do not accept yourself enough and that you make too many demands on yourself. However, there are also situations in which the Queen of Swords is an adequate card. An example is when a woman wants to break away from her husband who oppresses her, or when she wants to free herself from a professional situation in which she feels humiliated. So it always depends on the question and a precise discussion of the problem.
If the card is revealed for someone else, it means that the questioner is in an inner struggle with that person.
As SIGNIFICANT: rarely, at most in the situation of an emancipating woman described above.
","statement":"A determining, dismissive and cold woman
In certain situations also the liberating woman
The questioning or a woman in her life, with strong, negative forces
Also the failing and condemning mother
","image":"knigin_der_schwerter1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Schwerter","link":"koenig-der-schwerter","title":"King of swords","intro":"He is the king of spirits and all formless creatures of the night. His element is air, and above his head is Pluto, the mighty Dark One. He is the ruler of thoughts and imaginations, ideas and fantasies. He sees the world not as it is, but as he imagines it to be. He does not recognize the diversity of life, but only his own image of the world. That is why he sometimes seems so opinionated and stubborn, so hard and unyielding. No one is as difficult as the Sword King. He holds on to his idea until self-destruction. He has lost confidence in existence and therefore cannot flow with life. He must take life into his own hands, regulate and manage it. As a man and partner, he is complicated, jealous and suspicious. When he appears, relationships become difficult and problematic. He is the shadow of life that must be encountered again and again in order to rise above suffering.
","meaning":"If the Tarot player uncovers the Sword King for himself, he is asked to question his current outlook on life and to allow more love and generosity into his life. As with the Queen of Swords card, however, situations are also possible in which the King of Swords signals the strength needed to extricate oneself from an unworthy situation.
","statement":"A difficult and complicated man
The questioner himself or a significant man in his life
Also the terrible and condemning father
The shadow of the soul
The desire for liberation
","image":"knig_der_schwerter1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"as-der-staebe","title":"Ace of Wands","intro":"From heaven I am handed a staff with green leaves, symbolizing life. Life is a divine gift, a mystery that we do not know. But it begins with fire.
In the beginning there is fire.
It exists as sun, brightness and heat, but also as electricity, magnetism and biochemical process. Ultimately, life is a game of imperceptible combustion processes. Fire is another word for life.
Fire needs friction to emerge, needs nourishment to not go out, and needs space to not suffocate.
I discover the fire. I notice it in my hands, in my willpower. I straighten up and feel my strength. I breathe in and out deeply and discover my desire. To face life, to throw myself into the game of life? It is wonderful to know that I have strength and need not fear anything. Everything is open to me. The whole life is a playground of my power and my possibilities.
I am fire! I am alive! I am strong! I am!
","meaning":"The number ONE stands at the beginning and is contained in every other number. It embodies the One in which Everything is.
With the Ace of Rods all life begins.
","statement":"Beginning, energy, vitality, life force, health
Fire, vitality, activity
A vital force that is realized
","image":"1_as_der_stbe1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"2-der-staebe","title":"2 of bars","intro":"Fire is born from friction. Prevention creates pressure and pressure turns into heat.
I want to see beyond my narrow space, to step out into the open country. But I am still undecided. The ray of fire that shows me a clear path does not yet light up. Perhaps my way is also blocked.
So I wait and look in a globe or a crystal ball at the different possibilities that are open to me. In my hand are symbols of unlimited vastness. I am sure that my time will come. The spark has already been ignited.
","meaning":"The number TWO means disagreement and indecision. It is captured in words like doubt and ambiguity. The One has lost its unambiguity. It must wait until it is perfect again on a new level.
","statement":"Prevention, Pressure, Friction
Indecision, Ambiguity
Unlimited possibilities
Open situation
Need time and more information to decide
","image":"2_herrschaft1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"3-der-staebe","title":"3 of the bars","intro":"I have decided!
I stand broad-legged and secure in the room. Nothing can knock me down. I feel strong enough to participate in the game of life, to risk something, to experience something new. I don't need anyone to protect me, I am strong on my own.
I turn my back on my past. It is behind me. I look to the future, expectantly, joyfully and full of zest for action.
","meaning":"The number THREE is, again, unlike TWO, a stable number. From the number TWO, which is unstable and discordant, a new solidity grows. The THREE completes the TWO. It means: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To a family belong father, mother and child. They say \"all good things come in threes\", or \"a table with three legs does not wobble\".
That is how I also stand in the world, secure and steady. I am open to everything that comes my way. Three is stable, but has acquired this stability only arising from a doubt.
","statement":"Safety, Strength, Stability
Secure starting point
Determination
Opening to the outside
I know what I want
","image":"3_tugend1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"4-der-staebe","title":"4 of the bars","intro":"Until now I was alone and only myself was important to me. Now I meet other people who, like me, want to discover life. I find the group and seek the exchange of energies.
The decorated castle awaits me. It is a symbol of conviviality, adventure, play and dance. This symbolism is found again in the village square where the boys and girls meet. In the same way, it corresponds to the marketplace and the squares of cities, where young and old meet in the afternoon and evening. These places attract people who are looking for life and for whom the world in their own family has become too small.
I, too, seek the new, taste of the pleasures and exchange with the vibrations of others.
","meaning":"The number FOUR is a harmonic number. It is completed like the square or the cube, which consists of six squares.
The fire finds a harmonious form. It becomes liquid gold, material wealth and manifests itself in man in the feeling of sublimity and joy. The fire finds its splendor.
But the FOUR also has the tendency of complacency and can thus lead to strife and discord on the card FIVE.
","statement":"A joyful event
Dance, festivity, communication, game
Life in the group
Exchange of energies
Danger of complacency
","image":"4_wachstum1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"5-der-staebe","title":"5 of bars","intro":"I want to know how strong I am, if I am more skillful, more beautiful, faster or smarter than the others. This game is an ancient pastime that is ultimately rooted in man's nature to assert himself in order to survive. This drive finds its expression in the impersonation of men and the beauty contest of women. It crystallizes in sporting competitions, in jousting tournaments and ultimately in battles and wars. It is the motor for our performance and consumer society.
This comparison naturally activates the human fire. Just as friction generates heat, rivalry and competition create more vitality and liveliness.
","meaning":"The number FIVE is a movable number. A group of five people is never in balance (3 + 2, 2 + 2+ 1, 4 + 1) and therefore promotes the dynamics of the individual members among themselves.
In the Tarot, FIVE is a \"karmic\" number. It results from the FOURand is a fateful consequence of this number: whoever follows his lust too lightly and complacently on level 4 and accepts every playful confrontation, experiences on the level of the FIVE that he must assert himself. The vernacular says: \"Play becomes seriousness.\"
","statement":"Friction, survival instinct
Contention, liveliness, dispute
Exchange of energies
I compare myself with others
I throw myself into life
Play becomes seriousness
","image":"5_streben1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"6-der-staebe","title":"6 of bars","intro":"I am the winner!
Whatever the reason for the test of strength, whether it was power, beauty, speed or skill, I have won the elimination and now enjoy prestige and success. Symbolically, I wear the laurel wreath and ride a horse. The others stand behind me. Their staffs, symbolic of their vitality, strengthen my back. This proves that it was a fair decision, which the others also support.
It is in the nature of the group to orient itself to a \"leader\". As long as that position is vacant, everyone competes for that spot. Once it is filled, the group finds its structure and its form. It can set its sights on a common goal and no longer expends its energies in the mutual struggle for strength.
","meaning":"The number SIX is again a stable number. It contains the number THREE two times. The cube, which consists of six faces, is a completed body after the sphere.
It is also a fateful consequence of the numbers FOUR and FIVE: He who surrenders to complacency on the level of FOUR has to go through a serious confrontation on the level of FIVE and finally finds his peace again on the level of SIX.
","statement":"Victory, superiority, prestige
Responsibility and leadership
Pride and pleasant news
Peace after an argument
Winning an argument
","image":"6_sieg1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"7-der-staebe","title":"7 of bars","intro":"On the one hand, the group looks for an authority to follow (staff-6), on the other hand, it envies everyone for this position and tries to undermine its position and boycott the authority.
It is the nature of a leadership position to be up to these challenges: in nature, for the leader to lead and protect his pack, he must be nearly invincible. The same happens with territorial sovereignty.In its own territory, an animal can hardly be beaten even by a much stronger conspecific.
I, too, can now maintain my position against any attack. I have unlimited energies at my disposal. Maybe because I have the right on my side or because I am unbeatable in my (special) field.
","meaning":"The number SEVEN is a magical, sacred number. The ancients knew only seven planets, God created the world in seven days, the moon revolves around the earth in four times seven days and therefore the week has seven days. In many myths and fairy tales, seven is a symbol of irresistible power and strength (the seven samurais, the glorious seven, the seven brave brothers), and even in modern gambling it appears in the lottery, which consists of 7\u00d77 rows, and in the game 77.
","statement":"Strength, self-assertion, supernatural power, magic
A challenge I am up to
I win a fight
I defend my territory
","image":"7_tapferkeit_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"8-der-staebe","title":"8 of bars","intro":"Just as it is in the nature of the group to follow a leader and he must be up to the constant challenges, it is also a natural progression that the leader is replaced after a certain time. Perhaps because his agreed time is over, because he has grown old, or because he is no longer able to meet the new demands of a changed era. If the leader follows the natural signs, he hands over his position to another. If he stands against the turn, the signs are on storm.
Eight sticks fly through the air!
","meaning":"The number EIGHT is equally infinite (as lying \"8\" it is the sign for infinity) and self-contained (twice the FOUR). As an infinite number it stands for the immense power which is banished in the eight rods: Something mighty is in the air. In this form the EIGHT seems threatening. This is also captured in the word \"Achtung\" in a strange way. In other European languages, too, there is this relation between acht and Achtung.
The flight of the eight staffs indicates a dangerous turn. A situation, a period of time coming to an end. The rods in flight tilt towards the earth again, the climax has been passed.
But the card EIGHT alone does not yet show the direction of the turn; the way after the change is not (yet) determined.
","statement":"Attention! Caution.
Tension, energy, the turn
Something threatening is in the air
I pay attention to the signs, I was forewarned
","image":"8_schnelligkeit1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"9-der-staebe","title":"9 of bars","intro":"In the fortune-telling books of the Gypsies, the staff-9 means defeat, loss, change of power.
On the card a man defends his position with his last strength. He is the original winner of the cards Stab-6 and Stab-7. But now the signs are different: now the group is stronger than its leader, it pushes for the due change of power. But the powerful almost always cling to their chair. They cannot give way until they fall.
","meaning":"The number NINE contains the number THREE three times. THREE means strength and stability. This is the basis of the security with which people defend their position against change, even when the signs of change are abundantly clear. The number NINE is also the last number before TEN, which means completion. So the NINE tempts to negate or to suppress the difference to the TEN.
But every further holding on to the power now only pushes the end before itself. The change is determined. I am wasting my life force. Whatever I want to hold on to and assert, my position, my possessions, my boyfriend or girlfriend, the time has come to let go and surrender.
","statement":"Fear of defeat, of loss, of a change of power
The turning point
I did not heed the signs, the time of security and strength is over
I am fighting a senseless battle
I am standing on a lost post
","image":"9_strke1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"10-der-staebe","title":"10 of bars","intro":"The battle is decided. I am defeated.
Everything that otherwise adorned and graced me, my strength and skill, my possessions and the people who belonged to me, it has all become a burden, a burden that almost crushes me.
Fire exhausts itself, the fiery life force flares up and burns. It needs again and again phases of the rest and recovery. The earth also needs protection from the sun and sends it daily behind the horizon to greet it again joyfully the next morning.
","meaning":"With the number TEN the row of the staffs completes itself. But the completion does not lead to power and pride, but to the realization that power and vitality are not available to me in unlimited amounts. The way outward into the offensive is no longer possible.
Now I have to go inward. I discover a new element, a new quality, namely my ability to feel and to sense.
I dive into the deep lake of the cups.
","statement":"Obvious defeat, lack of energy, but also suppressed energy
I am finally defeated
I feel depressed
Faintness, tiredness, exhaustion, consequences of stress
","image":"10_unterdrckung_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"page-der-staebe","title":"Page of the bars","intro":"They are a figure from the realm of fire and can be a woman or a man. They are at the disposal of the questioner or deliver messages. Sometimes they are the learners, the beginners who are still going to school to go deeper into the secrets of their element.
They are lively and full of life and easily overshoot the mark. You become a gale-force wind when people try to constrict you. You need opportunities to live out and affirm yourself. They love freedom. The messages they deliver come from the realm of fire. They announce new deeds or promise adventure or a journey. Sometimes they also deliver messages from the realm of work.
","meaning":"A young man or woman, boy or girl, if they possess the characteristics of the Page of Wands.
The \"Page of Wands\" has not yet set out. He is still only looking at the walking stick. For all his enterprise, his \"gray cells\" (hidden under his hat) are still checking very carefully whether the journey is really worthwhile: will it bring him wealth or recognition? Or even happiness in love? Will he encounter opponents or enemies that he may be subjected to? Perhaps he will encounter obstacles that he cannot overcome, despite all his optimism?
The cloudless sky above makes the hesitant boy courageous to finally set out confidently. But it seems to be wise for him to think about what he might encounter on the way and, above all, where he really wants to go, where his heart and his destiny are taking him.
","statement":"A young, open-minded, freedom-loving man
A young, life-affirming woman
The questioner or a person from his life who is inclined towards him
Even one's own child
Messages from the realm of fire and work
","image":"bube_der_staebe_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"ritter-der-staebe","title":"Knights of the staffs","intro":"He is the most vital figure among the court cards. Like a wheel of fire, he is constantly reigniting himself and his power never seems to run out. He is the fighter and adventurer, but he fights not to kill, but to test his strength and increase it by friction. Everything that makes life more lively attracts him and any variety is fine with him. He lives only his masculine side and his planet is the fiery Mars of spring. His horse is hot, wild and fast like the storm wind of the south. Freedom and independence are more important to him than anything else. If he feels confined, he becomes quick-tempered and wild.
He cannot always live out his energies; then his own fire burns him. He seems absent, depressed, and yet driven by an inner violence.
","meaning":"The card also stands for a person who wants to compete with the questioner or wants to conquer the questioner.
If it stands for the questioner himself, he is called to activity. It can take place anywhere that involves the forces of fire, namely adventure, travel, sports and work.
","statement":"An extremely vital and life-affirming man\/woman
The questioner himself or a person in the questioner's life with the meaning of this card.
Also the boyfriend\/girlfriend on whom one can rely unconditionally,
\"A person who will go through fire for you\".
","image":"ritter_der_stbe_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"koenigin-der-staebe","title":"Queen of Wands","intro":"She is the queen of the Amazons, master of fire and of all consuming and outward thrusting energies; a vital and energetic woman who lives out more of her masculine side. Like her partner and brother, the King of Rods, she pushes out into the world, seeking adventure and encounters with all kinds of people. Her closeness brings variety and happiness, but also tension and restlessness. If she feels constricted, she can even become rough and hurtful.
","meaning":"As the master of fire, she possesses the mysterious powers of transformation. She is the witch and sorceress among the queens. When she wants, she is alluring and attractive and captivates every man's heart. She stands by her erotic and sexual energies and fights for their love.
As a queen, this person also embodies arrogance and pride. She expects you to approach if you want something from her. She is an outspoken authority and expects you to fulfill her wishes quickly. Her great disadvantage is her impatience.
","statement":"A strong, vital and attractive woman
The questioner herself or a significant person in the questioner's life
Also the attractive and desirable woman
","image":"knigin_der_stbe1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"St\u00e4be","link":"koenig-der-staebe","title":"King of Wands","intro":"He is the king of giants and dwarfs and all other creatures that have tremendous strength, endurance and energy. His element is fire and above his head the energies of the Sun and Mars combine. In his fire staff flows the eternal stream of life. He is the magic master among the kings. He lives out above all his masculine side and steps out into the world, active, demanding and determining. His closeness is not always easy to bear, because his energies often overflow and overwhelm other people. His urge for new things does not let him stay anywhere for a long time. He is always ready for a fiery night of love, but only with difficulty for a firm commitment. If he can't act out, he becomes restless, tense inside and nervous. He can't wait well and wants everything immediately. What he lacks is calmness and patience.
","meaning":"For the questioning woman, this card often represents her boyfriend or a man who is close to her. Then it is important to explain to the questioner also the pride of this man. For example, she should not expect him to make the first move, much more he expects her \"homage\".
","statement":"A strong, proud and freedom-loving man
The questioner himself or a very important person from the questioner's life
The father, the superior, also the desirable, attractive man
","image":"koenig_der_staebe_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"as-der-muenzen","title":"Ace of Stars","intro":"This time I am presented with a five-pointed star. From ancient times, this star has been a sign of truth, happiness and wealth.
First of all, it means external wealth, that is, money and possessions. But equally important is the inner wealth symbolized by the five-pointed star. Inner wealth such as knowledge, happiness, contentment and joy is independent of outer possessions, as we know from simple or very wise people. Conversely, it is also known that money alone never makes you happy.
","meaning":"The star cards symbolize the element earth. Thus, the level of the stars is about the different ways of people to reconcile with their earthly life and to find outer and inner peace. Some find this happiness with money, others in their faith, and still others in the right task and work.
The Ace of Stars symbolizes again the ONE that is in everything. Man is urged to give his life on this earth a direction, a meaning and a goal.
The card always expresses the desire for more insight into hidden connections of life. It contains the advice to go in search of oneself. Under certain circumstances this card signals to start a self-experience group or a therapy. And it contains the great luck of receiving the right signs from fate where the path to growth and self-fulfillment begins and leads.
","statement":"The great happiness, great external or internal wealth
Fulfillment, well-being, peace, faith
Time for self-awareness and meditation
","image":"1_as_der_mnzen1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"2-der-muenzen","title":"2 of the stars","intro":"The wise man takes things as they come. He recognizes that, in the end, one is just as important as the other. He does not judge and thus becomes a simple person who faces life cheerfully and calmly.
The card always contains an invitation for the tarot player to relax and to face life in a more playful way. In the case of important decisions, it signals not to dramatize the importance of the matter.
","meaning":"The number TWO means doubt and ambiguity. But on the level of the stars I find a new way to deal with it: I become a life artist, a juggler who plays with life. I don't tie myself down, but am open to the course of things. In this way, one thing and another emerge and I am released from the tormenting feeling of indecision. I discover serenity, a gift that lifts me above life.
","statement":"A matter of minor importance, a trifle
The playful handling of a decision
One is like the other
Carelessness, a simple life, cheerfulness
\"Laughter is the best medicine\"
","image":"2_wechsel1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"3-der-muenzen","title":"3 of the stars","intro":"I find a task that fulfills me and in which I can realize myself. Without perhaps knowing it myself, I work on my life's work, on my life's task.
The number three is a stable number. And so I find a basis in my work that supports me and gives me security. I have found something that gives my life meaning and direction.
The image makes a reference to the medieval guild of Freemasons. The execution of a church window was often required as a journeyman's or master's piece. The artist himself remained in the background. Never did the church windows bear any names. It was also a matter of course for Asian artists not to leave names in the magnificent works of art. In their belief, an artist is an instrument of God and therefore insignificant as a special, unique individual.
","meaning":"The card refers to an important phase of life. Often it names a job or an education that is very important for the tarot player. But it also proclaims that the ego and individual pride should recede and one should be completely absorbed in the special activity.
","statement":"Work, self-realization through work
Life work, life tree
A task that is more important than anything else
I am measured by my deeds
","image":"3_arbeit1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"4-der-muenzen","title":"4 of the stars","intro":"Actually, I have everything I want and yet I am not really satisfied.
I am rich and hold happiness in my arms. I enjoy prestige and other people even envy my happiness. But an inner voice won't let me rest and I can't escape it.
The number FOUR is a completed and harmonious number. Here it means a sense of routine. Three stars mean tangible reality and thus security. The fourth star points beyond. It is the inner voice of truth that drives one on and on until the goal is found.
","meaning":"The card may indicate a period of stagnation in self-realization. Without consulting other cards, it cannot be clearly interpreted. If the Tarot player reveals further cards that are positive, then it is more likely that the questioner should stick to the matter at hand and not move on to another area.
If the further cards are negative, it can be assumed that a change in the tarot player's life will be necessary.
Sometimes the star-4 also means too strong a clinging to material things.
","statement":"Security and routine, which become a burden
Prosperity, which makes you full
Contentment that gives no peace
A voice that drives on
Material fixation
","image":"4_macht_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"5-der-muenzen","title":"5 of stars","intro":"I am used to getting what I want and have forgotten what it means to ask others for something. Now that I am alone and learning about the shadow side of life, my heart opens to the charitable vibrations of others. Only now, standing outside, can I see the light that comforts me. I experience the goodness of life's heart, the hand that does not leave me even in suffering.
","meaning":"The number FIVE is a movable number. Here it announces the change of a situation. As a fateful number it is a consequence of the number FOUR. Whoever overhears the admonition to deepen or change his life on the card star-4, experiences the consequences on star-5. He finds himself in a life situation that forces him to humility.
When interpreting the card, it is important to ask about the background of the current life situation. The tarot player can use it to recognize and strengthen his own responsibility that has led to these circumstances.
Sometimes the card also refers to show kindness and generosity yourself.
","statement":"Poverty, misery, loss
The consequences of one's own disregard
Asking others for help
What others do for me
Comfort, compassion, a warm heart, real friends
But also: own generosity and kindness
","image":"5_qulerei1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"6-der-muenzen","title":"6 of the stars","intro":"When I have nothing, life comforts me; therefore, when I live in abundance, I can share.
The number SIX consists of two stable halves (3 + 3 = 6). Thus, the card also reminds us to share, to balance the scales. This does not mean material possessions alone, but everything that makes outwardly and inwardly richer:
Who knows more, helps others through his advice.
He who is strong gives of his strength.
He who is happy shares his happiness.
In all this, wisdom and prudence are advised, because generosity can also be hurtful.
","meaning":"The card often shows the \"balance of fate\". To the one who has been wronged, the card announces justice. And to the one who is himself in the wrong, it reminds the balancing hand of fate. In the light of this card, it is therefore advisable to investigate the causes of the current situation. Sometimes the reasons lie very far back. Even karmic influences of previous lives can play a role.
","statement":"The justice of destiny
Karma, guilt and atonement
Invitation to give and share from one's wealth
","image":"6_erfolg1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"7-der-muenzen","title":"7 of the stars","intro":"When the field is cultivated, most of the work is done. The gardener can rest until the harvest is ripe.
The number SEVEN is a mysterious and enigmatic number. Here it reflects the miracle of life:
How is it possible that the seed becomes a lily? What forces shape the plant into a tree? Who makes sure that the grain ripens?
","meaning":"The card announces a surprising result, but initiated by the tarot player at some point. However, it also advises to wait and reminds that nothing can be done now. Then you can expect a positive outcome of the situation. Thus, the card can also be a reminder to tame your own impatience.
","statement":"A matter matures without further action
A seed ripens
Reward for a work
Time of rest, collection and meditation
Waiting for success
","image":"7_fehlschlag1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"8-der-muenzen","title":"8 of the stars","intro":"There are periods of silence, relaxation and rest, and there are periods when I have to put all my energies into advancing my self-knowledge.
The path to self-knowledge is sometimes difficult and often requires arduous work on oneself. The card reminds of an endlessly repeating activity. This can be a job, a meditative exercise or a mantra.
","meaning":"The number EIGHT is a sign of infinity (the horizontal \"8\"). Thus, the card also reminds us of repetitive life cycles and rigid habits. Only a deep self-talk can then help the Tarot player and clarify the question whether his life consists of too many and rigid habits. Or whether right now it is a matter of working through a tedious period of imposed duty.
Then the card is also a reminder that everyone \"carries his destiny in his own hands\" and is constantly working on it.
","statement":"Advancing an important work
A life task, fulfillment in work
Retreat, meditation, mantra
Arduous but rewarding path
Diligence, perseverance
\"Everyone is the architect of his own fortune\"
","image":"8_umsicht1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"9-der-muenzen","title":"9 of stars","intro":"My efforts have paid off, success crowns me. I live in a magical place, meet happy people and find myself beautiful and accomplished.
All that I have brought to my life, my work, my understanding and the kindness of my heart have become the great wealth of my soul.
Now there is nothing left to do but celebrate life.
","meaning":"The number NINE contains the number THREE three times. So my sure feeling that I am on the right way of self-discovery is also tripled. However, the NINE possesses also a hardening energy because of its proximity to the TEN. Therefore, for all the joy it proclaims, the Star-9 is also a reminder not to stand still (yet), but to seek the final star.
The card refers to surprise and luck. One may always count on a \"small miracle\", just as the depictions in the pictures are paradisiacal. But sometimes the card also reminds you to open your own eyes and recognize the miracle of each moment.
","statement":"Success, reward, fulfillment; surprise
Beauty and perfection
A thing turning out for the best
A dream that comes true
A time to celebrate life
\"Miracles come from wondering\"
","image":"9_gewinn1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"10-der-muenzen","title":"10 of stars","intro":"Whatever the destination of my journey was, I arrived.
Perhaps I was in search of happiness in my family or in a community. Perhaps it was the search for truth that propelled me forward. Maybe it was simply the longing for a fulfilling retirement.
I have arrived. My path has been completed.
","meaning":"Often the card refers to the \"group of like-minded people\". This can be a therapeutic group or a self-awareness group. For people who live in large groups, extended families, and shared apartments, the card refers to the special significance of this way of life. Sometimes the card also reflects the Tarot player's desire to live in an open community. Always the card emphasizes the importance of several individuals who support each other in their spiritual quest.
","statement":"Completion of a long journey or quest
Favorable time for new forms of family,
community and group life
","image":"10_reichtum1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"page-der-muenzen","title":"Page of the stars","intro":"He comes from the realm of the stars to fulfill his karma in a new, earthly form. He loves life, but deep inside he feels the longing to go beyond what is. He searches in all points of the compass and in ancient scriptures. He studies the stars and consults the spirit of the tarot. He always experiences only the same thing, that he has to let go and start all over again. Often he loses his way. But in his soul lives the eagle, which waits only for the wind to be carried away, far into infinity.
","meaning":"Often the star page is revealed for the beginning of a new phase of life. The card can also signal the start of a therapy or self-awareness group. As a messenger, it stands for messages that influence the inner path of a person's life, sometimes also for a person who leads the inquirer on new paths or accompanies him on new ways. If the card is revealed for a child, the child's innocence and natural willingness to learn are emphasized.
","statement":"A person (woman or man) in search of his self-realization
The questioner or an important person in his life
Also a messenger, a child
","image":"bube_der_mnzen1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"ritter-der-muenzen","title":"Knights of the stars","intro":"He reaches for the light of the stars. He is like Parzival who seeks the Holy Grail. His goal is the land of the morning sun, and his horse is pure as the fresh wind of the East. His search for truth drives him all over the world, not letting him rest until he gets closer to his goal. Everywhere you can meet him and nowhere holds him. All encounters are only touches with space and time. He is like Siddharta or like Goldmund, who must follow their inner voice until their redemption.
","meaning":"If the card is revealed to the questioner, it announces a \"departure for new shores\". It is always about gaining a new, more meaningful side to life. For partner questions the star knight stands for a refinement of the relationship level, a predominantly erotic connection, for example, also takes up mental vibrations. The Knight demands that something new be done. In a therapeutic situation, the card may also indicate that the questioner is ready to engage more deeply and actively in the self-awareness process. If the card stands for a person other than the questioner himself, then the friendly and integrity character of this person is always indicated.
","statement":"A searching, mystical man or woman
The questioner himself or a trusting person in his life
Also the devoted disciple of a teacher or master
","image":"prinz_der_mnzen1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"koenigin-der-muenzen","title":"Queen of the stars","intro":"She is the queen of light, who carries all the forms of woman. She is mother, lover and sister. She can bind herself, but she can also detach herself. She forms friendships and can just as well be alone with herself. She embodies the woman who accepts her femininity and yet does not lose herself in it. She seeks life, but also redemption, completion beyond life.
Her closeness is soothing and the subtle vibrations of her soul give peace and tranquility. She is the wisest and most sublime sister among the queens, the \"high priestess\" among women.
","meaning":"For partner issues, the card of the Queen of Stars refers to a friendly, sometimes even platonic love. It is important to note the difference with the Queen of Cups. The latter spontaneously follows the vibrations of her heart and therefore knows the confusions of love. The Star Queen, on the other hand, remains emotionally unattached, and in some ways neutral.
If the card refers to another person, it names an important life companion who has a soul-mate relationship to the questioner.
","statement":"A fine, inwardly clear and life-experienced woman, mystical and full of secrets
The questioner herself or a significant person in the questioner's life
","image":"knigin_der_mnzen1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"M\u00fcnzen","link":"koenig-der-muenzen","title":"King of the stars","intro":"He is the king of light and infinity. His element is Earth, but in the sign of the infinite five-pointed star, man grows beyond his earthly form. His planets are Saturn, the guardian of reality, and the trans-Saturnian stars Uranus, the transformer, and Neptune, the redeemer.
The Star King knows life and people. He is clever and wise. He takes nothing too important, least of all himself. He looks behind the surface, seeks the depth and imperishability. His closeness is soothing and calming, and his alert mind gives life and splendor to the world. He loves the presence of other people, but in the same way he always seeks solitude. He is the master among kings and the highest design among the court cards of the Tarot.
","meaning":"Like the Star Queen card, the Star King refers to a friendly relationship level in partner issues. Sexuality and eroticism do not play a central role for him; he is more concerned with a spiritual exchange or a connection from which both partners can draw and develop.
If the card does not stand for the questioner himself, it refers to an important person in the life of the questioner, possibly also to a therapist, teacher or master.
","statement":"An understanding, kind and wise man
The questioner himself or a person in the questioner's life
Also the understanding, kind father
A personification of light, a teacher or master
","image":"koenig_der_muenzen_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"1-der-truempfe","title":"I The Magician","intro":"I am the master of my own life! I am not always aware of this and assume that other people or a higher power rule over my life like the winds of the four directions rule over a leaf on a tree. But in reality the storm tugs at the tree and the tree calls the wind.
When I realize that everything has its own center, I become knowledgeable and powerful. Then I see reality as the echo of my own intentions, and my outer wealth is a mirror of my inner circumstances.
I want to understand and realize that it is I who determine my life.
","meaning":"When a person looks at himself in the mirror of the magician, he becomes the center and motor of his own life. This is the first and most important step in his great journey to maturity and knowledge, his first great initiation. Whether man begins a self-awareness group, psychotherapy, or any other path of knowledge, any teacher or master will first acquaint him with taking responsibility over his own life. The upbringing by parents and other social authorities forms a certain pattern, but we have the possibility to recognize it and thus to free ourselves. Thus we become a magician who is always one step ahead of his destiny.
In older illustrations, the magician points to the sky with one hand and to the earth with the other. With this he says, \"So above, so below!\" In other words: \"Man, recognize the eternal laws of the life; they determine the course of the celestial bodies and equally you!\"
In front of the magician there are four tools. The staff says that man determines his own actions. The chalice symbolizes that he is master of his feelings. The sword is a sign of his spiritual power and the five-pointed star expresses that he is the master of his outer and inner wealth.
Everything in life is a special and unique mixture of the four elements: staff, chalice, sword and five-pointed star.
","statement":"The magician, the male principle
Self-realization through conscious recognition
I take my destiny into my own hands
So above so below
","image":"i_der_magier1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"2-der-truempfe","title":"II The High Priestess","intro":"I withdraw from the outside world, close my eyes and listen deeply within. I feel my heart, listen to my inner voice, the inklings of my soul. I feel a great certainty and need no further explanations.
The source of deepest knowledge arises in myself.
","meaning":"The High Priestess embodies the receiving principle, the receiving principle. She complements the magician, who directs his attention outward. In her, the vibrations of existence form themselves into inklings. The magician experiences himself and the world through conscious recognition, the high priestess through her intuition.
From time immemorial, knowing women have had this power, which arises neither from experience nor from logic, but from the promptings of the soul. These women were mediums, healers and witches. The people and the kings sought out these mediumistic women and asked them for advice. They could see into the future and heal old wounds. They could interpret dreams, helped with difficult births, and knew all sorts of remedies for love sicknesses and love follies. Just as often, they were persecuted, ostracized and tortured because of their secret knowledge, which was not substantiated anywhere. Where did the women get their power? Mostly they do not go to any school or temple of initiation. The altar of knowledge is within themselves. It is covered only by a thin curtain.
The symbol of these abilities is the moon. It determines phases of growth and stagnation. The woman is connected with him in a natural way; she becomes the medium of his power.
Today we know that this power is tied in a special way to the right side of the brain. Unlike the left side, which enables our normal cognitive processes of knowing and determining, the right side of the brain initiates holistic, intuitive and creative steps.
Even though the High Priestess embodies the feminine principle and the Magician embodies the masculine principle, they are not bound to the masculine or feminine nature of man. They are two different energies that work in the human being - no matter if woman or man.
","statement":"Intuition, the way to the inside, the female principle
I rely on my feeling, my hunches are right
I have healing energies and I can use them when I am asked.
I interpret the cards according to my inspiration
","image":"ii_die_hohepriesterin_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"3-der-truempfe","title":"III The Empress","intro":"I am in nature, somewhere in a meadow, on a mountainside, by the sea.
I am very close to nature, feel it, can understand it. I become a part of it myself, and I feel lifted up, safe and secure.
The green of the meadows calms my eyes.
The infinite blue of the sky makes me hopeful and happy.
The sound of the water fills me with deep, inner peace.
I can feel her - the great Mother Nature.
","meaning":"Man is carried by his biological mother for nine months. During this time everything fulfills itself for him. He does not have to worry about anything, nothing is to be done. At the separation during birth, man experiences fear for the first time. From this time on he has to become active himself. He begins to worry. First for food, love and warmth, later for security and money. His whole activity is aimed at securing his existence. He overlooks the fact that everything he really needs to live is available and has always been available: air to breathe is everywhere. The earth nourishes, food grows in abundance. Water to quench thirst falls from the sky again and again. The heart beats by itself according to a secret inner plan. Man comes into being, grows and shapes himself into forms he cannot determine. He does not need to worry in reality! The life, the existence, the Great Mother, God or whatever one wants to call IT, carries him in mysterious way like once the bodily mother. In the light of the map of the Empress the human being experiences himself again as a part of the living existence. He is in exchange with creation, takes in gratitude and gives back again. He experiences that he is never separated from the great Mother Earth.
","statement":"The earth mother, nature, fertility, Gaia
Safety, security and warmth
Carefree existence, basic trust
Everything you really need is there
Nothing is to be done
The mother principle, pregnancy, birth
","image":"iii_die_herrscherin_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"4-der-truempfe","title":"IV The Emperor","intro":"I feel forced, constricted, fixed.
I agonize to end this state, use all my strength and still fail - unalterably, inexorably.
I feel an alien power to which I must submit.
","meaning":"In the light of the Emperor, all existence becomes an expression of law and order. Man experiences his destiny beyond his own arbitrariness, he becomes externally determined.
The emperor has withdrawn far from man, he lives in empty space, in the desert, behind the mountains, on a stone throne. From this perspective, everything becomes an abstract law: the course of the stars, the history of mankind, individual life.
The idea of an absolute order has always moved people to see in it an expression of creation, a principle of God. God himself is a symbol, a paraphrase for this immutable law. The scientist wants to banish this regularity in abstract formulas, the philosopher formulates final metaphors. The astrologer ties human life to the eternal course of the stars. Law, karma, destiny, life plan are the various guises in which the emperor reveals himself. Likewise the inexorable will of the father shows this face.
The absolute law is also realized in the tarot game when reaching for the predetermined card.
Man experiences this principle again and again as a limitation, as an opposing force to his life energy. His desire for self-realization and the iron law of the emperor clash like fire and ice. But he who submits to the emperor finds his destiny. He himself becomes the emperor who rules his own empire.
Sometimes the emperor is perceived as a tyrant. But this also means that man has degraded himself to a slave to him and must first free himself.
As the empress can be seen as the great mother, so the emperor is to be understood as the great father. In his hand he holds a scepter, symbol of his procreative power and fatherhood.
","statement":"Order and clarity in contrast to arbitrariness and chaos
The absolute law is realized
An alien will asserts itself
The individual, the personal must recede
The father, procreative power, paternity
","image":"iv_der_herrscher_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"5-der-truempfe","title":"V The High Priest","intro":"I learn the truth through a teacher or master. I listen to him, read his book, sit near him.
His words penetrate me, fill me. It is as if now, for the first time, I see, comprehend, understand what has always been mysterious to me.
I have found a key that can open a hidden door.
","meaning":"The high priest is the initiate. Deep truth has been revealed to him, which reaches far beyond everyday knowledge. Thus he becomes the teacher and master.
His power attracts seekers who look to him for advice on their own path. But whoever really wants to penetrate deeply into the mystery of life must surrender to the Master, love him, follow him and become his disciple for a time.
\"Whoever seeks the truth, follow me,\" Jesus said. Ouspensky followed Gurdjieff, his teacher, twice halfway around the world, only to hear that he could leave again. The most important master of recent times, Osho, formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, had nearly a million disciples, all of whom were attracted by his deep knowledge, humor and charisma. Today they live as sannyasins all over the world.
The relationship between a master and his disciples is always based on love. This is the key that the real teacher possesses. Without love, all knowledge becomes meaningless and even destructive. A child who likes his teacher at school likes to learn. On the other hand, a teacher who does not know how to motivate his students through love and enthusiasm creates resistance instead of interest.
The high priest does not always embody a master like Jesus or Buddha. Every teacher, even every book, can be groundbreaking for a time. But always the great importance of love applies.
In the light of the card of the high priest, man directs his life according to the instructions of a master. He recognizes in him a path to his perfection and receives the keys forged of love.
","statement":"The search for a teacher, an advice, an important book
The relationship with a master
The teaching, the word, the revelation and initiation
Love as a key word
","image":"v_der_hohepriester1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"6-der-truempfe","title":"VI The lovers","intro":"When I love, I feel understood by another person, accepted, redeemed from my loneliness. There is bliss and longing in me.
I notice that everything has changed. I am lighter, walk more buoyantly and the light and colors are stronger. I can't imagine that it was ever different and that it will ever be different.
I could move mountains - but to what end?
Everything is complete, my world and that of my beloved.
I am perfect.
","meaning":"In the sign of lovers, female and male energy, magician and high priestess, yin and yang meet.
Love is possible only when there is the two-ness that seeks unity. To fulfill this, the One must realize that it alone is incomplete: the magician is male, active. He steps out into the world. The high priestess is female. She withdraws from the world, looks into her mysterious, inner mirror.
These opposites are like the poles of a tremendous energy field. It is said that God created two sexes because He knew that this tension would not let man rest until he is redeemed.
In love, man experiences this redemption. The tension transforms into an ecstatic feeling of happiness. The differences cancel each other out and complement each other. Man and woman fulfill each other, are in harmony. Magician and High Priestess merge into a circle, grow together into a new, more perfect unity.
In contrast to the card of the high priest, not master and disciple meet, but man and woman, two people of equal value. This is important, because only in the feeling of complete equality an energy field without dependence is created.
The union between man and woman takes place on a sexual, emotional and spiritual level. All together result in a subtle process that can also transform and elevate each man and woman individually.
","statement":"Love, the lovers
Mutual fulfillment
Harmony and complementation
Sexual, sensual union
Transformation
","image":"vi_die_liebenden1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"7-der-truempfe","title":"VII The Victory Chariot","intro":"I feel like I am split. One voice says yes, another says no. Here? No, there! Whatever I decide, the other side catches up with me.
Paralyzed, I remain standing in the middle.
This inner struggle is agonizing and robs me of my strength. I become the plaything of unconscious powers that are stronger than I am.
","meaning":"Everything in life is dual.
He who feels love for a person knows the fear of closeness and dependence. He who has become rich realizes that he must fight against the envy of others.
The Tarot resorts to various symbols to express this polarity: a white and a black horse, a white and a black sphinx. These forces repel each other, attract each other, follow each other and merge into each other. They are mysterious and operate in the unconscious; you can't grasp them.
Some people simply bracket out one side, are male or female, and try to suppress the other pole. But their life seems artificial, like a flower made of plastic. Others surrender completely to duality, saying this way today and that way tomorrow, falling from one extreme to the other and becoming untrustworthy to their environment and finally to themselves.
The warrior who wants to become a victor affirms duality, but at the same time places himself above it. He knows that his life is always caught between the two forces, but he does not identify with either one or the other. As a result, duality loses its power. The forces become predictable and tractable. The animals or sphinxes, symbols of duality, follow the reins of the spirit.
","statement":"Insight, Awareness
Insight into the duality of life
I grow beyond my doubts
I end an inner struggle
I grow beyond my passions
","image":"vii_der_wagen1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"8-der-truempfe","title":"VIII The strength","intro":"I am strong!
I feel the energy in my whole body. My thoughts are clear, my heart is without fear. I am confident, act from my gut and meet life with love and desire.
I am like a lion - as fearless as he is and as playful.
","meaning":"The lion is the king of beasts and has always been a symbol of human drive. The magical woman, an embodiment of the High Priestess, has tamed him. She plays with the great beast without fear and caresses its golden fur full of pleasure.
Whoever wants to tame the lion needs the skills of a magical woman: cleverness, imagination and a sure feeling. You can only approach the wild animal very cautiously, you have to feel your way into its nature and get to know it. It must not be frightened, otherwise it will attack man with a mighty leap. But man must also show the lion his determination, courage and fearlessness. He must defeat it with the power of his love. Only then the lion endures the presence of man and gets used to him. He becomes a playful cat, a strong and faithful friend.
It is the same with the human driving force: Whoever fights it with force and suppresses it, inhibits its life force. He who is afraid of it is also afraid of life. He who does not live out his natural energies becomes nervous and tense until they burst out of him, suddenly and unexpectedly.
Man should meet his body with love, first of all observe and get to know it, feel into it, understand its vibrations - then it becomes a source of deep strength, joy and pleasure.
In the light of the card of strength, man affirms his animal nature. He tames it without suppressing it and without avoiding it. Through this he obtains the strength of the lion, his fearlessness and his playful pleasure and joy.
","statement":"Female strength, patience and determination
Dealing with one's own body
Joy and physical pleasure
Sexuality
","image":"viii_die_kraft_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"9-der-truempfe","title":"IX The Hermit","intro":"I am alone.
For a moment I feel my loneliness. I remember the hustle and bustle of the world, a dear friend ... then silence catches up with me, fills me.
Now only I count.
I am alone - but not lonely, because I find myself wherever I go. Yes, I see myself for the first time as I really am and feel the depth and subtlety of my soul.
I am alone.
","meaning":"Man goes into solitude to find himself. He seeks the truth, the light that will show him a way, enlighten him. Searching people have always consciously gone this way: Buddha, Jesus and all the initiates and yogis of the millennia.
The hermit wants to be alone with himself. He wants no other person to guide him and no books to give him advice. But it is not enough for him to withdraw only inwardly, remaining among people. The mere proximity to others distracts him. The hermit seeks distance from people. He wants only himself.
He stops speaking because every word only creates riddles, casts shadows: In love is hidden hatred, in friend the enemy, in heaven hell ... Only silence does not resonate.
In this silent space he listens to the inner reality and discovers a great secret: everything he was looking for and hoping for outside in the world has always been hidden inside him, the light, the color, the music, the power and the love. Even God is not somewhere far away, but deep in his own soul.
He experiences that nothing can realize him more, no one can fulfill him more, than himself.
He finds the light that illuminates him.
","statement":"Solitude, silence, self-sufficiency
I do not need another person to realize myself
The solution lies within me
I withdraw from people for a while
","image":"ix_der_eremit1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"10-der-truempfe","title":"X The Wheel of Fortune","intro":"My life is a constant up and down.
Today I feel good, tomorrow I feel bad. One minute I was light and happy, and the next I am pensive and heavy.
I don't understand how my mood can change so suddenly. I want to hold on to and enjoy the good hours, but avoid the sad ones.
Or I am desperate and believe that this time my pain will never end. A short time later, I am out of the valley and have forgotten that there were ever bad times.
I cling to happiness like a drowning man to a straw.
","meaning":"Man seeks happiness.
Ultimately, it is this search that drives him forward in life. Some people even chase after happiness. They are always there where they think it will begin: at parties, in the casino, at the momentary scene or on the stock exchange. Like surfers, they try to swim along on the highest wave of luck. But happiness is a wheel, it turns like the earth. And just as we do not notice that the earth moves on its own axis, we miss the endless repetitions of our lives. Man has to get into the gondola. It carries him up into dizzy heights of ecstasy, but also down into sorrow and suffering.
Some people lose themselves in this momentum. They cling to happiness and do not want to experience the pain. This unlived pain clings to them, it cramps and embitter them.
The conscious person discovers that his life is constantly repeating itself. What he celebrates as joy today is no more new than the pain or his sorrows. He follows the wheel of life and tries to observe and understand its movement. In doing so, he gains a higher perspective. He becomes knowledgeable and wise.
","statement":"Wheel of Fortune, Wheel of Life
Fate, Karma
Nothing is really new
The ups and downs of life
I follow the wheel and realize my destiny
","image":"x_das_rad_des_schicksals_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"11-der-truempfe","title":"XI The Justice","intro":"There is a deep knowledge of right and wrong in me. The voice of my heart is not always clear and distinct. I must listen within myself, feel into my own soul.
My heart trembles when injustice happens, and it is full of courage and determination when I defend a just cause. I feel heavy when I take on guilt, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I am freed from it.
There is a deep knowledge of justice within me.
","meaning":"Nothing is so trampled upon as justice. In its name is murdered, tortured and oppressed.
For a conscious and sensitive person it is almost impossible to believe in human justice. Life seems cruel and unjust: one person lives in abundance and another person lives in poverty next to his door. Again and again people bury their God because they despair of the injustice of life.
In the Tarot, justice is represented by a woman. She is again an embodiment of the High Priestess (card II), who relies on her inner voice, on her feeling. Here she carries a sword. In the Tarot, the sword is a sign of spiritual power. It means that Justice is not only kind, but also clear and decisive.
Justice has the number XI, so there are exactly the same number of cards to her left and right (I to X and XII to XXI), since the Fool with the number 0 is numerically insignificant. Justice has her place in the center and sees over the whole life game. She sees the card I and the card XXI, the devil and the lovers, death and resurrection. She does not favor any card - she is neutral. From this position, justice makes its decision. Man, caught in the dynamics of the moment, must bow to her saying.
That which is, is!
In the light of the card of the justice the man directs his attention inward. He hears the vibrations of his heart and judges with the sword of truth. He does not make his decisions on the whim of the moment, but is neutral, checks, weighs and only then makes his decision and judgment.
","statement":"The absolute justice.
That which is, is!
The conscience, the inner voice
Intelligence of the heart
Neutrality
","image":"xi_die_gerechtigkeit_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"12-der-truempfe","title":"XII The Hanging","intro":"I have surrendered.
Like a leaf I drift in the wind. Now I realize how futile were all my efforts to change the situation. I sway in the wind and look at the world with new eyes. My desperate struggle, all my pain has been transformed and gives me new inner strength.
","meaning":"In the light of the card of the hanging man experiences himself in a state of extreme helplessness. He has tried everything to free himself, to change his situation, to reach his desired goal, to fulfill his will - now he recognizes the hopelessness. He must surrender.
In his surrender to the irrefutable situation, a wonderful transformation happens.
He sees his situation from a new perspective in which everything turns into the opposite - the world is upside down. What was down is up, and what was low becomes high. Joy grows out of despair. The energy expended to free oneself is reversed, elevates the person, enlightens him.
\"Head down, the world looks very different\" wrote the well-known American therapist Sheldon B. Kopp after he became seriously ill. Zorbas, the Greek, dances just when everything has collapsed. He dances where others are in despair.
Often people have deliberately put themselves in a hopeless situation in order to experience this reversal: They sat on high pillars, exposed to the sun and cold. They went to the farthest places on earth, tormented by wilderness and hunger. They lived behind thick monastery walls, with only themselves and their longing for transformation. It is known from some Indian tribes that the boy who wanted to become a man and a warrior was hung on sharp hooks on a tree for days. An old Icelandic legend tells that the god Odin hung himself from a tree for nine full nights in order to learn his true origins.
In the light of the map of the hanging, man surrenders to his hopeless situation. He experiences the reversal of his previous situation. He receives new insights and strength.
","statement":"Examination, humility, obedience
Devotion to the flow of life
I am stuck, failed
I am facing a hopeless situation
Further efforts are futile
I surrender
I discover the reverse possibilities of my situation
","image":"xii_der_gehngte1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"13-der-truempfe","title":"XIII Death","intro":"Death is everywhere.
Any second his black figure can reach me.
Everywhere his pale grin can meet me.
Even now his blank sickle can swing out to strike me.
My life moves continuously towards him. Every moment brings me closer to him.
The death waits for me, I cannot escape him.
","meaning":"Man fears death because it is more powerful than he is. In his fear and powerlessness, he gives death a terrible shape: as a skeleton, wrapped in a black cloak, he is the cruel consummator who can destroy life at any moment.
Death deeply unsettles man. Nothing is safe from him. He takes the beloved and takes the child. He destroys without reason in endless wars and he kills in the midst of the most glorious peace. Death is unpredictable, no one knows its hour.
In his fear, man forgets that life is constantly accompanied by death, that life can only be fulfilled if dying exists.
The leaf on the tree dances into death in autumn. And yet new life grows in the spring, as if there were no transience. All living things are in constant change and every transformation means the death of an old form. The new is only possible when the old passes away.
He who fears or represses death watches anxiously over his life. Out of fear of death, he gives his life the peace of a cemetery and seeks to protect himself with a thousand securities. But it is death that gives life its momentum. It is he who makes it alive in the first place. In some cultures, the death of a person is celebrated ecstatically. Full of joy, one celebrates the great change that has happened to the deceased.
In the light of the card of death, man is reminded that nothing and no one are permanent, that everything exists only for a heartbeat. He learns that death is the eternal companion of life and realizes that his attitude towards life is only a reflection of his attitude towards death.
","statement":"Death, the absolute and the unchangeable
Loss and hopelessness
Dissolution and transformation
Death as a companion of life
Living as if it were the last moment
","image":"xiii_der_tod1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"14-der-truempfe","title":"XIV The Right Measure","intro":"I live from my center.
What I think, feel and do is balanced and coherent.
I hold an opinion, but I am not stubborn.
I am sensitive, but not touchy.
I am open to new experiences, but do not lose myself in them.
I have found my center and live according to the right measure.
","meaning":"All parts of existence are related to each other in the right measure. Cold winter is followed by warm summer, and day is in right proportion to night.
Water and earth, light and shadow, the time of the blooming lilies and the time of the dying leaves - everything is balanced and harmonious.
The great minds of all times tried to recreate this harmony. They built pyramids and mighty churches, they researched the stars and nature. They sought harmony in the light of colors and in the sound of music.
There is also balance in the nature of man. Who does not pay attention to this balancing principle, wastes his life energy. A body that does not refresh itself consumes itself. Thoughts that do not come to rest become narrow or dull. One who shows only his masculine side becomes callous and coarse. He who lives only his feminine side is oversensitive and without energy.
The angel of the right measure stands with one foot in the water, with the other on the earth and has wings. He is open and firm. He does not get lost in the momentum of his actions or in the depth of his feeling. He fills his life in harmonious change. He is like the water that always finds its form in the chalices, gathers and flows, is in rest and in motion, fills one side and also the other.
In the light of the map of the right measure, man shapes his life from the feeling of the center. He becomes an artist of life, a juggler of his own existence. He takes care not to lose his balance and not to overstretch the bow, so that nothing of his living power is wasted.
","statement":"The right measure, harmony and balance
Consciousness of life
Flexibility and dexterity
The feeling of balance and center
","image":"xiv_migkeit1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"15-der-truempfe","title":"XV The Devil","intro":"I am obsessed.
I can't think of anything else, I mobilize all my energies, and although I am miserable and exhausted, my wild longing finds no rest.
I have lost my center - I am beside myself.
","meaning":"The devil is the shadow of the divine soul. He is born in the duality of our conceptual thinking. The soul is light, seeks the light and resolution. The devil binds, is heavy and embodies the law of inertia.
The people of all times have made him the adversary of the sublime, the good and the valuable, giving him different names: Devil, Antichrist, Satan, Mephisto, Seduction, Evil, Serpent, Lucifer.
Man comes under the influence of the devil when he loses his center. Then he becomes extreme, immoderate, stubborn, violent and greedy.
But the devil is not only evil. He comes with the power of seduction to pull us out of entrenched ways. He is the fascination of the opposite sex, the pull of love and especially sexuality. He is the curiosity that keeps us experimenting with life. He is the obsession that sometimes overcomes an artist until his work is completed. Seen in this way, the devil is in reality also an engine of freedom, and it is difficult to decide where man's uncompromising quest ends and where evil, the curse, begins.
On many cards man and woman are chained to the devil. The cross sum of the card XV, the devil, gives the number six (5 + 1), a reference to the card of lovers.
In love, man becomes whole. But he also experiences that without the beloved, without the beloved he is more incomplete than ever before. The lovers become dependent and torment each other out of this feeling. In this situation, it is useless to fight against the dependency. This energy only strengthens the pull of the chains. The way out lies in conscious recognition. When a person sees exactly what binds him, the devil's chains fall and he becomes free.
","statement":"The devil, egoism and delusion
Bondage, obsession, jealousy, envy, dependence
Extremity, sexuality, curiosity, freedom
","image":"xv_der_teufel1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"16-der-truempfe","title":"XVI The Tower","intro":"Lightning strikes me out of the blue.
My consciousness needs a few seconds to understand. A moment ago I was safe, carried by a sublime feeling, now it is as if I am falling. My muscles tense, my breath catches, and the dull pounding of my heart becomes a booming tremor of destruction.
I am falling!
I search for a foothold. Maybe it's just a bad dream that will quickly pass? Surely there is a way out, which I only do not recognize yet!
But my thoughts reach into the emptiness. In my inside the fear grows.
I am lost!
","meaning":"Destruction is the force that makes people lose their sense of grandeur, security and satisfaction. This force has many faces: loss, separation, defeat, disappointment, failure, illness, death. In this state, thoughts desperately search for a way out, invent lies or at least comforting explanations, and only get more and more entangled in the maze of fear.
The only way out lies in \"surrendering.\"
Only when you let go, really let yourself fall, experience the fear, do you begin to suspect the meaning of the destruction: It is the expulsion from the self-created paradise. Man has built himself a fortress with thick walls and towers to protect himself and to stand out. Perhaps to avoid pain and fear. There is a story of a king who, fearing death, had all the windows and doors in his castle bricked up and then suffocated in his fortress.
The lightning of destruction strikes only the ego, which seeks protection from all reality behind thick walls. The lightning strike brings man back to the ground.
The map of destruction often appears as a reminder to review life and open the doors of one's fortress before destruction really comes crashing in - suddenly and unexpectedly.
","statement":"The self-created paradise is destroyed
Disappointment, loss, defeat
Pride and fall
The ego breaks
The test, the invasion of reality
Invitation to review life
","image":"xvi_der_turm1_large.gif","yesno":"0"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"17-der-truempfe","title":"XVII The stars","intro":"I am full of longing.
I may be lying in a meadow under the open sky, gazing at the infinite blue above me. Or I may be sitting on a mountain overlooking boundless land. I feel as light as the wind that brushes me and think of the weightless flight of the eagle. A deep longing comes over me.
If I had wings, I would fly far, far into infinity.
","meaning":"The star woman is a symbol of the highest devotion of man. He knows her as the bliss sometimes experienced in orgasm. He experiences her as fulfilled silence in deep meditation. He can feel it when he looks into eternity in a clear starry night.
This longing grips man and does not let him go, drives him on and on in his search for liberation, ecstasy and redemption.
People of all times saw in it a sign of their divine origin. Man longs to return to the womb of creation from which he was born into the world. He seeks nirvana, complete, blissful rest.
On the card, a woman pours water from two jugs over lake and land. She is in a paradisiacal setting and is herself a figure from a glorious world. She possesses the water of life in abundance, she can shed.
The one pitcher pours its contents into the lake. Water joins water, merges, dissolves, becomes the lake. In the same way, the human soul finds its destiny, becomes one with infinity. The other jar pours over the earth, makes fertile, fulfills an earthly destiny. But its destination is also dissolution. The water seeps into the earth, transforms into energy, shapes itself into flowers and trees ... and passes away sometime in the ether.
Everything is in flux, shaping and pushing out of form, longing for the stars, for dissolution and fusion.
The soul is always a part of eternity.
","statement":"The longing, the fulfillment, the hope, the enlightenment, Nirvana
The thought of eternity
The image of the divine origin and goal of the human being
","image":"xvii_der_stern1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"18-der-truempfe","title":"XVIII The Moon","intro":"I am looking for certainty.
I have thoughts, hunches, visions. Everything is real and unreal at the same time, gets caught in the net of my intellect and slips again and again into unknown darkness. Feelings condense and fade away. I wander as if in a fog. For a moment I recognize quite clearly, but the next thought is already lost again in the indeterminate. It is as if I were destined to move in the unknown, as if life were always only a dream.
","meaning":"In the light of the moon man receives his deepest intuitions. From his primordial consciousness come foreboding dreams and visions. But just as the moon only reflects the light of the sun, deceptions, illusions and delusion grow in its glow. The moon illuminates the night. It gifts the poet and attracts dark creatures. He makes clairvoyant and addicted, inspires and seduces.
The High Priestess of Tarot card II can rely on her inner voice. She knows no doubt. She receives the positive vibrations of the moon. But the moon also has another side. It gives birth to delusion and deception. It attracts the dark and the sinister. That is why the man who surrenders to the moon needs the two towers of truth and clarity. Everything that the moon attracts must pass by them. From there man can decide what is true and what is delusion, what are real experiences and what are only shadows of imagination.
The moon is therefore also a symbol for the credulity of man. Just as the crab and the dog are magnetically attracted to its silvery light, the animalistic soul of man also looks for a foothold and all too easily follows any semblance.
Ultimately, the card of the moon reflects the situation of man: he oscillates back and forth between fear and hope and always has only appearances, a reflection of reality, before his eyes. For before the deepest recognition lies the veil of night.
Thus the card of the moon refers us to a phase of transition, doubt and great inspiration. And it holds the desire for the grace, as a human being, not only to succumb to his instincts and only to be blinded.
","statement":"Intuition, caution
The doubt, the indecision,
Seduction, conceit, dazzle
You draw from your innermost being
Be careful not to lose reality.
Leave yourself to your hunches, but do not make a decision
","image":"xviii_der_mond1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"19-der-truempfe","title":"XIX The Sun","intro":"I feel good.
I feel pleasant warmth coming from everywhere: from the air, the earth, my heart, my belly. I am happy and carefree, enjoying the day without a care in the world.
The sky is blue, white clouds drift from nowhere to nowhere. I too have no destination and nothing to do. The rose grows, the lark sings, the breath just flows.
I am what I am.
In my heart resonates the golden glow of the sun.
","meaning":"The sun has infinite power. A power that is never exhausted. Its light gives the world its incredible brilliance. Its energy makes people happy and hopeful, its fire awakens passion. With the sun all life originated and daily anew it welcomes the world. It determines the change of summer and winter, of day and night.
Faced with the great power of the sun, man sees himself as an innocent child who simply surrenders to the change of its energy. It lives the joy with the day and the silence with the night.
Through the eyes of the child, the world becomes a wonderful paradise, a promised land where everything is abundant. It becomes a dream of the land of milk and honey: the trees hang overflowing with glorious fruits, the meadows are strewn with colorful lights, the air is filled with music.
Everything is fulfilled with the course of the sun: birth, growth and death. It greets the sunflower in the morning in the east and bends in the evening to the west. The leaf detaches from the tree in autumn and dances its song into death.
The empress (card III) carries all living things in her womb. Man feels safe and secure. The sun is the forefather of existence. It guides and directs man and gives him his life force.
In devotion to the sun and the earth, man experiences joy and trust. He becomes a living part of creation.
","statement":"Joy, confidence, warmth, strength and creativity
I look at the world with the eyes of a happy child
I am filled with the radiance of the sun
","image":"xix_die_sonne1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"20-der-truempfe","title":"XX Resurrection","intro":"I feel as if I have been reborn.
A fresh glow shines in my eyes. I rise up in great gratitude. Now I know my purpose, and with it my life acquires a meaning.
Before me are paths and a goal.
I feel as if I have been reborn, resurrected in another form.
","meaning":"In the light of the card of resurrection, man has an existential new beginning. The past is over. Man strips it off like an old skin and rises in a new, exalted form.
The idea of resurrection crowns many myths and religions. In Christianity, it is the sounds of heaven that call the soul to paradise. In the graves it was freed from its corporeality. Detached from all material and heavy things, it can enter paradise on the last day. In Far Eastern religions, fire purifies the human being and frees the soul for rebirth. In the change of the twelve signs of the zodiac, all living things experience death in the sign of Scorpio, purify themselves in the signs of astrological winter, and experience a new birth in Aries.
Ancient myths say that the sun roams the valleys of death during the night and shines newly born in the morning.
Figuratively, resurrection says that life oscillates between darkness and light, that the soul transforms again and again like the caterpillar to the butterfly. In this endless transformation is also fulfilled the certainty that the human soul, spirit, consciousness, higher self or whatever you want to call it, is immortal.
The literal translation of \"Judgement\", the English name for the card XX, is judgment or evaluation. The human being is fixed, determined and thereby receives a hold, a goal. It is known from psychotherapeutic work that people who do not (yet) know their task or their purpose, or have lost it, suffer from the indeterminacy of their lives. In the same way, there are individuals who have a value system that is too weak and, therefore, are baseless.
In the light of the map of resurrection, man finds the insight that guides him. He rises like a phoenix leaving behind the ashes of the past.
","statement":"Resurrection, Destiny, New Beginning, Transformation, Halt
The past is over
An important task, a new stage of life
","image":"xx_das_gericht_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"21-der-truempfe","title":"XXI The World","intro":"I live in the world - but I do not belong to it.
I have no origin and no future.
I am neither man nor woman, neither young nor old.
I can love anyone and leave anyone.
Nothing fills me but the moment.
When I walk, I feel the wind on my forehead.
When I sit, I feel the earth beneath me.
When I dance, I am my body.
I am strong and full of bliss.
I am you and at the same time I am everything that surrounds me: a tree or a bird, a cloud or a star.
I am free - boundlessly free.
","meaning":"The goal of life is liberation from dependence. Man is liberated from the womb of the mother and later detaches from parents and teachers. He becomes independent of the beloved and overcomes his fear of death. He frees himself from the pressure of society and from the eternal fear for his life.
Man seeks freedom, independence.
This path is not easy. It requires a lot of courage and strength. Man must again and again throw off the conditionings of his past and overcome his inertia.
In the light of the card XXI man experiences this liberation. Symbolically, he glides through the cosmos, framed by a laurel wreath and surrounded by the eternal forces of existence, the bull, the lion, the eagle and the human angel.
For many Tarot masters, this card is an expression of enlightenment and thus the final liberation of the soul. In most tarot books, the game of life is completed with the card of the world.
But the card XXI means any form of liberation. However, every liberation is followed at some point by a new dependence. Man is not finally redeemed in the light of the last card.
The great game of life goes on. The spirit of the Tarot already holds the next card ready.
","statement":"The Liberation
The release from dependence and conditioning
Self-conquest and self-realization
Unlimited possibilities
Freedom
","image":"xxi_das_universum1_large.gif","yesno":"1"},{"category":"Tr\u00fcmpfe","link":"22-der-truempfe","title":"XXII The Fool","intro":"I know that I know nothing - but even that I keep forgetting. My origin is as unknown to me as what is to come.
What makes me laugh? Everything! The light of the sun and the song of the rain. In winter the snowflakes melt in my warm hand.
Maybe I am drunk and maybe here is the end of the world.
I am nothing but nothing.
","meaning":"The Fool is the strangest trump card in the Tarot. Tarot masters have the most different opinions about him. One claims that he was there from the beginning, another knows that only the Gypsies added him. In many older Tarot books the Fool is the Zero, the little man before he became conscious, before his initiation into the high art of Tarot. And in just as many newer books, the Fool is the actual wise and knowledgeable one who laughs out loud at the esoteric important people. This ambiguity about the origin and meaning of the Fool corresponds exactly to his nature. A real fool cannot be defined, he is always only the reflection of the world.
On the one hand, he is really a zero, a fool who does not see the abyss and keeps stumbling into his misfortune.
On the other hand, he does not exist at all. As zero he exists between the numbers. He is the fulfilled emptiness.
Then he is the fool who does not see the abyss and therefore also cannot fall into it. All those, however, who warn man with raised forefinger before the fall into the depth, tumble down constantly themselves. Because the fool does not see the danger, he remains innocent, pure and happy. He has a guardian angel like all fools and children. Actually, there are only two people who are truly happy: the wise man and the fool.
The fool makes life easy and bearable because he can laugh at himself and the whole world. He makes us laugh with him, laugh at him too. He rides with death and sits next to the high priest. He is the joker who can stand for everything and who can mess everything up. He is truly wise because he does not take himself seriously and does not harm anyone. He is the guarantor that the tarot always becomes a cheerful game, perhaps invented by gypsies only to take money out of the pockets of serious citizens.
The tarot is a game and at the end the fool always shows us his bare butt.
","statement":"The Fool
Humor, innocence and purity
Unboundedness and happiness
The laughing Buddha
The great cosmic laughter
","image":"xxii_der_narr1_large.gif","yesno":"1"}]