Major Arcana Cards: Complete / Minor Arcana Cards In progress
I’ve loved tarot cards and the illustrated symbolism, and dreamed of creating my own version one day.
The intricate symbolism, skill required & the scope (78 Cards!) has always daunted me a little. However the 2020 lockdown seemed like a perfect time to start.
I had very naively thought there were only 12 Major Arcana cards (There are in fact, 22) But I like to think this was my subconscious tricking me into just starting the project instead of putting it off year after year.
These cards feature bird people, to help soften or remove some of the overt gender binary and religious symbolism from the Pamela ‘Pixie’ Rider Waite tarot, which is largely considered the ‘classic’ tarot card deck.
If you would like to support my work and help me fund the print production of a tarot deck. please visit my shop. Open edition prints of some of the Major Arcana cards are available.
The Fool / Le Mat
Air
Upright: Beginnings, Following your heart, Curiosity, Potential, Innocence, Leap of faith, Originality
Reversed: Folly, Lack of direction, Poor judgement, Reckless, Disregard of consequences, Naivety
The Magician/ Le Bateleur
Air
Upright: skill, diplomacy, creative energy, self-confidence, will, talent, capabilities, ideas, potential, vision, inspiration
Reversed: disquiet, disgrace, inaction, uncertainty, lack of clarity, unfocused, manipulation, trickery
The High Priestess / La Papesse
Water
Upright: secrets, mystery, the future, silence, tenacity, inner wisdom, science, subconscious mind, awareness, inner illumination, intuition
Reversed: passion, conceit, surface knowledge, shallowness, unaware, inner disquiet, lack of calm
The Empress / L’Impératrice
Earth
Upright: abundance, comfort, Creation, Fruitfulness, action, initiative, nurture, sexuality, stability, protective, maternal
Reversed: drained, creative block, instability, unwanted creation, vacillation, stagnation, overprotective, co-dependent, controlling
The Emperor / L’Empereur
Fire
Upright: Maturity, Stability, Authority, Control, Leadership, Power, In Charge, Recognition, System, Rules, Order, Strategic, Guideance
Reversed: Domineering, Rigid, Poor leadership, inability to stand up for yourself, controlling, immature, loss of authority, powerless, lack of discipline
The Hierophant / Le Pape
Earth
Upright: mentor or guide, spiritual teaching, religious beliefs, convention, conformity, tradition, alliance, servitude, following the set path, group identity, following a group, society, adhering to set rules,
Reversed: Personal beliefs, freedom, challenging status quo, following your own path, internal beliefs, internal guide, no need for external or societal approval, conflict with authority, rebellion,
The Lovers / Lamoureux
Air
Upright: Harmony, Balance, Relationship, Friendship, Partnership, Love, Attraction, Trial overcome, making a choice, Sacrifice
Reversed: Imbalance, One sidedness, Poor communication, Detached or cold, failure in any relationship, divorce, seperation, broken deals, foolish design, impulsive choices, too many choices
The Chariot / Le Chariot
Water
Upright: Control, willpower, success, action, determination, moving towards a goal, discipline, decision making, commitment, dedication, travel, war, triumph,
Reversed: Change directions, slow down your course of action, Obstacles, Self-Disciplined, opposition, lack of direction, lack of motivation, over controlling, dispute, defeat
Strength / La Force
Fire
Upright: Power, compassion, inner strength, Endurance, energy, action, courage, magnanimity,
Reversed: Despotism, self doubt, lack of confidence, abuse of power, weakness, discord, disgrace, insecurity
The Hermit / L’hermite
Earth
Upright: Inner wisdom, self-isolation, self-reflection, Contemplation, Inner Guidance, search for truth,
Reversed: Loneliness, too much isolation, lost way, not enough self-reflection, lack of awareness
The Wheel of Fortune / La Roue De Fortune
Fire
Upright: Good luck, cycle of change, A turning point, things outside ones control, fate, fortune, unexpected events or changes, adapting to change
Reversed: Bad luck, resistance to change, clinging to control, breaking cycles, unexpected / unwelcome change,
The Hanged Man / Le Pendu
Water
Upright: Wisdom, suspension of action, waiting, contemplation, circumspection, patience, discernment, trials, self-sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy, different perspective,
Reversed: Selfishness, stalling, at a standstill, procrastination, indecision, apathy, stagnation, avoiding / fear of sacrifice, needless sacrifice
Justice / La Justice
Air
Upright: Equity, rightness, balancing a choice, a balanced decision, truth, accountability, honesty, integrity,
Reversed: Legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity, retribution, injustice, corruption, dishonesty, unfairness, avoiding accountability
Death / La Mort
Water
Upright: Change, An ending, Destruction, Letting go, Transition, Release, Adapting, Transformation
Reversed: Inability to let go, Resistance to change, Stagnation, Repeating negative patterns, Decay, Inability to adapt
Temperance / Le temperance
Fire
Upright: Moderation, balance, patience, calmness, middle path, management, frugality/economy,
Reversed: Extremes, excess, imbalance, impatience, competing interests, failure to balance long term needs with short term happiness
The Devil / Le Diable
Earth
Upright: Excess, playfulness, materialism, enslavement, fear, feeling trapped, temptation, unhealthy relationships
Reversed: Breaking from addictions, divorce, freedom from restraints, restoring control, release
The Tower / La Maison Dieu
Fire
Upright: Danger, crisis, sudden change, unforeseen catastrophe, calamity, disgrace, deception, ruin, upheaval, chaos, revelation, awakening
Reversed: Personal transformation, fear of change, averting disaster, Negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy, nullity, vanity
The Star / L’etoile
Air
Upright: Hope, Faith, rejuvenation, purpose,
Reversed: Insecurity, discouraged, Lack of faith, despair, disconnection
The Moon / La Lune
Water
Upright: Illusion, Intuition, Hidden truth, Uncertainty, Confusion, Secrets, Unconscious
Reversed: Fear, Deception, Anxiety, Misunderstanding, Misinterpretation, Clarity, Understanding
The Sun / Le Soleil
Fire
Upright: Contentment, Enlightenment, joy, success, vitality, self-confidence, truth, enthusiasm, energy
Reversed: Unrealistic expectations, lack of clarity, low vitality, blocked happiness, excessive enthusiasm, pessimism, unable to appreciate
Judgement / Le Judgement
Water
Upright: Self-evaluation, Awakening, Rebirth, Absolution, A cross-roads, renewal, purpose, self-reflection
Reversed: Self-Doubt, inner critic, ignoring intuition, lack of self awareness, failure to learn,
The World / Le Monde
Earth
Upright: Completion, accomplishment, wholeness, Full circle, Harmony,
Reversed: Taking Shortcuts, lack of achievement, Feeling incomplete or unbalanced, Delays, seeking closure, Lose focus, inertia, stagnation, Emptiness
Minor Arcana TBC
For updates on the Bird People Tarot deck & to see work in progress images
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JANINE SHROFF 