The Magician

Skill, diplomacy, address. Sickness, pain, loss, disaster. Self confidence. Will, focus, communication, intellect. Realise your potential. Focus on a goal. Initiative. New beginnings. Need to choose the direction you will take.

The High Priestess

Intuition rather than rationality. Secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom, clairvoyance, psychic energy. A secret needs to be revealed. See beyond that which is obvious. Remembering something of significance.

The Empress

Action, initiative, the unknown. Clandestine. Nurturing, grounding, new life.

Focus on beauty and art. Feminine vitality. Compassion. Mother figure. Sound footing for future growth.

The Emperor

Stability, power, protection, a great person. Structure will bring the best results.

Aid, reason, conviction. Authority. Take control of the situation. Sticking to the rules. Orderly chaos. Insensitivity to others. Establish laws and family values.

The Hierophant.

Freedom may be acquired through knowledge. Captivity, servitude. Mercy, goodness, inspiration, teaching. Accept the status quo. Know how to act appropriately. Trusting the advice of a teacher/guide. Peer Pressure.

The Lovers

Attraction, love, beauty, tricks overcome. Balancing energy. Be true to your values. Wanting union. Know what is right and wrong for you as a person. Seeking completeness. Choices to be made.

The Chariot

Providence. Struggle and conflict ahead. War, triumph, travel, vengeance, trouble. Domestic happiness. Control over thoughts and feelings. Being in a position of control. Mental and physical journeys. Determination necessary for success. 

Strength

Power, energy, action, courage. Self confidence. Take responsibility for actions. Tolerance of other people’s faults. Inner strength. Ability to forgive imperfection. Opportunity for reconciliation with the enemy.

The Hermit

Prudence, roguery, corruption. Alone. Inner peace, patience, spiritual enlightenment.

Knowledge is a burden. Seek the truth at all costs. Withdrawal from a relationship. Fear of revealing a secret. Inner healing may be needed to create a more emotionally balanced way of looking at life.

Wheel of Fortune

Accept what will be will be. Destiny, fortune, success, luck. Happiness. Taking chances. Only certainty is uncertainty. Take advantage of chance. Opportunity knocks. Patterns and cycles repeating in life. Turning point.

Justice

Rightness, fairness, balance, clarity. Accepting the truth. Taking responsibility for your decisions. Seeing both sides of the argument.

The Hanged Man

Exchanging the mundane for the spiritual. Wisdom, trials, discernment, sacrifice, intuition, prophecy. Seeing the truth. Anticipation of progress. Changing priorities.

Sacrifice may be necessary. Relinquishing control.

Death

New Life. End, mortality. End of a way of life. New beginnings. Let go of emotional baggage. The end of an old cycle and start of a new one. Accepting the inevitable. Let go of the past. Transformation and change.

Temperance

Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation. Self belief, self control. Compromise. Moderation is the key to success. Recognising co-operation.

The Devil

Fears and blocked fears. Violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality. Predestination. Sexual attraction. Being obsessed. Negative thinking. Manipulation by others. Limited perception. Generalisation. Living a lie. Materialisation. Confronting the darker side of the querant’s nature.

The Tower

Abrupt change. Need to clear old habits and structures. Misery, distress, calamity, disgrace, ruin. Purging feelings. Emotional breakthrough. Seeing the truth of a matter. Change in future. Chaos all around. No defence is entirely secure. Learn to adapt and adjust. Upheaval. Unexpected challenges.

The Star

Dichotomy. Loss, theft, abandonment or hope and bright prospects. Meditation, spiritual guidance, freedom.

The Moon

Hidden enemies, danger, darkness, terror, error, deception. Dream work. To keep a secret. Femininity. Blind to the truth. Trust intuition. Losing touch with reality. Solutions to problems through dreams and feelings rather than logic.

The Sun

Material happiness. Fortunate marriage. Contentment. Creativity, success, childbirth. Self confidence. Shining under the spotlight. Illuminate life with clarity and truth. Believe in yourself.

Judgement

Change of position. Renewal. New perception. Transformation. Drop old values and embrace new ones. Accept things the way they are. There is nobody to blame, not even yourself. Face up to facts.

The Fool

Innocence, extravagance. Intoxication. New journey. Free spirit, exploration. Impulsively setting off into the unknown. Ready to leap into anything. Personal quest.

The World

Realisation of the self. Assumed success. Journey. Change of place. Accomplishing what you intend to achieve. Expanding horizons physically and mentally. If you follow the right path, your future will be assured.

All images on this page (bar Temperence - original Rider Waite) http://freeware.esoterica.free.fr/html/freecards.html#ta The Colman-Smith Tarot Overview & Download Author Samvado Gunnar Kossatz