MAHABHARATA TAROT - THE MAJOR ARCANA

THE MAJOR ARCANA

0 - The Fool	Beginning : entering a new phase, striking out on a new path, expanding horizons, starting something new, beginning an adventure, going on a journey, heading into the unknown Being spontaneous : living in the moment, letting go of expectations, doing the unexpected, acting on impulse, feeling uninhibited, surprising someone, feeling carefree Having faith : trusting the flow, staying open, letting go of worry and fear, feeling protected and loved, living in joy, recapturing innocence, believing Embracing folly : accepting your choices, taking the "foolish" path, pursuing a pipe dream, being true to yourself, taking a "crazy" chance, trusting your heart's desire	Yudhisthira, followed by Dharma as a dog.
1 - The Magicain	Taking action : doing what needs to be done, realizing your potential, making what's possible real, practicing what you preach, carrying out plans, producing magical results, using your talents Acting consciously : knowing what you are doing and why, acknowledging your motivations, understanding your intentions, examining the known situation Concentrating : having singleness of purpose, being totally committed, applying the force of your will, feeling centered, setting aside distractions, focusing on a goal Experiencing power : making a strong impact, having vitality, creating miracles, becoming energized, feeling vigorous, being creative	Vidura, mentoring the Pandavas and guiding Dhrtarashtra
2 - The High Priestess	Staying nonactive : withdrawing from involvement, allowing events to proceed without intervention, being receptive to influence, becoming calm, being passive, waiting patiently Accessing the unconscious : using your intuition, seeking guidance from within, trusting your inner voice, opening to dreams and the imagination, being aware of a larger reality Seeing the potential : understanding the possibilities, opening to what could be, seeing your hidden talents, allowing development, letting what is there flower Sensing the mystery : looking beyond the obvious, approaching a closed off area, opening to the unknown, remembering something important, sensing the secret and hidden, seeking what is concealedacknowledging the Shadow	Gandhari
3 - The Empress	mothering : giving birth, nourishing life, nurturing and caring for others, cherishing the world, expressing tenderness, working with children welcoming abundance : enjoying extravagance, receiving lavish reward, luxuriating in plenty, having more than enough, feeling rich experiencing the senses : giving and receiving pleasure, focusing on the body, appreciating beauty, feeling vibrantly healthy, being earthy, doing physical activity responding to Nature : relating to plants and animals, embracing the natural, feeling connected to the Earth, going outdoors, harmonizing with natural rhythms	Kunti
4 - The Emperor	fathering : establishing a family line, setting direction and tone, protecting and defending, guiding growth, bringing security and comfort,offering explanations emphasizing structure : creating order out of chaos, categorizing, being systematic, providing shape and form, being organized, applying reason, coordinating, sticking to a plan exercising authority : taking a leadership role, commanding, exerting control, representing the establishment, being in a position of strength, coming in contact with officials, setting direction regulating : establishing law and order, operating from sound principles, applying rules or guidelines, working within the legal system,setting standards of behavior, following a regimen	Bhishma or Dhrtarashtra
5 - The Hierophant	getting an education : pursuing knowledge, becoming informed, increasing understanding, studying and learning, seeking a deeper meaning, finding out more having a belief system : sharing a cultural heritage, learning a religious tradition, honoring ritual and ceremony, identifying a world view, following a discipline, knowing where to put your faith conforming : following the rules, taking an orthodox approach, staying within conventional bounds, adapting to the system, fitting in, going along with the program, doing what's expected, being part of the Establishment identifying with a group : being committed to a cause, devoting energy to a group, joining an organization, working as part of a team, feeling loyal to others, being in an institutionalized setting	Dronacharya, the teacher or Bhishma, the partaker of the great vow
6 - The Lovers	relating to others : establishing bonds, feeling love, forming a union or marriage, acknowledging kinship, sympathizing with another, getting closer, making a connection, being intimate being sexual : seeking union, experiencing desire, making love, opening to another, responding with passion, feeling a physical attraction, tapping inner energy establishing personal beliefs : questioning received opinions, figuring out where you stand, staying true to yourself, setting your own philosophy, going by your own standards, making up your own mind determining values : struggling with temptation, choosing between right and wrong, facing an ethical or moral choice, refusing to let ends justify means, finding out what you care about	The Pandavas and Draupadi united in wedlock.
7 - The Chariot	achieving victory : reaching your goal, winning, being successful, dominating, coming out on top, beating the competition using your will : being determined to succeed, focusing your intent, rising above temptation, letting nothing distract you, sustaining an effort, concentrating your energies, fixing on a goal asserting yourself : being ego-focused, establishing an identify, knowing who you are, feeling self-confident, having faith in yourself, looking out for your interests achieving hard control : mastering emotions, curbing impulses, maintaining discipline, holding in anger, getting your way, assuming the reins of power, showing authority	Krishna driving Arjuna's chariot
8 - Strength	showing strength : knowing you can endure, having a gallant spirit, feeling an unshakable resolve, taking heart despite setbacks, having stamina, being a rock being patient : dealing calmly with frustration, accepting others taking time, maintaining composure, refusing to get angry, showing forbearance being compassionate : giving others lots of space, tolerating, understanding what others are feeling, accepting, forgiving imperfection, being kind achieving soft control : persuading, working with, guiding indirectly, being able to influence, tempering force with benevolence, demonstrating the strength of love	Bhima carries the burden of his whjole family during destress
9 - The Hermit	being introspective : thinking things over, focusing inward, concentrating less on the senses, quieting yourself, looking for answers within, needing to understand searching : seeking greater understanding, looking for something, wanting the truth at all costs, going on a personal quest, needing more, desiring a new direction receiving/giving guidance : going to/being a mentor, accepting/offering wise counsel, learning from/being a guru, turning to/being a trusted teacher, being helped/helping seeking solitude : needing to be alone, desiring stillness, withdrawing from the world, experiencing seclusion, giving up distractions, retreating into a private world	Vyasa
10 - The Wheel of Fortune	Feeling a sense of destiny : using what chance offers, seeing life's threads weave together, finding opportunity in an accident, opening to luck, sensing the action of fate, witnessing miracles Being at a turning point : reversing, moving in a different direction, turning things around, having a change in fortune, altering the present course, being surprised at a turn of events Feeling movement : experiencing change, having the tempo of life speed up, being swept up in new developments, rejoining the world of activity, getting involved Having a personal vision : seeing how everything connects, becoming more aware, uncovering patterns and cycles, expanding your outlookgaining greater perspective, discovering your role and purpose	The Game of Dice
11 - Justice	respecting justice : insisting on fairness, acting on ethical principles, being involved in legal concerns, committing to honesty, seeking equality, being impartial, trying to do what is right assuming responsibility : settling old accounts and debts, being accountable, acknowledging the truth, admitting involvement, handling the situation, doing what has to be done preparing for a decision : weighing all sides of an issue, setting a course for the future, balancing all factors, determining right action, choosing with full awareness understanding cause and effect : accepting the results you created, seeing how you chose your situation, recognizing the action of karma, knowing that what is makes sense, making connections between events	Yudhisthira stand before the Yaksha of the Lake and choses Nakula over his other brothers.
12 - The Hanged Man	letting go : having an emotional release, accepting what is, surrendering to experience, ending the struggle, being vulnerable and open, giving up control, accepting God's will reversing : turning the world around, changing your mind, overturning old priorities, seeing from a new angle, upending the old order, doing an about-face suspending action : pausing to reflect, feeling outside of time, taking time to just be, giving up urgency, living in the moment, waiting for the best opportunity sacrificing : being a martyr, renouncing a claim, putting self-interest aside, going one step back to go two steps forward, giving up for a higher cause, putting others first	Karna
13 - Death	ending : closing one door to open another, bringing something to a close, completing a chapter, concluding unfinished business, putting the past behind you, having a parting of the ways going through transition : changing status, moving from the known to the unknown, being cast adrift, waiting in an in-between state, being in the middle eliminating excess : cutting out what isn't necessary, shedding old attitudes, getting down to bare bones, concentrating on essentials, getting back to basics experiencing inexorable forces : being in the path of sweeping change, being caught in the inescapable, going through what cannot be avoided, being part of a powerful movement, riding your fate, accepting the inevitable	Death of Amba and rebirth as Shikhandi
14 - Temperance	being temperate : finding the middle ground, showing moderation, avoiding excess, mitigating a harsh position, looking for the golden mean, reaching a compromise, offsetting an extreme maintaining balance : experiencing harmony, achieving equilibrium, bringing together opposites, recognizing all sides, fostering cooperation, feeling centered and secure experiencing health : renewing energy and vigor, healing, enjoying well-being, recovering, flourishing combining forces : gathering together what is needed, joining with others, consolidating, finding the right mix, creating synthesis, getting it all together	Krishna, as a messenger of Truce in Hastinapur
15 - The Devil	experiencing bondage : accepting an unwanted situation, being obsessed, feeling tied down against your will, losing independenceallowing yourself to be controlled, being addicted and enslaved, submitting to another focusing on the material : being caught up in appearances, believing only in the physical, forgetting the spiritual, getting and spending, overindulging the senses staying in ignorance : being unaware, operating within a narrow range, experiencing limitation, choosing to stay in the dark, fearing the unknown, being taken in by appearances feeling hopeless : believing the worst, despairing, lacking faith, seeing a cold world, thinking negatively, foreseeing a bleak future, doubting	Duryodhana
16 - The Tower	going through sudden change : experiencing upheaval, having plans disrupted, being surprised, undergoing a crisis, having routines shaken up, being in chaos releasing : exploding, having an emotional outburst, erupting in anger, crashing through ego defenses, breaking through pretense, letting everything go falling down : being humbled, experiencing a crash, toppling from the heights, having a downturn in fortune, suffering a blow to the ego having a revelation : suddenly realizing the truth, exposing what was hidden, having a burst of insight, seeing through illusions, getting the answer, seeing everything in a flash	The War of Kurukshetra
17 - The Star	regaining hope : having faith in the future, thinking positivelybelieving, counting your blessings, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, feeling great expectation, looking forward to success being inspired : regaining motivation, realizing an inner strength, seeing the way clear, being stimulated to a higher level, creating, receiving the answer being generous : wanting to give or share, spreading the wealth, opening your heart, giving back what you have received, letting love flow freely, offering with no reservations, holding nothing back feeling serene : experiencing peace of mind, relaxing, finding your still center, remaining untroubled, savoring perfect calm, being tranquil amid trouble, enjoying harmony	Lord Dharma or Satyavati
18 - The Moon	feeling fear : releasing inner demons, feeling a nameless apprehension, suffering from phobias, giving in to the shadow self, lacking courage, being overcome by anxieties believing illusions : accepting a false picture, deceiving yourself, having unrealistic ideas, misapprehending the truth, experiencing distortions, chasing after a fantasy stimulating the imagination : having vivid dreams or visions, opening to fantasy, plumbing the unconscious, entertaining unusual thoughts, being outlandish and bizarre feeling bewildered : losing direction and purpose, having trouble thinking clearly, becoming confused, being easily distracted, feeling disoriented, wandering aimlessly	Ashwatthama slaughters the sleeping Pandava camp at night while Krpacharya and Krstavarma keep guard.
19 - The Sun	becoming enlightened : understanding, finding the sense behind the chaos, attaining a new level of insight, having an intellectual breakthrough, getting to the heart of the matter, realizing the truth experiencing greatness : achieving prominence, being singled out for notice, having a personal moment of glory, setting an outstanding example, shining forth brilliantly, demonstrating distinction, becoming the center of attention feeling vitality : becoming radiantly energized, bursting with enthusiasm, experiencing joy, feeling invigorated, getting charged up, enjoying great health having assurance : feeling free and expansive, honoring your true self, knowing you can succeed, being confident, believing in your worth, trusting your abilities, forgiving yourself	Krishna’s Vishwaroop with Arjuna kneeling at his feet.
20 - Judgement	making a judgment : having a day of reckoning, separating the wheat from the chaff, making an honest appraisal, getting off the fence, using critical faculties, taking a stand, making hard choices feeling reborn : awakening to possibilities, transforming, enjoying renewed hope, making a fresh start, seeing everything in a new light, discovering joy hearing a call : recognizing your true vocation, feeling inner conviction, feeling an impulse to act, deciding to make a difference, feeling drawn in a new direction, knowing what you must do, answering a need finding absolution : feeling cleansed and refreshed, releasing guilts and sorrows, forgiving yourself and others, atoning for past mistakes, unburdening yourself, feeling sins washed away	Yudhisthira standing in Naraka listening to his brothers’ tormeneted cries
21 - The World	integrating : experiencing wholeness, bringing parts together, achieving dynamic balance, combining, creating synthesis, joining together, working in unison accomplishing : realizing your goals, prospering, achieving your heart's desire, seeing dreams come true, flourishing, finding a beautiful solution becoming involved : contributing, healing, rendering a service, using a gift or talent, sharing what you have, giving of yourself, feeling engaged, being active feeling fulfilled : savoring the present, taking pleasure in life, enjoying peace of mind, getting satisfaction, finding contentment, counting your blessings	Vyasa narrates the Mahabharata while Ganesha scribes it down.