A modern look at both the Rider-Waite and Marseilles Tarot decks, interpreted through ancient archetypal symbols.
The Little Demon
ADDICTION • EXCESS • MATERIALISM • PLEASURE
When demons appear in our dreams, our stories, our thoughts, or our actions, they are trying to tell us something, and it’s important to listen. Little Demons are actually Little Sprites, or the little tricksters we used to humor with a dirty joke or playing hooky. They are our primal urges that are as natural to us as breathing air. It’s common, however, as we begin to grow up external expectations and as responsibilities build, there are parts of ourselves that we put away in little boxes.
Only when we suppress them, these spunky little sprites, do they begin to turn ugly. The sprites turn into nasty little devils when they have been ignored, shamed, or imprisoned. The little trickster sprites turn dark and begin to fester in those boxes. If you don’t let them out to play from time to time, they will, sooner or later, begin to bang on the walls and become more malicious in their fight for survival.
The best pest prevention for little devils might be counterintuitive, but it’s vital to your survival. Let you little sprites out to play. Give them some fresh air, a slice of cake to eat, and a safe space to play, let their titties out and bask in the sun. You’ll find that when you tend to the needs of your little sprites, you’ll enjoy the benefits as well.
The Witch
BENEVOLENCE • ILLUSION • EARTHLY • PRIMAL DESIRES • SHREWEDNESS
The Witch, often deep in the heart of the forest and mysteriously in-tune with the pulse of the natural world, is a representation of our primal urges, powers, and needs.
The Witch in the body of the Crone has a unique power that is untouched by man, because she has been discarded as useless by them. Many women, as they reach mid-age and feel the heat of menopause, speak of an unwavering confidence and resolve in themselves. They have lost the illusive hold on external beauty, but another piece of magic has grown to fill it’s place. It’s a deeper, darker magic, rich with the pain of a long life lived. In the shriveled fruit of that pain is wisdom. They hold truths that only a woman can hold in her gut. There is an understanding of other’s pains, and understanding one’s pain is power.
The witch is ruled by material desires. She is cunning and manipulative, but she is fair and respects the rules of a bargain, a spell, and of the physical world. That isn’t to say she won’t let you fall flat on your face for not being diligent in your research, or for losing your wits. She is here to test you, and hold you accountable. If you solve her riddles and pass her tests, you will be rewarded.
The Mother
NURTURING • LOVING • PLAYFUL • SAFE • EARTHLY
However complicated your relationship is with your own mother, this archetype lives to capture the universal mother in her highest form. She is nurturing, selfless, and ruthlessly ruled by primal instincts to protect, nurse, and heal. She sees the beauty at the core of your being, and loves the complexity that is you.
Her body becomes a vessel, it morphs and transforms, it grows and shrinks, all to fit the needs of those she loves. It takes a strong will of the mind to be at the mercy of the body. It is patience and determination that keeps her head on straight. She delights in the senses of smell and touch and taste and sound. It’s this consistently strong connection to the body that wards off the little demons that plague the mind. Acts of cooking, gardening, sculpting, sewing, physical pleasure or whatever form may can take, are age-old methods of fostering unconditional love of the mother
Whether you are a mother, a daughter, a son, a father, or especially a motherless child, the power of the mother is one you will need to kindle inside you until the lights go out. We depended on a mother’s unconditional presence at the beginning of life, and we will continue to look for her warmth through til the end. Do what you can to connect with your inner mother through dance, laughter, physical touch, gardening, cooking, crying, or rest. When you are able to call her by her name, she will never leave your side.
The Prince
LEGACY • RESPONSIBILITY • COURAGE • NAIVETY • ADVENTURE
The prince looks forward towards the long road ahead on his journey with apprehension and anticipation, but buzzing with excitement for everything to be discovered. By channeling his confidence and bravery into his body is how he’s able to move past the fear of the unknown. Some may call it beginner’s luck, but sometimes it takes the naivety of youth to walk into the unknown. If you knew what you know now, would you have gone through the pain again? You might be inclined to do things differently to avoid certain obstacles, but new barriers would rise in its place and the cycle would begin again.
When we are in our highest princely nature, we hold our responsibility with the weight it deserves. We understand the need to complete the task at hand and call upon our previous experiences, our instincts, our skills, and the wisdom passed down through past generations. We call upon our the teachings our mentors have graced us with, but we know when to trust our instincts to respectfully reject tradition when it comes between us and our morals.
Whatever comes our way, we are steadfast in our honor, chivalry, and dedication for the greater good. In our time of need, we can call on the higher power to be granted the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Strength
SELF CONTROL • SERENITY • INNER WISDOM • TRUST
What does it take for the beauty to tame the beast inside us? It can be done through intimidation, manipulation, and rigid control, but that is only temporary, and with fatal consequences. A longer lasting and much more enjoyable approach to taming the beast is through patience, empathy, and self-control. You might have to move slowly, approach with caution, but in the spaces that are carved out in the grace of time, trust can grow.
In your efforts to tame the beasts in your life, you will notice similarities in yourself. Through the understanding of others, you will empathize with the reflections of primal instincts that have governed you unconsciously from the depths of caves unexplored.
Proceed with caution. If you quicken your pace or rush the process, the beast might lash out in fear. You both are wired to protect yourselves from danger of the unknown. So get to know each other. Develop a language that you both can speak. Find common pleasures. A tone of play that you both can enjoy. And when you’ve earned the trust of the beast inside, relax into the fuzzy warmth and protection your beast can provide.