The Tarot, terrorism and global warming: what the Tarot has to say about the modern world.

I wanted to write this article to demonstrate how the ancient philosophy behind the Tarot is still relevant to us today, and to show how these ideas can be used to illuminate our modern world. Whether or not the Tarot has any mystical power I believe a lot can be learned from the view that it gives of the universe, which goes back to antiquity. As someone who teaches and practices Tarot I also wanted to create a guide to help people understand the meanings behind each card, by reframing tarot in a modern context which can be related to more easily.

When someone receives a Tarot reading the cards offer meanings that are universal but also personal to the questioner. If one was to carry out a reading for the state of the world, how then could the reader interpret the cards? What are the pressing issues for us all at this time? I asked myself this question and, whilst thumbing through the pack, the meanings became quite obvious and stark to me. Below I have listed these meanings for the 21 Major arcarna or trump cards.

FREEDOM - The Fool

TECHNOLOGY - The Magician

RELIGION - High Priestess

HUMAN RIGHTS - The Empress

STATE POWER AND SECURITY - The Emperor

TRADITIONALISTS VS MODERNIZERS - The Hierophant

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - The Lovers

WAR AND CONFLICT - The Chariot

WORLD POLITICS - Strength

INNER WORLD - The Hermit

INTERNATIONAL LAW - Justice

WORLD POVERTY - Hanged Man

GLOBAL WARMING - Death

THE MISSING ELEMENT - Temperance

TERRORISM - The Devil

GENETIC ENGINEERING - The Tower

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION - The Star

THE INTERNET AND THE INFORMATION AGE - The Sun

POWER AND CORRUPTION - The Moon

POPULATION - Judgement

THE ENVIRONMENT - The World

Incidentally if you wish to read the complete article alongside images of the cards there is an illustrated version on my website at http://www.tarot-cards-reading.com/about/tarot_world_article.html

TECHNOLOGY - The Magician Technology is now the backdrop to all our lives and to those who don't understand it or haven't witnessed it before it seems like magic. When people first saw inventions such as moving images or photography some believed it to be witchcraft or some kind of trickery. On the card the Magician shows a powerful figure performing his tricks with us as his audience. He is about to make things happen before our eyes that we never thought possible. The message of this card is that if you know what you are doing and you have the energy of commitment behind you, you can achieve incredible things. This is a valuable lesson for the modern world.

HUMAN RIGHTS - The Empress The Empress is a ruler that respects her subjects. She is a motherly figure who believes in nurturing and caring rather than controlling and dictating. It is perhaps an unusual card considering its historical origins. We tend to see this regard for individual human rights as quite a modern enlightened view. The Tarot's values however are timeless and not subject to fashion.

WORLD PEACE - The LoversTraditionally this card shows a man making a choice between two women and its message is that, like love, most things in life come down to a matter of choice. If we are in a relationship with someone it is because we chose to be with them and we are choosing to stay with them. The same is true for all the relationships we have with people. Also, whether we find ourselves fighting, loving or being distant from others is down to our choosing. If we are to apply this idea to the modern world it seems clear that peace and harmony are not things which just happen but that many active choices need to be made in pursuit of them.

GLOBAL WARMING - Death The image of the reaper is a reminder that life exists in cycles and that all things come to an end. It speaks more of change than actual death, and how this change can be painful. There seems little doubt that the world climate is moving into a new phase. These climate cycles have always existed - such as the various ice ages - but never has the change been so rapid or man made. This change will inevitably result in the deaths of individuals and of species. Global warming may be one of the biggest challenges we have faced in our history.

TERRORISM - The Devil This is perhaps one of the most straightforward interpretations. The Devil has always been a figure of fear, a corrupting influence that has no compassion or feeling for others. Unfortuneately we live in a world where a few individuals wish to induce this level of fear in others, motivated by self-interest or warped philosophies. Sadly they can become trapped by world-views which can convince them their philosophies are right. This perhaps is the definition of evil; and strangely often done in the name of God.

GENETIC ENGINEERING - The Tower When creating this list there was such a temptation to make this card about the 9/11 attacks. I have heard that some people have made this connection but I think this is taking the card at face value rather than trying to understand its full meaning. The card in the modern deck actually makes reference to the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. The card does stand for upheaval and disruption but it also warns of the dangers of over-stretching oneself and getting involved in things beyond one's understanding. In Genesis the tower is struck down; and the punishment for challenging God's authority is that the people are cast out and made to speak in different languages. If for ancient people the tower represents diversity, then for us in the modern world diversity is represented by the human gene. Genetic engineering now gives us the power to do what may be thought of as challenging the authority of God. We could do worse than look at this card for advice on this matter.

GLOBAL COOPERATION - The Star The Star in the Tarot refers to a way forward and to hope for a better future. When I was growing up, hope for the future seemed to centre around the space program. It was the only area over which the then two super-powers would cooperate. Maybe this was because the expense became too much for one nation, or maybe as I like to believe because when one looks to the stars it makes our differences down here on Earth seem less important. It certainly does seem that if human beings are to progress then we must embrace collaboration. The card reminds us to hold the star as a symbol for hope, and whether it is a star of David or a star of Islam shouldn't matter.

THE INTERNET AND THE INFORMATION AGE - The Sun This card represents knowledge and understanding. When we understand something we are enlightened and that's what the sun does to the earth: it shines light on dark corners and illuminates the globe. One of the most significant inventions of the last forty years which brings knowledge and illumination to the world is the internet. It is interesting to note that the internet has been made possible by lasers transmitting information through high-speed fiber optics. Thus, the internet, in effect, is made of pure light. The card also depicts a happy couple who could be lovers: the inference being that understanding between people is the key to harmony. Never before has so much knowledge been available to so many. The couple on the card reminds us however, that unless this knowledge is used to build closer links between people, it is a waste of time.

POWER AND CORRUPTION - The Moon The word 'lunatic'' derives from the belief that the moon's rays had the power to intoxicate and send people mad. In the modern world one of the most dangerous forms of intoxication is that of people becoming drunk on power. We see this throughout the world where leaders are corrupted by their power and become self-aggrandizing tyrants. We also see it in the board-rooms of multinational companies where individuals can be seduced by the love of money and the power it brings. The card itself refers to corruption and confusion and to all the dark dealings that happen hidden from the light of day. It has the opposite meaning to the Sun; thus the antidote is to shed light wherever possible.

POPULATION - Judgement With shrinking resources and rising birth rates, population control must be one of the most pressing world issues for this time. This card speaks of a judgement day when things come to a head and decisions have to be made: when the result of our actions good or bad must be accounted for. In the judgement day myth all the people that have ever lived are risen back to life. Best estimates would put this at about 107 billion souls!

THE ENVIRONMENT - The World The World card simply represents fulfillment and completeness. Having the World at one's fingertips means having everything one could possibly want. The problem with having everything we want however, is that this is usually at the expense of the planet. The card's meaning of completeness and self-containment is a reminder that we must get what we want in a way that is sustainable. This is the final card of the Major Arcana and the end point for our journey. This is our home and we cannot get away from it until death; so we should look after it. For more information on Tarot card meanings visit http://www.tarot-cards-reading.com