Do you see the Major Arcana as the Fool's Journey?

[Darrell]

Hey all,

 

I’ve been reflecting lately on how the Major Arcana can be read as a symbolic journey — not just a sequence of cards, but a narrative arc. The Fool’s Journey is often described this way: a soul’s evolution through encounters, from innocence to wisdom.

 

Personally, I like to tell the story in three phases:

 

• Awakening — where the Fool leaps into life and begins forming identity through will, desire, and structure
  (Cards 0–VII: The Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot)
• Surrender — where the Fool turns inward, confronting emotion, solitude, and transformation
  (Cards VIII–XIV: Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance)
• Transcendence — where the Fool faces shadow, illusion, and ultimately returns to wholeness
  (Cards XV–XXI: Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgment, World)

 

It’s not a rigid framework, just a way I’ve found meaningful when reflecting. Each phase feels like a distinct passage — and together, they form a cycle of becoming. I’ve been journaling about Tarot for a long time, and this three-phase arc first appeared in my notes nearly twenty years ago. It’s evolved slowly, shaped more by reflection than expertise. I don’t claim to be an expert — just someone with a long-standing curiosity that’s helped me make sense of the cards over time.

 

I’m curious how others here see it. Do you read the Major Arcana as a journey? If so, how do you tell it? Do you break it into phases, or see it as one continuous arc? And if you don’t see it that way at all — what speaks to you instead?

 

Would love to hear how you approach it, whether in readings, teaching, or personal reflection.

 

Sincerely,

Darrell

[Misterei]

8 hours ago, Darrell said:

• Awakening — where the Fool leaps into life and begins forming identity through will, desire, and structure
  (Cards 0–VII: The Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot)
• Surrender — where the Fool turns inward, confronting emotion, solitude, and transformation
  (Cards VIII–XIV: Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance)
• Transcendence — where the Fool faces shadow, illusion, and ultimately returns to wholeness
  (Cards XV–XXI: Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgment, World)

 

... Would love to hear how you approach it, whether in readings, teaching, or personal reflection.

The triunfi naturally fall into 3 groups of 7 cards. It originally followed neoplatonic symbolism back in the 1400s. The 3 states through which a developing soul evolves. Soul of Appetite [body] soul of courage [heart] soul of reason [higher mind].

Many different iterations since then.

I like your modern take on the 3 phases.