The Devil stands for our inner demons and primal urges. As the polar opposite of Temperance, he is all about obsession and going to extremes. He is all those nasty, self-destructive habits that we just can't break. He is the compulsive gambler, the drug addict, the sex addict, the alcoholic, the workaholic, the anorexic, and even the religious zealot. He is the reason we stay in abusive relationships and put up with unfair working conditions. He is what makes you feel helpless and think there is no way out, when in truth, this is rarely the case. Most of these limitations are self-inflicted, not imposed upon us. The Devil is the proverbial monkey trap: easy to reach into, but once you grab hold of the shiny object inside, your fist can't make it back out. All we have to do is let it go and we can be free, but we keep holding on. We hold onto the fleeting relief that drugs/sex/alcohol brings, we hold onto our job because we are afraid of uncertainty, we hold onto our partners hoping they will change... but we have to learn when it's time to reclaim control and move on. We got ourselves into this mess, we can get ourselves out.

The Tower is built upon bare rock and reaches high into the clouds. The rock and the clouds are part of nature - reality itself. The Tower, though, is a man-made structure laid down brick by brick. Each brick represents our thoughts, and together they stand for our understanding of the world. It is a Tower build from years of experience, and one we feel at home in. But our understanding isn't perfect, and sometimes it conflicts with reality so much, that it strikes our Tower as a lightning bolt and sends it crashing down. This card represents a shocking revelation that challenges our view of reality. It triggers a period of inner chaos as concepts we took for granted are overturned. The effects can be so drastic that we are force to rebuild from scratch. Though this is often a very traumatic process, it should be a time for rejoicing! We are one step closer to truth, and the Tower we will build from this new knowledge will be better, more stable than before.

The Star is a radiant beacon of hope! It is the place of rejuvenation after the perils of the Tower. Like Temperance, the Star has her feet in two worlds and stands at the crossroads of land and water. The earth flowers under her care. Her nakedness speaks of her purity, and of the safety provided by this spiritual oasis. It is a place to rest, heal, and bask in the love of the cosmos. Here you will find divine guidance and protection. If you have grown disillusioned with the world, the Star restores a sense of direction and faith in a higher purpose. She helps everyone find that one special thing they can do better than anyone else by reminding you of any latent or neglected talents you may have. The Star is particularly skilled at aiding with creative inspiration and psychic insight. She promises that everything is unfolding as it should.

Anyone wandering under the Moon's influence walks a fine line between delusion and enlightenment. The Moon is wild, unpredictable, irrational, and disorienting. It is confusion and deception. Its light distorts reality and casts shadows where many dangers could lurk. Nothing is as it seems. The only way you could learn to trust your instincts under such conditions is to brave the depths of your own sub/un-conscious. Your worst fears will challenge you for passage, and your greatest insecurities will taunt you along the way. You will be shown your sickest fantasies and memories you wished to forget. You will see yourself with all your pretensions stripped away, and that can be enough to drive most people mad! They would rather stay lost in the mists than face the truth. And the truth is that all these things are precious parts of you. Accept them, embrace them, work to change them if you like, but never deny them. Only through them can you be whole, and only through them can you harness the true power of imagination, dreams, intuition, and psychic awareness. 

Nothing can hide from the light of the Sun. It penetrates every crack and crevice to dispel the darkness. Whereas the Moon's light casts twisted shadows, the Sun reveals all for what it is. Even a defenseless baby on a horse (bizarre as that may seem) can ride through a garden without fear for his safety. This is a card of optimism! It brings joy, prosperity, and security. The Sun is a mighty force that sustains all life. It tells you to move forward with confidence, because the odds are in your favor. It's a very ambitious card that promises luck and worldly success. The clarity provided by the bright sunshine makes us highly reliant on our physical senses, therefore it is also a card of logic and rational thinking. Its knack for illuminating the unknown ties it to scientific discovery. The "what you see is what you get" attitude of this card supports a practical, experimental approach and bodes well for physics and astronomy. One must be careful, however, not to fall into the trap of superficiality.

Judgment stands for rebirth and reincarnation. It represents a major milestone your life. All your experiences have been leading up to this decisive moment. This could come in the form of academic testing, a legal ruling, or an evaluation of your performance at work, or any other rite of passage, but ultimately it is you who is judging yourself. You have reached a point where it is possible to see the patterns that have made you who you are today. This is when you look back over your journey and determine if it has taken you to where you want to be. What have you learned? Was it worth the effort? Did you make the right choices? Where can you go from here? It is a time of spiritual transformation, from which you can emerge as a phoenix rising from its ashes, fully awakened to your true calling. It brings purification and expanded consciousness. Judgment could your launching point for a new phase in life, or a chance to learn from your mistakes and start over. Use it wisely. 

The World is the culmination of the Fool's journey. Having passed through the gates of Judgment, you have emerged empowered and enlightened. This is the time of completion and graduation. The person in the picture is both male and female, and is surrounded by representatives of the four directions. This is the synthesis of all the elements into the original oneness. It is union, ecstasy, and fulfillment. It is the synergy that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Everything falls into place and you rejoin the harmonious flow of the cosmos. The World stands for triumph and success. It is peace, freedom, and enthusiasm. It is a sure sign that you are headed in the right direction. But all endings are just the beginnings of something else. The wreath here is a gateway into a new life, coming full circle back to the Fool.