The Magician
Explanation
A magician is a master of illusions. He can create and destroy illusions.
Place in the cycle
It is the second card in the entire deck, and signifies the start from dream to practical idea.
Meaning
Positive
It's time to talk about your ideas with others and to define them a bit more clearly.
Neutral
It's time to talk about your ideas with others and to define them a bit more clearly.
Negative
Be careful that you won't be sprouting pie-in-the-sky ideas to others without following through with them.
Wheel of Fortune
Explanation
A Wheel of Fortune can indicate minor or major wins, or minor or major losses. Things can go both ways.
Place in the cycle
With the Wheel of Fortune, the second major cycle of Tarot commences. The first cycle in the first cards of the deck was about development as a child, accumulating wisdoms and integrating them into your personality. This second cycle is about your development as an adult. It is a more demanding cycle. You'll have to see if you can face what the world throws at you.
Meaning
Positive
Make your choice, dare to take the steps. The opportunities did not come to your doorstep randomly, and if you don't embrace them now you may regret it later.
Neutral
When the card of the Wheel of Fortune falls in a reading, you will usually be well aware of it. The card brings a new challenge which, if you accept it, will guide you out of your comfort zone to new lessons.
Negative
Now is not the time to start a new adventure, leave everything as it is.
3 of Wands
Explanation
This card is about exposing your new ideas to the world. The Wand's element fire goes well with the number 3, as 3 is an output number, a number of results. Fire likes getting to results quickly.
Meaning
Positive
Now is the time to come out with your plans. Trust your own objective judgement on whether your ideas are any good, and others will likely share your opinion. Don't fear rejection, though.
Neutral
Your new ideas are ready to face the world, and you're ready to talk about them with those around you. You do this in an enthousiastic and positive way, you feel proud and energetic. You're sure that your ideas are worth their salt and you're capable of convincing others of that.
Negative
Be careful about what you tell others of these new ideas of yours. They might think you've gone crazy, or you could give your competition your idea for free. Be careful and look at your ideas with a critique's eye.
The Tower
Explanation
The card of The Tower goes by different names in different Tarot games. Some call it The Tower of Destruction, or The House of God, or Tower of the Light.
Some think that The Tower gives reference to the tower of Bable, but there are no direct indications for this.
Place in the cycle
The Tower has the number 16 attached to it, composed that is 7. This is a ladder number, a number of ambition and climbing to new heights.
The composed number of this card is the same as The Chariot's, but where The Chariot represents balance, The Tower represents chaos.
You've come a long way in the cycle already. You've let go of the old to welcome the new, you've faced and overcome your fears, yet The Tower tears down whatever remains.
This card lets chaos loose into your life, so that creativity and growth can flourish. The Tower ends what The Hanged Man started. From here the journey back to the upperworld begins.
Meaning
Positive
Don't resist what happens to you, try to see it as exciting.
Neutral
Go through your fears so you will end up in kind of a freefall. You've put down your shackles and now you let go, anything becomes possible.
When the card of The Tower falls, something will happen to you that robs you of your (remaining) securities. Some things will happen to you that may scare you, but you can choose to see them as exciting.
Negative
Don't conjure up extra fears related to what happens to you. Remain able to react.
Ace of Cups
Explanation
The Ace of Cups represents openness to your ideals. From all the ideas that you evaluated during the walk with Wands, you now have found the one you find valuable to invest your time and energy in.
The number 1, associated with this Ace card, is the number of a fresh start with yet more new impulses coming your way. It might be compared to The Fool, the first card of the major arcana.
Meaning
Positive
Enjoy this time and be open to all pleasantness coming your way. Trust that the ideal you've chosen is the right one for you.
Neutral
The last steps with Wands got a little constricting for you perhaps, but most of that burden has fallen off you now. And you're now appreciating the world around you more, it seems, also to others. This appreciation might make you attract even more pleasantness.
Negative
It's probably wise not to be too optimistic. If this card is next to a Swords card, it's time to be more careful and critical. If this card is next to a Coins card, it means you should be more practical and not get stuck in just thinking about your dreams and ideals.
8 of Pentacles
Explanation
The 8 of Pentacles is about keeping up the hard work you're doing, and trying to be happy about doing that work at the same time. While the 3 of Pentacles is about completing a masterpiece, the 8 of Pentacles is about doing the apprentice work that makes you a master of your trade.
Meaning
Positive
Even though everyone gets tempted to just abandon their sometimes boring hard work in search of adventure, now is not the time for you to seek adventure. You'll reap rewards you might not even realize from this hard work, when it's done.
Neutral
The work you're doing at the moment has become boring to you, as a lot of work often becomes to anyone. You may feel an urge to let your project slide and focus on something new. Consider what you'll gain if you'd complete the boring work, though, before abandoning it or letting what you've accomplished so far degrade by a period of stagnation.
Negative
Don't turn your work or project into a prison. A brief period of laziness might serve to bring your attention to new opportunities, related to your project or not.
7 of Swords
Explanation
The 7 of Swords is about making slow progress because you can't trust the situation and/or people around you.
Meaning
Positive
Now is a good time for a little extra relaxation, to take the edge off. Make sure you sleep and eat properly, and solicit the advice of those you do trust.
Neutral
You're not exactly sure who and what you can trust right now, but by being cautious you can still make some progress, even if it's not as much or as fast as you'd like.
Negative
You're too distrusting at the moment, it's probably wise to give anyone the benefit of the doubt at least once.
4 of Wands
Explanation
This card is about fostering cooperation to realize your ideas.
The number and element of this card (4=structure, element=fire) are in sync because fire can use the stability of structure, and structure can use the liveliness of fire. Here the structure of 4 doesn't cause stagnation.
Meaning
Positive
Listen to the advice of others, you don't have to invent everything on your own. Try to maximize their advice.
Neutral
You're talking with others about your ideas. Others will help you and stimulate your ideas, which increases your self-confidence.
By talking with others about your ideas you'll be pointed towards new possibilities.
Negative
Do it alone, you can do it on your own. You never know who's going to steal your idea if you tell others.
2 of Cups
Explanation
This the first assignment number of the Cups suit. Unlike Wands, with the Fire element, Cups, with the water element, has a lot more patience. Water is by nature more introspective, and this second card in the Cups suit is indeed about exploring yourself. The outcome is uncertain as always, but it usually results in better acceptance of yourself.
Meaning
Positive
Now is the time to take some rest and relaxation, not the time to go on wild adventures.
Neutral
You're going through a process of self-healing, and are perhaps almost unaware of that. You may feel a little tired, or confused, or wary, but along the way you will get more lenient with yourself, and give your soul the rest it needs.
Negative
You might be pressing for reconciliation with yourself a bit too hard. The middle road is not always the right one, and confrontations (with yourself or with others) should not always be avoided.
