Art and Spiritual Path
We are all spiritual beings on our unique journeys. It is something we all have in common, even if it is expressed in very different ways. It connects every person with their higher self and innate wisdom. No matter what your religion, culture or belief system is, we are all humans who crave meaning, purpose, direction and communion.
This is where I post my art and spiritual journey as I explore the 22 archetypes of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. I spend between 6 months to a year on each one as I explore what it means to me and allow it to influence my perspective and behavior for that time. Each of the archetypes are related to the previous and next archetype, building from where the last one left off. This makes it an ideal guide for artistic expression and spiritual growth. Each archetype has a unique lesson that I will identify and integrate before moving to the next one.
This journey is a spiral. The end leads back to the beginning, but at a higher level. Each archetype has such depth of wisdom that the level of awareness of the person examining the archetype influences what personal lessons and areas of growth are revealed. This is not about reaching a destination, but about being on a journey that inspires growth and insight from study universal mystical wisdom.
The Major Arcana of The Tarot as a Spiritual Path
When the major arcana of the tarot are placed in order, they outline a spiritual path with wisdom that builds on the previous card. Each card represents a different archetype that embodies the lessons of achieving a way of being in the world. By studying and embracing an archetype, unique lessons emerge that can be expressed in artwork, a story, or simply a quote or affirmation. Once the lesson is captured and expressed it naturally leads to the next archetype in order leading the person on a clearly outlined spiritual path.
These archetypes represent universal human experiences that transcend language, culture and belief systems. Whether each person is aware of it or not, we are all on our own unique spiritual journey. It is something we all have in common, even if it is expressed in very different ways. It connects every person with their higher self and innate wisdom. No matter what your religion, culture or belief system is, we are all humans who crave meaning, purpose, direction and communion.
Spiritual Art So Far:
- 0. The Fool
Lighthearted Enthusiasm and Naive Optimism A leap of faith is required to start any journey into the unknown. The fool Archetype is an enthusiastic “Yes” to the journey, motivated by grandeur delusions of what may be ahead while not paying much attention to the potential danger. It is characterized by an optimistic confidence inspired by… - I. The Magician
Manifestation, Creative Focus and Productivity The magician archetype is all about using intention to manipulate the alchemical elements available in a way that manifests experiences that illuminate truth, awareness, and purpose in an inspiring and enchanting way. By effectively manifesting what is needed, the magician can take a step to higher ground instead of falling… - II. The High Priestess
Ritual, Invocation and Meditation I call in the presence of spirit guardians, light beings and divine grace. May I receive wisdom and guidance in alignment with my highest self and greatest intentions. Messages come in the form of symbols of universal human experiences, stories and revelations. This inward vision can be accessed through ceremony, daily… - III. The Empress
Nurturing Beauty and Creativity The Empress Archetype is the outward expression of having a vision and then nurturing it into life. This can be expressed through visual vibrancy and color. In this art piece it’s represented by the nautilus shell she is manifesting. It’s simplistic spiral form representing an infinitely expanding growth from the loving… - IV. The Emperor
Clarity, Confidence and Discipline The Emperor’s associated astrological symbol is Aries as he gains his power from the planet Mars. He is the embodiment of divine masculine as such is a protector, provider and leader. The Ram with the Aries symbol on his forehead symbolizes the force behind the calm presence. It’s not that the… - III & IV Empress and Emperor Archetypes Together
Empress and Emperor Archetypes Amplify Each Other These 2 Archetypes balance each other out and are complimentary energies. The Empress has Divine Feminine energy from 2 of the 4 elements: Water (Emotional Intelligence) and Earth (Physical Grounded-ness). The Emperor has Divine Masculine energy from Fire (Passion) and Air (The Mind). By consciously empowering and amplifying… - V. The Hierophant
Mentoring, Preaching and inspirational Joy The Hierophant Archetype is the the masculine extroverted expression of the same spiritual energy and wisdom that the High Priestess Archetype of the 2nd Card (II) Embodies. This expression tends to be joyful while speaking passion about God out loud. This requires a high level of knowledge and experience with… - VI. The Lovers
Balance and Loving Presence The Lovers Archetype is about balancing energy of opposite polarity that are within you to achieve higher states of consciousness and spirituality. This is most often done by favoring the present moment over the past or future. It’s more important to have good relationships and enjoyable experiences right now, than it… - VII. The Chariot
Purpose, Direction and Dharma. In 2022 I took on embodying this archetype and became more tuned in with my purpose, direction, ethics, presence, and refining a spiritual mission to be on. The artwork captures how I feel about my life purpose at this time in my life. It’s broken into 3 layers. The bottom layer… - VIII Strength
Confidence, Perseverance and Cunning Strength is all about the capacity to overcome resistance. Pushing up against resistance is what makes us stronger. Yet the spiritual strength demonstrated in the Strength Card of the Major Arcana of the Tarot is more of a way of being that uses more than force to overcome resistance. Spiritual strength… - IX The Hermit
Seclusion, Autonomy and Deepening Purpose The Hermit archetype is associated with seclusion from society to pursue wisdom, spiritual insight and life purpose. The intention is to remove distractions, social obligations and material attachment in favor of creating more time to focus deeply on matters concerning society as a whole, spiritual insight and life purpose. This… - X. The Wheel of Fortune
Cycles, Renewal, Change The Wheel of Fortune is Number 10 of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. It is the 10th archetype to embody while on the Behold Arcana Art and Spiritual path. The Wheel of Fortune, or simply “The Wheel” for short, represents change, renewal and cycles of nature. The king may sit at…