Major Arcana

The Major Arcana or trumps are a suit of twenty-two cards in the 78-card Tarot deck. They serve as a permanent trump and suits in games played with the Tarot deck, and are distinguished from the four standard suits collectively known as the Minor Arcana. The terms "Major" and "Minor Arcana" are used in the occult and divinatory applications of the deck, and originate with Jean-Baptiste Pitois, writing under the name Paul Christian.

Dummett writes that originally the Major Arcana had simple allegorical or exoteric meaning, mostly originating in elite ideology in the Italian courts of the 15th century when it was invented. The occult significance only began to emerge in the 18th century when Antoine Court de Gébelin (a Swiss clergyman and Freemason) published Le Monde Primitif. The construction of the occult and divinatory significance of the Tarot, and the Major and Minor Arcana, continued on from there. For example, Antoine Court de Gébelin argued for the Egyptian, kabbalastic, and divine significance of the Tarot trumps: Etteilla created a method of divination using Tarot: Eliphas Lévi worked hard to break away from the Egyptian nature of the divinatory Tarot, bringing it back to the Tarot de Marsailles, creating a "tortuous" kabbalastic correspondence, and even suggested that the Major Arcana represent stages of life. The Marquis Stanislas de Guaita established the Major Arcana as an initiatory sequence to be used by initiates to establish their path of spiritual ascension and evolution. Finally Salie Nichols, a Jungian psychologist, wrote up the tarot as having deep psychological and archetypal significance, even going so far as to encode the entire process of Jungian individuation into the Tarot trumps. These various interpretations of the Major Arcana developed in stages, all of which continue to exert significant influence on our understanding of the Major Arcana even to this day.

Major Arcana (album)

Major Arcana is the debut full-length studio album from the indie rock group Speedy Ortiz. It was released on July 9, 2013 by Carpark Records.

Reception

Major Arcana has received very positive reviews. The album has a score of 81 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, based on 16 reviews.

Pitchfork Media's Lindsay Zoladz gave the album a Best New Album designation, claiming that frontwoman Sadie Dupuis "writ[es] lyrics that are actually worth poring over". David Brusie of The A.V. Club also praised the album, writing "a markedly assured debut, one that makes Speedy Ortiz an act to watch".Consequence of Sound's Katherine Flynn called the album "strong, punchy musical concentrate". Robin Smith of PopMatters described "its angular, moody ‘90s feel conjures the image of an overgrown punk hanging around a playground at night, drinking, smoking, wasting".

Pitchfork Media ranked Major Arcana #48 on its list of the top 50 albums of 2013, writing: "Speedy Ortiz strains the strangled chords and corkscrew interplay of 90s guitar heroes [...] into jaggedly axed anthem". The album was listed 31st on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2013.

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PLAYLIST TIME:

Major Arcana

by: Vincent Vega

I think it’s important to be lucky in anything
Let me get straight…
Everybody’s afraid to admit what big part luck plays
All existence is here by blind chance
No design
No purpose
So I guess
This is where
I tell you what I learned
Welcome to the world of the emotionally mature
It’s a nice place to visit
Try out something for once in your life
Do something about it
You better do it now and do it fast




Latest News for: major arcana

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April 2025 horoscopes are here: Will your luck change now that spring has sprung?

New York Post 31 Mar 2025
On April 7, trickster planet Mercury finally ends its retrograde ... Neptune in Aries ... 13. In the major arcana of the tarot, Taurus is represented by the holy Hierophant — a figure that stands as the bridge between the material and immaterial worlds ... 13 ... 13.
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Meet your higher self with Neptune in Aries: What the tarot sees for the signs ...

New York Post 29 Mar 2025
It’s high time to burn down the dream ... Neptune in astrology. 7 ... 7 ... 7 ... “Strength is a powerful major arcana card that offers you wisdom, self-confidence and assurance so long as you are willing to face the more troubling aspects of your nature.
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In volatile times, can tarot make your day?

Deccan Herald 17 Mar 2025
They do look bleak, full of anxiety, paranoia and doom dangling above you ... The most ornate group of cards in the deck are a group of 22 called the major arcana (21 if, like some tarot masters, you exclude the Fool) ... Uncanny.</p> .
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