The Stages of the Journey
To orient yourself through this description, we suggest you print a copy of the journey map and follow along with the descriptions below. Remember that the journey progresses from left to right. Each stage is a column in the central oval or eye. The four central cards (Awakening, Transference, The Chariot and The Lovers) are not discussed in detail in this brief overview.
Many more details can be found on the individual card pages.
About the Zodiac
Just as we do not use the Tarot cards for divinations here, so we do not use the Zodiac for horoscopes or the like. However, the symbols that comprise the twelve signs of the Zodiac correspond exactly with the twelve Tarot cards that make up the Fool's Journey proper. Indeed, it was only after these twelve cards and twelve signs were matched correctly did the Journey reveal itself; it became internally self-consistent and consistent with other hermetic (and Tantric) traditions.
Stage I of the journey begins with the Sun and the sign Gemini; it ends with The Magician and Sagittarius. This can be seen in the journey map; the journey progresses from left to right, taking the cards in the middle stages in pairs. What is remarkable, though, is that the signs of the Zodiac are oriented toward the center of our galaxy, which lies in Sagittarius. Gemini is in the direction of the anti-center or away from the galactic center. So the Fool's Journey is a symbolic journey toward the center of the galaxy.
One last thing. There is a group of stars in Sagittarius with the ancient name "Joculator." This is a Latin word equivalent to the early French Jongleur, which meant Jester or Court Fool in medieval times. How apt that the Fool is represented at the exact point in the heavens that represents the end of his journey!
Stage I - Portal
This stage is composed of the Sun card and its associated sign, Gemini.
In accordance with the hermetic axiom, “As above, so below,” the journey begins from the galactic anti-center (the point directly opposite the center of our galaxy in the sky, in Sagitarius) in the sign of Gemini, which is associated with the Tarot Sun card. Both represent duality: the Gemini twins denote the real sun and the transcendental or midnight sun. On the microcosmic scale, the duality represents the egoic consciousness and the seed of universal consciousness that is also within us. Stated another way, along with the lower nature of humankind, represented by the Hanging Man, exists our highest potential nature, which is congruent with transcendental conscious; this state is represented by the Magician, the penultimate card of the journey. Since this latter conscious state is obscured by the former, the Fool’s task is to unite individual and cosmic awareness within him or herself, and by so doing return back to the Sun, but now the duality has been transformed into a unity: dark Saturn has been transformed into Saturn, the primordial Lord of the Golden Age. The only way the Fool has to do this is by first separating conscious awareness from body, mind and emotions. This is the secret, but most important, step in every authentic spiritual tradition. The following journey stages describe how this may be done.
In an operational sense, the Sun card is the passageway through the veil that separates the conscious world from the unconscious worlds, the inner veil that is characteristic of most of humankind after the “Fall.” The Fool uses the energy of the metaphorical (yet real) Sun to pierce this veil safely and with maximum awareness. Without this aid, the journey will not be successful. Also, operationally, the Fool uses the light of the Sun to protect and cleanse himself or herself, and to "see" with on the inner realms. This is vital, which is why the Sun must be the first stage of the journey. Several of the practices give in the Fool's Journey classes and workshops are concerned with using this light in these ways.
Stage II - Inner Knowledge
This stage is composed of The Hierophant/Taurus and The Moon Pool/Cancer.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Heirophant | Taurus | The Moon Pool | Cancer |
All authentic spiritual traditions stress that a bona fide teacher is necessary to complete a spiritual journey. Not only is the guidance of a teacher necessary, but at a certain stage, and at the discretion of the teacher, a certain energy, called baraka in some Oriental traditions, is passed from the teacher to the student. However, since qualified spiritual teachers or gurus—in the flesh—here in the West are rare, another means is required that will enable us to contact an inner teacher. This is likely a human being, albeit not necessarily one currently in a physical body, who has already completed their spiritual journey and is willing to guide others who wish to do the same. Therefore, the object of the Fool’s journey is to contact a real teacher, although not necessarily one on the physical plane, at least at first; perhaps at a later stage a physical teacher may become available nearby.
This teacher is represented by The Hierophant card, which was formerly called The Pope, but a more accurate (and older) name is Pontifex, which means “builder of bridges.” He or she represents a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. Taurus corresponds with this card, and the bull Taurus appears in the sky only from his horns and head back to his forelegs; the rest of his body is invisible. The significance of this is that the inner teacher is partly in this world and partly in another. It is the Fool’s task to stand on the middle of the bridge, as it were, in order to meet his/her teacher halfway. It is only with the conscious aid of this Teacher that the Fool has any chance of completing this journey. Once there, however, it is not easy to perceive and hear communications from the teacher. Some work on the part of the Fool is required; again, there are exercises and practices given in class that, with the necessary inner work, make your own teacher accessible.
In Tantrism, access to one's inner teacher is through the Ajna or third-eye chakra, located behind the eyebrows and associated with the pineal gland. In the process of awakening kundalini (which has much to do with the Fool's Journey— different symbols, same end result), awakening this center first, before the others, is often recommended. This is so the teacher may assist from even the first stages of the journey. this is why The Hierophant is the second card in our journey. Note: Most Tarot decks protray the Heirophant with a sort of conical headdress. Why? Because it is the shape of the pineal gland, rounded like an almond or pine cone.
The next card addresses the sort of work the Fool must undertake at the beginning (and throughout) the journey. The Moon Pool is just called The Moon in most decks, but this wrongly emphasizes its real meaning. It is the pool of water the creature (usually a crayfish or crab, symbol of the associated zodiacal sign Cancer) is entering (not leaving), that holds the true meaning of the card. A crayfish backs away toward safety so his claws face the danger. In this case, the dangers are wild, unchecked emotions (the wolf) and tame, unquestioning habits of thought (the dog). The pool represents the unconscious mind, meaning both what are called the subconscious and superconscious minds. Only here, ultimately, lies safety. Into the water—into the inner realms—is the direction, and the only direction, of our journey.
This card represents knowledge that is retrieved from within one’s own being. This stage of the journey requires one to still the mind using certain, specific methods, so that what is hidden within may be released, both the good and the bad. There’s no going up without going down, no heaven without going through hell first. If our mind is always preoccupied with past events and future speculations, how can the inner voice in the present be heard? Once we clear away the flotsam and jetsam in our minds—the fears, the worries, the superficial things in our lives—we can begin to clearly hear the authentic voice within, the voice of the inner self, which is also the voice of the teacher. Descending into the Moon Pool is to begin the inner voyage, and during this voyage is the only time and place where our inner Teachers may be heard clearly. Without making progress here first, further progress will be very limited.
Stage III - The Warrior
This stage is composed of The Emperor/Taurus and Strength/Leo.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Emperor | Aries | Strength | Leo |
The next two cards are a complementary pair. The Emperor represents control of the mind, and Strength represents control of the emotions. The mind must first become separated from and immune to the emotions. The Emperor is one apart from the rest of humanity because he or she has created a fortress within himself or herself, a home base, which is unassailable from without. He is armored under his robe; he is ascetic and disciplined because he has conquered his desires. The associated sign is Aries the Ram, the solitary mountain goat, which signifies power of Fire which he has built within; this power begins to bring a transcendent virility. By his discipline he becomes master of the inner world he has created, although not yet master of the outer world.
But this discipline cannot be achieved unless the emotions are under control, which is the meaning of the card Strength and its associated sign Leo. In this image, the lion represents the emotions that arise from bodily urges. These must be brought under control, and the woman represents the divine part of ourselves who is capable of taming them. The struggle represents an inner battle with one’s own mind and emotions. The lemniscate above the woman’s head represents, among other things, the strength she loans to the Fool, who does not yet have enough of his or her own. The Emperor and Strength both reinforce one another, but assistance is also available from the near-by cards of Awakening and the Teacher. Instead of visiting each card symbol as on a game board, the Fool incorporates the attributes and energies of each card within. The inner work done along the stages of the journey is what makes its conclusion possible.
Stage IV - Differentiation/Fission
This stage is composed of The Virgin Priestess/Virgo and The Hermit/Pisces.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Virgin Priestess | Virgo | The Hermit | Pisces |
A break now occurs; a gap or jump. The inner temple or home base created at the Emperor stage, and stabilized by Strength, now comes alive in a mystical process that begins with a wedding, a betrothal, between the Fool and the energetic power of the universe, which is called Shakti in Tantrism. The Virgin Priestess represents power. The conscious awareness, which up to now resided in (or at least seemed to reside in) the Fool’s body, now begins to transfer into a new vessel—the Emperor’s inner fortress—that has been prepared for it. This vessel is represented by The Chariot. The card Transference, where a woman is shown poring a fluid from one container into another, illustrates this process.
This wedding is not physical, therefore the act is not physical either. The wedding is between the Warrior-Fool and the creative power of the cosmos. The Virgin Priestess card represents an archetype, a real, living power. It is contacted by an inner process the Warrior-Fool undertakes.
A new, flickering light of consciousness now exists that is separate from the Fool’s body, meaning it is capable, although at this stage only just barely, of existing independently from the physical body. This state is shown perfectly by The Hermit, who is shown in a solitary scene, just as was The Emperor, but now he holds a lantern away from himself with a life-flame burning inside it. The lantern represents the subtle body the Fool has created with the help of Shakti. The preparations done that lead up to this stage are to enable and endow this subtle body with enough power and strength of its own to be able to withstand Shakti directly without being fried by the increased energy of this direct contact.
The Virgin Priestess is the chaste virgin represented by Virgo (hence the name change from High Priestess), who provides access to the nexus for the transfer of consciousness to the Fool. This nexus is shown by The Chariot. She again appears on the card Transference as the agent that enlivens this embryonic subtle body. In the sense that She acts as both the mother and father of the impregnation, this is a virgin birth, the true meaning of that term, although the birth proper has not happened just yet. The Hermit is associated with the sign of Pisces, which is composed of two semicircles joined by a straight line. One side represents finite consciousness, and the other by consciousness that transcends the individual. The horizontal line is the link that joins them, which cannot yet be severed.
Stage V - Sacrifice
This stage is composed of The Star/Aquarius and Justice/Libra.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Star | Aquarius | Justice | Libra |
A Star is a sign of birth, but of what? The key is found in the previous card, The Hermit, where a new seat of consciousness has been birthed in the subtle body. But as the sigil of Pisces showed, it was still linked with the body consciousness. In The Star this link is broken and the subtle body is now able to exist on its own. The small bird in this card, usually either red or blue, represents this subtle body flying on its own. This is what the Egyptians called the Ka or spirit body. The kneeling figure represents the now nearly-transformed Fool who can partake of both the earthly realm (the ground) and the upper/inner realms (the water), sometimes called the astral realm. She is shown naked for the first time as, like Isis, she has been cleansed of all falsehood and attachments; she is equally at home in either realm.
The next card is Justice. A woman seated on a throne holds an upraised sword in her right hand and a set of scales, a balance, in her left. The scales represent the same idea as the figure and bird in The Star: the ability to exist equally in the mundane and celestial realms. The sword and her position in the sequence give us the key to her identity: she is Kali, the Destroyer. She is the Krone aspect of the Triple Goddess, known since primordial times. Her other two aspects are the Virgin or Maiden in the preceding High Priestess card, and the Mother, shown in the succeeding card, The Empress.
What is she going to use the sword for? We can understand this more easily if we examine the zodiacal signs associated with these two cards. The Star is assigned to Aquarius, the Water Bearer, and Justice to Libra. The sigil of Aquarius is two wavy lines, one above the other. The sigil of Libra is again two lines, a straight line underneath a domed line. Both sigils indicate a state of separation of consciousness, just as their cards do. This state is alchemical fission. Now the function of the sword is clear: the Krone is going to sever consciousness from the physical body; it will have to exist, even if only for a short time, only in the subtle body. This is the act of death; the Fool dies to his body and to the entire sensory world.
Stage VI - Emergence
This stage is composed of Death/Capricorn and The Empress/Scorpio.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Death | Capricorn | The Empress | Scorpio |
The state of Death is shown by the card of the same name. Its sign, Capricorn, helps us understand its meaning. Capricorn is represented by a sea-goat, a creature that partakes simultaneously of two realms, the earthly realm and the watery or astral realm. This echoes Taurus, who, as the Teacher, exists in these same two realms. But here, it is the transformed Fool himself or herself who exists in this state. The Marseilles Tarot card properly shows severed heads and limbs, signifying the slain, corporeal body as well as the head/consciousness severed from the body, but still alive. How will the Fool be rescued from this state? The answer lies in the next card.
The Empress represents the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess. What is not clearly shown in most cards is that she is pregnant, which is a great esoteric secret; the role of the mother, after all, is to give birth to a child. The child, of course, is the Fool, rescued from his incorporeal state back into his body. The older cards show the woman holding a shield upon which is an eagle or phoenix, which in this context are equivalent. The phoenix dies and is reborn from his own ashes. Which brings us to the sign associated with her, Scorpio. This sign is represented both by a scorpion and by an eagle or phoenix. The scorpion represents that which has died—the Fool, and the phoenix represents that which is now born, the transformed Fool-no-longer.
Stage VII - Self-Realization
This stage is composed of The Magician/Sagittarius.
 |
 |
| The Magician | Sagittarius |
The reborn Fool has become The Magician. He is shown with symbols of the four elements—Earth, Water, Air and Fire—arrayed on a table before him; this represents his mastery over them. He or she represents the fifth element, quintessence. The lemniscate over his head represents mastery over and union with both the mundane and spiritual realms. The Magician has realized the state of Nirvana or self-realization and has finally transcended the human state. Sagittarius is associated with this state. Sagittarius is the Archer or the Centaur. He is half horse and half man, and is immortal. The Magician is also immortal, because his existence is no longer dependent on the physical body. Now, he is a dual being, living in our world and others simultaneously.
The Magician is a person who has been reborn with a new, infinitely broader consciousness that now has as its field not only the mundane world of the old senses, but all the realms of the higher self, who is the Master of the coach. The Magician is no longer human, but supra-human or trans-human.
The Magician has a free choice to make. He or she may chose to leave the mundane world behind and exist fully in the subtle, non-manifest realms. The other choice is to return into his body and serve other Fools who are traveling on this same journey, thus deferring this final departure until a later time. This is the role of the Hierophant or Teacher. In this choice, the Adept or Magician recapitulates the original descent of Spirit into Matter by re-emerging through the portal of the Sun. In traditional symbols, the heaviness of Saturn, ruler of the first stage of the journey, is transformed into the king Saturn who ruled during the primeval Golden Age, for the Magician, by so doing, brings a portion of that Golden Age with him or her into the mundane world. Any and all possibilities are open to the Magician at this point, at his or her sole discretion.
Transcendence
All stages of the journey have been completed. This state is depicted by The World card by itself.
 |
| The World |
When it is time for the Magician to finally depart the human realms, he or she merges with the figure shown in The World card. Often shown as feminine, representing the Goddess, she is more properly an androgyne, one who partakes of neither sex. In Tantrism, as Shiva is the passive, masculine, universal Consciousness, and as Shakti is the active, feminine Power who created and is active in the world, this figure is the union of them both. It is to this state The Magician is united as an identity, not merely an adjacency.
Thus ends the Fools’ Journey, in a state that is totally beyond our comprehension, although not totally beyond our reach.