How to Memorize the Major Arcana
Follow The Fool’s journey, so you can keep in mind the arcana’s meanings and remember their order altogether.
Imagine that he is a new student at a university. He is foolish at the beginning of his journey. Because in many ways, he is still clueless, no matter how smart he actually is.
The Fool uses magic to adapt to his new environment. The magic of the intellect to do well in his classes. And the magic of extroversion to make some new friends.
College is challenging. More than making friends and passing classes, you have to be on the right path. Like a priestess, The Fool consults his higher self to ensure just that.
Having passed his classes and made friends, as well as change his major from Engineering to Architecture, The Fool now feels abundant and secure, just like an empress.
Eventually, he makes a name for himself. The Fool gains recognition. Like an emperor, he is acknowledged as the leader of some projects and an authority in certain subjects.
No longer a clueless freshman, The Fool is now someone that the confused, younger students approach for advice and guidance. Just as they would a hierophant.
He has the grades, the friends, the belief in himself, the abundance and the authority. And still, The Fool feels lonely. Because he needs a lover to truly be happy.
Having found a kind and caring partner to share his burdens, thoughts and emotions, The Fool can now move forward, on his chariot, to gain even more triumphs.
Through his acquired knowledge and experiences, along with self-love and the constant support of his lover and friends, The Fool has grown to feel truly strong.
A leader for many and a favorite of all, The Fool is very happy but gets tired too. Every now and then, he would spend some needed time alone, like a hermit would do.
Life is like a wheel. Sometimes we are on top. Other times, we are not. Until now, The Fool has been consistently climbing up. But now, he is about to be knocked down.
It seems The Fool’s mother is facing financial difficulties. She did not make the deadline for this semester’s rent at the dormitory. The rules of justice dictate that he gets kicked out of the campus.
So now The Fool has to commute from home every day. His schedule is disturbed. His studies are affected. His social life is put on hold. Everything hangs in the balance.
The Fool decides to take a loan and find a job so he can help himself and his mother. His happy-go-lucky life has suffered a death, but as a responsible adult, he has been rebirthed.
With his newfound maturity, The Fool is now at peace. His burdensome duties have been tempered by his acceptance of reality and his willingness to overcome obstacles.
But too much of a good thing can be devilish. Having experienced the high of earning his own money, The Fool acquired another job. He is now working endless shifts.
But The Fool can only take so much. A dozen classes and a dozen shifts a week do not a healthy body make. And so it collapses. And his life falls apart like a burning tower.
His friends all visit him, bringing fruits and telling jokes. His girlfriend cheers him up with his favorite Netflix shows. The Fool feels like a star and hopeful about tomorrow.
Life’s lessons are not lost on him. The Fool meditates, looking up at the moon, reflecting on where he went wrong… feeling his pain but telling himself he will move on.
By sunrise, his fever is gone and his muscles are no longer aching. The Fool is ecstatic that he can live his life again. He really missed how it felt to be healthy and well.
Having learned the importance of balance, The Fool sets out into the world again, armed with better judgment. He now knows his priorities and stands by them.
As the year ends, The Fool feels on top of the world, grateful that he has gained his health back, along with a worthy romance, academic achievements, and faithful friends.
