Timely Tarot: The Element of Fire By Lisa De La O Wyman
Timely Tarot: The Element of Fire
By Lisa De La O Wyman
Spring is here! We have finally emerged from a long, rather confusing winter to welcome the promise of a new beginning. There’s something about the creative energy of this time of year that brings hope, excitement, and a feeling that we can do more and be better. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and there’s more light in the skies. It feels like potential. A fresh start. Aries season brings invigoration and the hearty spirit of the maverick. It’s a time to take those aspirations that have been building within and strike the match of initiation! Aries is indeed the first sign of not only the zodiacal wheel but the astrological year. On the Spring Equinox, it rushes in and bursts forth with ambition and a can-do attitude. Aries is ready to break ground and get something going – are you?
Where are you right now in terms of what you want to bring forward in your life? If you’re not sure yet, that’s okay. This is a perfect time of year for cultivating a vision, building motivation, and trying something new, even if it’s just a first step. When we work with the element of fire, we are empowered by inspiration and passion. In the Tarot, the walk of Fire through the cards takes us on a sojourn of epic adventure and ultimately the creation of our own heroic journey. We can craft our experience on a grand scale, dreaming big and reaching for what we believe will inflame our lives with vibrancy and purpose.
Patch Tarot - click image to purchase
Fire is the animating spark of life. The Big Bang. There is a flash of something . . . and then it all begins. In the dictionary, it is defined as “the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning.” It is also synonymous with “enthusiasm”. Fire is a mighty and eruptive force but needs matter as its fuel. It sustains itself by having something to burn. It consumes. Fire is related to desire or appetite – it is hungry and seeks satiation, just as we are driven to slake our needs for food, sleep, sex, and other forms of consumption. It is the will to live. It is unruly and can burn out of control. Fire has the power to both create and destroy. Think of fire’s many identities in nature – volcanoes (and the earth’s core), wildfires, and the sun. It can create new landmasses, warm the air, and encourage the growth and sustenance of life. But it can also burn, kill, and level entire regions to ash. There is an element of purification to fire, how it burns away everything to its most basic form. In a strange way, it simplifies and brings something back to the beginning again by ending it. Life and death exist within one spark of that bluish-yellow flame. It is an element of transmutation, taking one substance and turning it into something entirely different.
Symbolically, fire is associated with courage, vitality, passion, sexuality, creativity, inspiration, vision, strength, and action. It’s yang energy representing the will. It is self-derived, an independent drive for a forward movement that is propelled by its own momentum. Our inner fire fuels our desire to achieve a goal, satisfy a need, and stand out as an individual. As we will see in the fire cards of the Tarot, the journey of the element is a larger-than-life mission, where we see tales of heroism, competition, conflict, and personal myth-making. It encourages us to look at our lives as a grand quest of becoming, that burning hunger inside us to strive, be seen, shine bright, and burn out like a star streaking through the sky.
In Tarot, Fire shows up in the Major Arcana cards of The Emperor (Aries, “I am”), Strength/Lust (Leo, “I will”), and Temperance/Art (Sagittarius, “I aim”), as well as the associated suit of Wands. The element itself is represented by The Aeon/Judgement card and is considered its purest expression.
The Lioness Oracle Tarot - click image to purchase
In the cards of Aries (The Emperor and 2, 3 & 4 of Wands), cardinal energy initiates the cycle. It is the beginning of something new and there’s tremendous enthusiasm. Aries rules the head, which contains the brain and eyes – our main sources of vision. We have a spark of inspiration to go out in the world, create something new, and explore unfamiliar terrain. There’s curiosity and vitality of purpose. Aries energy is pioneering and is not afraid to do what has not been done before. It’s a challenge! How thrilling! There is a drive to achieve, and much like the ram which symbolizes this sign, action is taken head-on. There is no hesitation. We are fueled by ambition and want to get somewhere. The vision is clear, and we can see it in our mind’s eye all laid out before us.
The Emperor card is sometimes called “the great architect” because they are holding the plans for the enterprise within and it gives them a sense of direction, like a compass. They see the path and are unafraid to forge ahead without knowing what they will encounter along the way. They are also a leader that can bear the responsibility for what they create so long as their values are benevolent. The cards of Aries remind us that our goals need to be empowered by something greater than the desire for power. A good leader uses their strength to also provide something that can benefit others. What is the spark at the center of your ambition? Does your goal have the potential for a life beyond your own needs? Is this an ego-stroke or enlightened leadership? The entrepreneurial spirit must be animated by a vision that includes all – how does what you’re doing affect others? Does it make you a force for good in the world? Is what you’re trying to create beneficial or are you birthing monsters?
The cards of Leo (Strength/Lust and the 5, 6 & 7 of Wands) bring in the fixed energy of a steady flame. It warms and builds, bringing light and stable heat. It has the power to sustain itself. Like the Lion, it is regal energy that naturally leads and is accustomed to the spotlight. There’s been a lot of strife and competition to get here though. Anyone who has reached a certain level of achievement in their life can look back and recall the struggle and conflict it took. Victory is not easily won. You had to persevere, didn’t you? Leo rules the heart and spine, and it takes both to realize a goal. Our actions are enflamed by love and goodwill and we have the courage to see it through even when obstacles stand in our way.
Once we reach a position of power we can handle the visibility, the fact that now more people are seeing us, perhaps judging us and needing us to exercise sound reasoning. That moment in the sun can be quite glamorous. We may be receiving a lot of attention and praise and it makes us feel validated, loved, and perhaps even idolized. There might be criticism mixed therein as well. In the heady swirl of all that drama, can you stay true to the noble ideal that got you there? The cards of Leo encourage us to center our ambitions in the heart - in the passion, love, and generosity of spirit that allows us to create remarkable things in this world. Whenever we go big, take a risk, and call focus on ourselves through bold action, we will have to defend it. Some people will love you, and some will hate you. Along with fawning praise you may be attacked – are you ready to handle it? If the fire sustaining you is firmly established in the Heart Chakra, you will see it through and live to shine another day.
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In the cards of Sagittarius (Temperance/Art and 8, 9 & 10 of Wands) mutable energy refines our journey of questing and achievement into one that can live beyond us. The fire was sparked with Aries, burned steadily with Leo, and now begins to flicker and shift into something else with Sagittarius, the cycle’s natural end . . . or is it beginning? Fire holds both. This sign is associated with the archer, most famously in Greek mythology with the centaur Chiron, the wounded healer. He transmuted his own pain into wisdom that could be used to help others. The card of Temperance is related to the alchemical process, the harmonizing of disparate ingredients to create something new, and the transformation of base metals to gold. This starts with a brilliant idea, of which Sagittarius has many.
With visionary energy of constant movement and optimism, Sagittarius looks ahead and sees wonderful possibilities. An idealistic, almost prophetic goal looms on the horizon and they move towards it with speed and tremendous faith. Their movement incorporates the aiming of the bow – it must be just right to hit the target. This takes focus; the arm will shake, the nerves may jangle, but their line of sight is clear. Sagittarian energy comes at the end of a fiery cycle, so it may lack the aggressive burst of Aries or the steady burn of Leo. Its strength is in its flexibility. This is mutable fire . . . it can adapt. On this leg of the journey, you may be tired and worn down. Keep the momentum going, and when faced with resistance, remember to “bend but not break”. Be flexible, shift gears, and try another way. Everything that has come before is now a crucial ingredient in this endeavor. At some point, the hero or heroine on their journey recognizes that all this is about something greater than their own interests. They are part of a magnificent creation, and it will live on even after they are gone. Resist the urge to get caught up in power plays, head-butting, pointless drama, or savior complexes. Take your unique inner fire and transmute it into something that encompasses a deeper meaning for yourself and others. The experience was your reward anyway, and how grand the adventure!
The Aeon/Judgement card embodies elemental Fire. It pulls our attention from trivial concerns and permits us a vantage point of the bigger picture. If fire is the spark of life and the will to live, then the Aeon asks us what we are living for. What animates our life? This card often goes by the name “Judgement” and implies end times and final reckoning, looking upon a lifetime and identifying what defined it. “Aeon” has less of a religious flavor but still suggests a large span of time that bears unique characteristics. It represents something specific. You can view your own life as an aeon or eon, the era of YOU. What’s it been about? Who are you becoming? What is the intention for your time here on earth? Panning out to take in the larger view of your trajectory – where are you headed? Is it what you want? Is it fueled by genuine desire and a sense of purpose? These are big questions. Begin by considering how your desires shape your life and factor into the choices you make. Of course, you don’t have to bother with any of this. Many people just react to circumstances and passively float along. However, you can intentionally co-create your life with the universe! Lovingly craft it according to your will and the momentums of the world around you. Be the hero of your own story, and one day as the fire burns itself out, you will shed your physical self and transform into a myth of inspiration and hope that lives on.
Lisa De La O Wyman is a Tarot reader and writer based in Redondo Beach. At Tarot for Empowerment, she works with individual clients, private parties, and special events. Through her work, she seeks to connect people with their innate power as well as encounter the mystery in everyday life. She can be reached via Instagram and Facebook at @tarotforempowerment, email at info@tarotforempowerment.com , and website www.tarotforempowerment.com.
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