This article continues my series examining the trumps of the Tarot de Marseille, adapted from my unpublished manuscript, Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate. As throughout this series, the emphasis is placed upon the traditional eikōn of the card, its historical context, and the practical significations I have found useful through divinatory practice. The interpretations presented here reflect my own experience of working with the Tarot de Marseille and should be understood as a working method rather than a definitive authority.

The Twos: The Popess, Fortitude and the Angel

Trump XX, Le Jugement, or Judgement, is a fascinating and profound card. Does it signify judgement in the ordinary sense of the word? Does it refer to matters that have been settled once and for all? Or is it a card of transcendence, renewal, and the passage from one state of being to another? Whilst all of these ideas touch upon the card, none quite captures its essence. This is a card not of endings, but of new life.

The earliest recorded name for this trump was l’Angelo, the Angel, a title which the present author prefers. The essence of the card is resurrection; its function is to revive. These terms are fundamental to understanding the card. Something that was dormant, forgotten, lost, or believed finished is called back into life. The Angel restores movement where there was stagnation and possibility where there appeared to be none.

The traditional eikōn of the card has altered very little over the centuries. We see an angelic being sounding a trumpet from above whilst the dead emerge from their tombs. Souls are reunited with their reconstituted bodies as they rise from the grave. The distinction is important. This is not the Last Judgement itself, but the bodily resurrection which precedes it. The image is therefore concerned less with condemnation or reward than with restoration and renewal.

For this reason, the Angel is one of the great cards of second chances. It signifies an opportunity to begin again, freed from the burdens of the past yet wiser for the experience. Old mistakes need not define the future. Hope is not lost, even when circumstances suggest otherwise. The card encourages the querent to abandon old grievances, relinquish past hurts, and clear away what no longer serves a useful purpose. Resurrection is only possible when the dead wood has first been discarded.

When the Angel is prominent in a reading, it is not uncommon for the past to re-emerge in unexpected ways. One may encounter people not seen for many years, revisit former places, recover something thought lost, or receive an inheritance. What has gone before seldom disappears entirely under this card. Instead, it returns transformed, asking to be understood in a new light.

The angelic figure dominates the upper portion of the card, occupying more than half the image. Its trumpet awakens the dead and calls them forth from silence. Consequently, the Angel is also a card of revelation, sudden insight, and decisive breakthrough. What was obscure becomes clear. What was hidden emerges into the light. Solutions appear, connections are made, and matters that seemed insoluble suddenly make sense.

The Angel occupies a unique place within the sequence of trumps. Whereas the Wheel of Fortune signifies the sublunar sphere and thus the changing circumstances which bring the querent to the cards, the Angel signifies the primum mobile, the first cause which sets those circumstances in motion. For this reason, the cards surrounding the Angel frequently reveal the deeper causes, reasons, and originating factors which lie behind the events described elsewhere in the reading. The Wheel shows what is happening; the Angel reveals why.

General: Second chances and opportunities to begin anew. The card signifies renewal, recovery, and the chance to leave the past behind whilst retaining the wisdom gained from experience. It often indicates a change in personal status, usually for the better, a calling towards one’s true vocation, or a sudden insight that transforms one’s understanding of a situation. The Angel may also signify an heirloom, inheritance, legacy, or something from the past returning with renewed significance.

Love: If the question concerns whether a relationship is truly over, the Angel is one of the strongest indications that reconciliation remains possible. The card favours forgiveness, renewed understanding, and the revival of feelings thought lost, provided both parties are willing to let go of old grievances. For those seeking a partner, the Angel frequently points towards someone connected with the past: a former acquaintance, an old neighbour, a childhood connection, or someone linked to places and experiences already known to the querent.

Career: The Angel is associated with broadcasting and communications, including researchers, producers, presenters, runners, and similar roles behind the scenes. It also governs musicians and professions involving sound more generally. Other occupations include restoration, antiques, conservation, renovation, property conversion, and development. In career matters, the card often points towards reviving an old project, returning to a previous field, or discovering a vocation that had previously gone unrecognised.

Finance: The opportunity to start afresh financially. The card may signify an inheritance, legacy, recovered assets, or a welcome improvement in circumstances (return to solvency, debt written off/paid). Previous setbacks need not determine future success.

Health: Anatomically, the Angel is associated with the feet. In health matters, the card may indicate the return or recurrence of a previous condition and should therefore be treated with some caution when prominently placed in a health reading. More positively, it can signify recovery, rehabilitation, and renewed vitality following illness or a period of decline.

Essence: Resurrection.
Function: Revive.
Polarity: Neutral.
Astrological Association: Pisces.
Timing: March.

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Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

Featured Image: Ancient Tarot Major Arcana © BP Grimaud/John Waddington Ltd, Leeds & London, Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Noblet, 1650 © Editions «letarot.com» (2001 [hand stencilled trumps]). Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Dodal, 1701 et 1715 © Editions «letarot.com» (2002 [hand stencilled trumps])

This article continues my series examining the trumps of the Tarot de Marseille, adapted from my unpublished manuscript, Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate. As throughout this series, the emphasis is placed upon the traditional eikōn of the card, its historical context, and the practical significations I have found useful through divinatory practice. The interpretations presented here reflect my own experience of working with the Tarot de Marseille and should be understood as a working method rather than a definitive authority.

The Twos: The Popess, Fortitude and the Angel

Trump II, La Papesse, or the Popess, is a fascinating and often polarising card. Does she represent the occult sciences and intuition? Is she Pope Joan, a symbol of heresy and forbidden knowledge? Or does she appear to remind us that there are things we do not yet know? The Popess is a card which resists certainty. Rather than providing answers, she compels us to ask questions.

The essence of the Popess is contemplation; her function is to examine. Where other trumps encourage action, movement, or decision, the Popess calls for reflection. She urges us to pause, reconsider, and investigate before proceeding. Her lesson is simple: matters are not yet sufficiently understood.

The traditional eikōn of the Popess is remarkably consistent. We see a seated woman holding an open book. She wears a cappa magna over monastic dress and is crowned with the Triregnum, the triple crown traditionally associated with the papacy. The image is immediately arresting precisely because it appears impossible. We are told that no woman can ascend to the Petrine ministry, yet here she sits enthroned. The Popess presents a challenge. She asks a simple but unsettling question: Why? Assumptions, conventions, and accepted truths are all subjected to scrutiny in her presence.

When the Popess appears in a reading, we are often being asked to think again. Something remains unknown, overlooked, or poorly understood. There is information yet to be gathered, a perspective yet to be considered, or an assumption that requires re-examination. Until this work has been done, progress is difficult. The card therefore cautions against rushing to conclusions or acting upon incomplete knowledge.

For this reason, the Popess is closely associated with education, study, research, and scholarship. She signifies the acquisition of knowledge, the development of new skills, and the disciplined pursuit of understanding. Her book is not a decorative object but a working tool. She reminds us that ignorance is remedied not by wishing to know, but by undertaking the effort required to learn.

It is, however, somewhat facetious to attribute intuition to the Popess. This is not a figure operating upon divination, instinct or vague impressions. The Popess has a book. She consults primary sources, examines evidence, and interrogates what she finds. Her conclusions are informed rather than intuitive or divined. If the High Priestess of other traditions may rely upon hidden insight, the Marseille Popess relies upon careful thought and diligent study.

Yet contemplation has its drawbacks. The Popess is a taciturn and withdrawn figure. She speaks little and reveals less. Consequently, the card can signify poor communication, emotional withdrawal, secrecy, and a tendency to bottle matters up rather than address them openly. For this reason, it is not generally regarded as a particularly favourable card in matters of love and relationships, whether new or established. Reflection may be useful, but excessive reserve can create distance between people.

The Popess also appears when motives are being questioned and rumours are circulating. People speculate, assumptions multiply, and half-truths acquire the appearance of fact. In such circumstances the card offers a straightforward warning: do not believe everything you hear. Nor should you accept everything that is said at face value. The Popess asks us to verify, examine, and investigate. Only then does she allow us to turn the page.

General: Unforeseen developments requiring a reassessment of existing plans. The card advises observation rather than action, reflection rather than reaction. Difficulties are resolved through common sense, careful examination, and logical thought. Answers emerge through study combined with contemplation.

Love: For those who are single, the Popess generally indicates a period of waiting. The right person may not yet have appeared, and greater effort will be required to leave one’s comfort zone, socialise, or pursue new interests. The card often favours classes, courses, and educational settings as avenues through which relationships may develop. In established relationships, the Popess frequently points towards poor communication, unspoken concerns, and assumptions left unchallenged. Partners need to talk openly and honestly. More often than not, what we imagine is worse than the reality.

Career: The Popess is associated with professions involving records, information, and the preservation of knowledge. Typical occupations include archivists, librarians, curators, bookkeepers, accountants, actuaries, and those employed within the insurance sector. The card may also signify women entering professions traditionally dominated by men. In matters of employment, the Popess often indicates a gap in knowledge, qualifications, or experience. Additional study, training (including an apprenticeship), or the acquisition of new skills may be required before progress can be made.

Finance: A need to review finances carefully and gather more information before making commitments. The card favours research, budgeting, and long-term planning over speculation. Important details may be hidden or overlooked.

Health: The Popess is associated with otorhinolaryngology, particularly conditions affecting the throat and voice. Communication disorders may occasionally be indicated. More commonly, the card points towards investigation, testing, specialist referrals, and second opinions. It advises gathering more information before reaching conclusions.

Essence: Contemplation.
Function: Examine.
Polarity: Neutral.
Astrological Association: Taurus.
Timing: May.

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Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

Featured Image: Ancient Tarot Major Arcana © BP Grimaud/John Waddington Ltd, Leeds & London, Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Noblet, 1650 © Editions «letarot.com» (2001 [hand stencilled trumps]). Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Dodal, 1701 et 1715 © Editions «letarot.com» (2002 [hand stencilled trumps])