The High Priestess is one of the most esoteric and symbolic cards in the Major Arcana. That is because she represents the seat of symbology, the subconscious mind. She is a link between the seen and unseen worlds. In the Rider/Waite/Smith deck the scroll on her lap contains the secrets of the ages. She is a teacher with much wisdom to share. The symbols in this card include the pillars on each side of her, the moon and feminine principle and the cross on her robe. Today’s Journey Tarot changed this card to simply Wisdom. Key 2 shows a Tarot reader consulting her cards. The Tarot is also a book, just like the scroll in The High Priestess card and it too contains all knowledge and wisdom. For Expanding Dimensions it was the obvious representation of this principle. But the wisdom still remains secret to those who do not seek to understand, which is why the cards remain face down. The reader has the knowledge to reveal the hidden meaning.

Teresa Sue McAdams co-creator of “Today’s Journey Tarot”, co-author of “Today’s Journey Tarot, A Traveler’s Guide” and author of “Lessons, The Wisdom Within Each Moment”

The traditional meaning for The Fool is a new beginning. The Rider/Waite/Smith deck depicts a young person standing on a cliff. The symbology of his clothes and surroundings suggest he is about to embark on a spiritual journey. The Fool is sometimes referred to as a new soul, just learning about life on the physical plane. He is inexperienced but prepared for the leap of faith he is about to make. One of the first things that new readers ask about this card is the title, The Fool. In today’s language a fool is someone who has made bad choices or is just not very smart. We rarely think of him as innocent or inexperienced – quite the contrary. He is someone who knows better and still makes decisions that can be quite destructive. The Fool position in the Tarot cards is not describing such a person. So when Expanding Dimensions thought about a representation for this card, we asked ourselves who in today’s world exemplifies the qualities of The Fool. Key 0 Beginning shows a young college student who has just opened her first deck of Tarot cards. She is embarking on several different journeys. She has just left home for the first time and is on her own, making her own decisions. She is studying for a career and she has chosen to learn the Tarot to develop her spiritual awareness. While she is certainly inexperienced in all these things, she is not foolish. Her companion animal urges her forward, just as the white dog does in the R/W/S deck. The dog is sometimes associated with our lower animal nature which often encourages wrong choices but the cat in Today’s Journey Tarot is wise and suggests that she will be helped along the way.

Teresa Sue McAdams, co-creator of “Today’s Journey Tarot”, co-writer of “Today’s Journey Tarot, A Traveler’s Journey”, and author of “Lessons, The Wisdom Within Each Moment”