There is masculine and feminine energy in every person and the Tarot can actually help us see how to best apply those energies to create the life we desire. The Tarot can help us learn about those energies and see how to balance them within ourselves.
For example, if we are trying too hard and need to relax, we may see a 10 of Wands card show up to represent our present situation and a 3 of Cups card show up to in the future placement. This is an example of how we can follow the line of masculine and feminine energy in the Tarot to help answer our deepest questions or find our way out of the cobwebs of our own emotions.
If that example didn’t quite make sense to you, don’t worry, not all people that use Tarot memorize the meanings of them. We will explain this a little more so you can start to find how to use the archetypes of masculine and feminine through the Tarot. There are many layers to the Tarot such as elements, seasons, astrology, and color symbolism. The more you learn about the symbols and how they affect our psyche, the more the cards will speak to you.
The Masculine & Feminine in the Minor Arcana
We see the kings, queens, knights, and pages show up in the court cards of the Minor Arcana which reveal the theme of masculine and feminine energy. We also see some cards clearly depict women or men.
While many people think of masculine as a trait that only a man has, it’s actually more about yang energy. The Sun represents yang energy which is essentially linked to action, the output of energy, and giving something to someone else. The yang can be thought of as the logic side of the brain or the more linear side which is able to navigate the time-space continuum.
The wands and swords of the Minor Arcana are linked to this side of the brain and the yang energy. They do not necessarily represent men or a man in your life, but the qualities of yang that you are using or could be used in your life.
For example, let’s say you have been wanting a raise and you see an 8 of Wands card. This would signify, you’ve put the parts in motion and you’re on your way to that promotion based on your actions. If you saw a Ace of Swords, that would mean its time to ask for what you want and tell people your positive attributes. Basically, those masculine cards can reveal that you can step forward to get the results you desire. However, if a 6 of Wands were to show up, it can reveal you’re being overly reliant on your logic and it’s stopping your progress. While being practical is a necessary part of life, it’s also necessary to have yin, the receptive or feminine energy.
The pentacles and cups are usually feminine energy. There are various ways the cards show you how to deal with your emotions or channel them and they can also show you if you’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment. There is a creative element in the feminine that links to fertility and allowing intuition to open. This is shown in cards like the 6 of Cups which shows the playfulness of a child and their open imagination which can help you open your perspective to allow yourself to see new options. It can show you how to incorporate playfulness and positive emotions into your life to attract what you need instead of feeling like you are powerless against the world.
The Masculine & Feminine in the Major Arcana
Interestingly, the end of the Major Arcana, marked by the World card, actually represents a balance between the two polarities. The masculine or feminine energy shows up in each card and the Lovers card shows a blending of the two. The Sun card is strictly yang or masculine while the Moon card is yin or feminine. Having pictures of men or women on the cards allows us to connect to the archetypes that have existed for generations in our minds so we can call upon those energies or understand how they are showing up in our subconscious. It’s quite fascinating and brilliant.
It’s also important to mention that the Tarot is only as helpful as the person interpreting it. If someone sees the men and women in black and white terms, they would probably get very little help from the Tarot. What that means is as we evolve as a society, our ability to understand the Tarot does too. Instead of interpreting the Tarot just in terms of how to find Mr. or Mrs. right, we can now see that we are unlocking our own power from within to bring forth our soul purpose. The surge in popularity in Tarot speaks to the evolution of our culture towards a more empowered tomorrow where we each have access to manifest and create the lives of our dreams instead of feeling like pawns out of control of our destiny.
Closing Thoughts…
There is a lot of social media attention focused on gender roles, lifestyle choices and discussing the societal norms we ascribe to being men or women. We can’t help but hear about the toxicity of polarizing groups against each other. The Tarot can help us reflect on how the conditioning we received as children may be limiting our own perspective or hindering our power in some way. If you bring balance into your mind in terms of masculine and feminine, you’ll find it’s easier to manifest and the Tarot can help you activate both energies within you.
In summary, if you want to bring your energy into balance, use your daily Tarot and see what themes keep popping out to you. Are you more dominant in one energy or is it revealing that you would benefit from applying one of the energies to a certain part of your life? Perhaps looking at the Tarot from this angle can unlock untapped power and grace that has been hidden from your mind.
The reason it is one of the most prominent themes in the tarot is not to divide us from each other as men and women but to help us recognize we have both within us at our disposal. The masculine and feminine energies revealed in the tarot empower you to be able to use more energy that you have within your emotional database. Have fun exploring these polarities using our free Tarot reading, or if you like something tangible instead of our digital free Tarot, check out our Master Tarot Deck which has beautiful graphics that can help you bring your subconscious into your conscious mind.
Related Article: A Guide To The Four Tarot Suits: Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles