The Major Arcana of the Tarot have, for about two centuries, been associated with occult and esoteric teachings. They are believed to contain, in hieroglyphic form, the deepest secrets of the ancient masters and initiates. This is as much as all occultists agree upon but when the details are discussed the disagreements between various schools and paths begin. Some say that the Tarot was designed in Ancient Egypt, others - that in India, and still others - that in the city of Fez in about 1200 A.D. Also, the matter of the "true" meaning of the cards is interpreted in many diverse ways, e.g. religious, magickal, qabalistic, alchemical, etc.©Rafel T. Prinke, 1987What is common to all of these opinions is the attempt to bind the Tarot in a frame of time and space, and this attempt is caused by misunderstanding of the "true" nature of these images. The Major Arcana are not just hieroglyphics hiding some definite system of occult teachings in accordance with one or another school but they are archetypes of basic concepts occurring in any occult, philosophical or other systems of thought. As a series they also provide an archetypal structure of a ny such system. In other words the archetypes represented by the Major Arcana of the Tarot cards generate systems of ideas in human minds of constitute their "deep structure" upon which al such systems grow and finally appear in their outer form or "surface structure". (the terms "deep" and "surface structure" are borrowed from Chomsky's linguistics which has certain features similar to the qabalah and may have been influenced by it to a certain extent.)
In order to show that the above concept of the Tarot actually works I tried to interpret the Major Arcana from the most unsuspected and surprising point of view, i.e. as representing marxist-revolutionary doctrines. It may sound unbelievable to committed occultists but it works, as would any other system.
Therefore here is, for the first time, the only true and initiated exposition of the doctrines taught by the ancient priests and masters of occult sciences and subsequently entrusted by them to a series of pictures know as the Tarot. Those sages knew the future of our planet and predicted correctly the final phase of the evolution its inhabitants, which is the social-economic formation called communism.
This interpretation is concerned with the popular Marxist theology and does not pretend to expose all its technical details, though it is also possible but would not be understandable to everyone. On the whole the Major Arcana of the Tarot show the development of the working man from his original state of class-unconsciousness to the final victory of communism and achievement of universal class-consciousness. So the card 0. Fool shows the class-unconscious working man, while the remaining cards fall into the three categories: (1) the actual situation at the beginning of the journey, /Arcana I-VI/, (2) the principles underlying future actions /Arcana VII-XV/ and (3) the future development of the situation /Arcana XVI-XXI/. So let us accompany the Fool on his mystic journey of class-consciousness alteration. I will use a the traditional titles of the cards for easy reference, though they do not always correspond to the initiated meaning of the Arcana.
I. The Magician. The Fool (class-unconscious working man), who does not know why his life is so wretched, sooner or later meets an agitator, whose understanding is developed well enough to explain the cause of the working class misery to him. The Fool learns that it is due to four kinds of exploiters who live on his work. These exploiters are:
II. The High Priestess. Intellectual rulers.
III. The Empress. Economical rulers (owners of production means).
IV. The Emperor. Political rulers.
V. The Hierophant. Spiritual rulers (clergy).
VI. The Lovers. The Fool also learns that the only way to oppose the exploitation is to organize with other working men and prepare to take over the power of all the four exploiters. So he joins a circle studying ideological materials from which he learns the basic principles of scientific communism, which are the following:
VII. The Chariot. During the whole of human history the owners of the means of production exploited the workers, who did not possess such means. This basic conflict is the driving force of history and the cause of all social and political revolutions. It is the unconscious unorganized working class that produces all the values which are then used by the ruling classes.
VIII. Fortitude. However, the ruling classes are in fact weak, though they pretend they are strong, because they are far less numerous than the working class. They are nothing else but "paper tigers".
IX. The Hermit. Nevertheless, it is necessary to prepare the revolution in strict conspiracy, because the ruling classes, do not want to loose their positions as exploiters.
X. The Wheel of Fortune. The victory of the revolution is absolutely sure as such is the law of history. Every social-economic formation is succeeded by another one and nothing can prevent it.
XI. Justice. The aim of the revolution is to attain the state of perfect justice and equality for all men.
XII. The Hanged Man. Such justice will be characterized by reversal of moral values and therefore changes in consciousness are necessary. The views of economy, philosophy etc. also have to be reversed.
XIII. Death. Bloodless revolution (or taking over the rule without revolution) is impossible as the exploiters would never give up their privileges.
XIV. Temperance. The basic economical principle of the new order will be "everyone should receive according to their needs".
XV. The Devil. Religion is the bondage created by the ruling classes in order to subordinate the working class. It is "opium for the people".
XVI. The Tower. The first stage of the building the new social system will be the revolution, when the wrath of working people will destroy the citadels of the old system.
XVII. The Star. After the revolution itself comes the period of proletariat dictatorship, which is necessary for establishing and strengthening the workers rulership.
XVIII. The Moon. There is always a threat of counterrevolution and revisionism, which would like to stop the changes and come back tot he previous state or come to terms with the exploiters.
XIX. The Sun. The next stage is that of socialism, which means equality and happiness to all people.
XX. The Last Judgement. In due time all the nations of the world will rise against their exploiters in a universal revolution.
XXI. The Universe. The final stage of social and economic development of mankind will be reached with the formation of communism, which will also be the attainment of absolute class-consciousness by each individual.
This revolution is the final and absolute secret of the Tarot and all the Hermetic Sciences, so far kept in greatest secrecy by the Great Initiate of the Hierarchy and only now revealed to the chosen ones, as the time is ripe. Study these mysteries and learn from them. You should be warned however, that dabbling with them may have grave consequences for you.