The Next Volume
What’s next for The Chalice according to The World.
“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.”
– Tom Stoppard
It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of the Major Arcana. When I started this blog, my goal was to examine each card with a discerning eye, focusing on the artistic details, nuances, and hidden visual secrets within the four corners of each card. While that approach worked for a few of the initial entries, I found myself more drawn to sharing anecdotes—revisiting these archetypes and presenting them in a more conversational and, hopefully, meaningful way for you.
Reflection is one of the most common buzzwords in conversations about the cards. So many of us have been conditioned to speak in vague, flowery language that it can be difficult to extract any real reflective meaning from our readings, whether for ourselves or others. What I value about connecting personal life events to each card is the desire to make my readings helpful, practical, and, most importantly, clear and actionable. What’s the point of having what I consider to be the most accurate depiction of the human experience at our fingertips if we don’t make any moves when seeking guidance for our own lives? It’s like owning a beautiful couture gown and never wearing it, or having the keys to a fantastic sports car and never driving it. We owe it to ourselves to make the most of the insights the cards offer and put that wisdom into action.
XXI. The Worlds. Clockwise from top left: Carnival at the End of the World, Pagan Otherworlds, Tarot for All Ages, Smith-Waite Centennial, The Dreamkeepers Tarot.
As we come to the end of this exploration, I want to take a moment to reflect—and more importantly, to consider what could be next for The Chalice. While I don’t plan to do more deep dives into specific cards, I’d like to maintain a tone that’s light and bright, much like The World. This journey through these posts has given me a clearer understanding of what I’m passionate about, and what I truly want to pursue—not just within these writings, but in what comes next for me.
When The World appears in a reading, whether for myself or others, it invites reflection on our evolution and, perhaps more importantly, our upcoming revolution. If we’re all writing the story of our lives, The World encourages us not just to turn the page for the next chapter, but to pick up the next volume entirely. Where do we want to take the story? Where do we want to take control? Where do we want to let go? These are important questions that help us make sense of where we’ve been, and guide us toward where we want to go.
Personally, I don’t consider The Fool to be the “beginning” of the Major Arcana, but rather a figure who is both everything and nothing, traveling through the domains ruled by the other 21 cards. Instead, I see The Magician as the true beginning—a start grounded in instinctual pragmatism that sparks the story before him. Though he stands on Earth, he raises his hand to the heavens to draw down the unseen powers of the Universe, channeling them to the ground below. He is grounded. He is stable. He is in control.
XXI. The World created with the help of artificial intelligence.
When we compare The Magician to The World, we can’t help but notice similarities (magic wands, the presence of the four elements, a lemniscate), but also stark contrasts (robes vs. nudity, two wands vs. one, feet on the ground vs. in the air). What are we to make of these? There’s a significant thread of continuity between where we started and where we’ve ended. The World offers us the gift of looking back on our growth and considering not only the changes we want to make, but also the thoughts, ideas, and actions we wish to hold on to.
With that said, this journey isn’t just for me, but for you as well. If there are any topics, cards, practices, or general thoughts you’d like me to explore, please let me know. I want The Chalice to be as much your space as it is mine—a world where we can explore the ever-evolving nature of these illustrious 78 cards together.
In the meantime, I’ll be taking a much-needed break to gather my thoughts—and yours too.
—Nick
Take a spin through a mini-playlist inspired by The World—tunes for reflection, evolution, and the next adventure.
Listen HERE