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English
Series:
Part 1 of Stargate Tarot
Stats:
Published:
2021-04-15
Completed:
2022-01-21
Words:
490
Chapters:
23/23
Comments:
653
Kudos:
324
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39
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4,268

Stargate Tarot - Major Arcana

Summary:

It's all in the cards.

Notes:

My take on the major arcana of the tarot interpreted through Stargate characters and imagery. I've made other tarot decks, and have been wanting to make one for SGA and SG1 for a while. Made with watercolours, acrylic inks, gouache, coloured pencils, copic markers, and finished digitally.

Chapter 1: The Fool

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Tarot card featuring Sheppard in black uniform tossing a coin, against the multicoloured patterns of Atlantis's stained glass.

 

Meanings: A leap into the unknown, risk-taking, exploration, gaining through loss, new beginnings, potential.

Reversed: problems from recklessness and impulsiveness, foolhardiness.

 

Notes:

In some interpretations, The Fool is the central card of the tarot, and the cycle of the Major Arcana is called "the Fool's journey". John Sheppard's sense of humor, playfulness, and laid-back attitude also make him right for this card.

Chapter 2: The Magician

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

McKay as The Magician, standing on the stargate, cradling a red-gold ZPM and holding up a turquoise crystal. Around him, spiraling deep blue and orange-red patterns of space and planets.

 

Meanings: Knowledge, creativity, the mind, intellect, secrets and mysteries.

Reversed: trickery and illusion, fantasy, lack of will, inability to face reality.

 

Notes:

Rodney McKay as the Magician, holding a ZPM and a control crystal.

Chapter 3: The High Priestess

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Samantha Carter in SG1 uniform holding a glowing gold crystal high with her left hand, cradling a P-90 in her right arm. Above her head is the lower half of the SGC Stargate like the horns of the moon, and around her are pale gold constellation maps and stars. Background is space, glowing with orange, gold, purple and green.

 

Meanings: Arcane knowledge, mysteries, secrets, female power, dualism.

Reversed: Instability, imbalance, lack of wisdom and foresight.

 

Notes:

Sam Carter as the High Priestess of Science - and showing her dual roles.

Chapter 4: The Empress

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Teyla as the Empress, sitting cross-legged in ferns in the forest, the Stargate around her and below it, heaped harvest fruits and vegetables. Her bantos are leaning at one side and she's pregnant, cradling her stomach, and wearing a flower crown

 

Meanings: Fertility, nature, sexuality, beauty, growth, nurturing, patience, maternal power.

Reversed: domestic upheaval, maternal wrath, problems with fertility, alienation.

 

Notes:

Teyla Emmagan as the Empress - her fruitful aspect with just a hint of her warrior side.

Chapter 5: The Emperor

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Jack O'Neill in dress blues at his desk signing Homeworld Security Department papers, with a glowing Earth globe suspended above his upraised left palm. Behind, the SGC stargate, starry space and the Daedalus.

 

Meanings: Authority, power, control, leadership, guidance, protection, trust, respect.

Reversed: power abused, domination, restriction, egocentrism, weakness.

 

Notes:

Jack O'Neill as the Emperor, enthroned in his Homeworld Security role.

Chapter 6: The Hierophant

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Caldwell in his captain's chair on Daedalus in his flightsuit, the SGC stargate and a green scanner pattern behind, Hermiod and Novak below him.

 

Meanings: An interface with authority, conservatism, the establishment, respectability, duty, morality.

Reversed: deception, misinformation, distortion, propaganda, rigidity.

 

Notes:

This one needs a little explanation. In traditional Tarots the Hierophant is a pope with two priestly minions, but this deck is secular so it needs a different interpretation. I've chosen Caldwell as he's the interface for Atlantis with the authority of the SGC and IOA, and his character suited the institutional and bureaucratic aspects of the card. And of course, Caldwell has minions as well.

And here's a version of Caldwell with glowy goa'uld eyes, just for fun.

Chapter 7: The Lovers

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text


John at left, reaching back to haul Rodney behind him with a hand in Rodney's t-shirt. Behind them, starry space, and the Atlantis stargate, encircling Earth, with Jennifer Keller standing on the Earth side of the stargate, glaring at Rodney.

 

Meanings: Strong alliances, love, desire, reciprocity, maturation, moral decisions, choices.

Reversed: a moral lapse, indecision, bad choices.

 

Notes:

I prefer the medieval Marseilles tarot to the Victorian Rider-Waite version, and the older card shows a man between two women, turning away from the older one, possibly his mother, towards a younger woman. I've chosen to use John and Rodney for this card, with Rodney torn between Jennifer and John. It can be shippy, or it could be the decision point when Atlantis returns to Pegasus post-canon, with Jennifer choosing to stay on Earth and Rodney needing to make a decision. Of course, John's not inclined to leave it up to chance. :)

Chapter 8: The Chariot

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Aidan Ford with one black eye and a rifle on his shoulder, in local Pegasus garb, standing in a forest. Behing him is the Stargate and DHD, and a Wraith dart flying away through the gate.


Meanings: Will, drive, ambition, break-through, conquest, determination.

Reversed: struggle for control, self-interest, obsession, ruthlessness, riding rough-shod over others.


Notes:

This depicts just as much the reversed meaning of the card and is a darker take on The Chariot than in most decks - as in canon, Ford's story doesn't end happily. But he was, after all, a guerilla leader who almost single-handedly fought the Wraith, and in better days before he was injured he also had some of the card's main qualities - drive, a love of action and explosive solutions, and the courage and impetuousness to throw himself backward through the wormhole into an unknown galaxy.

Chapter 9: Justice

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Tarot card featuring Richard Woolsey, bald and with glasses, against the multicoloured patterns of Atlantis's stained glass, with the Atlantis Gate above and the city of Atlantis seen through it.

 

Meanings: Justice, retribution, balancing, decision, analysis, severity, intellect.

Reversed: injustice, bias, prejudice, double-dealing, unfairness, coldness.

 

Notes:

I'm using the original Marseilles Tarot sequencing of the cards, with Justice as the 8th card and Strength as the 11th card (these are reversed in the Rider-Waite deck). Richard Woolsey seems appropriate to represent Justice, with his legal training and decision-making position as the expedition's director.

Chapter 10: The Hermit

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

Meanings: Introspection, silence, solitude, inner search, isolation, distance, journey.

Reversed: obstinate self-isolation, turning away from help and advice.

 

Notes:

Ronon as The Hermit - a fiercer choice than in many decks, but Ronon's self-reliance and quiet observation, and his seven years alone as a runner, make him the one for this card.

Chapter 11: The Wheel of Fortune

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Tarot card featuring the Atlantis and SGC Stargates interlocked with the Atlantis one active, and clinging onto the gates are a Wraith, an Iratus bug, a goa'uld and several replicators. The background is space with stars and galaxies.


Meanings: A turning point, good or bad fortune, chance, change, the sudden and unexpected.

Reversed: Bad luck. Fate which has to be endured until one's fortunes turn again.


Notes:

For this card I'm again referencing the Marseilles Tarot card, as that has strange and monstrous creatures rising and falling on the wheel. I see this card as a bit like Pandora's box - there might be all sorts of bad things on the other side of the Stargate, but the glowing blue disk also represents hope.

Chapter 12: Strength

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Teal'c in SGC uniform holding a fluffed up Schrödinger, Sam's ginger cat, with a slight smile. Behind him is a Milky Way stargate set in an alien landscape with a starlit dusk sky and two reddish moons.

 

Meanings: Self-control, patience, mastery, inner strength, fortitude, discipline, resourcefulness.

Reversed: arrogance, excessive force, defeat, surrender, loss of confidence.

 

Notes:

In most Tarot versions the figure in the Strength card is mastering a lion, but Teal'c doesn't have anything to prove so he gets a smaller feline. Also, there's a sad lack of pets in Stargate canon apart from Sam and Rodney's cats, so this was an excuse to rectify that. ETA: some people commenting have mentioned that the cat Teal'c's holding could well be a fluffed up Schrödinger (Sam's marmalade cat). As Bob Ross says, a happy little accident.

Chapter 13: The Hanged Man

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Carson Beckett upside down suspended in stasis chamber centrally, surrounded by images of John Sheppard with blue scales, blonde scientist with a retort (Perna of Hoff), Carson in midst of the explosion, and Michael (part-Wraith).

 

Meanings: Waiting, endurance, suspension, renunciation, making amends, sacrifice, gaining understanding, acceptance.

Reversed: unresolved issues, resistance, inner struggle, giving up, passivity, stagnation.

 

Notes:

A complicated one this time, featuring Carson Beckett - I've shown him hanging in stasis with the chamber upside down as a nod to the traditional card. Surrounding the chamber are his disasters and tragedies: Perna and the Hoffan virus, Sheppard transforming into a bug, part-Wraith Michael, and original Carson in the fatal explosion. In canon, clone-Carson ends up working as a doctor in the villages of Pegasus, trying to make amends for problems caused by the viruses he engineered, so together with the stasis imagery, he seemed suitable for this card.

Chapter 14: Death

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Todd the Wraith as Death, kneeling over Sheppard who's been life-sucked and is an old, wrinkled man. Around and behind them is open red earth with clumps of grass and a dark river, and in the distance a glowing stargate amid forest, against a dawn or sunset sky.

 

Meanings: Ending and regeneration, necessary loss and change, death and rebirth, transitions.

Reversed: loss as a blow from fate, resistance to change, devastation, destructive grief.

 

Notes:

John Sheppard with Todd the Wraith as Death, taking and restoring life - the sky behind them can be either dawn or sunset. The German meaning of Todd's name especially fits this card.

Chapter 15: Temperance

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Lorne sitting at his desk with stained glass behind him and on the wall his painting of Atlantis and one of the Stargate. He's pouring two mugs of coffee from a carafe, and his desk has files, a pen and a life signs detector on it.

 

Meanings: balance, moderation, security, equilibrium, synthesis, conflict resolution, healing from the arts.

Reversed: imbalance, clumsiness and ineptitude, conflict, passivity.

 

Notes:

Evan Lorne oiling the wheels of Atlantis by making coffees for his boss and Dr. McKay while they thrash out the mission schedule. He's an important behind-the-scenes moderator for the Atlantis expedition in his role as Sheppard's 2IC.

Chapter 16: The Devil

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Acastus Kolya - a harsh-looking older man, mostly in a green-russet Genii uniform and cap. Three vignettes - centrally, he's clutching Elizabeth Weir in front of the Atlantis stargate, above, he's on a radio with tortured and bleeding McKay at left, furious Sheppard at right yelling into a radio. Below, a smirking Kolya oversees Todd the Wraith draining Sheppard of lifeforce.


Meanings: The unbridled id causing consciously driven aggression, abuse, greed, addiction, lust. Cruelty, bigotry, self-indulgence, delight in making others hurt and afraid, the Shadow.

Reversed: unconscious cruelty, abusive behaviour driven by repressed rage, lust, narcissism and need for power. Being trapped in the dark side of one's id due to denial and lack of self-knowledge.

Notes:

Acastus Kolya representing The Devil - in this case, the aggressive, cruel part of the id, although fandom's certainly been known to explore both aspects of Kolya.

Chapter 17: The Tower

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Atlantis's Central Tower, and below it Elizabeth Weir in a dark red top, outlined in red fire, arching as she's struck by the Replicator energy beam. Bright explosion lines radiate out from the strike, and below are portraits of John and Rodney looking angry and unhappy.

 

Meanings: Chaos, crisis, a blow from fate. Disruption, forced change, natural disaster.

Reversed: self-induced downfall and ruin. Unnecessary suffering. 


Notes:

The Central Tower of Atlantis and Elizabeth Weir, struck by the Replicator beam. Below, John and Rodney argue about Rodney's decision to inject Elizabeth with nanites.

Chapter 18: The Star

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Purplish-blue space filled with colored stars and planets with the city of Atlantis above, a star-shape in space in an oval shield. Below, Radek Zelenka sitting on top of the stargate holding his laptop and a large spanner.


Meanings: Hope, peace, harmony, promise, selflessness, renewal, rejuvenation, a new life.

Reversed: rigidity and lack of change, insecurity, lack of trust, hidden dangers.


Notes:

The Star, represented by the star-shape of the city and by Radek Zelenka, the largely unsung science and engineering hero of Atlantis.

Chapter 19: The Moon

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Night scene with Kate Heightmeyer's face looking down from the silver-gold moon and many spiraling silver stars. Below, two gray-silver Ancient towers with dark green hills behind and a winding road off into the distance. In the foreground, a dark lake with a blue Stargate on the far bank and the blue-green face of Teyla as a Wraith queen in the water looking up.


Meanings: Intuition and the unconscious, grappling with hidden forces and motives, dreams and mysteries.

Reversed: Deception, paranoia, nightmares, paralysis due to fears and fantasies. Doubts, fear of change.


Notes:

The Moon is represented by Kate Heightmeyer above, and by Teyla as a Wraith queen, below in the depths.

Chapter 20: The Sun

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Team AR1 on the mess hall balcony in the sun, sitting around a table with drinks. Torren stands beside Teyla on a chair and her arm is around him. In the sky is a full stargate with a yellow-white sun inside it.


Meanings: Happiness, optimism, success against all odds, refuge after peril, a well-earned reward.

Reversed: overconfidence, complacency, fantasies replacing real achievement.


Notes:

Team AR1 and Torren for The Sun card, taking a well-earned break on the mess hall's balcony. Rodney is, of course, wearing plenty of sunblock.

Chapter 21: Judgement

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Daniel Jackson ascending, surrounded by streamers of translucent white light. Oma Desala watches, smiling, and below her is Sha're. Below them, General Hammond on the left, and on the right, Janet Fraiser. Across the base are Teal'c, Jack O'Neill, and Sam Carter, grieving.


Meanings: Judgment, acceptance, redemption, a new beginning, the resolution of past actions and experiences, karma, transformation, spiritual awareness.

Reversed: grief and guilt about people, things, and opportunities lost. Retribution.


Notes:

Who else for this card but Daniel Jackson? Not only because of his ascensions, but also as he can be a bit judgy.

Chapter 22: The World

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Deep blue background with both Stargates joined in. Figure eight moebius strip, Atlantis star floorplan inside top loop, Earth inside lower loop. At the edges, head and shoulder portraits of team AR1 and team SG1.

 

 

Meanings: Final and successful completion, culmination, accomplishment, the ending of a cycle of destiny, coming full circle, unity, integration.

Reversed: stagnation, fixity, lack of necessary change, fragmentation.

 

Notes:

Rather than having a figure dancing in space I've combined the Stargates into a möbius infinity symbol with Atlantis and Earth, and of course, teams AR1 and SG1. This is the last card in this work, and after a short pause I'll start posting the next work in the series - the 16 court cards of this tarot deck.

Chapter 23: The Greater Arcana

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

 

Notes:

Couldn't resist doing a wrap-up chapter with all the major trumps. Click on each for the full-sized card.
Just to mention that one convention I invented for the Greater Arcana was to include a Stargate in every card. I won't stick to that for the rest of the deck, but I'll incorporate other symbolic systems for the four suits. Note that I haven't done alt text for the images on this page - the alt text description of each card is in the chapter posts.

Series this work belongs to: