The Archetype and The Tarot: The Exorcist and The World
Through the Exorcist and The World, this week we’re being called to de-possess something from within us that’s had a hold on us for too long. Can we untangle ourselves from this spirit once and for all?
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The Exorcist Archetype
If you’re like me, the name of this archetype conjures images of projectile pea soup, and demon-filled homes in Amityville. Pop culture has filled our minds with the notion of the Exorcist doing battle against evil forces. But I think the Exorcist archetype is actually much more nuanced than that.
This archetype is all about mastering the realm of possession. What exactly is possession anyway? Those horror movies I mentioned above show innocent victims being overtaken by evil entities. But that is only one kind of possession. At its essence, possession simply means being controlled by something, or a spirit having ownership of us. This can be anything, really. In fact, in many ways, possession is our default state. We are controlled by the spirits of thoughts, ideas and beliefs; and by those of our bodily functions and emotions (maybe most especially, by our fears).
Being possessed isn’t inherently a problematic thing. For example, we can become possessed by states of joy that move us to the heights of ecstasy. Or maybe the spirit of social justice takes over our entire being and put us on a path of activism. When we channel guidance through ourselves and into the world, we are temporarily possessed by the spirit of Wisdom.
It can become an issue, though, when the thing that possess us (be it a dark entity or our own mindset) is harmful to ourselves or others; or when the fabric of who we are becomes so entangled and enmeshed with the thing that we lose ourselves entirely.
The Exorcist is the pattern that has the ability to notice when we’ve gotten ourselves tangled up this way and can then get us untangled. The word Exorcist comes to us from the Greek word that means ‘to get out from an oath’, or, ‘to become free of that which binds us.’ When we draw this card, I believe we’re being asked to pay attention to what is possessing us and determine if it needs to be removed.
In the light, the Exorcist has honed an ability to discern what is possessing us. This one can see what has control of us and name it. It can then assess whether removing the entity is the best course of action and proceed with the steps needed for de-possession. The Exorcist in the light acts from a place of service, love, and relating well. They are thorough, efficient, and good at what they do. Moreover, they have the strength to do this work and not be taken over themselves. Most of the time, the Exorcist in the light is so efficient that we don’t even notice them. Whenever we are returned to our natural state after having been filled up with something else, we know our inner Exorcist is at work.
In the shadow, the Exorcist gets an external sense of power from this work and seeks to dominate, or even destroy, the possessing force. They might take on the role of Judge and declare that everything that possesses us is evil and must be driven out. This can look like trying to force ourselves to become something we’re not (to drive out our true nature/our own soul). In this way, it can be the voice of the shadow Exorcist that is the source of our deepest shame. On the other side, the Exorcist in the shadow might just not be very good at de-possessing, and so they step back and allow any and all forces to take over.
Some questions to consider this week:
What feelings come up when you think about the word ‘possession’?
How does possession differ from addiction?
In what situations have you enjoyed being possessed?
What are some ways you can practice de-possession within a framework of relating well?
The World
In this card, we see a laurel wreath surrounding a naked, dancing person who is twirling two wands. This feels at once celebratory and victorious. There is a definite feel of: “We made it!” Although some of it is subtle, this card includes symbols or colors from other major arcana cards, like the tetramorph heads in the corners echoing The Wheel of Fortune card; or the double-tipped wand in the figure’s hands echoing The Magician.
Perhaps more significantly, this is the last card of the major arcana. It marks the end of the journey for The Fool (at least for the current cycle). The Fool has been through every step of their spiritual journey and, despite hardships, obstacles, having to retrace steps along the way, etc. they’ve made it to an end point. There is certainly reason to celebrate in that.
Given all of that, what I believe The World represents is the return in the hero’s journey. As laid out by Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey begins with a separation, when a person leaves the world they’ve always known. They then go through an initiation and ordeal, which makes up the bulk of the journey. At long last, they return home at end of the cycle. But the key to the whole process is that they don’t return to the way things were. They go back home having been forever changed by their journey, and they use their new perspective to make home a more fulfilling place.
This is the call of The World card: now that we’ve reached the end of a cycle, how will we bring forth our wisdom to better the world around us?
How does this pair work together?
What I see here is that we have come to the end of something in our lives, but it is still taking up residence within us. Despite its having ended, we can’t quite detach ourselves from it. Then the Exorcist comes in and—gently and proficiently—untangles us from this thing and sends it on its way.
How can we tap into the power of the Exorcist to become de-possessed from a cycle that has ended in our lives? How can we untangle ourselves from it so that we can bring the wisdom we gained from it into the world?
This feels like another heavy week of introspection. As always, go gently and practice kindness with yourself in this work. I look forward to hearing how you all do with it, please let me know in the comments below.
I suspect many others feel the same way - are you sure you aren’t writing these to me? 👁️ I feel very seen.
Awareness has been coming online for me over the past few months about how harshly I am judging myself for my feelings. And especially how I act in response to undesirable or uncomfortable feelings. I’m heaping lots of shame and judgement on myself. And as I read this post I heard the Exorcist knocking gently, asking if I’m ready to be extricated from the devil’s knot I have wound myself into.
I just had an excellent astrology reading where she said that my Aries Sun and Mercury in Aries indicate that I am meant to learn how to feel anger AND express it during this lifetime. I went around vomiting my anger on people for a long time, and then I developed awareness and wanted to stop doing that, so I’m coming out of several years that were focused on trying to suppress or eliminate anger entirely. The Exorcist is calling me to feel and experience the fullness of my own experience, to own and honor the richness of my felt and lived experience. To live without apology for the amount of space I take up, to take responsibility for myself but not to stifle or flay myself for being a human who contains multitudes.
Oh this is just perfect, Jenna.
It is my birthday week and I am being very conscious of what I have been hanging onto - fears, worries, angers, resentments, low self esteem etc...things that now no longer serve me and my vision. These cards are perfect for me at the moment - to release possession of those things that no longer serve me and to step back into my world feeling lighter and stronger, a new version of me, a stronger wiser version of me.
Thank you, Jenna. 🙏💜✨