Jeng-zai

Hexarchate Tarot (Jeng-Zai Deck)

For jeng-zai divination spreads, see the Machineries of Tarot web app (cards/meanings by Yoon Ha Lee, programming/spreads by Stephanie G. Folse).

Major Arcana

• 1. The Novice
  • Meaning: New beginnings. Innocence.
  • Reversed: Ignorance. Walking into disaster.

• 2. The Poet
  • Meaning: Praise. Finding the right words. The arts.
  • Reversed: Lamentations. At a loss for words.

• 3. The Inquisitor
  • Meaning: Adherence to law. Upright morals.
  • Reversed: Weak-willed. Criminal temptations.

• 4. The Hexarch
  • Meaning: Power. Mastery of those around you.
  • Reversed: Falling short of your goals.

• 5. The Pyre
  • Meaning: Destruction. Bad luck.
  • Reversed: Self-sacrifice. Loyalty.

• 6. The Mathematician
  • Meaning: The fundamental order of the universe. Power over the natural world.
  • Reversed: Disorder. Natural disaster.

• 7. The Courtesan
  • Meaning: Luxury and wealth. Romance. Pleasurable conversation.
  • Reversed: Lack of social connection. Poverty. Loneliness.

• 8. The Drowned General:
  • Meaning: Disaster. Failure through hubris.
  • Reversed: Ambition. A high-risk, high-gain gamble.

• 9. The Soldier
  • Meaning: Conquest. Success through physical strength.
  • Reversed: Weakness. Ill health.

• 10. The Scholar
  • Meaning: Meditation. Pursuit of knowledge.
  • Reversed: Frivolity.

• 11. The Spinning Coin
  • Meaning: Chance. Good luck.
  • Reversed: Rigidity. Instability.

• 12. The Magistrate
  • Meaning: Austerity. Determining the fate of others.
  • Reversed: Self-indulgence. Lack of influence.

• 13. The Dragon-Horse
  • Meaning: Travel to faraway place. Rapid movement.
  • Reversed: Stagnation. Besieged.

• 14. Death
  • Meaning: Transformation. The cycle of existence.
  • Reversed: Decay. Festering.

• 15. The Heretic
  • Meaning: Ruination. Heterodoxy.
  • Reversed: Precarious situation. Proceed with caution.

• 16. The Empty Hand
  • Meaning: Potential for advancement. New possibilities opening up.
  • Reversed: Trapped in your current position. Misunderstandings.

• 17. The Feast
  • Meaning: Success in material matters. An upcoming honor.
  • Reversed: Lack of recognition for your work. Struggling to make ends meet.

• 18. The Star
  • Meaning: Clarity. Hope.
  • Reversed: Despair. Calamity. Confusion.

• 19. The Moon
  • Meaning: Illusion. Self-deception. Wishful thinking.
  • Reversed: Comfort. Self-knowledge.

• 20. The Fortress
  • Meaning: Protection. Strength in numbers.
  • Reversed: Isolation. Vulnerability.

• 21. Judgment
  • Meaning: Remembrance.
  • Reversed: Crisis.

• 22. The Wheel of Worlds
  • Meaning: Completion. Harmony with your surroundings.
  • Reversed: Emptiness. Disconnect. Lack of rapport.

Gears

• G1. Ace of Gears
  • Meaning: Change in the natural world.
  • Reversed: Stagnation in the natural world. Lack of opportunity.

• G2. Deuce of Gears
  • Meaning: A cog in the machine. Pawn of powers beyond your control.
  • Reversed: Devious plans. Breaking past the boundaries of what is thought possible.

• G3. Three of Gears
  • Meaning: Celebration of the world's riches.
  • Reversed: Poverty. Turned away from something you want.

• G4. Four of Gears
  • Meaning: An opportunity has passed you by. Instability in the natural world.
  • Reversed: The chance to build something concrete.

• G5. Five of Gears
  • Meaning: An opportunity at the cost of struggle. Colliding ambitions.
  • Reversed: Conflict with peers.

• G6. Six of Gears
  • Meaning: Material gains. Wealth.
  • Reversed: Bad investments. Poor planning.

• G7. Seven of Gears
  • Meaning: In danger of losing your wealth.
  • Reversed: Risky investments.

• G8. Eight of Gears
  • Meaning: Obstacles to advancement. Hard work ahead.
  • Reversed: Small reward for a lot of work.

• G9. Nine of Gears
  • Meaning: Recovery from hard work.
  • Reversed: Working at a disadvantage.

• G10. Ten of Gears
  • Meaning: Too many burdens. Being taken advantage of by others.
  • Reversed: Unexpected breakthrough.

• G11. Page of Gears
  • Meaning: Prosperity if you seize the opportunity. A reliable friend.
  • Reversed: Lost chance. Unreliable partner.

• G12. Knight of Gears
  • Meaning: You must keep your world in balance to hold onto your gains. An engineer.
  • Reversed: Plans thrown askew by an unexpected event.

• G13. Master of Gears
  • Meaning: Material wealth. Seeking balance. A student of the natural world.
  • Reversed: Wealth slipping away. The envy of others.

• G14. Book of Gears
  • Meaning: Victory through precision. Calculated perfection.
  • Reversed: Chaos. Lack of harmony. Poorly thought-out plans.

Doors

• D1. Ace of Doors
  • Meaning: A sudden change of position or action.
  • Reversed: Refusal to consider the options.

• D2. Deuce of Doors
  • Meaning: At a crossroads. Two opposing possibilities.
  • Reversed: Indecision. Stagnation. Trapped.

• D3. Three of Doors
  • Meaning: An opportunity to be remembered for your actions.
  • Reversed: Ignominy. Being disregarded.

• D4. Four of Doors
  • Meaning: A path beyond which there is no returning. Being backed into a corner.
  • Reversed: Separation from your allies.

• D5. Five of Doors
  • Meaning: Retreat. Fleeing the field of battle.
  • Reversed: Finding shelter. Temporary respite.

• D6. Six of Doors
  • Meaning: Many fruitful opportunities.
  • Reversed: Overwhelmed by possibilities.

• D7. Seven of Doors
  • Meaning: Labyrinth. Betrayal. Confusion.
  • Reversed: Finding out more than you wanted to know.

• D8. Eight of Doors
  • Meaning: Victim. Many doors but no way out.
  • Reversed: The compassion of a stranger. An unexpected rescue.

• D9. Nine of Doors
  • Meaning: Unwanted responsibility. You regret the path you took to get here.
  • Reversed: Evading responsibility.

• D10. Ten of Doors
  • Meaning: From every door a death, from every mouth a maw. Utter defeat.
  • Reversed: A narrow escape.

• D11. Page of Doors
  • Meaning: Exploration. An inquisitive friend.
  • Reversed: Getting lost. A wrong turn taken.

• D12. Knight of Doors
  • Meaning: Charging ahead. A decisive person.
  • Reversed: Wrong course of action. Impulsivity.

• D13. Master of Doors
  • Meaning: Avoidance of outright battle. A person who understands the entire situation.
  • Reversed: Fatalism. Surrender.

• D14. Book of Doors
  • Meaning: Victory by understanding different paths to success. A map of the situation is at hand.
  • Reversed: Fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. Obfuscation.

Roses

• R1. Ace of Roses
  • Meaning: A sudden change of heart.
  • Reversed: Apathy.

• R2. Deuce of Roses
  • Meaning: Celebration. Happy memories.
  • Reversed: Disappointment. Avoidance of the past.

• R3. Three of Roses
  • Meaning: Lovers or companions. Pleasure.
  • Reversed: Divorce. Lack of rapport.

• R4. Four of Roses
  • Meaning: Depression. Lack of fulfillment.
  • Reversed: Daydreaming. Lost in your hopes.

• R5. Five of Roses
  • Meaning: Temporary gloom.
  • Reversed: Unstable mood.

• R6. Six of Roses
  • Meaning: Joy. Fulfillment.
  • Reversed: Unhappiness. Lack of friends.

• R7. Seven of Roses
  • Meaning: Temptation. Risk without reward.
  • Reversed: Caution. Second-guessing yourself.

• R8. Eight of Roses
  • Meaning: Bitter lessons.
  • Reversed: Failure to learn better.

• R9. Nine of Roses.
  • Meaning: Self-indulgence. Complacency.
  • Reversed: Lack of self-control.

• R10. Ten of Roses
  • Meaning: Community. Accomplishment.
  • Reversed: Failure. Brooding.

• R11. Page of Roses
  • Meaning: Amusement. A friend who listens well.
  • Reversed: Irony. Sarcasm. Someone who ignores you.

• R12. Knight of Roses
  • Meaning: Pride. An artisan.
  • Reversed: Pride goes before a fall.

• R13. Master of Roses
  • Meaning: Emotional self-control. A calm person.
  • Reversed: A manipulator.

• R14. Book of Roses
  • Meaning: An artistic performance. Good aesthetic judgment. Emotional responsiveness.
  • Reversed: Tawdriness. Rigidity.

Eyes

• E1. Ace of Eyes
  • Meaning: A sudden change of opinion.
  • Reversed: Stubbornness. Clinging to an outdated plan.

• E2. Deuce of Eyes
  • Meaning: Paradox. Confusion.
  • Reversed: Insight. Wisdom.

• E3. Three of Eyes
  • Meaning: Illusion. You wonder about a difficult situation.
  • Reversed: Harsh reality. No way out.

• E4. Four of Eyes
  • Meaning: Destructive obsession. Paralysis.
  • Reversed: Focus. Intense concentration produces insight.

• E5. Five of Eyes
  • Meaning: Meditation. Generation of ideas.
  • Reversed: Disorganized ideas. Distraction.

• E6. Six of Eyes
  • Meaning: Generosity. Collaboration.
  • Reversed: Selfishness. Squandered opportunity.

• E7. Seven of Eyes
  • Meaning: Stuck in destructive patterns of thought. Lack of wisdom.
  • Reversed: Constructive thinking. A plan comes clear.

• E8. Eight of Eyes
  • Meaning: The importance of being well-prepared.
  • Reversed: Trying to prepare for the wrong things.

• E9. Nine of Eyes
  • Meaning: Prevailing through cunning. The wisdom that comes with age.
  • Reversed: Too clever for your own good. Counterproductive scheming.

• E10. Ten of Eyes
  • Meaning: Knowledge. Inspiration.
  • Reversed: Copying others' ideas. Lack of originality.

• E11. Page of Eyes
  • Meaning: Optimism. Keeping your eyes open. A knowledgeable friend.
  • Reversed: Pessimism. Too much information or misinformation.

• E12. Knight of Eyes
  • Meaning: Working toward a goal. A strategist.
  • Reversed: Your plans collapse under their own weight.

• E13. Master of Eyes
  • Meaning: Self-understanding. An expert in their field.
  • Reversed: Self-deception.

• E14. Book of Eyes
  • Meaning: Supreme insight. Overcoming obstacles through knowledge.
  • Reversed: Blindness. Lack of understanding. Obscurity.