Pop Culture Tarot now has an official permanent page. (Also known as Celebrity Tarot, but it's not limited only to celebrities.) And I just made a new card! The Psychonaut.

Inspiration for this one came after reading about the Eight Circuits of Consciousness. The Psychonaut is a pioneer of the mind, pushing the limits of human consciousness to the next level. Like the Spaceman, he seeks out strange new worlds, but instead of using rockets and ships, he travels the universe through psychedelics and/or advanced spiritual disciplines.

He holds a meditative pose, reflecting a state of calm and openness amidst the chaotic beauty of the universe. Deep meditation is one of the ways he is able to reach a higher state of mind. His other tools, situated on either side, include the cannabis plant and the LSD molecule. Smoke wafts up in front of him. It could be coming from a blunt, peyote, or simply incense used as part of his ritual.

He has the face of Roger Waters, former Pink Floyd singer and lyricist. This indicates the impact psychedelics have had on the culture. Even those who do not partake in them directly can experience art and music that the Psychonaut creates from knowledge he has gleaned on his journies.

"See, I think drugs have done some good things for us. I really do, and if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight, take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your cds, and burn them. Cause you know what? The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years... Real fucking high on drugs."

--Bill Hicks, quoted in the Tool song "Third Eye."

The Psychonaut's third eye has opened, giving him vision into the realm of the supernatural. He is guided by the spirit of the shaman, who appears in the upper right.

But not everyone approves of his adventuring. On the upper left, Archon Sam shakes a finger, a stern warning to anyone who might think about following in the Psychonaut's footsteps. If everyone were to gain the knowledge of the Psychonaut, the archon's systems of control and hierarchy would become irrelevant and vanish. Archon Sam must prevent this at all costs, so he wages a never-ending war against the Psychonaut.

However, just because Archon Sam's motivation is corrupt and self-serving does not mean the Psychonaut's path bears no inherent risks or dangers. If he loses focus, he could become so lost in higher realms that his spirit might never find its way back home. If he is weak, he might also become so attached to his tools that all his desires start to focus exclusively on them. This departure is represented by the fading image of Earth. It is positioned at the top to serve as a reminder to the Psychonaut to always remember where he came from, so he can return and share what he finds with others.