The Soul's Code: Awakening Through Archetype, Astrology, and Destiny
- Isha Lerner
- May 18
- 4 min read
~ Isha Lerner
While researching and writing The Inner Child: A Fairy Tale Tarot, I was deeply inspired by the profound connection between Tarot and the mystical language of fairy tales. Layer upon layer of hidden wisdom began to emerge, revealing a lifetime journey into the Soul’s Code, Incarnation, and Destiny.
Recently, I’ve launched a new exploration of human archetypes—especially the 22 Major Arcana cards—as they relate to our biology and genetic coding, using a variety of esoteric and scientific tools. This journey has expanded into the multidimensional realm of epigenetics, which examines the relationship between our genetic profile and the environment, our actions, and choices.
Our very human design is revealed in archetypes—both individual and cultural—that have been cultivated, sustained, and transformed across the ages. The families we are born into, the environments we choose, and the sacred agreements we carry are all encoded within our DNA. Individuation is not isolated; it is part of a greater collective—a universal blueprint that shapes the mystery of cellular communication both spiritually and biologically.
The 22 Major Arcana cards represent the evolutionary path of consciousness that begins at birth and continues beyond. They form a sacred system—perhaps born of stardust, planetary forces, or ancient civilizations still veiled in time. This universal weaving is not separate from everyday life—it is the secret architecture of it. With our birth, we become conscious participants, gradually uncovering insights that illuminate our path toward freedom and joy.
Take, for instance, The Tower card—often associated with sudden liberation, divine intervention, and awakening. In The Inner Child Cards, The Tower is reimagined through the fairy tale of Rapunzel.
Here, Rapunzel is the soul incarnated—captured by an enchantress (the karma of incarnation), held in the tower (a soul initiation), and ultimately liberated when her golden braid is cut (symbolizing the severing of egoic patterns and soul contracts). This golden braid is the code we are each born with.
Rapunzel’s awakening unfolds when she is cast into the desert—abandoned and stripped of all she had known. In this barren landscape, she must rediscover her inner nourishment. This mirrors the Tower phase many experience when transformational transits from outer planets—Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto—form aspects to personal planets like the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, or Mars.
Over years of working with clients using Tarot and karmic astrology (through a method I call Power Mapping), I’ve discovered a threefold pattern at the heart of every archetype and myth:Incarnation, Initiation, and Enchantment.
This sacred triad appears across countless fairy tales and myths—three tasks, three wishes, threefold trials—each a gateway to soul work. It reflects the number three in the Tarot, associated with The Empress, who represents Earth, embodiment, and our connection to the natural world.
The first layer, Incarnation, is symbolized by the Orphan—the soul at the beginning of the journey. This phase is echoed in psychology as the starting point of the Hero’s or Fool’s Journey. The Fool (ruled by Uranus, numbered zero) sets forth with innocence and trust, unaware of what lies ahead.
In fairy tales, the orphan often appears when the mother dies or the child is abandoned. This symbolic “cutting” of the umbilical cord represents the soul's descent to Earth, where it must walk its own path and rediscover meaning. This is the first stage of embodiment.
The second layer, Initiation, brings the challenges that refine and shape the soul. Here, the individual faces trials—remnants of karmic memory or past-life fragments—that must be re-patterned and healed.
This phase is represented by cards such as The Magician, Justice, The Wheel of Fortune, The Hanged One, Death, and Temperance. Through these archetypes, we confront fears, shadow, and limitation—often symbolized by dragons or adversaries—and through this process, empowerment begins to awaken.
The final layer, Enchantment, initiates a phase of miraculous insight and spiritual rebirth. This is when the soul is touched by grace—perhaps through a dream, a teacher, a synchronicity, or a catalyzing event. It is a time when all can change.
Fairy tales capture this moment through transformation: the frog becomes a prince, the kiss awakens the sleeping princess, the genie offers a wish. These stories reflect the breaking of a deep inner spell—an old code that kept us limited.
This phase seeks to embody The World card—a completion and wholeness that includes self-love, creativity, service, and joy. It is here we recognize that even Saturn, often seen as harsh, holds the seed of our joy—a pattern of discipline that becomes freedom.
We are born with a quest for Enchantment—to rediscover the light we carry within. As we awaken, our myth transforms. We return to the essence of Love, Service, and Joy. This is the evolution of The Fool's Journey.
Years of client work inspired the creation of Power Mapping, a method I now offer to those seeking deeper connection with their soul code. It includes identifying Saturn’s placement in the birth chart, its aspects, the North and South Nodes, and their biological resonance with epigenetic patterns.
Through this process, we usher individuals toward their soul tasks, healing, and destiny. Each of us is the protagonist of our own myth—a hero or heroine on the path of spiritual transformation.