Taylor Swift’s Journey Through the Tarot: Reclaiming Her Masters & Artistic Evolution
Taylor Swift has come up in my blog a few times now. I can’t say that I have a huge fan of her music, but I can appreciate what she has accomplished in her lifetime. Taylor Swift’s re-recordings and her fight for ownership of her masters are incredibly significant, both for her as an artist and for the music industry as a whole. It’s a powerful narrative that absolutely resonates with major Tarot archetypes. Let’s dive into Taylor Swift‘s discography through the lens of the Tarot, focusing on her journey of reclaiming her narrative and her art. This whole “Taylor’s Version” project is a massive act of The Emperor and Justice, among many other cards.
Her original albums reflect a specific time in her life and career, while the “Taylor’s Version” releases represent a mature artist looking back, re-owning, and solidifying her power and legacy. Recently Taylor Swift has gone on to purchase the rights to her original catalog, regaining ownership of her masters.
Here’s how her major albums connect with key Tarot archetypes in this transformative journey:
The Era of Reclaiming Her Catalog (The “Taylor’s Version” Journey)
Taylor Swift (Debut) (2006)
- Tarot Connection: The Fool
- Explanation: This album is her fresh start, the launch of a remarkable career. Like The Fool, she embarks on an unknown path with optimism, innocence, and boundless potential, taking a daring leap of faith into the music industry. It’s the pure beginning of her story, full of undeveloped possibilities.
Fearless (2008) / Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- Tarot Connection: The Chariot (Original) / Justice (Taylor’s Version)
- Explanation (Original): Fearless showcases her burgeoning ambition and youthful drive to navigate the world of love and fame. It embodies The Chariot, representing willpower, determination, and the victory achieved through focused self-control and moving forward with purpose, navigating both personal and career paths.
- Explanation (Taylor’s Version): As the first “Taylor’s Version” album released, Fearless (TV) marked the public initiation of her monumental re-recording project. This act is a direct embodiment of Justice. It’s about balancing the scales, seeking fairness, righting a perceived wrong, and taking decisive action based on integrity and truth. It set the precedent for her ultimate reclamation.
Speak Now (2010) / Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
- Tarot Connection: The Empress (Original) / Queen of Wands (Taylor’s Version)
- Explanation (Original): Speak Now, famously self-written, is a testament to Taylor’s blossoming creative power and independence as a songwriter. It connects with The Empress, symbolizing abundant creativity, nurturing one’s art, and bringing forth projects through fertile imagination and artistic expression.
- Explanation (Taylor’s Version): The re-recording of Speak Now saw a mature artist revisiting her self-penned work. This aligns with the Queen of Wands, who represents self-assured confidence, charismatic leadership, passionate creativity, and an independent spirit fully in command of her artistic domain. She is not just creating, but powerfully owning her creative fire.
Red (2012) / Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- Tarot Connection: The Lovers (Original) / The Hermit (Taylor’s Version)
- Explanation (Original): Red is a whirlwind of intense emotions, reflecting significant choices and passionate connections. It captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of love and heartbreak. This aligns with The Lovers, representing pivotal choices, navigating relationships, exploring personal values, and the passionate, often complex, connections that profoundly shape us.
- Explanation (Taylor’s Version): The release of Red (Taylor’s Version), particularly with the 10-minute “All Too Well,” brought a profound sense of mature wisdom and reflection to the album’s raw emotions. This embodies The Hermit. The Hermit represents deep introspection, seeking wisdom from past experiences, shining a light on hidden truths, and gaining profound insights from a period of intense personal growth and reflection.
1989 (2014) / 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
- Tarot Connection: The Sun (Original) / The World (Taylor’s Version)
- Explanation (Original): 1989 marked a huge pivot to pop and brought unprecedented global success and immense public adoration. It felt like a truly bright, joyful, and liberating era. This resonates with The Sun, symbolizing radiant success, optimism, public celebration, vitality, and being undeniably in the spotlight.
- Explanation (Taylor’s Version): The re-recording of 1989 represented a major culmination in her re-recording efforts, completing the most commercially successful of her albums. This embodies The World, signifying completion, fulfillment, integration of past and present success, mastery of her craft, and achieving global recognition and celebration on her own terms. It’s a testament to her full circle journey and enduring impact.
Reputation (2017) / Reputation (Taylor’s Version) (Upcoming)
- Tarot Connection: The Tower (Original) / Judgement (Taylor’s Version – Conceptual)
- Explanation (Original): Reputation emerged from a period of intense public backlash, scandal, and a perceived “cancellation.” It represented a dramatic shattering of her public image and a raw, defensive response to the chaos and betrayal. This is a powerful connection to The Tower, symbolizing sudden, destructive upheaval, the tearing down of old structures (her public persona), and revelations that shake foundations to their core.
- Explanation (Taylor’s Version – Conceptual): While Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is yet to be released, its anticipated arrival carries immense symbolic weight. This re-recording will be the ultimate act of reclaiming her narrative from that tumultuous period. It aligns perfectly with Judgement, which represents resurrection, a spiritual awakening, a call to account for past wrongs, a final decision or truth being definitively revealed, and the ultimate clearing of one’s name. It will be the powerful re-statement of her reputation on her own terms, achieving ultimate vindication.
The Era of Owned Masters & Artistic Evolution
These albums represent a new chapter where Taylor Swift owned her masters from the moment of creation, allowing for complete creative freedom and direct control over her work.
Lover (2019)
- Tarot Connection: The Star
- Explanation: Released after the turbulent Reputation era and marking her move to a new label, Lover feels like a breath of fresh air, imbued with hope, healing, and a return to vibrant color and overt romance. This connects with The Star, which represents renewed hope, spiritual connection, inspiration, healing after hardship, and finding serenity and purpose. It signifies a moment of receiving blessings and clarity after a dark period.
folklore (2020)
- Tarot Connection: The Moon
- Explanation: A surprise release that delved into fictional narratives, introspection, and a more atmospheric, indie-folk sound. folklore explores hidden depths, past mysteries, and the power of imagination. This aligns with The Moon, which represents intuition, the subconscious, dreams, hidden truths, and the evocative power of storytelling. It embraces mystery and the exploration of the unseen.
evermore (2020)
- Tarot Connection: The Queen of Swords
- Explanation: Often considered a “sister album” to folklore, evermore continues the rich narrative songwriting, but with a sharper, more mature, and often melancholic clarity. It demonstrates a refined ability to dissect complex emotions and situations with piercing insight. This connects with the Queen of Swords. She embodies sharp intellect and independent thought. She values honest communication. Her wisdom cuts through illusion. That clarity often comes from experience—and sometimes from pain.
Midnights (2022)
- Tarot Connection: The High Priestess
- Explanation: Her tenth studio album, Midnights delves into the secrets and stories of sleepless nights, anxiety, and deep introspection. It’s about unspoken thoughts, hidden desires, and the wisdom found in solitude and the quiet hours. This aligns with The High Priestess. Who represents intuition, secrets, hidden knowledge, the subconscious mind, and the wisdom that comes from listening to one’s inner voice and embracing the unknown.
The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
- Tarot Connection: The Ten of Swords
- Explanation: This album is a raw, often sardonic, and deeply personal exploration of heartbreak, grief, and the public scrutiny of personal pain. It represents hitting emotional rock bottom and the painful, yet ultimately necessary, end of a significant cycle. This powerfully resonates with the Ten of Swords. Which depicts a painful ending, hitting a low point, complete exhaustion, and the culmination of suffering. Often leading to a forced surrender that paves the way for new beginnings and the slow process of healing.
Taylor Swift’s discography—especially her re-recordings—mirrors the journey of the Tarot. It begins with innocence and ambition. It grows into creative self-expression and deep introspection. There are moments of radiant success and devastating upheaval. Ultimately, it becomes a triumphant story of reclaiming truth, power, and artistic freedom.
Do you see any new Tarot connections in her music? Share your thoughts!
You can find other Singers/Songwriters in this Series here.