From: "Rai" 
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Three Major Arcana walk into a bar...

Three major Arcana walked into a dark and crowded bar: The Heirophant, the 
Magician and The Fool. 

They sat down at a table and Temperance served them a pitcher of Mai Tais 
while a tipsy Empress greeted each one with a big hug and kiss. The Fool 
couldn't help but notice a robed woman seated in the corner. In front of her 
was a large dark brown box surrounded by a glowing sphere of light which was 
hovering above the table. 

"What's that!?" asked the Fool in wonder. "That,"
declared the Devil at the 
end of the bar as he lit another cigarette, "that is addictive." 

The three Majors decided to go and get a closer look. The mysterious woman 
introduced herself simply as the High Priestess. The Magician was the first 
to notice that the box had a door on top and mentioned it to his friends. 

"What's inside?" asked the Heirophant "LIFE," replied
the High Priestess. 

"What is LIFE?" the Magician queried. "Oh" sighed the
Star wistfully as she 
wandered over to the group, "it's anything you want it to be." 


"I like that," said the Fool. 

The Magician looked at the surface of the table in front of the High 
Priestess and saw 78 cards spread out. Before he could open his mouth, the 
Priestess said "KEYS." 

"Ahhhh," deduced the Magician, "these keys open the way to
Life. I wonder 
how it works!" 

"Be careful," warned the Moon, "Things aren't always how
they appear." 

"I'll unlock the box!" declared the Heirophant. The Heirophant moved the 
Magician out of the way and sat down at the table across from the Priestess. 
"These keys," began the Heirophant "are tools and
instruments of my faith. 
If I arrange them according to my beliefs, I will certainly unlock it." 

"Yes!" cried Strength, "Belief will surely do it!!" 

"I like that." said the Fool. 

So, the Heirophant began arranging the cards according to his beliefs and 
slowly began to build a tower around the sphere of light, positive in the 
feeling that it would act as a conductor, focusing the energies of his 
faith, and that power would unlock the box. It took him some time to pick 
and arrange just the right cards and after 3 hours he finally placed the 
last card. Boom!! There was a loud, thunderous crash and a flash of light. 
The card tower exploded and all the cards fell to the ground. 

The Magician laughed and moved the Heirophant out of the way to take his 
place. "These keys," began the Magician, "are tools and
instruments of my 
thoughts. If I arrange them according to the systems I have worked out in my 
head, I will certainly unlock it." 

"Yes!" cried the Emperor, "A systematic order will surely do
it!" 

"I like that," said the Fool. 

So, the Magician began arranging the cards according to his ideas in three 
little piles, positive in his reasoning that if he juggled the correct 
combination around the sphere it would focus the energies of his thoughts 
and that would unlock the box. It took him some time to pick and arrange 
just the right cards and after 3 hours he finally placed the last card and 
began to juggle them in figure 8's. Boom!! There was a loud thunderous crash 
and flash of light. The card configuration exploded and all the cards fell 
to the ground. The Magician shook his head and stood up, leaving a space for 
someone else to try. 

The Fool stepped forward and picked up all the cards. "I like these." said 
the Fool, and he put them in his backpack. 

The Fool then leaned forward, reached out, opened the lid to the box and 
fell in. The Magician and the Heirophant stared at each other in 
astonishment and then looked back at the High Priestess. 

She smiled beatifically and said, "I never said it was locked." 

**Author Unattributed** 


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