Reading Tarot Cards

The Journey Begins

Tarot cards are a unique and exploratory tool of divination that have been around since before the 1800s. They began as a set of playing cards, which were highly valued. The game was called "Tarocchi". The first, well-known deck of Tarocchi cards available to be seen today is called the Visconti-Sfroza deck.

There is a lot of history and mystery surrounding the origins of the Tarot. It has been claimed that these cards were made by the Egyptian Priests and carry the mysterious knowledge from the "Book of Thoth".

Of course, modern tarot researchers claim that this is fundamentally wrong. The main basis of their argument is that card paper was not being produced in Egypt at the time that these cards came to be known in the western world. Even the name "Tarot" or "Tarocchi", they claim, derives from the name of a river called ‘Taro’, in Italy. This was the area where the earliest playing card decks were printed.

In the 1800s, many ‘secret societies’ delved into the imagery and symbolism within these cards. They began devising and imparting systematic knowledge of divination using the Tarot cards. One such society was called the ‘Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’. Naturally, all the members of the society were sworn to secrecy. This society disbanded towards the end of the 1800s.

In the early 1900s, two ex-members of the Golden Dawn came ahead and formed their own versions of Tarot decks. One of them was Arthur Edward Waite, who along with Pamela Colman Smith created the world-famous ‘Rider Waite’ deck. The other, was Aleister Crowley, who along with Lady Frieda Harris, created the renowned ‘Book of Thoth’ deck. Most modern tarot decks generally follow the symbolism depicted on either of these decks.

Structure of a Tarot Deck

A Tarot Card Deck normally has 78 cards. 22 of these are called the ‘Major Arcana’, and the remaining 56 are called the ‘Minor Arcana’. The word ‘Arcana’ derives from the Latin word ‘Arcanum’, which means ‘secret knowledge’.

The Major Arcana cards are numbered from 0 to 21, and depict pictures which carry a wealth of practical, mental and spiritual meaning. These cards are more important than the Minor Arcana cards, in terms of meanings and value in any reading.

There is, essentially, a story that flows in the Major Arcana cards. Since the card numbered 0 is called ‘The Fool’, the story in these cards is also called the ‘Journey of the Fool’. This journey takes us through the several twists and turns in the Fool’s life, and finally ends with the card numbered 21, called ‘The World’.
The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana are further divided into 4 suits, which are:

• Wands,
• Swords,
• Cups,
• and Pentacles.

Each suit contains cards numbered 1 through 10 and has 4 Court Cards.

Here too, a story can be found in each suit. Each suit represents a different element, and thus depicts the influences of each element in person’s life.

Wands stand for creativity, energy and passion. Thus the suit of wands shows us how the movement of such energy affects individuals in different ways. The suit of swords shows us how thoughts and the consequences of thoughts affect us. The suit of cups talks of the flow of emotions. The suit of pentacles depicts the material, earthy plane of life.

The court cards in each suit, typically are, a Page, a Knight, a Queen and a King. These are the four persons, or personality types present in each element. Thus, we have a total of 16 personality types in a typical tarot deck. In a reading, court cards show either the querent or a person in the querent’s life or the manner in which the querent reacts to a particular situation.

Buying a Tarot Deck

Buying a tarot deck is often considered to be quite complicated. On a certain level, it is. We are often fooled by brilliant packaging and attractive discount schemes. Especially for beginners who have no idea, buying the wrong deck often ends up in their losing interest in the Tarot.

Then there are some theories which say that one cannot buy one’s own deck and that it must be gifted by someone or by your teacher. Neither of this is true. You can buy your own tarot cards.

What is important is that you relate to the pictures you see on the cards. You can ask the shop to show you an opened pack so that you can see the pictures. An important thing to look for is if the Minor Arcana cards have pictures on them. For example, if the Nine of Pentacles card just shows nine pentacles in an elaborate design, this is not the deck you want to start out with.

The Minor Arcana cards must show people or a person doing or experiencing something. Looking at the picture, you must immediately feel as if you know what is happening in there. If the deck strikes such a feeling within you, buy it.

Learning how to read Tarot Cards

Honestly, there is no right or wrong way to learn to read Tarot Cards. Any tarot card reader knows that you cannot set down any limitations to the manner or the amount of learning that one can achieve. A life with the cards effectively teaches you this.

You can buy a book (or many books) and learn, or there are several websites that offer free tarot lessons. Or, you could go traditional, and learn from someone who teaches how to read tarot cards.

Ensure that the book is comprehensive and the language used is simple and direct. There are several books available in the market, which you can browse through and buy. Same is the case with websites. When learning from a teacher, find out how long he/she has been reading tarot cards professionally. Experience really counts, when we talk of tarot.

However, what is really important is that one spends time with the cards. And by time, I mean Quality Time. One glance is not enough, even for practiced tarot card readers, to know the meaning of a card. The process and the approach towards learning have to be systematic. One needs a certain amount of discipline to get to know the cards. The bond between you and your cards is strong and impeccable. The cards will never let you down, once you trust them. It is almost as if they develop a life energy of their own which mingles easily with yours.

Spreads

The method of using tarot cards for divination is at once simple and complicated. Once the meaning of each card is understood, the tarot card reader uses various spreads to do a reading.

The manner in which the cards are laid down can be pre-defined (like the Celtic Cross, for example) or a reader may come up with a brand new spread for answering a particular question.

In a spread, a card or a group of cards, stand for a certain situation or position. For example, a typical three-card spread could be: the first card stands for the past, the second for the present and the third for the future.

Reading the Tarot Cards

Each card has several interpretations. The more books you read, the more interpretations you will find. The more readings you do, the more interpretations occur. So how does one know which card stands for what in a reading?

The answer is simple. Go with what you feel is the meaning at that time. This is a very simple process of kick-starting your intuitive forces. And tarot cards are a great means of doing that. Trusting oneself to go with the first thing that comes into the consciousness when doing a reading is the key to effective tarot readings.

Over a period of time, a reader will develop his/her own interpretations that add on to the meaning of the card. The cards are amazingly flexible too! You will discover that if your mind assigns a certain meaning to a card, then that card will turn up in a reading to show just such a situation.

You and Your Cards

Your cards are yours, so don’t keep them lying about. Keep them in a place where they will not be disturbed by your kids or your pets. You may even make a sacred place for keeping them if that feels good to you. You can store your cards in the box that they came in, or use special boxes made for storing cards. Some readers keep crystals with their cards. Some use special cloth for their readings.

To clean your cards of energy residue after several readings, you can either put them back in order or make each reversed card upright. Some readers use smudge sticks and incense to clean the cards. And some meditate and visualize a white a light enveloping them.

Keep the reading area clean and full of natural light. Wash your hands and feet after a reading, to clean the energy on you. You can even use scented candles or crystals or incense while doing readings to create a comfortable environment.

The most effective way is the one that feels good to you. Respect your cards, and treat them well - just as you would do for anything important and precious.

Life with Tarot

A life with the cards is something very illuminating. It is a process of learning that never stops. The cards always guide you and show you the way.

From the mundane, everyday questions to the deep spiritual ones, tarot cards effectively guide you in the right direction.

Trust them, and in the process learn how to trust your self.

May your journey with the cards be wonderful and full of light!