The tarot is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot, of which many are still played today. In the 18th century, some tarot packs began to be used as divination.
In 1781, in France and England, followers of the occult discovered Tarot cards. They saw the symbolic pictures of the cards as having more meaning than the simple trump cards they were used for at the time. They began using the cards as a divination tool.
Tarot is a tool, and we see not only spirituality, but also a friend within the cards.
The cards don’t tell us exactly what’s going to happen in the future. Like other methods of divination, they provide an insight and help us understand ourselves from a different perspective. When we consult the Tarot, the spiritual lessons we need to learn and master to live an inspired life will be revealed.
It’s like holding up a mirror to yourself that gives you access to your subconscious mind and tap into the wisdom and answers that lives in us all. Sometimes the answers on how to deal with possible futures, or even how we can heal certain dark patches from our past.
Take a good look at your cards, familiarise yourself with them. You will notice that some have distinct names and are numbered, while others appear numbered in the same way that you might see in a traditional card deck, with aces, kings, and queens.
A standard deck has 78 cards: 22 in the major arcana and 56 in the minor.
The major arcana is made up of cards that suggest major themes and lessons that the querent (the subject of the reading) should pay attention to.
There are many cards in your deck that symbolize impending change. If cards from the major arcana appear, that means that the changes are going to be an opportunity for a life-altering lesson, big and important.
Of course, not all of the cards that comprise the major arcana are created equal. Depending on your deck some card names may be altered. Be sure to read up on your specific deck to catch all of its idiosyncrasies.
The minor arcana represents the joys, triumphs, hopes, fears and challenges we experience every day. They’re more temporary and less far-reaching than those you’ll see in the major arcana cards, and easier to act upon. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
The minor arcana is separated into four suits, traditionally — wands, swords, pentacles and cups. And each suit expresses an aspect of human experience. Wands represent action and motivation. Swords represent thought processes and decision-making. Pentacles represent the material world, as in finances and work. And Cups represent feelings and emotions. Some decks may stir this up, but the meanings generally remain the same.
All it takes is a simple shuffle before you begin reading. Some people like to cleanse their cards beforehand, as do I. It’s very simple and there are many ways you can do this. These methods can be used with other magickal things, such as runes, crystals, during spellwork…etc. But when it comes to Tarot, I recommend: Smudge sticks; Either white sage, black sage or lavender works too. Crystals; Amethysts, quartz or citrine. Gently knocking the cards with your hand; focusing all your energy on expelling negativity. The latter is the quickest.
If and once you’ve cleansed and shuffled your cards, you may ask them your question. Make sure you are clear. Then it’s time to pick your cards.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟑 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓:
Pull three cards off the top of the deck, and position them to be read from left to right. This spread may seem simple, but it’s also very versatile. You can use the cards to denote past, present, and future, or, situation, action, and outcome.
The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread is one of the most commonly used spreads by readers, but also the hardest to interpret. Pull out ten cards.
It can be broken down into two sections. The cross, consisting of 6 cards on the left hand side, and the staff, the four cards on the right. The self, the problem, the past, the future, conscious, unconscious, your influence, external influence, hopes//fears, and finally the outcome.
Connect with your cards. To truly be able to gain insight from Tarot, you must bond with your deck, and there are so many wonderful simple ways you can do this. Cleansing them being one of them. Another being having them around you wherever you go, you can even sleep with them near your bed or under your pillow. Perhaps even talk to them, not necessarily always during a reading, but other times as well. Tell them about your fears and your dreams, and in return also examine each card. Get to know eachother.
Don’t repeat the same questions over and over again, you will not get a clear answer and will likely feel unfulfilled.
And finally like I’ve said before, be patient, practice and don’t strive for perfection. There is no perfection in Tarot, it’s a beautiful custom of trial and error.
{The photos used in my explanation of the spreads are not mine. Credit goes to the owner. I simply found them on the web}
