Introduction to Tarot 101

As some of you may or may not know, I've gotten involved with Tarot card reading in the past few months. It all started with our big trip to Spokane, where I picked up a totally cool retro-theme deck of cards "The Housewife's Tarot" where all the cards had a 50s stay-at-home-mom theme. I intended it as a gift for a friend but couldn't resist opening them - and my obsession was born. I found though, that the cards weren't detailed enough, I wanted better descriptions and meanings behind them. I mentioned this to my mom and she remembered that she had almost a whole library on Tarot and gave me all her books (yet another reason she's the Giver). Each book had a different explanation and details for each card, and I realized that this was much more complex and interesting than I'd thought. So I compiled all that info from each book into computer files and then into my "Tarot Binder" that I use for readings. When doing a reading for someone, its nice to be able to give them a wide variety of information and meanings for the cards; they can then tell me what actually applies to their situation and what doesn't. I've found that in the few readings I've done for others, and the many for myself, that the information given has been eerily, amazingly, accurate. I get goosebumps just thinking of my mom's reading, how every card was SPOT ON to what was happening in her life at the time. So anyway, I thought if anyone was interested (and not freaked out! lol) I'd start giving little 'lessons' about Tarot -- really, just tidbits of info that people can apply to their own lives.

_______________________________________________

UPDATE: I want to add on something here, so everyone knows where I am coming from. The thing to remember, is that not all Tarot readers do it the same way. I've found from talking to people who've gone for readings, that they are told "this will happen" when in reality, the card has many meanings and could indicate a variety of things that have happened or are about to. Receiving a Death card, for example, does not always mean someone is going to die; in a lot of cases it simply means a huge, possibly traumatic, life-changing event may happen, such as a relationship ending, leaving a job, moving to a new city, etc.

People are so scared of Tarot, and I believe that it is because of this reason -- the Tarot reader says something WILL happen and whether it does or not, the Querent (person the reading is for) now has that planted in their subconscious. Being told that you will die at a certain age may unconsciously affect certain decisions, which may ultimately lead to that end, when in reality the card drawn may have simply meant a relationship was coming to an end. See what I mean?

That is why it is SO important to me that I have as much information and options possible, for my Querents. If a card has ten different meanings, wouldn't a person like to know that, so they could analyze their life and see how the information relates to it?

____________________________________________________

Lesson One: What IS Tarot?

Tarot cards are used to gain insight into situations, and to predict the future; working with the Tarot is not only a method of divination, but also a way of completely accepting yourself and becoming inwardly enlightened. When reading the cards, we have to consider the relevance that they have to life as we know it now; part of the challenge of the Tarot is to make people think creatively about their lives and situations. By imaginatively interpreting the old stories embodied in the cards to reflect current realities, you can find new ways of looking at the events and personalities which surround you in your daily life.

A Tarot card deck is comprised of Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards. Major Arcana cards indicate your place on the journey through the archetypal experiences of humanity and the many states of being, as from our collective unconscious: the collective whole of human experience, the astral record of all that has ever been and ever will be in existence, universal life experiences that transcend boundaries of space and time. Each of these cards has a particularly deep and important meaning, and they portray powerful, dynamic images of change, justice, difficulty, strength, joy and so forth. These basic ideas are then amplified in greater detail by the more specific messages contained within the Minor Arcana cards that usually surround them in any reading.

Minor Arcana cards are similar to what you would find in a pack of regular playing cards: there are four suits, cards numbered Ace through Ten, with Court cards being the King, Queen, Knight and Page. The four suits represent the elements: Wands is Fire (action, will), Cups is Water (emotion, love), Swords is Air (thought, intellect), Pentacles is Earth (money, material matters).

The "four basic functions" of our nature can be seen as thinking, sensation, intuition, and feeling. Relating this to the elements and Minor Arcana suits, we get Swords/Air as 'thinking', Pentacles/Earth as 'sensation', Wands/Fire as 'intuition' and Cups/Water as 'feeling'. A simple interpretation of this theory can be remembered by:
Swords/Air: I THINK
Pentacles/Earth: I HAVE
Wands/Fire: I WANT
Cups/Water: I FEEL

Well, that's it for today, folks. Pop quiz on Friday! LOL