2 books on tarot cards (witch craft, occult, druid, magick, spells)

8/14/2019 2 Books on Tarot Cards (Witch Craft, Occult, Druid, Magick, Spells)

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Tar ot Class by M i chele

I n t r oduct ion t o t he Tar ot

The cour se w i l l be gener ic in nat ur e and w i l l n ot be key ed t o any

specif i c deck. A s long as y ou ar e usi n g a st an dar d Tar ot deckw i t h a t hem e t hat does n ot cause t he in t er pr et at ions t o st r ay t oo

far f r om t he t r adi t i onal , y ou should be able t o fol low along. The

i n t er pr et at i on s giv en w i l l be si m ple, basi c an d hav e been culled

fr om m an y sour ces. They ar e by n o m ean s "t he cor r ect"

in t er pr et at i on s, but t hey w i l l be based on t he "t r adi t i on al"

m eani ngs. Feel f r ee t o jum p in an d shar e y our in si ghts and

in t er pr et at i ons as w el l .

I w i l l n ot go in t o a lon g hist or y of t he Tar ot her e, t oo m an ybooks ar e av ai lable w hi ch can di scuss t hi s t opi c mu ch mor e

in tel l i gent ly t han I can. The st andar d Tarot deck w hich is

com m on ly i n use t oday con si st s of 78 car ds. They ar e di v i ded

in to the M ajor A r cana, The M in or A r cana and t he Cour t Car ds.

Ther e ar e 22 M ajor A r cana or Tr um ps. These car ds ar e t hought

t o r epr esen t t he H i gher par t s of our con sciousn ess an d hav e

been l i n ked w i t h t he A r chet y pes pr oposed by Jun g, t he 22 Let t er s

of t he H ebr ew A lpha bet , The pat hs of t he Tr ee of Li fe, The I -

Chi n g and t he R un es am on g ot her t hi n gs.

The Cou r t Car ds r epr esen t other people i n our li v es or aspects of

our ow n per sonal i t y . The M in or A r cana ar e concer ned w i t h

t he ev er y day , m un dane af fa i r s of day t o day l iv in g such as

w or k , school, t he home an d r ela t i onshi ps. The M i n or s con si st of

four su i t s: W an ds, Cup s, Sw or ds an d Pen t acles. I n v ar i ous decks

t hese sui t s m i ght be r en am ed, but t hey ar e usua ll y r ecogni zable.

Som e of t he m or e com m on alt er n at e n am es ar e:

W an ds - St av es

Cu ps - V essels, Bow ls

Sw or ds - Cr y st al s

Pen t acles - D i sks, Coin s

Tar ot can be used in sev er al w ay s; as a means of di v i n at i on , as

a t ool for self d i scov er y , as an ai d t o spi r i t ual or esot er i c st ud y

or ev en as a game. Tar ot i s such a div er se m edi um t hat an

en t i r e l i fet i m e can be dev ot ed t o i t 's st ud y .


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The Sui t s

Ther e ar e 4 sui t s com m on ly foun d i n Tar ot decks: W an ds,

Cu ps, Sw or ds an d Pen t acles. W hi le t hey somet i m es hav e

di f fer en t n am es, t he i dea behi n d t hem i s usua lly t he sam e. I f y ouun der st an d t he m ean i n gs of t he sui t s an d hav e som e kn ow ledge

of n um ber s, y ou can r ead the M in or A r cana of any deck of

Tar ot car ds, or ev en p lay in g car ds for t hat m at t er .

I hav e i n cluded som e basi c ast r ologi cal descr i pt i on s as t he t w o

sy st em s, A st r ology an d Tar ot seem t o com plem en t each ot her . I

hav e also not i ced t hat m any Tar ot r eader s i ncor por at e t hei r

kn ow ledge of ast r ology in to t hei r in t er pr et at i ons and r eadin gs

and t hat m any people w ho ar e in t er est ed i n one ar e alsoi n t er est ed i n t he ot her . Si n ce a gr eat m an y people hav e som e

kn ow ledge of A st r ology, I t hought t he descr ipt ions m ight be

helpfu l in un der st andi ng t he i deas behi nd t he sui t s.

W an ds: W an ds can be descr i bed as t he sui t ha v i n g t o do w i t h

en er gy , cr eat i v i t y , com m un i cat i on , act i on , passi on , self

im pr ov em ent / sel f dev elopment , sp i r i t ua l i t y and ent er pr ise. I f

y ou l ook at t he sui t of W an ds i n m ost decks y ou n ot i ce t hat m ost

of t he car ds show som e t y pe of act i on i n pr ogr ess, or someon e

w ho appear s t o be r ev i ew in g or en joy in g t he r esult s obtai ned

f r om a r ecent ly com pleted act ion. A ct ion and ener gy ar e tw o

key w or ds t o t his sui t . W ands ar e usual l y associat ed w it h t he

elem ent of f i r e. I f y ou kn ow a l i t t le of ast r ology, t h i nk of the

per sonal i t y at t r ibut es of the f i r e si gns, t he for ceful A r i es, t he

f lam boy ant Leo and t he honest and ent husi ast ic Sagit t ar iu s.

A dd i t i ona l a t t r ibu tes in clude:

D ir ect i on - Sout h

Season - Spr i n g (V er n al Equi n ox )

M ascul i ne/ Fem in in e - M ascul i ne

Cups: Cups ar e associ at ed w i t h t he em ot i ons, t he subcon scious,

r elat ionshi ps and i n t ui t iv e or psy chic abi l i t ies. M ost decks t r y t o

con v ey em ot i ons i n t hi s sui t ; hap pi n ess, lov e, bor edom,

di sappoin t m en t a n d deject i on ar e usual ly r epr esen t ed and easi ly

i den t i f i ed. Thi s sui t i s associat ed w i t h t he elem en t of w at er an d

l i ke w at er can be calm an d ser en e, or t ur bulen t an d r ough.

A st r ologi cal ly , t he n ur t ur in g Can cer per sonal i t y , t he dept h of


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t he Scor pi o an d t he i n t ui t i v e, dr eam y Pi sces coul d be appl i ed.

A dd i t i ona l a t t r ibu tes:

D ir ect i on - East

Season - Su m m er (Su m m er Solst i ce)

M ascu l in e/ Femi n i ne - Femi n i ne

Sw or ds: Sw or ds ar e t he sui t of m en t al act i v i t y , r at ional

t hi n ki n g, decisi on s, an d i n t ellect ua l pu r sui t . Because m uch of

the t ur moi l i n our l iv es can be at t r ibut ed t o our t houghts, t h is

sui t oft en depi cts con fl i ct and st r uggle as w ell. Looki n g at t hi s

su i t i n m ost decks, one fi n ds some of th e m or e n egat i v e car ds

depict in g ni ghtm ar es, cr af t i ness, pain an d r est r ict ion. Sw or ds

ar e usual l y associ at ed w it h t he elem ent of ai r . A st r ological ly one

can t hin k of the Li br an desi r e for balance, t he cont r adict ionsin her ent in t he A quar ian per sonal i t y , and t he Gemi ni 's th i r st for

in t el lect ual st im ulat ion. A ddi t ional a t t r ibut es:

D ir ect i on - W est

Season - A ut um n (A ut um nal Equi nox)

M ascul i ne/ Fem in in e - M ascul i ne

Pen t acles: Pen t acles ar e t he sui t associat ed w i t h w or k, m on ey ,

cr af t s, t he home, t he phy si cal body . Looki n g at t hi s su i t , one sees

cr aft sm an at w or k, busi n ess bei n g con duct ed, t he phy si calcomf or t and secur i t y of hav in g mat er ia l t h in gs and t he physica l

discom for t an d pain of n ot hav i ng t hem . Pen t acles ar e

associat ed w i t h t he elem en t ear t h. A st r ologi cal ly on e can t hin k

of Tau r ean pr act i cal i t y and l ov e of hom e, t he Capr i cor n's

f i n an cial an d busi n ess pr ow ess an d t he V i r go's i n dust r y , ski l l

and pr oduct i v i t y . A dd i t i ona l at t r ibu tes:

D ir ect i on - Sout h

Season - W i n t er (W i n t er Solst i ce)

M ascu l in e/ Femi n i ne - Femi n i ne


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Sw or ds and W ands ar e usual ly associat ed w i t h A ir and F i r e

r especti v ely , how ev er som e w r i t er s hav e r ev er sed t hese

at t r ibut ions assigni ng Fi r e t o Sw or ds and A ir to Wan ds. Emi ly

Peach does t hi s i n "The Tar ot W or kbook" an d Ell en Can n on R eed

does as w ell i n her deck ,"The W i t ches Tar ot" an d her t w o books"The Goddess an d th e Tr ee" an d "The W i t ches Tar ot". A r gum en t s

can be m ade for bot h poin t s of v i ew an d y ou should chose

w hi chev er at t r i but i on s seem s t o f i t best t o y ou. The sam e i s t r ue

of t he dir ect ions assi gned. A n alt er nat iv e sy st em for di r ect ions

t aken fr om A st r ology i s: W an ds - East , Cups - N or t h, Sw or ds -

W est an d Ear t h - Sout h.

Tar ot N ot ebook

N ow is t he t im e t o m ake y our sel f a Tar ot N ot ebook. A nynotebook w i l l do. Per son al ly , I l i ke a 3 r in g bin der , w hich al low s

m e t o ex pan d as n eeded. A s w e go t hr ough t he cour se, w r i t e

dow n w hat y ou hav e lear ned. For in st an ce i n t oday 's lesson w e

w en t ov er t he su i t s, Set a si de a page i n y our n otebook for each

of t he sui t s and w r i t e a br ief sy nopsis of w hat w e cov er ed her e

for each. A dd any t houghts y ou m ight hav e or any in sights

fr om Tar ot books y ou ar e usi n g. Should add i t i on al i deas or

in for m at i on com e t o y ou i n t he fut ur e, go back an d add them as

w ell . Ov er t i m e, t hi s n ot ebook w i l l becom e a v alu able r esour ce.I t w i l l docum en t y our pr ogr ess ov er t i m e an d be a sour ce an d

r ecor d of in ter pr etat ions.

A ces

A ces r epr esen t t he en er gy of each sui t i n i t s pu r est an d m ost

con cen t r at ed for m . They also r epr esen t begin n i n gs, i deas,

com m encem en t , oppor t un it y , a f r esh st ar t , i nspir at ion, a gi f t .

A pply i ng t he abov e t o w hat w e hav e cov er ed in t he sui t s giv es

y ou the

m ean i n g of each ace.

?? A ce of W ands - N ew ener gy, a bur st of creat i v i t y ,

begin n in g a self i m pr ov em ent pr ogr am , t he st ar t of a

spir i t ual quest .

?? A ce of Cups - A new r elat ionship ( r om ant ic or

ot her w i se), aw aken in g in t ui t ion or psy chic pow er s, t he

st ar t of happier t im es.


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?? A ce of Sw or ds - N ew i deas, a new i n t ell ectu al i n t er est

or hobby , st r en gth , pow er .

?? A ce of Pen t acles - Begin n i n gs on t he phy si cal pl an e, a

n ew job, a n ew home, t he st ar t of a per i od of pr osper i t y .

T i m i n g

M an y r eader s use A ces as t i m i n g car ds. I f a quest i on of

t i m i ng comes up dur in g a read ing , w r i t e i t dow n and pu t i t

asi de. A f t er t he m ai n r eadi ng i s done, hav e t he quer ent r e-

shu ff l e an d cut t he deck, t hen deal car ds face up un t i l y ou get an

A ce. The sui t o f the A ce w i l l in d icate the t im e t hat t he

ev en t i s m ost l i kely t o occur . U si n g the season s fr om t he

m essage on su i t s w e hav e:

??

W an ds - Spr i n g?? Cups - Su m m er

?? Sw or ds - F al l

?? Pen t acles - W i n t er

Yes/ N o

A m et hod for an sw er i n g y es/ n o quest i on s uses A ces as w ell .

Shu ff l e an d cut t he deck w hi le con cen t r at i n g on t he quest i on .

Tur n one st ack ov er per i odi cal ly w hi le shuf f l i n g in or der t o get

r ev er sals. D eal t he car ds un t i l y ou get an A ce t hen st op. D eal a

new p i le un t i l y ou get an other A ce. D eal one last t im e un t i l y ou

get a t hir d A ce. The dir ect ion of the A ces w i l l g iv e y ou y our

answ er . I f tw o or m or e ar e upr i ght , t he an sw er i s y es. I f t w o or

m or e ar e r ev er sed, t he an sw er i s n o. Per son all y , I r ar ely use

Tar ot t o an sw er y es/ no quest i on s. I bel i ev e t hat t he answ er w i l l

be cor r ect for t he con dit i on s at t hat t im e, but as condi t i ons

change, t he an sw er m ay change as w ell. I pr efer t o ask

quest i ons such as "w ha t can I do t o en han ce m y chan ces of...." or

"W hat am I doin g that is pr ev ent in g me f r om ..." . This t y pe of

quest i on giv es m e som e cont r ol ov er ev ent s r at her t han al low i ng

t hi n gs t o ju st happen t o m e.


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Twos

Tw os r epr esen t du ali t y , balan ce, choi ces, i n t er act i on ,

polar i ty, developing.

?? Tw o of W an ds - A choi ce or balance i n appl y in g en er gy.

The fi r st st eps hav e been com plet ed, and one m ust decid e

w her e t o apply ener gy f r om t his poin t on. Cont r ol .

?? Tw o of Cup s - Em ot i on al i n t er act i on s. Bal an ce bet w een

opposi t es. Lov e.

?? Tw o of Sw or ds - Peace (har d w on), a r espi t e fr om

con fl i ct, a t en u ou s bala n ce. Comp r om i se.

?? Tw o of Pent acles - Balan ce i n pr act i cal m at t er s; juggl in g

sev er al t asks on t he phy si cal pl an e (home, w or k, hobbies,r ecr eat i on, et c.). Chan ge.

Tar ot Pr ogr essi on

Som e r eader s see a pr ogr essi on t hough t he M i n or A r cana

w it h A ces r epr esent in g a begin ni ng, t w os fur t her dev elopm ent ,

t hr ees as plan n in g, four s as pr act i cal at t ain m en t , f i v es as

un balan ce, si x es as har m ony , sev en s as choices, ei ght s as chan ges

an d n i n es as con clusi on s. Ten s ar e t he ul t i m at e

fu l f i l lm ent of t he su i t and r epr esent a t r ansi t ion w hich leads

back t o t he A ce. V ar i ous aut hor s hav e assi gned di f fer en t

pr ogr essi on s t o each n um ber . Som e ar e based on n u m er ology

and som e ar e not . I f y ou ar e fami l i ar w i t h num er ology, y ou can

appl y some of it s con cept s t o Tar ot as w ell .

A T ar ot ex er cise

A t t h i s poi nt w e hav e cov er ed 8 car ds. Pul l t hose car ds f r om t he

deck, m ix t hem thor oughly and deal t hem in face dow n in four

set s of tw o. D o n ot t hi n k of a quest i on , t hi s ex er cise i s for

pr act i ce onl y . The f i r st car d i n each pai r r epr esent s t he past and

t he second, the pr esen t . N ow t ur n ov er t he

f i r st pa i r and i n t er pr et t he car ds t oget her .

Ex am ple: Tw o of Sw or ds, A ce of Pen t acles - Y ou hav e ju st

com plet ed a fair ly t um ul t uous per iod. Thi n gs w er e di f f i cul t , but


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y ou w or ked t hem out , achiev ed a balan ce an d ar e about t o begin

a per iod of m ater ia l pr osper i t y .

D o t he sam e w i t h t he ot her t hr ee pai r s. Thi s ex er cise i s desi gn ed

t o get y ou u sed t o t he i dea of r eadi n g gr oup s of car ds r i ghtaw ay . I t should help y ou t o see r elat i on shi ps bet w een car ds

r a ther than v iew in g each car d in a v acuum . I f y ou hav e t i me,

y ou should do th i s ex er cise ev er y day , addi n g th e n ew car ds y ou

have lear ned to the group y ou use. I f y ou l i ke, r emi x and t r y i t

again , y ou

can't do th i s one t oo oft en .


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Thr ees

Thr ees r epr esent cr eat i on , abun dance, gr oup act i v i t y ,

building, planning, synthesis.

?? Thr ee of W an ds - plan ni ng, r ef lect in g, aspir at ion

?? Thr ee of Cu ps - Celebr at i on, happ i n ess, joy , sha r i n g,

abun dan ce, fr i en dshi p

?? Thr ee of Sw or ds - Sadn ess, hear t br eak , em ot i on al pai n ,

sor r ow

?? Thr ee of Pen t acles - cr eat i n g, br i n gin g in t o phy si cal

r ea l i t y , w or k .

Cen t er i n g

M ost r eader s do som e t y pe of cen t er i n g ex er cise befor e

doin g a r eadi n g. These ex er cises can be ela bor at e or v er y si m ple.

The m et hod I use i s i n t he lat t er categor y . Befor e doi n g a

r eadin g I alw ay s shuf f le t he deck. W hi le shuf f l i ng I ask

God/ Goddess t o gui de m y w or ds an d al low m e t o assi st t he

quer en t (or m y self ). Som e people li ke t o cr eat e an at m ospher e by

l i ght i ng candles, bur ni ng i n cense or doin g a shor t m edit at i on

befor e r eadi n g. W hat ev er y our beli ef sy st em , i t i s best t o

appr oach t he car ds f r om a feel i n g of calm , r at her t han i n a

har r ied, di st r acted way . Pr ay , cast a cir c le, i nv oke t he

God/ Goddess, m edi t at e, do deep br eat hi n g ex er ci ses, or do

w hatev er i t is y ou do t o get i n t ouch w i t h y our cent er .

Tar ot Ex er cise

D o t he sam e ex er cise as y est er day , add i n g th e t hr ees an d

m aki ng a t hi r d colu m n f or t he fut ur e. Som eon e her e in t he

for um on ce r ecom m en ded t hat y ou do all r eadi n gs aloud, ev en

t hose don e for y our self . I t hi n k t hat i s an ex cellent suggest i on

an d r ecom m en d y ou do the ex er cises aloud as w ell . I t i s on e

th i ng t o r ecognize t he meani ng of a car d in y our m in d and an

en t i r ely d i f fer en t th i ng t o ar t i cu la te tha t mean in g to another .

R ev er sals

I n case y ou hav en 't n ot i ced, I do not u se r ev er sals, how ev er

m an y people do. You can t ake a book an d lear n i t 's


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in t er pr et at i on s of r ev er sals or y ou can t ake an easier appr oach

an d chose on e of t he m et hods of r eadi n g t hem li st ed below :

1. A block i n the upr ight ener gy of the car d

2. A delay 3. A su bcon scious w i sh or d esi r e

4. A hidden or sur r ept i t i ous ener gy

5. A w eakened v er sion of t he upr ight m eani ng

The opposi t e of t he upr i ght m ean i n g (t hi s i s t he m et hod m ost

oft en seen i n books, how ev er t her e ar e ex cept i on s. Some car ds

hav e sim i lar m eani ngs w het her upr ight or r ev er sed. Refer t o t he

book for y our deck w hen usin g thi s m et hod t o lear n w hich car ds

i t does n ot appl y t o).

Ther e ar e m any ot her m et hods for r eadi ng t hem as w el l . The

use of r ev er sals i s n ot as pr ev alen t as i t on ce w as. M an y n ew er

begin ner books do not i nclude them at al l , how ev er y ou m ust do

w hat y ou feel m ost com for t able w i t h. A r gum en t s can be m ade

for bot h si des. I f y ou deci de n ot t o use t hem , bear i n m i n d t hat

each car d has a fu l l spectr um of m ean i n gs. For ex am ple, t he

t hr ee of cups can m ean m er r i m ent and celebr at i on, but car r i ed

t o ex cess cou ld m ean dr un kenn ess, or ex cessi v e par t y i n g.


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F o u rs

Four s r epr esent st abi l i t y , st r uctu r e, or der an d pr act ical

a t t a inmen t .

?? Four of W an ds - r i t es, i n spi r at i on , fr eedom , cer em on y ,

har m on y , peace

?? Four of Cup s - Bor edom, apat hy , di scon t en t ,

d issat i sfact ion, wi t hdr aw al , medi t a t i on

?? Four of Sw or ds - r egr oup i n g, i n t r ospecti on , i l l n ess, t i m e

out , r est

?? F our of Pen t acles - hold i n g on t o ones possessi ons, t hr i ft ,

a r elu cta n ce t o let go, i n secur i t y , self i shn ess.

U n d e rc u r re n t s

This is a r eadi ng m et hod I lear ned f r om an ot her r eader .

W hen ev er she does a r eadi n g, she t hr ow s w hat ev er spr ead she i s

goi n g to use an d t hen looks at t he car d left on t he bot t om of t he

deck. She cal ls t his car d t he un der cur r ent . The un der cur r ent is

w hat un der l i es t he quest i on . I t is the at m ospher e in w hi ch ev ent s

ar e t aki ng place. For ex am ple i f t he quer en t had a quest ion

about a r elat i on shi p an d t he 4 of pen t acles w as on t he bot t om of

t he deck, i t coul d be i n t er pr et ed as som eon e i n t he r elat i on shi p

not w an t in g t o let go. Per haps for f i nan ci al r easons (v er y

com m on ), for self i sh r easons, or f or secur i t y r easons. I t could be

an un con scious or u n ex pr essed desi r e w hi ch th e quer en t

him / her self i s not ev en aw ar e of . D epen din g on t he r est of t he

car ds t hr ow n, let t in g go m i ght be t he best t h in g. I f i n d t he

con cept useful an d use i t in m y dai l y r eadin gs.

Readi n g for Your self

M any Tar ot books and r eader s w ar n again st r eadin g for

y our sel f . The comm on t hr ead in th i s ar gument is t hat i t is

di f f i cul t t o be object iv e and t hat on e t ends to see w hat on e w ant s

t o see r at her t han w hat is r eal ly t her e. That i s a r eal dan ger ,

how ev er I t h in k r eadi ng for y our self can be m ost

helpfu l , par t icu lar in seein g opt i ons t hat y ou m ight not hav e

com e t o on y our ow n . You hav e t o keep all possi ble m ean i n gs i n

m i nd w hen r eadin g for y our self an d then decide w hich one f i t s

best r eali st i cally , n ot hopefu ll y . R eadi n g for y our self can help


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y ou change t he out com e of a si t uat i on, by show i ng y ou w her e

t hi ngs ar e headed pr esent ly and w hat y ou can do to chan ge

them.

D a i l y Readin gs

I t r y t o r ead for m y sel f ev er y day . I t g iv es me an i dea of w her e

t he day i s headed an d how t hin gs ar e goin g w i t h m e on an

in t el lect ual , phy sical an d spir i t ual l ev el. I usual l y use one of t he

t w o follow i n g spr eads, depen di n g on m y m ood.

M in d, Body , Sp i r i t

I spr ead t hr ee car ds f r om lef t t o r i ght , w i t h t he f i r st

r epr esen t i n g my m en t al st at e, t he secon d m y phy si cal st at e an dthe th i r d my sp i r i t ua l sta t e.

Past , Pr esen t , Fu t ur e

A gain I spr ead thr ee car ds f r om lef t to r ight w i t h the f i r st

r epr esent in g t he r ecent past or ev en t s t hat hav e lead u p t o the

pr esen t , t he secon d car d r epr esen t i n g today , an d t he t hi r d car d

r epr esen t i n g th e n ear fu t ur e. I som et i m es use t hi s spr ead i n

r efer ence t o a pr oblem I am w or ki ng on or a pr oject or si t uat ion

I am deal in g wi t h , w het her at w or k or a t home. I t is shor t and t o

t he poin t . I f I feel I n eed addit ional i n for m at ion, I j ust deal

m or e car ds on t he car ds t o clar i f y t he one t hat i s giv in g me

dif f i cul t y . For bot h spr eads I also look at t he un der cur r ent car d.


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13

Symbols

Tar ot r eli es heav i ly on sy m boli sm . Esot er i c decks, su ch as

Thoth an d t o a lessor ex t en t , t he W ai t e-Sm i t h m ake use of ev er ysy m bol on ev er y car d. Thi s i s w hy I alw ay s r ecom m en d y ou

pur chase t he book w r i t t en specif ical ly for y our deck i f one i s

av ai lable. I t w i l l usua lly ex plai n t he desi gner 's use of sy m boli sm

i n t he deck. A di ct i on ar y of sy m bols i s also an ex cell en t t ool for

di scer n i n g deeper m ean i n gs i n t he car ds. I t i s especiall y usefu l

for decks w hi ch hav e n o separ at e book a v ai lable.

For an ex am ple w her e hav i ng t he book en hances t he

in t er pr et at i on , let 's look at t he six of w ands i n "The W i t chesTar ot " The car d show s a w om an kn eel i n g in a for est clear i ng

w i t h six br anches on t he gr oun d befor e her in t w o hor izont al

gr oups of t hr ee. I f y ou look i n t he bookl et t hat com es w i t h

t he deck y ou f i nd "I l lu m in at i on , r eal i zat ion of bigger t hin gs...",

but i f y ou look i n R eed's book "The Wi t ches Tar ot : The Wi t ches

Cabala Tw o" you r ead t hat t he br an ches ar e la i d i n t he I -Chin g

hex agr am Ch'i en Ch'ien . Thi s giv es y ou fu r t her in si ght in t o

w hat t he designer w as t r y in g to conv ey .

U si n g the W ai t e-Sm i t h deck, let 's ex am i n e t he sam e car d. W e

see a m an on a hor se car r y in g a st af f w i t h a laur el w r eat h on

t op. I f w e look u p laur el i n a di ct ionar y of sy m bols w e f i nd

"Tr iu m ph, v i ct or y ", so ev en i f d i d n ot hav e W ait e's book w e coul d

get an i dea of w hat t he car d m ean t f r om t he sy m bol i sm

augm en t ed by t he pict ur e, w hich also suggest s a t r iu m phan t

m ar ch. I f w e w er e n ot sur e of t he t y pe of w r eat h, an d looked up

t he w or d "w r eat h", w e f i nd "..g lor y , v i ct or y , supr em acy ..." w hi ch

st i l l conv ey s t he m eani ng. I f y ou look in t he bibl iogr aphy of m ost

m oder n Tar ot books, y ou w i l l pr obably f i n d at least one

di ct i on ar y of sy m bols l i st ed. They ar e especiall y usefu l f or

under stan d ing car ds tha t y ou hav e d i f f i cu l t y w i t h .


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14

Sev en s

Sev en s r epr esen t r ef l ect i on , i n n er w or k, t he hi dden , di f f i cult i es

or st r uggle

?? Sev en of W an ds - Self defen se, hold i n g a posi t i on, in n er

convic t ion

?? Sev en of Cu ps - i m agi n at i on , fan t asy , choi ces, i l l u si on

?? Sev en of Sw or ds - decept i on, st eal i n g, st r at egy , secr et

p lan

?? Sev en of pen t acles - w ai t i n g, pat i en ce, dela y , eff or t s

pay in g of f

Di rec t i ons

I am l ist in g d i r ect ional a t t r ibut es of t he su i ts by v ar ious

au t hor s. Y ou should chose on e t hat su ppor t s y ou r per sonal

beli efs or w hi ch feels r i ght t o y ou.

W an ds = Sout h, Cups = W est , Sw or ds = East , Pen t acles = N or t h

(V i cki N oble, "M ot her peace Tar ot ", M ar y Gr eer "Tar ot for

Y our self ", Con n ell y ,

"Tar ot a N ew handbook for t he A ppr en t i ce", Jana R i l ey "The

Tar ot handbook")

W an ds = East , Cu ps = N or t h, Sw or ds = W est , Pen t acles = Sou t h

W an ds = Sout h, Cups = W est , Sw or ds = East , Pen t acles = N or t h

(Wi tchcra f t )

W an ds = East , Cup s = N or t h, Sw or ds = W est , Pen t acles = Sout h

(A st r ology)

(Gai l F ai r f i eld , "Choice Cen t er ed Tar ot"

Sur pr i si n gly , t hese w er e t he on ly l i st s I coul d f in d. I t hought

some of t he old er esoter i cist s (Papu s, et al ) w ould hav e somethi n g

si nce t hey t ended t o l i ke l i st s of at t r ibut es, but I d idn 't f i nd

any th i ng :(

Shuff l i ng

To some thi s seem s v er y elemen t ar y , but I see quest i ons on

shuf f l i ng post ed qui t e f r equent ly in m y on-l i ne t r av els. I n m y

opin ion, t her e is no r ight or w r ong w ay to shuf f le. I t h in k t he

im por t ant t h i ng is t o be calm , keep y our quest ion i n m i nd, and

use w hatev er m et hod y ou n or mal l y use t o m ix t he


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15

deck . Some r eader s feel Ta r ot car ds shoul d n ev er be shu ff led per

se, but r at her m i x ed by holdin g the deck i n one hand an d pul l i ng

car ds f r om v ar i ous par t s of t he deck and r e-i nser t in g t hem w it h

the ot her ov er and over un t i l y ou feel t hey ar e w el l m ix ed.

Per son all y I shuf f l e t hem li ke a poker deck, 3 or m or e t i m es.W hy 3? I don't kn ow , i t ju st seem s l i ke a good m i n i m um . I

usu al ly shu ff le 4-5 t i m es, but n ev er less t han 3. I f t he deck i s n ew ,

I shu ff le at l east 11 t i m es. I r ead som ew her e t hat st at i st i cally

speak i n g, i t t ak es 11 shu ff les t o get a 78 car d deck i n r an dom

or der . One day w hen I 'm r eal ly bor ed,

I 'l l do t he m at h for m y self an d v er i fy t hi s. I f y ou don't use

r ev er sals, y ou should be car efu l t o keep t he car ds all i n t he sam e

di r ect i on . Thi s i s di f f i cult w i t h som e decks, because i t i s

i m possi ble t o t el l t he di r ect i on fr om t he back. Get t i n g a fewcar ds r ev er sed i s not a t r agedy , just f l i p t hem ov er . I f y ou do l ik e

t o use r ev er sals, t ur n on e pi le of t he deck ov er on ce or t w i ce

w hi le shuf f l i ng.

Cutting the deck

I hav e r ead m an y dif fer ent w ay s t o cut t he deck. The onl y one I

fol low is to cu t w i t h your lef t hand. I dea l w i t h my r igh t hand,

so I feel cut t i n g w i t h t he left giv es t he deal som e balan ce. I also

cu t

in t o 3 pi l es. The m ost com m on adm oni t i on i s t o cut w it h t he lef t

hand i nt o 3 pi l es t o t he lef t . I t w or ks for m e, but I don' t doubt

som e ot her m et hod w ould w or k as wel l , th i s i s just t he w ay I

lear n ed.

Lar ge car ds such as Thoth, R ohr i g an d V oy ager pr esen t

pr oblem s t o t hose w it h sm aller hands. You can t r y shuf f l i n g

t hem f r om t he si des, v i ce t he long w ay . Y ou can also t r y

sw i shi n g t hem ar oun d on a t able (m ake sur e i t i s clean ), or

on y our bed. Li ke poker car ds, Tar ot car ds w ear w it h t i m e. I

st i l l hav e m y f i r st M other peace deck an d w hi le i t is a l i t t le

"t hick", I hav e n ot been able t o br in g my self t o par t w it h i t . I f

y ou r ead for ot her s t hough, y ou pr obably w i l l n ot m ake a good

im pr ession w i t h a deck so w or n an d fat t hat i t i s d i f f i cu l t t o

shuf f le. M y old f r ien d i s r eser v ed for m y per sonal use

on ly .


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16

A nother quest ion t hat com es up i s w het her t o deal t he car ds

face u p or fa ce dow n . I deal f ace up , because I li ke to get a feel

for t he spr ead as a w hole, but som e people f i n d i t di st r act i n g.

They feel t hat t hey st ar t for m i ng i m pr essions befor e t hey hav e

t he w hole spr ead dealt . D eali n g face dow n av oi ds t hi s.

I th i nk that w e som et i mes get t oo t ied up i n t he r i t ua l an d

"doin g thi ngs r ight " and for get t hat Tar ot should be a r elax i ng,

en li ght en i n g ex per i en ce, v i ce a n er v ous or deal because w e ar e

t r y ing t o shu f fl e i n a w ay w e a re not f am i l i a r w i t h , t r y ing t o

r em em ber t he r i ght w ay t o cut , t he pr oper

in v ocat ion et c. Relax , get t he car ds w el l m ix ed and r ead.

Eigh ts

Eight s r epr esen t balan ce, m ov em en t , or der , change, giv i n g and

receiv ing.

?? Eight of W an ds - Ener gy , m ov em en t , act i v i t y , speed,

t hin gs happen in g qui ckly

?? Eight of Cups - W it hdr aw al , r et r eat , tur n i ng y our back

on som et h in g and m ov in g of f i n t o a d i f fer ent d i r ect ion

?? Ei ght of Sw or ds - R est r i cti on , feeli n g blocked, feeli n g

ganged up on or at t acked, f r ust r at i on, wai t in g

?? Eight of Pen t acles - Cr af t sm anship, pr oduct i v i t y , put t in g

y our af fai r s in or der , m ast er y , bei ng busy

Per sona l i t y and Soul Car ds

Cont r ar y t o popul ar beli ef, t hese con cept s w er e n ot dev eloped

by M ar y Gr eer , but by A r r ien A ngeles in "The Tar ot H andbook",

a book w hi ch does n ot get t he cr edi t i t i s due in m y opi n i on . She

al so pr esen t s sev er al si m i lar con cept s i n t he book. su ch as gr ow t h

car ds and gr ow t h cy cles.

Per son al i t y Car d - th i s car d r epr esen t s y our ex pr ession i n t he

out er w or ld, y our t alen t s, gif t s, r esour ces an d how ot her s see

y ou. To f in d t h is car d, add your b i r t h day, mont h and y ear

t oget her . Ex am pl e: Sept 9t h, 1956 = 9 + 9 + 1956 = 1974 t hen add

t he di gi t s of t he r esu lt t oget her - 1 + 9 + 7 + 4 = 21.

This is y our per son al i t y car d. I f i t is a double digi t r educe i t

again : 2 + 1 + 3. Thi s i s y our soul / spi r i t ua l car d. The soul car d

r epr esen t s t he deepest cor e of w ho y ou ar e. I t pr ovi des an


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17

in t er nal base of en er gy an d nat ur al r esour ce for y ou t o dr aw

upon for y our per son al i t y ex pr essi on . I f t he f i r st

r esul t i s m or e t han 21 l i ke m i n e:

Jun e 6th, 1956 - 6 + 6 + 1956 = 1968, 1 + 9 + 6 + 8 = 24 (n ot e thi s i sm or e t han 21), r edu ce i t agai n , 2 + 4 = 6. Thi s bot h m y

per son al i t y an d soul car d.

Fi r st I m pr essions

W hen lay i ng down a spr ead, i t is useful t o t ake a few

m om en t s t o look at t he spr ead a s a w hole, befor e r eadi n g

in div idu al car ds. I s t her e a pr eponder ance of one sui t ? A r e

t her e sev er al M ajor A r cana, or sev er al Cour t Car ds? These ar ein d icat ions t hat y ou should k eep i n m in d w hen doin g the

r eadi n g. They ar e oft en clues as t o w hat i s goi n g on . For

ex am ple, lets say t he quest i on con cer n s ones lov e li fe. Y ou t hr ow

t he spr ead an d see t her e ar e lot s of pen t acles, but n ot a cu p i n

si ght . W hat does t hi s m ean? I t could m ean t hat m at er ial

secur i t y is a key issue in t he r elat i onship r ight t hen. I t

coul d al so mean t hat t he per son shoul d be focusi n g on f i n an cial

mat t er s r ight now, rat her t han t he r elat ionship. Per haps

w or r y in g about t he r elat ionship has led to them doin g poor ly at

w or k, or t o spen din g mor e t han t hey can af for d t o keep t he ot her

per son happy . Per haps t hey ar e t el l i n g y ou t hat t he i ssue is lov e,

but t he t h in g t hat i s r ea l ly w or r y in g t hem i s money . Tar ot

som et im es t el ls us w hat w e n eed t o kn ow v i ce w hat w e w ant t o

kn ow . You m i ght w an t t o ask quest i on s t o ex plor e t hese i ssues

dur in g the r ead ing .


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Last I m pr essi on s

W hen I hav e f i n i shed in t er pr et i ng each car d in a spr ead, I l ik e

t o sum up t he r eadin g. I ju st r ev iew t he ov er al l r eadin g,

poin t in g out t he key poin t s w e cov er ed. I a lw ay s t r y t o leav e ar eadin g on a hi gh poi nt . Ev en i f t he r eadin g conv ey s bad new s,

I t r y t o gi v e t he quer en t t he t ools t o chan ge ev en t s, based on t he

r eadin g. A r eadi ng shoul d be em pow er in g for t he quer ent ,

r a ther t han a r eci t a l of th i ngs that m ay happen i n t he fu t ur e.

The key w or ds ar e =may happen=. W e hav e t he pow er t o

in f lu ence an d change t he fut ur e.

N i n es

N i nes r epr esen t com plet i on , conclusi on , at t ai nm ent , magic

?? N i n e of W an ds - W i sdom , ex per i en ce, defensi v en ess,

war iness

?? N i n e of Cups - W i shes com i n g tr ue, fu lf i l lm en t ,

sat isfact ion

?? N in e of Sw or ds - N i ghtm ar es, an x iet y , m en t al st r ess,

depr essi on, gu i lt

?? N in e of Pen t acles - A bundan ce, m at er i al pr osper i t y ,

com for t , secur i t y , r ew ar d

Cy cles

To m e, n i n es r epr esen t t he en d of a cycle. A n i n t er est i n g idea

in v olv in g cy cles is t he Year car d. A ngeles A r r iens f i r st

pr oposed thi s i n her book "The Tar ot H an dbook". M ar y Gr eer

descr i bes i t her book "Tar ot for Y our self" and der i v ed a si m i lar

sy st em of her ow n in "Tar ot

Const ell at i ons".Jam es W an less descr i bes i t i n t he book let t ha t

com es w i t h th e V oy ager deck. I w i l l be usi n g hi s m et hod her e.

Per W anl ess, t he y ear st ar t s for y ou on y our bir t hday . Ther e

ar e t w o y ear card s for ev er y y ear . One is t he car d that

cor r esponds t o y our age. A t bir t h y ou ar e The Fool. A t one y ou

ar e The M agici an . Thi s cycle goes t hr ough 22 y ear s an d st ar t s

agai n , so at ages 22, 44 , an d 66 y ou ar e The F ool. The oth er y ear

car d is ca lcu lat ed by addin g your b i r thdat e t o the cur r ent y ear ,

t hen r educe, m uch l i ke w e di d t he per son ali t y an d soul car ds.


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19

For m y bir t hday , Jun e 6th i t w oul d be 6 + 6 + 1995 = 2007 = 9,

The H er m i t .

For me th i s is a Star / H er mi t y ear .

Tens

Ten s r epr esen t t he f i n al cul m i n at i on of each sui t . The cycle i s

com plet e and y ou ar e r eady t o begin a n ew cy cle.

?? Ten of W an ds - bur den , r esponsi bil i t y

?? Ten of Cup s - Joy , hap pi n ess, opt i m i sm , fam i ly

?? Ten of Sw or ds - Sacr i f i ce, hi t t i n g bott om, r elease, lett i n g

go

?? Ten of Pent acles - W ealt h , abun dan ce, i n her i t an ce,

prosper i ty .


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N u m ber s

A t t his poin t w e hav e gone t hr ough al l t he nu m ber ed car ds.

W hen w e st ar t ed w i t h t he A ces, I m ent ioned t hat d i f fer ent

aut hor s assi gned di f fer en t qual i t i es t o each of t he n um ber s.H er e ar e a

few for com par i son :

Ca

r d

N oble Gor don Ozan i ec

1 Gi ft s Begin n i n gs, cr eat i on ,

w i l lpower

U n i t y

2 Bal an ce Love ,har m on y , cooper at i on ,

polar i ty, dual i ty, choice,balance

Po la r i t y ,

dua l i t y

3 Sy n t hesi s Cr eat i on, abu n dan ce,

im agin a t i on joy , a r t i st i c

ex pr essi on

D ev elopm en t ,

g rowth

4

St abi l i t y Or ganizat ion, st r uctur e,

di scipli n e, w or k, or der

M easur em ent

5 St r uggle F r eedom , pr ogr ess, chan ge,

cour age, v er sat i l i t y

M ot i on ,

adaptat ion

6Exuberance

Ser v i ce, t r ut h, r esponsi bi l i t y ,beaut y , har mony

Balance,equ i l ib r ium

7 Inner

w o r k

Sp i r i t ua l i t y , w isdom Cr eat i v e

synthesis

8

Chan ge Gi v i ng and r eceiv in g i n

balance

R h y t h m ,

a l t e rna te

cycles

9

Complet io

n

Com plet i on , br ot her hood

un iv er sal lov e

Transi t ion

10 Tr an sformat ion

N ew beginn in gs M ani festat ion,complet ion,

fu l f i l lment

N oble, V i cki - M ot her peace Tar ot , I SBN 06-066300-6

Gor don , Ri char d - The I n t ui t i v e Tar ot , ISBN 0-931892-84-8

Ozan i ec, N aomi - The Elem en t Tar ot H an dbook, I SBN 1-85230-

488-X


21/78


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22

R elat i on shi p Path Spr ead". I t w as desi gned by t w o fr i en ds,

N in a-Lee Br aden an d Patsy H agger t y .

6

1 3 5 4 2

The car ds ar e dealt i n t he pat t er n show n abov e. Should y ou

need m or e i nf or m at ion on a car d, don' t be shy about t hr ow i ng a

few m or e car ds in t hat posi t ion for clar i f i cat i on.

Car d 1 - H ow y ou see t he ot her per son

Car d 2 - H ow t he other per son sees y ou

Car d 3 - H ow y ou see t he r elat i on shi p

Car d 4 - H ow t he ot her per son sees t he r elat i on shi p

Car d 5 - Som et hi n g about t he r elat i on shi p t he quer en t n eeds t oknow

Car d 6 - W her e t he r elat i on shi p i s goi n g

M or e Than On e D eck

M ost of t he r eader s I k n ow hav e sev er al Tar ot d ecks. The

r easons for t hi s ar e m an y . Some coll ect decks. Some bought a

deck they foun d in t er est i n g at t he t i m e of pu r chase, but

subsequen t ly foun d t hey di dn 't "cl ick" w i t h. Som e lear n ed t o r ead

w i t h a cer t a in deck an d t hen br anched out on t hei r ow n.

A cqui r i n g a new deck is a scar y busi n ess. For on e t hi n g, Tar ot

decks ar e n ot cheap an d y ou don't w an t t o spen d $14.00 an d u p

for someth i ng y ou w i l l end up t h r ow in g in a d r aw er , not to

ment ion t he lar ge in v estm ent in t i me and st udy r equir ed to

lea rn i t .


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23

I r ecomm end t hat w hen y ou ar e st ar t i ng out y ou f i nd a deck

y ou l i ke and st i ck w i t h i t for a w hi le, a t least u nt i l y ou ar e

com for t able r eadin g i t w it hout t he book si t t i ng by y our si de. I f

y ou f i nd t he goin g r ough, don ' t be t r icked in t o t h in k i ng t hat a

n ew deck w i ll be easi er t o lear n . W hi le t hi s i s som et i m es t he case,par t icu lar ly i f y ou r eal ly d isl i ke y our cur r ent deck, m or e of t en

i t i s n ot . A n ew deck w on 't be an y easi er un less y ou hav e a good

base of i n t er pr et at i on s t o bui ld u pon. On ce y ou hav e t hat , a n ew

deck can be ex cit i n g and can r ev i t al i ze a "st ale" per i od. D on 't

feel y ou ha v e t o hav e t he n ew est deck t hat ev er y on e i s t alk i n g

about . A Tar ot deck is l i ke a f r ien d.

You don't (or at least shouldn 't ) d iscar d old f r ien ds ev er y t i m e

y ou m ake a new on e. I r ead w it h the W ai t e-Sm i t h ex clu siv ely(on an d off) for al m ost 20 y ear s. I br an ched out t o M ot her peace

w i t h mu ch t r ep idat ion, r em em ber in g how pain fu l i t had been t o

lear n t he W ai t e-Smi t h, but I foun d t hat i t w asn' t as d i f f i cu l t as I

t hought i t w ould be because I had a good foundat i on in W ait e-

Sm it h. Lear ni n g m y nex t deck w as easi er st i l l . Rem em ber in g

t hat I hav e t he r est of m y l i fe t o lear n m ade i t m uch easier and

less st r essfu l. You don 't h av e t o lear n 3 car ds a day , or ev en one

car d a day . I f y ou ar e fol low i n g thi s cour se, pr i n t t he m essages

an d go at y our ow n p ace. Spen d a day on t he A ces Lesson orspen d a w eek on i t . N o on e i s ju dgin g y ou, ther e ar e n o ex am s.

Take y our t im e, dev elop a r appor t w i t h y our deck, r ecor d w hat

y ou lear n and i n a few mont hs y ou w i l l feel qu i t e com for t able

r ead ing Tar ot .

Pages

?? Page of W an ds - A ct i v e, en er get i c, en t husi ast i c, play fu l

an d passi on at e

?? Page of Cup s - A ffect i on at e, dr eam y , i n t ui t i v e, sw eet

?? Page of Sw or ds - qui ck w i t t ed, tak es r i sks, somet i m es

br oodi n g or t hought less

?? Page of Pen t acles - Pr act i cal, t hr i f t y , w i se for age,

physical

Pages ar e con si der ed t he chi ldr en or y oun g people of t he deck. I

per sonal ly t h in k t hey have many char act er ist ics in com m on

w i t h The Fool. They ar e i nqui si t i v e, im pulsiv e, play ful an d


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Ot her Cour t Car ds Sy st em s

Som e decks hav e di f fer en t sy st em s for t hei r cour t car ds. Tw o I

kn ow of hav e key w or d sy st em s an d one uses t he cour t car ds t om odi fy ot her car ds i n t he spr ead. "The W i t ches Tar ot " by Ell en

Can n on Reed uses cour t car ds as m odif i er s. W hen y ou get a

cour t car d i n a spr ead y ou deal another car d on t op of i t w hich

w i l l be m odi f i ed by t he Cour t Car d. H er r eason i n g is based on

t he Cabal a. I n R eed's sy st em :

?? K i n gs r epr esen t t he cr eat i v e ur ge, (choosi n g th e seeds t o pl an t )

?? Qu een s r epr esen t t ak i n g t he fi r st st ep, (pl an t i n g t he seeds)

??

Pr i n ces r epr esen t t he r esul t s of our plan n i n g tak i n g shape,(p lant s spr out and grow )

?? Pr i ncesses r epr esen t t he f i nal for m , (har v est in g w hat w e hav e

sown)

F or ex am ple "Qu een of Cup s i s deal t , foll ow ed by t he Tw o of

W an ds. The Tw o of W an ds r epr esen t s i deas t aki n g on

en er gy ...,t he Queen m ean s t he en er gy i s at t he con cept st age - n ot

y et t aki n g on for m , but on i t 's w ay t o for m at ion." ("The W i t ches

Tar ot ", pg 149). R eed's sy st em i s qui t e di f fer en t fr om an y ot her ,

but m ak es sen se Cabal i st i cally an d cer t ai n ly t am es t he m essy

pr oblem of

in ter pr et in g Cour t Car ds.

K n i ght s

?? K ni ght of W ands - Sear chin g, spir i t ual, ent husi ast ic

?? K n i ght of Cups - R om an t i c, sen si t i v e, car i n g, m oody

jealous

?? K ni ght of Sw or ds - A ggr essiv e, com m un icat iv e,

i n t er est ed i n i deas an d t hei r ex pr essi on

?? K n i ght of Pen t acles - Secur e, st able, r eli able, pat i en t

To m e t he K n i ght s ar e t he quer en t s peer s. They ar e seeker s on a

quest w hich I i nt er pr et t o be f i ndi n g thei r place i n t he gr eat

schem e of t hi n gs, t her efor e t hey ar e li ke most of u s, w ho ar e on

t he sam e quest .


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Ri char d Gor don in "The I nt u i t iv e Tar ot " st ates t hat "cour t car ds

r epr esen t an i n di v i dua ls lev el of aw ar en ess, or t hei r age (chil d,

adolescen t , or adu lt )...(kn i ght s) r epr esen t t heper i od of t r y i n g out

new ideas w hi l e st i l l m aki n g quit e a few m ist akes, just as

adolescen t s do i n t hei r at t em pt t o m ast erm a t u r i t y . "

Rosem ar y Gui l ley in "The M y st i cal Tar ot " say s t hat "cour t car ds

r ef lect t he i n f lu en ce of a spects of per son ali t y i n our l i v es - ei t her

fr om our selv es or ot her people:...K n i ght : Ener gy , D r i v e".

Paul Fost er Case i n "The Tar ot " say s t hat "K n i ghts som et i m es

r epr esent t he com i ng or goin g of a m at t er , dependi n g on w hi ch

di r ect i on t hey face."

M uel ler and Echols in "The Lov er s Tar ot " st at e "A s w ar r ior s, t he

kn i ght s sy m boli ze st r en gth , ser v i ce, m obil i t y , cour age, v i ctor y

w i t h honor , and act i ng as champi ons for h igh i deals. A lw ay s

r eady t o do bat t le w i t h t he for ces t o be ov er com e, kn i ght s

suggest act i on , som et i m es hast y (kn i ght of sw or ds) w hi ch w i l l

need to be t em per ed w i t h w i t h pr udence or caut i on . Bot h men

an d w om en can m ake good u se of t he con st r uct i v e for ces

sy m bol i zed by t heir kn ight car ds."

K ni ghts ar e associat ed w i t h f i r e or a i r dependi ng upon t he

aut hor (I associat e t hem w i t h a i r ). A t t h is poin t I 'm t r y in g not to

quot e t he sam e book/ aut hor t w ice , but i f y ou ar e

in t er ested in the v iew s of a par t icu lar aut hor , let m e kn ow and I

w i l l post i t i f I hav e a r efer ence.


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Qu een s

?? Qu een of W an ds - Self con fi den t , pow er fu l, gen er ou s,

qui ck t em per ed?? Queen of Cup s - N ur t ur i n g, psy chic, em ot i on al,

empathet ic

?? Queen of Sw or ds - A r t i culat e, cr i t i cal, aloof, di st an t

?? Queen of Pent acles - Pr act i cal , t r ust w or t hy , ear t hy ,

comfor t ing

Queen s i n m y opi n i on a r e w om en w ho w i eld som e pow er ov er

t he quer en t , w het her posi t i on al or em ot i onal . I see Qu een s an d

K i n gs as v er y si m i lar , t hough I feel Queen s ar e m or e subt le i nt heir pow er . I M O m en can be Queen s and w om an can be K in gs

dependi n g on how t hey use an d w ield t hei r pow er .

Gar et h K ni ght in "The M agica l W or ld of the Tar ot " st ates t hat

"The Queen s an d K i n gs m ay r epr esen t older people accor di n g to

sex , but t hi s i s by n o m ean s un i v er sal...t hey r epr esen t people i n

est abl ished posit ions of au t hor i t y , but t h is m ay w el l be i n t he

t ot al ly dom est i c con t ex t of fat her or m ot her - or i n deed

som et hi n g t hat t akes t he place of fat her or m ot her . I t coul d be a

com pan y , com m i t t ee, social w or ker or peer gr oup."

Pam ela Eak i n s i n "Tar ot of t he Spi r i t " say s "...al l M ot her s

(Queen s) ar e r ela t ed t o th e elemen t of w at er . R egar dl ess of t he

sui t i n w hi ch t hey appear , al t hough they ar e con dit ioned or

r ef i n ed by t he at t r i but es of t hat sui t , i t can be said t hat al l

M ot her s per son if y t he qual i t ies of em ot ion an d

un der st andi ng. The M ot her s i n t hei r ex alt ed st at e ar e

r ecept i v e, lov in g, and n ur t ur in g."

Eden Gr ay i n "The Tar ot R ev ealed" st at es "I n r eadi n gs, t he t he

K i n g oft en sy m boli zes t he spi r i t ; t he Queen , t he soul ; t he K n i ght ,

t he ego; an d t he Page, t he body ." I foun d t hi s i n t er est i n g because

i n "M ast er i n g t he Tar ot " she uses t he phy si cal char ecter i st i cs

m et hod an d say s t hey ar e people.

I 'l l st r et ch a bit her e an d discuss t he V oy ager deck. I n m y

in t er pr et at i on , t he W om en of t hat deck ar e n ot t he sam e as

Queen s, bu t he has some in t er est i n g cor r espon dences w hi ch I


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w an t ed to i nclude. I n "V oy ager Tar ot , W ay of the Gr eat Or acle"

he has t he foll ow i n g cor r espond en ces:

?? W oman of Cr y st al s (sw or ds) - The Pr i est ess, Just i ce

?? W oma n of Cu ps - The M oon , The St ar

?? W oman of W or lds (disks) - The Em pr ess?? W oma n of W an ds - The Pr i est ess, St r en gt h H e st at es "the

W om an car ds ar e t he hu m an ex pr essi on s of t hei r

ar chet y pi cal seeds, w hi ch ar e sy m boli zed by t he M ajor

A r cana A r chet y pes."

Tar ot Ex er cise

On e w ay t o get fam il iar w it h t he Cour t Car ds is t o per son al i ze

t hem . Thi s ex er cise Based on "Tar ot for Y our self" m ay help y out o r em em ber t he Cour t Car ds.

W e each show sev er al f aces t o t he w or ld each day . W e ar e

m other s, fat her s, co-w or ker s, bosses, subor di n at es, si bli n gs,

child r en , fr i en ds, st ud en t s an d t eacher s. W e ar e v i ew ed

di f fer en t ly i n each of t hese r oles. D i v i de a sheet of paper i n half .

On one si de w r i t e dow n t he r oles y ou pl ay each day . On t he

ot her side, w r i t e t he cour t card w hich y ou feel cor r esponds to

t hi s r ole.

D o t he sam e t hin g for ot her people y ou k n ow , f r ien ds an d

r elat i v es. For ex am ple, I see m y fav or i t e au n t as t he Queen of

Sw or ds. M y cur r ent boss i s a K ni ght of W ands, t hough my

pr ev i ous boss w as t he K i n g of Cu ps (he w as al so th e Em per or !).

M y husband i s usual ly t he K in g of W ands. M y mother is usual ly

t he Qu een of Cu ps.


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K i n gs

?? K in g of W ands - For ceful , dom in eer in g, r i sk t aker ,

cr eat i v e, set s hi gh goals?? K in g of Cups - Roman t ic, char m i ng, fun , sen si t i v e

?? K in g of Sw or ds - A nal y t i cal , in t el lect ual, r ut hless,

?? K i n g of Pen t acles - D ow n t o ear t h. sen sua l, secur e,

st ubbor n

K i ngs I M O ar e sim i l ar t o Queens i n t hat t hey r epr esen t som eon e

w i t h pow er ov er t he quer ent . They ar e d i f fer ent in t hat t hey

m an if est t he char act er ist ics of t heir sui t s in a st r onger , m or e

r aw m an n er . They can be ex cessi v e, or heav y han ded w her e t heQueen i s usual ly m or e balan ced an d r eser v ed.

Ri char d Gor den i n " In t ui t iv e Tar ot " st at es t hat "K in gs r epr esent

a gr eat deal of aw ar en ess, com bin ed w i t h an asser t i v e n at ur e, or

an adu l t man ."

Shar m an-Bur ke and Gr een i n "The M y t h ic Tar ot " w r i t es "K in gs

in al l four sui t s ar e i m ages of t he dy nam i c, out goin g, dir ect iv e

qual i t ies of the par t icular sui t . These pow er ful m ascul i ne

fi gur es r epr esen t t he fu ll use of t he en er gi es of t hi s spher e of l i fe

in bui ld i ng and concr et i z in g in t he out er w or ld ."

M ar y Gr eer i n "Tar ot Con st ell at i on s say s"...(cour t car ds)

pr i m ar i ly r epr esen t t he r oles, m asks or subper son ali t i es w e w ear

as our "i den t i t i es" in l i fe....The ki n gs dem on st r at e t hei r t alen t s,

w hi ch ar e out er an d publ i c. They seem conf iden t of t hei r

ex per t i se an d secur e i n t hei r posi t i on s. A s a kin g

y ou adm i ni st er , ju dge, t ake char ge an d handle y our af fai r s

com pet en t ly . You est abli sh pr ocedur es an d bui ld em pi r es.

K i n gs show w her e y ou hav e dev eloped m ast er y , but also w her e

y ou can be in f lex ib le, and w her e y ou t h in k y ou hav e noth in g

m or e t o lear n. K i ngs ar e m uch l i ke t he Emper or . They ar e

usual l y r elat ed t o the elem ent air , but m ay be consi der ed f i r e by

some." I p er sona ll y

consider t hem f i r e.


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Ot her Cour t Car d Sy st em s

The Gi l l T ar ot deck an d t he V oy ager each use key w or ds on t hei r

cour t car ds. They ar e as fol low s:

V o y a

ger

W an ds Cups Cr y st als W or lds

Chi ld Seeker F eeler Lear n er Pla y er

M an A ctor Su r fer I n ven t or A ch iev e

r

W om

an

Sen sor R ejoicer Gua r di an Pr eser v e

r

Sage Seer R egener a

t or

K now er M aster

Gi ll W an ds Cup s Sw or ds D i sks

K i n g I n n ov a t i o

n

I nsp i ra t i

on

Intui t ion Concept

i on

Queen Reflection Contempl

at ion

Reason N ur tu r

e

P r i nce A sp i r a t io

n

Creat iv i t

y

A ct i on Const r u

ct ion

Pr ince

ss

Transform

a t ion Evo lu t ion

Cont ro l Growth

A s can be seen f r om t hese post s, cour t car d i n t er pr et at i on s v ar y

gr eat ly am on g aut hor s an d r eader s. M y adv i ce i s t o chose a

m et hod t hat y ou feel com for t able w it h, m ast er i t an d use i t

con sist ent ly . Ther e ar e sev er al mor e cour t car d in t er pr et at ions

t hat I foun d in t er est i ng, but di d not i nclude because t hey w er e

t oo len gthy t o ex plai n adequat ely . A m on g t hem ar e Jana

Ri ley 's i nt er pr et at i on s i n "The Tar ot Book" whi ch is

psy chological (pr i m ar i ly Jun gian ) i n appr oach and R ose Gw ain 's

"D i scov er i n g Your self t hr ough t he Tar ot " w hi ch she descr i bes as

"d r aw n f r om the t r ad i t i ona l Tar ot l i t er a tu r e as w el l as

m y t hological an d psy chologi cal sour ces...fu r t her am pli f i ed by t he

I Chin g". M any aut hor s w er e n ot in cluded because t hei r

descr i pt i on s w er e t oo ski m py or w er e of t he "phy si cal

char acter i st i cs" school of t hought , w hi ch is w ell kn ow n an d n eed

n ot be r epeat ed her e.


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T he M a jor A r ca n a

The M in or A r cana an d Cour t Car ds r epr esent t he ev er y day ;

our phy sical and em ot i on al concer n s, our env ir onm ent , f r i ends

and r elat i v es. The M ajor A r cana r epr esen t our higher selv es,t he spir i t ual and t he out si de for ces t hat i nf lu ence our l i v es.

M any Tar ot aut hor s consider the M ajor A r cana t o be the only

im por tan t car ds in the deck , r elegat i ng the M in or A r cana t o

d i v i n a t i o n .

I hav e sev er al books w hich addr ess t he M ajor s on ly r elat in g

t hem t o Psy chology, Cabala, N um er ology , A st r ology , A lchem y ,

t he Bi ble and Chr ist ian H er m et ic ism . Ther e ar e also m an y

M ajor s on ly Tar ot decks av ai lable on t he m ar ket . These ar e

usual l y w hat I cal l "ar t decks", but t hey hi ghl ight t he fact t hat t he M ajor A r cana can st and on i t 's ow n. I hav e nev er seen a

M i n or s on ly deck . Som e au t hor s r ecom m en d y ou d o

r eadin gs w i t h just t he M ajor A r cana, t hough i t has been m y

ex per i en ce t hat m ost quer en t s seek an sw er s t o the ev er y day

pr oblem s t hey face, v i ce t he spi r i t ual on es.

M any beginn in g r eader s ar e somew hat af r a id of the M ajor

A r cana. I hav e seen m any post s say i ng "I got 6 M ajor s in m y

Celt i c Cr oss, w hat does i t m ean ?". The M ajor s ar e n othi n g t o fear .

To me t hey in d icate t hat power fu l for ces ar e at w or k i n the

si t uat i on , som e of w hich m ay be bey ond y our con t r ol .

K nowi ng they ar e at w or k how ev er , helps y ou pr epar e t o deal

w i t h t hem i n t he m ost effect i v e w ay possi ble. Som e of t he m or e

f r ight en in g car ds i n t he deck ar e i n t he M ajors. The D ev i l ,

D eat h, The Tow er , usua lly pr esen t fear som e i m ages w hi ch w e

r eact t o on a gut lev el. A gain I w ant t o em phasize t hat each

car d has a ful l spectr um of m eani ng. The nu r t ur i ng Em pr ess can

be a mat er nal t y r an t , The D ev i l has a fun side, an d the dr ast i c

change i n dicat ed by t he Tow er is of t en for t he bet t er i n t he long

r un . K eep t hese t hin gs in m in d w hen w e di scuss t he M ajor

A r ca n a.

These i n t er pr et at i on s hav e been kept br i ef an d si m ple. The

sy m bol i sm of di f fer en t decks v ar ies accor din g t o how t he

desi gner i n t er pr et s each car d. Each set of M ajor s has i t 's ow n

st y le and f l av or . U se t hese i nt er pr et at i on s as a jum pin g of f


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poin t for fu r t her st udy . Become fami l iar w i t h the sy m bol ism

and idi osy ncr aci es of y our ow n deck.


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The M agic ian I

The M agici an r epr esen t s di r ect i n g your en er gies t o som e

pur pose. H e i s cr eat i v e, ski l l fu l l , clev er an d capable. M ost decks

show t he M agician w it h the four sui t s som ew her e i n t he pi ct ur e,m ost com m on ly on a t able befor e hi m . They r epr esen t t he four

elem en t s, t he t ools he u ses t o m ak e m agi c. W hen w e t hi n k of a

M agic ian , w e comm only th i nk of t he r abbi t in the ha t t r i ck or

pul l i ng a coi n f r om on es ear ; t he i l lu sion of pul l i ng som et hin g

f r om t hin ai r . The Tar ot M agician does t he sam e t hin g, onl y i t

i sn 't i l lu si on ; he uses hi s kn ow ledge, pow er , cr eat i v i t y an d for ce

of w i l l t o t r ansfor m t he elem ent s; t o cr eat e. W hen y ou get t hi s

car d i t i s an i ndi cat ion t hat y ou ar e focused, conf iden t , an d

r eady for t he t ask at han d, or t hat y ou n eed t o becom e so. I t i s at i m e of cr eat iv i t y an d pur poseful ness. The M agician is

associat ed w i t h t he p lanet M er cur y (com m un icat i on) , t he

m usical n ot e E an d t he color y el low .

A r chety pes

The w or d ar chety pe is used in conju nct i on w i t h Tar ot t o

descr i be how t he car ds f i t in t o a un i v er sal sy m bology . Car l

Jun g dev eloped t he i dea of t he ar chet y pe as a sy m bol w hi ch all

hum an bein gs un der st and at bi r t h . M y d i ct i onar y def in es i t as

foll ow s:

"2. (I n Jun gian psy chology ) an un con scious i dea, patt er n of

t hought , i m age et c., i n her i t ed fr om t he an cest or s of t he r ace an d

un i v er sall y pr esen t i n i n di v i du al psy ches.". Som e of t he m or e

com m on ar chet y pes ar e "t he shadow " w hi ch r epr esen t s t hi n gs w e

fear or w i sh t o den y i n our selv es; "The

ani m us/ ani ma w hich is the in t er nal r epr esent at i on of t he

opposit e sex (an im a -fem ale w i t hin a m ale, ani m us - m ale w i t hi n

a fem ale); "t he w i se old m an ", "t he gr eat m ot her ", "the t r i ckst er ",

an d "t he sham an ". Per Jun g, ev er y cult ur e, societ y an d

in div idu al r ecogni zes t hese ar chet y pical f i gur es. They ar e i n our

m y t hs, our hist or y and our legends. They hav e t he abi l i t y t o

el i ci t st r ong em ot i on al r eact ions.

Tar ot r el ies heav i ly on sy m bol ism and pai r in g i t w i t h a sy st em

l i ke t he ar chet y pes w as a nat ur al. D o y ou n eed to under st and


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t he ar chet y pes and Jun gian psy chology t o r ead Tar ot ? N o you

don' t , but lear n i ng th i s m ater ia l w i l l g iv e y ou addi t ional

in sight s in t o t he i nt er pr et at i on an d m eani ng of t he car ds. I

r ecom m en d y ou f i r st m ast er t he basi c m ean i n gs of t he car ds. I f

y ou hav e a backgr oun d in psy chology an d ar e fami l i ar w i t h Jung, by all m ean s use t hi s kn ow ledge t o add dept h t o y our

in ter pr eta t ions, bu t i f y ou ar e not fami l ia r w i t h i t , don ' t f r et ,

t her e ar e r eader s w ho kn ow n ot hi ng about

ar chet y pes an d do qui t e w ell . The sam e can be sai d for K abala,

A st r ology, N um er ology and ot her sy st em s w hi ch ar e of t en

l in ked w i t h Tarot . Lear n i ng them adds depth, but not kn ow in g

them w i l l not pr ev ent y ou f r om bein g a compet ent r eader .

D if fer ent Tar ot au t hor s assign di f fer ent ar chet y pes t o t he

v ar i ou s car ds. I h av e seen t he M agi cian descr i bed as an a spectof t he w i se old m an , an aspect of t he t r i ckst er an d as an aspect

of t he sham an. Obvi ously any w or t hw hi l e discussion of t h is

su bject i s bey ond t he scope of thi s cour se. I am st i l l l ear n i n g

about t his subject m y self . I just w ant ed t o m ent i on i t so t hat

w hen y ou hear t he w or d ar chet y pe di scussed i n r elat ion t o

Tar ot , y ou hav e som e i dea of w hat i s bei n g tal ked about .


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The H i gh Pr i est ess I I

The H i gh Pr i est ess r epr esen t s i n n er kn ow ledge an d w i sdom. The

car d oft en show s a w om an seat ed or st an di n g bet w een t w o

pi l l ar s, w ear i n g a cr escen t M oon headdr ess an d som et i m esbear i n g a scr oll. She i s w i se, pu r e (v i r gi n al ), an d possesses

"hi dden kn ow ledge". R ecept i v e and com posed, she pr efer s

seclusi on t o the l im eli ght, but she i s w i l l i n g t o shar e her

kn ow ledge should t he st udent seek i t . W hen y ou get t hi s car d i t

suggest s t hat y ou alr eady hav e t he kn ow ledge n ecessar y t o deal

w i t h w hat faces y ou. I t m ay be bur ied deep w i t h in y ou and

m ay be di f f i cul t t o cal l t o t he sur face, but i t i s t her e. You m ay

be mor e r ecept i v e, in t u i t i v e, or in touch w i t h y our sel f a t t h is

t i m e. The H i gh Pr i est ess i s associat ed w i t h th e M oon (my st er y ,i n t ui t i on , com passi on ), t he color blue and t he m usi cal n ot e G#.

Sign i f i ca t or s

A si gni f i cat or is a car d chosen f r om t he deck t o r epr esent t he

quer en t , w het her i t be y ou or som eon e else. M ost com m on ly a

Cour t Car d i s chosen , but som e people use a M ajor A r cana car d

an d som e ju st deal a car d r an doml y fr om t he deck. Som e spr eads

r equi r e a sign i f i cat or , som e do not . Per sonal ly , i f a sign i f i cat or i s

cal led for , I ju st deal a car d f r om t he deck i nt o t hat posit i on,

r at her t han choosi ng a specif i c Cour t Car d. W hat ev er car d fal ls

in t hat posit ion r epr esent s m e or t he quer ent in r elat ion t o t he

quest i on at han d. I feel pul l i n g a specif i c car d fr om t he deck to

use as a sign i f i cator r em ov es t hat card an d pr ev ent s i t f r om

bein g dealt i nt o another posit ion i n t he spr ead w her e i t m ight be

mor e in for m at i v e. M any r eader s feel a sign i f icator pr ov ides

focu s t o t he spr ead how ev er , an d choose t hem car efu ll y ,

feeli n g tha t t he deck w i l l chose an ot her car d t o con v ey t he sam e

m essage i f i t i s called for . I n t hi s, as i n m ost t hi n gs, y ou ha v e t o

chose w hat feels r i ght for y ou.

A Spr ead

Thi s i s a gen er al p ur pose spr ead fr om t he book "Tar ot an d

I n div idu at ion", w hi ch has 78 spr eads i n t he appendi x . I t i s

si m i lar t o the Celt i c Cr oss i n scope, but i s l i n ear , al l ow i n g th e

r elat i on shi ps t o be m or e appar en t , an d shor t er .


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1 2 3 4 5 6 7

?? Car d 1 - D i st an t past - t he basi c ev en t s an d i n fl u en ces t hat

m ay hav e cr eat ed t he pr esen t out look and at t i t ude

?? Car d 2 - I m m edi at e past - r ecen t ev ent s t hat m ay hav e had aspecif ic in f lu ence and m ay be on t hei r w ay out ;

?? Car d 3 - Pr esen t i n f lu en ces - r ead w i t h t he pr ev i ous car d, i t

i ndi cates w hat m ay m odif y t he pr esent out look;

?? Car d 4 - Pr esen t obst acles, haza r ds - ev en i f a f av or able car d,

in t h is posi t ion ( i t ) may mean a d iv er sion f r om the t r ue goal ;

?? Car d 5 - Pr esen t out look - usu all y an ex t en si on of car ds 3 an d

4, i t of t en in d icates the way t he cur r ent si t uat ion ex t ends in t o

t he fu t ur e;

??Car d 6 - Fu t ur e in f lu en ces - a sum m ar y of al l t he pr ecedi ngcar ds; show s t he w ay t hey com bin e t o cr eat e com i n g ev en t s;

?? Car d 7 - U l t im ate resul t ; the cu lm in at i on brought about by a l l

t he pr ecedi n g suggest ed i n t er act i on s bet w een past at t i t ud es

an d t he pr esen t .


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The Em pr ess I I I

The Em pr ess r epr esen t s t he m at er n al. The car d u sual ly show s a

w om an (som et i m es pr egnan t ) in a lu sh f i eld or gar den scen e.

She is f r u i t fu l , nur t ur in g, cr eat i v e and has an appr eciat ion of t he f i ner t hi ngs. She i s in dulgent and i s i n t ouch w it h her self

and her env i r onm ent . W hen y ou get t h is car d in a r eadin g i t i s

an i nd i cat i on t hat y ou ar e or need to be nu r t ur in g or cr eat i v e.

I t is a t im e w hen y ou can br in g ideas t o f r ui t i on . The Empr ess i s

associat ed w i t h t he plan et V en us (lov e an d beaut y ), t he color

gr een , the

m usi cal note F#.

Color

I hav e been i ncludi ng t he color associat ed w i t h each M ajor .

M ost color cor r espond en ces ar e based on t he Cabala, an d t hey

w or k w el l in ter m s of Tar ot . Yel low (The M agic ian) is a br ight ,

v i br an t happy color ; Blu e (The H i gh Pr i est ess) is cool an d

soot hi n g; Gr een (The Emp r ess) suggest s fer t i l i t y an d

abunda nce. Color s hav e t he abi l i t y t o af fect our m ood an d

t hin ki ng a f ew m i nu t es about t he color associ at ed w i t h each

M ajor A r cana card w i l l g iv e y ou c lues about the m ood of t he

card.


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The Emper or I V

The Emper or r epr esent s aut hor i t y , a fat her f i gur e, pow er ,

leader shi p, bui ld i n g, pr ot ect ion, ambit i on, or der , or gani zat ion

an d con fi den ce. H e i s usual ly depi cted as a st at ely looki n g olderm an on a t hr one. W hen y ou get t he Emper or , i t i ndi cat es a n eed

t o set t h in gs in or der , t o or gani ze and plan how

t o m eet y our goals. I t could be a t i m e w hen y our am bit ions ar e

dr iv in g you or ar e bein g fel t m or e keenly t han usual . You ar e in

a posi t ion t o take char ge and gui de t hin gs on t hei r pr oper

cour se. The plan et associat ed w i t h t he Em per or i s A r i es (act i on ,

asser t i on , cou r age), t he color r ed, th e m usi cal n ote C.

A nother Spr ead

Thi s spr ead i s a si m pl i f i cat i on of a 15 car d spr ead. It i s a good

gen er al pu r pose spr ead w hich can be appl i ed t o a v ar i et y of

si t ua t i on or be u sed as a gen er al "w her e am I headed" spr ead.

The spr ead i s la i d as foll ow s:

5 4

2 1 3

6 7

Car d 1 - The Si gni f i cat or

Car d 2 - I nn er Si t uat i on

Car d 3 - Out er Si t ua t i on

Car d 4 - D ir ect ion th i ngs w i l l tak e w i t hout out side in ter v ent ion

Car d 5 - Pot ent i al a l t er nat iv e act i on (w hat y ou can do t o change

t he cour se of t he si t uat i on )

Car d 6 - I n for m at i on w hich w i l l assist i n t he decision m aki ng

pr ocess

Car d 7 - For ces bey on d con t r ol t hat can n ot be changed

I f y ou h av e som e t i m e t o spen d, y ou can ex pan d i t t o i t 's fu l l 15

car d conf i gur at ion as fol low s:

13 9 5 4 8 12

2 1 3

14 10 6 7 11 15

Car ds 1,2 an d 3 r em ai n t he sam e, car ds 4, 8 and 12 ar e r ead t he

sam e w ay as car d 4 w as i n t he 7 car d con fi gur at i on , car ds 5, 9


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an d 13 t he sam e as 5 et c. I f y ou u se t he la r ger v er si on, r em em ber

t o look f or t he r elat i on shi ps bet w een t he car ds.


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The H ier ophant V

The H ier ophant is a teacher . H e r epr esent s sp i r i t ua l t r a in in g

and di scipl i ne, conv ent ion, t r adi t i on an d dogma. I n older decks

t hi s car d i s call ed "The Pope" (The H i gh Pr i est ess w as call ed "ThePapess" or fem ale Pope"). I n m ost d ecks t hi s car d depi cts a m ale

f i gur e in r el i g ious r obes, som et im es w it h fol low er s ar oun d hi m ,

som et im es not . When y ou get t his car d i t coul d i ndi cat e t hat y ou

ar e boun d in som e w ay by t r ad i t ion or or t hodox y . Per haps i t is

t i m e t o ex am i n e y our beli ef sy st em t o see i f i t st i l l ser v es y our

n eeds. Per hap s y ou ar e seeki n g a t eacher or leader , a n ew pat h

t o fol low . The si gn associ at ed w it h t he H ier ophant i s Taur us, t he

color r ed-or an ge an d t he m usi cal n ot e C#.

Qabala, Cabala, K abala, Qabalah , K abbalah

The Qabala i s a sy st em of Jew i sh m y st i cism . Eli pha s Lev i , a 19t h

cent ur y occul t ist w as t he f i r st t o l in k t he Tar ot w i t h t he Qabala,

speci f i cal ly l i n ki n g the 22 let t er s of t he H ebr ew alphabet w i t h

t he 22 M ajor

A r cana . Subsequent occult i st s si ezed t hi s i dea an d ex pan ded

upon i t , in clu din g A .E. W ait e of t he W ait e-Sm i t h or Ri der deck,

Pau l F ost er Case of B.O.T.A . (Bu i lder s of t he A dy t um ) and

A leist er Cr ow ley .

The m ajor sy m bol i n t he Qabala i s t he Tr ee of Li fe. I t i s t hought

t o be a bluepr i nt for t he U n iv er se. M ost Tar ot books hav e a

pi ctu r e of t he t r ee an d I beli ev e t her e i s at least on e av ai lable for

dow n load i n t he li br ar y her e on CI S. The Tr ee of li fe con si st s of

four w or lds, each of w hi ch cor r esponds t o on e of t he four

H ebr ew let t er s i n t he sy m bol for t he nam e of God, I H V H . The

four W or lds ar e:

A t z i lu t h - The A r chet y pal W or ld - This is t he w or ld of pur e

Spi r i t or pur e ideas. A l l ot her w or lds or igi nat e her e. I t i s

assi gned t he elem en t Fi r e an d cor r espon ds t o the let t er I (Y od) in

I H V H .

Br iah - The Cr eat i v e W or ld - This is t he w or ld w her e t he i dea i s

giv en for m or a pat t er n . I t i s assign ed the elem ent w at er and

cor r esponds t o the f i r st let t er H (H eh).


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Yet z i r ah - The Form at i v e W or ld - This is the wor ld w her e t he

pat t er n i s giv en ex pr essi on . I t i s assi gned t he elem en t ai r an d

cor r espon ds t o t he let t er V (V au ).

A ssiah - The A ct iv e or M ater ia l W or ld - This is t he w or ld w her et he i dea i s giv en p hy si cal for m . I t also con t ai n s t he un seen

en er gies of m at t er . I t i s assi gned t he elem en t ear t h an d

cor r espond s t o t he secon d lett er H (H eh).

The four sui t s an d t he four cour t car ds ar e assi gned t o t he four

wor lds.

A t z i l u t h - F i r e - K ings

Br i ah - W at er - Queen s

Yetz i r ah - A i r - K n ight s A ssi ah - Ear t h - Pages

K now in g these at t r ibut ions w i l l help y ou i n t er pr et t he Cour t

Car ds. The K i ng of W ands for ex am ple i s Fi r e of F ir e (obvi ously

a Fi r er y per sonal i t y !); t he K in g of Cups, Fi r e of W at er et c. "The

W i t ches Tar ot " t akes t he assi gnm en t s on e st ep fu r t her by usi n g

t he at t r i but es of each w or ld as t he w ay t he cour t car d modif i es

t he car d f ol l ow i n g i t (i f y ou go back t o the lesson w hi ch di scusses

t he W i t ches Tar ot sy st em , y ou' l l see w hat I m ean .


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The Lover s V I

The m ost obv i ous m ean i n g of t he Lov er s i s a r elat i on shi p,

at t r act ion or lov e, how ev er t hi s i s onl y a secondar y m eani ng of

t he car d. Thi s car d usual ly show s a coup le w i t h an an gel orCup i d ov er head, how ev er old er decks oft en show ed a m an

st an di n g bet w een t w o w om en , looki n g as t hough he w er e

t r y in g t o chose bet w een t he t w o. Thi s i l lu st r at es t he pr im ar y

m ean i n g of t he car d w hi ch i s oft en ov er looked. The Lover s

r epr esen t s a choi ce. I t can a lso r epr esen t t he com i n g t oget her of

opposi t es. W hen y ou get t hi s car d it i n di cat es a choice. Y ou

m ust use y our pow er s of discr im in at ion t o un it e or

chose bet w een t w o opposi n g en er gi es. I n clu ded i n t hi s i s t he i dea

of r elat ionshi ps, w hich ar e also a for m of un it i ng t w o dif fer ent en er gi es.

The si gn associat ed w i t h t he Lover s i s Gem i n i (t w i n s, dua li t y ,

sy n t hesi s), t he color or an ge, t he m usi cal n ote D .

Qabala, Par t 2

Each M ajor A r cana i s associat ed w i t h a H ebrew let t er of t he

alphabet , al t hough di f fer ent aut hor s hav e m ade di f fer ent

assi gnm en t s. A com m on (t hough n ot t he on ly ) l i st i n g is giv en

below :

Car d Let t er M ean i ng

Fool A leph Ox

M agic ian Beth H ouse

H i gh Pr i est ess Gim el Cam el

Em pr ess D alet h D oor

Emper or H eh W in dowH ier ophan t V au N a i l or H ook

Lov er s Zain Sw or d

Char i ot Chet h Fence

St r en gt h Tet h Ser pen t

H er m i t Yod Open H and

W heel of F or t un e K aph Closed or

Gr asp ing H and

Just i ce Lam ed Ox Goad

H anged M an M em W ater D ea th N un F ish


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Tem per an ce Sam ek h Pr op

D ev i l A y i n Ey e

Tow er Peh M out h

St ar Tzaddi Fi sh hook

M oon Qoph Back of t heH ead

Su n R esh H ead

Judgment Shin Tooth

W or l d T au M a r k

Each let t er also r epr esen t s a H ebr ew w or d. These w or ds ar e also

clues t o t he m ean i n g of t he car d. The Lover s for ex am ple i s Zain

or Sw or d. The sw or d i s a t ool of div i si on or separ at ion an d i sv iew ed as cut t in g cleanly t hr ough to the hear t of t he mat t er . I t

cut s off w hat i s n o longer n ecessar y , t hus i t i m pli es

a choi ce bet w een w hat i s t o be kept an d w hat i s t o be di scar ded.

A mber Jay ant i ca l ls i t "the sw or d of d iscr im in at i on" .


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T ar ot D r ea m s

I f t her e is a car d y ou w ant to know more about on an in tu i t i v e

lev el, y ou can t r y dr eam i ng about t he car d. Befor e y ou go t o

sleep spen d a few m om en t s r eadi n g about t he car d y ou w i sh t odr eam a bout . Pul l t he car d fr om t he deck and spen d a few

m om ent s looki n g at i t . Close y our ey es and t r y t o r ecal l t he

det ai ls. R epeat i f n ecessar y un t i l y ou f eel com for t able t hat y ou

hav e an i m pr essi on of t he car d i n m i n d. Som e people l i ke t o pu t

the car d under t hei r p i l low . You may not dr eam of t he car d at

f i r st , i t m i ght t ake sev er al day s of r epeat in g thi s befor e y ou

hav e a dr eam w hi ch in cludes t he car d. You may n ot

be successfu l a t al l , but i f y ou do dr eam of t he car d, r ecor d

ev er y t h in g t hat happens in t he dr eam i n y our Tar ot Jour nal .The dr eam can giv e y ou som e addit i on al i nsight s in t o t he car d

and w hat i t m eans t o y ou. The m eani n g may not be clear t o y ou

at t he t i m e but don' t f r et , lat er ev ent s m ight shed som e l i ght on

the dr eam. That is w hy i t i s im por tan t t o w r i t e i t dow n.

Som et i m es w e dr eam of car ds w i t hout t r y in g. W hen t his

happens I t r y t o see how t he car d or car ds p lay out in m y l i fe

ov er the nex t few days. I a lso pay par t icu lar a t t ent ion to t he

car ds dr eam t of i f t hey show up i n subsequen t r eadi n gs. Ev en i f

w e can n ot f i gur e out w hat t he dr eam m eant , just t r y in g t o

in t er pr et w hat t he dr eam m eant is en l i ght eni ng.


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The Char io t V I I

The Char i ot r epr esen t s con t r oll ed for ce, di scipl i n e an d v i ctor y .

I t i s a car d of conf i dence, act i on and w i l l . Thi s car d usual l y

show s an ar m or ed soldi er r i d in g a char iot pu l led by t w o hor sesor ot her cr eat ur es. H e m ust push t hese cr eat ur es t o t hei r fast est

speed w hi l e m ai nt ain in g con t r ol of t hem . W hen y ou get t his car d

in a r eadin g i t in d icates cont r ol l i ng a si t uat ion t hough the

st r ength of your per sonal i t y an d wi l l . You ar e m ar shal l in g a l l

y our for ces tow ar ds v ic tory . I t is a t im e for act ion and for

movi ng ahead w i t h y our p lans. I t can a lso in d icate t r av el . The

si gn associa t ed w i t h t he Char i ot i s Can cer (tenaci ous,

com passi on at e), t he color or an ge-y ellow an d t he m usi cal n ot e D .

Qaba la Par t I I I

The t r ee of Li fe is div ided i nt o thr ee pi l lar s; Sev er i t y , M i l dness

and M er cy . On t he pi l lar s ar e ar r an ged the t en Sephi r ot h. They

are:

K et her - The Cr ow n - A ces

Chokm ah - W i sdom - Tw os, K i n gs

Bi n ah - U n der st an di n g - Thr ees, Queen s

Chesed - M er cy - F our s

Gebur ah - St r en gth - Fi v es

Ti phar et h - Beaut y - Si x es, K ni ghts

N et zach - V ict or y - Sev ens

H od - Splen dor - Eight s

Yesod - Foun dat i on - N i n es

M alk ut h - The K i n gdom - Ten s, Pages

Each Sephir ot h is on a pi l lar of t he t r ee. They ar e ar r an ged in

such a w ay t hat t her e ar e 22 pat hs bet w een t hem . The M ajor

A r cana hav e been assi gn ed t o t hese pat hs. The Char i ot f or

ex am ple, i s assi gn ed t he pat h bet w een Gebur ah (St r en gt h) and

Bi n ah (U n der st an din g), bot h of w hich ar e on t he Pi l lar of

Sev er i t y . The Sephi r ot h ar e t he un der pin n in g of t he M in or

A r cana i nt er pr et at i on s. The f i f t h Sephi r ot h (St r engt h), is t he

Sephi r ot h of dest r uct i on or t ear i n g dow n . I t 's i n f lu en ce i s seen

in t he f i v es, w hi ch ar e al l about st r i f e and conf l i ct , bypr oducts of

tear in g dow n. U nder st andi ng t he Sephir ot h w i l l help y ou t o

un der st and w hy t he M in or s have t he in t er pr etat ions t hey have.


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I w i l l n ot bor e y ou any fur ther w i t h the Qabala. A s pr ev iously

st at ed, i t i s a subject t o w hi ch on e coul d dev ot e a l i fet i m e of

st udy on i t 's ow n . I t does hav e a maj or i n f lu en ce on m oder n

Tar ot , how ev er and n ow w hen y ou hear t he t er m s sephi r ot h, or pat hs, y ou w i l l hav e an i dea of w hat i s bei n g discussed. I f y ou

w ish t o pur sue thi s t opic fu r t her , an ex cel lent book i s "Liv i ng t he

Tar ot " by A m ber Jay ant i . Thi s book i ncor por at es t he Qabala in t o

the in ter pr eta t ion of the M ajor A r cana in a clear man ner , and

pr ov i des af f i r m at ions, per son al an ecdot es f r om Jay an t i an d her

st ud en t s, an d a ser i es of qu est i on s for each M ajor car d. V er y

r eada ble.


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St r eng th V I I I

St r en gth r epr esen t s t he abil i t y t o per sev er e i n t he face of

obst acles. I t i s abou t subdu i n g t he passi on s or delay i n g pleasu r e

for a higher goal. Thi s car d usual l y depict s a w om an w i t h aLi on. She has n o w eapon s, y et show s n o fear or app r ehen si on.

This car d is not about phy sical st r engt h, i t is m en t al or spi r i t ual

st r ength. W hen y ou get t h is car d in a r eadin g i t can i nd i cate

t he n eed t o face a si t uat i on an d see i t t hr ough t o i t s con clusi on .

You m ay n eed cour age an d m en t al st r en gth t o ov er com e

somethi n g. The si gn associa t ed w i t h St r en gt h i s

2 books on tarot cards (witch craft, occult, druid, magick, spells)

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