Tarot Basics

Dr. Charlotte Venkatraman

About me

Doctor and psychiatrist

Small business in aromatherapy and other holistic therapies including tarot

Interest in tarot since childhood

Work part time as a doctor and holistic practitioner now

Trustee for Mind

History of the tarot

14th Century Italy – earliest recorded use in Europe. May have been in use before that.

Mostly for games initially

French magical revival in the 19th Century – cards seen as illustrating a spiritual journey

A.E. Waite and the RWS deck

Overview

78 Cards in total

22 Majors – spiritual journey. ‘The Fool’s Journey’

40 Minors – everyday events.

Four Suits – Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles

16 Court cards – King, Queen, Knight, Page

Minors – 4 suits

Wands – Fire – South. Ambition / Career

Cups – Water – West. Emotion / Relationships

Swords – Air – East. Thought / Strategy

Pentacles – Earth – North. Resources / Money / Job

All numbered 1-10 (Aces = 1)

Creative task with 10 stages

Court Cards

Like Jack, Queen King of playing cards

Represent people in your life, aspects of you, giving advice

King – stable energy

Queen – nurturing / becoming

Knight – dynamic / moving (adolescent / male)

Page – new / young (child / female)

Each has a personality

Majors

Labelled 0-22

From the Fool to The World and back around.

Spiritual journey – Start with nothing, develop your ego, obtain the world, start again.

Constant cycle of Birth, Death and Rebirth

Look at the picture

Try to think of 0ne or two words to sum it up i.e. ‘new beginnings’, ‘hope’

Ways of using the cards

Divination – different spreads

Read for yourself

Jung and psychotherapy

Meditation / rituals

Daily card

Walk into the card

Art

Try a reading

Let your client shuffle them

3 card reading

Past – Present - Future

Think about minor suits 1-10

Court card personalities – think of the suit / gender / age

Majors – look at the picture and think of a word to describe it

Make a story

Dowsing and tarot

Write down different areas of your life –e.g. Career, Money, Relationships, Home, Family

Lay cards on them face down

Dowse to see which is the most important aspect at the moment

Look at the card to see what the main issue is.

Add more cards to look for solutions

Where to go from here

Be Flexible!

I’m available for readings and teaching in small groups or 1:1 –www.chartopia.co.uk

Tarot professionals –http://www.tarotassociation.net/

Magicka school –

http://www.magickaschool.com/

Books – learning the tarot, living the tarot, tarosophy, Kick start guides