Divination With The Tarot Cards
The Tarot Deck consists of 78 cards which are divided into two major categories, The Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The 22 cards in the Major Arcana represent major symbols of life, our selves and the Universe. The Major Arcana includes such cards as The Fool, The Magician, The World, The Tower and other significant concepts which require a bit more consideration than other cards when they are drawn in significant position in The Spread.
The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four "suits" with 14 cards each. Similar to our familiar playing card decks, the Minor Arcana has 2 through 10 numbered cards, face cards and an Ace with one more face card than your standard playing card deck. The Minor Arcana cards represent various concepts of our inner child, our outer shell, people in our lives... people we wish to be... Each card is loaded with symbols representing their suits and the characters who best represent their number.
Observing the artwork of the card and comprehending the scene depicted on the card is as much part of the experience as deciphering the meaning of their numbers and positions as it will give you time to consider the scene and likely spur your imagination to realize how this scene relates to your question or situation.
When we read the Tarot together, I will be the Diviner and you will be the Questioner. YOu have choices as the questioner whether to ask a specific question or simply seek a message from the Universe. You also have the choice, if asking the question, whether to share the question with me before our reading, after our reading, or not at all. I always enjoy not knowing the question and finding out after the reading... it explains the giggles, oh wows and tears during the reading. It also allows me to give a completely impartial reading of the cards for you and gives you the confidence to know I'm not just telling you what you want to hear.
We have a variety of Spreads we can use, which basically depends on how much time you have:
- A single card for a quick glance at your question or situation. This is not a yes or no answer to your question. It is more of a thought for meditation for your day.
- Three cards representing Past, Present and Future relating to your question or situation.
- A Full 10 Card Reading in which aspects of you past, current situation, personality, people around you and other factors relating to your question or situation.
Brief History
My research has led me the conclusion that no one really knows the origin of Tarot Card Reading. There are papers which state that the art goes back to ancient Egypt, when the "cards" were actually painted on wood. But, no one has, at this time, found any such samples to prove the theory.
As much as we can prove is that in the mid 1400s A.D., an artist in Northern Italy painted a series of cards to be used for a game that became very popular in France and was given the name of Tarot. The first appearance of the Tarot for use in Divination in written history happens almost a hundred years later. And, at some point around then, the art of fortune telling was associated with Gypsies and considered a bunch of hooey by community leaders and church officials. Except that Kings and Generals were known to consult with Tarot Card Readers throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
As the Art of Tarot Reading is considered an aspect of the "occult"... there are no certificates to be earned, no degrees to hang on the wall, no accredited institutions to attend to prove that you know what you are doing. It seems the only qualifications are to own a deck and tell people you now what you are doing.
Which is what I do. :-D I do not proclaim to have magical powers or even clairvoyance. I have, however, been really blown away by some of the readings I've done for myself... even "random" cards I've pulled at certain time. And people I have read for have told me how helpful and insightful my interpretations were... which is what led me to start this Website and offer my services to you, the public. I have several Tarot decks but my favorite go-to is the Hanson-Roberts Deck which is based on the universally accepted Rider-Waite Tarot. That Hanson-Roberts Deck is beautifully illustrated by Mary Hanson Roberts with a companion book of interpretations written by Susan Hansson (not related). The images are fairy tale like and a pleasure to look at, while still remaining true to the original images and concepts which are at least 600 years old, if not more.
Mysticism or Math? Doesn't matter.
I'm not here to sell you on anything. I said before on this Website that the only thing I want to get you to believe in is YOU. I will say that I treat my Tarot Cards with the utmost of respect... wrap them in soft cloth kept in a felt bag. I don't take lightly what I do or disregard what any of it means. I can say the same thing for my I Ching book and coins, and for my computers, my cameras, my tools... I respect everything I own up to the point where I do not let them own me.
I have read several theories about the Mysticism of Tarot. I'm not going there. I respect the theories... and I respect the powers described by those theories. That's as far as I'm gonna go about that. All I can say is if there are supernatural forces around us, there is no reason to have any fear of them. There is not a single case on record of a person being attacked by a ghost. All of that is just in movies that were made to get our adrenalin flowing and throw ourselves into the arms of our lover in the next seat.
Carl Jung theorized that the Tarot Cards are a way of tapping into the "Collective Unconscious" through random numbers (he said the same about the I Ching). The Collective Unconscious is, according to Jung, a shared vision of universal concepts among a species.
The bottom line is that it doesn't really matter. The Tarot Cards are quite useful just as they are stimulating the imagination, bringing to light the questions in your heart and mind and helping find answers through thoughtful consideration by you and your consultant. The trust you have with your reader, the comfort level you have to speak with them about your true desires and fears... these are what will make for a meaningful conversation that will help you reveal the answers which you seek. And this is why I am putting so much time and thought into this Website, to give you an idea who I am and bare my soul enough to give you comfort that I can appreciate and understand you. And.. that I care.
