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TAROT AND YOU:
Teaching Yourself to Read the Cards
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
The purpose of this page is not to teach you how to read the cards. Instead, it offers suggestions on how to approach learning on your own. I recommend starting with Mary K. Greer's book Tarot for Your Self, 2nd Edition.
I believe it is the best self-instruction workbook ever written on the subject. It covers every aspect of learning the tarot, including creating your own layouts, what to do when you don't understand a card, and associations with other esoteric systems such as astrology. Her greatest contribution, in my opinion, is a wonderful method of finding your own voice and reading the cards without rote memorization.
To learn about the many aspects of reading for others, click on my book Professional Tarot from the page name bar above. It includes a Tarot Code of Ethics. Thank you for your interest!
On this page...
Why Read the Cards?
Tarot Tips
Teaching Yourself
The Tarot Plauteau: Hitting the Brick Wall
Tarot Is a Reflection of You
Intuition and Tarot
Psychic Play and Tarot
Asking the Right Question
Repeating Cards
Rituals and Tarot: Deciding What You Value
Creating Your Own Layouts
Tarot 101
Tarot Books and Decks
Practice, Practice, Practice
Links to Get You Started
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WHY READ THE CARDS?
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Throughout history, people have employed many ways to tap into the divine connection. Metaphysical systems, such as astrology and tarot, help us discover our inner nature and how we relate to the world around us. They can help us understand deeper psycho-spiritual trends, and past lives, that appear now in our daily lives as events, people, or situations.
Tarot represents the creation of life, its growth and development on earth, the human soul coming into conscious knowledge of itself, and a return to a connection with its original source. Rather than tell fortunes, (you will meet a tall, dark stranger), strive to "divine" the cards. Divination is an attempt to acquire knowledge of the past, present and future through insight and intuition.
It is possible to gain access to the unconscious mind which "knows" through the symbols and metaphors of the tarot cards. That is why it is not enough to know the meaning of each card and parrot its definition. The cards must speak and reveal themselves to the reader by a process of association which works at a deep level.
Tarot is useful when feeling out of ease with any area of your life: relationships, health, career, creativity, spirituality, psychological or emotional issues, finances.
Reading the cards can help you find out what you value and want to promote in your life; or, you may discover what is counterproductive and thus want to eliminate. The answers you need are within yourself. Tarot helps bring them to your consciousness. Empowering choices become clear.
The wisdom of tarot can show you new perspectives and assist you in gaining insight into your life. Tarot may not reveal what you want to know, but it consistently reveals what you need to know.
The cards show wisdom. There is no "bad" spread. Tarot focuses on life's lessons and opportunities. Working with the tarot helps you face challenging times with a sense of hope. The magic of a tarot reading does not come from the cards; the magic comes from you and your willingness to examine your life.
That being said, if we are not careful of our motivations, we can develop a dependency on the tarot that will interfere with our own spiritual growth. If we give the cards too much power, they become a crutch for authentic living, and we are doing our Higher Selves a disservice. As long as we use the tarot in the spirit of insight and transformation, we can find many ways to read the cards that will assist us on our journey of spiritual discovery.
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TAROT TIPS
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* While you are shuffling, concentrate on your question or concern.
* Use your intuition to decide when the shuffling is complete. You are finished with the shuffle when you think you are done, and it is that simple.
* Pay close attention to any card that falls from the deck during the shuffling process. A card that "jumps out" at you is often the most important message in the layout. Set it aside and see how it relates to the rest of your spread. Use it as the central focus card and interpret the reading around it.
* There is no "mandatory" card layout. Start with a simple layout and learn it well, then branch out and experiment with others. I encourage you to use your intuition and creativity to develop your own layout or system of reading that works for you. Then practice using it.
* If you don't understand a card, meditate with it, program a dream, make a journal entry, and trust your intuition. The meaning may become clear a day, week, or month later.
* Develop a system to draw additional cards for clarification. You can draw the next card from the top of the deck, shuffle and draw, or select at random. Find a method that feels right for drawing additional cards, then use it consistently.
* Getting the same cards over and over in readings may indicate life themes and important messages. The Universe is trying to get your attention. See the section that covers repeating cards for more info.
* Record your questions, readings, and what was happening in your life at the time of the reading in a notebook. Be sure to date them. Every so often, read your entries again. Look for themes and fresh insights. If a certain card meant one thing to you a month ago, and somethng quite different now, make an entry about it. Why might this be so?
* Some people draw a card a day, others read for themselves once a week, or even once a month. There is no right and wrong in frequency of readings; but pay attention to the potential of dependency on the cards for life advice.
* If you don't feel good about the prospect of another reading, then it is probably too soon for one. Let your intuition guide you in deciding the best time to do (or have) another reading.
* If you want to gain skill at reading, but don't want to always read for yourself, refer to the section below called Practice, Practice, Practice. Trust me, it is more fun than it sounds.
* With hundreds of tarot decks on the market, how do you decide which deck to use first? Please go to Tarot Books and Decks for hints about choosing your cards.
* You will read that it is bad to let anyone else handle your cards. This is a matter of personal choice. I let people touch my cards because I want to share the good energy with others. Click Rituals and Tarot for more on deciding what you value.
* While we're on the subject of taboo tarot customs, someone may tell you that the only deck you can work with is one that is given to you. In my opinion, this is nonsense. Why on earth would you want to depend on someone else's generosity or good taste for such a personal item?
* If you put a specific deck on your birthday wish list, and someone buys it for you, that is one thing. But to depend on charity for your intimate deck of cards is absurd. Buy the deck you want and remember the above tarot tips are but one woman's opinions. As with all things tarot, think for yourself.
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TEACHING YOURSELF
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Can you teach yourself how to read the cards? Of course! Most of us do. Learning to read the cards on your own is especially good if you: like to figure things out for yourself; think of unexpected developments as side trips, rather than wrong turns; and enjoy making new discoveries while finding ways to use them. In addition, learning on your own is better suited to a hectic or busy schedule.
Learning on your own doesn’t have to mean learning all alone, however. Reinforcement and encouragement are important in the beginning. Your most important allies are your own deck of cards, your intuition and a journal. The next most important resource for self-taught readers is a community of other readers. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration if you have at least one sympathetic and competent reader you can turn to when you get stuck or have questions.
Other major resources for self-taught readers include tarot books, audiotapes, videotapes and computer software. Most tarot magazines, tarot web sites and newsletters carry reviews of tarot books, decks, tapes and CD’s. You can also ask a friend or clerk in a new age bookstore to recommend materials.
There are more self-instruction materials on the tarot market today than ever before. With so much to choose from, how do you evaluate the book, tape, CD or system of learning? My first rule of thumb is to be skeptical—or at least realistic—about extravagant claims. Becoming a skilled reader takes time. A method that offers “ridiculously simple tarot” usually means just that—you learn uncomplicated definitions for the cards and do easy readings.
Simple can be a wonderful way to begin. But, common sense tells us not to expect anything more. We have enough experience with instant coffee and instant banking to know what instant tarot means: something has been sacrificed, or at least postponed, in exchange for quick results.
Does the book or teaching method really start from scratch? A method that omits basic tarot information, such as deck structure or standard meanings of the cards, is not necessarily a bad choice, but it does mean you’ll have to look elsewhere for additional help if you need it. Some books teach you how to read the cards, while some books show you how others read the cards. The distinction is important at the beginning level.
A person who already knows how to read the cards can listen to a tape or read any book and pick up useful tips. We need models, of course, and we can learn a lot from the masters of the art. But a beginning “teach-yourself-tarot” method has to do much more than display a finished product, in this case a tarot spread with interpretations of the cards. It has to teach you how to get there step by step. Tarot is a journey, not a destination.
The quality of tarot materials is improving, so the medium you choose depends upon your own learning style, budget and personal preferences. Books are cheaper than private lessons—but only if you use them. Just as a book will patiently repeat material to you, it will also patiently sit on your shelf, doing nothing. Any motivation to use self-instruction tarot books comes from you. Self-teaching may work for some learners, but for others, there is nothing quite as motivating as an appointment with a teacher or tarot group. You decide.
My book Professional Tarot has an entire chapter devoted to teaching--and learning--the cards. Chapter 6 covers topics such as finding and evaluating a teacher, as well as more information about learning on your own.
If you live in Ohio, you will find my books at the Lakewood Public Library and Poets' and Writers' League Library (Cleveland area), the Ohioana Library (Columbus), the Newark Public Libraries of Licking County, and the Public Library in downtown Cincinnati.
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THE TAROT PLATEAU:
AKA Hitting the Brick Wall
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Progress in reading the cards, like learning any other new skill, is never completely smooth or gradual. For days, weeks or months you may fly—you learn new layouts, the meaning of many cards and expand your understanding of yourself at a dizzying pace.
Then comes the plateau of learning: the days weeks and months when, no matter how hard you work, nothing seems to change, you get no new insights or the cards make no sense. You may feel like you’re hitting a brick wall or even going backwards. You knew the meanings of all the Court Cards last week. Why can’t you remember them now?
The plateau of tarot is a time of integrating and absorbing what you have already learned and a way of preparing your mind, emotions and spirit for the next great leap ahead. Think of a plateau as a time of gathering, or harvesting, rather than growing.
Early plateaus of tarot learning are discouraging because we have very little foundation to fall back on. During later plateaus, we can return to our foundation, rest and enjoy our previous accomplishments.
But, if you’re new to tarot and have few accomplishments behind you, the first plateau can be a real trial. I know one tarot expert who describes the three-lesson adult: the enthusiastic beginner who quits after three weeks. In tarot, we can quickly hit the wall of discouragement because there is so much to learn.
Plateaus can also occur when we have been working with the tarot for many years. The cards grow stale, we look for books to inspire us, and it feels like there isn’t anything new under the sun. Tarot has lost its magic.
I don’t believe the cure for tarot apathy is finding new material, although an original thinker can certainly breathe a breath of fresh air into the literature. The problem isn’t tarot; instead it is the way we look at the cards. We are better served if we change our angle, like the Hanged Man, and look at old information in new ways.
Keep plateaus in perspective and be ready to take good care of yourself when you’re in the middle of one. Here are a few tactics for riding out the tarot plateaus. They can also help rekindle the flame of interest if you’ve been around tarot a while and feel it has nothing more to offer you.
· Spend extra time going deeper into material that you already understand. For example, if The Star intrigues you, write a poem or meditation for it, read more about it or design your own card. Expanding upon your current knowledge of the tarot can ease the frustration of not understanding the rest of it. Reversals and Court Cards can wait. Get a firm grasp of what you do know.
· Don’t let a tarot teacher push you faster than you are willing to go. Most sensitive teachers will offer encouragement and support if they know you are frustrated. Tell them. Often a teacher who sees you every other week for class will perceive results from your work with the cards that you have overlooked.
· Learn with friends. Organize a tarot support group that meets regularly to share layouts, card interpretations and to provide mutual encouragement. Find a phone buddy—someone you can call when you are stuck or discouraged.
· Find ways to have fun with the cards! Read by candlelight. Have a potluck-and-reading party. Use a tape recorder and tape your tarot journal entry instead of writing it. Listen to your recording. Throw a tarot costume party. Invent a tarot recipe book. What would the Queen of Cups eat for breakfast?
· Work hard on a challenging card, suit or layout—then leave it alone for a while. When you return to it later, some difficulties will have resolved themselves because your unconscious will have been working on them while you were away. You will also bring a fresh perspective to the conundrums that remain.
· Sign up for and attend a tarot workshop or convention.
· Treat yourself to a new tarot book, a new deck, tarot software or journal subscription.
· Spend an afternoon in a bookstore or library browsing through tarot books, music and decks. You don’t have to buy anything, but it’s fun to look.
· Find someone with whom you can share what you know. Read for a friend, even if it means you have your books wide open. Encourage a beginner.
· Pick a card a day and see how the day unfolds. At night, think about how your day related to the tarot card and make an entry in your journal.
· Never underestimate the power of gold stars. If you set a tarot goal for yourself and meet it, celebrate!
One definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over, expecting different results. You’ll get through the frustration of tarot learning plateaus, or stagnation, if you find new ways to approach the cards. You don’t have to ask yourself, “Am I learning anything?” or “Is there anything new to learn?” If you are working on it, interested in it, and doing your best, then you are learning—or learning anew.
The tarot works on us in mysterious ways and no matter where we are in our journey, we can never know all of what we are learning. But, rest assured, we are certainly learning more than we think.
If we no longer find joy in the cards, we need to either put them away for a while, or look for new approaches that inspire us. We have the surest sign that we are making the type of progress that matters most when we are touched, and renewed, by our work with the tarot.
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TAROT IS A REFLECTION OF YOU
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Tarot is a mirror extension of yourself because your life is a reflection of your beliefs. Interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. Because of this, work with any deck that appeals to you. The key is to find a deck that provides you with a source of intuitive inspiration. Click Books and Decks to learn more.
Every tarot card conveys information through its activity, color, scene, the people or the attitude. Tarot symbols affect our perceptions and activate our inner selves. The art of tarot shows forces and circumstances that have been active in our lives at one time or another.
Approach tarot as the picture book of your life story. The "art" of a tarot reading lies within the symbols of the cards. The best tarot work comes from the heart, not the intellect. Your heart responds to the pictures.
You "read" a card by comparing the images to events in your own life. Does a card remind you of a situation, event, relationship or method of communicating? You can learn many things about yourself by attending to the symbolism of tarot on a regular basis. Approach tarot with heart and your mind will follow.
The key to understanding tarot is to allow it to come to life. The sooner you connect a card with a real situation, the sooner you become a skilled interpreter. For example, if you are feeling depressed and the Four of Cups appears in a reading, look at the picture on the card and feel the depression. When you see it again in another layout, you will remember the feeling and know its meaning without memorizing anything.
Always look at the card with which you are working! No amount of memorization can replace the artistic symbolism of the picture. Connecting to a picture is the fastest way to learn tarot, no matter which deck you are using.
It is important to get a basic idea of traditional meanings because this will keep you out of fantasy and wishful thinking. It is also important to give your intuitive self some latitude because this keeps you out of rigidity. You probably trust your intellect. Learning to respect and trust your intuition is tricky. At least it was for me.
You may find propping a card in front of you while you work with it is helpful. You will benefit from activities in any tarot book faster if you know the pictures of your own deck better than the author's words. Don't rely on your intellect and good memory. Your intuitive self reads the cards and is in love with the artwork. As you use the cards more, you will learn to trust your inner wisdom.
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The following suggestions describe how to discover the personal meaning of each tarot card without memorizing 156 definitions. (78, plus reversed cards.)
I believe Mary K. Greer's exercises help you to think in new and different ways, without consciously trying to remember the meanings of the cards. Let your intuition, or subconscious, take over as you respond to the images. There is no right and wrong. Results can range from the truly creative to the bizarre, but the results are not as important as the process.
I've adapted the following methods ever so slightly, and added a few of my own. You can find the author's exact phrasing in Tarot for Your Self (2nd Edition) by Mary K. Greer, New Page Books, 2002, page 232:
1. Simply describe in your own words what you see pictured in the cards.
2. Become a figure in the card and talk about what is going on, using the first person singular, present tense. For example, I am...
3. Dialogue with the figures in the cards using intuitive writing. Write as fast as you can without censoring.
4. Free associate when relating to the figures no matter how outrageous it feels. The only discipline required here is to suspend rational thought and enter into the world of imagination as freely as you can.
5. Express first impressions and reactions when seeing a card. Do not censor your thoughts. What is your gut reaction to a card? Positive? Negative? Indifferent?
6. Give meaning to numbers, colors, shapes and symbols in the cards. These relate an individual card to the whole reading, or the entire deck.
7. Think of proverbs, sayings and expressions that fit the name or picture of a card. For example, the Five of Cups might be "Don't cry over spilled milk." The Fool could be "Taking the leap of faith." Or, as Greer writes, the Five of Pentacles is "out in the cold." Start to build a list of your personal catch phrases for each card.
8. Always be open to wild ideas or associations that fly into your head. Carefully consider the "snapshots" that appear in your mind's eye, almost like family pictures.
For example, is the Empress smothering, or mothering? Does the Ten of Cups look like a positive family ideal, or more like the impossible dream? Does the Sun represent sunburn or sun tan? The above suggestions apply to understanding the relationship between two or more cards and helps you see how a layout fits together to tell a story. (End of the Greer exercises.)
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Can you really read for yourself? Absolutely. Be aware of the potential for wishful thinking. Because your own concerns may interfere, the fortunetelling aspect of tarot may not be reliable. But you can read for yourself in a different way--for insight and growth.
If you are too emotionally involved with an issue, do a reading for yourself and then have a reading done for you to compare. Talk it over with a trusted friend or adviser to get a "reality check." Reading for yourself can be a rich source of insight needed to initiate and support your growth process.
If we each come up with different meanings of the tarot cards, how can we all be right? Tarot readings weave together a narrative story of your life based on the question you ask, the position of the cards and the relationships of the cards to each other.
A reading will usually describe a situation or give you advice about a situation. We all read the cards differently based on our personal life experiences. Decide the meaning of each card for yourself first before you look at the back of the book.
Try to imagine a seeker is coming to you for a reading. Make your own notes about the spread then compare your interpretation to Mary K. Greer's, or the work of any other author that you like. Write down what alternative courses of action each card suggests to you.
Not all the meanings in the book will pertain to the reading, or make sense to you. Always note which definitions in the book "jump out at you" because they ring true. These are the traditional definitions that you will remember.
Now back to the question: How can we all be right? The beauty of tarot is that it is a reflection of each of us. If we stay true to our own intuitive, spiritual voice, both readings (yours and mine) will be accurate because they are authentic and honest, even if they are different.
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INTUITION AND TAROT
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For a lot of folks, the word 'psychic' has a bad reputation because it conjures visions of fraudulent 1-900 hotlines. For reasons beyond me, I often see the word 'psychic' accompanied by an exclamation point: Psychic Readings! Let a psychic tell you your future! First two minutes of psychic phone consultation free! In many areas, being psychic is considered a joke, a scam, only for the chosen few, evil--or just plain weird.
The negative connotation surrounding the word 'psychic' is unfortunate because 'psychic' comes from the Greek word 'psukhe', meaning 'soul'. Psychic development is soul development and soul development is the essence of reading the cards: understanding that our true nature is spiritual. There is nothing unnatural about being psychic. In fact, hearing the voice of the soul is the most natural state of all.
Many wonderful books are available about psychic development. For me personally, it is a short book: Ask for guidance, expect to receive it, get ego out of the way, accept (trust) the first thing that pops into your head, and give thanks when it happens. That's it, but isn't trust the hardest part?
I'll interject something I learned a long time ago. How can you tell if a thought is coming from intuition, or from your very busy brain? Inner guidance does not have emotion attached to it. It gives calm, brief advice. If your "messages" are laden with fear, doubts, worries, anger, etc., or ramble, they are probably coming from your ego and psychological, or emotional, self.
My favorite book on the subject is The Psychic Pathway: A Workbook for Reawakening the Voice of Your Soul by Sonia Choquette. (Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1994) Don't take my word for it--go to a bookstore and let your inner wisdom guide you. There are a lot of good choices.
Methods of developing psychic ability include creating mandalas, working with a pendulum or runes, studying the Kabbala or I-Ching- and of course, playing with the tarot.
My book Professional Tarot examines tarot as therapy. Used as therapy, tarot emphasizes emotional and psychological healing. But, for now, let's look at tarot as creative play for psychic/soul development. On a very basic level, playing with tarot stimulates right-brain activity and right-brain competence encourages psychic/soul development.
I like to think of tarot play as sacred play, that is, playing with a purpose: moving into a loving awareness of ourselves and our world, finding creativity, serenity, laughter and empowerment.
Tarot symbols are strong. They work especially well for people who are visually oriented, who can imagine in pictures and can see images in their mind's eye when they meditate. If you don't naturally see images in your imagination, you may not be drawn to tarot cards. But, if you want to develop your "third eye" (sixth chakra) and improve your psychic imagery skills, cards are a great method.
Relax, and don't try to force it, because psychic development has its own timetable. My motto: Never sweat. You can't force psychic development, any more than you can force a headache to go away. Both require a letting go.
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PSYCHIC PLAY AND TAROT
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The following suggestions are a few ways to psychically play with tarot cards. Use the ideas to ignite your own playful imagination--and have fun:
· Pretend you are attending the first night of a beginners' tarot course. Your teacher asks you to state your name and tell others in the class a little bit about yourself using only the tarot cards.
Write a paragraph about yourself and then choose three or four cards to convey the information from your paragraph. Don't look at the definitions of the cards. Select them based solely on their artwork. The key to getting this to work is to study the pictures on each card.
Choose images that best illustrate a specific period in your life: events, important people, aspects of yourself, and your feelings. What do the pictures show about you in their activities and scenes? Happiness, excitement, apprehension, family life, creativity, or work are but a few possibilities.
Hold them up one at a time and tell the rest of the (imaginary) class what they represent in your life. For example, you were happy in a relationship but it crumbled. You might be drawn to the Lovers and the Tower to explain this.
Now compare the traditional meanings of your chosen cards to your own assigned meanings. How close were you? Make notes on your personal insights, especially noting similarities and differences with the book's definitions.
You will be amazed at your accuracy--and you didn't memorize anything! When I teach a beginners' tarot course, this is how we introduce ourselves to each other.
· Photocopy your tarot cards in black and white: Enlarge the cards and then color them yourself, without looking at the original deck. For example, what color is The High Priestess in your mind's eye? (And no fair peeking at your cards.)
· Use the cards to develop psychometry. Psychometry is the ability to receive information by holding a related object. Place your cards face down and select one without turning it over. Hold it in your receptive hand. (If you're right-handed, your receptive hand is probably the left one. Vice versa for lefties like me.)
Let your mind relax and receive impressions about the card you are holding. Turn it over and compare your impressions with the actual card. Did you see colors, shapes, get "a feeling" or an idea? Did your impressions match the actual card? For instance, if you held a Wand, what color or feeling did you receive? Red or orange? Warm?
· Choose a card a day and write down everything that comes to mind about that card--just by looking at the picture. Do not refer to a book of definitions. Then compare your impressions with the traditional meanings found in any basic tarot book.
· Separate your cards into piles of positive, negative and neutral categories. Why do certain cards repel or attract you? Be specific because strong emotion, whether positive or negative, usually means that the card holds special significance for you.
· Think of people in the news and decide what Court card best represents them. For example, what Court card symbolizes the U.S. President? Listen to, or read about a news story, and then choose a tarot card that best conveys the situation.
· Incubate a dream using a tarot card: ask the card for specific information based upon its scene, activity, or people. Place the card under your pillow and whisper that you will remember the dream when you wake up. Record any impressions as soon as you awaken. Compare your impressions to the actual meaning of the card. If it's unclear, ask the card again on another night. Be patient. Answers will come.
· Sketch or paint your own card; or write a story, poem or song about it. What does your Star look like? What story does it tell?
· Create a fairy tale by choosing a card to begin your story. Select the second card (and third, etc.) to add to the tale. You can do this either by random or by choice. Continue drawing cards until your story is complete. Include theme, characters, plot and action scenes. Now compare the segments of your fairy tale to the traditional definitions of the cards they represent. Note similarities and differences.
And remember, this is psychic play. Have fun!
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ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION
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Rarely do the tarot cards give specific advice or direct commands such as "move to Rhode Island and open a bookstore", but they do show trends and possiblities. The Universe wants to help us on our path, but it does not want to give us all the answers.
The tarot cards, like a good schoolteacher, will guide us, inspire us, and help us understand our problems, but they will not do our work for us. If we are to be successful in life, we must choose our own actions and create our own futures.
The old saying goes "be careful what you ask for" and this is certainly true in a tarot reading. If the question is vague, the answer will be vague. For example, "Will my new business be successful?" yields a limited yes/no response. Instead, expand the scope and ask, "What do I need to know to make my new business successful?"
When in doubt, you can always ask, "What do I need to know about...", or "Tell me the truth about..." Tarot has a warped sense of humor, so if you ask a goofy question, you will get a goofy answer. Always ask for accuracy, in the most understandable form possible, for the Highest Good of All--but don't expect a TripTik to Rhode Island.
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REPEATING CARDS
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By keeping a tarot journal, you may start to notice repeating cards or repeating suits: Oh, drats, there's that pesky Hanged Man again. If you review your readings, you may discover suits that predominate: Why do I always get Swords? You may also be curious about why certain suits or cards never appear: Why can't I ever get the Ten of Cups?
By reviewing your readings, you can start to get an overview of the issues in your life. With periodic overviews of past readings, patterns will start to emerge. Ask yourself what themes keep appearing. Ask yourself, too, what themes never seem to show up.
For example, if you have money worries and there's not a Pentacle in sight, (but lots of Cups), why might this be so? Could it be that money is more of an emotionally charged issue than a question of actual financial security?
In my own experience as a reader, I question the seeker when a relationship spread is on the table and no Cups appear. Does that mean love is not an issue or does it hint that my client's "heart" isn't in the relationship? I have also found that a financially stable seeker will rarely have a Pentacle in the spread, unless it's the nine.
In other words, cards and suits that never appear mean one of two things: 1) it's not an issue, or, 2) it's an issue that is being blocked or avoided. With a little contemplation, you will be able to decide which it is for you.
If you notice repeating cards or suits, ask these questions:
WANDS: What can I do? What action should I take? What fires me up?
CUPS: What am I feeling? What am I dreaming? What does my intuition say? (Note that some tarot authors place intuition with the suit of Wands. You decide.)
SWORDS: What decision needs to be made? What am I thinking (or worrying) about? Where is my pain?
PENTACLES: What do I value? What is my body trying to tell me? What are my instincts trying to tell me? What are my attitudes towards work, money and security?
For repeating COURT CARDS, ask:
What is my stage of development? What is my persona in certain situations? Who is influential or important to me? How do the people in my life affect me?
For repeating MAJOR ARCANA cards, ask:
What qualities need to be expressed? What is being tested? How am I dealing with a situation? What is my Karma? Where are my strengths? How do I need to grow? How can I express my capacity to heal?
Select one of the questions from the above list that has particular interest to you now. Close your eyes and reflect on the question. What images, feelings or words come to mind? Do you notice any physical sensations? Write an uncensored response in your journal.
This contemplative activity offers a fresh perspective--looking at tarot from a different angle, much like the Hanged Man. Studied over time, the answers may surprise you with their clarity.
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RITUALS AND TAROT:
Deciding What You Value
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It is confusing to pick up six different tarot books and read six different ways to handle and store the cards. You can drive yourself crazy trying to do everything you read in a book.
The purpose of a ritual is to help you focus on the task at hand and opinions vary on what to do with tarot decks. So how do you decide whether or not to clear the cards with moonlight, face north while working with them, shuffle only to the right, burn clary sage, wrap them in silk or store the cards in a pine box filled with crystals?
Rituals are a personal. If you like rituals and they help you concentrate on working with the cards, use them. No ritual you do is sacred unless it is sacred to you. If you develop a habit because it centers your attention or signals your intuition, then it has value.
The most powerful rituals are the ones invented by you. Never do something because a book (or web site) tells you to do it, including this one! Listen to and trust your inner wisdom. Be aware of why you do what you do. Use whatever ritual feels right when working with the cards, or not.
I will not tell you how to shuffle, deal, clean or store your deck. It's your choice. Read about ritual and tarot in several books and then decide for yourself. Treat the cards the way you treat anything else of value. Tarot can be a powerful tool for accessing inner wisdom, but the magic does not come from the cards: the magic comes from you.
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CREATING YOUR OWN LAYOUTS©
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There is no one way to create a tarot layout. Many books cover the topic. What follows here serves only as a guide to basic layout creation. I offer it to you because it has worked for me.
Use this method to get started if you don't know where to begin. Eventually your intuition will take over as you create layouts that are a unique expression of your life experiences. With practice, more complicated spreads will evolve over time.
1) Decide upon a subject for your layout.
Anything subject that is of concern to you such as finances, relationships, work/career, creativity, healing, spirituality, past lives, etc.
2) Write at least a page about the subject without censoring any thoughts.
Take several minutes to do this. If it's a subject you need to research, make a note of that, too. For instance, in my second book Tarot for the Healing Heart, I had to research the stages of grief before I could create a spread for it.
To get you started:
a) I want to create a tarot spread on this subject because……
b) Answer questions about the subject: Who? What? Why? When? Where? How?
3) Underline words and phrases, especially nouns, from your paragraphs that jump out at you.
They become your positions. Note how many you have. Could any of them be condensed into one position?
4) Add the "layout plus one" card, either an advice/next step position or a future position.
5) Decide if the words or phrases are questions or statements, or a combination.
6) Place them in a logical sequence of thought.
The positions should flow one from the other. What is first? What is second? And so on. You will find that they often place themselves. Or, does it matter which is first and second, etc.? Sometimes it doesn't.
7) Decide upon a shape for the layout that symbolically represents the subject of your spread.
For example, a layout about a new love could be in the shape of Cupid's arrow. Creativity might look like an artisit's easel, or a writer's quill pen. Finances could be in the shape of a dollar sign. Health could be a lotus, or rose or the body. Is it linear or circular? When I'm in doubt, I tend to create rows.
8) Place your position topics from numbers three and four into the chosen shape.
Look at it and sense the flow. Do the questions tell a story? If it doesn't flow, rearrange the positions in your chosen shape until it does flow, or at least makes sense going from one to the other. If you use rows, look for any horizontal or perpendicular relationships to the positions. Does reading up and down or across add anything?
9) Never hesitate to change, add or delete, but stay with the chosen layout during the actual reading to pinpoint kinks and see where it doesn’t flow.
Take notes. Write an entry in your journal about why it did or didn't work. Make changes until you are satisfied.
10) (Optional) Have a friend do the layout and get feedback. Before you know it, you will be creating layouts for every occasion. Enjoy!
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TAROT 101
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Well, here it is...no page about learning how to read the cards is complete without the required tarot history, numbering, suits, comment on reversals, and basic organization of a deck. Yawning is permitted.
A complete tarot deck has 78 cards: twenty-two cards, numbered 0-21, make up the Major Arcana, the Fool through the World. The other 56 cards, known as the Minor Arcana, are divided into four suits of fourteen cards each, numbered one through ten, plus the Court Cards: Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings.
Ones are called Aces, just like a modern deck of playing cards. Sometimes the Minor Arcana cards are illustrated, as are all the Major Arcana cards, and sometimes they have only the symbol of their suits.
The four suits symbolize the four natural elements, the four planes of existence, the four directions and the four seasons:
Suit of Wands*:
Fire/ Creative inspiration/ South/ Spring
Suit of Cups:
Water/ Emotions/ West/ Summer
Suit of Swords:
Air/ Intellect/ East/ Autumn
Suit of Pentacles:
Earth/ Materialism/ North/ Winter
(*) Please note: Some tarot writers differ on this, placing the suit of Cups first, representing Spring. I choose to list it this way because all life begins with an initial creative spark. No spark, no life, and the spark comes from the fire of Wands.
Because hundreds of decks are available today, many variations exist. Some decks, such as Daughters of the Moon, exclude male imagery. Other decks have different names for their suits. For instance, Wands may be called Crystals, Pentacles referred to as Discs or Coins. Court Cards, the "people of tarot", can be named differently, too. Kings appearing as Shamans is but one example.
You will also find astrological associations assigned to the Major Arcana or Court Cards. The most common combination is tarot and the mystical Kabbala, or Tree of Life. One of my personal favorites is the correlation of Jungian archetypes with the tarot. If you are committed to learning the tarot, then read, study, ask questions and decide for yourself about types of decks and relationships of the cards to other esoteric study.
Numbering is important in tarot and the numbers 1-10 carry the same meanings throughout, but are expressed through their suits. For example, The Ace (or one) means new beginnings, but the Ace of Cups is emotional beginnings, the Ace of Wands is creative or inspirational beginnings, etc. Incidentally, cards numbered one through ten are sometimes called "pip" cards.
In the Major Arcana, if numbers larger than ten are reduced, the result is amazingly the essence of the card: For instance, No. 17, The Star, can be reduced to eight. (1+7=8) Eights imply regeneration or new ways forward and that is certainly true of The Star. Here is a brief summary of the numerical associations of the cards, but remember, opinions vary on this, too:
1: Beginnings, potential
2: Balance, or the need for balance, duality
3: Growth, expansion and movement
4: Stability or stagnation, reality, logic, reasoning
5: Conflict and struggle, instability, change
6: Harmony, balance once again, warmth, security
7: Inner work, reflection, wisdom
8: Regeneration and new ways forward, new life
9: Completion*
10: Starting over at a higher cycle*
(*) Some books show nine as integration of experience (a gathering of things together), and ten is the completion of a cycle. I can't emphasize this enough: both ideas are correct. Use the meaning that rings true to you.
Tarot books offer the author's opinion on the meaning of the cards. Refer to them if you are new to tarot, but for goodness sake, don't take set definitions as the last word. Instead, breathe life into the cards through your own responses.
We all come from a different frame of reference about life. I don't know how many tarot books I have read in my lifetime, but I do know I have learned something valuable in every one. Pick and choose. Decide what makes sense to you and discard the rest. Use the "definitions" in any book as a launching point for contemplation, but study many tarot books over time and trust your intuition.
THE MAJOR ARCANA
("Greater Secrets")
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The Major Arcana, Numbers 0-21, The Fool through the World, speak to you of both life lessons and life wisdom: those qualities being tested and developed, your gifts and challenges, karma and the reasons you are here.
The twenty-two cards symbolize spiritual development and help you understand your place in the world. The "Greater Secrets" will point to the higher overview of life and give you insights into the "big picture." They will also hint at your healing potential.
THE MINOR ARCANA
("Lesser Secrets")
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The Minor Arcana, or "lesser secrets", offer information along the planes of existence: Wands, spiritual creativity in everyday life; Cups, emotions and feelings; Swords, psychological well being/the mind; and, Pentacles, physical reality and the body.
When the different suits shows up in a reading, ask yourself: What action can I take? (Wands) What am I feeling or dreaming about? (Cups) What am I thinking or what decision needs to be made? (Swords) Because Pentacles explore issues of food, housing, money, work, the body and physical health, ask yourself: What do I value?
In life, there is no separation between body, emotion, mind and spirit. It is impossible for something to happen to us without all four levels of existence being affected. It is likewise impossible to change without attending to these same four levels of being. Life does not fall neatly into categories. Because stress or concerns at any level affect all levels, the lines sometimes blur.
COURT CARDS
The People and Personalities of Tarot
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No other cards in the tarot deck have more interpretations. Read any tarot book and you'll find different meanings and names. These sixteen cards can be challenging because you have to decide if they represent another person or some aspect of yourself- or both.
I'll make it simple. The Court Cards are always a reflection of you: you draw the people to you that you need for your life wisdom. So, it doesn't matter if it describes someone else- the card is still about you and your need to have those qualities in your life.
We all have qualities that are traditionally associated with masculine and feminine ways of being. For instance, a woman can be competitive and a man can be nurturing. Be aware that the King and Knight can represent a woman and the Queen can symbolize a man. The gender or "occupation" of the court card is less important than the qualities it describes.
Pages can represent a child, but they also introduce the element of their suit, the willingness to change, risk or learn something new. Pages can symbolize the catalyst needed for change and the child within us all.
Pages also carry messages related to their suit: Telephone calls or significant e-mail (Page of Wands); important dreams (Page of Cups); written warnings (Page of Swords); and, messages from your body, especially in the form of illness: What is your body trying to tell you? (Page of Pentacles)
Knights represent young adults or someone starting over, focusing on a specific task through their suit, be it creative (Wands), emotional (Cups), psychological (Swords) or physical (Pentacles). Our "knightly" qualities include being energetic, daring, headstrong and goal oriented. Knights show movement and action through their suits.
Queens are mature. They take their understanding of life inward and use this life wisdom to nurture others and encourage self-development through their specific suit. For example, the Queen of Cups nurtures the emotions. Because they are the embodiment of the feminine tradition of healing, Queens often represent healing in relationship to their suit. An example of this is the Queen of Pentacles symbolizing a natural healer. Our "queenly" qualities include sensitivity, fullness of expression, empathy and personal, inner control.
Kings are also mature, but they project their maturity outward in the form of leadership through their suit. They take charge and give advice: Creative or spiritual advice (King of Wands); emotional advice (King of Cups); psychological or intellectual advice (King of Swords); and, practical advice about the everyday world (King of Pentacles, especially in the area of finances or work.) Our "kingly" qualities include being capable and in control, with an air of authority, leadership and worldliness.
HISTORY AND MYSTERY
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The origins of the tarot cards have long been lost in the distant past. The oldest, most complete pack on record is the Italian Visconti deck, dating back to around 1450.
Opinions about the tarot's origins vary greatly and are often a subject of hot dispute among tarot scholars. Go to a library or bookstore and start reading about the history of the tarot cards. Or, click on the history link below.
You will be amazed at the differences of opinion. I find the tarot's obscure beginnings to be delightful because it adds to the veiled mystery of the cards I love.
Whether you believe tarot's origin is from gypsy fortune-tellers or a playful past time of the Renaissance rich and famous, one thing is clear: tarot cards, once fully studied and understood, can reveal important messages and insights to help us go forward with our lives.
REVERSED CARDS AND THE 8-11 DIFFERENCE
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Some decks show Strength as No. 8, Justice as No. 11. Other decks reverse it--Justice is 8, Strength is 11. What resonates within you as truth? Think of the numbers. Is Strength regeneration (8), or the need for balance? (11= 1+1=2) Does Justice mean new ways forward (8), or balance (11)? Whatever feels right to you is right, and it is that simple.
Among tarot authors, reversed card meanings in a layout cause an even greater controversy than its origins. Much has been written about both subjects.
If a card appears reversed (upside down) in one of the spreads, interpret it as a sign of its importance. In effect, a reversed card says to you, "Hey, look at me first! I'm important because I am different." It draws attention to itself and may signify "the need for" that quality in its position.
A reversed card can also be operating on a deeply psychological or unconscious level, with its significance not yet apparent to you. Be patient. Its meaning will become clear as you work with the cards.
To be honest, I rarely pay attention to reversals in a reading because of the way I read the cards. To me, every card carries the potential for gifts and challenges, with all the attending joys and sorrows. My job is to determine a card's nuance based on the question asked, its position in the layout, and the relationship of the cards to each other. But, as always, my approach is just one way, not the only way.
This is sufficient understanding of reversed cards to get you started. Because many tarot readers find the reversed card interpretations helpful, I encourage you to read and experiment, then be consistent long enough to determine if your chosen method works. If it does, great. If it doesn't, read and experiment some more. Above all, decide for yourself: What makes sense to you?
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TAROT BOOKS AND DECKS
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This is a trick section because I can’t decide what is right for you. We each must find our own way in the world of tarot. The best that I can do is share what has worked for me. I urge you to search until you find books and decks that resonate within you. You will know when you have found them. Something inside you will say, “Yes, this is it.”
I love any tarot book written by Mary K. Greer or Rachel Pollack. Try Greer’s Tarot for Your Self, 2nd Edition. It is a book of self-transformation written in a user-friendly workbook format. Her major contribution, in my opinion, is offering a way to learn the cards without parroting someone else’s definitions by rote memorization. Mary K. Greer was the first author to bring the cards to life for me and make them real in everyday living.
I believe Rachel Pollack’s Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot stands as the all-time definitive work on the subject. (Thorsons, HarperCollins Imprint, 1997) I love Pollack’s work because of her use of myth and psychology in working with the cards.
There are hundreds of tarot decks on the market today. With so many choices, how do you decide? Again, select decks that appeal to you. If you simply can’t choose, start with the Rider Tarot Deck® published by U.S. Games. Designed in the early 20th Century by Pamela Coleman Smith under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite, it is considered to be the prototype of all decks to follow.
Sometimes called the Waite Tarot or the Rider-Waite Tarot, the outstanding feature is that all of the cards have divinatory pictures on them. Up until that time, the forty pip cards, (numeral cards one to ten in each of the four suits), depicted only their correct number of Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. In other words, the Three of Cups showed three cups, not three dancing ladies, and so on.
You will choose a deck based on your personal tastes, philosophy and frame of reference. For example, I love the Robin Wood Tarot® deck published by Llewellyn. It’s so pretty. But, since I am a Libra Sun, Libra Rising (Cancer Moon), of course I want things to be pretty! The truth is, the Robin Wood deck is much too pretty (and Caucasian) for some people.
Think of your tarot deck as a portable art gallery for your unconscious mind. As a beginner, the key is to find a deck that provides you with intuitive inspiration. Once you find it, work with that one deck until you are completely familiar with it. I believe that working with too many decks in the beginning causes only confusion. Variety comes later. For now, stay with one deck.
The more you work with one deck, the easier it will be to recognize the different energies of each card. Get to know your deck by working with it for readings, or simply contemplating the cards one by one. You want to become intimate with the way every card speaks to you through its artwork.
No two decks are the same. Some are traditional, that is, based on the Rider model, while others take a more diverse course. Shop around and look at several tarot decks. You will know when you find the one right for you.
Most decks cost between $16.00 and $25.00, with an average of $20.00. All decks come with a small introductory pamphlet of card meanings. Boxed sets cost more, as much as fifty dollars plus, because they include such items as full-sized books, tapes, CDs, layout boards, or crystals.
I have mixed feelings about buying a used deck. If you are looking for a bargain, try Half-Priced Books first. Some of their decks are unopened, but you don't have a lot of choice. Border's Books and Barnes and Noble carry a nice selection. Keep your receipt in case you want to return the deck. Before you buy, go to Links and view over 300 tarot decks online.
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PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
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Increasing confidence while reading the tarot can be summarized in one word: practice! Back in the dinosaur era when I started reading the tarot cards, potential seekers were almost extinct, or at least, on the endangered species list. I was forced to invent creative ways to practice and increase my confidence.
I had imaginary clients: I'd do a layout and give a reading while pretending someone was actually sitting at the table with me. (You may want to close your drapes while you sit at a table talking to yourself…)
I looked at pictures of friends or family members while I read for them in their absence. I heard of people in the news and did readings for them at my imaginary consultation table. I called friends and asked if I could do a reading, then I taped it and mailed it to them.
Record your readings, real or imagined. You can learn a lot by listening to how you sound to others. It's another way to develop the narrative so necessary in reading the tarot.
I carried a card a day with me in my pocket and tried to see if it fit any situation in my life; or, I observed if anyone I encountered during the day was the essence of the card. I looked at the card on my breaks and lunch hour or standing in line. The opportunities to practice are limited by only your imagination.
Over the years, I have discovered that people are open to direction and help in life because none of us can completely figure it out. Read for anyone and everyone who will let you because this develops your style, brushes up on presentation and confirms readiness to charge money.
You will be surprised at how receptive most people are to the novelty of it. Take your books with you. Tell them you are learning. If you get stuck, open your books. As long as you are honest about the process of learning and don't charge money with your books open, people won't mind. After all, you are discussing a topic of interest: them.
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At the risk of sounding like a CD stuck on track one, practice makes a perfectly competent tarot reader. The following suggestions will get you started:
· Have your own reading done by an established professional. Note the narrative and how the cards relate to one another. Decide what you like and dislike about the style and presentation.
· Work with only one or two layouts at first until the positions are firmly in your mind. You might want to choose one general and one specific layout that "ring true" to you. Any layout from any source can be used if you feel "right" about it. Once you know a couple traditional layouts, be bold and create your own.
· Keep it simple. Count the number of Major Arcana cards in a spread and note the Minor Arcana suits. This will tell you a lot about the general "theme" of a reading without interpreting individual cards. Stating the "theme" is a great way to open a narrative.
· Keep reference books within reach. Begin memorizing "catch phrases" for each of the cards. For instance, my catch phrase for The Hermit is "going within". Having a one or two word phrase to fall back on is handy when you find yourself having brain cramps or drawing a complete blank. Sometimes, just saying the memorized catch phrase is all you need to get the information flowing.
· If you are stuck on a card's meaning, begin by describing the card. For example, the World is in the 'future' position of your spread and you can't for the life of you remember what it means.
Look at the card and describe it something like this: "Your body language is open and you look happy, almost as though you were floating or dancing. You are embracing the world. It's in the 'future' position, so the trend shows an open and happy time for you." This description is very close to the meaning of the World and will start the narrative flowing so you can discern the card's significance for the seeker.
· Speak out loud and record every reading. As you listen to yourself on tape, try to visualize the layout and see the cards in their positions.
· If you are doing a make-believe reading or taping a reading for an absent friend, imagine what the seeker would ask about the cards.
· Answer all questions with as much honesty as you can. By being truthful and saying what the seeker needs to know (as opposed to what the seeker wants to know), you will never have a false frame of reference and never get caught in that tangled web of trying to "please" a seeker.
· Summarize a reading in three minutes or less. Practice closure and firmly saying time is up. Ending a reading is often more difficult than starting one.
· Avoid the temptation to appear all knowing because none of us knows it all. Anyway, do you really want to take responsibility for someone else's life?
· Begin contemplating the type of atmosphere you want for your readings. Soothing? Healing? Mysterious? Spiritual? Business-like? Therapeutic? Sacred? Entertaining? Will you use incense, candles, or have crystals on your reading table?
· Develop the Inner Voice: One of the best ways to develop skill as a reader is to open your life to intuition. The magic of tarot lies in combining traditional meanings with intuitive skill so you can customize a reading to the individual or yourself. This is accomplished only when you trust your voice of inner knowing.
Blending logic, common sense, sound communication skills and intuition is tricky. It takes, you guessed it, practice. Enjoy the journey!
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LINKS TO GET YOU STARTED
The links below open new windows.
NOTE: Tarot Passages has not been updated since January 2006. I am leaving the link on this page for now because the archives alone contain a wealth of tarot information worthy of exploration.
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The Magician, No. 1
Tarot for Cats
©Regen Dennis and Kipling West
Macmillan, 1996 (Out-of-Print)
My E-mail: FindingTheMuse@aol.com
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Look within and you'll find every answer you need.
Marc Allen
© Copyright 2001-2008 Christine Jette. All rights reserved.
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