Tarot
The Tarot Deck
The Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, each with it's own picture. A tarot deck is divided into 2 parts, called the Major and Minor Arcana.
The Major Arcana is made up of 22 cards which tell the story of a soul from innocence to enlightenment - this is often called The Fool's Journey.The Major Arcana shows us important, psychological or spiritual issues going on in our lives.
The minor Arcana is divided into 4 suits a little like a modern deck of playing cards. Each tarot suit represents a different area of life and is represented by one of the four elements; air, fire, water and earth.
Like this:
Swords / Air - thoughts, the mind, communication, words. Swords can also represent conflict, struggles and problems.
Wands or Batons/ Fire - passion, action, creativity and ambition.
Cups / Water - the emotions, the subconscious, intuition, psychic powers, love life.
Pentacles or Coins / Earth - the body, the physical, health, work and money.
Each suit also contains 4 'people' or Court cards - these can represent other people, situtations or aspects of our own personalities.
The minor arcana shows us the more mundane or everyday aspects of our lives.
II Swords
The Wild Unknown Tarot
What does tarot do?
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I think of the tarot as a picture book with 78 pages that can be read in any order.
The tarot can be used in fortune telling and to predict the future but it isn't limited to just that. I use tarot when I need to get some insight into a situation but mostly I use it when I feel I need a little advice
I believe that the future isn't set in stone. We can and do control our own destinies.
A tarot reading is a little like taking a photograph or holding up a mirror to your life. It looks at your life now but it can also tell you about the past and the direction you're heading in as well as offering advice. The reading can look at your life in general or you can focus on a specific situation or problem. It can help you see things from a different perspective or just to see the 'bigger picture'.
Tarot can be used to illuminate the underlying cause of a situation and so can help you to learn from your problems, as well as suggest ways that you can help yourself to get through them and move on.
By showing the past, present and future trends, tarot can be used to help us to help ourselves so that life's lessons don't need to be repeated again and again.To me Tarot is the link to that divine spark within each and every one of us.
3 of Cups
The Sheridan-Douglas Tarot
Why turn to tarot?
Most people turn to the Tarot when they are facing a problem or challenge and need some advice.
Something in your life may be troubling you.
Tarot can help you to understand why this is happening and what you can do about it.
Do you find that you make the same mistakes over and over again?
A Tarot reading can help you to see just where you're going wrong and help you to get your life back on the right track.
Maybe you are facing a decision and feel that you need a little guidance.
Tarot can help give you an overview of the situation so that you can make a more informed choice.
III Deniers
CBD Tarot de Marseille
Phrasing your question
The type of answer you get from the cards usually depends on the type of question you ask. The more focused and less confusing your question is, the more likely you are to get a reading that helps and that you can understand.
Here are a few guidelines to help you come up with the right question.
Remember that the cards will not make decisions for you. Take responsibility for the situation you are in.
Focus on one question or situation per reading. Asking about more than one thing at a time, especially with email readings leads to confusion and muddled answers.
Try to avoid questions that require a yes or no answer - I don't believe that Tarot is very good at answering these type of questions. 'Open questions' are best.
For example:
Instead of asking:
Will I get that job I'm going after?
It's better to ask:
How can I improve my chances of getting that job I'm going after?
Concentrate on yourself, you're the one that you can change.
Asking questions about other people is intrusive.
For example:
Instead of asking:
Is my boyfriend cheating on me?
It's better to ask:
What do I need to know about my relationship with my boyfriend? OR:
What can I do to improve my relationship with my boyfriend?
Be as positive as you can be - this way you're more likely to get an empowering answer.
For example:
Instead of asking:
Why don't things ever go my way?
It's better to ask:
What can I do to improve my life and help me get the most out of ______ this situation?
If you don't have a specific question you can do a general reading or focus on one area of your life; career or your love life for example. Without a focused question however, you won't get such focused answers and your reading may not be as specific as a reading with a particular question.
The Moon XVIII
The Hoi Polloi Tarot
To Summarise:
1. Take responsibility for your situation, don't expect a tarot reading to make decisions for you.
2. In email readings, stick to one question or topic per reading.
3. Try to avoid questions that require a Yes or No answer.
4. Remember that your question should concentrate as much as possible on you.
5. Be as positive as you can - that way you are more likely to get an empowering answer.