Tarot card meanings
Hi Steven and thanks for reading my article. If you are looking for information about tarot card meanings, I am glad you found this page. This article is written to provide clear and concise information for anyone who wants information on how to read tarot cards. I have a long-standing interest in tarot and have found that there is a lack of concise information on tarot reading.
The origins of the Tarot cards are shrouded in mystery with influences attributed to a wide range of cultures and rumored to contain Egyptian wisdom, Mithraic religion, medieval heretical and pagan Celtic beliefs. Their first recorded use was in southern Europe in the 14th century, where they were originally used for a mixture of educational purposes and playing card games. Different packages are designed to teach different things, for example logic, Greek mythology, religion, geography and even the art of carving meat and fish. The origin of the name Taro probably comes from the Italian word for cards “Tarocchi”, which comes from the Taro River Valley in Northern Italy. The modern Tarot deck is said to have originated from the French Tarot of Marseilles, which contains 78 cards with 22 trumps. The first significant record of the use of tarot cards on a more spiritual level was in 1781, when the Swiss occult writer, clergyman and freemason Antoine Court de Belin wrote about the meanings of tarot cards in his book on civilization. He believed that the Tarot cards hid information about the structure of the world that was hidden in a simple game by the Egyptian priests to avoid losing their knowledge in a world of increasing religious dominance. The first known fortune teller to use tarot cards was Aliette of Paris. He believed that reading tarot cards indicated possible future events such as travel, sadness, love and luck.
To perform a reading, the deck is usually shuffled by the subject and arranged in one of a variety of patterns called “spreads”. These are then interpreted by the reader for the theme. There are many ways to place the cards for reading. These are three of the most popular spreads:
A three card spread
Three cards are chosen, the first representing the past, the second the present, and the third the future.
Answer with five cards
It is usually used to help the subject with one or more specific questions they have at that point in their life. The five selected Tarot cards are used to denote:
1. Current situation to which the question refers.
2. What actually caused the problem.
3. What kind of response is required.
4. What ill effects may occur.
5. The most likely outcome after the actions taken.
Tarot card calendar
Twelve cards are chosen and placed in a circle in front of the object. The subject is usually asked to turn over the card closest to the one o’clock position in the deck of cards. This card represents the general situation they will have in the next month. This process then continues around the circle and each card is then linked to the important aspects of each subsequent month.
Arranging the deck of Tarot cards
The deck is divided into 2 sections called Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. This division roughly refers to court cards and place cards in a modern deck of playing cards. There are a total of 78 Tarot cards, including 22 cards from the major arcana and 56 cards from the minor arcana.
Major Arcana
These cards have no colors and are character cards whose appearance during a tarot card reading indicates something of special significance.
The power of a fool
The Hanged Wizard
Death of the High Priestess
Empress Temperance
The Devil Emperor
High Priest the Tower
Lovers the Star
The Moon Chariot
Justice The Sun
The Hermit Angel
Wheel of Fortune The World
The minor arcana
It consists of fifty-six cards, divided into four suits of fourteen cards each; ten numbered cards and four court cards. The Court cards are King, Queen, Knight and Page in each of the four suits of the Tarot. The suits are wands, cups, swords and pentacles.
Each group is similar to the normal playing cards (ace to ten), with the addition of an additional court card, the page.
The playing card equivalents of the Tarot decks are:
• Wands… Clubs
• Cups… Hearts
• Swords… Spades
• Pentacles. Diamonds
Each suit relates to a specific area of the subjects life, thus there are four broad areas of life, each represented respectively above by the astrological signs of Fire, (passion), Water, (emotions), Air, (ideas) and Earth (physical).
The following table can form the basis for interpreting each of the 56 cards of the Minor Arcana:
Value Aspects Value Aspects
One – New Beginning Eight – New Experience
Two – Between two people Nine – Social
Three – Collecting ten – Success
Four – Execution Page – Considered
Five – Knight of a Turning Point – Energy Aspiration
Six – Queen of Success – Mature care
Seven – Challenge King – Callous advisor
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