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he first thing most people want
to find out is the meaning for tarot cards.
Because there are so many decks out there, and so
many different spreads (or ways to throw and
interpret the cards), assigning a specific meaning
for tarot cards, across all decks and spreads, is
quite impossible. However, it is possible to
develop a strong working relationship with
specific decks of cards so that the meaning for
tarot cards in your specific deck or decks becomes
very clear. The more you work with a specific
deck, the greater your connection with that deck
will be. And the more accurate your readings will
be. In addition, the more you practice the more
you will be able to intuit the meaning for tarot
cards, regardless of the deck or spread. As you
will find out later in this article, tarot card
meanings can become a very personal issue and are
often the result of your own intuition.
This article gives you the basics necessary for
reading tarot cards. These basics include:
- A short history of tarot
cards and decks
- Major uses of the tarot
- Choosing a beginner tarot
deck
- Keying your tarot cards
- Using a signifier
- Real tarot card spreads
(Celtic Cross and 12 Card)
- Meanings for tarot cards
- Major and minor arcana
- Getting started ñ tarot for
beginners
Ready? Let's dive in!
A Short History of Tarot Cards and Decks
The underlying symbology and concepts found in the
Tarot go back thousands of years. For instance, in
the early Christian Church, around 600 AD, the
priests had little memo cards with pictures on
them. The gypsies also used similar cards. The old
emerald tablets in Egypt also had pictures of
plates and discs. These concepts are very old but
they are at the root of modern day tarot card
meanings.
However, the modern Tarot is brand new, revised by
the Order of the Golden Dawn to work more
intimately with the Tree of Life and for spell
work. Itís a development of the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, and is, in our estimation,
the major advance in magical practice within the
last 2,000 years.
The word Tarot is a disguised word. It was
originally spelled ìRota,î which means wheel,
because the deck represents all phenomenal
experience, the wheel of life. We use the Tarot as
a living form that is tied into the existing
Universe. In essence, the Tarot is a simulacrum of
the Universe.
Uses of Tarot Cards and Decks
Before the advent of the more modern decks that
were updated by the Order of Golden Dawn, tarot
cards were used primarily for divination.
Divination is the art of accessing any information
not directly available to the five senses. Gypsies
and the Egyptians used the Tarot primarily for
divination, and many modern day Gypsies continue
to use their own unique decks for such purposes.
However, when the Order of the Golden dawn updated
and modernized the tarot cards, they did so as
magicians ñ they wanted to be able to use the
tarot cards for magical purposes. The three main
uses of tarot cards are:
Straight divination
Spell work (these decks are especially designed
for spell work)
Working the Tree of Life (for doing a great work)
While you can use almost any tarot cards for
straight divination, only the updated decks can be
used for spell work and working the Tree of Life.
Tarot cards are used heavily in designing safe and
effective spells (for instance, to predict the
effectiveness of candle symbols and carvings, and
also spell parameters, called ìDirectors and
Limitersî). Tarot cards are also used as the
primary medium for tarot spells, in which the
tarot cards are actually tied to elements in the
Universe and re-arranged so as to re-arrange
reality in the physical universe.
Part 1 The Tarot
Part 2 Choosing a Beginner Tarot Deck
part 3 Tarot Card spreads
Part 4 Tarot for the beginner
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