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Tarot Cards
The Tarot is a set of cards, assembled
of seventy-eight in number, that comprises cards divided up accordant
to their meanings. Some tarot decks of cards may have a different
number of cards, but seventy-eight cards are considered a stock number
among contemporary decks. The Rider-Waite Tarot deck is one of the most
common decks in the world and is favoured by beginners and pros alike.
It is possible for Tarot pupils to design their own cards in accordance
to the general meaning of the cards.
The Tarot deck is split into two major divisions namely, the major
arcana or the trump cards and the minor or the lesser arcana. The major
arcana comprises of twenty-two cards and signifies the different stages
in the journey of life. The minor arcana consists of four suits
popularly known as the swords, cups, wands and pentacles or coins.
These suits equate to the four elements air, water, fire and earth
respectively. In different decks, these suits can be named as well as
rendered differently. Each suit has fourteen cards with the first ten
cards representing the number one to ten. The last four cards are
best-known as the face cards or court cards and are generally denoted
by the page, knight, queen and king of the suit. In some decks, the
page is substituted with a princess and the knight with a knave.
Tarot decks can be brought from specialist stores or can be ordered
over the Internet. It’s recommended you purchase new decks for
interpretation purposes as it’s said that used decks will contain the
energies of the individual who had used them previously.
There are many tarot decks obtainable in the market. There’s no rule
affecting which deck to choose as a beginner and which one as an
advanced student. It’s simply a matter of preference where people are
prompted to choose a deck that they can relate to or one that appeals
to them the most. Many adept in Tarot- do reccomend the ‘Rider Waite’
deck for those who are just beginning- for ease of use.
Each and every Tarot card has special significance that’s been
depicted and adhered to over the centuries. However, each card is also
a representation of what is happening in a person’s life at a
particular moment. You are able to choose to either learn the textbook
meaning of each card by rote or use the cards strictly to give you a
notion of what is coming up in a person’s life.
There’s benefit in discovering the textbook meaning of each Tarot
Card, as you will occasionally draw a blank or even get subtly
bewildered when doing a reading and it is always beneficial to have
these textbook meanings to fall back on or at least point you in the
right direction. You must not nevertheless, allow these meanings to
obscure your assessment when it comes to your impressions about a
person during a reading.
If you turn a card and the image gives you a feeling or a idea
that’s not related to the ‘formal’ meaning, leave it alone iand go with
your feelings. Your hunch is unlikely to be incorrect, and it will grow
in strength and confidence the more you rely on it.
You may eventually reach the point where you find the cards
constraining and prefer to function without them, this can be a good
thing, however, it’s always useful to have a deck available just in
case you need to affirm your suspicion. You may find it advantageous to
hold a personal object that belongs to your client while you are giving
a reading, this can help to tune you into them.
Always shuffle the cards well, and position them face down on the
table. Pass you hands over them and focus on the image on the under
side of the cards in addition to as the overall story that the group of
cards is trying to tell you, when you’re first beginning it is a good
idea to take notes of your feelings and intuitions at this phase,
before you turn the cards over. Once you do look at the images you will
be astonished at how close you’ve come.
There are numerous methods of reading the Tarot, and you must
ascertain the one that works better for you. Tryout as many different
techniques with different clients as you can, this will give you the
best idea of which technique suits you. And most significantly the more
you read Tarot the more effective you will become and the stronger you
own intuition will become.