TAROT CARDS

Reader & Trainer

Introduction

No one knows exactly where or when the Tarot (pronounced TA-ROH) originated:
Others trace its roots to the gypsies who traveled through the continent during the Middle Ages. Evidence suggests that seventy-eight-card tarot decks much like the ones we're familiar with might have been used to tell fortunes in Italy and France during the Renaissance. Our present-day playing cards may have evolved from these early tarot decks.

What we do know is that the tarot has survived for seven hundred years as one of the Western world's most important bodies of mystical knowledge. More than a device for divination, it provides a key to understanding universal truths and shows the way to enlightenment. In recent years, its popularity has grown steadily, and today the tarot is our most-used form of divination.

An Elegant Oracle

That Tarot serves as a direct link-a cosmic conference call, so to speak- between your conscious self, your subconscious, and Divine Wisdom. Cartomancy, that art of divination by cards, is based on two principles: Each moment embodies a unique quality and everything in the Universe-unseen as well as seen- is connected. When we shuffle tarot cards or use any other oracle), we open our consciousness to perceive the essence of that moment.
The tarot is composed of two parts known as the minor arcane and the major arcana. (Arcana means mysterious knowledge.) Early tarot decks may have contained only the twenty-two cards in the major arcane. Some tarot scholars believe the minor arcane evolved from a game played in Europe during the Middle Ages and was added to the major arcane at a later date. The minor arcane is similar to our contemporary playing cards of four suits, each containing ten numbered cards and four court cards-in fact, poker decks may descended from the tarot's minor arcana.
The Major Arcana Corresponds to lessons that need to be learnt to

The major arcana is an illustrated course in self-development, a journey from innocence to enlightenment. Each card represents a stage of growth, building on the insights of the previous card and leading to the discoveries of the following one.

When many major Arcana or "trump" cards turns up in a reading, it can mean that you are being influenced by circumstances and forces outside your control.

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The Minor Arcana (Free-will of a person)

The minor arcane usually contains fifty-six-cards, although some decks deviate from this standard.
The minor arcana is divided into four suits-Fire, Water, Earth, and Air (Swords). The suit of wands relates to creativity and inspiration; pentacles correspond to money and physical matters; cups deal with emotions and relationships' swords are linked with communication and ideas. The tarot's connection with astrology is clearly demonstrated in the suits, which represent the four elements: wands = fire, pentacles = earth, cups = water, and swords = air. The suits also symbolize the four levels of being: wands = spirit, pentacles = body, cups = emotion, and swords = mind.
Tarot Readings

The tarot can be used in many ways-to gain insight into a problem or situation, to divine the future, as an aid to meditation, or in magical work.

In what's known as reading, cards are drawn individually from a deck or land out in special arrangements or patterns called spreads. A reading can be as simple as selecting one card from the deck to provide food for thought during the day. Complex readings involving several different spreads may be done to examine a concern from a variety of angles, provide insight into more than one related issue, or given an overview of your life.

A tarot reading is not a parlor game-don't approach it with skepticism or amusement, or test the oracle to see if it will correctly respond to a question whose answer you already know. Think of a reading as a private audience with an all-knowing stage. Respect the oracle and source from which the information comes. Regardless of the type of reading you do, be sincere and trust that the tarot will offere helpful advice.

The more important the matter is to you and the clearer your request, the more likely you are to get good advice. "Garbage in, garbage out" certainly applies in tarot readings.

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