Tarot

Pause in step, pull in deep breath,
center the mind on the inquiry's seed.
Shuffle the cards, draw them out, arrange in form,
according to the hour's need.

Weave us an intricate tale,
reveal what second sight may see.
Unveil what was hidden and unknown,
that we may discern what will be.

- - -

Using tarot cards is one of the most common methods of divination, as it provides guidance for any type of question or issue. It is a very flexible, and therefore a very powerful, form of divination.

A tarot deck is composed of 78 cards. The first 22 make up the Major Arcana; these are the dominant cards, holding the strongest influence over the reading. Each card falls into three general areas: the material world, the intuitive mind, and the realm of change. Drawing multiple Major Arcana cards is note-worthy and should be carefully considered.

The remaining cards of the tarot deck are the Minor Arcana. They are split into four suits which are loosely associated with various aspects. The basic suits and associations are:

Given the abundance of tarot decks available for use, it is impractical to assign definitive meanings to the individual cards as each deck can have its own unique variations. For instance, a deck could have a general theme that influences all of its cards. Some decks change the names or even reorder the positions of the Major Arcana cards. Similarly, the suits can also vary to use different objects.

When doing a reading, the cards are dealt into a layout that defines how each position relates to the overall question. The way that the cards are shuffled and selected, and whether it is done by the reader or querent, is based on intuition or personal preference.

When routinely using a specific deck, the defined meanings for each card may be studied and learned, but it is not entirely necessary. To have a successful reading, the cards can be interpreted based on their individual pictorial representations, their orientation (upright or inverted), and their proximity to other cards in the layout. In this manner, a story will unfold that reveals the information or answer being sought.

Preparing for a Reading

Before doing a tarot reading, it is important to cleanse and align the cards, especially if the previous and current readings are for different subjects.