What Does The Fool Card Mean Or Represent

Well, if you could only have one question about the Tarot and Tarot cards, that would be it.

Many interpreters of the Tarot consider the Fool to be a central card to the whole deck. The Fool is a special card, even among the 22 of the Major Arcana. It's Card 0 (or 22 depending on your system). In a real sense, understanding this card opens up the Tarot - and a lot more. (Or so the really wise people say.)


As you may already know, when looking for meaning in the Tarot, keep going back to the picture; there's a lot more in them than a first glance suggests.

It's the start of the Major Arcana 'story' - a young person, a 'prince or princess of the world' setting out on a sunny morn on a wonderful journey - right over a cliff !

Not, you'd think ordinarily, a very bright thing to do!

But the Fool strides trustingly over that precipice, and, according to the Tarot, the trust is well placed. The whole 22 cards of the Major Arcana are seen by some interpretators as the Fool's journey, which ends with the World, key 21, which is about successful completion, accomplishment and fulfillment.

There are a lot of other qualities which lead to that success, but they would be worthless without the Fool's willingness to trust and be open to that journey.

Sometimes you have risk, to go against everything society says is 'sensible' or 'wise', to act rightly. It means the inner forces, the inner certainty, intuition - no, less tangible than intuition even - which is at the heart of great endeavors - or right action.

It says that in some things, you must trust your inner voice, not those of the many people in your surroundings and society willing to tell you 'the smart thing to do'.

Indeed, to many people, the Tarot itself seems 'foolish'. To them the whole idea of shuffling some pieces of cardboard with pictures to reveal hidden truths is in itself a pretty silly thing to do (I've met quite a few myself!) So in their eyes all who use the Tarot at all may be 'fools'.

I think we're pretty wise fools, myself.

The Fool is about those positive forces with us which influence us in our choices - trust, belief in the ultimate goodness of creation, ideals - the 'hope of a bright tomorrow.'

But above all, this card tries to assure us that there is a point to such an endeavor, that life has a point, that trust has a point.

And yes, if you look at the evil in the world, at the loss of young lives, at the failure of principle, believing in some rightness of existence, some point in hoping and trusting, can look pretty futile, pretty pointless, pretty ...foolish.

But believe anyway, is the message of this card.

In a reading, this may identify a need to trust ourselves, our inner knowledge or intuition, perhaps about whether it's the right time to 'take a leap', or whether it's not.

Just to complicate matters, if you use inverted cards in your readings (I do!) the Fool inverted can warn that a decision may be foolish, too extravagant, that there IS a danger in taking risks too casually.

So this card isn't about 'do whatever occurs to you, as it occurs'; that would be a fun, but pretty unsustainable life.

It is about being open to that inner impulse, learning to differentiate between it and the dozens of other urges and impulses.

And how does a person do that ?

Search me.

I know what works for me.We all need to find our way. Some people use meditation, aids such as the Tarot, and study of various arcana. (Meditation works for me, by the way.)

Others just lead their lives, one day at a time, and it just comes.

A paraphrase of an old Zen teaching story, but the closest I can recall;

A monk was out walking in ancient Japan. He encounters a wild cat, and as he is fleeing, slips over a cliff, but manages to grab hold of a gnarled root at the edge of the cliff. He looks down, and sees sharp broken rocks below. He looks up and sees the wild cat, snarling at him.

As he looks around, he also sees beside him a bush with a single bright, succulent berry on it.

He looks up, then down again.

He plucks the berry, and pops it in his mouth.

How sweet it tastes!

That's the Fool.

The wise Fool.

( Or so one old fool thinks.)

Books You Might Enjoy:

John Dee - The Hieroglyphic Monad Latin Version Second
Medieval Grimoires - The Most Holy Grimoire Or Grimorium Sanctissimum
Zoroaster - The Chaldean Oracles

Understanding The Tarot Reader

Tarot card readers can offer a lot of spiritual guidance to those in need through there gift of tarot divination. Spiritual guidance can come in many forms which can be extremely useful to the intrigued client. When visiting a tarot card reader, you should keep in mind that tarot readings are a great way to gain insight on what is happening, or will be happening in a clients life. Tarot card readers who offer psychic readings have a Divine ability to relate what they see in the cards to the things they see in the energy field of the client who is receiving that tarot reading, therefor offering them spiritual guidance.

The tarot card reader has the ability to take what they see in the pictures and relate it to what they see in the clients life. Tarot readings can focus on events based on the past, present, and future, and often provide great advice from a Divine source which will greatly help the client seek the spiritual guidance they many need when they are not sure which direction to go in there lives. The tarot card reader is actually tapping into the energy field which surrounds the client, and using the cards as a tool, or a guide to help the tarot card reader better understand, or get more detail on the information that is being received in order to offer the client spiritual guidance. Often times tarot readings give in depth understanding and specific details about topics including love, astrology, careers, family, any many other various topics pertaining to the future, as well as past and present which is an extremely useful method of receiving spiritual guidance.

Through experience, the tarot card reader usually develops there own unique way of reading and interpreting information the receive. There are many types of cards that a psychic can use to give a tarot reading, each one unlocking divine spiritual guidance that can change a persons life.

An important thing to remember about tarot card readers is just because one has a physic ability does not mean that the tarot card reader can give a tarot reading with any deck of cards placed in front of them. There has to be a connection between the psychic and the tarot cards in order to give an accurate reading with enough spiritual guidance and satisfy the client. In conclusion having a tarot card reading from a trusted tarot card reader can be a very eye opening experience filled with spiritual guidance.

When visiting with a tarot card reader keep in mind that the spiritual guidance you are getting is only being received by the tarot card reader. If you are not happy with your reading, or you didn't like the spiritual guidance you received, remember not to take your frustrations out of the tarot card reader. The tarot card reader is only a messenger between the divine and yourself. Through receiving psychic information through a tarot reading, one can truly learn a lot about his or herself.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Third Eye
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Saffron Robe
Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot

The Tarot For Life Changes

I was introduced to the Tarot back in September of 1984. At first glance, I was fascinated by the pictures and the colors. Each card had its own energy and its own story to tell. Shortly after my first introduction to the Tarot and prior to the development of my already intuitive abilities, I began my own journey with the Tarot.

My journey with the Tarot began almost immediately. When I first began my Tarot journey, I did not feel pulled in learning the symbolism or their origin. I was pulled toward learning the story for each individual card. As I had had no prior knowledge of the Tarot, I did not know that at times the Tarot was viewed as "evil". As an empath, a super sensitive one, with high intuition, detecting things of a dark nature, and a dark nature being an unkind behavior, I never felt anything evil about the Tarot. In fact, it felt as if there was a deeper story to tell, for each one of us, on our own personal journey.

I spent a year learning the meanings of the cards and reading for small groups. As I had no prior knowledge of new age groups or how others were doing readings for groups or individuals, I found myself, just following my own intuition and allowed the essence of the cards, to share their story and insight in these readings. With much practice and a tremendous and healthy amount of respect, I became quite proficient with the cards.

When I began reading professionally and teaching, again, following my own level of intuition, and again, prior to receiving any other knowledge about what was happening in general with the Tarot, I found that my readings were based more on a personal and internal level; how we were feeling on an emotional level. This type of reading was done for 7 years and then, because I had been working with the Tarot for a while, found that my own level of awareness began to evolve, grow and change.

It is now, in 2009, that I understand that there are changes taking place on this planet. It is now, that I have learned, through many of my own experiences with reading and teaching others, that the Tarot, when used with a very healthy dose of respect and awareness, can be used to bring greater insight into how our emotions shift and change. How our emotions, are indeed the key to a deeper level of awareness, that exist in the voice and wisdom of our soul; if for nothing else, a huge level of common sense and conscience, just in our daily life.

Being on this 25 year journey, in the beginning, when having another do a reading for me, yes, there were predictions, and after having this happen a couple of times, I realized that predictions did not serve me, in anyway, on any level at all. In my young life, I believed, once a prediction was made, that I couldn't change my mind if I wanted to. Yes, predictions are fun, but when life is demanding way more than you understand, deeper insight is the key, that will shift the change of your life experience.

Tarot, when looking at the deeper meaning, can bring insight and wisdom for working through emotional highs and lows. The Tarot teaches your logical mind, how to focus on the deeper meaning for change. A prediction won't help, assist or guide you through your life change, however, allowing our ego to connect to the wisdom of our soul, will bring better results for life changes.

I am a conscious empath, with 25 years experience, with the Tarot, as a guide to deeper wisdom and insight, for life changes and bring balance, understanding and awareness to the shifts and changes in our emotions.

If you are ready to really understand your emotions and feelings and want to bring deeper meaning and insight to your life changes, the Tarot can offer new insight, to the changes we are all beginning to experience in our lives.

Once again, with a very healthy dose of respect and awareness, the Tarot can be a wonderful tool, into offering greater insight, to the changes in our life.

We are all being called to life changes and we can do this, one breath, one step at a time.

Books You Might Enjoy:

John Dee - The Rosie Crucian Secrets
Franz Cumont - After Life In Roman Paganism
Paracelsus - The Treasure Of Treasures For Alchemists
Nathaniel Harris - Liber Satangelica

The Suit Of Wands Tarot Card Meanings

1 ACE OF WANDS

Meaning: Creative flame, creative inspiration to new actions, energy, force. Start of an undertaking. Beginning. Enterprise.

Reversed: False start, cancellation of plans.
2 OF WANDS - Dominion

Meaning: Willpower, will and courage in undertakings, militancy, boldness, influence over another, ruler.

Reversed: Restlessness, turbulence, obstinacy, trouble.
3 OF WANDS - Virtue

Meaning: Balanced cooperation between willpower and action, with great change for success. Success after struggle, established strength, realization of hope.

Reversed: Conceit, assistance with an ulterior motive, pride and arrogance.
4 OF WANDS - Completion

Meaning: Actual action after a period of long preparation, successful completion of a matter, attainment of goals and needs, conclusion from previous knowledge.

Reversed: unreliability from over-anxiousness and hurriedness of action.
5 OF WANDS - Strife

Meaning: Resistance, opposition, tension, quarreling, competition, struggle, cruelty, violence.

Reversed: Trickery, complexity, involvement.
6 OF WANDS - Victory

Meaning: Victory, triumph after strife, promotion, advancement, gain.

Reversed: Pride, insolence, superficial benefit, inconclusive gain.
7 OF WANDS - Valour

Meaning: Great courage in conflicts and difficulties, the reckless courage of a hero.

Reversed: Hesitancy causing losses, uncertainty, doubt.
8 OF WANDS - Swiftness

Meaning: Swift action and direct communication. Energy with the speed of light. Quick transmission (speech, light, electricity), sudden insights. Letter or message. Strike by lightning.

Reversed: Too rapid advancement. Delay or stagnation.
9 OF WANDS - Strength

Meaning: Deep inner strength and vision to manifest your desires. Power, health, strong force.

Reversed: Obstacles, barriers to overcome, ill health.
10 OF WANDS - Oppression

Meaning: Repression, excessive pressure, overburdened feeling, cruelty and malice, force detached from spiritual forces.

Reversed: Lying, treachery, intrigues.
PRINCESS OF WANDS

Meaning: The passionate, creative impulse that puts things into movement. Passionate new beginning (enterprise, (sexual)relationship). Vivid, daring, no place for fear, spontaneous, but not really with a sense of responsibility.

Reversed: Irrational enthusiasm. Superficial, theatrical, false, unreliable, cruel, domineering person.
PRINCE OF WANDS

Meaning: Swiftness and strength, fanatical courage, strong opinion, nobleness, generosity, sense of humor, impulsive, hot-tempered.

Reversed: Pride, cruelty, intolerance, idleness, prejudice, cowardice.
QUEEN OF WANDS

Meaning: Adaptability, persistent energy, calm authority, kind but sensitive to criticism. Process of self-discovery .

Reversed: Offensive, obstinate, tyrannical, revengeful.
KNIGHT OF WANDS

Meaning: Fierceness, giving everything in his action, moving forward in great confidence.

Reversed: Brutal, evil-minded, cruel, beware of untimely action.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Yacki Raizizun - The Secret Of Dreams
Archmage Bob Andrews - Old Witchcraft Secrets
Hermes Trismegistus - Book Xiii Of Sense And Understanding
John Dee - Testament Of John Dee To John Gwynn
Eliphas Levi - The Ritual Of Transcendental Magic

Tarot Numerology Fives

The tarot can be understood better if the underlying numerology is understood. Cards of the same number in different suits and in the Major Arcana have similar meanings derived from the following qualities...

Corresponding - Major Arcana - The Hierophant

Major characteristics: Upsetting the balance, Struggle, a New Cycle, Challenge, Difficulties, Problems

Also: Disrupted stability, uncertainty, upset, change, disruption, shifts, adjustments, adversity, conflict, strife, disappointment, loss, missing out on something, competition.

Books You Might Enjoy:

John Dee - Table From Liber Loagaeth French Version
Sepharial - Astrology And Marriage
Thomas Potts - Discovery Of Witches
Christopher Siren - Sumerian Mythology Faq
Thomas Muldoon - Numerology For The 21st Century

Tarot Journey With The High Priestess

The High Priestess represents the principle of intuition, self trust, self resourcefulness. She represents balance. This archetype reminds us not to hand our power away and to have equal balance in our strength and our vulnerability.

Many years ago, almost a lifetime ago, as I write about The High Priestess, because my husband and I were generating so much empathic and intuitive energy between us, we began experiencing a complete dismantling of outdated and old ways to approach our life.

It is safe to say, that the veils, that had kept us so protected and innocent to these life changes, were now being torn apart, for truth, from deeper under the surface to everyday life, would ground and anchor itself, in the path that we were walking.

The Tarot Cards, would become a much needed guide for these changes. It was at this point, that I began working with the energies and insights of the Alleister Crowley Tarot. Yes, I am aware of what has been written on Alleister, however, as an awakening full blown empath, I needed to work with a specific energy, that would teach and guide me, to the wild emotional surf, that had become our life.

We had been living in a place, where the energies were very scatterd and very dense. We had not figured out or discovered that we were stepping into the ascension process and being in dense and scattered energies, was a process for clearing and connecting our energy to soul blueprint and bringing much needed energy to the area and place that we were living.

It seemed that the longer we were in different environments, because I was learning how to read patterns of energy and learning how not to take it personally, any negatives that were coming to the surface, I felt a tremendous amount of fear and panic setting in. Fear that we had screwed up our lives by listening to our intuition. Fear that we would never learn or come out of this path, that was not well traveled or even discovered yet.

I felt panicked and lost enough, that even though I am a Tarot reader, with empathic abilities and high intuition, I was no good to myself or the awakening process, that had become our lives. I did it!. I went for a psychic reading.

Well, of course, the reader picked up on my energy and asked me why on earth I was talking to her for a reading, with the energy that I was floating in and still trying to figure out how to generate. Not to be forgotten, I was still pretty new to this journey and had not yet figured out, that the many life experiences heading my way, would eventually teach me and to utilized Tarot insight, intuition, breath and awareness, constantly and consistently, until this new way of thinking would root and anchor into my life.

As I was not looking for predictions or outcomes, but a way to figure how to tap into my awareness, I explained a little bit about what was going on and she proceeded with a Celtic cross layout. To this day, I don't remember what the other cards were in the layout. However, when she got to the position of fear, The High Priestess was there in all her glory. The focus became about the High Priestess in the fear position.

She could not get over seeing the High Priestess in the fear position.

She had never seen something like this, in the years that she had been doing readings.

All she could do was ask; "woman, what on earth are you doing with your energy, why aren't you listening to your intuition and why on earth are you handing your power away? Well, OK, I was still young and new to the unchartered territory that had become our life and the journey that we didn't want to take, but had to take it anyway.

Well, after those words, I felt myself come back into my body and felt myself snap into appropriate awareness.

From that day forward, whenever a negative, a challenge and an obstacle was on the horizon and getting ready to be transformed and transmuted into a state of awareness, I would breathe deeply and connect to the energy of the High Priestess, to guide me along the way.

Each Tarot card, in a deck represents and generates its own energy. When we begin a journey, that has never been traveled before, the road less taken or not taken at all, the only thing we have as our guide is our intuition and all things that teach us how to focus and connect to our intuition.

It has taken 18 years to complete the many levels and paths of this journey, the High Priestess, certainly did become my guide and teacher on this ascension process and journey of awakening. At the beginning of this journey, having never come across anything empathic, or how to connect emotions to our intuition, I was and we were scared beyond our imaginings.

As with everything, with constant and consistent practice, the tools for intuition and the Tarot, taught us how to go within and stay connected to our breath and our awareness. No, it didn't happen overnight, it was a learned practice, that needed constant application to our life experiences.

To this day, whenever my energy gets stuck and confusion sets in, one of the many things that I remember now, is that the stuckness represents new information and new energy setting into my life and that staying connected to my breath and remembering to connect to the higher energies of the High Priestess and allow for the natural connection and integration process to unfold, in due time, everything begins to make sense.

This was my journey with the High Priestess, one that will continue to be a guide on my path.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Margaret Alice Murray - The Witch Cult In Western Europe
Aleister Crowley - The Winged Beetle
Arthur Edward Waite - The Hermetic Museum

Tarot Devil Death And The Tower For Transformation

I am writing on these cards, to once again, share with others, what these Tarot cards mean, during these very new and changing times. Recently, someone that had read my article on "The Devil" shared with me what had happened in a phone reading. In this reading, they were told that they had a dark cloud over them and was surrounded by evil.

Well, to say I felt outraged by this, was putting it mildly. First, this is truly a false representation for what these cards mean, now...during 2010 and how humanity is awakening to the inner calling of their life; soul blueprinted awareness. Back in the day, when readings were done for another, Tarot cards in reversed positions, or the Devil, Death and the Tower were seen as true evil and negativity. However, based on what my journey has been and based on how I was guided to understand; truly understand, from a deeper level of perception and awareness, this is ABSOLUTELY NO LONGER TRUE.

Back in September of 1984, a friend of mine grew up in metaphysical and psychic awareness. She would be the very first person to do my first reading and soon become a guide on my own awakening journey. In this reading, she had done the Celtic Cross for me. My ending card in this layout was the Death card. Well, even tho I had no idea of the meaning of these cards...I knew deep down, that this card did not mean death in the physical sense, but Death of change to relationships or a known way of life.

In this moment, prior to my awakening journey, I knew that there was something on the horizon for me. Once my journey began, Death, Devil, Tower and reversed positions became the theme in the readings that I would do for myself. The more change I was experiencing, the more these cards would appear in my readings.

As an empath, with high intuition, shifting through a lot of changing emotional highs and lows, I knew that I needed to learn how to clear myself. I knew that I needed to go deep within for the answers to my questions and the true meaning for these cards. This became quite the journey.

It is now 27 years later, and the insight and wisdom that were gained, through deep inner awareness, became my godsend and the light through the many changes, challenges and obstacles that required and requested understanding and awareness.

When choosing a reader; be very, very clear about the purpose of your reading. Predictions take away your right to choose or be in true inner alignment with soul knowing. Ask questions or read up on the type of readings available. Readers; whether they are psychically reading or tuning in to another level, do not have the right to tamper with anyone else's personal space in this way. Whether we are tuning in psychically, energetically or consciously, being in tune, as our way of life, means that we are here to uplift the energy, not scare the crap out of another with this way of reading.

Each one of us, whether we choose to learn how to tap into our heart knowing, wisdom or soul awareness, have our own blueprint to our life journey and a good reader will guide their perspective client to tuning into their inner journey.

Be picky; be choosy about how and where to put your energy for a reading. Because these days, when a reading like this is done to another, not only are you feeling your own fear about the lack of information that was projected, but the reader just projected their own unclear energy into your personal space and if your skills are undeveloped at this level, this very energy can send you off into a tailspin.

We are living in very different times now. We are being called to clear our imprinting, by bringing understanding and awareness to our experiences, not to get rid of them or forget that they are there, but to bring them into balance, alignment and healing.

We all have a voice of wisdom. Some of us are naturally tuned to this way of life and some are just waking up to this way of life. And trust me, what I have shared here is not sugarcoated or watered down, but has been a 27 year experience to truly learn how to keep searching and digging for absolute clarity to the purpose of the experiences we are having now.

This is your journey...choose wisely...ask questions and listen to your gut.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Marcus Cordey - Magical Theory And Tradition
Tereza Burns - The Little Book Of Black Venus And The Three Fold Transformation Of Hermetic Astrology
Max Heindel - Ancient And Modern Initiation

Tarot As Entertainment

When I used to work in the Renaissance Fair, Tarot readers were classified as entertainers, along with the musicians, actors, jugglers, dancers and clowns. That did not offend me. I love to meet people and read for them in any circumstance, and if it is a festive one, that is fine with me.

Over the years, I have also been hired to entertain guests at parties in people's homes, at company events, as well as festivals and fairs. I am not offended at all if people want to think of Tarot as a form of entertainment. After all, their is pretty convincing evidence that Tarot originated as a set of playing cards with the part of the deck containing the more obviously spiritual references added some time later.

Today, Tarot and playing cards are considered two different things, although there are readers who can read with playing cards, and some people who play games with Tarot. It is fine if people want to be skeptical about what they get from a reading and it serves as a conversation starter among a group of guests. That still serves a useful purpose. And more than one skeptical person has come back to me later to confide that something that came up in a reading that they thought was irrelevant or incorrect later turned out to have a lot of validity.

Just like the court jesters, sometimes truth is easier digested when the reader mixes it in with an adventurous story, a dash of humor or some beautiful art.

After all, are we not the main characters in our own stories, the stories of our lives? Wherever certain events and characters fall on the scale of things between happy, sad, tantalizing or heroic, looking at the possibilities is always entertaining. Bear in mind that some people may prefer scary entertainment, erotic entertainment, foolish entertainment and mysterious entertainment as well as mythic and adventurous entertainment.

It's all in the cards.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Josh Norton - Charging An Enochian Tablet
Richard Weiss - Recipes For Immortality
Zoroaster - The Chaldean Oracles
Charles Webster Leadbeater - Clairvoyance

Is Becoming A Tarot Reader Right For You

Is Becoming a Tarot Reader right for you? ~ First, I have to say, that at 25, I had never anticipated becoming a Tarot reader, much less a teacher of consciousness. Although, I was very empathic and very intuitive as a kid, and certain things made themselves known to me, earlier in my life, including the Tarot showing up at unusual times, becoming a Tarot reader was not a logical thought for me.

As a kid, I had had many inner knowings present themselves to me. As a Catholic/Italian, inner knowing/visions were not common in our house, however, this did not stop my intuition from speaking to me or quietly guiding me. At 16, I came across the Rider Waite Tarot, from the person that would be my husband, in a few more years. Prior to seeing the cards, I had had many dreams about gypsy caravans in Europe. I would later discover, that I had been having dreams about my grandfather and his adoptive family. They were band of traveling gypsies. My great grandmother did readings and palmistry. It was after recuperating, from one of my many knee surgeries, that I finally told my mother about my dreams.

At this point, I was once again able to put the idea of the Tarot away and get back to my so called normal life, that is until I started a new job and met my mentor, teacher and friend, that could see auras and read the Tarot. As she was not into pushing the point, she one day proceeded to share a very psychic story with me and I just happen to ask if it was possible to learn about psychic stuff. Of course her answer was yes. I asked if it was possible to learn the Tarot. Of course, the answer was yes. And although, I wanted to learn the Tarot, at that point, I was not interested, nor was I intending on doing the Tarot professionally, but I was so called for this to be a part of my journey.

And a journey it was. It is only now, 25 years later, that once I began reading the Tarot, once again, my instincts and high intuition was my guide on this journey. I would eventually discover, that once we begin working with the Tarot, whether for ourselves or for others, we are actually opening Pandora's Box. Pandora's Box being that the Tarot represents energy and expanded and evolved levels of awareness. That the more readings we do for ourselves and for others, the more that what was once normal, begins to change, evolve and grow.

At first, this might not be the actual experience, at least to the naked human eye.

Becoming a Tarot reader changes our life, changes our perceptions into ones of expanded awareness. It also changes our approaches to life. I never was able to have a normal, matter of fact idea about reading the Tarot. The Tarot became a guide and a journey almost immediately and the journey was going to be an inner journey. For this journey, my intuition was my teacher and my guide, and my ego was only allowed to come along for the ride. Reading the Tarot, early on, became a journey of inner discovery. As I have discovered, the purpose of a Tarot reading, was not one of prediction or taking the right for choice away from another, but one to assist and guide on our journey to life.

So, if you really feel the call to become a Tarot reader, as I have taught in my classes, get a really good book and Tarot cards. Read the book with an open and receptive mind. Pay attention to what you feel drawn to; whether it is the origin of the cards, the symbolism, the colors and keep a journal. Learning the Tarot is not an overnight experience, but a journey of experience. it opens us to the deeper meaning of life and guides us with wisdom and knowing, and most importantly, keep a journal, for there will be a time, when you will pull each individual card and ask your inner knowing and your intuition to guide you to the story that each Tarot card would like to share. The Tarot is an inner journey of awakening, calling for deep respect for yourself and for others on the journey with you.

How to become a Tarot Reader, listen to your heart, listen to the voice and the wisdom of your soul, for becoming a Tarot reader offers many opportunities for personal growth and change.

The Tarot does have its story to share, take your time and enjoy your inner journey to transformation.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Sri Swami Sivananda - Thought Power
Aleister Crowley - Which Things Are An Allegory
Carl Mccolman - The Well Read Witch
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Rampa Story
Thomas Moore - Candle Magick For Love

Five Traits You Will Want In A Tarot Reader

I am a professional tarot reader who has been working with the tarot cards for almost twenty years. I’ve found that there are all kinds of readers out there, running the gamut from mediocre to excellent. What is the difference between a “just average” reader and an outstanding one? I believe it comes down to five essential traits. Here’s what to look for:

1. Practicality. Although tarot cards use an old and esoteric system to divine the future—and so much more—many of the questions clients ask have a basis in their everyday lives. A practical reader listens to what the client wants to learn and provides clear, down-to-earth answers. Being practical also means knowing that it is difficult to take notes and pay attention to a reading at the same time. So, a reader might provide a recording of the session to the client, for example.

2. Flexibility. In my opinion, no reading—and the advice that comes from it—is set in stone. I personally am a big fan of free will. My own philosophy is that the cards show the influences and most likely outcome if the client continues to carry on in the same way without changing his or her behavior. If the influences or outcome are not desired, the client can make a concerted effort to change and this may go a long way to shift “fate.”

3. A sense of humor. No one wants a doom-and-gloom reading. Even the most traditionally so-called negative cards have positive lessons incorporated in their themes. It certainly helps to focus on the positive while still remaining realistic. Ultimately, an outstanding tarot reader becomes an ally for the client, often opening up new realms of possibility that haven’t been considered before. One excellent way to deliver new information can be with a gentle sense of humor. While readings are not a place for stand-up comedy, laughter can help calm down an anxious situation.

4. Straightforwardness. Wishy-washy or vague answers have no place in a reading where time may be limited while questions might be plentiful. Friends and family might beat around the bush when asked for advice, but clarity is precisely what the client wants from a reader. More can be gained from a tarot reader who takes a firm stand and conveys strong messages than one who speaks in maybes.

5. Nonjudgmental thinking. Most folks get enough flack from the people around them, pressure from popular culture and even their own critical selves. The last thing they need in a reading is to be given the message that the client is somehow a faulty or “bad” person. An understanding tarot reader knows from his or her own experience—not just proficiency in the cards—that life is full of difficult choices and most people make the best decision they can under their own unique circumstances.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Naomi Janowitz - Magic In The Roman World
Hermes Trismegistus - Book Xiv Of Operation And Sense
Max Heindel - Teachings Of An Initiate
Hermes Trismegistus - Book X The Mind To Hermes
Swetha Lodha - Your Love Life And The Tarot Cards

Finding Meaning In The Tarot Cards

There are countless books on Tarot Cards and Tarot Card Meanings. They can be a valuable tool for the beginning Tarot reader. However, the more you become familiar with Tarot reading, the more you will begin to associate your own personal meanings to the cards. The best Tarot readers are one’s that utilize their own personal associations to the cards.

Every individual has their own, unique point of view. Tarot reading offers you the insight to truly understand your own, personal story. It does this by illuminating the nature of your purpose and identifies how your story has framed your own view of the world. The more you become conscious of your story, the more you can understand yourself. Furthermore, it helps you understand the story of others. When we identify with another person’s experience, we can gain a deeper understanding of our shared experience. This is our humanity.

As a Tarot reader, it’s important to be able to identify where your story ends and another person’s begins. Neutrality and objectivity will be your greatest allies in Tarot reading, particularly if you are reading for someone other than yourself. It’s also important that you become conscious of your own projections. In other words, you do not want to project your story onto someone else’s. One way to ensure you don’t do this is by committing yourself to your own process of self-discovery. Tarot reading can help you do this by reflecting your own story back to you. The following exercise can be very useful for this process.

Separate the 22 Major Arcana cards out from the rest of the deck. Begin with the Fool Tarot Card and spread them out in numerical order. Thus, the Fool would be followed by the Magician. The Magician would be followed by the High Priestess, etc. Take out a piece of paper and examine the first card: The Fool Tarot Card. Ask yourself the following question:

What is the story of the Fool?
Where have I been the Fool?
Where does my story differ from the Fool? Where is it the same?
If the Fool where to speak to me, what might he say to me? What might I say to Him?
What might the Fool say to the card that follows him? In this case, it would be the Magician.

You can continue this narrative throughout the Major Arcana until you finish with the World Tarot card. Allow each card to tell you a story. In turn, you can use the cards to tell your own story.

The ultimate purpose of this exercise is to help you identify your own story and life journey. More importantly, this exercise can deepen the Tarot cards meanings. This is also a great way to interpret the cards for those you may be reading. Knowing traditional interpretations can be useful, but there is nothing more powerful than letting the Tarot cards speak for themselves.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Saffron Robe
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Thirteenth Candle
Melita Denning - The Aurum Solis
Naomi Janowitz - Magic In The Roman World

Conducting A Tarot Reading

The very first time I came across the Tarot, Rider Waite Deck, I was 16 and the cards belonged to the man that would be my husband 5 years down the road. The very first time I saw the Tarot, I had no clue that I would one day learn about the cards and activate many levels of intuitive awareness along the way.

The very next time the Tarot entered my life, I was 27 and this time I had a very strong pull to learn about them and eventually read professionally and teach how to work with the cards.

When I began doing Tarot readings professionally, I would work with the Celtic cross layout and although I used this layout, I allowed my intuition and my empathic sense to guide me, for what was needed for my client in the moment. There were many times, while doing a reading, I would try to go back to the format of my book learning, however, found that being empathic, with high intuition, I had to allow my intuition to guide me, to reading, at a deeper level for each person.

While conducting a reading, my approach was a bit different, almost untraditional to the standard way for reading the Tarot. I noticed that when reversed cards came up in the reading for, or other cards like "Death, Devil and the Tower", panic would set in and it was then, that while conducting my reading, I found myself being guided to teach my client about the cards that came up in their layout, in a sense, assisting them, to tuning into their own inner knowing.

There are times in our lives, where life changes began to call us and at first, when these changes call for our attention, it is possible to experience fear and confusion about the changes. Having a reading conducted, to address these life changes, begin to sort through the confusion and bring much needed information to the process.

It has been 25 years and 1000's of readings, that I would eventually discover, that a reading is a two way exchange. It is my job and responsibility to be clear, open and receptive and present the information that will assist and guide each individual to trust in themselves and to share much needed insight for the clients life changes.

One of the many things that I discovered in the years working with the Tarot, is that our intuition and inner knowing, evolve and grow, to accommodate the life changes taking place on the planet, for each individual. In the past, when reversed cards were present in a reading, the reversed position was viewed as a negative. As my abilities grew and evolved, I began to notice that when reversed cards were present, I was taught and guided, to go deeper, to understanding the true purpose of what the reversed card wanted to convey.

Today, when conducting a reading for a client and a reversed card(s) is present, I now understand that the reversed card represents the shifting emotions, that the client is experiencing while in the middle of their life changes.

It is now, that I understand how to tap into and present new tools, to approach our shifting emotions, that become present in our life changes. It is now, through my own life experiences, when at times, I believed that change was a negative, however, when going deeper under the surface, for a more informed understanding, that the negative, was the possiblity to learn what was necessary and how to transform the negative to a new level of awareness. It is now, after my own life experiences, that when a client wants to understand why there are so many negatives, that I can present new tools, that transform the negatives, into new opportunities for growth.

Back in the day, at the beginning of my journey, reading professionally, although predictions were not a part of my reading, the readings were general. It is because of my life experiences and utilizing the Tarot, during intense emotional shifts, that the Tarot would become my guide and teacher, in bringing new understanding to evolving our emotions.

Conducting a reading ~ whether for life changes or shifting emotions, is an excellent way, to step out of the fear and confusion and learn how to go beyond, what we think we perceive on the surface of our life.

Conducting a Tarot reading today, is about bringing insight, understanding and awareness, to the deeper levels of our life.

A Tarot reading, when utilized with the deepest of respect, brings to each of us, the greatest gifts of insight on our journey.

Happy Journey.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Wouter Hanegraaff - Dictionary Of Gnosis And Western Esotericism
John Dee - Table From Liber Loagaeth French Version
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Saffron Robe
Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot
John Dee - La Tabula Sancta French Version

Choosing A First Tarot Deck

When you first decide to learn Tarot, beginners ask what kind of deck should they choose?There are hundreds and hundreds of tarot decks available for purchase. There are people whose only interest in Tarot is collect and study the decks from history and from current artists.

There are two different perspectives as to how to go about acquiring your first tarot deck (pronounced tar'?oh or ta?row'). The first idea is that you are best served by selecting a deck that appeals to you or speaks to you in some way. This way of selecting a deck underlines the theory that every reader will respond to various styles and symbols in a different way and that it is important to respect this aspect of reading the tarot. It also is beneficial because it suggests that obtaining a deck that you respond to and like will encourage you to learn the deck.

The second theory is to obtain a widely used deck like the Waite, and Waite derivatives, or the Crowley/Thoth, or derivatives. These deck types represent the vast majority of decks that are purchased and used. The Waite deck is the most popular deck ever sold and is the one most often reconized.

I have come to the opinion that the second method, selecting a Waite-based or Crowley-based deck, is the best one for beginners. I have noticed that beginners who have acquired an offbeat deck struggle when they go to read a beginning tarot book or take a class.

So, your first assignment to find a deck to learn on. Choose a Waite based deck (including the Universal Waite, Robin Wood, Morgan Greer, Tarot of the Old Path, and some more whose names escape me right now!) or a Crowley/Thoth based deck (the smaller deck will have more lively coloration ? so notice which size you are selecting). If you will stick to these, it will be a bit easier to learn Tarot at first. Then, later, you can branch off and pick a Marseilles style, or Motherpiece, or Wheel of Change, or Osho Zen, or another offbeat tarot deck. This is all, however, just my observation. I have plenty of students simply pick the deck they like and they do fine (some however do not and break down and purchase a Waite deck so they can more readily compare what the instructor or book is saying to the deck images).

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Saffron Robe
Swetha Lodha - Your Love Life And The Tarot Cards
Marian Green - A Witch Alone
Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot
Aleister Crowley - Thoth Tarot Deck

A Tarot Quiz

The Quiz

1. How many cards are in a standard Tarot deck?
2. How many cards are in the Major Arcana?
3. Name the 4 suits in a standard Tarot deck and what elements they correspond with.
4. Which card is said to journey through the Tarot?
5. What is the Tarot's connection to modern day playing cards?
6. Why is the Rider Waite is such a popular deck...what sets it apart from the others?
7. Define court cards.
8. Define Arcana.

The Answers

1. 78
2. 22
3. Wands-Fire ..... Cups-Water ..... Swords-Air ...... Pentacles-Earth
4. The Fool
5. In ancient days the Tarot went underground to avoid complete destruction by the churches. It was often disguised in a game form similar to today's playing cards.
6. Because it was the first Tarot deck to include pictures for the Minor Arcana rather than just numbered suites. It has since grown in popularity & is the number one selling deck.
7. Court cards are the Prince, Princess, Queen, & King
8. Arcana- mysterious knowledge, language, or information accessible only by the initiate.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Aleister Crowley - Magick
Israel Regardie - The Art Of True Healing
William Lammey - Karmic Tarot

Egypt Tarot And Mystery School Initiations

Tarot did not originate in ancient Egypt, despite claims to the contrary. Nevertheless, an occult tradition underlies modern Tarot decks that arises from 18th century lore about the Egyptian mysteries. Mystery schools often use tarot to define the levels of their initiations, just as they feature Egyptian god-forms and symbolism. Could there be something to this connection?

Mystery Schools claim there is hidden meaning behind outer words and symbols that can only be experienced, not taught. The schools guide an individual through a series of rites that begin or “initiate” a transformation of consciousness. This awakens organs and subtle energies within the body activating abilities of which the general populace are not generally aware. Egypt is believed to have attained the highest development of these teachings and skills. Occult scholar Manly Palmer Hall believed that such schools are institutes of Isis, the mother of Mysteries, from whose dark womb initiates are born into a second or philosophic birth. All adepts are sons (or daughters) of Isis. Each initiate is a Horus, a hawk of the sun, whose job is to avenge the destruction of wisdom, symbolized by the murder of his father Osiris. The widow Isis is the Mystery School itself, which continues to produce out of herself potential redeemers.

But what does tarot have to do with this? The problem is that tarot did not originate in Egypt but in Northern Italy between 1420 and 1440. This period was characterized by a belief in the magical power of images. At the same time there was a huge influx of scholars and manuscripts from Spain where Jews were persecuted and from Constantinople, which was being invaded by Muslim Turks. Cities in Northern Italy, who welcomed these exiles, became centers of learning, their libraries full of books on magic, astrology and formerly lost works of Greek philosophy. Much of this knowledge had been preserved in Alexandria in Egypt, home to an eclectic mix of Egyptian, Coptic, Greek, Roman, Hebrew and East Indian learning. In 1422 a 5th century Greek manuscript, the Hieroglyphics of Horapollo, arrived in Florence. It falsely purported to reveal the hidden meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs and had a great impact on Renaissance thought. While few of the images appear directly in the tarot it added to the tradition that Egypt was key to ancient wisdom.

Pythagoras, founder of one of the most influential mystery schools of all time, studied in Alexandria. Through him the sacred principles of numbers made their way into the Western world. Plato, Pythagoras and Plutarch, among others, acknowledged Egyptians as the wisest of mortals and their temples as repositories of the occult sciences. In Greco-Roman Alexandria the Eleusinian mysteries of Demeter and Persephone were wedded to those of Osiris and Isis producing the mysteries of Serapis and Isis which spread throughout Europe. Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is built over a temple of Isis and many of the so-called “black Madonnas” are actually statues of Isis and her son Horus.

It wasn’t until the height of France’s 18th century Enlightenment that tarot came to the fore in relation to Egyptian-styled initiations being introduced into the Rosicrucian and Masonic secret societies. France was home to a scholarly movement in search of the roots of language, believed to be a form of Hebrew, a remnant of the language of the gods that had been codified in the Egyptian hieroglyphs. (It is only since the translation of the Rosetta Stone in the 1830s that their phonetic qualities and true meanings became known.)

Pre-revolutionary France was full of secret societies and extraordinary personalities such as the Comte de St. Germain, Cagliostro, Anton Mesmer (who developed hypnotism), Benjamin Franklin and Antoine Court de Gebelin, principal Egyptologist of the French Academy, all who were involved with the Egyptian rites of Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism. The inspiration for these was a document called the Krata Repoa (which first appeared in Venice in 1657). It consisted of a blend of classical and Hermetic works on Egyptian mysteries formatted into seven initiation rites.

Court de Gebelin in his encyclopedic work of anthropological linguistics, Le Monde Primitif (1781), was first to ascribe occult wisdom to the cards when he announced that a work of the ancient Egyptians still remained: the Book of Thoth. He declared it was the only thing to survive the burning of their libraries. Furthermore, it contained their purest doctrines in a form that was spread widely, though undervalued, through much of Europe by gypsies, who he believed to be Egyptian. This book of bizarre figures on 78 leaves, he explained, is obviously allegorical and conforms to the doctrines of the ancient Egyptians. The fact that there were both male and female priests was one proof. He said that the triple cross on the Pope or Hierophant card is the djed pillar or backbone of Osiris, representing the regeneration of plants and all of Nature. The star on the Star card is the Dog-Star, Sirius, that rises with the inundation of the Nile. The Star maiden is Isis, Queen of Heaven, spreading water from her vases, as it was the tears of Isis which flooded the Nile each year. One of her tears falls from the Moon when it is time for the Nile to rise. The Devil card is Typhon (or Set), the great demon. De Gebelin was first to claim that the twenty-two trump cards correspond to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The four suits are the four Egyptian classes of society: Swords were nobility, Cups the priesthood, Staffs (or cudgels) were agriculture, and Coins were trade.

This “book of destiny” was pure Egyptian, De Gebelin said, composed as it was [falsely] of the word Tar, which means “way, path” and the word Ro, which means “king, royal.” Tarot therefore showed the “Royal Path of the Human Life” that we must follow. The tarot makes us aware of the course of events and their results, and the wise men of Egypt used these sacred pictures to predict the future and interpret dreams.

A hundred years later, French occultist Paul Christian wrote in a book called The History and Practice of magic of an Egyptian initiation rite, which was actually that old blend of classical sources, the Krata Repoa. To this he added a section involving the tarot trumps. Christian claimed the Sphinx of Giseh served as entrance to sacred vaults in which the Magi held their tests. Corridors then led to subterranean portions of the Great Pyramid where the candidate faced life-threatening ordeals. The candidate descended into a bottomless pit on a ladder of seventy-eight rungs where he found a hidden opening into a long gallery lined on each side with twenty-two statues in facing pairs representing mysterious beings and symbols. Here, the ‘guardian of the sacred symbols,’ welcomed the candidate with the following words:

“I must not hide from you that other perils lie in store; but I am allowed to encourage you and give you direction by letting the Arcana of the Tarot explain their symbols, the understanding of which will create in your heart an invulnerable armour. . . . For the Science of Will, the principle of all wisdom and source of all power is contained in these twenty-two Arcana or symbolic hieroglyphs. [Their] attributes conceal a certain meaning . . . expressing a reality of the divine world, the intellectual world and the physical world. Each arcanum, made visible and tangible here, is a law of human activity whose combination produces the phenomena of life.”

Most modern Egyptian-styled tarot decks have evolved from these descriptions in Christian’s book. Arcana, from a root signifying “chest or container,” was a word long used by magicians to mean “magical secrets.” Paracelsus explained in the Archidoxes of Magic that arcana are immortal and eternal: “They have the power of transmuting, altering and restoring us . . . and are to be compared to the secrets of God.”

From this modern beginning, the tarot rapidly became the definitive map delineating a series of initiations offered by a variety of mystery schools including the Brotherhood of Light, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Ordo Templi Orientis and Fellowship of the Rosy Cross. Tarot decks were soon modified from the older French and Italian models to emphasize the mystical and magical wisdom teachings of Egypt.

An internet article by Michael Poe describes a Temple of Serapis near Naples, now badly damaged, whose statues and illustrations he sees as similar to those of the tarot. Poe’s description begins with the ram-headed god Khnum, standing by an altar (his potter’s table?) with one hand pointed up and the other down. Next is Veiled Isis, followed by the maternal Isis with Horus, then a Roman emperor with the pharaoh’s crook and flail (see link below for the complete series). Unfortunately no one has yet confirmed Poe’s findings. These images could be nothing more than standard archetypal motifs like those appearing in dozens of tarot decks based on myths from around the world—remarkable enough in its own right.

It is said that history tells us outer truth and inner lies, while myths tells us outer lies and inner truth. Likewise, this myth of tarot’s Egyptian origin recounts an inner truth about a higher purpose and meaning to our lives. Manly Palmer Hall, in Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians, states the case for the Egyptian tradition within the mystery schools:

“Isis was the patroness of the magical arts among the Egyptians. The use to which magic should be put is revealed in the Osirian cycle where Isis applies the most potent of her charms and invocations to accomplish the resurrection of Osiris. In other words, the redemption of the human soul.”

Tarot is uniquely suited to carry out this task of soul redemption. And so, on our journey to Egypt we will use tarot for guidance as we are initiated into a series of transformative mysteries in some of the most grand and ancient temples on this planet.

Recommended books (Free download):

John Yarker - Arcane Schools
Alice Bailey - Initiation Human And Solar
Andrew Lang - Myth Ritual And Religion
Max Heindel - Ancient And Modern Initiation

Osho Zen Tarot The Transcendental Game Of Zen

Book: Osho Zen Tarot The Transcendental Game Of Zen by Osho

The Osho Zen Tarot is a beautiful and serene, not your usual traditional tarot cards. It speaks to your inner self, tuning in to your most sensitive and passionate self.

I chose three of my favorite cards in this tarot deck:

1. The No-thingness card - totally black card. The 176 page book describes it as - because the nothing is not just nothing-it is all! It is vibrant with all possiblities, etc.....
2, Slowing down - a large tortoise wading through the mud and weeds - we are like the tortoise, we carry our home with us, wherever we go. There is no need to hurry, to let go of expectations you've had about yourself or other people. The last paragraph of the commentary is the keyword - The essence is at ease. Do whatsoever you are doing, but at the deepest core remain at ease, cool, calm and centered. Slowing down is so beautifully said-I cannot say it more graciously!
3. Existence - One of the Major Arcana card that comes after the Fool. A picture of the back of a naked - long hair woman sitting on a lotus leaf of perfection. I love the way the book describes this No.1 Major Arcana card - you are not accidental. Existence needs you. Quoting the last sentence " Once you are clean and clear, you can see tremendous love falling on you in all dimensions."

When life seems to be full of doubt and uncertainty we tend to look for a source of inspiration: what will happen in the future? What about my health, the children? What will happen if I make this decision and not that one? This is how the traditional tarot is often used, to satisfy a longing to know about the past and future. This Osho Zen Tarot focuses instead on gaining an Understanding of the here and now. It is a System Based on the wisdom of Zen, a wisdom that says events in the outer world simply reflect in the outer world simply reflect our own thoughts and feelings, even though we ourselves might be unclear about what those thoughts and feelings are. So it helps us to turn our attention away from outside events so we can find a new clarity of understanding in our innermost hearts. The conditions and states of mind portrayed by the contemporary images on the cards are all shown as being essentially transitional and transformative. The text in the accompanying book helps to interpret and understand the images in the simple, straightforward and down to earth language of Zen.

This is very calming, it speaks directly into your heart and soul and gives "one" peace and serenity within. You will learn to slow down and become one with Zen!

Buy Osho's book: Osho Zen Tarot The Transcendental Game Of Zen

Books in PDF format to read:

Michal Jerabek - The Book Of Enoch Vol V The Epistle Of Enoch
Aleister Crowley - Mortadello Or The Angel Of Venice
Eliphas Levi - The Doctrine Of Transcendental Magic
Eliphas Levi - The Ritual Of Transcendental Magic
Lover Of Truth - An Open Entrance To The Closed Palace Of The King

Protecting Your Aura

Protecting Your Aura



The following is a good technique for protecting your aura. It is performed by
sitting in a meditative pose, closing your eyes and visualizing that you are
encircled by three old men (Saturn symbols) with sickles in their hands. They
should be visualized as tall, thin figures about 120 degrees apart. See them
cutting weeds around you in a counterclockwise movement. This can be done a few
minutes each day. Do you Understand the Symbolism of this? It is symbolic of
cutting away weeds tat have grown around you. These weeds are your own negative
thoughtforms. The three old men are also cutting away any seeds that will
potentially grow into future desires. The above technique is important to
perform for a long term Protection of the aura, as it is an antidote against
karma that has not yet rippened.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Aleister Crowley - Songs For Italy
Manly Palmer Hall - The Secret Teachings Of All Ages
Max Heindel - Teachings Of An Initiate
Anonymous - Reaching Out To Wiccans
Anonymous - Protection Of Space

The Secret Language Of Tarot

Book: The Secret Language Of Tarot by Wald Amberstone

This book stands out sharply from all of the dozens of books in print that look at the symbolism of various Tarot decks. The other books all have one thing in common: they take the cards and dissect them into their various symbols. This remarkable work takes the symbols and integrates them with the cards.

This book is about exploring these symbols found in the RWS tarot deck. Paths and mountains; moon and stars - these all have meanings which can apply to everyday situations...The authors also include meditations to better explore each tarot card, as well as a number of unique spreads that are quite innovative...This book is a lovely resource which I will be working with for some time to come.

Rather than simply go thought the Major Arcana and say "Oh, look there's a moon under the foot of the High Priestess", The Amberstones take the moon and look for its occurrences across the deck. The results can be surprising. Yes, the High Priestess does indeed have a crescent moon, but so does the Chariot, The Hierophant, The Moon and several Minor Arcana. As the author, so rightly points out, "Regardless of the card and regardless of its phase, every appearance of the moon in tarot brings with it the gift of all its meanings and References ready to the hand of the reader".

The same procedure is repeated for other common and important symbols: crowns, pillars, paths, mountains, horses, clouds and many more.

With foreword by Mary K. Greer and afterword by Lon Milo DuQuette, two of Tarot's brightest lights join with the sterling reputation of the founders of The Tarot School to bring us a unique jewel in the crown of Tarot books.

It is my personal opinion that you will never find another book quite like this one. It's not meant to be exhaustive or to merely give you the same card meanings or lists of esoteric attributions you will find in hundreds of other books on Tarot. It opens a door into an Examination of card imagery that few books go into, or, at least, not in this depth.

In this book, we have been lead to a path that will give us a unique way of seeing the cards. I, for one, treasure the invitation the Amberstones have offered for us to walk that path. Walking that path is truly a lifetime's vocation and more than any single book can give you, but this book shows the way. So, thank you, Red Wheel/Weiser and Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, for a stately, organized, powerful, and immediately useful book on the Tarot.

Buy Wald Amberstone's book: The Secret Language Of Tarot

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Manly Palmer Hall - The Secret Teachings Of All Ages
Anonymous - The Secret Book Of Artephius
Aleister Crowley - The World Of Tarot
Medieval Grimoires - The Secret Grimoire Of Turiel
Anonymous - Understand The Secret Language Of Trees

Tarot Spread

FULL DECK TAROT STAR SPREAD
by Unicornis

There are very few Tarot spreads which use the entire deck in a single unified
pattern. What follows is a description of such a spread. It is best suited for
situations in which a great deal of complexity is present, and for 'general'
readings. The steps for creating the spread are:

1: Thoroughly shuffle the deck until it 'feels' right. While I personably do
not allow another person to shuffle my cards, if the reading concerns another it
is acceptable to allow that person to hold the deck while concentrating upon the
matter in question. This is a personal preference, but I am convinced that the
relationship between reader and deck is a very personal one and that contact
with the deck by another may 'confuse' the reading.

2: Dealing from the 'bottom' of the deck (i.e. with the cards face down and
dealing from the topmost position), create thirteen piles of six cards each.
The first pile is in the center and the other twelve are in a circle around it.
Each pile should be dealt consecutively (all six cards at once). Although it is
not necessary to actually place them so, at least understand that the first card
dealt in a pile (Card 0) is in the center of a circle of five cards (Card 1
through Card 5). This circle is, in actuality, a Star. When laying them out in
a Star, use the following spread for each pile:

1


3 4
0


5 2


Note that if you trace the numbers from 1 to 5 you will trace a five-pointed
star, always moving clockwise around the circle to reach the next point.

3: Interpret the spread. Interpretation of this spread is based upon the
astrological symbolism of the twelve houses. The first pile of cards in the
circle of twelve piles is House 1, the second is House 2, etc..
The individual piles delineate the specific factors at work in each of the
twelve basic areas. Card 1 represents the matter in question (the 'problem',
question, etc.). Card 2 represents the 'source' (cause of the problem, inception
of a project, etc.). Card 3 represents factors which bear upon the matter, but
which are external to it (and probably out of the control of the querant). Card
4 represents actions taken with regard to the matter. Card 5 represents the
outcome of those actions. Card 4 is the most difficult to interpret, since
'action' could here represent several different things. First of all, it might
represent an action which has already been taken. If so, then Card 5 will
represent the probable outcome, unless counter actions are taken. Secondly, it
might represent the action which the querant is asking about (i.e. 'Should I
...'. Card 5, again, represents the probable outcome. Thirdly, it might
represent the suggested course of action (answer to the question 'What should I
...'). In this case, Card 5 is the suggested goal. It is quite possible that
Card 5 will relate to a past outcome (i.e. everything has already transpired).
If this seems to be the case, then it is possible that all five cards must be
interpreted as relating to another person, instead of the querant. Most of the
time the sense of Card 4 should be apparent from the context of the reading.

Card 0 always represents the 'heart' of the individual Star spread. Usually,
this relates to the querant's own relationship to the matter which is germane to
the house in question. It can also, however, represent the underlying ('behind
the scenes') factors which precipitated the matter, not to be confused with the
'cause' of a problem. In this sense, it will usually represent motivations,
rather than actions. In some cases Card 0 will represent a person, other the
querant, to which the Star actually relates. In such a case, an attempt should
be made, based upon the situation and the nature of the card to identify that
person, since this implies that the matter is either out of the hands of the
querant or the querant is only an 'ambient' factor (and will then be represented
by Card 3 for that particular Star.

In a similar manner, Pile 0 (the one at the center of the circle), represents
the 'heart' of the entire reading. This will always pertain to the reasons
(motivations) of the querant, and Interpretation of this Star spread must be
used to modify all of the others.

This is not the place to delve into the meanings of the twelve houses in detail.
There are many good books in print which deal with this. I highly recommend the
following, which give excellent Interpretations of the twelve astrological
houses (coinciding with the twelve 'Stars' of this Tarot spread):

The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience
by Dane Rudhyar

The Astrology of Personality
by Dane Rudhyar

A Handbook for the Humanistic Astrologer
by Michael R. Meyer

The full deck star spread lends itself admirably to an in-depth study of any
matter. The human condition is far too complex to use a simple yes-no approach
to any matter of importance. More so than spreads which involve only a small
number of the total factors which could come into play, the full deck star
spread allows detailed analysis of all of the options and avenues which are
available. It will also show how the outcome of an action might affect areas of
the querant's life which were not specifically part of the reason for consulting
the Tarot in the first place.

It might take a little longer to use, and might require a little more effort on
the part of the interpreter, but the extra work will be repaid many-fold in the
certainty that no stone was left unturned.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Samuel Liddell Macgregor Mathers - The Tarot
Sri Swami Sivananda - Thought Power
Wh Auden - Baldur Dream
Anonymous - Divination Spreads

Divine Magic Messages

The divine has told me things in the past, they were quite true. I've also been told things that didn't happen at all.

It got me to wondering. Are all the talks that I have with the Goddess real? Does the God truly lend a hand in my visions? Or am I just guessing and good at it?

So I sat in the woods and I spoke directly to her. The answer I got made sense to me, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Basically Melissa (she said), sometimes you are not supposed to know and other times I tell you what you want or need to hear.

Sometimes the future will become extremely altered if you know too much. Sometimes, to get you through a rough spot, you need hope.

When you are on this path, there is a desire to know everything. The intentions are good but if you knew all that would happen to you, would you ever grow at all? Would you even want to live?

I tell you something that may not be true, in order for you to make the decisions that you must make.

Sometimes it hurts and you feel that you've been lied to but look at it this way:

Anything you see in the future is more than you should have seen in the first place.

You are here to live, to take the twists and turns of life as if it were a road you never traveled on before.

Divination is not meant to show you everything.

Use it not to tell your future but to enrich your present. To shape and mold yourself to the person you wish to be.

If you stop your lessons from happening, you are setting yourself back.

You may prevent pain but in turn you also prevent growth.

So do yourself a favor. Ask me how you can grow and not what it is that I know.

Understand that there is a bigger plan than what you can see.

And most importantly, stay true to your faith in me.

Love and light to you

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