Why Tarot Cards Work

I have been utilizing the wisdom of the Tarot since 1984. As shared in another article on the Tarot, not only did the Tarot make itself known to me, during various stages and changes in my life, but my great grandparents, on my fathers' side, were a travelling band of gypsies, who did readings and palmistry, back in the early 1900's.

You figure, sooner or later, this kind of energy is going to find a family member, to continue to bring this energy forward.

For my husband, 18 year old daughter and myself, this week has been a very crazy and wild emotional ride for us. Normally for us, we shift through our emotional surfs, individually. Somehow, someway, this week we are all shifting together. And along with this shift, our sleep patterns are completely off. Being a conscious empath, an intuitive and a teacher, guiding us through our wild emotional surfs, it means that when our human emotions are amped up more than normal, whatever is normal for us, it means that we have to pay extra attention to our moods and our highs and lows. It also means that anything we read, that supports our wild emotional surfs, that logically, this clear information becomes our guide during the surf, not our wild and amped up emotions, or the ideas our egos might have about the shift.

It is safe to say, that we are in the energy part of our journey now and for this part of our journey, emotions and moods move very quickly. Well last night, our energies were all amped quite a bit. As we continue to use the Tarot, as a guide for these wild emotional surfs, my husband proceeded to pull the cards and do a layout, just to see how the energy was moving.

In the beginning, when doing readings, I continued to utilize the layouts for a reading, and at times still do. I don't remember what all the cards were, however, there were 4 major arcanas, 4 minor arcanas; these cards were all positive in energy. However, the last 2 cards in the layout were strife and oppression. Humanly, I thought well great. Energetically, what the cards were really sharing with me, was a confirmation that attention to detail, for our shifting emotions, required extra special attention and care. That although the other cards in the layout were positive and sharing what was to come, that we were not there yet and that we were to continue clearing our emotions, integrating balanced and appropriate awareness to our shifting emotions and maintain our center, regardless of how
our buttons were being pushed, humanly speaking, that is.

The Tarot has been a part of our lives for more than 20 years now. Even after all this time and how the evolution of my own awareness has grown and evolved, I continue to have great respect for the wisdom that the Tarot shares and continue to be in awe and amazement, as to how we are forever guided into moving forward, within our journey, for our life changing experiences.

When we suspend labels, ideas and preconceived notions about the Tarot, there is a whole other story to tell. The Tarot has taught us how to utilize them as an energy, to continue to search deeper, for the true meaning of each life experience. I admit, in the beginning, I used the cards in the standard, book learned way. However, for me being highly intuitive and empathic, the Tarot took me on a deeper inner journey, for intuition became my guide on this journey.

There are many wonderful books on the Tarot and if you allow your intuition to guide you on this journey, the Tarot can and will guide you to the evolution of your own understanding. When I began my Tarot journey, back in 1984, I could never have imagined, at that point in time how this awareness and understanding would evolve. I began to notice that the more that I utilized the Tarot, the more this awareness would naturally and normally integrate itself into my daily life. Each time a level of understanding was completed, another book on the Tarot would teach and guide me how to go deeper.

I understand that for a long time, the Tarot and the idea of the Tarot had its negatives surrounding it. I am thankful, that when it was my time for this journey of discovery, it was the right time and I had the opportunity to grow in my understanding on this journey.

When given the chance, the Tarot cards work in teaching us how to go beyond the face value of an experience and get to the root knowing and understanding, for the purpose of our life changes and how to bring better information forward.

The Tarot cards work in bringing wise and amazing insight to our life changes and life experiences and guide us in building that trust to our inner voice and wisdom.

The Tarot becomes our journey for our inner discoveries.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - All About Wicca And Witchcraft
Aleister Crowley - Al The Comment Called D The Djeridensis Working
Aleister Crowley - Thoth Tarot Deck
Aleister Crowley - The Cephaledium Working
Swetha Lodha - Your Love Life And The Tarot Cards

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

What Tarot Cards Can And Cannot Do For You

Tarot can help with the following:

Tap into your own intuition and inner wisdom, so you can “know” with laser sharp accuracy when something is right for you. It can help confirm your own feelings as to what the correct next steps are for you.

You can consider an “alternate future” to the one which is currently unfolding and make better, more informed choices for yourself. You can explore various options to create the future you desire, and look at ways of enabling you to get to where you really want to go.

See some light at the end of the tunnel, when all looks dark, bleak and hopeless around you. It can bring some hope, optimism and encouragement to your life. Often that will be enough to open up your own inner resources such as creativity, problem solving, intuition and the ability to notice a different way forward.

If you have a difficult choice to make, the tarot can help you to safely explore different options, before you rush in and commit yourself to something, so you can choose the path that is best for you.

It can indicate challenging situations and difficult people ahead of you, where “forewarned is forearmed” and you can then make different choices, so you can either head off a potential problem or lessen its effects or maybe have a “Plan B” in place.

Show you the energies around you and indicate what maybe blocking you from having the success you deserve or from moving forward.

Very often it will also show the ways to overcome the blocks. The biggest blocks can be in allowing success, money, happiness and love to flow into your life.

It is a fantastic opportunity to take control of your life and to make changes that need making, ahead of life making them for you.

What Tarot can’t do for you

Tarot does not tell you categorically what is going to happen in your life, as you have ultimate control over the direction of our life.

It cannot give you specific advice and it cannot make decisions for you. It cannot “make” you do anything.

It does not offer you fixed or unchangeable things and it is very unlikely to predict death, doom and destruction and other things you can’t do anything about, apart from worry about their arrival.

There is nothing to be scared of, as it is purely a deck of picture cards. As with anything the power lies in the interpretation and the lofty status that is often given to the person doing the interpretation.

It is totally subjective and everyone will see the cards in a different way.

Tarot has nothing to do with any religion, strange cult, devil worshipping, witchcraft, voodoo or any other weird and wacky thing.

You do not have to have any special skills and you do not need to be a natural clairvoyant, medium or psychic to be able to work with the cards.

It is an amazing tool for fun and personal growth. Like anything it can be used for positive, wonderful things and empowerment or it can be used for negative, destructive dis-empowerment.

That choice lies with the person who is reading the cards.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Michael Ford - Luciferian Sorcery And Set Typhon
Edward Carpenter - Pagan And Christian Creeds Their Origin And Meaning
Thomas Moore - Candle Magick For Love
Rw Rogers - Adapa And The Food Of Life

Timing With The Tarot

Establishing correct timing using the Tarot is subjective approach, some claim it can be declared accurately others insist that Astrology serves as a better reference. Keep in mind that when you are reading for someone that when you propose certain time constraints you may be limiting this person to develop solely within the alotted time frame. Some people want to know exactly what day they will meet their new lover or when they will find a new job.

In all actuality most of these people are shedding their personal responsibilities unto the reader to introduce elements into their own life. As a reader I do not create your future you do, I relate the projected outcome by factoring in the speed & trajectory of your current course. I tell my clients, "If you want a new job, then start filling out applications today, if you want a new man, leave your current one and seek another... you have my permission to create your own reality. Do not wait for my cues instead listen to your inner self. My readings will reveal whether or not this transformation is possible and the influences surrounding it, but ultimately you will have to be the one to take action. The future is not slated in stone in fact you make it what it is, so take the responsibility yourself to create the life you want."

I always encourage independence versus dependence. Some querents view a magic date (one that is provided by the reader) as a day when what they want just falls into their lap. This is the very reason that they do not have what they want...they have waited their entire life for others to lead their development instead of relying on self-motivation. Seize the day! On the other hand timing can be very productive when used with discretion. I've always felt that in my readings that I reveal the essentials & it is then up to my client to act in their best interests. A good reading does not require specific dates but guides the querent towards achieving their desires when "They" are ready. Everything else just falls into place.I recommend using the following Tarot spread to establish general time frames.

PPF

1 2 3 4

1 Past
2 Present
3 Future
4 Final Outcome


Books You Might Enjoy:

Benjamin Rowe - Xxxi Hymns To The Star Goddess
Benjamin Rowe - A Ritual Of The Heptagram
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - Living With The Lama
Robert Wang - The Qabalistic Tarot

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

The Major Arcana And Suits In Tarot Cards

It is very easy to learn how to read tarot cards. You do not need any special psychic abilities, although using tarot cards can be a very good way to develop your intuition, if you would like to do that.

You can approach learning to read tarot cards in a logical, systematic way. The easiest way to do that is if you have a deck of tarot cards where there are clear pictures. The Rider Waite deck of tarot cards is ideal for this purpose.

Traditionally a deck of tarot cards consists of 78 cards, which are broken down into five sections. These are the Major Arcana and the Four Suits.

The Major Arcana is made up of 22 cards.

If you see a lot of Major Arcana cards in a reading or a spread, then it is likely that those issues are very important and deep-rooted and that the impact of the situations may well be there for some time.

The Major Arcana covers virtually every aspect of your life. It can also be seen as a more spiritual journey and the lessons that need to be learnt to move through various life situations.

The Major Arcana also indicate personality archetypes. These may be things that we can recognise in ourselves or see in others. Although the figures in the cards may show as male or female, the characteristics can relate to either gender.

Major Arcana cards can also represent events.

Suits

The rest of the deck is made up of four suits. These can be compared to the suits in a deck of playing cards. They consist of an Ace, cards 2 – 10 and four court cards, which are Page, Knight, Queen and King. All the cards in each suit relate to the same element, which makes learning to read tarot cards quite easy.

The first is the Suit of Cups, which usually represent matters to do with emotions and feelings.

Astrologically they represent the element of Water and the signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

The next is the Suit of Wands, which refer to matters to do with action, work, career, business, creativity, moving forward.

Wands are represented by the element of Fire and can point to the zodiac signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

Then we have the Suit of Swords, which points towards mental activity and head stuff with thoughts, ideas, fears, logic.

Swords represent the element Air and the astrological signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

Lastly, we have the Suit of Pentacles, which represent money, material things, matters to do with the earth and the home.

Pentacles represent the element of Earth and the astrological signs of Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

The Major Arcana and the Suits are the cornerstones of learning to read tarot cards. Once you understand the general principals, it is much easier to break your learning down into bite-sized chunks.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Stephen William Hawking - Space And Time Warps
Frater Achad - Crystal Vision Through Crystal Gazing
Swetha Lodha - Your Love Life And The Tarot Cards
Jester Raiin - Major Arcana 2nd Update And 1st Typohunt

The Hermit Tarot Card Meanings In Love Tarot Readings

Traditionally, the Hermit is the seeker of truth and wisdom. He often represents the seeker’s journey into the unknown. The Hermit’s path is a shadowy one. The lantern he carries is symbolic of the mirror to our own selves. This is wisdom that is within in all of us. It is the power to see ourselves as we truly are.

Another common interpretation of the Hermit is the wise old man or advisor. In this respect, he is the messenger of truth, revealing the importance of forethought and circumspection. Since the Hermit can be a carrier of light, he is there to share his knowledge and light the path for others. He guides the seeker towards self-knowledge and self-acceptance.

When The Hermit is drawn in a love Tarot reading, he typically represents a need to pause. This is a time for evaluation. In terms of a relationship that has come to a crossroad, the Hermit encourages you to go within and find your truth. The Hermit may indicate that your focus on your relationship will need to shift. This is not the time to make your relationship a priority. You would be better served by allowing yourself the freedom to do some soul searching. Although there may be some loneliness, the ultimate goal would be a transformative experience. After a period of introspection, you may be willing to work things out with your partner. A new perspective and sense of purpose can add valuable information for both you and your partner.

Books You Might Enjoy:

John Dee - General And Rare Memorials Pertaining To Perfecte Arte Of Navigation
Thomas Moore - Candle Magick For Love
Marcus Bottomley - Nine Proven Magical Rites
George Robert Stowe Mead - Apollonius Of Tyana.pdf
Nathan Johnston - The Devil And Demonism In Early Modern England

Seventy Eight Degrees Of Wisdom A Book Of Tarot

Book: Seventy Eight Degrees Of Wisdom A Book Of Tarot by Rachel Pollack

This revised and slightly expanded version of two long sadly out-of-print books ("78 Degrees of Wisdom: Major Arcana" and "78 Degrees of Wisdom: Minor Arcana") is a welcome addition to any serious Tarot reader's library.
Although I wouldn't normally recommend this book for the Tarot beginner, I'd recommend it highly to serious students of Tarot wanting to know more about the many different meanings of Tarot cards. Some beginners might find Pollack's usages of the definitions of cards to be more than the superficial ones.

The two volumes of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom have inspired a whole generation of tarot students. It has often been described by readers, booksellers, and teachers as the "Bible of tarot readers." It is also often cited as one of the landmark books in modern tarot, and it helped to launch the "Tarot Renaissance" of the 1980s. The two texts-one for The Major Arcana and one for The Minor Arcana--appear together in this volume, which is a reissue of the 1998 edition first published by Thorsons.

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom draws on mythology and esoteric traditions and delves deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card. It also gives the cards a modern psychological slant based on the pictures rather than a system of occult symbolism. This endlessly useful reference tool provides a concise history of tarot, introduces common spreads, and is a clear and readable book for both the beginning and advanced tarot student.

* Author is one of the most highly regarded tarotists in the world.
* The Major Arcana and The Minor Arcana brought together in one volume.

Going far beyond the "This one covers you" school, Pollack gives many different ways to interpret the meanings of Tarot cards, both from a spiritual viewpoint ("What does this card mean to you?") and a metaphysical viewpoint ("What does this card mean to the person you're reading for?"). It also allows for meditation and self-study of Tarot cards.

Although set up like a standard Tarot book, with chapters covering the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana, and some readings, (including a sample reading or two) Pollack's definitions of the cards goes far beyond the ordinary superficial "Death means something in your life is going through a major change - you are about to stop one thing and start doing another." Each card has a picture - many from the Rider-Waite deck that most Tarot card readers start with, but some from other decks that you may not have seen. Each card has numerous definitions - and even some examples of what that card might mean when in certain placements in a Tarot card reading, both regular and reversed.

Unlike many contemporary authors on Tarot, Pollack subscribes to the notion that one can use the Tarot not only for Interpretation of current circumstances but for seeking advice. She describes how to cast the Celtic cross a descriptive tool which can be used to gain insight into a present situation. She also shares a layout she created that the reader can use to gain insight into possible courses of action regarding work situations.

I've no other books in my Tarot library that are more heavily thumbed than my old copies of the two "78 Degrees" books, and I was very glad that Pollack has found a publisher willing to not only reprint them, but allow her to revise them and include both books in one volume. Highly Recommended for serious students of Tarot. Of the many books I've read on Tarot so far this one is the best.

Buy Rachel Pollack's book: Seventy Eight Degrees Of Wisdom A Book Of Tarot

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Andrea Haugen - The Ancient Fires Of Midgard
Emmanuel Swedenborg - The Delights Of Wisdom Pertaining To Conjugal Love
Michael Ford - Midnight Circle A Commentary Of Azothoz A Book Of The Adversary
John Sebastian Marlowe Ward - The Higher Degrees Handbook

The Eternal Loop Of The Tarot

The eternal loop of the Tarot ~ connects to the eternal cycle and patterns of life. There are 78 cards to a Tarot deck, other decks may have more or less. Each card represents the eternal loop, cycles and patterns of the changes taking place in our own lives.

When our journey first begins with the Tarot, and we are just learning about each card and their meanings, at first, we will perceive only the surface of the meaning of each card.

Each card, shares its own story and each story connects us, to a level of understanding in our logical, intellectual and emotional bodies. The energy of the Tarot, teaches us, our human side, our logical mind, how to consider the possibility of a new approach, a new perception.

With consistent practice and use of the Tarot, something uniquely interesting begins to take place. We begin to enter into the deeper inner realms of our being, where our intuition resides. It is at this point, that we discover something different. It is at this point, that we learn that there is more to life, than the eye can see.

The Tarot then becomes the bridge between our logical minds and our intuition; souls knowing. Now with this new understanding and discovery, we begin to notice the positive and the negative aspects of each card. In terms of the "negatives" that we may perceive from our logical and intellectual minds, if we trust our intuition and allow it to guide us, we will soon discover that the actual "negatives" of the cards, whether in reversed position, or just the nature of the card, we will soon see that it is not an actual negative, however, an opportunity, to dig a little bit deeper, for soul guided insight.

The negative, that has always been viewed as a negative, just taught you, that negatives, with understanding and insight, transform into evolved understanding. As the eternal loop of the Tarot has its own story to tell, so does each individual, have their story to tell.

I began studying and reading professionally 25 years ago. In the beginning, I saw only the meanings of the surface of each card. Being empathic, with high intuition and building my clientele practice, with consistent use of the Tarot, I would soon discover that the surface was just the beginning. That there was a connection to the evolution of consciousness, when working with the Tarot, there would be an evolution of consciousness in my own awareness.

As always, when learning anything of a metaphysical nature, we step into new awarenesses with deep respect, for the transitions that will take place in our own life. We always have a choice about what we learn and how we learn it, for the eternal loop of the Tarot, will bring you to deeper insights and awarenesses, for the eternal loop for the cycles and patterns within your own life.

The eternal loop of the Tarot, is a journey, to experience, moment to moment and breath to breath.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Lady Galadriel - The New Book Of The Law
Max Heindel - The Message Of The Stars
Swetha Lodha - Your Love Life And The Tarot Cards
Anonymous - The Emerald Tablet Of Hermes

Tarot And The Flat Earth Society

Imagine this: It is the year 1492. You are Christopher Columbus and you have just discovered that when you stand on the beach, you can see waves, but when you stand on a cliff you can see the ocean but no waves. Did the waves disappear? No, of course not. You simply changed your vantage point and that made you see a lot more.

This got you thinking. You noticed that when you approach a blind hill, it looks like the top of the hill is the end of the earth. But when you get to the top of the hill, you discover that the road continues into the horizon. This makes you feel really brave. You continue to walk, expecting to reach the end of the earth any day. But the road ends on another beach.

Now you are really curious. You build yourself a nice big boat, and you decide to sail on the sea until you either reach land or fall off the earth. A few months later you return triumphantly and tell people about the land you discovered. You even show them specimens of the strange fruit and animals you discovered on this distant land.

You do notice that people are initially in awe of what you tell them, but then they start to avoid you. When you go to town, they cross the street so as not to bump into you. When you want to visit them, you hear them tell their children to tell you they are not at home.

All this is a bit confusing, but you know your facts and nothing can change that. You have discovered that the earth is round and not flat.

Then you meet a new friend called Maggelan. He listens carefully to your tales and takes you seriously. He even goes a step further. He sails away, vowing to keep sailing in the same direction until he returns to the point of departure.

Meanwhile you have received some warnings from the church to stop spreading false dogma. You decide to keep a low profile until Magellan returns – and you wonder whether you will ever see him again.

Then, three years later, when your neighbours are talking to you again and the church is happy that you have stopped being a troublemaker, Magellan returns. He confirms your story that the earth is round.

Of course this makes you very happy, and you want to shout your discovery out to the world. You do notice the church men huddling nearby, but you are not so elated that you completely ignore them.

You hear some snippets of their conversation: “ . . . keep quiet . . . Ptolomy . . . that heretic Pythagoras . . must get fear back . . cannot have this . . . “

In the dead of night, you manage to sneak into the church. Your mission is to find out more about the conversations you overheard. You know that there are some books in the church, and you have learnt to read. You are hoping to find some of these books. But no such luck. You discover that there is a meeting of church officials.

Either way, by closing our minds to the things that we were taught to fear for no reason, we become spiritually poorer. The only way to open our minds is to challenge any obstacles and boundaries and find our own truth. The same people that describe tarot as “from the devil” are told in the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” For me this means use your God-given mind to explore, and decide what resonates with you. Do not hand the power of that decision over to another person who becomes stronger because you chose ignorance. And this means explore everything, not just the things that you are told to explore.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Cave Of The Ancients
Charles Haanel - The Master Key System
Edna Kenton - The Book Of Earths

Tarot Reading Misunderstandings And Faq

Six Questions I Get Asked Most

Fate or Free Will

The question of whether a card in the future position is absolutely 'gospel' is a matter which often baffles until experience is gelled with feeling. Because a card denotes a certain influence or event does not always mean that influence cannot be altered. Even as we talk about the future we begin to conceptualise it in a freer way and thus it may be modified or changed or even overthrown by the stronger ideas and thoughts of individual mind. In short the future is not carved in tablets of stone.

'Death' and 'Devil' Cards

The bogeys of the pack often put the fear of God into the person having the reading. These arcanum should be treated with the utmost care, opened up for discussion and never just taken at face value. Death gives the greatest opportunity for change, demands it in fact, and all life is change. 'The Devil' concerns the immediate negatives that the enquirer is unwilling to face or that someone closely connected is unwilling to face. Often death may appear after a demise, or the Devil may appear when there is ill-health or chicanery, but in terms of the future they are the darker side of life with which we constantly have to deal and not simply the villains of the piece.

Reversed Cards

A lot of people are perplexed by the fact that some cards when selected appear upside down, or reversed, and whether this should be taken into account.
In actual fact, it is down to the individual understanding of the reader. Some tarot readers will 'read' a lot into reversed meanings and some will not. I personally do not. The tarot cards themselves are very much a focal point for the clairvoyant skills or the perceptions of whoever is reading them.

Block Definitions

Defining tarot card meanings is again at the discretion of the reader. A card falling in one spread in one position does not necessarily mean the same in another spread. The card meanings have to be integrated in an overall sense. Hence, the king of cups on one query will not always convey the same meaning to the reader in the next spread. The reader's ability to take in information over and above that of the main wisdom of the card is not only prerequisite but fundamental to the correct use of tarot. Otherwise, a stereotyped and contrived version of life and events will ensue and be more hindrance than help.

Less is More!

People often wonder whether the more tarot cards are actually spread the more information is forthcoming. Some readers may spread a lot of cards in order to fill in blanks if it's a complex or difficult subject, but mostly this is not the case. If you are learning the tarot try to avoid spreading too many cards, you will confuse yourself, certainly until more experienced. The brunt of the information on a good tarot reader is 'impactful' within the opening minutes and the added information tends to layer itself on what is already on the table. Unless the person being read for is blocked or afraid, in which case the reader may make the fight for access easier for themself by adding more cards

Card Layout or Design

There are many sorts of spreads and layouts and again its down to the individual likes and dislikes of whoever is reading. Some people don't need tarot at all and use ordinary playing cards. (Its a test of how your psychic abilities are developing if you can use an ordinary deck, but don't worry if you can't.) But if you are too busy worrying about your layout or spread design it may actually impede your right hand brain (intuitive faculty) so use the layout you are comfortable with. Simple layouts are best if you're learning: three cards laid horizontally and then perhaps three cards on top when the reading is unfolding. If you're receiving a reading, don't even give it consideration. Leave it to the reader - you don't go to the dentist and watch every single instrument he uses


Books You Might Enjoy:

Walter Scott - Letters On Demonology And Witchcraft
Max Heindel - Teachings Of An Initiate
Anonymous - Healing Gemstones And Crystals

Tarot Reading Know Thy Self

Throughout time, man has been consumed with a need to connect with the spiritual dimension. We are driven to explore the mysteries of our very existence. For thousands of years, those who have yearned to live in harmony with the Universe have consulted with oracles and Gods. The most famous being the Oracle at Delphi. For centuries, many traveled to the Greek Island of Delphi to receive counsel from one of their oracles. Upon entering the temple, the words “Know Thy Self” were inscribed.

Although a great deal of advancement has occurred since the civilization of ancient Greece, we still seek to understand the meaning of our lives. In many ways, we are consulting with oracles all the time. These are our teachers, spiritual counselors, authors, artists, psychotherapists, grandparents, friends, etc. We are constantly attempting to discover who we truly are and as much as we seek out advice from others, the real guidance comes from within our own selves.

In Tarot Reading, the Tarot serves as an oracle. We consult with them to get “counsel”. The beauty, however, is that the Tarot is not a living and breathing entity. Rather it is a divinatory tool. A tool that is available to anyone who wishes to explore their own, inner world. Its energy comes from the energy we give it. It is there to disclose the secrets of ourselves that remain out of sight. The Tarot always provides guidance as to how we can achieve or manifest our goals. In tarot reading, the Tarot provides insight and new concepts. It is there to help us brainstorm, discovers what influences us and highlights situations that we may have been unaware of. Most importantly, the tarot offers one a new sense of awareness of who they are.

In a tarot reading, the Tarot never tells you what to do. It’s important to remember that you have your own will. You have the power to choose your own directions and behaviors. Rather than telling you what to do, the Tarot helps you to identify your feelings about the things that are going on in your life. When you consistently work with the Tarot, your own intuitive skills will improve. Making important decisions will no longer cause you anxiety or fear. You will inherently know what to do.

True divination is nothing less than seeking out the divine within all things. Tarot reading enables us to connect with ourselves, to humanity, and to the Universe. It is from this process, that we find the true magic and mysticism of this world.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - Feeding The Flame
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - Living With The Lama
Melita Denning - The Aurum Solis
Aristotle - On The Soul

Tarot Reader And Querent

In traditional Tarot divination, there is a reader and a querent. The reader acts as a consultant on the Tarot, using it to illuminate an issue for the querent. The reader typically charges a small fee for this service. Some sources insist that a reader is necessary; otherwise, the prejudices of the querent will dominate the reading. Cynics might point out that this insistence is of financial value to people who derive income from reading Tarot cards.

The way to structure a two-person reading depends on the theory. In all cases, the querent asks the question and the reader interprets the fall of the cards. The fall of the cards is determined by shuffling, which may be a joint process, or it may be done entirely by the reader or by the querent.

If the theory of unconscious determination is used, then the reader should shuffle the cards, though the querent may cut them to feel more involved with the process. The reader should watch the cut carefully so the necessary information may be transmitted to the unconscious mind. The reader is skilled in determining the fall of the cards; the querent is not.

If the synchronicity theory is used, then the querent or the reader may shuffle the cards. It makes no difference, since the synchronistic meaning comes through purely random factors.

If the theory of spirits is used, then again the reader should shuffle, since ordinary people do not particularly want to channel spirits to get a Tarot reading. If they wanted to get their hands that wet, they would probably do the divination themselves. Again, having the querent cut the deck is a meaningless symbol of involvement, but the spirits arrange the deck after the querent cuts it.

If the theory of order from chaos is used, it makes no difference who or what shuffles, just as with synchronicity.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Walter Scott - Letters On Demonology And Witchcraft
Max Heindel - Ancient And Modern Initiation
Israel Regardie - The Art And Meaning Of Magic
Starhwak - The Spiral Dance
John Moore - A Modern Master Extract

Creation Of An Elemental

CREATION OF AN ELEMENTAL




To create an elemental, cast a circle, purify yourself, get into a comfortable
position for 10 to 15 minutes and relax entirely. Rid you mind entirely, lying
there like an inanimate object, a nothing. Then from your feet, start to
generate your power, gradually bring each part of your body into accord with
your brain, work up the power in your brain in the form of a positive thought
wave. Think of the whole of the power of your body as a silver ball about three
feet in diameter. Now begin to dictate in your mind to the silver ball to do
your will…to float, to go a long way from you and to come back again. Visualize
the ball getting so small you can't see it. Then bring it back to its original
size. Each night from then on, work with the silver ball until your mind can
instantly conjure up the silver ball.

During the second week, concentrate on altering the size of the silver ball till
its size is of a pea or even smaller. Then in the third week, think of a name
for it, a name which is personal to this silver ball and to you. Then during the
forth week, clothe the silver ball with a shape that is familiar to you and name
it, this may be a cat, dog, etc.

Now that you have created an Elemental life, it must know its life span. You
must be very precise in what you tell it. For instance, if you say "Go to New
York. You're in Herman's shop. Tell me what you see." And perhaps its life span
is fine years, it may not come back for five years. You must say "Go—and come
back tomorrow night at 8:00 PM and tell me what you see". Be very precise in
giving instructions.

If you want it to fetch a person, tell it to be back at a certain time, or if
you want to tell someone something, tell it to be back within two hours. You
must have a place to keep your Elemental when it is not being used. Choose any
place as long as you keep it in the same place. When it returns from wherever
its been, remember to speak to it by name, dismiss it to wherever it is kept,
saying "_____, go and store Yourself in that figure and await my further
instructions." When you want it the next time, say "_____, here I come to call
you forth, then give it instructions.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Peter De Abano - Heptameron Or Magical Elements
John Opsopaus - Interpretationes Of Ancient Herbs
Anonymous - The Prayers Of The Elementals
Eliphas Levi - The Conjuration Of The Four Elements

Tarot Decks Come In Three Flavors

Interested in learning how to read Tarot cards? If so, one of your first decisions will be "What style of deck should I use".

Although there are now hundreds of varieties of Tarot decks, most fall into one of three general styles -- Marseilles, Rider-Waite-Smith (also called Rider-Waite, or just RWS), and Thoth.

There are typically 78 cards in a Tarot deck -- 14 cards in each of four different suits, plus an extra 22 cards called the "Trump" cards. These 22 trump cards are known as the Major Arcana, the remaining 56 cards are called the Minor Arcana. It's the treatement of the Major and Minor Arcana that determines which general style your deck follows.

The first style -- Marseilles -- follows the traditional, old-school style found in early Tarot decks. The artwork on the Major Arcana tends to be simple and limited to only a few colors. The Minor Arcana looks much like ordinary playing cards -- there are four face cards (King, Queen, Knight, Page) and 10 "pip" cards (Ace through Ten). Again, the artwork on the face cards tends to be simple. The pip cards don't have artwork other than a "pip" count. For instance, a Five of Swords will have five swords depicted on the card.

The Marseilles style looks so much like playing cards because Tarot decks were originally used to play a card game! It wasn't until later that mystics began to use these decks for divinatory purposes.

The second style of deck -- RWS (After Rider, the publisher, Waite, the designer, and Smith, the artist) -- was published in the early 1900's. It was designed from the very beginning for magickal use.

Because of this, the artwork is much more complex and symbolic. The Major Arcana and the face cards are much more colorful, lifelike, and detailed. It's the Minor Arcana, though, where you'll find the main difference.

Rather than use pip simple counts, the artist (Pamela Coleman Smith -- who also illustrated childrens adventure stories) decided to draw vignettes of people engaged in some phase of everyday life. Because of this, the pip card images touch your subjective mind and yield many thoughtful perspectives -- what are the people thinking, what are their motivations, what are their fears, etc -- to enrich Tarot readings.

The final deck style is the Thoth style -- named after a deck designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Freida Harris. The Thoth deck was intended for magickal use from the very beginning. The paintings are surrealistic and highly symbolic. Thoth adds a new technique to the mix, though. Each non-face card of the Minor Arcana has a subheading describing some motivation or aspect -- things like Happiness, Luxury, Virtue, Oppression, etc. Because of this, some readers find it easy to read with Thoth decks. Thoth decks also make it easy to draw from other esoteric disciplines -- astrology or Kabbalah, for example -- in order to create inspired Tarot readings.

Most decks you'll find in a bookstore will follow one of these three basic styles. Marseilles styles will use pip counts, RWS styles will use pip scenes, and Thoth styles tend to be surrealistic but label the Minor Arcana with additional descriptions.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - Starting A New Coven Looking At Yourself
Nicolas Schreck - Demons Of The Flesh
Aristotle - On The Soul
Thomas Potts - Discovery Of Witches
Arlo Bates - The Pagans

Tarot Card Meaning Made Easy

Tarot predictions and interpretation heavily rely on tarot card meaning without which they would not be possible; each card has a significance and a peculiar symbolism attached to it. What people don't get to understand is that the overall spread and the card combinations give the full tarot card meaning to define a certain life aspect. For instance, in the Rider Waite tarot, the tarot learner has to know the meaning for all the seventy eight cards in order to be able to read them. From the King and the Queen to the Fool, the tarot cards can be studied, analyzed and understood depending on the sensible nature of every user.

In time all sorts of changes became manifest in tarot card reading; for people who are no strangers to the Kabbalah or alchemy, the symbols similarity cannot pass unnoticed. Thus, all sorts of symbols have been added in time so that the present-day form of the decks is a very complex one. It is also common practice to complicate things even further by personalizing the cards and adding other subtle interpretations to the decks. Thus, many amateur philosophers have their own interpretations of the mystic representations in alchemy and the Kabbalah and they choose to add them to the cards.

The tarot card meaning greatly varies depending on the interpretation; thus, a single card can be given different explanations in relation with the position it occupies in the spread and the vicinity with the rest of the cards. Very often, according to the reader's own judgment and common sense, a tarot card meaning can prove little relevance for the question under debate and thus be discarded. While in the Major Arcana, the figures have very distinct symbolism, in the Minor Arcana the emphasis is on the four alchemical elements to which the cards correspond. Thus, the pentagrams stand for earth, the wands for fire, the cups for water and the swords for air.

In general lines, the tarot card meaning gives one a clue about the way he/she goes through the personal journey: sometimes one can even see whether one is on the right path or has strayed away. This tarot card meaning is obvious for the spreads in the Major Arcana where each card matches a certain life aspect: the fool stands for the beginning of a journey, the magician shows you the path towards wisdom, the high priestess speaks of self-balance, the empress points to pleasure, wealth and love, while the emperor represents claimed power and authority, and so on and so forth.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Harold Macgrath - The Pagan Madonna
Israel Regardie - The Art And Meaning Of Magic
Zoroaster - The Chaldean Oracles
Sepharial - Primary Directions Made Easy

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

Online Tarot Readings Can Help You

A pretty popular form of entertainment, online tarot readings have become a real business for some people. Two types of services can be distinguished in the multitude of offers, there are free online tarot readings and other more special ones for which a fee is charged. Normally, many sites function according to a membership pattern and if you want to register as a member you have to pay. Who are the customers? Well, divination does attract lots of fans. There is a simple explanation behind the massive success of online tarot readings.

Troubles are part of our daily lives, and words like simple and non-complicated do not apply to regular existences; there are hundreds of moments in a life time when we long for guidance, and lots of people consider that a peek into the future could be helpful. Online tarot readings could seem like bringing clarifications to a foggy situation, one cannot help to question the reliability of tarot predictions. Even the sites dedicated to online tarot readings post disclaimers that one is not to base his/her decisions on tarot divinations since these function for entertainment rather than for real life purposes.

Actually you can trust online tarot readings as much as you believe in the personal horoscope you read in a magazine. Moreover, when you take tarot interpretations as fun, nothing harmful can come out of them. One further issue here deserves all the attention: most of the online tarot readings are generated by special softwares, and there is not a real person interpreting the deck for you. Thus, the card symbolism is in fact a random card spread with aleatory explanations. Sites with membership services will provide one-to-one tarot predictions, but these kind of readings take money out of your pocket.

Online tarot readings therefore differentiate themselves a lot from the face-to-face ones performed by tarot grandmasters. More energy transfer comes with direct physical contact which is why tarot interpretations could be a lot more meaningful in such cases than when performed online. However, the warning we've launched about trusting cards too much stays valid. It is wrong and irresponsible to change your life course on the basis of card predictions; take things lightly and you will neither be disappointed nor suffer some personal disillusionment because of faulty choice making.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Donald Tyson - Portable Magic Tarot Tarot In The Only Tool You Need
Nevrom Ydal - Preparing The Ritual Area And Yourself
Aleister Crowley - Rodin In Rime
William Blake - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell
Phil Hine - Oven Ready Chaos

Major Arcana Road Jokes

How did the Fool cross the road?
Walking softly and carrying a big stick.

Why did the Fool cross the road?
To get that yappy little dog off his heels.

Why did the Magician cross the road?
To manifest his desires into reality.

How did the Magician cross the road?
Backwards, to deliberately obscure his crossing.

How did the High Priestess cross the road?
She didn't, she knew it wasn't her time to cross the road.

How did the Empress cross the road?
With her heart in her hands.

Why did the Empress cross the road?
Well, someone had to do it!

How did the Emperor cross the road?
He's too uptight to cross the road and besides this is
HIS side of the road.(see "The Testrophobical Thing")

Why did the Emperor cross the road?
They have cable.

Why did the Emperor cross the road to Canada?
They have cable, beer and Hockey Night in Canada.

Why did the Emperor cross the road?
The Empress took the converter.

Why did the Emperor and the Hierophant cross the road?
To avoid treatment for advanced testosterone poisoning (aka
Male Bonding).

How did the Heirophant cross the road?
At the crosswalk.

Why did the Heirophant cross the road?
He saw a sign.

How did the Lovers cross the road?
It was their choice.

Why did the Lovers cross the road?
They had to come out to forage for food sometime.

How did the Chariot cross the road?
0-90 in .5

Why did the Chariot cross the road?
He was looking for Resolution.



Books You Might Enjoy:

Frater Achad - Liber 31
Jester Raiin - Major Arcana 2nd Update And 1st Typohunt
Michael Majerus - Atalanta Fugiens
John Yarker - Arcane Schools

Learn Tarot By Listening To Tarot

The more things change, the more they are the same especially when it comes to human behavior. So many things appear to be happening...and they are...and yet there are templates that overlay the events, patterns and sequences that the events fit into. The question is: Where in the pattern, the sequence, are we? What template are we in?

The more life experience an aware person has, the more likely he is to know what is happening and what will happen because he 'has been there and done that.' He is keen to the sequence, he knows what happens when you.... Life experience allows one to intuit the sequence, see the patterns, and know what comes next. Life experience is what tells us not to do the same thing and expect a different result. (Life experience is the reason tribal people usually honor elders.)

Individual tarot cards represent points in the sequence, represent places in the pattern. When you apply the scene the card represents to the question at hand, you 'put two and two together' intuitively, you realize what the pattern is that is developing in the question at hand, and hopefully you come up with four. You usually do. As President Lincoln said, nothing is 100% !00% of the time, and I take that personally!

The more you know tarot, the less simplistic your reading of it is. Nuances and details in abundance are to be had in tarot. And the way you know tarot is to listen to it. (That is the way to learn generally, isn't it?) If you ask questions you know the answers to, to discover what the meaning of the cards is, you are listening to tarot.

The nuances and the details appear when you reach the point in learning tarot that you perceive meaning in combinations of cards, not just in single cards. The more cards you combine in your perception, the more details you get. Eventually in your learning of tarot, you will be able to look at a 13-card spread or layout and immediately understand the gist of the answer, then you look at the cards that surround those theme cards and get the details. Not the other way around, at least part of the time, at least on a good day.

Seeing themes, seeing 'theme cards' is what allows you this quick overview. Life experience with tarot is the way to arrive there. (Someone who already knows and teaches you is of course a shortcut.) What you do when the overview, the gist, comes immediately (or quickly) to mind is notice that in the different areas of the spread appear cards that mean a similar or the same thing—let's say leaving, or delay, or taking action. Okay, now you know the answer is about that particular thing. Now you know the other cards are modifying the main theme.

If you are one of those now rare people who instinctively understands what the subject, verb and object of a sentence are: A similar process lies in the dominant and modifying cards!

That is the way to expertise in tarot.

A demonstration can be had by contacting the writer below for a reading of tarot.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Will Herberg - The Writings Of Martin Buber
Hermes Trismegistus - Book Xi Of The Common Mind To Tat
Benjamin Rowe - The Book Of The Seniors
Melita Denning - The Aurum Solis