On the many Facebook groups and forums you’ll regularly see people recommending the study of each individual card, using a mix of artwork interpretation and other references, over many, many months. With 78 cards this is a considerable challenge; if others learnt the hard way then you should too! Right?
Wrong! Let us show you not only the easy way – but the best way to learn the underlying associations.
When learning how to read tarot, it is important to have the right mindset. You should be focused and relaxed, and building a good tarot atmosphere during your reading can help you achieve the mindset necessary to get the most out of your reading. This means choosing to include things like candles, incense, and dim lights in your atmosphere if you find it helpful. All of these things can serve as a reminder to your brain and subconscious that you are getting ready to do something important.
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One of the most glorious things about tarot, is the huge number of beautiful decks available and the wonderful artists that create them. If you’re not careful, you could spend an awful lot of money collecting all the ones you love best!
However, when you’ve just decided to learn tarot and your browsing for your first deck, the choice can seem truly overwhelming. It’s not unusual for people get analysis paralysis and put off buying a deck because they just don’t know which to choose. For some people, this means they never buy one at all.
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This is a difficult topic to cover as the terminology used can be unfamiliar and discouraging to newcomers. However, here I try to present this in an accessible form. If like me you struggle with the terminology, ignore the unfamiliar names and instead view the tree, numbers, associations and card positions. This will enable anyone to start drawing on the Hermetic Qabalah to deepen their understanding of Tarot.
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Podcasts are incredibly popular nowadays. The ability to be heard has never been so accessible; anyone can become podcast star with little more than a mobile phone and an internet connection.
As a podcaster this accessibility is very welcome. However, as a listener it can be difficult to know where to begin and a challenge to find the gems amongst the sea of mediocrity.
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Here, we’ll consider a hotly debated word in the tarot community: Intuition.
An online definition of Intuition states:
“the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.”
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A question commonly asked online:-
“My tarot cards are no longer working. I’ve been told I need to cleanse them – how do I do this?”
Answers typically range from smudging, to bathing in moonlight, covering in salt, covering in crystals, tapping (typically 3 times), ‘resetting’ (placing the cards back in original order) and even burying in the garden for several days.
So there you are, you have your shiny new tarot deck. You understand what the numbers and suits mean and you’re ready to start putting the world to rights but wait, what should you ask? How should you ask it? Are there rules?
When Arthur Waite and Pamela Coleman-Smith designed the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck, between them they managed to include symbology from pretty much every esoteric system available. Therefore it should come as no surprise that astrology and the planets play a large part in the design of the RWS deck.
If you’ve been reading the other posts on this page, you should know by now that the minor arcana cards represent the astrological elements of air (Swords), Earth (Pentacles), fire (Wands) and water (Cups). The major arcana also has specific cards for each astrological sign and therefore, that signs ruling planet as well.
I considered constructing a spread with chosen cards to demonstrate how a reading may work in practice. However, I then had a question of my own and the resultant cards seem so perfect I thought it a great opportunity to not only perform a simple reading but relate the cards to the querent/question.
Ready? First some personal background…
Reading reversals (when cards are drawn from the deck inverted) can be traced back as far as the earliest days of Tarot’s use as a divinatory system. The earliest reference to reversals I can find is from Antoine Court de Gebelin in 1781. Antoine’s writings formed the basis of Eliphas Levi’s system, later adopted with modification by the Golden Dawn which ultimately led to Waite’s re-interpretation with Pamela Coleman-Smith (the RWS deck).
The 22 Major Arcana represent archetypes, these are clear statements, patterns and ideas that represent the human life / story. We start our journey as the fool (innocent, adventurous, perhaps naive) and progress through the major arcana until reaching our destination; enlightenment (The World).
In a previous article we listed the basic number associations of the minor arcana.
To keep things simple we used the traditional RWS associations as reference. It’s important to note that this is not the only system in use and it can be useful to cross reference the RWS and Tarot De Marseilles in order to gain further insight. Additionally, the associated card from the major arcana is also worthy of study in reference to the minors.
I have to admit to being a bit conflicted about writing this post. On the one hand, the idea was immensely exciting and I was really looking forward to writing this piece. On the other hand, I knew that I would only be able to scratch the surface of what is a very deep and convoluted rabbit hole. The more I read, the less I know, the less I know, the more there is to research and the bigger and windier the road becomes. Therefore, this is designed as an introduction to what I have learned so far. There are undoubtedly many people who know much more about this that I do and I’m sure as time goes on, there will be other posts from this blogging collective around the subject and the key concepts behind the creation of the tarot.
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It’s funny how different people come to tarot. For some people it’s been something their family has always done, others are simply drawn to it, but for people like me who grew up in very ‘no nonsense’ households where anything esoteric was poo-pooed, it is something odd and mysterious that requires a ‘happening’ to be brought into your life.
Tarot was something I was aware of but never paid much attention to. After all, it was just a load of nonsense and woo wasn’t it? Just a bunch of generalisations that could be applied to any situation, a bit like cold reading. Until I learned that my good friend, Steve, reads the cards.
Tarot, like all Western Magical Traditions has 4 core elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Below we’ll not only outline the element/suite associations but also provide clues on how to commit them to memory.
Now you know what the elements represent, let’s take a look at the number associations (1-10) then combine this with what we’ve already learnt to perform our first readings/interpretations. See, we said this would be easy!
We now have an understanding of the elements plus the numerological associations. How do we combine these to determine the meaning of a card?
Did you miss my online workshops? No problem! You can get recorded versions of them!
Here is a Tarot technique that I call “Your Own Fool’s Journey.” With it, you can use the Major Arcana cards to explore and analyze the story of your life — past, present, and future.
Here is a visualization technique with which you can go on an imaginary vacation using your Tarot cards. Use this when you need a vacation but you don't have the time or finances to go on a real one.
Here is a Tarot Self-Empowerment technique that I call “Follow Your Dreams.” We are often told to follow our dreams, but rarely are we told how to accomplish that feat. This technique will do that!
I just discovered this previously unknown photo of PCS by her friend, the well-known photographer, Alice Boughton. The source is The Literary Digest, July 4, 1908. Enjoy.
Do you know what the expression “entre chien et loup” or “between a dog and a wolf” means? It is a French description for twilight – either dusk or dawn – when the half light turns everything monochromatic and you can’t tell the difference between the wild and the tame. I’ve always loved this as
Recently, music producer for BigHit, PDogg, was asked what his favorite BTS song is and he answered “The Truth Untold,” sung by the four vocalists (live performance below). It seems there is a long, fascinating history behind it. I’ll try to make this short. (Check out these sites for details: The BTS Effect and the
Among the Tarot cards determined by adding the numbers in your birth date, I find most intriguing the Constellation of the Emperor, which consists of the Major Arcana cards whose numbers add up to four: the Emperor (4), Death (13 = 1+3=4), and the Fool (the un-numbered 22nd card of the Majors; 2+2=4). Many people
Metal Never Lies is a book written about metal magic by author Sam ‘Bo’ Thompson. I didn’t know anything about this book until the author reached out on Instagram and asked if I thought about adding his book to my library. Curious, and because I work with Brigid, I said I’d add it and give it a read! I’m really glad I did because this book changed my perspective on working with metal. The post Book Review: Metal Never Lies appeared first on ‘Round the Cauldron.
If you have an object that you’d like to use for your practice, but you want to ritualize it, then a consecration ritual is exactly what you need! Consecration is the act of making something sacred — usually a tool, in the case of witchcraft — and giving the tool a purpose in your practice. The post Consecration: What is it? Plus a simple ritual! appeared first on ‘Round the Cauldron.
The post What is consecration? || Simple ritual for new sacred tools! [CC] appeared first on ‘Round the Cauldron.
As one of the Celtic Fire Festivals, Bealtaine marks a very important time of year in Irish paganism. Historically, before the Gregorian calendar, Bealtaine marked the transition between Winter and Summer — the dark half of the year and the light half of the year. The post Bealtaine: Myth, Folklore, and Florida Witch Celebrations appeared first on ‘Round the Cauldron.
The post Episode 129: Dealing with Information Overload appeared first on ‘Round the Cauldron.
Many people asked me about how these charts are made or how they should read them. I can only repeat what I have previously stated repeatedly. It is not one thing but many and how they interplay. The foundation of…Read more The charts of the Seven-pointed Star ›
Many people asked what is the seven-pointed star and what we can do with it. While I have created this tool, the man who gets the most out of it is Matt. Therefore, I would suggest to follow him on…Read more Ethereum and the seven-pointed star ›
For those like me, unfamiliar with crypto, cryptocurrency is a form of digital money powered by cryptography. It all started in 2008 with Bitcoin. You could use it to send funds to anyone anywhere globally. What made crypto different from…Read more Ethereum, an esoteric exploration, part one ›
On May 1, Pluto turns retrograde, a phase which lasts until October 11. It moves back into Capricorn in June and will not re-enter Aquarius until January 2024. The Tarot card associated with Pluto is the Tower. A card of…Read more May 2023 Report ›
Truths come to light when the Full Moon in Sagittarius 2023 arrives on June 3rd at 11:42 PM EDT. Full Moons signify closure, and if you need to shut the door on a situation, the truth is about to set you free. It’s possible the information you receive will be painful or surprising. Sagittarius isn’t The post Full Moon in Sagittarius 2023 – and Tarot Readings for Each Zodiac Sign appeared first on The Tarot Lady.
Some situations are not obvious. For example: Some ill people don’t “look sick.” Some predators don’t emit a dangerous aura. Some beautiful berries are actually poisonous. Some heroes wear slouchy hipster beanies instead of capes. You can’t always tell if someone is a capable fighter, good drinker, friend, foe, liar, hot lover, or narcissist. Not The post The Hit List – It’s not always obvious appeared first on The Tarot Lady.
I am creating the conditions for a perfect weekend. What does that look like? Glad you asked. Staying offline as much as possible. In fact, I’m taking a week-long sabbatical from social media. I have a few prescheduled things going out here and there…but my phone will be off. Long walks, weather permitting. I love The post The Hit List – My perfect weekend appeared first on The Tarot Lady.
The Stars Crossed series focuses on astrological compatibility. While it’s way more complicated than just your Sun sign, we’re starting off with the Sun because it is an important part of your astrology profile. After all, it’s your core personality. This month, we look at Taurus. Keep in mind, this will be general info. As The post Stars Crossed – How to Get Along with Taurus appeared first on The Tarot Lady.
Welcome to #Decklust! This is our newsletter beaming out (semi) regularly to tarot lovers across the world. To get #Decklust in your inbox and be the first to hear our news, subscribe here. Hello you 🙂 Warmth! Sunshine! Life! Ahhhh, yes. The year is finally hotting up, the days are getting lovely and long, in … The post #Decklust | Tarot decks for inner space & outer space appeared first on Little Red Tarot by Beth
Sweet new decks for easing into the year... Thea's Tarot pre-orders, 2020 Visions is finally here, and Companion Cards for dancers, movers and solo artists. The post #Decklust | Liminal Season: January news appeared first on Little Red Tarot by Beth
It's freezing cold, our boiler's broken... Let’s talk about something that’s actually going well! And no I don’t mean my “drag career” (see below) – I’m talking about stocking our shelves with magical goodies for cosy winter nights in 🙂 The post #Decklust | Winter Magic, Many Moons & a Living Altar appeared first on Little Red Tarot by Beth
"Home to me feels like a return. So much of the path to liberation is the coming home, the return to the full potential of what we are and I find that home is the container that allows us to unfold in this way." The post What home means: Re-membering miracles, care & connection with Elia Fushi Bekene appeared first on Little Red Tarot by Beth
