WHAT IS TAROT

To some, the Tarot is nothing more then a simple set of cards, decorated
with some interesting images. To others, Tarot is a useful divination tool.
There are also those who see the Tarot as a tool for mediation and
self-discovery. The modern Tarot deck, in its most general form, resembles
playing cards. There are cards numbered one to ten, followed by the court
cards. The Joker in playing cards is unnumbered and has no permanent place,
much as the Tarot's Fool.

Are the two related? If so, which came first? There are many theories, but
none that seem to provide concrete evidence. The Tarot has been linked to
Ancient Egypt, the wisdom of the Kabala, the French court, Roma, and many
other places and people. There is evidence that Tarot cards were used in
14th century Italy, but most likely not as a divination tool. If you want to
know more about the history of the Tarot, I'd suggest trying to find a book
called A Wicked Pack of Cards by Decker, Depaulis, Dummett. More recently,
Tarot has been linked to the New Age movement and fortune-telling. Other
groups, while maintaining the tradition of divination, are also exploring
the use of Tarot for self-discovery.

There are many variations on the Tarot, but I will be focusing mainly on
aspects most commonly found. In its most traditional form, Tarot is a system
of 78 cards. Twenty-two of the cards belong to the Major Arcana (arcana
being the Latin word for secret). These cards represent wo/man's journey
through life, from the Fool to the Universe/World to the Fool again. The
cards depict the forces that affect human development, and shape our
spiritual growth using archetypical figures and symbols.



The remaining 56 cards make up the Minor Arcana. They form four suits: Wands
(Rods), Cups, Swords, and Pentacles (Coins). These suits correspond to the
playing card suits of Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds. Each suit
consists of cards numbers 1 (ace) through 10, and four court cards: Page
(Princess), Knight (Prince), Queen, and King. The Minor Arcana represents
human conditions and situations.

Why And How Tarot Works

It seems to me that there are many people who would like to get involved
with Tarot, either by giving or receiving readings, but they are unsure of
how Tarot works. They suspect that there is some sort of contact with God,
the Devil, spirits, or the like. These fears (or hopes) often lead these
people to avoid using this valuable tool. But the mechanics of Tarot are
much simpler and far deeper.

Tarot cards are nothing more than coloured ink on sheets of laminated
cardboard. There is no magic present in the cards, and no spirit or divinity
attached to them. Everything that is "magical" about the Tarot comes from
the Reader and the Seeker. And by that I don't mean that these two people
cast a spell or call upon a god, rather that it is their intuition and
observations that make the Tarot work.

The Reader is in control of the Tarot at all times. The Reader has bought
the deck, chosen to use it in this particular reading (or given it as a
choice for the Seeker to pick), and shuffled the cards (or directed the
Seeker to do so). Every step is directed, all the way down to choosing the
spread and placing the cards in the correct positions. The correct cards
show up because the Reader has encouraged them to do so by believing that
she or her Seeker can make this so.

This, of course, begs the question of how we can direct the correct cards to
show up. It would be easy to dismiss it as magic. Rather, there is a theory
that our minds are aware of everything that goes on, at a subconscious
level. So it is likely that our mind is actually aware of each card as it
passes through our hands while we shuffle. It is when the cards are laid
down that our subconscious has a great deal of influence. It knows what
issues that are bothering us just as well, or perhaps better, then our
conscious mind. And it is able to help us interpret the cards before us in a
way that will help us to solve our problems (or those of the Seeker,
because, remember, our subconscious mind knows everything that is
happening). The more we are in touch with our feelings and dreams, through
our subconscious, the more accurate our Tarot readings will be.

There is another theory, which says that time is not linear and that our
subconscious is aware of this. It is thought that our subconscious is able
to understand the patterns of the future, if not outright predict it. Our
subconscious then uses the images of the Tarot to help us by giving advice
to direct our actions to maximize the possibility of a happy future.

Getting Started - Exercises

Now that you've had a chance to work with your cards a little bit, let's try
some exercises. It might a good idea to record your answers in you Tarot
journal. You will be able to look back on your answer that way, and see how
far you've come.

Record how you feel overall about the Tarot. Do you think it's silly? Do you
believe that the cards can help you predict the future? Or do you see them
as being more for self-discovery? What do you feel about the links to
mystical systems ranging from Egypt to the Kabala? Are connections like that
important to you?

What do you plan to use your deck for most often? Meditation, divination,
self-discovery, something else?

Get out your deck and give it a good shuffle while concentrating on the
cards. (Yes, it's time to get it out of order. You're likely to resort it
again soon, though.) Once you feel the deck is well shuffled, it's time to
ask it some questions. First, ask the deck what its personality is, and then
draw a card out of the deck. Note down which card it is in you journal. You
may want to check the deck's LWB to see what the meaning of the card is.
Next, ask it what it will teach you. Again, note the card and look up the
meaning. Finally, ask it what your relationship will be, again noting down
the card.

If any card happens to pop out while you are shuffling, that card will give
you a good indication of what your deck's personality is. You can then skip
over the first question and ask the other two.

Explore you cards. Take a good look at all the pictures. Make notes on any
symbolism you don't understand. Make notes if any cards seem to speak to
you.

Take any of the cards you are particularly drawn to, and examine it very
well. Think about the emotions present, its mood, what you think the card
might mean. You could even try making up a story about it. When you are
done, look up the meaning and see how close you were. This is a useful
exercise to help you get comfortable with all the cards, and is especially
useful with cards that you might not like at first sight.

Choosing Your Deck

When you decide to buy yourself a Tarot deck, it is best to go to a large
bookstore or metaphysical store which carries a large selection of Tarot
decks. (You may also want to look at pictures online at such sites as Tarot
Passages, but it is best to see some in person to get an idea of their size,
etc.) In Toronto, I highly recommend the World's Biggest Book store at 20
Edward Street. They carry many decks, and also have two large binders with
card samples. If you don't have access to a large bookstore or metaphysical
store, try some of the little used bookstores, you might be surprised what
you find. And, of course, you can always order decks online from Amazon,
Chapters, or Tarot stores like Tarot Garden.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the number of decks available. The best
advice I can give you is to choose a deck that appeals to you. However, I
would suggest that you avoid theme decks, like The Dragon Tarot or The
Unicorn Tarot, until you are more familiar with "standard" Tarot symbolism.
Bearing that in mind, I would suggest buying deck that features the
Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) symbolism, which is the standard symbolism found in
most Tarot books and on this site. Any of the following decks would be an
excellent choice for a beginner:

Standard RWS (various recolourings)

Original Rider-Waite Pack

Universal Waite Tarot

Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot

Diamond Tarot

Be aware that there are a few other systems of Tarot symbolism that are
available. These include the Thoth Tarot of Aleister Crowley and the decks
based on it, the Tarot de Marseilles, the Grand Etteilla Tarot, and the
Visconti Sforza Tarot. Most have Major Arcana cards similar to the RWS
system (which is only natural, since the RWS system grew out of most of
these decks), but they generally have non-pictorial Minor Arcana, different
numbering of the Major Arcana, and have acquired slightly or significantly
different meanings for many of the cards. When starting out with the Tarot I
would suggest avoiding these systems, at least for now. However they are all
very interesting, especially to students of magick or Thelema in the case of
the Thoth and Etteilla decks, and students of history in the case of the
other decks.

There are also RWS-inspired decks which diverge to some extent from
traditional symbolism or meanings. These include feminist decks like
Daughters of the Moon Tarot, Motherpeace Tarot, and the Barbara Walker
Tarot; as well as theme decks, like the Arthurian decks Hallowquest Tarot
(also known as Arthurian Tarot) and The Legend Tarot, or the Ancient
Egyptian inspired decks like The Ancient Egyptian Tarot and the shiny
Nefertari's Tarots. These are all wonderful decks, but because of the
changes in symbolism they can be more difficult to learn with.

You might also see a large number of non-Tarot decks on your bookstore's
shelves. These are generally referred to as oracle decks. These are not
Tarot decks. They vary in the number of cards, the images and symbolism
used, as well as how the system works. Generally speaking, each deck has its
own symbol set and a system conceived of by the author. These can be very
effective tools, and can even be used to supplement Tarot reading. My
favourite oracle decks are The Symbolon Deck, which is heavily based on
astrology and uses images based on European myths, and The Goddess Oracle,
which features the beautiful Goddess artwork of Hrana Janto and focuses on
one's relationship with various Goddesses.

The Booklet

Most, if not all, Tarot decks come with a small booklet inside the box. This
is generally referred to as the Little White Book (LWB), and it gives basic
card meanings, a description of the cards and one or two spreads. The LWB
should provide just enough information to get you started reading with your
new deck, but usually it isn't very helpful when it comes to explaining the
symbolism used in the cards. Understanding this symbolism is key, because
once you become more comfortable with your deck you will find yourself
pulling the meanings from the pictures and relying less and less on the LWB
for help.

The deck you choose may have a larger book available, sometimes packaged in
a set and sometimes separately. Most of these books offer excellent insight
into the specific symbolism used by the artist, as well as more detailed
card meanings. The best supplementary book I have come across is Robin Wood
Tarot: The Book, and the worse was the book for the Tarot of the Old Path
which wasn't much more then a repeat of the LWB. So, these books can and can
not be useful. Take you time to look through them before you decided to buy
the accompanying book.

The usefulness of books also depends on the reading method you want to
develop. Some readers like to study the traditional meanings of cards, and
to these people books will be highly useful. Other readers prefer a more
intuitive method, pulling their meanings entirely from the images on the
cards. Some of these readers will not even look at the LWB. I would say
though, in general, intuitive readers have a lot of experience, and likely
studied books a good deal when they were new to Tarot reading. I prefer a
mixed approach to Tarot reading. By that I mean, one learns the general
meanings of the cards, which includes learning how the author may have
altered the meanings in their deck, and one expands those meanings though
personal experience and intuitive reading. Bearing that in mind, I would
recommend obtaining both the extra book for your deck and a general Tarot
book.

Some good Tarot books are available online, such as A.E. Waite's Pictorial
Key to the Tarot. (You might recognize this name. A.E. Waite was one of the
creators of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck

Your Tarot Journal

The best thing you can do for your continuing Tarot studies is to keep a
Tarot Journal. The most practical option is to get yourself a large
three-ring binder, some notebook paper, and some section dividers. Using a
binder will allow you to move around and remove notes, as well as make it
easier to include print-outs. Later, if you like, you can add your more
important and permanent notes to a nicer looking hardbound book. Do what is
best for you, so that you will use this book often.

Include the following categories in your journal:

Card Meanings: This section is for your collected notes on card meanings.
You may wish to keep separate notes on different decks, especially if their
symbolism is divergent. separate notes for the Goddess Tarot since the Major
Arcana is so different. (It features goddess from a wide variety of
pantheons.

Correspondences: Here you could keep notes on things like astrological
correspondences, colour meanings, numerology, or anything else that may be
helpful when studying Tarot. Spreads: Your collection of spreads, along with
notes on how to do a reading, choosing a significator, etc.

Readings: Record all your readings, whether they are done for yourself or
others. These notes can be helpful in determining patterns in the cards you
draw for specific issues, and for tracing how a card meaning develops during
your studies.

Exercises: Some Tarot books offer exercises to help you get acquainted with
you deck. This section is a great place to keep them, in case you decided
you want to look over them again one day.

Misc.: A catch-all section for notes that don't fit anywhere else. This is
also a good place to keep your Tarot wish list, pictures of decks, ideas,
etc.