Post by angelis on Nov 30, 2005 23:14:57 GMT 1
Tarot has been a highly recognized way of reading our fate for centuries. Although the 78 cards in the deck have been primarily known for their fortune-telling properties, the cards have proven to be versatile. Modern Witches and New Agers have used the cards as the focal points for journeying, spiritual growth, meditations, rituals and spells as well.
In fact, the tarot has proven to be versatile from the very beginning. According to some sources, the deck was developed during the Renaissance in Italy as a card game under the name "Tarocco (aka Tarocchi, Taroc)." The first known deck was made for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan. In the late 1700s the Court de Gebelen saw the tarot cards and took them into a phase of meaning something more than a simple card game of chance. It is said that when he saw the game of tarocchi being played, he saw a vast amount of symbolism in the cards, much of which he attributed to ancient Egyptian lore.
In the years between the first deck and the deck de Gebelen had seen, the cards underwent many changes. Some of the occults such as the freemasons created new decks full of their secret imagery.
As their popularity grew so did the types of the decks and the symbology in them. Over the years, people began to focus on the images and their lore and meaning as opposed to just using them as a game. Since then, tarot has retained its place in popular culture.
The Tarot deck is made up of two parts: the Major Arcana, consisting of 22 cards, and the Minor Arcana, consisting of 56 cards. All are not only related to the picture on the cards, but have links to elements, astrological signs, numerology and characters of certain alphabets as well.
Many of the cards are recognizable to someone who has not even had a reading. However, despite any associations you may have with a particular card, keep an open mind: many cards represent more than the picture on their surface.
On the page for each card, you will find a definition, reverse meaning, keywords and questions to help you with your reading. Remember, these are only tools. The real divination comes from within you.
The Major Arcana
The 22 cards in the Major Arcana (sometimes referred to as the Trump cards) depict major symbols or archetypes. Among them are the Fool, the Lovers, Death, and the World, all of which signify major ideas, phases or forces of life. The term "Major Arcana" actually means the "Greater Mysteries."
Some believe that the progression of the cards in the Major Arcana actually tell the story of a soul's progression through Karma, or a seeker's path through his or her life. The word "Arcana" is actually Latin for "life secrets." The deck begins with the Fool, an enthusiastic and naïve person eager to set out on his life path, regardless of what lies ahead, and ends with the World, which represents a perfect attainment of completion, or Nirvana.
Think of the Majors as archetypal events, the big issues that concern character and destiny. They "breathe with the collective unconscious of the human race" (MacGregor). They are the most powerful cards in the deck.
Frequently these cards are used alone when reading for divination since they are the archetypal symbols of human existence and mark stages of self-discovery and self-awareness.
When a Major Arcana card is drawn, special attention should be paid to its position.
Each Major Arcana card also has an astrology association and a numerology connection that can also be taken into an account when doing a reading.
Note: While we did include reverse meanings here, it is up to you as to whether or not you use them. For some, a reverse card simply indicates direction (as in whether something is coming or going), others don't use reverses at all. Go with that your instincts tell you. In time, you will naturally develop your own way of reading the cards.
The Minor Arcana
Like our modern playing cards, the Minor Arcana (also referred to as the pip cards) is made up of four suits; cups, wands, swords and pentacles. In fact, the modern deck is evolved from the Minor Arcana, and if you feel comfortable reading the jack as both the page and knight and doing without pictorial cards, you can read a playing deck.
Each suit consists of 16 cards: ace-ten (pip cards) and four court cards. The four Court cards of each suit make up the Court Arcana. These cards tell of the lesser events in our everyday lives.
Like the Major Arcana, each suit tells a story as you progress from the Ace to the King, but each suit tells a slightly different story, depending upon which facet of life the suit reflects. Not only does each suit represent a different area of life (i.e. love, money, work) but they are each connected with an element, a direction on the compass and some of the court cards are associated with zodiac signs as well. In the past they had another significance - suit was connected with a different social class: clergy, peasant, noble and merchant.
In fact, the tarot has proven to be versatile from the very beginning. According to some sources, the deck was developed during the Renaissance in Italy as a card game under the name "Tarocco (aka Tarocchi, Taroc)." The first known deck was made for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan. In the late 1700s the Court de Gebelen saw the tarot cards and took them into a phase of meaning something more than a simple card game of chance. It is said that when he saw the game of tarocchi being played, he saw a vast amount of symbolism in the cards, much of which he attributed to ancient Egyptian lore.
In the years between the first deck and the deck de Gebelen had seen, the cards underwent many changes. Some of the occults such as the freemasons created new decks full of their secret imagery.
As their popularity grew so did the types of the decks and the symbology in them. Over the years, people began to focus on the images and their lore and meaning as opposed to just using them as a game. Since then, tarot has retained its place in popular culture.
The Tarot deck is made up of two parts: the Major Arcana, consisting of 22 cards, and the Minor Arcana, consisting of 56 cards. All are not only related to the picture on the cards, but have links to elements, astrological signs, numerology and characters of certain alphabets as well.
Many of the cards are recognizable to someone who has not even had a reading. However, despite any associations you may have with a particular card, keep an open mind: many cards represent more than the picture on their surface.
On the page for each card, you will find a definition, reverse meaning, keywords and questions to help you with your reading. Remember, these are only tools. The real divination comes from within you.
The Major Arcana
The 22 cards in the Major Arcana (sometimes referred to as the Trump cards) depict major symbols or archetypes. Among them are the Fool, the Lovers, Death, and the World, all of which signify major ideas, phases or forces of life. The term "Major Arcana" actually means the "Greater Mysteries."
Some believe that the progression of the cards in the Major Arcana actually tell the story of a soul's progression through Karma, or a seeker's path through his or her life. The word "Arcana" is actually Latin for "life secrets." The deck begins with the Fool, an enthusiastic and naïve person eager to set out on his life path, regardless of what lies ahead, and ends with the World, which represents a perfect attainment of completion, or Nirvana.
Think of the Majors as archetypal events, the big issues that concern character and destiny. They "breathe with the collective unconscious of the human race" (MacGregor). They are the most powerful cards in the deck.
Frequently these cards are used alone when reading for divination since they are the archetypal symbols of human existence and mark stages of self-discovery and self-awareness.
When a Major Arcana card is drawn, special attention should be paid to its position.
Each Major Arcana card also has an astrology association and a numerology connection that can also be taken into an account when doing a reading.
Note: While we did include reverse meanings here, it is up to you as to whether or not you use them. For some, a reverse card simply indicates direction (as in whether something is coming or going), others don't use reverses at all. Go with that your instincts tell you. In time, you will naturally develop your own way of reading the cards.
The Minor Arcana
Like our modern playing cards, the Minor Arcana (also referred to as the pip cards) is made up of four suits; cups, wands, swords and pentacles. In fact, the modern deck is evolved from the Minor Arcana, and if you feel comfortable reading the jack as both the page and knight and doing without pictorial cards, you can read a playing deck.
Each suit consists of 16 cards: ace-ten (pip cards) and four court cards. The four Court cards of each suit make up the Court Arcana. These cards tell of the lesser events in our everyday lives.
Like the Major Arcana, each suit tells a story as you progress from the Ace to the King, but each suit tells a slightly different story, depending upon which facet of life the suit reflects. Not only does each suit represent a different area of life (i.e. love, money, work) but they are each connected with an element, a direction on the compass and some of the court cards are associated with zodiac signs as well. In the past they had another significance - suit was connected with a different social class: clergy, peasant, noble and merchant.
