Exploring the Tarot

In my newsletter I indicated that I was doing further study in Tarot.

I do have three Tarot decks. They are the traditional Rider Waite Tarot Deck, Tarot of the Spirit Deck by Pamela and Joyce Eakins and The Llewellyn Tarot by Anna-Marie Ferguson.

I decided that I would like to invest some time and money in obtaining a deeper understanding of Tarot and eventually I intend to add Tarot as a modality to my business.  Since I have begun studying Tarot online I have found this to be providing quite an expansion of knowledge.

Tarot is a very interesting deck of cards and has a very rich history.  There are of course misconceptions of Tarot and my studies have provided a much deeper sense of clarity.  There is the Minor Arcana also known as the Lesser Arcana or pip cards.  There are actually 56 cards of the Minor Arcana.  They are composed of 4 suits.  The Suit of Cups (representing feelings or emotions) also connected to the element of water.  The Suit of Pentacles (representing finances, work or material goods) also connected to the element of earth.  The Suit of Swords (representing thoughts, words and actions) also connected to the element of Air.  Finally, the Suit of Wands (representing energy, passions and motivations) also connected to the element of Fire.  The Minor Arcana has to do with day to day things so when they show up in a reading they represent the present time.

There is also the Major Arcana of which there are 22 cards.  These are cards that represent your soul journey, life lessons, karma etc.  They are called the Trump cards.  The Major Arcana begins with the Fool who is not numbered and it is helpful to understand the Fool’s journey through the Major Arcana and all the characters the Fool meets along their journey.

If you reading is largely laden with the Major Arcana it means that you need to reflect on what lessons and ideas are being provided here.  What new life lessons are going to be arriving or are showing up?

Each card in Tarot is to be observed in all of its detail.  Such as, the colours, the position of the person or persons in the card, the facial features, are they looking right at the reader or do they have their backs turned?  Also, when lining up three cards is one person in the card looking at the card to the left or right?  This also provides some indication to the situation or could provide an understanding of the situation.  It begins as a Fool’s journey but ends with the World card.

Studying the Tarot it is a bit like reflecting or studying life and the intricate details of our life like others in it, feelings, thoughts, energy and our gains.  What is really going on?  What does this all mean?  What is my purpose?  Will I obtain some kind of clarity right now or do I still need to wait until life unfolds a bit more?

As Ralph Waldo Emerson states, “It is not the length of the life, but depth of life”.  How deep are you willing to go or let go?