Fortune Telling: Another Approach

Fortune Telling by Cards
by
P.R.S. Foli
[1915]

CHAPTER VIII

Another Method

Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/ftc/ftc10.htm

General outline—Signification of cards—How to consult the cards—An illustration—Its reading.
HERE again the pack of thirty-two cards is used, the cards from two to six inclusively being discarded, as in "The Combination of Sevens."

General Outline.

The general meaning pertaining to each suit is as follows: The court cards bear the signification of people, and the king, queen, and knave in each suit suggest relationship. The kings indicate the profession followed.

Thus, the king of spades denotes a literary man, or one whose desires would lead him to the pulpit or the platform.

The king of hearts is the symbol of a wealthy man—one who deals with large sums of money—for instance, a banker, capitalist, or stockbroker.

The king of clubs indicates the mental side of business, and here we look for the lawyer or barrister.

The king of diamonds is a business man—one who will depend on both his brain and hands for work. Diamonds are eminently the practical suit, and must always be consulted with reference to the subject's condition in life. They signify the material side of life, and according to the needs, so this suit indicates success, or the absence of it—failure.

There is a very slight variation in the signification of the cards as given in the preceding method, but it is well to observe it carefully, as the mode of procedure is entirely different.

Signification of Cards.

Hearts.
Ace Quietness and domestic happiness.

Seven Love.

Eight A surprise.

Nine A wish.

Ten A wedding.

Spades.
Ace Service under the Crown.

Reverse ace A death.

Seven Unpleasant news.

Eight Sorrow or vexation.

Nine Quarrels.

Ten A disappointment.

Diamonds.
Ace A letter or ring.

Seven A journey.

Eight Society.

Nine Illness, or sews of a birth.

Ten Money, joy, success.

Clubs.Ace A present.

Seven Gain; good business.

Eight Pleasure.

Nine A proposal.

Ten A journey by water.

How to Consult the Cards.

The inquirer is to shuffle the pack of cards and cut it into three. Take up the cards and let your subject draw any chance card that he pleases. Place this card on the table, and the suit from which it is drawn will determine the representative card, as it is an indication of the character of your subject.

A lady is represented by a queen, a man by a king, and the knave stands for the male relations or thoughts.

After the card is drawn, place the remainder on the table in four rows, beginning each row from left to right.

The cards that immediately surround the king or queen aid us in our judgment of the inquirer; and remember that the right hand card is the more important one.

An Illustration.
A practical illustration will exemplify my meaning, and again we will suppose a lady has cut the cards to have her fortune read.

The cards being shuffled and cut into three, the card was drawn, and as this proved to be a seven of clubs, so the queen represented the subject in this instance. When the cards were placed in order this is how they appeared.

First line.—Seven of clubs, eight of clubs, king of clubs, seven of hearts, king of diamonds, nine of diamonds, ten of diamonds, king of hearts.

Second line.—Seven of spades, nine of spades, knave of hearts, king of spades, eight of spades, queen of spades, ten of spades, ace of diamonds.

Third line.—Ace of spades, knave of clubs, queen of clubs, ten of hearts, ace of hearts, queen of diamonds, ace of clubs, nine of hearts.

Fourth line.—Knave of spades, seven of diamonds, eight of hearts, nine of clubs, eight of diamonds, knave of diamonds, queen of hearts, ten of clubs.

Its Reading.

Now we can proceed with the reading:—

As the suit of clubs is a pleasant one, we may conclude the lady is of a cheerful temperament. The seven itself signifies gain and prosperity, and the eight pleasure, which come to the inquirer through the king of clubs—typical of a solicitor. The seven of hearts indicates that a fair man is in love with the inquirer. The nine of diamonds, with the joyful ten beside it, seems to foretell a birth, and the king of hearts stands for a good friend. But the seven and nine of spades, in conjunction, inform us that some annoyance is coming which is possibly connected with the king of hearts.

The king of spades, accompanied by the eight of that suit, tells that this man is suffering considerable grief and vexation on account of the queen of clubs, suffering which will cause another woman to be jealous.

The queen and ten of spades, with the ace of spades, imply disagreeable tidings; but as the knave of clubs appears side by side with the queen of that suit (the inquirer), and they are followed by the ten of hearts, it will in no wise disturb the affection of either. The knave here may be taken to indicate the thoughts or intentions of the king. The ace of hearts seems to promise great tranquillity and happiness in the domestic life. A near relation, one deeply interested in the queen of clubs, is represented by the queen of diamonds. The ace of clubs shows that a letter is on its way.

The nine of hearts, the wish or betrothal card, follows, and from this I should infer that a proposal of marriage will come by letter, and one which will most probably be accepted. The knave of spades is followed by the seven of diamonds and the eight of hearts, which shows that the queen of clubs has been much loved by some one, and that an offer of marriage will have to be considered either directly before or immediately after a journey. The inquirer will have a great deal of pleasure on a journey. The queen of hearts and knave of diamonds indicate good friends who show her much kindness, and there will be welcome tidings for her across the water.

Now, count the rows, and should the betrothal card (the nine of hearts) appear in the third or fourth row, that number of years must elapse before becoming affianced.

Count the rows again until the one in which the ten of hearts (the marriage card) appears. In this example the betrothal and marriage card both appear in the third row, which indicates that the inquirer will be engaged in about three years, and marriage will take place soon after.

General Book of the Tarot

General Book of the Tarot: Astrology of the Tarot

by

A. E. Thierens

The following is excerpted from the General Book of the Tarot at Sacred-Texts.com:

"There have been numerous attempts to construct systems of correspondence between the Tarot and the Sephiroth of the Kabbalah. Another fertile ground for this activity is to try to match the Tarot cards with astrology. This book was one of the first to try to make this connection. Beginning with a theoretical section, it then discusses each card. Another feature of this book is a comparison of characteristics attributed to each card by some of the previous writers such as Waite and Papus.

Originally published in 1930 under the title General Book of the Tarot, it was reprinted in paperback by Newcastle in 1975 under the much more germane title Astrology of the Tarot. The Newcastle edition is long out of print but not hard to find used. More recently Kessinger has added it to their print on demand inventory under the original title."

Tarot: The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards numbered from 0 to 21. They go from complete ignorance to complete knowledge. The Fool, numbered 0 or unnumbered, represents complete ignorance and oblivion to the world around it. It is a card of innocence. Whereas The World, numbered 21, represents complete understanding. Each card represents only one step on the journey to full understanding of the Tarot Oracle system.

0 The Fool - The fool is the fearless traveler. He leaps before he looks and speak before he thinks. Positively associated with innocence, new beginnings, joy, fearlessness, and spontaneity. Negatively associated with thoughtlessness, immaturity, impulsiveness, lack of responsibility and lawlessness.

1 The Magician - The Magician is a person of new opportunities and ambition. He has incredible will power, but is often overcome by his emotions. Positively associated with confidence, individuality, will power, new beginnings, and inner potential. Negatively associated with trickery, deception, lack of compassion, indecision, and abuse of power.

2 The High Priestess - The High Priestess is the guardian of hidden secrets. She keeps the divine knowledge secretly tucked away for the right time to reveal. Positively associated with intuitiveness, understanding, wisdom, mystery, psychic ability, and the divine feminine. Negatively associated with lack of motherliness, emotional insecurity, secretiveness, and hidden obstacles or opponents.

3 The Empress - The Empress is a symbol of love, fertility and motherhood. She represents compassion and devotion. Positively associated with fertility, birth, motherhood, harmony, nature, prosperity, joy, love, and artistic ambition. Negatively associated with domestic upheaval, emotional blackmail, over-protectiveness, poverty, infertility, unwanted pregnancy, and suppressed logical expression.

4 The Emperor - The Emperor is a sign of achievement and honor. He represents paternity and strong leadership. Positively associated with achievement, authority, protection, support, trustworthiness, discipline, provider, consolidation, reason, and will power. Negatively associated with weakness, immaturity, failed ambition, status driven, tyrannical, and an overbearing nature.

5 The Hierophant - The Hierophant is a symbol of moral law and convictions. He is also a welcomed advisor and spiritual guide. Positively associated with advice, wise counsel, spiritual consolation, knowledge, identification, faith, conformity, and traditions. Negatively associated with misinformation, lack of faith, deviousness, bad advice, confusion, and disorderly conduct.

6 The Lovers - The Lovers represent a new breath of life. They symbolize love, devotion and spiritual friendship. Positively associated with desire, new lover, relationships, physical attraction, love, sex, and commitment. Negatively associated with lust, moral lapse, temptation, indecision, separation, failed love affair, and emotional loss of control.

7 The Chariot - The Chariot symbolizes conflict and victory. It also represents unknown forces pulling you forward quickly. Positively associated with triumph, movement, change, self-belief, assertiveness, and good news. Negatively associated with rage, tyranny, overinflated ego, selfishness, arrogance, delays, and frustration.

8 Justice - This card directly means justice, fairness, and balance. It also has sway over partnerships and legal matters. Positively associated with justice, truth, integrity, balance, arbitration, responsibility, and fairness. Negatively associated with prejudice, injustice, bad judgment, bias, and bad advice.

9 The Hermit - The Hermit is a solitary person, one who looks for answers within and away from others. he represents a time for solitude and peace. Positively associated with introspection, solitude, guidance, advice, and patience. Negatively associated with obstinacy, suspiciousness, fear, impatience, folly, and arrogance.

10 The Wheel of Fortune - The Wheel of Fortune is a sign of fates spinning round and round bringing in a new era. It represents the randomness of life and what comes at you. Positively associated with destiny, movement, vision, good luck, new cycle, and synchronicity. Negatively associated with obstacles, temporary bad luck, and unpleasant surprises.

11 Strength - The Strength cards shows the inner resolves you have. It represents the emotional, physical and spiritual strength associated with the situation. Positively associated with strength, will power, compassion, patience, courage, triumph, and fortitude. Negatively associated with over compensation, fear, inertia, defeat, loss of opportunity, and entropy.

12 The Hanged Man - The Hanged Man symbolizes self-sacrifice and the unaware mind. He is representative of the blind sacrifice that is needed in the situation. Positively associate with transition, flexibility, rebirth, deliverance, and release. Negatively associated with materialism, inflated ego, lack of will power, easily influenced, and martyrdom.

13 Death - The Death card symbolizes anything but that. It is a card of release and starting over. It represents the absolute, both the end and the beginning. Positively associate with endings, transformation, clearance, and sweeping change. Negatively associated with stagnation, loss of opportunity, loss of friendship, and fear of change.

14 Temperance - The Temperance card is a card of self-control and abstinence. It represents the ability to handle overwhelming circumstances and emotions. Positively associated with harmony, health, moderation, compromise, peace, and self-control. Negatively associated with impatience, lack of foresight, conflict, quarrels, and domestic strife.

15 The Devil - The Devil is the embodiment of primal instincts. Heated emotions runs strong with him, passions devour the mind and self-control is lost. Positively associated with permanence and commitment. Negatively associated with entrapment, lust, greed, ignorance, anger, tyranny, and obsession.

16 The Tower - The Tower shows the crumbling of stability and the breaking down of all things. It represent change, upheaval and unwanted change. Positively associated with re-evaluation, necessary change, and a blessing in disguise. Negatively associated with sudden change, downfall, disruption, and disaster.

17 The Star - The Star is a beacon shining through the darkness, a guiding light. It represents renewal of faith, hope and youth. Positively associated with hope, generosity, serenity, wishes coming true, good health, and spiritual awareness. Negatively associated with self-doubt, lack of trust, cynicism, and pessimism.

18 The Moon - The Moon is a card of hidden and buried emotions. It casts and eerie light over everything. It represents hard travels and a rough inner journey. Positively associated with imagination, unexpected possibilities, and illumination. Negatively associated with fear, confusion, highly charged emotions, bewilderment, lies, and deceit.

19 The Sun - The Sun shines down on everything, giving warmth, life and joy. The Sun is the light at the end of the tunnel, the source of all that is wished for. Positively associated with happiness, greatness, enlightenment, vitality, good health, love, and fulfillment. Negatively associated with misjudgment, delays, potential failure, and inflated ego.

20 Judgment - Judgment heralds a time of reward. It is the card of wisdom and acceptance. It represents new phases in life and new relationships with the self. Positively associated with rebirth, rejoicing, absolution, new potential, and rewards for past efforts. Negatively associated with guilt, loss, self-reproach, delays, fear, and obstinacy.

21 The World - The World is the end. The arrival of all the desires you hoped for. It is the beginning and the end, the dream, the hope and wish itself. Positively associated with fulfillment, completion, satisfaction, joy, wholeness, and success. Negatively associate with stagnation, lack of will, impatience, and delays.

Divinatory Meanings of the Greater Arcana

THE PICTORIAL KEY TO THE TAROT
By Arthur Edward Waite
Illustrations By Pamela Colman Smith
[1911]

§ 3 THE GREATER ARCANA AND THEIR DIVINATORY MEANINGS

"Such are the intimations of the Lesser Arcana in respect of divinatory art, the veridic nature of which seems to depend on an alternative that it may be serviceable to express briefly. The records of the art are ex hypothesi the records of findings in the past based upon experience; as such, they are a guide to memory, and those who can master the elements may--still ex hypothesi--give interpretations on their basis. It is an official and automatic working. On the other hand, those who have gifts of intuition, of second sight, of clairvoyance--call it as we choose and may--will supplement the experience of the past by the findings of their own faculty, and will speak of that which they have seen in the pretexts of the oracles. It remains to give, also briefly, the divinatory significance allocated by the same art to the Trumps Major.

1. THE MAGICIAN.--Skill, diplomacy, address, subtlety; sickness, pain, loss, disaster, snares of enemies; self-confidence, will; the Querent, if male. Reversed: Physician, Magus, mental disease, disgrace, disquiet.

2. THE HIGH PRIESTESS.--Secrets, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed; the woman who interests the Querent, if male; the Querent herself, if female; silence, tenacity; mystery, wisdom, science. Reversed: Passion, moral or physical ardour, conceit, surface knowledge.

3. THE EMPRESS.--Fruitfulness, action, initiative, length of days; the unknown, clandestine; also difficulty, doubt, ignorance. Reversed: Light, truth, the unravelling of involved matters, public rejoicings; according to another reading, vacillation.

4. THE EMPEROR.--Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person; aid, reason, conviction; also authority and will. Reversed: Benevolence, compassion, credit; also confusion to enemies, obstruction, immaturity.

5. THE HIEROPHANT.--Marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude; by another account, mercy and goodness; inspiration; the man to whom the Querent has recourse. Reversed: Society, good understanding, concord, overkindness, weakness.

6. THE LOVERS.--Attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome. Reversed: Failure, foolish designs. Another account speaks of marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds.

7. THE CHARIOT.--Succour, providence also war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble. Reversed: Riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat.

8. FORTITUDE.--Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity; also complete success and honours. Reversed: Despotism, abuse if power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace.

9. THE HERMIT.--Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption. Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution.

10. WHEEL OF FORTUNE.-Destiny, fortune, success, elevation, luck, felicity. Reversed: Increase, abundance, superfluity.

11. JUSTICE.--Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the deserving side in law. Reversed: Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity.

12. THE HANGED MAN.--Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy. Reversed: Selfishness, the crowd, body politic.

13. DEATH.--End, mortality, destruction, corruption also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.

14. TEMPERANCE.--Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation. Reversed: Things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry the Querent; also disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests.

15. THE DEVIL.--Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil. Reversed: Evil fatality, weakness, pettiness, blindness.

16. THE TOWER.--Misery, distress, indigence, adversity, calamity, disgrace, deception, ruin. It is a card in particular of unforeseen catastrophe. Reversed: According to one account, the same in a lesser degree also oppression, imprisonment, tyranny.

17. THE STAR.--Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says-hope and bright prospects, Reversed: Arrogance, haughtiness, impotence.

18. THE MOON.--Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error. Reversed: Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error.

19. THE SUN.--Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment. Reversed: The same in a lesser sense.

20. THE LAST JUDGMENT.--Change of position, renewal, outcome. Another account specifies total loss though lawsuit. Reversed: Weakness, pusillanimity, simplicity; also deliberation, decision, sentence.

ZERO. THE FOOL.--Folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy, bewrayment. Reversed: Negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy, nullity, vanity.

21. THE WORLD.--Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place. Reversed: Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence.

It will be seen that, except where there is an irresistible suggestion conveyed by the surface meaning, that which is extracted from the Trumps Major by the divinatory art is at once artificial and arbitrary, as it seems to me, in the highest degree. But of one order are the mysteries of light and of another are those of fantasy. The allocation of a fortune-telling aspect to these cards is the story of a prolonged impertinence."

Source:
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot: Being Fragments of a Secret Tradition Under the Veil of Divination. London: W. Rider & Son, 1911, pp. 160-163.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/pkt/pkt0303.htm

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Tarot: The Thoth Deck

The Thoth Tarot Deck
By Craig Malone

The Thoth Tarot Deck was a tarot deck developed by the English occultist Aleister Crowley and illustrated on his instructions by Lady Frieda Harris. Aleister Crowley called the Thoth tarot deck, the book of Thoth and claimed that the deck reflected the wisdom of the ancient Egyptian book of Thoth. The tarot card descriptions found on the Thoth Tarot deck are different in symbolism and imagery compared to other standard tarot card decks.

Thoth is considered one of the most important deities of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. He is known as the God with the head of an ibis. He is the heart and tongue of the all-powerful Egyptian Sun God Ra. He translated the will of Ra into speech and is the divine communicator of Egyptian mythology. He was the scribe of the Gods and was called the God of Writing. The book of Thoth is used for divination through tarot cards. The tarot card descriptions on the Thoth deck are reflections of the great knowledge of the ancient Egyptians.

A cult of Thoth grew during the last years of the Egyptian civilization who claimed to predict the future through occult divination. Aleister Crowley claims that the Thoth tarot deck developed by him was based on the tarot card descriptions followed by the cult of Thoth. He developed the deck between 1938 and 1943. He commissioned Lady Frieda Harris to illustrate the deck based on his visions and based on the ancient Egyptian book of Thoth papyrus by Jasnow and Zauzich. It took five years to develop the deck because Crowley wanted the images to reflect different disciplines including science and philosophy.

The tarot card descriptions in the Crowley Thoth tarot deck are different from the Rider Waite and other standard tarot card decks. The Major Arcana or trump cards are 21 in number and consist of the fool, the Magician or Magus, the high Priestess, the Emperor, the Empress, the Hierophant, the lovers, the chariot, Adjustment, the hermit, the wheel of fortune, lust, the hanged man, death, art, devil, tower, star, moon, sun, aeon and the universe. Court cards in the Thoth minor Arcana deck are the prince, the princess, queen and the knight. While the suite of cups, disks, swords and wands remain the same, they are illustrated with an Egyptian hieroglyphic style. The pips of the minor Arcana in the Thoth deck relate to the signs of the zodiac with the aces depicting the root of the element they represent. Each pip card in each suite has an attribute.

The wand suite relates to the fire signs of the zodiac. The ace represents the root of the fire element 2 dominions, 3 virtues, 4 completion, 5 strife, 6 victory, 7valor, 8 swiftness, 9 strength and 10 oppression.

The cup suite represents the water signs of the zodiac. The ace represents the root of the water element, 2 love,3 abundance, 4 luxury, 5 disappointment, 6 pleasure, 7 debauchery, 8 indolence, 9 happiness and 10 safety.

The sword suite represents the air signs of the zodiac. The ace represents the root of the air element 2 peace, 3 sorrow, 4 truces, 5 defeats, 6 science, 7 futility, 8 interference, 9 cruelty and 10 ruin.

The disks suite represents the earth signs of the zodiac. The ace is the root of the earth element, 2 change, 3 work, 4 power, 5 worry, 6 success, 7 failure, 8 prudence, 9 gain and 10 wealth.

The Thoth tarot deck reflects the tarot card descriptions that formed the visions of Aleister Crowley on a visit to Egypt. Many diviners have found great merit in predicting the future using the Thoth Tarot deck.

CM is a writer for SpiritNow.com. Visit SpiritNow.com today, the online home of America's Top Psychic, Sylvia Browne. Read Sylvia's 2009 psychic predictions and the best spirituality content on the Internet on SpiritNow.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Malone

Tarot Cards Can Help You

How Tarot Cards Can Help You... Really!
By: Glen Wearden

What Are Tarot Cards?
Made up of no less than seventy-eight cards, each deck of Tarot cards are all the same. Tarot cards come in all sizes with all types of artwork on both the front and back - some even make their own Tarot cards. The meaning and the message of each one of those seventy-eight cards, however, always remains the same.

Tarot cards were first used by the Celtic people more than two thousand years ago. Many believe that Tarot cards serve only to tell the future, but this is not true. When used traditionally, Tarot cards speak of the past and present, and are supposed to give clues and ideas about the future that you are potentially heading into.

What's In the Cards?
Tarot cards are made up of four suits - much like any regular deck of cards. In fact, Tarot cards have all the same values as traditional playing cards: ace through king for each suit. Only one extra card is added to the royal family in Tarot cards - the squire, his position is just under that of the knave (also known as the jack).

The suits are as follows: wands, which in general speak of esoteric issues such as spirituality or creativity; swords, which speak of conflicts and tensions; cups (or pentacles), which are always about money; and cups, which deal in relationship matters and love. The other twenty-two cards of the standard Tarot deck are called the Major Arcana cards, and are all very specific. Cards such as the Devil, the Tower, and Death are in the Major Arcana.

How Could a Tarot Card Reading Actually Help Me?
When done traditionally, a Tarot card reading can put everything into perspective in a clear and understandable way. Every Tarot card reading is prefaced by a question, one that you do not have to reveal to your Tarot card reader but that you keep to yourself. Each card will come up in the past, present, or future position and will shed some light on the topic of your question.

Whether or not you believe in spiritual or esoteric things, or even in the art of telling the future, a Tarot card reading can help you better understand your own thoughts. You'll realize potentially dangerous patterns in your life, and get a better understanding of self. Even the question that you ask in your mind can help you understand something about yourself, and in this way a Tarot card reading can truly help you.

Can Anyone Read Tarot Cards, Or Do I Have To Call Someone or Go Online?
Anyone can learn how to read Tarot cards. There are many books available, both in online and physical bookstores that will tell you the meaning and message of each and every card. Every card in Tarot has a card-specific meaning, and a message or warning. The good news is, there's no secret about what these cards mean to convey - so you, too, can learn how to read the Tarot.

Once you know the meaning of the cards (and it's not something you have to memorize; it's perfectly okay to keep notes by you when you try to give yourself a Tarot card reading), you can read the Tarot for yourself or for others. Any book you read about the Tarot will explain the spreads to use - the way to lay the cards out to understand their meaning and placement in the scheme of your question.

An Ancient Mystery
Tarot cards are more ancient than religion. Tarot cards are older than most languages and most writing, and yet they are still around and are still being used today the exact same way they were used thousands of years ago. If Tarot cards didn't help people, why would they still be used and still be so popular?

Author Bio
I have been studying Tarot for seven years and have incorporated it in my dailly meditation routine. My purpose for this article is to give others a free resource which can hopefully change their lives for the better.

Article Source: http://www.articlegeek.com/arts/astrology_articles/howtarotcardshelpyou.htm

Tarot Card & Reading Myths

Top Ten Myths About Tarot Cards and Tarot Reading

Author: Fred Street

Myth 1 - "Tarot cards can predict the future"

Predicting the future is not difficult we can all do it. If for example you know someone who is consistently spending more than they earn and paying for it by building up a credit card debt then it's not hard to predict where that one is heading. Or if you know someone who is expecting a baby you may, based on experience, accurately predict that they will have many months of sleep deprivation and tiredness ahead of them. The Tarot does little more than this. It has centuries of human experience distilled into a simple philosophy and meaning for each card. Another way to look at it is to say the Tarot doesn't make precise predictions of the future it merely allows us glimpses at some of the likely possibilities.

Myth 2 - "The Tarot come from Ancient Egypt"

The earliest that Tarot can be dated back to is 16th century Italy. There is no evidence of Tarot existing anywhere else in the world prior to this. Some people claim the cards derive from India or China but this is also baseless speculation.

Myth 3 - "Receiving the Death card means someone is about to die"

Unlikely. The whole point of the symbolism of the cards is that they represent deeper life truths. To take any of the cards literally would be to miss out on a layers of meaning and insight. In the case of the Death card, to the medieval mind Death represented an inevitable change and often a passing to a better place. The card represents change and evolution. One can't, however, rule out the possibility of this occasionally actually signifying a death.

Myth 4 - "Reading Tarot is dabbling in the occult"

There are many claims that the Tarot have Pagan, witchcraft or shamanic roots and some have even implicated the Tarot in devil worship and satanic rites. Another frequent claim is that the Tarot derives from ancient religions now forgotten. None of this is true. Tarot , as has already been said, originated in medieval Italy and the predominant cultural backdrop of that time was christian. The symbolism of the cards is either christian or jewish - new testament or old. The word 'occult' merely means 'hidden' so in that sense one could say taking a reading is dealing with the occult because one is trying to reveal what is hidden.

Myth 5 - "Reading your own cards will bring misfortune"

This is one which professional readers and those experienced with the cards know not to be true but which often gets repeated. It may have arisen from the fact that Tarot card readers will avoid reading their own cards. Not because it is unlucky but simply because it is not effective. A good Tarot reading requires three parties; the questioner, the reader and the deck. The reader tries to remain objective and reports to the questioner what the cards are saying without any bias or desire to hear a particular message. Playing this role for your own reading is difficult if not impossible.

Myth 6 - "You need to have some psychic ability to read the Tarot"

Most people can learn to read the Tarot to a lesser or greater extent. No psychic powers are necessary because all the wisdom is in the cards and the meanings which have been developed over the years. In fact if one was psychic why would you need to use the Tarot? Tarot works best when the reader drops their preconceptions and feelings about a problem and just lets the cards do the talking.

Myth 7 - "Nobody should ever handle your Tarot deck"

There are some practitioners that wont let anyone else touch their Tarot cards. Even when they carry out a reading they wont allow the questioner to shuffle the deck for themselves. In my experience this precious attitude comes from those who want to build up themselves and their deck to be something special. A control thing if you like. This is against the spirit of Tarot which promotes open enquiry and sharing of understanding. Allowing clients to shuffle the cards helps them to feel a part of the process and focus on the problem at hand.

Myth 8 "The Tarot can be used to cast spells or effect other people"

It is sometimes thought that the Tarot can be used to make things happen rather than predict them. To influence someone's life from afar, for good or evil. This is a long way from what the cards are actually about, which is simply gaining understanding. There is no reason to believe that the Tarot has any power other than that of insight. One of the frequent messages that comes out of Tarot readings is actually how little ability we sometimes have to influence our own lives let alone someone else's. Put in a nutshell the Tarot would probably say 'get your own act together before you try to change others'.

Myth 9 - "Different decks give different readings"

This is slightly subjective but in my experience, no. Whatever the deck the meanings derived over four centuries remain the same. Different people will however relate more warmly to some decks rather than others and the images that the client is most comfortable with will create the best atmosphere for a reading. A cynical person might suspect this myth is propagated by the deck manufacturers.

Myth 10 - "It is dangerous to have too many Tarot readings"

There is a belief that people who become obsessed with Tarot and keep taking one reading after another bring themselves bad luck or even risk pushing themselves over the edge. This maybe true in as much as seeking constant advice can be a sign of some sort of impending crisis. Such people may also have been close to the edge anyway. The main thing is that too much advice is bad for anyone and only leads to confusion.

For more information about Tarot cards and their meanings visit http://www.tarotcardmeaning.info or try our free online Tarot card reading.

About the Author:

Fred Street is the creator of http://www.tarot-cards-reading.com a free Tarot reading site which offers a wide range of readings online and by email. Ideal for anyone learning Tarot[.]

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Top Ten Myths About Tarot Cards and Tarot Reading

Tarot Card Review

An Overture to Review Tarot Cards

Author: Angelys Groshong

Tarot cards consist of twenty one cards for every suit. Scarcely any parts of Europe use the deck to play games, but this is less favored in English speaking countries where the deck is commonly used for divination.

Tarot cards pinpoint their past events back in the 14th century. Speculation denotes that they were founded in Islamic countries, but the leading actual news of them is when they were banned in the dominantly Christian area of Bern, Switzerland. Early tarot decks, anyhow, featured only sixteen trump cards, as compared to the 21 that are promoted in up-to-the-minute decks.

A deck of tarot cards, as they are used nowadays, contains 78 cards, every one of of which contain disparate, meaningful symbols which may be interpreted in a number of ways. The deck contains a total of four suits, and the names of the suits might deviate depending upon the tarot deck one is using. Usually times, the suits are referred to as wands, cups, swords, and coins, which make up what is called the Minor Arcana. Meanwhile, the Major Arcana is made up of of twenty two cards, all of which are used to signify major events or people in a reading.

Reading a tarot card is easy, as each trump card has a distinct meaning. Without regard to, careful interpretation is needed if one wants to read the meaning from the collection of cards. These cards demonstrate astrological connections with readings placed under the context of the Octavian Calendar. Tarot cards are concluded to readily describe the personal and emotional properties of the subject.

The rich and age-ancient tradition of tarot reading is constantly evolving through time. The methods of interpreting tarot cards continue to change to catch up with the civilisation it is living in. The change in meaning could also contribute to the evolution of the card itself. The bits of a tarot card today are far divergent from what it was anteriorly.

Multitudinous tarot readings are done face to face. You could spot someone who reads tarot cards in your local area by fact-finding online, checking local listings or asking at an occult bookshop. You should come prepared with a question or query much of the time, and might pinpoint that while you can gain some advantageous insights from a reading, it is more a perceptive tool than a truly esoteric one. Each tarot reader has their own preferences with regard to how they lay out cards and read them; though, you can reasonable expect that a more complex and time consuming reading will be more costly.

Alternative tarot card reading methods include phone and online readings. While there are free Internet stages to read your fortunes, they are only for illustrate or offered as a gimmick. On the other hand, professional tarot card readers offering their services over the phone may cost about £5.00 per reading. Card reading over the phone offers a variant approach to commercial tarot card reading, since the customer could have a hotline to know his fortunes on demand. Card reading allows populace to display their fortunes checked every morning, which is both convenient and lifestyle altering.

Tarot card reading is seen as a trivial activity today, but many still hold extreme opinions about these cards. Either these cards come from the devil or are legit guide to your fortunes. Whatever value we afford to these cards, there is no question that they reflect a unusual angle to our experiences and customs.

About the Author:

Angelys Groshong is a swell relationship counselling phone clairvoyant who offers clarifcations on tarot card readings as a online counselling spiritualist.

Article Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/an-overture-to-review-tarot-cards-748093.html

Pattylinn's Tarot Experience

PATTYLINN'S TAROT EXPERIENCE
(a Salem-Turnopia Tale)

Dear Cousin Bertha:

Did you celebrate the last Full Moon in Lower Greybogg? It was in Taurus, I know that is your sign, so I figured you must really be full of energy. Unless your sign is badly aspected, that is... it must not be though, or mom would have asked me to light a candle for you, you know how she is about healing stuff. I got together with my Circle, we call ourselves the Full Moon Loonies, since Blanche is a member and her boyfriend is a werewolf, lol. Get it? Loonie? Full Moon? Werewolf Oh, what the hell. Anyway. We decided to stay sober this time after the ritual, (Blanche has a tendency to go overboard on the wine part of the cakes & wine after the full moon ceremonies).

May Witters decided that a full moon would be great for having a group tarot reading. She shuffled the deck, and each one of us (all 13) closed our eyes and picked one card. Then one at a time, we sent our card around the circle and so we had 12 readings on our card, each. It was really a great idea, and a lot of fun. Well, at leastit was fun until it was my turn to read Lorna Baywolf's card. I looked at her card, and it was the Major Arcana card called "The Fool". As you know, it shows a young man about to step off a cliff, totally unaware and not looking where he is going, with a little dog snapping at his heels. One of the meanings of it is taking a 'leap of faith'.

When I looked at it and concentrated, things around me started getting dim, and I felt myself falling into the card. I wound up on my backside with a "thump!" on the grass. The young man stopped stepping off the cliff and came over to help. The dog kept licking me in the face and yapping. Totally annoying! But the guy was really cute. After staring into his big brown eyes for a few minutes, I noticed that we were right there near the cliff. I asked him why in the heck he wasn't looking where he was going and about to walk off the cliff. He smiled at me... oooo, he had cute freckles and a sexy smile... and said he (Kevyn) was just waiting for someone like me to rescue him. Then he said that he had food wrapped up in the bandana he had on a stick, along with another set of clothes. There was actually wine and cheese in there! Pretty strong wine, too. And he could really kiss!

We were getting down to some really steamy kissing, when the dog came up and yapped at us and tried to drag Kevyn back toward the cliff. I kind of accidentally kicked him (hard) and he ran off yelping... the dog, that is. We had the nicest little afternoon interlude, which is a nice way of saying hot monkey sex, but then... The little dog came back and started snarling and biting at us, and we were so startled that we stepped backwards. Oops! We went fell off the cliff, wine bottle, bandana, and all.

And that is the true story of how I wound up falling in the middle of the tarot circle in my "birthday suit". Of course, I would deny it to anyone else but you, cousin. You know how good I am at binding spells, so I know you will keep my secret!

Lots of love, Your Cuz,

Pattylinn Paranorme
133 Spider Avenue
Salem-Turnopia

...........................................

© Copyright 10/28/07
Beth Clare Johnson
(Mystic Raven)

The Snail

At the bottom of the Nine of Pentacles, Pamela Colman Smith painted a snail. What idea was she trying to help us to see?

Sandra A. Thompson, in her book “Pictures From the Heart”, tells us that snails are a lunar symbol and represent not only feminine energy but also the cycle of death and rebirth. She goes on to say that the shell is linked to the spiral and to self sufficiency.

The number nine is often linked to the Sephirah Yesod and to the unconscious while also meaning completion and ease in that particular suit. A pentacle is a five sided star that is surrounded by a coin. Isabel Kliegman sees this symbol as representing the body and the soul. The star is what we are made of and the coin is the body that houses it.

So what do we have? Someone who feels comfortable in her body, someone who has worked hard and can now enjoy the fruits of her labour. Someone who is self sufficient and proud of the person she has become. At the same time, she knows that all things must pass. Life is a never ending cycle of birth, growth, deterioration and death. Knowing this, she can enjoy what she has made, both in the outside world and in her soul. She can enjoy but not be bound by it. She is not afraid of the loss of her power or position because she knows that what she so meticulously built up can be taken away at any moment. And this is okay. She can build again. She is not her possessions.

What more can the snail tell us? Perhaps Ms Colman Smith wanted to point out that perfection is a myth. No true garden is free of insects, dirt and debris. Each and every garden has a snail just as every human has some habit or characteristic that makes them seem less than perfect. The woman in this card is at ease in her body and in her surroundings. She sees the snail in her garden but loves and enjoys what she has made anyway. She knows that perhaps in the eyes of others she is too short or too fat or too poor, but deep inside that star in the middle of the pentacle she is perfect unto herself. She not only accepts the snail in her garden, she welcomes it.

I keep a snail on my computer monitor and another on the kitchen windowsill. They remind me that I don’t have to look “perfect” to others. In fact “what other people think of me is none of my business”. I must acknowledge the snail in my garden and give it pride of place in my being. It is that snail who makes me who I am.

The world is full of human beings who have no confidence, who feel no joy in being who they are. People can spend their entire lives trying to “fix” themselves, to remake themselves in the image of what popular culture dictates as “perfect”. There are billion dollar industries that prey on this mistaken sense of what is “right”, what is “acceptable”. For some people it does not matter how much they own or how much they accomplish. It is never enough; they can never enjoy it because they need to erase that snail. They feel an overwhelming urgency to obtain perfection.

Why do we waste our precious time and resources denying the snail in our garden? Take a close look at the face of the woman in the card. Do you see her serenity? Does she look apologetic for being successful, well dressed, and self sufficient? No. She is happy and confident and at home with herself and with her life.

One other thing comes to mind when I look at the snail on the Nine of Pentacles from the Rider Waite Smith deck. Snails move slowly. We have all heard and used the term, “He is as slow as a snail”. In this world of computers and almost instantaneous e-mail we use the term “snail mail” to symbolize the slowness of regular postal mail. This card is a snapshot of our lives. The world has slowed down to a crawl and we can now take the time to enjoy what we have created, what we have become. Ultimately time moves forward and nothing lasts forever. But in the world of the Nine of Pentacles, the snail reminds us to find peace within our being and to be proud of who we are; warts, snails and all.


Sesheta-mallorn ~ May 2004

Symbolic Tarot

"SYMBOLISM OF EACH OF THE KEYS"
By
S. L. MacGregor Mathers
[1888]

Description of the symbolism of each of these hieroglyphical keys.

1. The Juggler or Magician. Before a table covered with the appliances of his art stands the figure of a juggler, one hand upraised holding a wand (in some packs, a cup), the other pointing downwards. He wears a cap of maintenance like that of the kings, whose wide brim forms a sort of aureole round his head. His body and arms form the shape of the Hebrew letter Aleph, to which this card corresponds. He symbolises Will.

2. The High Priestess, or Female Pope. A woman crowned with a high mitre or tiara (her head encircled by a veil), a stole (or a solar cross) upon her breast, and the Book of Science open in her hand. She represents Science, Wisdom, or Knowledge.

3. The Empress. A winged and crowned woman seated upon a throne, having in one hand a sceptre bearing a globe surmounted by a cross, while she rests the other upon a shield with an eagle blazoned therein on whose breast is the cross. She is the Symbol of Action, the result of the union of Science and Will.

4. The Emperor. He is crowned (and leaning against a throne, his legs form a cross, and beside him, beneath his left hand, is a shield blazoned with an eagle). In his right hand he bears a sceptre similar to that of the Empress. His body and arms form a triangle, of which his head is the apex, so that the whole figure represents a triangle above a cross. He represents Realisation.

5. The Hierophant or Pope. He is crowned with the papal tiara, and seated between the two pillars of Hermes and of Solomon, with his right hand he makes the sign of esoterism, and with his left he leans upon a staff surmounted by a triple cross. (Before him kneel two ministers.) He is the symbol of Mercy and Beneficence.

6. The Lovers. This is usually described as representing Man between Vice and Virtue, while a winged genius threatens Vice with his dart. But I am rather inclined to the opinion that it represents the Qabalistical Microprosopus between Binah and Malkuth (see my Kabbalah Unveiled), while the figure above shows the Influence descending from Kether. It is usually considered to mean Proof or Trial; but I am inclined to suggest Wise Disposition as its signification.

7. The Chariot. This is a most complicated and important symbol, which has been restored by Eliphas Levi. It represents a Conqueror crowned and bearing a sceptre, riding in a cubical chariot, surmounted by four columns and a canopy, and drawn by two horses, one of which looks straight forward, while the other turns his head towards him. (Two wheels are shown in the complete single-headed figure.) It represents Triumph, and Victory of Justice and Judgment.

8. Justice. A woman crowned and seated on a throne (between two columns), holding in her right hand an upright sword, and in her left the scales. She symbolises Equilibrium and Justice.

9. The Hermit. An old and bearded man wrapped in a mantle, and with his head covered with a cowl, bearing in his right hand the lantern of occult science, while in his left he holds his magic wand half hidden beneath his cloak. He is Prudence.

10. The Wheel of Fortune. A wheel of seven spokes (the two halves of the double-headed cards make it eight spokes, which is incorrect) revolving (between two uprights), On the ascending side is an animal ascending, and on the descending side is a sort of monkey descending; both forms are bound to the wheel. Above it is the form of an angel (or a sphinx in some) holding a sword in one hand and a crown in the other. This very complicated symbol is much disfigured, and has been well restored by Levi. It symbolises Fortune, good or bad.

11. Strength or Fortitude. A woman crowned with crown and cap of maintenance, who calmly, and Without effort, closes the jaws of a furious lion. She represents Strength.

12. The Hanged Man. This extraordinary symbol is almost unintelligible in the double-headed cards. Properly, it represents a man hung head downwards from a sort of gibbet by one foot (his hands are bound behind his back in such a manner that his body forms a triangle with the point downwards), and his legs a cross above it. (Two sacks or weights are attached to his armpits.) He symbolises Sacrifice.

13. Death. A skeleton armed with a Scythe (wherewith he mows down heads in a meadow like grass). He signifies Transformation, or Change.

14. Temperance An angel with the sign of the Sun on her brow Pouring liquid from one vessel into another. She represents Combination.

15. The Devil. A horned and winged demon with eagle's claws (standing on an altar to which two smaller devils are bound by a collar and cord). In his left hand he bears a flame-headed sceptre. He is the image of Fate or Fatality, good or evil.

16. The Lightning-struck Tower. A Tower whose Upper part is like a crown, struck by a lightning-flash. (Two men fall headlong from it, One of whom is in such an attitude as to form a Hebrew letter Ayin.) Sparks and debris are falling. It shows Ruin, Disruption.

17. The Star. A nude female figure pours water upon the earth from two vases. In the heavens above her shines the Blazing Star of the Magi (surrounded by seven others), trees and plants grow beneath her magic influence (and on one the butterfly of Psyche alights). She is the star of Hope.

18. The Moon. The moon shining in the heavens, drops of dew falling, a wolf and a dog howling at the Moon, and halted at the foot of two towers, a path which loses itself in the horizon (and is sprinkled with drops of blood, a crayfish emblematic of the sign Cancer, ruled over by the Moon, crawls through water in the foreground towards the land). It symbolises Twilight, Deception, and Error.

19. The Sun. The Sun sending down his rays upon two children, who suggest the sign Gemini. (Behind them is a low wall.) It signifies Earthly Happiness.

20. The Last Judgment. An Angel in the heavens blowing a trumpet, to which a standard with a cross thereon is attached. The Dead rise from their tombs. It signifies Renewal, Result.

0. The Foolish Man. A man with a fool's cap, dressed like a jester, with a stick and bundle over his shoulder. Before him is the butterfly of pleasure luring him on (while in some packs a tiger, in others a dog, attacks him from behind). It signifies Folly, Expiation.

21. The Universe. Within a flowery wreath is a female figure nude save for a light scarf. She represents Nature and the Divine Presence therein. In each hand she should bear a wand. At the four angles of the card are the four cherubic animals of the Apocalypse. Above, the Eagle and the Man; below, the Lion and the Bull. It represents Completion, Reward.

Thus the whole series of the twenty-two trumps will give a connected sentence which is capable of being read thus:--The Human Will (1) enlightened by Science (2) and manifested by

Action (3) should find its Realisation (4) in deeds of Mercy and Beneficence (5). The Wise Disposition (6) of this will give him Victory (7) through Equilibrium (8) and Prudence (9), over the fluctuations of Fortune (10). Fortitude (11), sanctified by Sacrifice of Self (12), will triumph over Death itself (13), and thus a Wise Combination (14) will enable him to defy Fate (15). In each Misfortune (16) he will see the Star of Hope (17) shine through the twilight of Deception (18); and ultimate Happiness (19) will be the Result (20). Folly (0), on the other hand, will bring about an evil Reward (21).

To prepare the pack for Fortune-telling, write at the top of each card its number and signification when in its proper position, and at the bottom its meaning when reversed. To facilitate this, and to assist in reading them I here append a list of the cards with the meanings, which, I think, will be found to answer all practical purposes R. means Reversed.

Source:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/mathers/mtar02.htm