The Fool Is The Main Character On A Quest To Find More Meaning In Life. As He Moves From One Card To The Next, The Fool Faces New Information, Challenges, Insights, And Life Lessons. This Is A Progressive Experience That Ends Naturally With The World Tarot Card.

 

   A Card From The Major Arcana Is Used As The Starting Point In A Typical Tarot Reading. Every Further Tarot Card Is Interpreted About This Key Symbol: A Specific Storyline With Genuine Meaning And Insights Develops.

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   While there is nothing magical about the cards, some people enjoy having rituals for using them. Some like to "cleanse" their cards by wrapping them in purple silk. Others prefer to be the only ones who touch their cards. 

 

   Whether needed or not, this reverence and ceremony toward the cards remind us that this is a spiritual undertaking. It's essential to respect their advice and not abuse the act of reading by using the cards too much or applying them to insignificant matters.

 

   Tarot is like having a window into your soul. Most religions believe we have a higher self, a watcher, a helper, or an immortal part who knows the future and sometimes tries to guide us. The most common form of communication we receive from our all-knowing other-selves is through our dreams.

 

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Choosing a Tarot Deck

 

   A Tarot beginner must choose and buy his or her own deck of cards. Tarot is about intuition and interpreting the feelings you get from the imagery. Therefore, the deck you use must talk to you. It's a personal choice and not for anyone else to make for you, even though someone might mean well and want to give you a deck as a gift. You will know which deck is for you when you see it. Once you have become competent with using your selected Tarot deck, then try experimenting with another type of Tarot deck to compare the symbols, imagery, and results. 

 

The most popular tarot deck is the original Rider Waite Smith Tarot deck, which has been the best-selling Tarot deck since it was first published over 100 years ago. Even though its illustrations are simple and basic, its symbology is perhaps the most accurate of any Tarot deck ever published. The author, Arthur E. Waite, and the artist, Pamela C. Smith, were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and experts in the occult, metaphysics, and the paranormal.

 

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The Spread

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   Tarot requires a question foremost in your mind when shuffling, laying out, and picking the cards. It's best not to ask trivial questions. Often in Tarot, you will find that the cards will ignore your question and tell you what you need to know, not what you want to know. For example, if you ask a question about money, but the cards you selected are mostly Cups cards, The Lovers, and so forth, then the Tarot is trying to tell you something more important about a relationship. 

 

   This is another reason for learning the elements of Tarot. It will enable you to recognize the theme of what you are being told in the answer. The answer should match the elemental category of the question if you are being given a straight answer.

 

There are two ways to read Tarot spreads. 

 

1. You can use a structured spread, where each card's position signifies something specific, such as in the popular Celtic Cross spread. This approach anchors the Tarot more closely to the subject. Or...

2. You can instead use an unstructured spread of any number of cards from one to a dozen or more.

 

The unstructured spread is well-suited to beginners and professionals alike. It allows more freedom for the Tarot to "speak freely."

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   The Tarot may not answer your question but point to something more important that you should focus on. The first card you pick will give you the basic yes, no, or general theme of the situation. The following cards will give you a supporting explanation, helping to build out the message more fully.

 

Reading the Cards

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   A good practice for beginners is to take notes on each spread you read. This app allows you to add notes to each of your spreads. If you rely on books to read and interpret the messages from Tarot spreads, your results will likely have a lower level of accuracy. 

 

   The art of Tarot divination is learning to use intuition to see the story that Tarot is sharing through the images on the cards. On first looking at the spread, say what you see in the pictures. It helps to verbalize what you see. Imagine the cards are like a picture book story, and you provide the words. 

 

   Tarot books will give you the standard meaning of each card and/or the common theme for a given author. Compare Tarot books on specific cards, and you will soon see a bewildering array of interpretations for each card. This can be an informational overload when all you need is right in front of you in the cards.

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   If the story doesn't come to you, relax and avoid over-analyzing the spread. Clear your mind of all thoughts, and look at the story in front of you. Allow the images on the cards to stimulate your subconscious.. 

 

   If something pops into your head, go with it. See where it takes you. 

 

   Having learned the symbology of the four elements and the Numerology of Tarot, the Minor Arcana (the four suits that include the court cards) should be easier for you to feel your way around. The Major Arcana (cards 0 through 22) is much more visually rich and powerful. 

 

   An important distinction between the two Arcanas is that the Minor Arcana often refers to problems or situations you can avoid or work around or through. The Major Arcana more often refer to situations outside of your control or unavoidable turns that life will appear in your path. Only after you have allowed yourself to see the cards with a clear mind, without preconceptions, and made a first interpretation should you refer back to your books to check for additional insights. You will often find your first gut feeling or instinct most accurate.

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   Unless you live a fast life of high adventure, the more dramatic cards seen regularly will have a more straightforward meaning within the context of your question. 

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    This could warn you that not spending money repairing your car will lead to more severe problems. Try not to over-dramatize the messages. There is no need to fear any card in the deck. 

 

   Drawing the Death card doesn't mean you or anyone else will die. It could represent a simple transition. Once you tune into your intuition, you will learn to feel the weight of the message and know if the message is about minor or significant changes or issues to come.

 

 

The Classic Elements

 

   The classical elements should not be confused with the elements of chemistry seen on a periodic table. The classical elements are the elements of human life. In modern times, it's easy to forget that only a short time ago, human existence was significantly more complex, perilous, and primitive and had been so for the millennia since humans first walked upon the earth. Just as many of us have an irrational fear of spiders and snakes, even without prior contact, so do we carry the imprinted ancient knowledge of these four cornerstones of human life and survival.

 

Fire

 

  The fire element represents our home, family, and the community in which we live and work. The fire was our first innovation. It allowed us to cook food and ward off dangerous animals while we slept at night. Our family and community gathered around the fire. Fire in the human conscious and subconscious has come to represent the heart of the home, family, and community. We still do this today through summer BBQs, where family, friends, and communities gather. Fire symbolizes our innovation, engineering, and ability to build structures and homes. It represents our creativity. We learned to craft metals and later drive machines with fire.

 

  In the Minor Arcana of Tarot, the suit of Rods, Sticks, Batons, or Wands represents the element of fire. With regular playing cards, it would be the suit of Clubs. When considering the meaning of any card from this suit, the characteristics of fire and how it relates to humankind's psyche must be considered. This symbology applies to dream interpretation as well.

 

Earth

 

  The element of earth represents our wealth and prosperity. The earth provides the food we eat. The animals we rear or hunt for food graze upon the earth. Fertile land has bestowed wealth and power upon those who have it. And while paper money, coins, and material possessions have come to represent wealth today, within our ancient subconscious, the earth still represents wealth symbolically.

 

  In the Minor Arcana of Tarot, the suit of Coins or Pentacles represents the element of earth. With regular playing cards, it would be the suit of Diamonds. When considering the meaning of any card from this suit, the characteristics of earth and how it relates to our psyche must be considered. This symbology applies to dream interpretation as well.

 

Air

 

  The element of air represents the trials and challenges we face in life. Humankind has always needed to use intellect to survive whatever mother nature has thrown in the way. Air is representative of wind and the storms of our lives. Knowledge of the seasons and the tides was and still is, essential for growing or catching food and ensuring our continued survival. The same applies to knowing how to build shelters to protect ourselves and our food supply from nature's extremes. In our ancient subconscious, air still represents our knowledge, the challenges we face, and intelligence as a resource for survival.

 

  In the Minor Arcana of Tarot, the suit of Swords represents the element of Air. With regular playing cards, it would be the suit of Spades. When considering the meaning of any card from this suit, the characteristics of air and how it relates to humankind's psyche must be considered. This symbology applies to dream interpretation as well.

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Water

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   The element of water represents our emotions and intuition. The primary emotion is love. The most extreme human emotions bring about the physical reaction of tears. Tears can come from joy as well as sadness. The secretion of water from the eyes, regarded as the soul's windows, is a powerful symbol of emotion. In music and poetry, water in its various forms is often used to convey feelings and love. Elvis Presley sang, "As a river flows surely to the sea." The Hallmark album that brought Enya international fame has water as a theme in the title track and in every song on the album.

 

  Nothing will grow on the earth without water. We use water for cooking on fire, and the wind brings water as rain. Water is the key ingredient to life. It is the most crucial element of the four. Water cleans our bodies, food, and clothes. It has the ability to purify. In Christianity, water is blessed. It is used in the ritual of baptism. Psychics drink water when they work, as water is a conduit to the higher consciousness and increases their ability to see with the mind's eye. Our bodies are comprised mostly of water; it is what we are.

 

  In the Minor Arcana of Tarot, the suit of Cups represents the element of water. With regular playing cards, it would be the Suit of Hearts. When considering the meaning of any card from this suit, the characteristics of water and how it relates to humankind's psyche must be considered. This symbology applies to dream interpretation as well.

 

  Tarot's Major Arcana also incorporates much elemental symbology. A Tarot reader must always be conscious (and unconsciously) aware of the elements present in the card's imagery. For example, The Sun card is predominantly fire. The Moon card often shows water in its imagery as a lake or the sea. Some cards combine all four elements, such as The Magician, and the Ace card of the Major Arcana. The Magician is usually depicted with four elements: a sword, a wand, a coin, and a cup.

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