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What is Tarot?
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What is Tarot?
Tarot is a time-honored tradition of interpreting a pattern of cards randomly drawn from the deck's 78 traditional
images to gain insight and achieve greater control over issues involving relationships, opportunities, and life
changes. Tarot is over 500 years old, making it a Western repository of ancient wisdom.
The history of Tarot symbols is a study in the Western Mystery Tradition. Legend would have it that Tarot came
out of China, India or Egypt. However, modern tarot scholars date Tarot back to 14th Century Italy and France.
The Tarot pack is set of cards which may be used either for divination, or as a philosophical machine for
answering almost any kind of question put to it through a medium or someone familiar with its powerful
symbolism.
The images on the Tarot, and the interest in predicting events through symbols, dates back to ancient Egypt and
even older civilizations, right across the world. Tarot may have travelled to Europe from the Middle East at the
time of the Crusades, in the 12th century. The earliest surviving Tarot deck, however, comes from 14th century
Italy, where an Italian nobleman had a deck hand-painted as a present for his daughters' marriage.
The Tarot was originally a deck of 78 cards, divided into 4 suits of 14 cards (the standard ace-10, then page,
knight, queen, and king) and 22 un-numbered 'triumphs' or 'trumps'. Over the years, the trumps got numbered 1
to 21, with one card (the fool) remaining un-numbered or sometimes being 0. The 4 suits are commonly called
the 'Minor Arcana' and the trump cards are called the 'Major Arcana'. More loosely, any deck of cards designed for
'fortune-telling', divination, meditation, contemplation, or other non-game uses is popularly called a Tarot deck.
The most commonly found suits for Tarot decks are cups, swords, wands or staffs (probably originally
polo-sticks), and pentacles (originally coins).
SPREADS I USE THE MOST
The Three Card Spread
This spread will tell you your near past, current and near future.
The Ellipse Spread
This spread I have found most useful when a specific question is being asked.
Card 1 Top left: Past influences now having bearing on the situation
Card 2 2nd card from left: Now - the influences surrounding you at the minute
Card 3 3rd from left: Future influence having bearing
Card 4 Bottom of the V: What to do
Card 5 Moving up 1 from bottom V to the right: External influences having bearing
Card 6 2nd card from the right: Hopes and fears
Card 7 Last card on right: Final outcome of this situation
THE CELTIC SPREAD
I use the 11 card Celtic Cross. The Celtic cross is the most common Tarot card layout I've ever come across. With
this popularity there comes the problem of many variances of placement. Below is the one I use with my
comments about the interaction of the placements.
Card 1: You - This position represents your place in the situation and what you need to realize about your
innermost desires regarding the question you asked.
Card 2: What surrounds you - This position represents the conditions surrounding you regarding the questions
you have asked. If the answer you have received is harmonious, they you are in a supportive atmosphere. If
not, your on your own.
Card 3: What hinders you - This position represents an imbalance that may prevent you from achieving the
outcomes indicated in positions #7 and #11 of your reading. It can also represent what is confusing to you. The
energy this position describes can derail your progress unless you learn its lesson.
Card 4: Your Foundation - This position represents a fundamental issue that, if positive, can give you the
strength and security necessary to accomplish your goal. It can represent what you're used to, the way you
were brought up, your habitual way of acting.
Card 5: What is behind you - This position represents the most important past actions and influences that,
relative to your question, have brought things to the way they are now. It can also represent people, ideas, and
conditions that are passing out of your life.
Card 6: What crowns you - This position represents the spiritual goal you must work toward to attain what you
desire. It contains a a visualization exercise to help you do so. Think of it as the "flag" you should carry on your
march to your goal.
Card 7: What is before you - This position represents the conditions you can expect to encounter in the near
future, either i three to six hours, days or weeks depending on the time frame you have chosen.
Card 8: How to Present Yourself - This position represents how you should conduct yourself to achieve your goal.
Do so knowing full well there is a risk others may misinterpret your action, especially if it is very different in
meaning from position #9
Card 9: How others see you - This position represents how people important to your situation see you relative to
the question you are asking. It may be very different from position #8. This can be positive or negative,
depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
Card 10: Your hopes and fears - This position represents a deep seated fear of which you may not be aware. It
may also represent your hopes and fears about the way your life may change if you attain your goal. Fear can
prevent you from having what you desire, the reason for this position's dual meaning.
Card 11: Outcome - This position represents the conditions you can expect to encounter in the long-term, either
in three to six days, weeks, or months, depending on the time frame you have chosen.
Tarot is a time-honored tradition of interpreting a pattern of cards randomly drawn from the deck's 78 traditional
images to gain insight and achieve greater control over issues involving relationships, opportunities, and life
changes. Tarot is over 500 years old, making it a Western repository of ancient wisdom.
The history of Tarot symbols is a study in the Western Mystery Tradition. Legend would have it that Tarot came
out of China, India or Egypt. However, modern tarot scholars date Tarot back to 14th Century Italy and France.
The Tarot pack is set of cards which may be used either for divination, or as a philosophical machine for
answering almost any kind of question put to it through a medium or someone familiar with its powerful
symbolism.
The images on the Tarot, and the interest in predicting events through symbols, dates back to ancient Egypt and
even older civilizations, right across the world. Tarot may have travelled to Europe from the Middle East at the
time of the Crusades, in the 12th century. The earliest surviving Tarot deck, however, comes from 14th century
Italy, where an Italian nobleman had a deck hand-painted as a present for his daughters' marriage.
The Tarot was originally a deck of 78 cards, divided into 4 suits of 14 cards (the standard ace-10, then page,
knight, queen, and king) and 22 un-numbered 'triumphs' or 'trumps'. Over the years, the trumps got numbered 1
to 21, with one card (the fool) remaining un-numbered or sometimes being 0. The 4 suits are commonly called
the 'Minor Arcana' and the trump cards are called the 'Major Arcana'. More loosely, any deck of cards designed for
'fortune-telling', divination, meditation, contemplation, or other non-game uses is popularly called a Tarot deck.
The most commonly found suits for Tarot decks are cups, swords, wands or staffs (probably originally
polo-sticks), and pentacles (originally coins).
SPREADS I USE THE MOST
The Three Card Spread
This spread will tell you your near past, current and near future.
The Ellipse Spread
This spread I have found most useful when a specific question is being asked.
Card 1 Top left: Past influences now having bearing on the situation
Card 2 2nd card from left: Now - the influences surrounding you at the minute
Card 3 3rd from left: Future influence having bearing
Card 4 Bottom of the V: What to do
Card 5 Moving up 1 from bottom V to the right: External influences having bearing
Card 6 2nd card from the right: Hopes and fears
Card 7 Last card on right: Final outcome of this situation
THE CELTIC SPREAD
I use the 11 card Celtic Cross. The Celtic cross is the most common Tarot card layout I've ever come across. With
this popularity there comes the problem of many variances of placement. Below is the one I use with my
comments about the interaction of the placements.
Card 1: You - This position represents your place in the situation and what you need to realize about your
innermost desires regarding the question you asked.
Card 2: What surrounds you - This position represents the conditions surrounding you regarding the questions
you have asked. If the answer you have received is harmonious, they you are in a supportive atmosphere. If
not, your on your own.
Card 3: What hinders you - This position represents an imbalance that may prevent you from achieving the
outcomes indicated in positions #7 and #11 of your reading. It can also represent what is confusing to you. The
energy this position describes can derail your progress unless you learn its lesson.
Card 4: Your Foundation - This position represents a fundamental issue that, if positive, can give you the
strength and security necessary to accomplish your goal. It can represent what you're used to, the way you
were brought up, your habitual way of acting.
Card 5: What is behind you - This position represents the most important past actions and influences that,
relative to your question, have brought things to the way they are now. It can also represent people, ideas, and
conditions that are passing out of your life.
Card 6: What crowns you - This position represents the spiritual goal you must work toward to attain what you
desire. It contains a a visualization exercise to help you do so. Think of it as the "flag" you should carry on your
march to your goal.
Card 7: What is before you - This position represents the conditions you can expect to encounter in the near
future, either i three to six hours, days or weeks depending on the time frame you have chosen.
Card 8: How to Present Yourself - This position represents how you should conduct yourself to achieve your goal.
Do so knowing full well there is a risk others may misinterpret your action, especially if it is very different in
meaning from position #9
Card 9: How others see you - This position represents how people important to your situation see you relative to
the question you are asking. It may be very different from position #8. This can be positive or negative,
depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
Card 10: Your hopes and fears - This position represents a deep seated fear of which you may not be aware. It
may also represent your hopes and fears about the way your life may change if you attain your goal. Fear can
prevent you from having what you desire, the reason for this position's dual meaning.
Card 11: Outcome - This position represents the conditions you can expect to encounter in the long-term, either
in three to six days, weeks, or months, depending on the time frame you have chosen.
