Tarot is a practice used to gain insight and guidance in our everyday lives. It involves the use of a special 78 card deck with two subgroups known as the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards). These cards have been used for centuries, originating as a card game and later being used to teach religious symbolism in secret. In Tarot, the person asking for guidance is called the Querent, and the person doing the Tarot is called the Diviner or the Oracle. Sometimes, these are the same person.
When doing tarot, the Oracle will start by asking the Querent what they would like to know about. After this, the Oracle will shuffle the cards while focusing on the question until they feel that the intention of receiving an answer has become strong enough. The Oracle then picks and places each card in a specific position on the table. These positions depend on which spread they use. Personally, I prefer the traditional spread known as the Celtic Cross. This spread utilizes ten cards in specific positions that make up a cross and "wand".
Each card position represents a different piece of insight into the situation. The first one represents the present moment, the 6th the distant past, the 5th the immediate future, etc.
Once each card is placed, the oracle may begin their interpretation. Each card in the tarot deck represents something different. The Major Arcana represent archetypal themes such as "Justice" or "Strength" while the Minor Arcana represent specific actions or ideas such as "letting go" or "Thinking with your head not your heart". When the Oracle pieces all of the cards together, it provides a clear message as to how to proceed with the problem the Querent is having.
So what gives each card its meaning? Well, each card is designed with specific symbolic images on it. For example, the Wheel of Fortune:
This card is one of the most symbolic cards of the entire tarot deck. First off, the four figures in each corner are the four fixed signs of the astrological zodiac: Aquarius (the Angel), Taurus (the Bull), Leo (the Lion), and Scorpio (the Eagle). They each hold a book (the Torah) in their hands, representing wisdom. Upon the wheel are four letters: TARO (Tarot) and TORA (The Torah)read counterclockwise. Inbetween each letter are four hebrew letters: Yod Heh Vau and Heh. This spells the Hebrew name of God. The snake of the left side of the wheel is the Egyptian god of Evil, Typhon while the Anubis rising on the right side is Hermes, a symbol of intelligence and wisdom. In the center, the alchemical symbols for mercury, sulphur, water and salt are depicted. This is the alchemical recipe for life, the building blocks so to speak, and the four elements. The eight spokes on the wheel represent the eight Sabbaths of the year. The Sphinx on top represents the combination of Strength and Wisdom. The numerology of the number ten (depicted as an X at the top) is a symbol of both beginnings and ends, the highs and the lows. It also represents completion of cycles. The Wheel shape represents the perspective that life is dealt with in cycles, a common theme across many religions stretching from the Native Americans to the Pagans of Ireland. This is also indicative of the idea of karma and rebirth as well as the saying "you reap what you sow".
As you can see, the symbolism gives the card its meaning. When you have multiple cards in a spread, you can put all the meanings together to form an idea.
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