Quick Links - Tarot
A Short ABC of Tarot
The seventy-eight cards of a Tarot deck are divided as follows: twenty-two stations (or cards) represent the Major Arcana and the fourteen stations (fifty-six cards) for each of the four suits (including the Court Cards) represent the Minor Arcana.
Arcana: Plural of Arkanum
Arkanum: Latin for secret
Divinatory: Discovering hidden knowlege, fortune-telling (literally: "proclaiming something godly," "sacred")
Cartomancy: Fortune-telling with the use of cards
Court Cards: Queen, King, Knight, or Page (also called Princess). In Crowley Tarot deck: Queen, Prince, Knight, Princess.
Estoteric: The many different definitions of esoteric include: hidden secret, not easily accessible (literally: "from within").
Mystic: The "direct connection to ultimate wisdom" ; immediate and absolute experience of God and the world
Mythology: The teaching of myth; also, specifically, ancient teaching of the gods.
Mythos: Fable, legend, archetype, (collective) ancient or early history.
Pagat: Early term for the card "I-The Magician."
Pentacles: Indicating talisman/mascot. Another name used for "Disks" in Tarot
Pentagram: Five-pointed star on the "Pentacles" cards. It has many meanings: it is the "Quintessence" of the four elements and also is a cipher (a short-term sign for humans) where the five points of the star represent the head, hands, and feet.
Qabalah: "The Tradition"; ancient Jewish mysticism where the symbol of the "Tree of Life" as well as the mystical meaning of numbers and letters have great meaning. It exists in several variations and in several different traditions and branches.
Tartock, Tarok: Terms also used for tarot.
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Posted on Thu 7th Jul 2011 20:17:17
The benefits of creating a tarot journal
by Linda Preston
I recommend that before you start to study the tarot that you begin a tarot journal. For those of you who aren't inclined to write, don't worry. This is not a journal in the sense you'll have to write 500 words about each tarot card. Instead, just find yourself a nice book with empty pages, and set aside at least two pages for each of the 78 cards in the tarot deck. Also, leave some space to write down ideas about the suits, numbers, and court cards.
Your journal is a place where you can do almost anything you want: jot down notes, keep track of ideas, draw or colour, make lists and charts of keywords and associations, write down dreams or visualisations you may have in relation to your tarot studies, do collage, impress herbs or plants - the list is endless. If you'd like , you can even write essay or stories about each card. No matter how much you think you're not into journaling, you'll find it a useful tool. There's so much to learn about tarot from so many different sources, that it helps to have it all organised in one place so you can look thing up easily. You can use your computer for this purpose also if you prefer.
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Posted on Wed 29th Jun 2011 22:39:22
Choosing a tarot deck
by Linda Preston
I'm often asked by beginning tarot readers who find themselves overwhelmed by the hundreds of tarot decks for sale these days for advice on which tarot deck to buy . Many professionals myself included recommend that beginners should start with the most widely used tarot decks, which are generally thought of as the Rider- Waite Smith group of decks (named after the publisher, the author and the artist, respectively of a widely popular deck first printed in 1909)
You could choose the Rider-Waite, Universal Waite, Hanson-Roberts, Robin Wood, or any number of similar decks in this family. However, some people find that these decks don’t really work for them, and there are many other good choices. Whatever traditional decks you may have for historical or study purposes, it’s important to have at least one whose imagery stirs up strong responses in you so that it will help stimulate your unconscious mind during the reading process.
There are older decks, such as the fifteenth-century Visconti-Sforza and the eighteenth-century Tarot de Marseille, which have an entirely different feel to them (but normally have minor cards that have only suit symbols – rather like a deck of playing cards) The Thoth deck was developed by the notorious early 20th century magician Aleister Crowley (once dubbed the most evil man in Britain by the press) and artist Frieda Harris, and has become one of the standards among tarot decks, although it’s not one of the easier ones to learn because of its strong esoteric and magical content. Finally, there is a huge range of modern decks, developed with every possible interest n mind, such as herbs, shamanism, Wicca, feminism, animals, faeries, gemstones, Arthurian legends, various cultures of the world and Greek mythology, just to name a very few.
I would suggest getting one of the traditional decks, for study if nothing else, and another deck that appeals strongly to your visual/artistic sense and personal interests. The comparison between them will be interesting, and you may learn a lot from both the differences and similarities between them.
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Posted on Wed 29th Jun 2011 22:25:09
What's Your Tarot Birth Card?
The 22 Major Arcana cards from the tarot deck, chart the soul’s journey through all of our earthly incarnations, describing all of the different challenges that we will meet along the way – but did you know that your birth date can tell you which particular card from the Major Arcana has the most influence on your current life?
If you want to know which card you were born under, all you need to do is add up the numbers from your date of birth. If the final figure you arrive at is greater than 21, then you add those numbers to reduce them to a single figure. The number you are left with tells you which card you were born under.
So, if your date of birth is the 20th August 1981, write this out as 20/08/1981. Add these as follows: 2+0+0+8+1+9+8+1. This gives you a total of 29. As this is greater than 21, then add 2+1 to get the final total of 3. If this is your birthdate, it means that your tarot birthcard is The Empress!
Once you have worked out which card you were born under, you can read how it may influence your life below!
0 The Fool
The Fool steps out into the unknown, sure that the universe will provide! For those born under the influence of The Fool, life will be a magical journey full of ups and downs and amazing experiences. It could mean a life packed with travel and adventure, but it can also mean a life spent journeying inwards to find out who you truly are. You may need to guard against being reckless and impulsive as this could result in consequences further down the line that you just didn’t see coming at the time, but with this card guiding your life it can also mean that taking those risks could pay back in spades. Many say that The Fool is already enlightened in that he embraces all experiences with an open heart and no judgement and is wiser than he sometimes looks. If this is your card, you may often feel that you are very protected throughout all of your adventures.
1 The Magician
The Magician has the power to manifest anything. If this is your birth card, you have the gift of being able to turn your wildest dreams into reality. Totally committed to getting what you want, you can create and enjoy all of the abundance life has to offer and have the ability to completely focus on your goals. The Magician also has the ability to charm everyone, but do make sure that you use your powers of persuasion wisely as the shadow side of the Magician means that you may be tempted to manipulate others around to your way of thinking or doing things. You certainly have the power and your life’s journey is all about learning to harness it and use it wisely.
2 The High Priestess
The High Priestess is about intuition, wisdom and knowledge. If this is your birth card, you will probably feel a lifelong pull towards anything esoteric or mysterious. The High Priestess is also a great keeper of secrets. Your life’s journey will involve honing your intuition and learning when to speak out and act and when to stay silent and be still. Meditation will certainly help you enhance your natural gifts and help you gain clarity about what to do with them. Make sure that you keep a dream journal and trust your inner wisdom at all times.
3 Empress
The Empress is the archetypal mother who gives birth to everything! If this is your birth card, you will be blessed with strong instincts and abilities to nurture and create. This applies to relationships, but will also extend to all kinds of creativity in business or the arts. Fabulously sensual, The Empress is also famous for her focus on pleasures of all kinds and great appreciation of beauty and nature. Watch out for a love of luxury and indulgence and understand that not everyone may respond to you as being the Goddess that you undoubtedly are, as the shadow side of The Empress is that she can become angry and controlling if her rule is challenged.
4 Emperor
The Emperor is a strong, masculine figure with powerful authority. Those ruled by this birth card are highly organised and make natural leaders. Ambitious and protective, you may find that you can wisely wield the power that you seek. And blessed with boundless self discipline, you can succeed at anything that you set out to achieve but may have to watch a tendency to tread on those you see as being weaker than yourself. You were born powerful and your life’s journey will involve learning how to combine this with compassion so that you can be a truly visionary and wise leader in whatever situation you find yourself in.
5 The Hierophant
The Hierophant represents social structures and rules and particularly the kinds of beliefs that they are built on. If this is your birth card, you may find that you spend a great deal of time working out what it’s all about and exploring different philosophies and ways of looking at the world. At various points in your life, you could find yourself having to decide whether to stay with the herd and be safe or follow your heart to discover what is true for you. Others will see you as being solid and reliable. You may need to work on a tendency to become a little too rigid when you feel threatened and may need persuading that some rules are made to be broken.
6 The Lovers
The Lovers stands for love – but it also represents choice! If this is your card, you will almost certainly find your path through life strewn with temptations and opportunities that could take you in all sorts of exciting directions – but which way will you go? The male and female figures in the card can also be seen as complimentary energies of yin and yang, masculine and feminine. Your life’s journey will involve learning how to bring together opposites to create a magnificent whole. Remember, the card also shows an Angel, meaning that you can access divine protection and inspiration if ever you find yourself pulled around in a dilemma.
7 The Chariot
The Chariot is about fast movement and using your willpower to pull together forces that otherwise might gallop off in different directions! Your life’s journey is all about learning how to control your emotions and needs, working out a direction for yourself and managing to hold everything together even at those times when it seems life is moving forward at a fantastic pace.
8 Strength
Strength is about bringing together yin and yang, masculine and feminine energies. Being born under the influence of this card means that you have huge inner strength and can pick yourself up and keep going no matter how often life seems to knock you down. Your life’s journey is all about learning how to maintain harmony and balance, both within yourself and in any circumstances that you find yourself in. You may also find that you have natural healing abilities.
9 Hermit
If this is your birth card, you may often find yourself in situations where either you choose to take time out to be alone or find yourself thrown upon your inner resources. The path of the Hermit is all about developing your own inner wisdom. You may feel drawn towards taking regular retreats where you will be able to look within to develop your understanding and look for answers. Your life’s journey is a personal quest for understanding and shining your own light on your path. You may find that others are drawn towards you to ask your advice, or that you may meet more than one mentor who can guide you onwards and upwards.
10 The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune represents a turn of fate – usually for the better! If this is your birth card, you will be blessed with many opportunities throughout your life that seem to arrive out of the blue. You could find yourself continually taken by surprise by the amazing turn of events. Chance meetings, dream job offers and gorgeous strangers asking for directions and then your number – it’s all of these and more! Ruled by expansive Jupiter, you can expect regular doses of luck that you just can’t explain. And why even try to bother. Just accept your luck! Your life’s journey is learning how to spot the opportunities as they come up and how to make the most of the many offers that seem to fall into your lap.
11 Justice
Justice represents justice of all kinds – including karmic justice! Your life’s journey is all about exploring all things to do with fairness and with weighing things up carefully before acting. Because this card talks just as much about karmic justice as the kind dished out by courts, things may not always turn out as you hope they will and at these times you will have to learn to trust that a a greater mystery is at work and a deeper justice is playing out.
12 The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is actually quite deceptive. If this is your birth card, it may look like not much is happening on the surface a lot of the time but, as this card is ruled by Neptune, you can expect loads of hidden depths and things going on beneath the surface. As this card shows a man literally hanging upside down, you may have a quirky way of looking at things and could be a visionary in your own right. It also talks about the importance of not rushing into things, but taking the time to contemplate before action. You may also often feel the need to put aside your own desires to serve a higher cause.
13 Death
Death signals transformation and rebirth. Your life’s journey is about breaking free of old patterns and structures and letting go of whatever no longer serves you. You may find that your life is scattered with endings, but remember that the energy of this card is all about clearing away the old to make way for the new. Every ending signals a new beginning and a fresh start, so whatever happens, you will always have the opportunity to build something amazing from scratch. To make the most of the energy of this card, focus firmly on the future and practice letting go of the past with love.
14 Temperance
Temperance talks about balance in your life. Your particular life lesson is all about learning how to keep learning how to juggle many balls in the air at once! You’ll know when you’re out of balance because you’ll be working at the expense of your personal life, or partying so hard that your health could begin to suffer. You could even be frequently challenged to restore harmony amongst others who seem to have locked heads – but you’ve got the patience and charm to pull it off. Make sure that all of the elements of your life work in harmony and you’ll be an amazing influence to everyone around you.
15 The Devil
The Devil is the arch showman and ruler of the material world. On one hand, your life could often feel like a three ringed circus, with lots of fabulous entertainment to enjoy and good times had by all. His shadow side means that he can trick you into fears, compulsions and addictions and your life’s journey is all about seeing through The Devil’s illusions and realising that no one has any power over you but you. Step into your power and watch all of his smoke and mirror tricks melt into nothing.
16 The Tower
The Tower talks about sudden and sometimes cataclysmic changes of all kinds. You may feel that your life gets shaken up on a regular basis and wonder when things are just going to be stable and peaceful. It could seem that you’re always moving house, changing jobs or dealing with one thing after another. Tower energy is dramatic and powerful but, like an earthquake, it is always short lived. Trust that whatever passes out of your life was meant to go and learn to enjoy the rapid succession of new experiences that get thrown your way. The Tower can also refer to sudden breakthroughs in understanding. Your life may not be peaceful, but it will certainly be spectacular!
17 Star
This lovely, bright card offers a promise that you will be guided and protected throughout your life’s journey. The Star talks about the presence of hope and creativity. Your life’s journey is all about following divine inspiration and enjoying harmony. There will always be light at the end of any tunnel that you face.
18 The Moon
This mysterious lunar card is all about deep feelings and intuitions. Your life’s journey is all about learning how to develop you inner wisdom so that you will be able to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Remember, even the most familiar road looks different at night and the Moon can trick you into seeing things that aren’t there. Focus on developing thinking clearly and staying tuned in with your sense of direction to make the most of your innate powers of intuition.
19 Sun
The Sun card is a symbol of fun and energy. If this is your birth card, you are blessed with a life of joy and good fortune. Your life’s journey is all about making the most of your enthusiasm and energy. Full of confidence, you’ll be able to succeed at anything you throw yourself into and could also find yourself the centre of attention.
20 Judgement
Judgement represents a call from a higher place to a higher ground. If this is your birth card, your life’s journey is onwards and upwards. This means leaving the past behind you, letting go of old grudges, failings and resentments, and moving forwards to embrace your destiny. If that sounds dramatic, it is! If you follow your path fearlessly you will be led towards your true purposed and it will mean that you will have to show great courage and perseverance to embrace all of the possibilities that will unfold. But this card promises that, no matter how hard it may look, this path is yours to walk and that you will receive divine protection.
21 World
If The World is your birth card, you will get to experience victory over obstacles and the freedom of unlimited potential. This is the card of dreams coming true and finding solutions to your problems. It is a sort of of happy ever after card. The shadow side of The World means that you may get so lost in the big picture that you forget to tie up the loose ends and find that your energy is dissipated in a hundred projects that never get off the ground. The promise of The World is completion and joy, so know that you have what it takes to finish everything that you start, to be successful and find happiness
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Posted on Mon 2nd May 2011 21:08:08
Can You Read Tarot Cards For Yourself?
People who are studying the Tarot or working with their own psychic development often ask if it's really possible to read Tarot for yourself. The general issue seems to be whether you can remain objective when it’s a reading for you as opposed to when you are giving a psychic reading to someone else.
The short answer is, yes you can indeed read Tarot for yourself!
I love Tarot cards as they are filled with the most profound symbolism, but for me they are just a jumping off point to another level of consciousness where we can see things more clearly and often catch glimpses of the future. The symbolism, can spark any latent psychic ability you have and therefore the magic is within you, and not in the cards which are, after all, just coloured pictures on pieces of cards, So maybe the question we really have to start with is, how tuned in to your own psychic intuition are you before you pick up the cards and start using them?
Psychic development involves practicing tuning in to our intuition and paying attention to it as a source of information that is just as important as anything you might see or hear. Often it can be more important, because we can distort what we see and hear, whereas our intuition is usually crystal clear.
We can dull our ability to tune in to own psychic intuition simply by not paying attention to it, either because it’s not really valued in our ‘rational’ society, because we drown it out with the hustle and buzzle of everyday life, or because it goes against what we want to be the case.
One way to get a better reading for yourself may be by keeping a tarot journal to chart your journey when you do readings for yourself. Scribble down absolutely everything that springs to your mind without second guessing or censoring yourself. Just put it all on paper. You’ll get used to sensing whatever is coming in is from your own psychic intuition and when your own voice is starting to creep in.
Alongside that, make a note of how you were actually feeling when you did the reading. Were you calm and open to messages? Were you excited, upset, or otherwise finding it hard to concentrate? How did you feel about what you saw in the reading?
Over time, you’ll be able to look back and actually measure your progress by noting whether future events have unfolded the way you saw them. That direct feedback will help you see where you are doing well and where you might need to improve. What you’ll probably find is that when you are calm and open, you are more able to listen to what your intuition is trying to tell you and that you do a better reading as a result.
In this way you can start experimenting with how to become focused and centred before you pick the cards up. Regular meditation helps with this.
Experiment with this method for a few weeks and see what happens!
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Posted on Tue 19th Apr 2011 10:23:21
Getting to Know Your Tarot Cards
For the apprentice tarot reader understanding the complexities of tarot cards may at first seem an overwhelming task.
So here are a few simple tips to help you:
Many Tarot teachers use the Rider Waite-Smith (or Universal Waite) deck to teach with because of the wealth of symbolism contained in the cards, the tradition behind them, and the clarity with which they lend themselves to interpretation
Not everyone likes this deck, however. If you are learning Tarot with this sometimes less than favoured deck, there is still a way you can stay connected with other decks you like better without getting too distracted by your studies.
Many Tarotists enjoy the practice of pulling a Card-A-Day, either in the morning or before going to sleep at night. Reserve this special ritual for a deck of your choice. If you like, you can pull the same card from both decks and compare them. This is a also an excellent way to get the feel of any new deck you add to your collection.
A way to expand on this practice would be to draw the same tarot card from several favourite or interesting decks. This will give you a feeling for how different images can address the same issue in a given card.
A strong graphic example of what can be gained from this practice would be to compare a card such as XIII – Death in several different tarot decks. If you do this, you’re sure to make gain entirely original insight of your own.
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PSYCHIC WORKOUT - BONDING WITH YOUR TAROT CARDS
Posted on Sat 5th Mar 2011 20:51:04
How Does Tarot Compare to Other Divination Tools?
Any divination tool – astrology, the I Ching, runes, medicine cards, stick and bones, is best used with the understanding that nothing is written in stone that comes out in a psychic reading.
Your free will gives you the power to write the scripts that you live, to change what you don’t like, and to create more of what you do like. You set the course of your life – not the tool, not the psychic reader, not destiny.
When the tarot cards are drawn or the runes are thrown, you have a picture of how your life exists in that moment and how it’s most likely to evolve based on your present patterns of belief. When you change those beliefs, the pattern changes, and you end up with different cards, different runes, different hexagrams.
In this way, tarot and other divination systems are a way to track what is going on in inside yourself or the person for whom you’re reading. The beauty of the tarot, however, and its major difference from other divination systems, is that its language is very visual. The artwork on a deck speaks directly to that part of us that lives and breathes in an archetypal world. Tarot is indeed the internal made real!
Here's a link to one of my most popular psychic tarot reading which is a unique combination of astrology and tarot NEW MOON/FULL MOON MONTHLY PSYCHIC READING
Posted on Sat 5th Mar 2011 20:45:43
Psychic Workout: Bonding with Your Tarot Cards
So you’ve just bought a set of tarot cards and you’re on your way home, and the suspense of opening that tarot deck for the first time is killing you. You can’t wait to begin working with it! Here are a few tips to help you establish a bond with your deck:
Let Them Breathe
When you first take the cards out of the box, and unwrap the plastic cellophane, you can pretend as if the cards are taking their first breath. As you continue working with them, they will exude their energy, and take in yours, as well as that of anyone handling the cards, or anyone you read for. Select or make a special box or bag to carry them in, which will allow them to continue to breathe. Don’t try to cram them back into their little box. Doesn’t that feel confining? Unless you plan on becoming a collector of tarot card, you can dispose of the box!
Along For The Ride
Treat the cards as you would an extension of yourself. They go where you go. So carry them in your handbag, or briefcase, and bring them along. Not only is this convenient for when you want to pull a card, on the spur of the moment, it also becomes a part of your identity, that is, if you want it to. If you are at lunch with friends, you can pull them out as a conversation piece, or even offer a reading. If they’re available, you’re more likely to actually use them.
Charging Your Cards
Perhaps you want to perform a ritual, to concentrate and personalize these cards. Some Tarot readers choose to set their cards out under the moonlight, overnight, or fan them out under the Sun. You can also smudge them with sage occasionally, when you want to cleanse the deck and remove some of the heavy energy. You can repeat this process as you feel necessary, or on a monthly basis, such as under each full moon.
Sleep With Them
It sounds a little silly, but you’d be surprised to know how many Tarot lovers sleep with their cards under their pillow. Maybe it’s the close proximity to the brain and our dream state. Maybe we secretly want to believe that the energy of the Tarot infuses into our aura. Maybe it’s just comforting. Regardless of the theory, it just feels like it strengthens the bond.
A Card A Day
Draw a card each morning, on waking, to start your day with a special message and indication of what the day will bring. This is also an excellent learning tool for those less acquainted with the Tarot. After drawing the card, ask your guides to teach you about the meaning of the card throughout the day’s experiences. Then, at the end of the day, look up the meaning of the card and compare the accuracy and application to the day’s events. By keeping this exercise as a part of your daily ritual, you’re bonding with your cards, and only taking a few minutes each day. For those with hectic schedules, or who are busy parents, this is a preferred method for getting acquainted with the cards.
Let’s Get Physical
By that I mean, get your hands on those cards by shuffling them. You can do this in sacred space, or even if you are sitting in front of the television! Sift through the cards to simply get the feel of working with them. Slide them into each other, and occasionally turn them around. While sitting at a table, you can perform the traditional “poker shuffle,” or fan them all out in front of you, swirling them around on the floor. The goal is for them to feel as if they are an extension of your hands. I’ve yet to meet a Tarot reader that did not effortlessly shuffle the cards. Imagine beginning a Tarot session with a reader that clumsily handled the cards… Might make you wonder how long they’ve been at this trade if shuffling is not second nature. A Tarot deck in the palm of your hands should feel natural, no matter how bulky or oddly sized the cards may be.
The Tarot deeply resonates with many of us, drawing us closer, wanting to be unveiled, to reveal a deeper sense of wisdom and a source of guidance in our lives. What you put into Tarot is what you will get out of it. Why not take the time to form a strong connection with this amazing tool to see what it is going to unveil for you?
Posted on Sun 6th Feb 2011 19:25:07
Online Tarot Card Reading - Can it Work?
I’m sometimes asked how an online tarot card reading can possibly work. Some people are convinced that it’s essential to actually touch the tarot cards in order to get a good psychic tarot reading. But this is not necessarily true. I personally do not like anyone touching my tarot cards except me. I’m careful of the energy that goes into my tarot cards, as it's vital that they are infused only with the right energy if I'm to offer my clients the best psychic readings. And, with this in mind, I make sure that after I've carried out each online tarot card reading, that I cleanse the cards so that they retain none of the influence of the previous tarot reading. In this way each online tarot card reading is truly unique and individual to the person seeking it.
I like conducting online tarot readings by email, because then I am not being influenced by the client’s body language or their comments to my statements on what I see in the tarot cards. In this way the tarot reading is totally unbiased.
Energy is energy, and a professional psychic reader can make a good connection when undertaking an online tarot card reading as long as the proper condition is met. The proper condition being that you give your full attention to the psychic reading and the symbolism in each tarot card,
A good tarot reader uses highly developed intuitive skills to tap into the tarot cards and thread the meanings together to offer an accurate answer to whatever question is being asked by the client. Online tarot card readings can and do work just as well as a face-to-face reading in the hands of a professional skilled psychic.
Posted on Sun 9th Jan 2011 21:16:06
Know Yourself Better With A Tarot Card Reading
Tarot cards bulge with symbolic content: bright moons, flaming wands, silver pools. On each tarot card, dozens of elements compete for your attention. The tarot images that catch your eye can reveal a lot about your deepest thoughts.
While Tarot card readings are no substitute for professional psychological care, working with the tarot, can be a very effective (and inexpensive) form of do-it-yourself therapy. But the benefits don’t stop there. Drawing a tarot card and relating it to a question allows us to make the transition from paralysis to analysis. Working with a spread of Tarot cards gets a problem out of our heads and onto the table. As a result, we can see deeply emotional and complex issues with greater clarity and perspective.
Because of the deck’s ability to refocus attention, a Tarot card reading can bypass our tendency to see our actions in the best possible light, helping us see ourselves and our actions more objectively.
Drawing a few tarot cards can dispel illusions and remove rose-coloured glasses. The tarot cards will dare to share observations your own best friends would hesitate to mention. If self-knowledge is important to you, Tarot will become a valued tool.
Posted on Sun 9th Jan 2011 20:20:47
The Key To The Tarot
The tarot cards have much to tell you. To find out how they work shuffle the pack. Now divide the pack into three piles, and arrange them in a row. Take the top card from the centre of the pile. This is your guide card. Look at it for a moment and put it where, from time to time you can glance at it as you read through these introductory notes.
THE 78 CARDS IN THE PACK
THE MAJOR ARCANA
The first 22 cards – each with its own name, and numbered 0 -21 – are called the Major Arcana. The word Arcana means secrets, or mysterious knowledge. The secrets are held in the images drawn on the cards. Although each one has a traditional interpretation, these images also stimulate the intuitive, creative side of your mind.
If the guide card you have chose is a Major Arcana card, then its initial meaning is that you life is going to be changed by outside events, major challenges, big opportunities.
THE MINOR ARCANA
The next 56 cards are called the Minor Arcana. This does not mean they are less important; but they do work in a different way The Minor Arcana is divided into four suits. Each suit has four court cards, knights, princes, Queen and King. If you have drawn one of these court cars, then the person you know, or will soon meet, who most resembles the figure on your card, hold the key to your present and your future.
Each suit has ten cards, numbered one (or ace) to ten, if you have drawn one of these cards, then you are the prime mover, the one who can really influence events.
WHERE DID THE TAROT BEGIN?
The images on the tarot, and the interest in predicting events through symbols, date 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 from the Crusades, in the 12th century. The earliest surviving cards are Italian, from the 15th century
CAN TAROT PREDICT THE FUTURE?
It looks like physics is proving what psychics have always believed – that time is just another dimension – that can be crossed. So the future is already there, and is accessible to you. But the tarot does not dictate the future. Instead it is an adviser, showing how your past, present and future all work.
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Posted on Fri 10th Sep 2010 22:28:18
Psychic Humour
Most psychics take their psychic work very seriously but we've got a sense of humour too! So I thought I'd share with you a few psychic jokes I've found around the web.
Bad news...
Kate went to visit a psychic of some repute. In a dark room lit only by a flickering candle the tarot reader laid out the card before her and delivered the bad news.
She said: "I'm sorry but there's no easy way to tell you so I'll just be blunt- prepare to be a widow. Unfortunately, your husband will die in a horrible and unpleasant way this year."
Visibly shaken, Kate stared at the woman's wise, lined face, then at the flickering candle and then at her hands. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself.
She simply had to know. She met the tarot reader's gaze, steadied her voice and asked "Will I get away with it?"
Girlfriend
"I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met".
Who's The Daddy?
One afternoon a man was wandering around a fairground and he happened to see a fortune teller's tent. Thinking it would be good for a laugh, the man went inside and sat down. "Ah..." said the woman as she gazed into her crystal ball. "I see you are the father of two children." "That's what you think," said the man scornfully. "I'm the father of three children." The mysterious psychic grinned and said, "That's what you think!"
Psychics Meet
When two psychics met, one said to the other, “You are fine. How am I?”
Posted on Thu 1st Jul 2010 22:23:00
Tarot Card Artist - Pamela Coleman Smith
Pamela Colman Smith was the illustrator of one of the first commercial and possibly most successful tarot decks, the Rider Waite deck. She received neither the recognition she hoped for nor the monetary rewards she deserved. However, her paintings have influenced the design of most modern decks.
Early Years
Corinne Pamela Colman Smith was born in Pimlico, Middlesex, England on 16 February, 1878. Her parents were Charles Edward Smith and Corinne (née Colman) Smith. Her father was from Brooklyn, New York and her mother was Jamaican. Pamela was blessed with exotic looks from her mixed ethnicity. Her childhood was spent travelling since her father was an auditor for the West India Company; she spent her time in Brooklyn, London and Kingston.
Her mother died when she was ten, and because she was often separated from her father by his work she joined the Lyceum theatre group for company. Much of her later art work was influenced by her early teen years which she spent touring the country in this theatrical community.
She returned to be with her father in New York when she was 15 and attended the newly opened Pratt Institute, studying art with Arthur Wesley Dow and graduating four years later. Pamela returned to London in June 1899 with an ambition to succeed as an artist and author. She wrote Annancy Stories, a set of Jamaican tales about an African folk figure, Anansi the Spider, among other books on folk tales.
The Golden Dawn and The Tarot
Pamela was now a published writer, an achievement that opened many doors in turn-of-the-century London. She illustrated books for the poet William Butler Yeats, who introduced her to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The Order of the Golden Dawn was founded by Dr William Woodman, Dr William Wynn Westcott and SL MacGregor Mathers on 1 March, 1888. It was an occult order based on esoteric Christianity. By the time Pamela Colman Smith was inducted into the order it was splitting itself apart at the seams. Many of its members were rebelling against Mathers, who among other things, was involved in an alleged magical war with Aleister Crowley2.
The Order broke up into a number of factions; many of the members, including Pamela, formed The Order of the Independent and Rectified Rite, headed up by Arthur Edward Waite.
Waite was working on a new tarot deck and, aware of Pamela's artistic abilities, asked her to illustrate them.
The Rider-Waite Tarot
The deck that Smith and Waite came up with was published by the Rider and Sons Company in 1909. It has become the biggest selling tarot deck of all time. When people see tarot cards in the media, the cards that are most often seen are the Rider Waite deck. The 78 pictures that Pamela Smith painted are those that most people associate with the tarot. However, aside from a pittance in payment, she received nothing for doing the cards. Her name isn't even on the deck.
The Rider-Waite is a ground-breaking deck in that it opened the tarot up to many people. In a major departure, the minor cards featured paintings depicting the meaning of each card, rather than the playing-card style that was previously used. Many believe that it was the changes that Colman Smith made to these minor cards that made the deck more accessible. The changes allowed readings to be made by readers who didn't have to remember the complex occult numerology, which led to the deck's success. Nevertheless, Colman Smith received no royalty on the sales. Arthur Waite was much more interested in getting the 22 major cards correct and left Colman Smith to work on the minor cards mainly by herself.
Many subsequent decks have used Colman Smith's designs as a basis for their own, sometimes just thematically and at other times almost totally copying her pictures.
And Was Her Future Golden?
Colman Smith received an inheritance after World War I and rented a house called 'The Lizard' in Cornwall. She lived with her friend Mrs Nora Lake before they both moved to a house in Bude in 1939. Colman Smith had not sought fame or notoriety. She just hoped to be recognized for her work. When she died on 18 September, 1951, all her possessions were sold off to pay for her debts, leaving Mrs Lake with nothing to remember her by — not even a gravestone.
Online tarot card readings here
Posted on Tue 29th Jun 2010 20:27:00
Marriage Prediction With Tarot
As a practicing psychic I’m often asked by my clients during a psychic tarot reading whether I can see marriage in their immediate future.
And why wouldn’t they want to know? Most people like to think that one day they will settle down and live happily ever after with someone “very special”.
So what tarot cards would I expect to see if someone will be marrying or at least involved in a long term permanent relationship?
I would be looking for the appearance in a tarot spread of one of three following cards:
The Hierophant
The Two of Cups
The Ace of Cups
Of course, just to see these cards in a spread wouldn't be enough. I would also be looking for the surrounding tarot cards to also add weight to the idea of marriage but generally these cards are seen as positive indications of love and romance.
So what do they mean?
The Hierophant I always see this card as representing traditional old fashioned values in a love relationship i.e. love, trust and mutual understanding. And what's more traditional than a white wedding in a church? The Hierophant always carries such ideas.
To draw this card usually points to a perfect partner for you and often someone quite a bit older. You may meet this person when you join a group or ask for some professional advice. Linked to Taurus, it reminds you of the true values you seek in a relationship “someone trustworthy” and that your quest is over to find this.
The Two of Cups
I always like to see this card in a psychic tarot reading. It indicates “the perfect partnership”. Representing a balanced love bond, you can be sure that the person you will marry will have a very reassuring effect on you and you would trust them with your life. But you have to start giving out what you long to receive. Yes, you have been holding back, but from now on you have nothing to fear. The resentment and doubt which has resulted in one sided love for you in the past can be faced and erased forever.
New romance is linked to someone who has a seductive smile and who you may meet in the strangest of circumstances.
Ace of Cups
The Ace of Cups is a lovely romantic card, promising long term happiness, rewards and the joy of rebirth in your life. As the card shows - your cup will truly overflow with happiness.
Even if you are less than happy with the love in your life right now, this card promises, new riches – if you look in the right place.
If single ,expect a whirlwind romance leading to an engagement or marriage within a year when you are lucky enough to draw this card
If you're interested in your own personal marriage prediction reading then click here
Posted on Mon 28th Jun 2010 22:16:00
Psychic Tarot
The origins of the Tarot are shrouded in mystery and it's impossible to be certain where they first came from. There is no doubt that Tarot cards date back a long way, possibly as far as the 11th century.
The Tarot is closely linked with the modern deck of playing cards which originated in China and Korea. One theory is that these oriental looking cards were transported from the East to Europe, possibly Italy, where the Tarot deck was devised and designed in the 15th century. Other theories are that the Tarot cards orginated in Egypt or India. There are others who believe they just began life with the Romanies.
The Tarot is the most practiced art of psychic prediction in the World and with every good reason. Many people find they can quickly realise and develop an affinity with the symbolic images in the deck. Although Tarot has its origins in Medieval times, the themes and symbols are stilly totally relevant to our modern lives.
If you'd like your own personal psychic reading by top psychic/clairvoyant linda click here
If you'd like a few quick tips on how to use tarot for a psychic reading click here
If you're keen to learn more about your own psychic abilities click here
Posted on Mon 30th Nov 2009 19:07:00
How To Read Tarot Cards
Whenever I begin a tarot card reading I’m always amazed with just how complex the Tarot can be.
The multiple layers of information contained within a reading are impressive, to say the least. After working as a psychic reader for over 25 years, I feel that even now I still learn something new with each psychic tarot reading that I do.
There are four essential basics to consider when doing a psychic/tarot reading:
1. The Layout.
There are many types of layouts to choose from before beginning a tarot reading. I prefer the Pyramid Spread because it gives me the opportunity to look into the past, present and future as well as detailed information about the querants personal relationships.
2. The Position of the Cards.
When you are doing a reading you need to be aware of not only the meanings of the tarot cards themselves but also the position a particular card falls in. A single card on it's own has quite a different meaning when it's in the middle of a tarot spread. It’s necessary to consider the other tarot cards which surround it to determine its true meaning.
3. Major and Minor Arcana.
Tarot is divided into 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor arcana cards.
Major arcana cards have a major influence on the interpretation of a psychic/tarot reading. If there are three or more major arcana cards present in a psychic tarot reading , it suggests that there are many outside influences at work. And depending on the position of the major arcana cards in the reading, they can greatly influence the outcome of the reading.
Minor arcana cards fill in the more subtle details of a querant’s life. But, they must also be assessed by the additional influences of their number and suit. So, not only do you have to be aware of the meaning of a particular card, you must also be aware of the meanings associated with their suits and numbers.
4. Aces and Court Cards.
Court cards can be the most difficult and confusing to interpret because they have several different meaning. They may represent an actual person, or a career choice. They can also indicate a time frame and they can refer to a course of action – or they can be interpreted as any or all combinations of the above. And while aces represent new beginnings and opportunities, they can also indicate time frames and refer to the aspects of their suit. Only practice, natural intution and experience can help you arrive at why a court card is there and what is indicates.
So don't give up, all of you who are just beginning to work with the tarot. After a while and with a lot of practice, you really will start to make sense of it all.
If you interested in learning more about your particular psychic ability. Read my Do You Have a Psychic Gift by clicking here
Posted on Mon 30th Nov 2009 14:10:00