Usually, I respond to the messages personally, but lately I’ve been so busy and so much going on that I thought it would actually be a good idea to put some of those questions right here on the site.

That way, if anyone else has a similar question, they don’t need to wait for me to get round to checking and answering my email.

With that said, I recieved a question a few days ago from Leticia and asked her if it would be ok to put it up here, along with my answer, so that others could read it and hopefully it would help them. Leticia very kindly agreed (thanks Leticia) and so here is the first of what may turn out to many (or a few) Q&A about Tarot cards.

i am just worried that my ideas and thoughts are totally off the
mark, therefore giving the incorrect meanings of the cards~!

Considering I had the same worry when I first started my Tarot journey, I’m willing to bet there’s more than a few of you out there who are also worrying about it.  Anyway, here’s my answer.

Hi Leticia

Don’t worry. And more importantly, don’t try to rush your journey.

Tarot has been around a long time. The cards aren’t going anywhere. If you try rushing it, you risk not getting any benefit and will always be reliant on the ‘standard’ card descriptions.

All you need to do is look at each card and focus on it. Don’t read what anyone says the card represents. What do you thik it represents? How does it make you feel? Do you think it’s a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ feeling? Is it talking to you about money, or love, or family, or career…?

Once you have a feeling for the card, then check out what the books say. You’ll be surprised to find you’l usually be on the same wavelength.

If you’re not, (and I have found this to be the case with different Tarot decks), then go with your own instinct. Whenever you do a reading, you will come out with the cards that are right for you. This is because you develop a bond with the cards, not with the textbooks. They will respond to you and show you the right cards for what you ask.

A particular card might speak of love to you, but be described as representing money in the textbooks. However, if you do a reading seeking answers about love, that card will turn up in the reading. If you do a reading asking questions about money, it won’t.

Hope that makes sense.

Above all, like I say, don’t try to rush your journey. Remember, the Fool goes through many stages on his journey through life, and there are lots of journeys to go through. Tarot is only one of them. Enjoy it.

San

The images on the Rider Waite deck are very simple and so it’s not often that different people will attribute totally different meanings to each card. However, not all decks portray such simple images and this might mean they say something to you that they would not say to me, or to someone else.

In all cases, listen to what they say to you. I’ve definitely come to realise that listening to my own instincts on Tarot card meanings, gives a much clearer and more accurate Tarot reading than relying on someone else’s interpretation.

Plus, think of the time you’ll save not having to look up the meaning of every Tarot card.

 Related Posts:

• Tarot Card Meanings – The Magician
• Tarot Card Meanings – The High Priestess

First of all, let me reinforce the message that reading Tarot cards isn’t something that requires a special gift. You don’t have to be psychic or have any sixth sense. All you need is the right attitude and the desire to learn.

You can’t put a time frame on how long it will take for you to learn to understand the different card meanings and how those meanings can change depending on their position in your Tarot spread, or even depending on what question you asked in the first place. The reason for this is that Tarot journeys are personal. No two people will have the same Tarot journey though we all share the same starting point – the desire to learn.

Please, don’t get hung up on thinking that you can learn Tarot by reading some book, committing to memory the meanings of each of the cards and how to do different spreads. Tarot involves feelings and intuitions and these can’t be learned. The cards will speak to everyone differently.

Because Tarot reading is so personal its important that you take the time to get to know your cards. No matter how long you’ve been using Tarot in your life, if you get a new Tarot deck, you will want to spend time getting to know that deck and bonding with it.

If you’re not in tune with your cards, then they can’t give you the messages you need to hear. You’ll misinterpret their messages and think they’re a waste of time or worse still take the wrong course of action because you thought they were advising one thing while in reality they were advising something else.

For those of you who’ve downloaded, “A Fool’s Journey“, you know already how much importance I put on this. Reading Tarot cards isn’t something that can be rushed. Even if you’re only pulling a single card, that card deserves the same care and attention as if you were doing a major 21 card spread.

If you’re just setting out on your Tarot journey, then take these basic steps first to prepare you for that journey.

• Set aside some time to go through your cards and try to feel what they represent. Don’t even think about looking at a reference book at this time. Just look at each card, hold them, turn them over, take note of the colors, the images, etc.
• This doesn’t have to be done in a single sitting. Some cards you will want to hold onto longer than others. Take as long as you need to.
• Once you feel you have a basic understanding of your cards, you can open up your reference book and check if your interpretation matches with that of the author. You’ll be surprised by how often it does.
• If your feeling about a particular card doesn’t match the interpretation given by the reference book, go with your own instinct. You will soon find that in your readings, it is usually your interpretation that is correct, not the books!
• Develop a ritual that you follow each time you do a Tarot reading. It’s important that your mind is clear of outside influences and setting up your personal ritual is a great way of doing this. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy or exotic. It might be that you choose a particular room, or a particular way of shuffling your cards, or  lighting a candle, or any one of a thousand other ways you can personalize your time with your cards.
• Practice. You can’t expect to learn Tarot overnight. And actually why would you want to? Discovering how to read Tarot cards is a deeply rewarding, and very moving experience. Don’t be tempted to rush it as you risk missing the small pleasures that come from the learning experience itself.

I came across a very interesting article today which I thought was worth sharing with you. It asks whether Tarot cards are still relevant in today’s world of technological breakthroughs.

Obviously, for those of us who use Tarot cards on a regular basis, there is and always will be a place for them in our lives. But it’s always worth asking the question.

Enjoy the article.

In a world increasingly jaded by technology and progress, it’s easy to scoff at people who blindly entrust their lives to a deck of cards. We tell ourselves, we are rational, clear-headed people, so how can randomly shuffled cards spread on the table possibly answer all our life’s questions.

Tarot cards have had a crucial and inseparable influence in mysticism and the occult. They first arrived sometime in fifteenth century Italy, but it was not until late 17th or 18th century that tarot cards began to be used in divination. The tarot cards that we know today have gone through a long and evolution, from the pictures, symbolisms, procedures, purposes, and meanings. It is interesting to note that tarot cards were originally used in a game, with 21 trump cards, four queens, and a fool added to a normal deck, which totals to 78 cards in all. But it is unclear exactly how tarot branched out from a simple mind-diverting game into the fragile business of looking back into past lives, foretelling the future, and answering questions.

Archetypes

The highly-respected psychologist Carl Jung has always considered tarot as an alternative psychotherapy. For him, the rich imagery inherent in every tarot card represents archetypes of human personality and situations. Archetypes are basic models or prototypes of people that embody a defined set of characteristics. The Emperor card, for instance, can be thought of as representing the patriarch or the father figure.

Over the years, we piece together various archetypes according to our needs. These archetypes are embedded in our unconscious and thus they can affect our actions and thoughts without our knowing. Consequently, our choices of tarot cards when we pick them out from that “innocent” deck reveal our feelings, attitudes, and even fears towards such figures in our lives. For instance, we may not know it, but we have always shied from responsibilities and commitment in lives whenever there is a father figure looming in the background, etc.

Tarot cards offer an alternative language system through which we can access our Unconscious. Therefore, we do not just randomly pick tarot cards, or blindly entrust our lives to them. Every moment of our lives, we lay ourselves bare with the choices we make, even for something as papery as tarot cards.

The Missing Tarot in The Skeptic’s World

Tarot readings then should not be dismissed as just some pretend psychic business exploiting a person’s gullibility. The art of tarot cards is subtle, delicate, yet powerful. It is energised by centuries of symbolism and meaning created, expounded, and developed by people who dared to see beyond. For them, the Arcane that lies on the fringes of human experience holds the secrets we need to survive.

Before we question the legitimacy of tarot cards, we should first look into the person who wants to inquire about himself/herself. Will they see to believe, or believe to see?

About The Author

This article was written by Neoli Marcos for PsychicGuild: online provider of free tarot card info and interpretation.

http://www.psychicguild.com/tarot_reading_free.php http://www.psychicguild.com/tarot_about.php