A Walk with Tarot. - Short Introduction.

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A Walk with Tarot. - Short Introduction.

Post by TarotModerator » Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:59 pm

Payewacker’s Tarot.
Short Introduction to Tar
ot.

Tarot is mainly a method of divination using pre-conceived archetypes. However, the reader is the one that needs to interpret and gather the information from a specific spread. This is done by learning the interpretations of the cards as you would teach a parrot or meditating card-by-card, the reader derives to his or her own set of interpretations, which is also why we have so many Tarot decks and literature on the subject. Each reader, as they develop their skill, will see a card in a different light than any other reader.

Spiritual insight or intuition is also called for in reading Tarot as a divinatory tool. When a reader is presented with a spread in which the cards were placed or packed, the picture will form or unfold as each card is studied, how cards influence each other and what the most probable action is. Most spreads have cards pointing to the past, almost all have cards showing you the present and then lastly, the most probable outcome. Tarot is not only a tool for divination, but also a method to meditate and enrich your own psyche.

Tarot has a rich and colourful history. It is believed to have been introduced to the World as a Holy Map for the Egyptian Priesthood, on which secret symbols appeared to direct their studies. Other sources will take you to the Far East....

As for Tarot becoming a divinatory system, only dates back to the 14th Century and the Sola Busca Tarot was practically the first "complete" Tarot deck found---I would love to get a copy of this deck!!!!!!! The Rider Waite is to a large extent based on this deck. Coleman Smith derived and AE Waite altered a great many images, to suit their teaching!

There was a grandiose split in the Golden Dawn, following an argument of theory between Crowley and most of the other guys, and thus we found the Temple of Set as a result. The Temple of Set primarily follow the teachings of Crowley. Eventually even high ranking officials of the Golden Dawn distanced themselves from Crowley and his teachings. A significant change in theory from the Hermitic tradition and the Golden Dawn was the Kabalistic Cube of Space and definition to the Paths on the Tree of life. The Cube of Space and Paths within the Tree of life can be seen as a definition to a person’s psyche and level of spiritual development. Crowley redefined this to his own theories and approach, thus the grand split. The Temple of Set, has subsequently fallen into obscurity.

The teachings of Crowley are very much based on the Princes of the different Planets, or Angels ruling certain aspects of the Zodiac but more importantly the decanates, when Angels “Fall from Grace”, which he incorporated in the Thoth Deck. Now the Frenchman , Kabalist Elivas Levi, made the Tarot a key element in his occult teachings and developed the theory that the 22 cards of the 5th suit corresponds to the 22 letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Beth. Then another Frenchman Theosophist Papus related every aspect of the Structure of Tarot to the four letters of the Tetragrammaton (Four letter name of God).
The first person to introduce Tarot to the Occult was Court de Gebelin (1728-1784) Another French occultist, Aliette, who changed his name to Etteilla, commissioned the first modern Tarot deck. The Swiss Tarot, designed by Oswald Worth, based on Levi's teachings, all these, formed the basis for the Golden Dawn's teachings on the Tarot. From this then sprouted The Rider Waite Tarot and the Thoth Tarot---after the grand split. The First complete Tarot deck is the Sola Busca Tarot. The Rider Waite deck and later the Thoth deck, both, based a lot of their images and interpretations on the Sola Busca.

The Hermitic tradition was founded in Alexandria, near the end of the Hellenistic period, therefore, the link to Egyptian origin. The teachings of this system was attributed to Hermes Transmegistus, who lived before the time of Moses. However, his teachings and books stretch hundreds of years, because the students and followers of his system wrote all the literature under his name.

Pythagoras also attributed a lot to Tarot although it may not be clearly "defined" his Tetractus, also gleaned information from the Tree of Life and the Paths found within the Tetractus.


Tarot was introduced as a simple card game, played by the wealthy. However the decks varied considerably from today’s ordinary playing card decks. Instead of only having three Court Cards, Jack, Queen, King. Tarot has a Page added. Furthermore we find 22 Trump Cards, called the Major Arcanum. They are numbered from 1 to 21 and we have one un-numbered card 0-The Fool, who by most authors replaced the Joker. In total, we find 56 Minor Arcanum and 22 Major Arcanum cards. The word Arcanum, means secret and refers to Major-“Bigger” and Minor- “smaller” secrets.

The Suits.

There are four suits in a Tarot deck; Swords, Cups, Pentacles and Wands. , and four Court cards to each suit-Page, Knight, Queen and King.

Let us have a look at each suit, its associations and different levels of influence each has.

Swords Air-Winter-South, Spades.
When we consider the suit of Swords, how can we best describe the action, which follows the path of a Sword? Most of us would immediately think, “Death and Destruction”
How is it possible to associate this suit with anything positive?

Let us take a walk into the 16th or 17th century. This is a time in which a Sword, a Horse, battle gear, bows and arrows were very prominent. In fact, Kingdoms were defended by the Knight in shimmering armour, astride white horses. In this sense, we find, yes, force and might were displayed by all the Kingdoms, for by might we defend!! The reverse is also so evident, by might, we oppress!!

Another side to the suit of Swords, is seen in the intellectual abilities; you may find the King of Swords as a mate at work, he is either your enemy or a very dangerous friend. No, not necessarily---his mind may be sharp as a two-edged sword, and he may still be your own brother. Looking at the Ace of Swords, you used your might to achieve, whether good or bad. Where will you be next?

When we assimilate the Swords to Air, we find that there is a sense of “the final cut” A swift movement, with swift results. When we sit and look at two people having an argument, the very reality of Swords comes to mind, in the sense that the mind is employed to hand out the blows. The jab here and cut there….

In a reading, Swords are at times, associated with “arguments, upheavals, injury, illness and accident”. This is the point at which the Reader needs to discern and interpret with intuitive guidance, the subtle difference between arguments or sharpness of the mind.

Another way in which we can associate the suit of Swords, is to see this suit and its Court Cards as “Royalty”, as they are the conquerors and leads armies onto the battlefield.

Cups Water-Autumn-North, Hearts.

In Cups we see, the suit of “love”. My Cup is runneth over can be seen in the Ace of Cups. This suit is indicative to relationships and how you develop your own abilities to love and be loved. This suit is associated with Water, because we feel our emotions flow like water when we encounter our soul mate and the path we walk with them.

The suit of Cups, measures the level of emotional “contentment”, it does not only pertain to emotions, but also to wealth. We know wealth includes finances and family. In the suit of Cups we can clearly see the subtle change in the mood from the Sharp-edged Sword to the more emotional and diplomatic interaction between people. When we look at the suit of Swords, very few cards actually reflect or describe financial matters. In the Suit of Cups, we find more cards reflecting on the financial aspect of “wellbeing” as well as the emotional aspect.

Cups, we also associate with the “Clergy” as we encountered in the 16th century. We can classify this class as the “Upper-class” Professors, Priests, etc. Not Royalty, but influential and financially secure.

Pentacles Earth-Spring- West, Diamonds.

Pentacles is the Suit primarily concerned with financial matters and wealth. Although we find cards in this Suit that also pertains to your emotional well-being, we see the subtle shift in focus from Cups to Pentacles. Life does not pigeonhole only one aspect of a person at any one time; everything is linked, and interact throughout a person’s lifetime.

The suit of Pentacles is associated with Earth and Spring, we find new life starting, a new fresh cycle. Fertility and growth can be seen on the face of most of the Pentacle Cards, ploughed lands, crops, fruit and flower bearing plants.

The Suit of Pentacles we associate with the “Traders” of today or shall we say the “middle class” business and shop owners; industry.

Wands, Fire-Summer-East. Clubs.

Wands, our last suit, is associated to Fire. Your ambitions, willpower, your ability to “see things through”. In the suit of Pentacles we see, financial opportunities as primary concern. In Wands we find how you sustain the opportunities that come across your path, progress or fall flat. We see in the Eight of Wands—Rapid movement, can you keep up? In any business or opportunity, we find rivals, those after the share you gained, all of these can be assimilated to “attack” on your wellbeing. So how do you fight these attacks, how do you approach your obstacles? Where are opportunities? How will you apply them? These are questions we ask the King of Wands.

We associate the suit of Wands to the “Serf” class or let’s say “lower class”, those people that had to put in extra effort to achieve anything - people with strong ambition and hard-working individuals.

To strictly associate the suits with the “classes” we find in society may restrict your approach and perhaps your interpretation of an influence. The classification can be seen as a guideline only.

We associate the suits to the element they represent and the Court cards to the Zodiac allocated;

Swords-Air
Gemini (21 May-19 Apr) Mutable,
Libra  (23 Sep-23 Oct) Cardinal,  
Aquarius ( 21 Jan- 19 Feb) Fixed,  

Cups-Water.
Cancer (22 Jun-22 Jul ) Cardinal,
Scorpio (24 Oct-22 Nov) Fixed,
Pisces  (20 Feb-20 Mar) Mutable,

Pentacles-Earth.
Taurus (20 Apr-20 May)   Fixed,
Virgo (23 Aug-22 Sep) Mutable,
Capricorn (22 Dec- 20 Jan)  Cardinal,

Wands-Fire.
Aries  (21 Mar-19 April)        Cardinal,
Leo (23 Jul-22 Aug)        Fixed,
Sagittarius  (23 Nov-21 Dec) Mutable.

Court Cards.
When we start talking about the Court Cards, every Tarot reader will give a sigh and tell you “hot potato”, why? They are, that’s why. The Court cards refer to people, but may also direct the reading with a more mundane influence. So, where do we fit them in?

Let’s walk through the house of “Royalty” or any household for that matter. Who do we find?  When we get to a friend’s house, knock on the door. We’ll find the youngest child first to the door. She/he will open and probably turn around running to the mother, “Mummy, mummy, Uncle Bill is here” Do we think of the “Page”. The Queen will get you seated and get the King and the other kids are called. But, your older child is with you as well. Everybody will get the greeting over and then the kids must be off!

The older ones may sit around a while and eventually they will also disappear. This is where we find our “Knights”. They will start the “fencing act” subtle hints to lead. One will either give in or they will not get along, and may have an argument, or be uneasy. This is when you find your young Knight, ambling around and eventually come and sit at the feet of the King and Queen, looking very bored.

The Pages and Knights are pretty much like their parents, or would share certain values. This is the same way in which our Kings and Queens interact with each other. The young ones are under the influence of the parents until they “mature”, some faster than other.

We have the two Kings and Queens, doing what they do when visiting. The kids are doing what they do. Play, play, fall, cry----angry. The young ones will go “I will tell my brother!, or, I’m going to tell mommy. And off to go tell mom. The mother or father is concerned, but we know kids. So here comes the news? BLABLABLA, so what’s the easiest “Peter, just check what’s happening outside” Of goes the Knight to save the Page. “You don’t hurt my sister!” Then the one Knight and Page will chat, so the other, eventually—a stand-off. Does this sound familiar to you?

So let’s establish the pecking order here;
Father—King—boss-man.
Mother—Queen—boss-woman,
Knight—older son/daughter—aspiring to the authority of either parent.
Page—Younger sibling—tattletale.

All the Kings are the principle of their element, and therefore rule that element. Being the King, we find that he is the supporter of the entire house of his element. He is the creator of the castle. The Queens, rule the house, and has the most influence on the Knights and Pages. This only, until each child to his due! You find when the children get older, obviously they will also prefer their parent—Knights and Kings. Pages and Queens!



How does Tarot work?
Tarot is much of a muchness. The question asked is most probably one of the most recurrent of all the others regarding Tarot.


Most of the time "cold reading" is far better than what we may consider good. The reader has to always be "neutral" to be able to give sound advice. When you then do a reading for yourself, you need to distance yourself from what is "perceived" by you, to be good or bad for yourself.

To read cards effectively is not a matter of catching fish. The very real psychic intuition is at play and most of the times the reader would grasp from that ability to translate and interpret the messages that a querent "should" consider. Take note, "should" not must. Nothing is cast in stone.


We need to consider that we are dealing with psychic abilities, spiritual enlightenment and perhaps archetypical models. To a large extent, Tarot cards are described or meanings attached, which would constitute definite influences on mind, body and soul. Let's then say, if you read upright only, 78 archetypes exist and in upright and reversed, 156 different scenarios.

How do we now interpret or assimilate real life to a deck of cards?

Very Simple!

Your past, and what happened, is known throughout the spirit world. Being Psychic, means that the reader has a real conversation with spirit entities, not "ghosts and ghouls", or the scary stuff!! So, being Psychic to a great extent elevates the reader to a level which other people do not achieve in this life and on this planet, at this stage.


The next question: How can the cards then be so correct? Consider this: spirits have the ability to manipulate certain objects as they please or asked to do. Your spirit guides in many instances will redirect traffic or anything other to ensure your safety! Do you for one moment think that they can't do it to a card? Another view. Each person has an Aura. When you get to a reader, these auras would interchange information or let's say "vibrations". Therefore, don't be amazed when a reader picks up a secret you've been hiding? Ask no questions you hear no lies?

What I’m getting to: Each and every person has the ability to redirect their lives to a great extent. Whichever cycle you have started will merely continue to complete itself at or on its own time! Some take one day, others years?

The cards are a tool for the reader to interpret the images clearer to you. In other words, instead of being the driver, the reader is only the navigator; the movement comes from the Psychic revelations, via the cards.

Reading a spread purely at face value, is not how it happens, as the spread is opened, a picture starts to form, and from there, the puzzle is put together one piece at a time, until completed. The reader’s intuition starts working. He/she receives “messages” and with their knowledge will give you an interpretation of the cards.

There are also specific spreads, giving answers on certain subjects. Readers also develop their own spreads from time to time. This is done by the reader defining the placement of the cards in the houses, and what each house symbolizes. With the interaction of the cards, the reader is able to determine a positive or negative influence.

As self study;
Give a brief description of the Golden Dawn, the Temple of Set, A.E Waite, Aleister Crowley and the influence they had on Tarot.

Discussions and self study feedback  is done on this thread:
http://mysticboard.org/vi ... hp?t=74000
Last edited by TarotModerator on Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by TarotModerator » Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:56 pm

Self-study and feedback is done on this thread:
http://mysticboard.org/vi ... hp?t=74000
We run a self study course in Tarot...please sign up..work together with your fellow students...and if further help is needed...ask for help....

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