First things about Tarot

A friend of mine asked me to dissect and do a ‘card of the day’ of the tarot for her sight. I started researching and there is a lot of things about tarot. We both prefer the energy of Oracle cards, but I know many people who prefer tarot. I mainly like oracle cards because of the energy I receive. Also, I have always wanted to learn but trying to remember what all the cards mean is hard.

I taught how to read cards, not by book, but by instinct for years. In fact, you can read any cards this way. But now days there are so many different decks, different spreads, what each card is near and all the symbolism. But the basis of all tarots is the same. It’s the Fool’s Journey and how everything relates to us in our lives.

No matter who designs a tarot deck there are to be 78 cards total:

* 22 Major Arcana (they deal with main subjects)

* 56 Minor Arcana (they deal with smaller issues, like brief emotions and situations)

                * The minor arcana is divided into four suits: cups, wands, swords, and pentacles.

                * Each suit has numbered cards from 1 through 10.

                * 4 court cards (page, knight, queen, and king,)

* And the ‘Journey of the Fool’.

Sometimes, like the deck I use most of the time, the name of ‘The Fool’ is different, but the meaning is all the same. It is a representation of us, or the person we are reading, and where we/they are in life. Just as the minor arcana’s suits may have different names such as earth, air, fire, and water.

I am going to go over each card and how they may affect our lives and show us what we need to know, so we can understand the card’s reflection in our lives and what to expect, prepare for, or even what we might be able to change.

These next few steps are very important. Most don’t think of this but there is a lot of energy that goes into making cards. Firstly, and foremost is the person and/or people who create the cards. Next is the process of creating the cards. There are the workers and the machines. Let’s say there is a person who has had an argument with their significant other, they are thinking about the argument and working on the machine making your cards. There is a stocker putting your cards on the shelf and they almost got into an accident on the way to work. These are just a few of the people who touch your cards. What about the people who made the machine which made your cards. There is a lot of energy going into our cards. This is why we need to cleanse and clear our cards.

When I first open a deck of cards, I like to look at each card. This is the start of bonding with my cards. Next, I hold them to my heart and say,

“Angels, spirits, and guides, please bless these cards and help us to tether together.

Be with me so I may receive answers for the highest good of all involved. Thank you and so it is.”

I then shuffle the cards in three different ways. I do what I call a ‘wash shuffle’, a ‘dealer shuffle’, and then an ‘overhanded shuffle’. When I am satisfied, I then knock on the cards three times and smudge them with white sage.

• Wash: place your deck on your desk (or wherever you have enough room), spread them out and then mix them. I like to use one hand going counterclockwise and the other clockwise and mix till I feel they are thoroughly washed.

• Dealer: shuffle like you have seen dealers do and riffle till you feel it is thoroughly done.

• Overhanded: place the deck in one hand and release a section of cards at a time into the opposite hand until I feel the cards are ready.

This is how I do it. You do not have to do it the exact same way. Do what feels right to you, just make sure they are shuffled well. If, while you are doing your first readings several cards are still in order then you should do your shuffles again. I tend to do things in three’s (for example 3 different shuffles) because I like the number…lol.

To do a reading you want to ask the right question. The cards are a tool to help you reflect on possible answers. This is not an exact way to get future answers. It is to show you what might be possible. Things can change because the future is not set.

Ask open-ended questions. Remember this reflects what could be. You want to ask things that are clear and concise and deal with who, what, where and how.

If you’re reading for another person you can choose to let them cut the deck. Some people don’t like other people touching their cards. In either case, make sure, after the reading, you clear your cards. You can smudge with sage by letting the smoke flow over them or knock three times to do this.

If you are reading for several people (one right after another), always clear after each reading and take time to hydrate, if you feel tired then stop, take a break, hydrate, and have a light snack. If after the break you still do not feel one hundred percent, then stop all together. It’s time to rest. If you are not feeling well, your readings and your health can be affected.

After each reading, I like to thank the spirits for helping me. It is a sign of respect for all energies involved.