The Basics: Tarot

Introduction

First of all, you must ask yourself, "Why do I want to Learn to Use the Tarot?"
Tarot, is simply a tool to see a situation from different perspectives. It can tell you the future, but this is not the be all and end all of what will happen. Every personal result happens based on a specific choice you make; and tarot can help you understand what decision will lead to what result.

Understanding each tarot card completely takes a lot of time and practice. This is not a skill you can pickup in a day and start reading for others. It takes time to use the tarot; for some it only takes months and others, years. This all depends on how much time you take to practice and learn the interpretations.



Choosing a Tarot Deck

When choosing a Tarot deck, it is important to let your intuition be your guide. Choose the deck that you are drawn to and is the most appealing to you. You can buy tarot decks at new age shops and Borders Stores. I recommend taking some time to look at all of the decks and then making your final decision.



Interpretation

After years of using the tarot, I have come to the conclusion that it is best if you use your own interpretations for the cards. There are many tarot books out there with many different interpretations, this can lead to frustration on knowing which interpretation is best; so it is better if one learns their own personal interpretations. This may be difficult for beginners, as they may have little understanding of the tarot, so I will give some basic information on the structure of the tarot, as well as my own interpretations.

MINOR ARCANA - PERSONAL OCCURANCES
MAJOR ARCANA - CURRENT LESSON BEING LEARNED



The Structure of the Tarot


MINOR ARCANA:

Elements

*WANDS - FIRE ENERGY, SPIRITUAL PLANE
*PENTACLES - EARTH ENERGY, PHYSICAL PLANE
*CUPS - WATER ENERGY, EMOTIONAL PLANE
*SWORDS - AIR ENERGY, MENTAL PLANE


Interpretations

WANDS - Personal Experience, Working hard for success/profit, Business/Career, Potential

PENTACLES - Finanial Matters, Financial Security, Business Affairs, Promotions, Enterprise

CUPS - Romantic Relationships, Lovers, Emotional states, Feelings, Marriage, Friendships

SWORDS - Mental States, ideas, perspectives, attitudes, illnesses, conflicts



TELLING TIME

Major Arcana - Very Soon

Aces - Seasons
Ace of Wands ~ Autumn
Ace of Pentacles ~ Spring
Ace of Cups - Summer
Ace of Swords - Winter

Court Cards - Months

Dec 22-Jan 19: PAGE PENTACLES
Jan 20-Feb 19: QUEEN PENTACLES
Feb 19-Mar 20: PAGE CUPS
Mar 21-Apr 19: KING WANDS
Apr 20-May 20: PAGE SWORDS
May 21-June 20: KING PENTACLES
June 21-July 22: KING CUPS
July 23-Aug 22: QUEEN WANDS
Aug 23-Sept 22: QUEEN SWORDS
Sept 23-Oct 22: KING SWORDS
Oct 23-Nov 21: QUEEN OF CUPS
Nov 22-Dec 21: PAGE WANDS



NUMBERS

ACES - New Beginnings, New Cycles
TWOS - Unions, Balance, Polarities
THREES - Self-Expression, Communication
FOURS - Foundation, Organization
FIVES - Freedom, Risks, Creativity
SIXES - Service, Community Involvement
SEVENS - Solitude, Soul-Searching
EIGHTS - Material Prosperity, Worldly Influence
NINES - Humanitarianism, Integration, Resources
TENS - Transition, Ending and Beginning
PAGES - Children or immature people under the age of 21
KNIGHTS - Males or Females from age 21-35
QUEENS - Mature women over the age of 35
KINGS - Mature men over the age of 35




MY PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS


MAJOR ARCANA

0 FOOL
- Lack of Discipline
-Ignoring Advice, Signs, Warnings
-Blind Faith

1 MAGICIAN
- WILL
- Control of own life
- Use of Resources
- Manipulation

2 HIGH PRIESTESS
- Learning & Knowledge
- Wisdom
- Intuition
- Understanding

3 EMPRESS
- Pregnancy
- Nurturing
- Menstrual Cycle
- Motherly Influence

4 EMPORER
- Dominance
- Leadership
- Authority
- Control

5 HIEROPHANT
- Individuality in beliefs
- Religion
- Following own path

6 LOVERS
- Committment
- Marriage
- Opposing Elements
- Choice

7 CHARIOT
- Change
- Obstacles
- Strenght

8 JUSTICE
- Fairness
- Realism
- Seeing all perspectives

9 HERMIT
- Self Examination
- Solitude
- Introspection

10 WHEEL OF FORTUNE
- Situation you have no control over
- Karma

11 STRENGTH
- Courage
- Endurance

12 HANGED MAN
- Willing Self-Sacrifice
- Surrender
- Devotion

13 DEATH
- Abrupt, Stressful Change
- Ending of a Cycle


14 TEMPERANCE
- Patience
- Self-control
- Moderation

15 DEVIL
- Self Bondage
- Inner Demons
- Temptation
- Lust

16 TOWER
- Setback
- Tramatic Event
- Purification through Fire (out with the old, in with the new)

17 STAR
- Goals
- Spiritual Enlightenment

18 MOON
- Intuition
- Hidden Forces
- Psychic Ability

19 SUN
- Happiness
- Success
- Fufillment

20 JUDGEMENT
- Legal Matters
- Final Decisions/Answers
- End of Doubts

21 WORLD
- Goals Reached
- Worldly Power
- Completion
- Accomplishment





MINOR ARCANA

ACE OF WANDS - Beginning of a new cycle of growth. Enterprise, new job, project; something you have to earn by working hard.

2 OF WANDS - Established enterprise. Don't be afraid of accepting advice or help from others. Learning to balance resources.

3 OF WANDS - Be open to the ideas of others, they are spiritual messages.

4 OF WANDS - Security and foundation. Celebrating threshold, enjoying rewards for work.

5 OF WANDS - Competition, working hard to be the best or better than the rest.

6 OF WANDS - Enjoying success and recognition for hard work and accomplishment.

7 OF WANDS - Feeling the burden of hard work and competition, holding off and losing motivation.

8 OF WANDS - Situation moving fast, Air Travel, Shot ideas into the air and waiting for results/feedback.

9 OF WANDS - Solid Foundation, protecting it. Possessive and proud.

10 of WANDS - Taking on too much responsibility, or that of others.

PAGE of WANDS - Travel, foreign culture, foreign dealings in business; Adventurous child

KNIGHT OF WANDS - Hard worker, solid personality, good sense of humor, stable; male ages 21-35.

QUEEN OF WANDS - Hard working, simple yet intelligent, creative, love of nature, tries to be dominant but a natural submissive; Female over age 21.

KING OF WANDS - Hard worker, strong yet sentimental, Greate sense of humor, love of family/children, Dominant, Gets the job done efficiently, well-earned ego, College Degree; Male over the age of 35.




ACE OF PENTACLES - New business/enterprise, job, career, source of profit, inheritance.

2 OF PENTACLES - Learning to balance income/budget.

3 OF PENTACLES - Graduation, promotion in current job/career.

4 OF PENTACLES - Being stingy with money, holding on too tightly.

5 OF PENTACLES - Being blind with money, not budgeting, WARNING CARD

6 OF PENTACLES - Charity, having more than enough money

7 OF PENTACLES - Built solid security, on the verge of reaping rewards.

8 OF PENTACLES - Working hard for reward, using resources and craftsmanship, has worked many years

9 OF PENTACLES - Security, enjoying it, relaxing

10 OF PENTACLES - Family inheritance, family security

PAGE OF PENTACLES - Scholarship, college; bookworm child.

KNIGHT OF PENTACLES - Enterprenuer, lighthearted personality, good sense of humor, stable; Male age 21-35.

QUEEN OF PENTACLES - Strives for security, superficial, material minded, book smart & lack of common sense, extravagant, 'gold digger'; Female over the age of 21.

KING OF PENTACLES - Money minded, Business man, powerful, Dominant, excellent budgeter, Materialistic; Male over the age of 35.




ACE OF CUPS - New Romance or friendship

2 OF CUPS - New Bond/Union, potential for lasting relationship, marriage

3 OF CUPS - New Romance, Infatuation, Lust, Celebration, Fun, One night stand

4 OF CUPS - Needing space, withdrawing from a relationship or person

5 OF CUPS - Feeling sorry for self after dissapointment in relationship, Not trying to fix anything, hopeless, giving up

6 OF CUPS - Nostalgia, Memories, Thoughts of the Past

7 OF CUPS - Looking over options and choices in a relationship, Trying to decide on a path/solution

8 OF CUPS - Wishing relationship turned out differently, Time to move on

9 OF CUPS - WISH CARD, Wishes fulfilled, Happiness, Fulfillment in relationship

10 OF CUPS - Happiness in love. Mutual and unconditional love. (True Love)

PAGE OF CUPS - Young love, immaturity, unstable emotions, obsession

KNIGHT OF CUPS - Prince charming, Swept off feet, "The One"

QUEEN OF CUPS - Loving, Emotional, Submissive, Moral, Coventional, 'Goody Goody', Ditzy; Female over the age of 21.

KING OF CUPS - Loving, Emotional, Water signs in astrology chart, somewhat feminine/submissive, ditzy; MALE over age 35.




ACE OF SWORDS - New perspective, New frame of mind, New attitude

2 OF SWORDS - Conflicting ideas/perspectives

3 OF SWORDS - Seperation, Break of communication and exchange of ideas

4 OF SWORDS - Calm after a battle, enjoying the victory

5 OF SWORDS - Adjusting after a loss or dissapointment. Waiting for an answer, but it is right in front of you. Calm and clear the mind (meditation needed).

6 OF SWORDS - Leaving to a new life, something better, journey (possibly over water), Moving

7 OF SWORDS - Have gotten the upper hand on a situation, but more difficulties are likely to come

8 OF SWORDS - Feeling trapped, isolating self

9 OF SWORDS - Sickness, Severe Depression, Illness

10 OF SWORDS - Dissapointment, suffering

PAGE OF SWORDS - Malicious thinking, not seeing all sides of a situation; Malicious child

KNIGHT OF SWORDS - Dominant, Forceful, Egotistical, Malicious, Stern, Sense of humor comes at the expense of others; Male ages 21-35.

QUEEN OF SWORDS - Dominant, strong willed, malicious intent; Woman over the age of 35. Also, can signify a widow or Older lady.

KING OF SWORDS - Dominant, possessive, over critical, verbally abusive, demanding, may have malicious intent; Male over the age of 35.