practices:

Tarot

Tarot is a method of divination using a set of Tarot cards. Each card has a different divinatory meaning and is derived mostly from the Kabbalah of Jewish mysticism from medieval alchemy. Tarot revolves around the belief that the cards can be used to gain insight about the current and future situations of a person. They can be guided through a spiritual force of tapping into a collective unconscious. The cards are laid out in a variety of patterns or “spreads” and are interpreted by the reader, who then reads the cards and determines which meaning the card has depending on the location in the spread and whether they are facing up or down. Below contains tarot card meanings, associations, and roles in a tarot reading.

Tarot History

They were initially used as basic playing cards and eventually started being used for divination around the 16th century. A French occultist named Alliette or “Etteilla” designed the first esoteric Tarot deck, adding astrological meanings and “Egyptian” motifs to the cards. They also added divinatory meanings in text on the cards. Tarot was not used by witches, occultists and secret societies until the late 18th and 19th century.

What’s in a Deck?

A deck consists of seventy-eight cards: fifty-six “Minor Arcana” (lesser secrets) cards and twenty-two “Major Arcana” (greater secrets) cards. The Minor Arcana consists of four suits: Pentagrams, Swords, Wands and Cups. There are fourteen cards each; ten “pop” cards and four “face” cards. Below you will find each card with is correlated positive and negative meanings. This page is currently being updated so be sure to check back for new cards and spreads.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana Tarot cards represent the life lessons, karmic influences and the larger archetypal themes that can influence your life. They are the more deep and complex meaning cards in a reading. Finding one in your reading means you are being called to reflect on the life lessons and themes you are currently experiencing. They can often set the scene for the entire Tarot reading.