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Tarot for Life
Guidance
Contents
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Tarot Articles by various authors |
Pamela Colman-Smith, artist of the RWS Tarot Deck
Pamela Colman-Smith (16 Feb 1878-18 Sept 1951) was an artist, illustrator, and writer. She is best known for designing the Rider-Waite-Smith deck of divinatory tarot cards for Arthur Edward Waite. Pamela Colman-Smith was born in Pimlico, Middlesex (now London), England the daughter of an American merchant from Brooklyn, Charles Edward Smith and his American wife Corinne Colman.
The family often moved around due to her father's job with the West India Improvement Company and time was spent in London, Kingston, Jamaica and Brooklyn, New York. Her mother died when she was just 10 years old, and due to the absence of her father because of his work, she was taken under the wing of the Lyceum Theatre group (London) led by Ellen Terry, Henry Irving, and Bram Stoker. Her later art work was much influenced by travelling around the country with the theatre group in her early teens.
By 1893, Smith had moved to Brooklyn, New York to be with her father and at the age of 15, she enrolled at the relatively new Pratt Institute and there studied art under the noted artist teacher Arthur Wesley Dow. Four years later she graduated and returning to England in 1899, she became a theatrical designer for a miniature theatre and an illustrator. She illustrated Ellen Terry's book on Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, The Russian Ballet, published in 1913.
She joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1903 and met A.E.Waite. In 1909, Waite commissioned P.C.Smith to produce a tarot deck with appeal to the world of art. The result was the unique Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck (Rider was the name of the publisher), which has become the world's most popular and well-known 78-card tarot deck. All of the cards depict full scenes with figures and symbols including the Minor Arcana, and with Smith's distinctive designs they have become the basis for the designs of many subsequent packs - commonly known as Rider Waite clones.
Pamela was also an author and wrote and illustrated several books about Jamaican folklore, including Annancy Stories (1902) which were about Jamaican versions of tales involving the traditional African folk figure Anansi the Spider. She also did a lot of illustrating for the work of William Butler Yeats and his brother Jack. Apart from the tarot deck, her artwork found little commercial success. Pamela Colman Smith never married.
After the end of the First World War (1914-18),she received an inheritance that made it possible for her to move to Cornwall, an area very popular with artists due to the quality of light and the lifestyle. She died in Bude, Cornwall on the 18th September 1951. After her death, all of her personal effects and belongings, including her paintings and drawings, were sold at auction to satisfy her debts which had mounted up.
Lori Hampson - About the Author:
Lori Hampson offers affordable Tarot Readings through her website http://tarotforlifeguidance.co.uk. Please visit website for further insights, information on Tarot cards, meanings, events and more....
Basic Tarot for Beginners by: Sam Stevens
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards, but have no idea who to ask to teach you or how to go about it, the following tips should help you get started on your path to telling fortunes just like a pro!
Your first challenge is to choose a deck from the 8,000 or so published brands of fortune telling cards on the market. What works for one person often doesn't for another. Some people are comfortable reading several decks and others only identify psychically from a single brand. Your local bookstore will probably carry several choices of decks and the online store at Psychic Realm also has a selection of introductory Tarot. However, I highly recommend going to a store, picking up a deck and seeing if you like the feel of the cards. The feel, weight or look of the cards often "speaks" to you. If you a feel a connection with the images on the cards or even how they feel in your hands, then that is probably the deck that you will relate to best. I also recommend a deck that comes with a small book inside the package or box so you will have something to quickly reference if you should get lost in the meaning of the cards. When I first read the Tarot, I typed myself up a one sheet that a resembled a chart on a computer so that all the meanings of each card right side up and upside down were apparent to me at a glance.
Your next step would be to get acquainted with your cards. The best way to learn is to study the image on each card, one at a time, while memorizing it's meaning. Be patient. There are usually 78 meanings to learn so this is not always a fast process. Some tarot teachers recommend that you put the deck of cards under your pillow at night so you can get better acquainted with them. The idea is that your subconscious will absorb the meaning. You can also meditate or dream upon the individual cards in the same way by placing them under your pillow.
Some people like to charge their cards after they first get them, either by praying or meditating over them, passing them through the smoke of incense or placing them in the light of the full or new moon for a night. Finicky readers believe the power of the cards is enhanced if they are placed inside a special box, pouch or wrapped in a silk pouch. I personally don't think this makes much of a difference but pomp and circumstance is supposed to add to the power of all ritual and magic, so if storing your cards in a special way or in a special place helps you read them better than by all means do so.
Also many readers protect their cards by not letting anyone touch them. There is a belief that others can "infect" the cards with their beliefs, fears or anxieties. The cards do act as a portal through to the other side, so keeping them away from other people may be a good way of preventing people from accidentally "touching" you through the cards and passing along possibly toxic energy.
This however brings up issues when it is time to decide who is actually going to shuffle the cards. Some readers hand the cards over to the questioner and others prefer to always do the shuffling and never let the cards be tainted by another's hands. My personal take on this is that if you don't like the person's energy, shuffle them yourself or even -- don't do the reading at all!
Most Tarot decks consist of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana, and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The Minor Arcana consist of four "suits", just like a deck of regular playing cards... The four suits are, Pentacles or Coins, which deal with work/money/success issues, the Wands, or Staffs, which deal with more spiritual issues, the Cups, which deal with emotional issues, and the Swords, which some see as representing negative experiences and loss.
When starting out, I highly recommend making your life easy, and getting the person to ask you a question out loud. Both parties should focus on the question while you shuffle the cards. As you get more experienced or confident with the cards, you won't care if they ask a question, but repeating the questioner's question out loud yourself does seem to assist the divination process. Shuffle the cards until the person you are reading for feels it is "right" to stop or until you feel it is right to "stop". After you are done cutting, you need to cut the deck. Most readers divide the deck into three piles. At this point you can either have the person you are reading for pick which pile to pick up as the top of the deck, or you can pick them up in an order that feels right to you. Another option, is to fan the cards out face down, and have the person you are reading for pick out the cards they want you to read
Two Simple Spreads:
The Three-Card Spread:
This spread is good for yes or no questions. After you are done cutting the deck lay the cards out from left to right.
The first card to the left represents the past/issues affecting the problem.
The second card in the center represents the present/problem.
The third card to the right represents the future/outcome.
The Celtic-Cross Spread
Lay out the cards on the table in the following order:
4 10
5 1/2 6 9
3 8
7
The first card represents the person asking the question and the foundation of the matter.
The second card is placed across the first sideways and represents obstacles or issues dealt with the person in the present.
The third card represents what is on the subconscious mind of the questioner and everything he or she has been through with regards to the matter.
The fourth card represents the potential and the best that can be accomplished given the choices the questioner has made so far in his life regarding that matter.
The fifth card represents what has transpired in the past.
The sixth card represents what will take place in the immediate future.
The seventh card represents the fears of the person. Generally, this card will show you what is inside of them that is blocking him or her from reaching their desired outcome. It can also represent the atmosphere or influences that strongly affect the questioner.
The eighth card represents how others see the person or the situation.
The ninth card represents the hopes and fears that the questioner might have for the future.
The tenth card represents the predicted outcome of the situation or the actual answer to the question.
Some individuals like to keep pulling an addition six to ten cards after this cross is laid down to determine what will happen in the future.
It is important to remember, that no matter what maps or directions you are given, Tarot reading is an intuitive art and after you do it enough you will begin to develop an intuitive sense of what the cards mean when they are placed in relationship to each other.
Happy Reads!
About The Author
Sam Steven's metaphysical articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. You can meet Sam Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com where she is the staff writer. Currently she is studying technology's impact on the metaphysics.
Tarot Cards - 5 Myths by Heather Haskins
Few things are as misunderstood as Tarot Cards. For all of the negative associations surrounding divination and Tarot Cards in particular, there is little direct connection between these negative ideas and the reality of working with the cards. Dispelling a few myths may prove useful to our examination of the validity of Tarot.
Myth #1 - Tarot Cards are "Evil"
The first, and biggest myth is that they are anti-Christian or "evil." People who believe this tend to believe the cards "work" because they are infused with some sort of dark power. This myth, like all myths, contains a tiny grain of what used to be truth that has been twisted beyond recognition. In reality, it was the Christian church that in the middle ages stamped out Paganism, its chief competitor, by demonizing it and all things associated with it. People were told that their old horned fertility god (think of Pan) was the most evil being in all of creation, and the Devil was invented. Christianity is certainly anti-Pagan, and to the extent that Tarot cards are perceived as Pagan, many Christians feel compelled to condemn or ostracize Tarot cards and Tarot card readers without really understanding why.
Tarot Card readers, on the other hand, have no such beef with Christianity. Most of us don't consider Tarot to be an element of our religion in the first place (though we may consider it of spiritual value) and can't understand what all the drama is about. Some confusion often arises due to the inclusion of a Death card and a Devil card, two hot button items when seen through a religious lens. For now, it is enough to note that the Tarot interpretations of these symbols are not the interpretations that many people are used to.
Myth #2 - Tarot is a Scam
Another powerful myth is that Tarot is some kind of shifty scam, a Three Card Monty of sorts that by definition is a con game designed to use fraud to get people's money. Sadly, there are dishonest hustlers in every profession; doctors, lawyers, contractors, florists, you name it, there are unqualified people posing as qualified professionals charging money for substandard service or services that are never delivered in every industry and field. Tarot is no different, but is no more susceptible to infiltration by dishonest individuals than any other profession or service area. The main argument, it appears, is that Tarot readers may present themselves as something they are not, "psychic," or "fortune tellers," that a skeptic may decide simply can not be "true." At the heart of this issue is the difference between what being psychic means to different people who either claim it or perceive the claims of others. It all depends on your answer to the question, "What does it mean to be psychic?"
Myth #3 - Tarot Cards are Magic
Virtually no one who has any knowledge or experience with Tarot Cards believes that the cards themselves are magic. There is a superstition out there that no one should touch your cards except for yourself, and naturally collectors who spend hundreds of dollars on individual decks are going to hesitate before allowing anyone to handle them (especially since people are inclined to begin shuffling cards once they hold them!). Some people believe that items can pick up and retain energy from different people or situations, and this applies to their Tarot decks as much as anything else. In my experience, most people who harbor any true anxiety about others touching their cards are new to the idea of Tarot, and haven't studied the cards or taken the time to understand what Tarot is about. The example of a person who knows nothing about cars, kicking the tires on the showroom floor comes to mind. Tarot cards aren't magic. They are cardboard.
Myth #4 - Tarot Readers are Witches
The truth is, some are. I've been surprised, however, by how many people still think that witches have some sort of religious connection to "Satan." That isn't true either. Regardless, there is no official religious affiliation for Tarot. Some Tarot readers are Jewish or Christian; others are something else, or nothing at all. In fact, there are many Tarot decks out there that are geared toward one religion or another, combining the symbolism and images of a particular religious tradition with the traditional meanings of Tarot to create something that illuminates both traditions.
Myth #5 - You have to be psychic to read Tarot Cards
Absolutely not! Anyone can read Tarot cards, it's just a matter of memorizing some basic meanings and getting used to the different cards in the deck. Of course, some of us believe that everyone is psychic, but to examine such a notion, we would have to decide what it actually means to be psychic. Suffice it to say, for now, that for some people, Tarot feels as though it serves as a psychic tool.
In conclusion, we can understand what Tarot Cards are much better if we first understand what they are not. They are neither evil nor a scam, they are not magic in and of themselves and you do not have to be a witch or a card carrying "psychic" to read them. If we can establish that much, we are free to examine the beauty and power of this amazing tool.
About the Author
Heather Haskins is a professional Tarot Card Reader and author. She is the founder Love and Life Tarot. Read more at http://loveandlifetarot.blogspot.com/
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Understanding the Tarot Card Deck - Part 1
by: Lisa Lamont
One of the first steps toward understanding the Tarot lies in appreciating the meaning of its two Arcana - the Major and the Minor. But even before that, the novice does well by committing to memory the meaning of "Arcana" - defined as "mysterious knowledge, language, or information accessible only by the initiate."
By its very definition, the word "Arcana" exudes secrecy and a certain esoteric eeriness - making it the perfect word for the two branches of the Tarot so important to believers, including new "initiates." To learn about Tarot is one thing; to truly learn the meaning of the Tarot's Arcana is quite another.
Because the Arcana are secret, and because their deeper meanings are closed to many, learning them takes time, determination, and perhaps even a gift. This gift belongs to those with a desire to learn the mysteries and knowledge of the Ancients, the special few, the Chosen. The Arcana, though seemingly somewhat simplistic at first glance, are in actuality the great secret to reading Tarot.
The first of the Arcana, termed the "Major Arcana," symbolically relate to our physical, as well as intellectual, emotional, and spiritual states of being. These 22 powerful cards illuminate our strengths, weaknesses, fears, wishes, and the light and dark portions of our souls. The Major Arcana in a commonly used Tarot deck include the fool, the magician, the high priestess, the empress, the emperor, the hierophant (wise man or teacher), the lovers, the chariot, strength, the hermit, the wheel of fortune, justice, the hanged man, death, temperance, the devil, the tower, the star, the sun, the moon, judgment, and the world.
A number of the Major Arcana cards serve as archetypal representatives of real people in our lives, either as a whole or in symbolic parts. Some archetypes, for instance, would be authority figures, mysterious or mystical people, or parental, sibling, or other familial figures.
The Major Arcana cards each represent, through their images, positive and negative forces. The interpretation of the meanings of the cards, however, relies on many factors. Some of these factors include how the cards are laid, which cards surround others, the information sought, the reader, and the person for whom the reading is being performed. So even though each individual Major Arcana symbol or card holds its own unique meanings, it must be taken as only one part of a whole with the above critical dynamics taken into account.
When dealing with the Major Arcana, one deals with some of the ancient, mystical, and hidden secrets of the universe - and should do so with the caution attributed to the wisest among us. But be cautious, not afraid! Some may say, "Curiosity killed the cat!" But we also know: "Satisfaction brought it back!" And even though cats do purportedly have nine lives, you'll have to consult the Major Arcana to even hazard a guess as to which life the cat in question is now living - once you've learned the Major Arcana's secrets, that is!
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About The Author
Lisa Lamont
(c) All About Tarot
All About Tarot is an information packed website that features loads of useful links and articles! Visit now at: http://www.all-about-tarot.com
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Understanding the Tarot Card Deck - Part 2
by: Lisa Lamont
Tarot card reading delves into an individual's psyche and thus depends largely upon the energy that person generates, whether consciously or subconsciously. And because human beings are complex creatures with all kinds of major and minor issues - not only negative, but positive as well - the Tarot must duly address them all. So, although the Major Arcana bring to light the larger issues in life, there also exists the Minor Arcana - which serve the purpose of illuminating the "secret and closed" events, feelings, needs, and everyday details of our existence.
Fifty-six cards constitute the Minor Arcana within these suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. And just as with the Major Arcana, the interpretation of these cards lies not only the face-value meanings of the cards, but also in how they are laid (the "spread" - whether they are upside down, the positions they take in your chosen pattern, etc.), the mindset and emotions of the interpreter and of the person being "read," and the very questions themselves. Reading Tarot cards successfully takes time, and with that comes experience - the key to giving a good reading.
But one must start at the beginning, learning the meanings of each of the individual 56 Minor Arcana. As mentioned above, these are divided into the four suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. And each suit encompasses the Ace, then 2-10 numeral cards, and finally the court cards: the Page, Knight, Queen, and King - very similar to an ordinary deck of playing cards in some ways, yet powerfully different in others!
Each suit in the Minor Arcana represents distinctive characteristics, and these combined qualities create an image of our day-to-day lives. The suits and a very abbreviated listing of some of their characteristics include:
- Wands - ingenuity, accomplishment, change
- Cups - feelings, spirituality
- Swords - intelligence, contemplation, logic
- Pentacles - pragmatism, safety, physical and material needs
Cards within suits correspond to the theme of the particular suit to which it belongs. An Ace declares the overall quality of whatever suit it is in. For instance, the Ace of Cups represents affections, feelings, intuitiveness, and personal familiarity - all the most positive aspects of the Cups' characteristics. A Ten of Cups may signify the fruition of those qualities with, for example, the peace and joy one finds within the atmosphere of a happy family. One by one, the meanings of each card must be committed to memory. When the Tarot novice becomes comfortably familiar with the 56 Minor Arcana representations, he or she should then be ready for the next steps toward understanding the subsequent - and deeper - aspects of the art of Tarot.
Learning the art of Tarot can be a challenging - and rewarding - endeavor. But the student must realize Tarot is not easy, and Tarot is not quick. As with all things in the secret and hidden arts such as Tarot, one must be willing to persevere, to continue resolutely down the path toward enlightenment - and rejoice as the mysteries of the journey unfold.
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About The Author
Lisa Lamont
(c) All About Tarot
All About Tarot is an information packed website that features loads of useful links and articles! Visit now at: http://www.all-about-tarot.com/
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Tarot Basics by Lisa Lamont
A Tarot card deck typically consists of 78 colorful cards imprinted with what many deem fascinating and curious images. The cards, each filled with a particular meaning and portent, most often come somewhat larger than ordinary playing cards and make an impressive display when ritually laid out. This deck of special cards can be used by a trained "reader" for glimpsing into his or her own future or that of another person for whom the cards are read. The Tarot deck, divided into Major Arcana and Minor Arcana, contains 22 symbolic cards and 56 suit cards - wands, swords, cups, and pentacles - interestingly also called "pip" cards.
Many types and styles of Tarot cards exist, and a breakdown of even the more common Tarot card deck reads like a mysterious journey into the occult - and perhaps it is! The Major Arcana includes the magician, high priestess, empress, emperor, hierophant (a sage or wise man), lovers, chariot, strength, hermit, wheel, justice, hanged man, death, temperance, devil, tower, star, moon, sun, judgment, world. The Minor Arcana (the suits) consists of the aces, twos, threes, fours, fives, sixes, sevens, eights, nines, tens, court cards, pages, knights, queens, and kings - all in the above-mentioned suits.
The key to successfully reading the Tarot deck, however, does not lie only in what the cards mean, but in how to interpret them. A gifted Tarot reader can sometimes create a huge following by accurately predicting the futures of friends, family - even strangers who call on him or her for a reading.
"Tarot" comes from the Italian word "Tarocchi," a French card game originally termed "carte da trionfi" - "cards with trumps." It has been theorized that the name was shortened from "Tarocchi" to "Taro" and thus evolved over time into "Tarot" by the French. The definition of Tarot goes hand in hand with the origin of the name because Tarot is considered to be a tool of divination by believers, and the roots of the name explain, in part, how this came to be so, though we may never know the complete story, since its complete origins have been lost in the passage of time.
The origins of Tarot vary almost as widely as there are people exploiting the powers of these fascinating cards. Some maintain the cards have roots beginning in the ancient mysteries of Egypt, the mythical city of doomed Atlantis, or from the magic-filled background of the European gypsies. But etymologically speaking, that is, considering Tarot from the history of the word itself, this mysterious deck of future-foretelling cards probably came into being in the northern Italian courts of nobility during the mid-15th century.
Whatever and whenever the source of Tarot, this remarkable deck of cards remains an entertaining and intriguing journey into the unknown, the inexplicable, and the sometimes mystifying realms of life. Perhaps the roots of Tarot lie shrouded in doubt for a reason. Perhaps Tarot is meant to mystify as well as to reveal. Perhaps.only the Tarot cards know for sure!
(c) All About Tarot
All About Tarot is an information packed website that features loads of useful links and articles! Visit now at: http://www.all-about-tarot.com
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