[Lesson] A Brief Look at Tarot Structure | Page 1 | Library | Guild Forums

Sir Nubbins

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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 10:28 am

A lot of this information comes to you from the words of Zach Wong from the book that comes along with my Revelations Tarot deck. I feel that his descriptions fit well. So I'll answer a few quick questions people might pose. If you all still have questions after this, feel free to ask. ^^ Also note that if you're looking into making your own deck, this should only be a starting point. Try googling different decks and such and find what's best for you.

Q: So tarot cards are all about reading the future, right? If not, then what are they?
A: Not exactly. Tarot are more like mirrors. They reflect back to us an image of reality, but not reality itself. If a mirror is dusty, then we cannot see ourselves clearly; if it is old, it may be warped. What we see in the mirror may be different from what other people may see us.
They show us situations and then the possible outcomes if we choose to continue to walk the path we're on, or if we stray. They're not just to see the future. They're good for realizing oneself, your motives, catching your flaws, and helping you realize your faults and potentials. They're, in no way, definate or for sure. They're not something you should rely on to help you through.

Q: Do you have to be psychic to work with tarot?
A: Not entirely. Everybody has the ability to learn and work with tarot. Sometimes it's easier for others, but it all takes time and effort to fine tone and develop the skill. Those who don't, won't.

Q: So what are the parts of the cards?
A: The Tarot is split into two different parts: The Major and The Minor Arcana.

-The Major Arcana is a particular set of cards that are numbered from 0 to 21 (The number may vary, depending on the deck, but I think this is the normal count), and is often believed to be the journey of the fool (card 0) through a spiritual journey... both on a large and small scale. Here's a list of the Major Arcana (according to my deck):
O: The Fool
I: The Magician
II: The High Priestess (She may go by different names in other decks)
III: The Empress
IV: The Emperor
V: The Hierophant (Or the High Priest)
VI: The Lovers
VII: The Chariot
VIII: Strength
IX: The Hermit
X: Wheel of Fortune (No it's not based off a TV Show XD)
XI: Justice
XII: The Hanged Man
XIII: Death
XIV: Temperance
XV: The Devil
XVI: The Tower
XVII: The Star
XVIII: The Moon
XIX: The Sun
XX: Judgement
XI: The World

Like I said before, many of these cards might have different names, and there might be more or less of them, depending on your deck. I'll post the Minor Arcana in the next post. =P

Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 10:45 am

Okay, so the Minor Arcana is a bigger deck than the Major Arcana, and they're very similar to a deck of playing cards (This is probably why many people can read with playing cards. When they are, they're using the Minor Arcana). The Minor and Major Arcana can be used separately, but I personally prefere them together. =P
The Minor Arcana has four parts, called suits: Chalices, Pentalces, Wands, and Swords. These might go by different names, like Cups instead of Chalices, or Sticks instead of wands... still, they're synonyms of each other.
Each suit has an Ace, numbered cards from 2 to 10, and then a Page (sometimes called a Princess), a Knight (Sometimes called a Prince), a Queen, and a King. They also have an aligning element, which also may alter depending on the deck. Mine is set up as follows:
Wands - Fire (Intuition, magic, powers of creation, and matters of the soul)
Swords - Air (Thought, intellegence, mentality, and matters of the mind)
Cups - Water (Emotions, and matters of the heart)
Pentacles - Earth (The senses, physical pleasures, and matters of the body)

Each number of the suits has it's own theme:
Ace - basic quality of the suit, new beginnings, raw energy and power
Two - synthesis, balance
Three - full growth, potential of the suit
Four - structure, stability
Five - conflict, loss, change
Six - pivotal ponts
Seven - karma, cause and effect
Eight - balance, movement
Nine - contentment, completion
Ten - transcendance
Page - exploration, study
Knight - action, expression
Queen - feminine aspect of the suit, creation, appreciation
King - male aspect of the suit, ultimate energy, power

If you can mix these number qualities with the quality of the element it's associated with, then you could almost create your own deck with it's own meanings. I still suggest studying the cards more, however, if you want to make your own deck.

If you buy your deck, I suggest making sure you get the book to go along with it too. Every person who creates tarot has their own set structure, and every deck is going to be different. That said, I hope this helped some of you out. ^^

Sir Nubbins

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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 12:14 am

Thanks=DHmm i am terrible i can't even find a cheap tarot book around wait i think my country hardly sells them grr-searches-

Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 10:13 am

Wow o-o What country do you live in?

Sir Nubbins

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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 12:17 am

Singapore its like my mom doesn't let me to go to those store that sells tarot cards that are not my religion(christian)and i hardly find tarot cards anywhere!!

Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 10:16 am

Ouch, that really sucks! I guess I'm kinda lucky. I'm 19, and drive myself wherever I wanna go, all I have to do is tell my mom I'm going to town. (I live out in the country, and I'm still living with my family because it's easier while I pay for college.)
Perhaps maybe when you're out with friends or something. Tarot are great, but don't let your excitement make a hasty choice, expecially if you buy. It was a few months after I decided that I'd like to get a tarot deck before I found one that actually called to me.
I don't know if your friends know of your interests or not, or what your exact situation is over there. I'm sure your lifestyle is different over there than in America, so I'm sorry that I can't help you as much as I'd like to.
If you were to make them on your own: My suggestion would be to find a paper or substance that could be close to playing cards (and their size as well). That way they're easy to shuffle and easy to hide!