Tarot offers - if it should be more than reproducible knowledge - the chance to communicate with me as a whole. 'Communicating with me as a whole' means opening a channel to those areas where the ego is losing power and the higher self can have its say. If I want to receive real information through the map image, this first and foremost implies paying attention to myself and my concerns: Do I trust that there is a "self" that is larger and more comprehensive than what is called "I"? What can I change and what do I have to accept? These questions cannot be grasped by a planning mind alone. It also needs a response from within, a certain amount of dedication and trust in everything that happens here and now.
Too often one just wants to see the tarot cards confirm what the ego is hoping for. It's human and everyone does it every now and then. But the wisdom of the cards goes far beyond the desires and fears of our conscious thought out - this to learn but requires the willingness to work with each expected response and to accept any answer. This takes time and trust in the answers given by the cards grows in the same way as one's own access to the cards becomes more individual. Consequently, this introduction can only be useful for the very first steps on the "path to wisdom". It creates foundations that you can then build on in your own way. Read the most important questions and answers about learning to read cards here:
Frequently asked questions about card reading and interpreting the tarot (FAQ)
Can you learn to interpret cards with tarot? Of course. The imagery of the Tarot assumes that you activate your right, creative brain. Map reading is a creative, artistic process. Nevertheless, as with every language that one learns, there is simply a pool of "vocabulary" along with a kind of empirical knowledge that one will delve into little by little if one works with the tarot with interest. Here too, as is so often the case, what you put in comes out.
Do you have to be initiated into the practice of reading cards? No. The tarot itself is a path of initiation. Those who deal intensively with the Tarot, especially the major arcana, will advance to a depth that bathes their own life in a new light and leads to a greater understanding of the self. Anyone who would like to find out more about this is well advised to read Hajo Banzhaf's book: "Tarot and the Hero's Journey".
How do you start reading tarot? You can begin to look closely at each individual card and read the bullet points for it. This introduction offers a collection of bullet points from several tarot books on the symbolic meaning of each card. These key points are, so to speak, the "basis of tradition", or to stay in the picture, "the vocabulary".
For example, you can take a "day ticket" every day and study it in more detail. Or you can jump right in with simple placement systems that are well explained and study the meaning of the cards in connection with the placement. It is more effective to record the interpretation process in writing, because you can then refer to the written notes over and over again to check the extent to which what you read on the cards has been realized. Thereby one can gain amazing insights.
How do you know which of the many meanings of a card is correct in each individual case? From intuition. Play around with the possibilities and see when it feels right. It's a process that is really fun. They learn to trust their gut feeling. If you do not even know how to read a card, there are two options:
For which periods of time do the interpretations apply? The time periods depend on the question. Mostly, however, the cards allow an outlook for the next 3 to 6 months, but also for longer periods of time if you have questions. In addition, time-reducing and time-lengthening "indicator cards" can appear in the layout.
How reliable and true are the map interpretations? No explanation or statement is binding, but rather indicates a tendency that occurs if the questioner continues as before. But if someone takes a different path, simply because of the perspectives that Tarot shows him, the tendency that the cards predicted for him has of course become obsolete.
Is there a single true, objective interpretation? No. There is only a subjective interpretation of the map image. So it happens that competent experts can contradict each other. Different interpretations are not wrong or right, but can shine the subject from different angles. The key is to realize that Tarot is a good servant but a bad master. Those who can regard the Tarot as a friendly advisor and remain in their own responsibility can use the quality of the interpretation to gain deep, helpful insights that have less to do with "right or wrong" than with inner balance and wisdom in the face of external situations.
COMPOSITION OF THE TAROT
A complete tarot deck consists of 78 cards with the following names:
Large and small arcana goblets * staffs * swords * coins court cards
22 cards out of 78 form the so-called " Major Arcana " (plural of the Latin word "Arkanum" = secret), also known as "trump cards" called. They have memorable names and are identified by Roman numerals in many tarot decks. In a sense, they form the heart of the tarot. Therefore, trump cards are more often considered "particularly important" in laying practice. This is due not least to the fact that the major arcana represent archetypes of human existence. If we go to CG Jung, they can be understood as pictorial representations of the components of a collective unconscious, as conveyors of ancient knowledge about the path of human life, as it is, as mentioned above, handed down in fairy tales, myths, and legends of all peoples. In their expressiveness, the major arcana reach back in a fascinating way to the roots of human consciousness. Incidentally, an archetype of the major arcana have been immortalized in today's playing cards: the fool, namely as a "joker".
The remaining 56 cards form the so-called " Little Arcana ". This group is further subdivided into four series or sets, also known from the common playing cards: In Tarot, these series are called "sticks" (corresponds to cross), "goblets" (corresponds to the heart), "swords" (corresponds to spades) and "coins" (corresponds to diamonds). Each individual series, in turn, consists of fourteen cards: As (= one), two, three ... to ten, and four court cards each: Jack, knight, queen, and king. (In some tarot decks, such as the Crowley deck, this sequence is slightly modified: princess [for the boy], the prince [for the knight], queen and knight [for the king!]). It is noticeable that the knight has completely disappeared again in today's playing cards. While the major arcana brings us into contact with subjective forces that lie dormant within ourselves, the minor arcana, with the representation of certain situations in which we enter, seem to have a stronger relationship to the objective forces - to the forces outside of us exist that affect us and lead us to certain reactions or emotions.
Incidentally, the history of the tarot has only been partially satisfactorily explained. There are temporal differences in the appearance of the major and minor arcana. It can be assumed that the Tarot is composed of at least two different directions of development. What is certain is that the tarot was only known under its current name around the 16th century. It is also considered certain that the minor arcana are the forerunners of our playing cards today - with the exception of the joker, who started his dance between the cards as a fool within the major arcana.
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