Learning About the Tarot

Tarot cards are only one type of divination cards, but they are arguably the best known. Even though many people know the term, not everyone knows the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana, what the swords, wands, pentacles and cups represent, or know that the Fool's Journey is a story found in the cards. That hasn't kept people from making up their minds about the Tarot, and there are almost as many fictions about the cards as there are facts. A few facts:

• Tarot does not come from Ancient Egypt.
• Tarot cards are probably the direct ancestors of today's playing cards.
• Until 1910, illustrations on the 'pip' cards were rare - they showed only symbols arranged in a pattern.
• Most modern Tarot decks are based on the A.E. Waite deck published by Rider and illustrated by Pamela Smith - the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.
• There is more historical information about gambling with the Tarot cards than there is about divination with them!

Tarot cards can be taken on many levels, from simply beautiful pictures to deeply spiritual meanings.  Each card represents a particular aspect of life, and a link to the life of the person getting a reading.  Swords represent thoughts and ideas, Wands represent ambition and effort, Pentacles represent money and work and Cups represent emotions and feelings.  Each of the cards in the Major Arcana represents a way station in the journey of life.  

As the cards are dealt out in a spread they show a particular life aspect of the person being read; Past, Present, Future, stumbling blocks, advantages, work and home, love and family. Taken together with the meanings of the cards, the Tarot can show a lot about a person and the path they are on.  They can show where that path will lead and offer ways to potentially change the destination.

There are many books about Tarot, and most decks come with a booklet that helps to explain the artist's ideas behind their illustrations.  Every artist has their own ideas about the symbolism they have put forth, and it is helpful to be able to see how their interpretation fits into the way you understand the cards.  The  books that deal with the basic card meanings and spreads are very helpful to develop a good understanding of the decks.

The two books that were first recommended to me are still the ones I turn to when I need a refresher on the cards: Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot and The Complete Guide to the Tarot. They offer a history and evolution of the decks, as well as detailed descriptions and meanings of each card.  They deal with spreads and their meanings, as well as different aspects of how the Tarot fit in with other spiritual disciplines.  Both of these books belong in your library. You can find these and more at the Something For Everyone Tarot store.

If you have an Android device, you will want to download the Galaxy Tarot from Google Play.  The free version is almost as good as the paid version, but once you start using it you will want to get the extras that come with the Pro version.  From the card of the day to saving your spreads, Galaxy Tarot offers a simple and powerful way to explore and learn the Tarot.