Tarot Divination

WillowWolf
November 17, 2002/Revised for WolfCon August 2003
Introduction

The Tarot deck consists of 78 cards, divided into Major and Minor Arcana. The Major
Arcana contains 22 archetypes for the human journey through life. The Minor Arcana
consists of 56 cards. Sixteen are the court cards (Queen, King, Princess, Prince). The
court cards represent us in our different roles in life, as well as representing other
people, or projections we place on other people. The rest of the deck is 40 number cards;
sometimes referred to as "pips", split evenly over 4 suits (wands, swords, cups,
pentacles). These cards give the details of a situation.

When we do a reading, we will be looking for the major archetypes involved, ourselves
and any other people/aspects of ourselves or others that are involved, and the details.
However, not every reading will have representations from all three segments.

Using Tarot enhances our powers of intuition, and opens us to the language of the
Divine. Your intuition will help you uncover the meaning of the cards you select.
The most common use for Tarot is divination. The one seeking the reading asks a
question, and then the cards are laid out in particular patterns, and read. The most
effective Tarot readers are those who are open to psychic and intuitive information, and
can use the cards as a means to tap into that flow. But Tarot reading is not just a skill for
the gifted few. Anyone can learn to read Tarot, if they take the time and put in the effort
to do so.

I am still a budding student of Tarot myself, so my readings are sometimes accurate and
other times I cannot understand the information I am getting. That is when a Tarot
journal comes in handy. Write down the spread and the cards. Note any thoughts,
impressions, or feelings associated with it. At a later time, you may be able to see what
the cards were trying to tell you on that particular day. This will help you build your
skill and reveal things to look for in future readings.

If you want to learn the Tarot, commit some time to work with it on a regular basis -
daily if you can. Refer to the handout on Tarot magic for tips on how to attune yourself
to your deck. As you begin your study, let the cards be your primary teacher. Each day,
do a simple reading, whether that is a one-card draw, three-card spread, or a full Celtic
Cross, as often as you can. Write down your results in your Tarot journal.

Preparations

Prepare yourself before a reading. Just as we use a pattern for beginning each of our
rituals, develop an easy pattern for setting up for a reading. By repeating patterns of
action, these become cues to your unconscious that you are about to do Tarot. Some
people like to use a special cloth to lay out the cards. Light a candle if you wish. Burn
some incense. Take three deep cleansing breaths. Visualize anxieties, troubles, and the
other minutia of life flowing down through your body and out your feet, as Earth
energy flows in. Feel that energy fill you, flowing up through your body until it spills
out in a golden mist from the crown of your head. Then visualize a ray of golden light
coming down from the Universal energy and through your crown, to your heart chakra.
There it expands outward, as the two energies meet. You are now an open channel for
psychic, intuitive and divine inspiration.
How for Ask Questions

You can develop a specific question to ask, or you can ask for general guidance. A
question like "What do I need to examine or look at right now?" is fine. Trust your
Higher Self to focus the reading for you.

You can ask questions about choices you face; “Of these options, which is best?” What
would the consequences be from each choice? What is the lesson I need to learn here?
What is this situation trying to teach me? You can also ask yes or no questions.

Be clear about the information you seek. If you ask a vague question, you will probably
get a vague answer. Or you may get an answer to a question that you didn't intend to
ask, but the wording of your question was ambiguous enough that you do not get the
information you desire.

One Card Draw

Let's begin with a simple one-card blind

draw. You draw a card in the morning
as a guide for what is coming to you
during that day. Prepare yourself.
Shuffle the cards. Fan them out and
hold your hand over them. As you
move your hand, you may feel a
draw/tingling/heat/cold over a
particular card. Pull it and turn it over.

You have drawn the Wheel of Fortune.

This wheel depicts the life cycle of a
human, of all of nature. The wheel of
fortune can mean that a particular
opportunity may present itself today.
What you choose can determine a
change in direction. Drawing the card
does not mean say yes. It means be alert
to what comes, then choose your path.

The Wheel of Fortune may mean something entirely different to you. What is important
in any reading is that you go with the information you receive. The language the cards
speak to me may not be the same as they would speak to you.

A simple Yes/No draw is to have your question in mind as you shuffle, then either pull a
card, or turn the top one over. Right-side-up means yes. A reversed card means no.

Three Card Draw

According to Greer, "The Three-Card Speak is a powerful tool for feeding back
information about your own processes of making decisions and dealing with situations.
It can help you to clarify options before acting and to understand the dynamics that
take place afterward…" There are a variety of three card formats. I give examples of
two, and a list of ways you can adapt the spread based on other factors.

She goes on to say "Every question can be examined from three aspects. Each action, for
example, usually involves three choices: your current position, a new possibility or
opposite action, and the integration of these two in a new way. Problem solving can be
approached from your experience in the past, how you feel in the present, and
expectations of the future. And involved in every choice are your body with is urges and
habits, your mind with its thoughts and reasoning and your spirit with its ideals and
goals. The three cards in the spread may then be read as three choices, three aspects of
time and/or three aspects of the self."

Prepare yourself. Have a question in mind and decide which format to use. Shuffle the
cards until you feel they are well mixed. Cut them into three stacks. Rub your hands
together to activate the palm chakras, then move your left hand (or whichever hand
receives information the best) over the stacks. If you are doing body/mind/spirit,
choose the stack the feels like "body" to you. Do the same with the remaining two for
mind and spirit. Arrange them left to right: Body/Mind/Spirit. Then either turn over
the top cards, shuffle each short stacks again and then turn, or fan each pile out and
draw a card. Experiment to see what gives you the most understandable reading.

Sample Three-Card Reading

The Yes/No Spread. Prepare yourself. Ask your question, then shuffle, make
three piles, and turn the top cards over. Upright cards mean Yes. Reversed cards mean
No. A combination means the answer is not clear:

YES YES NO
 The Past/Present/Future spread.

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Below is one way to read these cards, based on the book by Mary K Greer, “Tarot
for Your Self” and my own intuition.

First impressions: Youth, transformation, and adepthood.

What colors? Purples, dark blues, red that has a purple hue

What do the numbers mean to me? 16 and 1. I don't get a meaning for the numbers.

What humans or animals do I see? A young prince and an older man.

What is the environment of each card? Summer in the first card. Lots of green
leaves, flowers, and blooming plants. Nice cloudy but bright sky. The time
of year in the Tower card isn't obvious, but it is either daybreak or sunset,
because there is a faint glow behind the mountains and the sky is lighter
there. My first sense was that the Magician was indoors, but the white
globe is moonlike and there are white specks that could be stars. It is
night.

What symbols are there? The sword - weapon of defense, of skill. Represents fire.
There are flowers and sun-type patterns embroidered on his cloak. The
tower has fire, light, lightning, and the building itself is symbolic. Towers
are places of mystery. Round towers were used for lighthouses. Readers of
Marian Zimmer Bradley know that the psychics of her Darkover novels
lived in Towers, using their abilities to serve others. The Magician stands
 behind an altar. Upon it are a pentacle, chalice, athame, and a hidden tool.
Above him floats the infinity sign.

What emotions do these invoke? The prince feels youthful, ready for a challenge.
The Tower feels transformative - lots of energy and light. Something
powerful is happening in there! The Magician is mysterious. I feel a sense
of knowledgeable and power.

Which way do the figures face? All face forward.

The Reading: To me, the cards show progression over time. I would elaborate
here on what that would mean, based on the question asked. In this case,
the progression is from youth/newness to the magician/adeptness.

What the book says: The Prince of Swords is will and action. The Tower means
moving toward illumination. The Magician means we are reaching the
goal.

In addition to the Yes/No and Past/Present/Future spreads, Greer lists the following
as alternative ways of interpreting a reading. To use any of these, have that intention in
mind as you shuffle.

CARD 1 CARD 2 CARD3

Body Mind Spirit
Past Present Future
Subconscious Conscious Superconscious
Child Parent Adult
Maya/Illusion Knowledge Magic
Thesis Antithesis Synthesis
Commencement Opposition Integration
An idea or plan Criticism of it Making the most of
limitations

You do not need to ask yourself all of the questions I list above for every reading. But
they are a good way to learn how to tap into the message the cards are revealing. Use
whatever way of reading the cards works best for you.

In the book that accompanies "The Witches Tarot", Ellen Cannon Reed says when the
cards start speaking to you, throw away the book!

Greer says the first two cards of this spread actually give the essence of the whole
reading. "They express the dynamic tension of your present situation, created by your
past actions, which is the impetus for future actions. As your heart/core/center, these
cards tell you what your inner (true) self wants you to know. The rest of the cards will
give you the opportunity to explore this basic energy tension and to understand your
personal responsibility for the events that are occurring in your life. Only then can you
control them."
Reversed Cards

All Tarot books give meanings for reversed cards as well as for cards in their right-side-
up position. Quite often reversed cards are seen as being the opposite. Sometimes we
view them as negative. I could not get out of my head the idea that a reversed card
meant it was bad, so someone suggested to me that I not use reversed cards. I didn't, for
quit e along time, until I was ready to let go of the reversed=bad idea.

Reversed means a different aspect is at play. One Tarot teacher said to think of reversed
cards as indicating the need to look within for an answer rather than outside. Or that, as
with the Wheel of Fortune, everything flows in a cycle, and 180 degrees is still the same
situation, just seen from a different angle.

Reversed cards can also suggest a blockage of energy, and signal an opportunity to
clear the blockage. They can be a means of bringing issues into consciousness.

Reading for Others

There is something in our culture that drives us to look for answers. Many people
believe that someone else can tell them what they need to know far better than they can
divine it for themselves. When reading for others, explain that what you see are
impressions, not the last word. No one should make any major decisions based upon a
Tarot reading or any other divination method, alone. Let this information be part of the
mix of decision-making, not the only input.

If you are reading for someone else, ask them to have their question in mind very
strongly, and keep it there while you shuffle the cards. You may also let them shuffle
the cards as they ask the question silently. Then lay out the cards. You can leave them
face down, and turn each card over as you do the reading, or turn them all over and get
an overall impression as you read.

Remember, the cards are symbolic. If you get the Death card in a reading, it does not
mean someone is going to die. It means there is an ending coming of some kind - a job,
relationship, habit, idea. Something is about to change.

Do your best and say what you see. Do not censor yourself. Do not reject information
that comes. Say it all, because the client knows much more about their situation than
you do. It may make sense to them. After you have finished, invite them to look it over,
and see what they can see. Give them time to make notes. Suggest that they look at it
again after a time, to see if its meaning becomes clear later.

Celtic Cross

The Celtic Cross spread uses 10 cards. The first six cards form the cross, with the
last four forming a pillar beside it. On the next page, I give the traditional meaning for
the cards in this spread. To begin a Celtic Cross reading, prepare yourself as previously
discussed. Decide whether you want specific information or a general reading. Form the
question in your mind, and focus on it as you shuffle.
Card 1 - that which covers you. This is the general environment or atmosphere

Card 2 - that which crosses you. Conflicts and obstacles (if any)

Card 3 - past events. The foundation or basis of the situation. Something which is
already part of your experience. What is below you.

Card 4 - passing influences. What is behind you.

Card 5 - future events. Your goals, purpose, aim, ideals. What is above you.

Card 6 - future influences. That which is before you.

Card 7 - how you see yourself.

Card 8 - your environment. Home, work, family, friends, what surrounds you.

Card 9 - hopes and fears of attaining the goal.

Card 10 - the outcome.