Tarot has been used as a divination tool for centuries. It’s a deck of 78 cards full of numerology, astrological, and biblical symbolism. These cards are divided into 2 groups, the major arcana contains 22 cards and the minor arcana consists of the remaining 56 cards. These cards are used to give a tarot reading of past, present, and future life news.
What is tarot card reading for? Each card individually represents situations that we encounter in life and contains specific guiding messages.
What is Major Arcana in Tarot Reading?
The 22 cards of the major arcana are a series of images that represent different stages of a journey. This is the life path that all human beings must take from birth through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. They are the most powerful cards in the deck. Life is a challenge of love, conflict, rebellion, crisis, change, transformation and awakening. In the course of life we face many cycles, each with a beginning, a middle and an end. All major arcana cards are rites of passage, stages, or processes, and not end results that do not change. Each phase of life leads to the next, and although we are comfortable in a cycle and do not want progress, it is not in our power to be stuck in time. When we feel that we have achieved and achieved a goal, one cycle ends and another begins.
In the tarot this is portrayed as the fool. The cards follow the fool’s journey and show messages through images and symbols. They focus on the karmic influence and archeotypic issues that affect our lives in the present moment and in the near future.
The 22 cards of the major arcana
00 the fool
01 the magician
02 high priestess
03 Empress
04 Emperor
05 Hierophant
06 The lovers
07 The chariot
08 strength
09 The hermit
10 wheel of fortune
11 justice
12 The hanged man
13 death
14 temperance
15 The devil
16 The tower
17 The star
18 The moon
19 The sun
20 judgment
21 The world
The minor arcana
The minor arcana are similar to a playing card game in that they contain 4 suits, each of which is numbered from 1 to king. The only difference is that the tarot contains an additional court card, the paige. These cards tell a story from start to finish. There are 4 colors in the minor arcana, each represented by elements. The order of the suits is:
Wands – Swing (Fire)
Cups – Emotional (water)
Swords – mental (air)
Pentacle – Physical (Earth)
Each color of the minor arcana can be divided into 2 groups, the 10 numbered cards and the 4 court cards. The numbered cards represent life experiences we encounter through events, interaction with others, and the different feelings we have. The 4 court cards typically do not describe events or experiences, but character types of people who may come into our lives, for us the learners.
Numerology in tarot
Numbers have significant synchronicities in our lives, which is reflected in tarot cards. Each number has its own association with strengths and weaknesses. With numerology we can focus on the energies with which we are trying the manifesto.
What can tarot cards do?
Tarot cards cannot predict the future. They describe a moment when they are questioned. This moment consists of the past, present and future. There are situations and decisions in the past that led the moment, and the consequences of the moment may arise from our reaction in the near future. The tarot cards can give us orientation on how we ended up in a certain moment and what can come from our reaction to that.
The past, present and future when reading a particular tarot card relate to a time window of about 6 months. They do not tell us about our fate, but simply point out influences or possibilities that may influence us so that we can shape our own future. The tarot card images can help us connect our unconscious and provide greater opportunities for reaction and choice.
The fate that tarot cards describe are images of the unconscious that we normally do not have access to. They can help us make this connection and give us back what the unconscious already knows.
What happens when you receive a tarot reading?
When you are given a tarot reading, the person doing the reading decides on a layout in which the cards will be placed. This is known as the spread. You should have a question on your mind, even if it’s just a vague idea of what you’re looking for. This is because the cards chosen reflect this question on a subconscious level. The reader shuffles the cards. You will be asked to select some cards and place them face down on the table. Then the reader continues the selection from the top of the shuffled deck of cards. Once this is done, the cards will be placed on the table in front of you and read.
There are many layouts that can be used when giving / receiving a tarot reading.
One of the most popular is the 3 card spread. This is the simplest tarot spread that is representative of the past, present, and future. This shows us what influenced past and present love situations and a guide to what could happen if we continued on this path.
The cards show not only the direction of life of the individual at the time of reading, but also the unconscious motivations from the past that contributed to this situation. Even if we are all individual and unique, the experiences that life offers us are anchored in all of us and are part of the process of human life. Using tarot images enables us to relate to our inner selves.
Do you have any experiences with tarot readings that you would like to share? If you have any questions, please feel free to use the comment below.
Much love
Crystal weaving