What is Tarot, and what can it do for you -

Before I go deeper in the Major Arcana, it occurred to me that I hadn’t even laid out the basics of what tarot is – so let’s have a quick explanation here:

What is Tarot?

Tarot is a method of divination that uses cards as its basis. The Tarot consists of 78 cards split in 2 groups:

The Minor Arcana, holds 56 cards (sometimes referred to as pips): 40 cards in four different suits of ten — traditionally wands, cups, swords and coins, and 16 court cards of four per suit – traditionally the page, knight, queen, and king.

The more exotic Major Arcana, holds 22 cards, starting with the Fool at Zero, and ending with the World at 21.

It is my belief that although many tarot cards look mysterious or exotic today, when they were first developed in the Middle Ages, most of the images and symbols would have been easily understood by everyone. That’s why I like the Inner Child cards I use, which base the Major Arcana on fairy tales – using complex images that most people have a relationship with today.

The person having the reading is often referred to as the querent (the person asking the questions.)

and what can it do for you?

The Tarot is a way of looking at where you are at - psychologically, emotionally and spiritually - by the cards that come out after you personally shuffle them. By infusing your energy into the cards, they start to describe where the energy in your life lies right now.

The Tarot can describe what is going on right now for you. It can predict patterns and show you how current actions are going to shape the future. What it can do is illuminate and help make sense of things. What it can’t do is tell you things you don’t know at all (ie which lottery numbers should I chose. Though the question – is my partner having an affair is almost always answered accurately, because inevitably the person asking the question knows the answer.)

Not to sound ominous, I would still like to give one warning here – if you ever go to a Tarot reader (or any psychic) who starts to talk about curses and how you have to buy candles or charms to lift these curses, please leave quickly. At best these people are stealing your money and at a worst they are putting negative energy into your life.

Next blog – we continue to explore the major arcana.

Stepping right out...

The first card of the Major Arcana is the Fool - the most common image is from the Rider Waite pack, and there are many variations on this theme:


but basically, it shows someone who doesn't know where they are going, head in the air, hope in their heart, unaware of the difficulties ahead. Often, that's the energy we need to start the journey, or we'd never leave the house!

I came across this cool dude version of the fool (whose imagery may speak more to you)


When you get this card in a reading, it's about the start of things. Sometimes it can mean that you should look more carefully at where you are going or what you expect to find. What I like about this card, unlike, let's say the 8 of cups, that this journey is all about movement, and it shows understanding that the journey is the destination. Sometimes we are so focused on where we want to be, that getting there is some negligible annoyance. But how we get to where we want to be, is actually what defines us (are we calm, flustered, organized, ruthless, corrupt or loving?) And the fool, although blithely stepping out, is also taking action.

In the second pack that I use, the inner child pack, the fool card looks like this:


and I like the warning of it - into the woods dangerous things can happen, but red riding hood is no fool, and she gets to save the day (depending on the version you choose) And sometimes you have to get through the woods to find your loved ones...

Struggle

In quite a few of my readings lately, not surprisingly the theme of struggle has come up.

I remember the oft told story of the butterfly struggling from its cocoon – a man comes across a butterfly struggling to force its body from the small hole in its cocoon. When the butterfly seemed too exhausted and paused, the man thought he would be kind and helpful and gently sliced open the cocoon. What he didn’t realize is that butterfly’s struggle was nature’s way of forcing the fluid from its wings so that it could take flight once it broke through the cocoon. This rescued butterfly never learnt to fly… and now we say, from this we can learn that struggles are exactly what we need in our life to become stronger, to give us the wings to fly…

But of course, I'm not talking to outsiders, I'm talking to the exhausted butterflies. They would very much like someone with a sharp implement to come and cut across their struggles, and don't want to hear about wings and flight - they want to hear about peace and stability. And I commiserate with them. We've all struggled and wanted someone to rescue us, and the thought of rescue is so much more appealing than pushing every erg of energy we possess into getting out of the cocoon/hole/trap ourselves.

And all I can do is lend moral support through the struggle and tell them that I've seen others survive, that bursting through fear to the next stage of life is a life long lesson, and at the end, we do indeed gain flight.

But I want the butterflies to know that I feel for them...

A new year, a new endeavor

Hello. I know it's February, (rather than January fifth, when I was thinking of snapping into action) but it's still early on, and here is my personal new year's resolution - I've been reading Tarot cards forever (over 25 years) but have decided to start a tarot blog which I'll update weekly or thereabouts and find new people to read for.

What is special about my readings?

I'm accurate, perceptive and will tell you what I see, good or bad. I use my skills as a qualified psychotherapist, (I couldn't use my tarot there - though I often wished I could) and I can discuss with depth and understanding any issues that may come up.

When I do a reading I often use 2 packs. I find this adds to enormously to the insights, as far more often than you would believe identical or very similar cards fall into the same places, which just helps clarify so much!

Also, I'm as the blog title says, I'm based in Tribeca, in New York city. Sadly I can't do phone readings - I've tried, and all I get is mud! But face to face, after you've shuffled the cards... it's amazing what is revealed.