An Introduction to Tarot

What is the Tarot ?

Ask a randomly selected person about "The Tarot" and you may receive any of a wide variety of answers. It is therefore a concept / deck of cards / system of energies, or whatever, which means different things to different people.

With the exceptions of those who have read around the subject, studied several books about Tarot, understood the depth of symbolism in the traditional tarot decks, and perhaps also studied other systems of describing or representing the human condition, few people are able to offer an informed assessment of what the tarot is or say anthing about its social and historical significance. Nevertheless, there are very many books and other material available on this subject and all indications are that it is increasing in popularity.

Beware of anyone who is so simple (shallow) as to give a one-word answer to the question "What is Tarot". It is definately not simple !

Extended definition of the Tarot

The tarot consists of a deck of 78 cards divided into 5 groups (4 suits of 14 cards each, and the Major Arcana of 22 cards). These cards may be represented in different ways, traditionally with artistic images rich in symbolism. A wide variety of tarot decks are available. In each case the actual images/pictures on the cards are the copyright of the creator/s of that deck - which should be respected when writing about the tarot; permission should be sought before using as illustrations, any cards one has not created oneself.

Each card in the tarot has the same basic meaning regardless of the deck used or the picture illustrating the card. There may, of course, be variations of emphasis between tarot decks, but interpretations of the cards also vary according to the position of the card in a spread, the question asked, the sitter, the reader, and especially if the card appears "upright" or "reversed". That is, each card conveys some information according to how and where it appears in a spread. However, in order to be useful this information must be extracted and conveyed to the "sitter" in a meaningful and ethical way. It is this extraction and conveyance of meaning that is at the heart of the art of Tarot Reading.

What is involved in Reading Tarot Cards ?

This cannot be adequately explained in a few short paragraphs: These thoughts are just the "tip of the iceberg"!

Reading tarot cards invloves the use of intuition. It is not a purely mathematical exercise in remembering spreads and card meanings and reciting the correct interpretation as each card is drawn (most computer-generated readings do that, but personal readings should be personal)! To understand this better, imagine that a particular card has, say, 20 possible meanings - in reality this number is probably very much higher for experienced tarot readers! When that card appears in a spread, the reader can obviously only make one statement first, so which does he/she start with ? In practice, he/she will probably only make 4-6 comments in total about that particular card before moving onto other cards and an overall assessment of the spread.
It is the reader's intuition - gained from experience working with the tarot cards over an extended period of time - that enables him/her to select the most appropriate meanings in any particular case from all the possible interpretations of any one tarot card. It is easier to appreciate the complexity involved when one remembers that professional readers don't do "One-Card Readings", but more usually 10 or 15 card readings, and sometimes several such spreads during a single sitting.

So summarise: Tarot Card reading involves both left-brain (analytical) and right-brain (creative/intuitive) skills. Initially one must learn (by rote in the case of some topics) all about the tarot, tarot spreads, and the possible meanings of all the cards of the tarot, types of cards, suits, etc.. Then one must actually use tarot cards to do many, many readings - ideally for complete strangers who give you no other information - in order to develop and practise the necessary intuitive and other personal skills needed. This takes time and dedication, even for those "born with the gift". (Don't be fooled, some people do have great natural abilities but in the same way as accomplished sports stars and musicians, they also had to learn the individual cards, spreads, etc..)

In addition to the skills involved in reading Tarot Cards using both a thorough knowledge of them and intuitive gifts, personal discipline is also important. Not only is it essential to attune oneself to relevant intuitions, but also to be able to conciously distinguish these from ones own imagination. That is, (in terms of "psychic's speak") one must be able to seperate the sitters issues and energies from one's own. It is also essential to effectively break the connection after each reading so that the next client does not receive a reading in any way affected by the energies of the previous person.

Then there are the "customer service" or "business" skills involved in providing good value readings. These include being able to stick to the point and to use the tarot cards to explore issues in a timely manner - especially as many professional Tarot Card readers either offer choices of readings of fixed duration, or change according to the length of time taken for a distance reading, such as be telephone or internet.

As with many skills, interpreting the tarot cards sensitively in order to provide useful - not frightening - insights to the sitter, takes time to learn to do well. The beginner should enjoy tarot cards, books, etc. in a relaxed way but not expect to become an expert quickly or easily - to do so requires much dedication.

To read more about the Tarot see the section:
Articles about Tarot.
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