How Traditional is My Take of Tarot?

I asked myself one day, "Am I a Tarot purest?"
This was after reading a comment someone had made about 'not needing a book to learn to read tarot and to just look at the pictures and say what comes to mind'.

My knee jerk reaction to such comments, "Um, No." But I don't want to sound like a know it all or snob so I reflected upon that moment and my reaction.

So first, to understand where I am coming from, it might be helpful to know a little bit about how I came to tarot. I did NOT come by way of the traditional Rider Waite Smith deck. At the time, I did not even know it existed. I actually started back in 1991 with The Native American Tarot by Magda Weck Gonzalez and J. A. Gonzalez; published by U.S. Games (not affiliated, just sharing the link). I chose this deck because I very much relate to and identify with the culture in both philosophy and spirituality. This inclination I have for the Native ways has been with me from very early on in my life. I was that kid that had no clue the goings on in the story of a black and white western movie, but I was rooting for the Natives. Watching westerns turned into reading books. I learned and continue to learn as much as I can and have had the honor to be invited and introduced to ceremonies and rituals.

So when I picked up this deck, study came easy. All the stories and traditions used to create the cards were all things I was already very familiar with.
I knew NOTHING about tarot as a whole. I did not know that there were so many decks already on the market. I was a complete noob and totally in the dark. But then this thing called the internet happened. Being the occult nerd that I am, the first thing I did when I got plugged into the WWW, I searched ‘Tarot’ and that was when I found the Aeclectic Tarot Forums. A whole new world of tarot opened up to me and where I was a dabbler in the cards, Tarot became a serious study.
 
So having come this far in my tarot journey and seeing everything out there in the tarot learning circles and groups, I will make it ‘official’  and state it here and now about my perspective and approach to tarot...
I am a bit of a tarot purist but I am also an artist.
HUH? Let me explain. Be prepared, I am going to take the long way to get there....
 
There is a saying that you must first learn the rules if you want to break them.  One of the rules for life supposedly given to us by the Dali Lama. But for sure Pablo Picassio said,
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.
And then there was my mom who taught me, ‘Rules are meant to be bent’.
 
‘They’ Say ~
Start with the Rider Waite Smith deck  - I say, “Only if you like it.”
 
There are so many other options out there. I am not at all attracted to the art of the original RWS deck, yes, I can appreciate it as an artist, but it's not in my taste. I’m also, as you may already know, not religious nor have I ever been. So this deck is not for me and if it’s not for you or anyone else, do not feel pressured into getting the deck because you feel that is what you need in order to be skilled at tarot.
 
‘They’ Say ~
You don’t need a book, just lay the cards out and use your intuition. - I say, “Do you really want to learn Tarot?”
Sure a picture is worth 1,000 words and with the gestalt approach you will find meaning in your cards. But that is not really learning how to read Tarot.
 
WITH THAT SAID ~
It’s a fact that one can come up with some fantastic insights when approaching the cards by just looking at them and never opening a book about tarot cards and their meanings. However, if you want to learn tarot, you are going to need to do some studying.
 
Tarot is built with a structure that is rooted in symbolism that is ages old. So when I say I am a tarot purist, I am talking about using the cards with the structure that they come with.
 

The suit of cups is focused on emotional parts of life. To apply some material definition such as finding employment, or some legal aspect like a court case would not be fitting. Those meanings belong to the suit of pentacles for material things and the suit of swords for the mental (legal) things.
Also worth mentioning is that knowing this structure makes learning the individual meanings of the cards a whole lot easier.
 
If you learn this structure and use a deck that is expressive with it’s imagery and is inline with the RWS tradition, you will find that you can read just about any deck. Some will be a little more difficult. Those that lack illustrated pips, those with limited scenery, those that stray from the traditional, and those that are of the ‘other tarot tradition’. By other tarot tradition, I mean those decks that are modeled after the Marseilles or Thoth decks.
 
But… I am not that snobby of a tarot purist. As an artist, I get that such things evolve. What was once a tradition known by few has become a fascination of the many and more and more independent and unique decks are being created and published. I’m sure there are over a dozen in development on kickstarter as I write this.
 
Now, while I am a strong proponent for knowing the bones of tarot, I also strongly encourage the intuitive aspect. For many, the psychic side is the harder 'study' compared to learning the card meanings. But the hard part in the psychic study is not so much learning as it's totally natural, it is trusting and discerning those impressions. Now, with that said,  I had occasional clairaudient impressions as a child but when I started using the cards, my clair changed to clairvoyant, clairsentient and claircognizant and one reading when it was a clairalience experience, have not had another since.

If you take up a serious study of the cards learn the symbolism on a universal level and work within the perimeters of the system, you will find that the cards in combination with your intuition makes from some readings that will give you goosebumps... I am still in awe of how Spirit communicates when I start shuffling cards.






Lemonade Anyone?

Recently I made quite the sacrifice based on the words of a friend. I was asked for help; which would require a huge change in my life. But I did it because I cared for my friend. I thought that we were on the same page of, 'we can team up and it will be a help to each other'. 

But it would not be long before odd things were said, contradictions, and the deal flip-flopped around as the what it would be. I attributed this behavior to the amount of duress my friend had been under for several years. 

In the end I felt like I got the rug pulled out from under my feet and have nothing to show for the sacrifices and support I gave to someone who I thought cared about me as much as I cared about them.

This sort of drama is something I am not accustom to. I tend to be a Hermit, a solitary creature. 
I don't need anyone really, so it not as if I do things for other people for self serving reasons. I take care of myself, and do everything I can for those I take under my wing and protect.

I can't seem to shake this from my plumes. Don't get me wrong. I'm not breaking down in tears and feeling sorry for myself. What buggers me up is the whole thing is just mind boggling. It does not make sense why things turned out the way they did. All I can come up with is that someplace along the way, something changed and I was not notified and a dispute irrelevant to the excuse was used as a catalyst....in other words, strung along until the opportunity to 'make issue' came along.

So to better understand things, I wanted to do a reading. Give me a new perspective on it that may help me shake it off. I used the 5 card Elemental spread as it is good for just about anything as it addresses all aspects in a simplistic manner.

MY Q: What is the true motivation and perspective had by this person?
Fire: High Priestess
Earth: Queen of Swords
Air: The Empress
Water: The Tower
Spirit: The Fool

I will start with a note about the Empress card. She is my Soul and Personality card. I must admit, I am not surprised to see the card, but at the same time, it is a little confusing.

About the Empress~ She is the one that is caring and nurturing. She has a deep compassion for all living creatures and nature in general. In traditional meanings of the cards, she is associated with the planet of Venus; love, beauty, art, and pleasure. Being ruled by Venus, she also associates with the signs of Taurus and Libra. 
She is the ultimate mother figure. 
This falls in the position of Air- about the mind and communication, thoughts and learning. Libra is an air sign, the sign of balance.
Now this can be seen a few different ways. Because it is my soul/personality card, it is expressing my place in this situation. That I was the kind and compassionate one. That I did what I did as a matter of love and protection for someone I cared about. If this card is taken to represent the mind of this individual, from where I sit and experiencing what happened, it is hard to say that they were compassionate in any way shape or form. Perhaps subconsciously, they know that this Empress nature I expressed was true and genuine. 


So what of the other female characters showing up. 

Fire - The High Priestess, we are both magical people, we both have an curiosity of the workings of the Universe from a mystical perspective. 
The High Priestess is one who has lived through experiences that most have not. This gives her an understanding about a great many things with a more wise perspective than the average person. Her wisdom comes from study and from experience. The Priestess in all her wisdom, knowledge and logic also has a strong intuitive side. Some times the truth in knowing is just knowing.
But the High Priestess is also a card of secrecy & hidden facts.
This is in the Fire position, representing actions, what drives the person or situation. 
Now, as mentioned, I relate to this archetype. She is often seen as an oracle, a mystic, occultist. I know that my intuition is sound, but I do not always listen to it. I can say I was not surprised by the eventual clash, I sensed something. In regards to hidden facts. I have a lot of facts that I was not able to share and what facts I was able to get across, fell upon deaf ears. Any logic I tried to convey was rejected. On the flip side, my intuition says that there where facts kept hidden from me. 
What I did see was a poor use of 'facts' as a defense.
"You offered to help me, and now you want to put a dollar amount on that? 
How does that work?"

Well, if this was a business deal a contract would have been made and if the terms of contract is not upheld, the one breaking the contract has to pay.

Earth - The Queen of Swords - That Cold Bitch!  

Falls in the Earth position, about physical, material and possessions.  This person is an Earth sign, not that it means anything, but figured I would mention it. I think she stole some of my art. I cannot seem to find my portfolio anywhere and I did not take it out anywhere. The 'help' agreement was supposed to be a benefit to both of us financially... and it involved buying a house - very earth! But now with the hindsight is 20/20, I can see how I was manipulated. There was a plan this person had all along and they fed me what they knew would hook me in and when it came the time to put those things into action, she totally changed the script to where it would benefit her and I would be totally used.

 

Water: The Tower

I see this to be self-serving. She knew her life was falling apart and in shambles and was desperate for
help and emotional support. She obviously did not care what happens/ed to me ultimately. The Tower is about drastic and unexpected change. Well, it was planned but for sure drastic. I gave up my job and my home. The unexpected aspect comes into play with the 'truth' coming out with her flip in the plan, as that was NOT the plan. I can say that she thought she had me by the balls and I would be forced to concede to her stipulations. Boy was she wrong. 

I had to laugh when she said, 'Where are you going to go with two dogs, a cat and a bird?'

I answered with, "That's never been a problem." 

She had her Tower moment when I informed her that I would be packing up my shit and leaving. Now all her 'plans' were in the toilet and she had NO support financially for the house she just bought.

NOTE: The deal was that we would go in as partners. She had the means to buy but not the income to support the monthly mortgage. I would 'catch-up' to her invested amount by covering the mortgage payment. When we reached equal equity then we would split the mortgage payment. She then changed things (and got really hostile during the conversation) and informed me that I would be paying 'rent' and none of that would go towards equity for me. The only way I would have any equity would be to give her a large lump sum. Hmm... well if I am paying your mortgage every month ($1,600), then how the hell am I supposed to be able to accumulate a large lump sum? 

In retrospect, I wonder if that monthly amount was even real and she inflated it just to make money off me.

 

Spirit: The Fool

She apparently did not think this through all the way. She took the 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach that was more like 'hook it (me) now, and figure out the details later'. She figured that I would be 'stuck' and have to bend to her terms, basically she thought she was 'good'.  Well, that did not work out for her at all! Somehow in her head she thought that she could 'Fool' me... and for a minute, she did. But once things got real, she had to rework the agreement to fit HER 'plans' and get me to conform. I'm sorry but I am a stubborn ass goat of a Capricorn and if what is proposed to me does not get me higher up the mountain, I am not doing it. 

She took a 'leap of faith' with deception and thought she would be OK and that I would forced to comply with her 'new' plan. She sure was the Fool in thinking that. 

 

Don't mess with a goat!

 

A Bit About Tarot ~ And A Little Bonus

THE EDUCATIONAL PART ~

The History of Tarot ~ A Time Line in the Life of the Cards

* Master researcher on the subject of Tarot, Stewart Kaplan states that tarot started as a card game in the early 1400's. 

* In 1572, 'Tarocchi Appropriati' became something of a fortune telling game, the holder of a card created a narrative from it.

* 1770 Ettellia, a French occultist publishes a book about reading fortunes with playing cards.

* Court de Gébelin publishes his writings in 1781 making claims that tarot is the product of ancient Egyptian wisdom. Note: There is no evidence to support this. The Comte de Mellet also wrote about Hebew letters and thier association to the cards and this was included in Gébelin's published works.

* In 1775 Ettellia publishes a second book, but this time on reading tarot cards specifically. And in 1788 the first deck to be used specifically with divination in mind was published by Ettellia.

* In the mid 1800's Eliphas Levi would attribute the Kabbala to tarot. This information would be instilled into the workings of the Order of the Golden Dawn.

* Arthur Waite, a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn would collaborate with artist Pamela Coleman and create a deck that was first published in 1910 by William Rider & Son of London publishing company. This is the deck that has becomes the 'standard' and is the most well known of all tarot decks used for divination.

The second most recognized deck is the the Thoth created under the instruction of Aleister Crowley and the artist Lady Frieda Harris. This deck would not be published until 1969 even thought the project began in 1938 and was completed in 1943.

The Tarot Deck~ ‘What defines a Tarot deck?’

Tarot is just one of many kinds of divination decks in print today. Any deck that is used for divination can be called an oracle deck but not all oracle decks are tarot. Somehow people tend to use the word tarot to mean any deck of cards that are used for divination and that is just not the case. 

Tarot decks have a specific structure. 

There is the symbolism of the deck and the format of the deck. The format is 78 cards which are divided into two Arcanas; the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana is a small deck of 22 cards numbered 0-21. They are considered the Trump cards of the deck. The Minor Arcana is very much like a regular deck of playing cards, having four suits and a set of four court (face) cards. The Minor Arcana are numbered from Ace to 10 and have Page, Knight, Queen & King for the court cards. Some decks will give different names to the court cards and the Trump cards. The symbolism is rooted in the history of tarot used as a divination tool. Each suit of the Minor Arcana is associated with an element and each element associates with an aspect of life.

MINOR ARCANA SUITS

FIRE - WANDS - ENERGETIC (life force, inspiration, creation) 

EARTH - PENTACLES - MATERIALISTIC (work, finances, skills)

AIR - SWORDS - INTELLECTUAL (communication, thoughts, legalities)

WATER - CUPS - EMOTIONAL (feelings, memories, intuition) 

 

There is different schools of thought on the differences between the Major and Minor Arcana. Some say the Majors represent the different phases of spiritual growth. There is the idea that Majors are external, things outside of our control and Minors are internal, things we have control over. Majors are Spiritual and Minors are mundane. 

Any deck that veers away from this format in a significant way is not really a tarot deck. The main exception would be a Trumps only deck.
 

Besides Tarot as a popular deck for reading, there are Lenormand cards which is a deck of 36 cards. They made their appearance at the turn of the 19th century. Added to Tarot and Lenormand cards, there is a plethora of all kinds of different themed decks that come in a varied number of cards and these are simply called oracle decks. 

Myths of Tarot~ 
Two common areas of misconception are how one gets a tarot deck and who can touch it.

It is often said that you should be given a deck for it to work. I can personally tell you that the process of choosing your deck can be a wonderful experience. However, gifted decks are often found to be special in some way as well. As far as having a deck given to you as a gift, that is not necessary at all. Do not let this myth hinder acquiring your first tarot deck.

There are three different schools of thoughts about people handling tarot decks.
1- ‘Never let another person touch your deck, their energy will enter the deck and not work for you.’
2- ‘The person getting the reading MUST shuffle and cut the deck in order to put their energy into the reading.’
3- Energy is energy and it does not matter who touches them.... or not.
There is energy everywhere, that is a fact; energy does transfer from one object to another, that is life. Energy is constantly in motion. Everyone has a different experience with energy.
For some readers having the clients shuffle the cards is how they connect to the energy of that person. People who may be overly sensitive to other people's energy may want to keep their decks free of any energy that is not their own. 
What it boils down to is that you do what you feel is right for you, what works for you.

Lastly- 

‘OH NO- I got the DEATH card! Am I going to die?’

The Death card is often feared because so many think that this card means that they or someone close to them will die. This is rarely the case. If the Death card shows up in a reading, it is usually a card that reflects a message of change. Out with the old and in with the new. The Death card has an astrological association, Scorpio. Scorpio is the sign of Death and Rebirth, a card of legacy. A keyword often used for the Death card is 'Transformation'.

How Tarot Works~

Each individual card has a very specific root meaning to it and while it may be similar to other cards- it is still different.

For example, all Ace cards speak of new beginnings. If the card is a Cups card then it is about some emotional beginning and if it is a Swords card then it is some new way of thinking. The depth of the card's meaning just builds from there.

The finer details are found in the numerous symbols that are seen in each card, as well as how several cards interact with each other when arranged in a spread. Each position in a spread has it's own focus. A commonly used and simple example is the 'Past, Present, Future' spread. The card falling into each of those positions speak of that time frame. Note: Future positions do not speak in absolutes. What is seen is a potential future based on everything else. It may be a desired future or one that might be best avoided. It is up to the one receiving the reading to take proper action and either encourage or change that future.

'How does a person read for another if they are not sitting with them?'

This is again about energy, the collective unconscious, the Anima Mundi which means World Soul. There are many who believe that we are all connected in spirit. It is this place of connectedness that a psychic will reach into and gather the information that is needed. Some use guides to help them through the Ether, others will use runes, tea leaves, what ever.

THE PROMOTIONAL PART

~ Who I am as an Intuitive Reader of Tarot ~

My love of playing cards started when I was very young. I was a challenging player in any game taught to me.

My interest in card reading started when I was 12 and my aunt read for me with a regular deck of playing cards. It would be a few years before I had an actual Tarot deck, that was in the summer of 1991.

When I do readings, all I want is the question or focus for the reading, I can also do a ‘general’ reading where no question is asked and the cards are just drawn and the message from spirit is relayed. 

The card images and symbolism triggers my connection to the Anima Mundi. It may be a vision, a smell or some other impression I feel that brings more depth to the reading.

BONUS - I'm giving free readings

I am building a library of actual readings that I use to demonstrate my reading style. I have several different spreads that I do not have samples for, and I would like more than one for each spread as well. You may have a situation that you would like a little insight on and fits the bill for what I need, if so, you are in luck! I do want a few general reading samples as well.

If you would like to be considered for a free reading, KNOW THIS: your reading will be presented to the public. NO names, locations or other personal/specific information will be included in the reading, so it is totally anonymous. If you are good with that, please fill out THIS FORM.... I will choose those I read for based on 1) the question asked; like it is a unique subject that I do not already have. 2) It's a subject that fits the specific spread I need samples for, and 3) my time availability, as some questions are time sensitive.