In the previous years, there has been a growing interest in all things superstitious, tarot cards being one of them. For many, tarot knowledge is a trick used at parties to help one make social connections that they might have resisted. For others, the tarot is sacred and a powerful tool to navigate one’s life.
Tarot has taken on a mystical meaning in the cultural context, and they were used primarily as a parlor game. Since the mid-15th century, tarot cards have been used in various parts of Italy. Since its origin in Italy, the tarot deck of cards was well known to read the occult meanings or divinatory signs. Today Jean Baptiste Alliette and Antoine Court are credited with making the tarot card readings popular in the 1780s in Paris.
The Basics for Reading Tarot Cards
As an enthusiast, you need to know and own a tarot deck. The famous deck Rider-Waite, drawn by illustrator Pamela Colman Smith was first published in 1910. The cards are well known for their basic color schemes that feature yellow, sky blue, and gray and the symbolism behind each card.
Many people recommend the Rider-Waite deck for beginners. Since most readings of tarots have intuitive meanings, interpretation of the cards is present online also. Different tiers, including Rider-Waite, come with a small sheet of paper that defines and explains the cards’ everyday common interpretations.
In addition to this, Rider-Waite is not the only option for a tarot reader. The wild Unknown deck is beautiful but less intuitive for newcomers to the tarot world. The Morgan Greer deck is almost like Rider Waite but slightly advanced. The Greer deck has similar symbols, but the faces are bolder and more prominent, and the color more vivid and varied.
Today, more modernized versions of tarot card decks and even themed decks. If you are a lover of the game of thrones, there is one Game of Thrones-themed tarot deck. It’s important to note that it’s good to consider a deck that interests you with symbols and images you can interpret when purchasing a deck. You are using the cards, so it is essential to have one that fits your style and personality.
Tarot Cards Meanings
It is essential to know what different cards mean and stand for. Even though designs vary greatly, all tarot decks are similar in specific ways. Each deck includes 78 cards divided into two, The minor and major arcana. The major arcana are the deck’s 22 trump cards and, when removed during reading, refer to more revelations and significant issues. These cards do not have suits and are often placed alone. They represent prominent life figures or events in someone’s life.
On the other hand, the minor arcana refers to everyday influences and matters. The little deck has 56 cards divided into four suits: Swords, wands, pentacles, and cups. Occasionally the pentacles are usually called coins but are substitutes for the four major categories.
Each of the suits represents different facets of life. First, wands symbolize passion and creativity. Secondly, pentacles symbolize money and work, Thirdly, swords symbolize intellect, and cups show emotion. There are other groups here, such as suits that align with astrology. For example, wands are the equivalent of fire. Swords show to air, pentacles show earth, and cups offer water.
Understanding the Spreads
It’s important for a tarot card reader to understand the types of tarot spreads. Enthusiasts practicing tarot for the first time should start with two simple spreads. It is recommended, that the three-card pull and the Celtic cross. The three-card appeal works where three cards are drawn from the deck to reflect the future, past, and present. The three-card pull also focuses on the person’s body, mind, and spirit being read.
The Celtic cross, slightly complicated, is a classic spread where a card has been assigned meaning for the position spread.
Conclusion
All in all, the tarot reading culture is widespread and has been there for ages. There are those people who think tarot cards are a joke and others who don’t. However, they need to know that a vast group finds them fun and insightful and not only supernatural. Whether it is a full-time job or a hobby, tarot reading for other people and oneself can be an exciting way to pass the time.
