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Learning To Read Tarot Cards

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Learn to Read the Tarot Cards with Madame Tarot - The History Of Tarot Cards

The relationship between tarot cards and playing cards is well documented. Playing cards first appeared in Christian Europe some time before 1367, the date of the first documented evidence of their existence was a ban on their use, in Bern, Switzerland. Before this, cards had been used for several decades in Islamic Spain. Early European sources describe a deck with typically 52 cards, like a modern deck with no jokers. The 78-card tarot resulted from adding 21 trumps and The Fool to an early 56-card variant (14 cards per suit).

For a long time tarot cards remained a privilege for the upper class of society, and, although some sermons inveighing against the evil inherent in cards can be traced to the 14th century, the Roman Catholic Church and most civil governments did not routinely condemn tarot cards during tarot's early history. In fact, in some jurisdictions, tarot cards were specifically exempted from laws otherwise prohibiting the playing of cards.

More Recently in History

The earliest tarot cards were hand-painted, the number of the decks produced is thought to have been rather small, and it was only after the invention of the printing press that mass production of cards became possible. Recently, the use of Tarot for divination, or as a store of symbolism, has inspired the creation of Oracle card decks. These are card decks for inspiration or divination containing images of angels, faeries, goddesses, Power Animals, etc. Although obviously influenced by Tarot, they do not follow the traditional structure of Tarot; they lack any suits of numbered cards, and the set of cards differs from the traditional major arcana. In particularly, they tend to lack the negative meanings or imagery of the Tarot, replacing it with imagery which is purely positive.

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Learning To Read The Tarot Cards

Tune in biweekly for lessons in how to read the tarot cards. Lessons taught by Madame Tarot
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Common Misconceptions

I would like to clear up some misconceptions and answer a few questions people always ask me about tarot readings....

What is the source of my talent?

I am asked a lot if I am gifted. I don't see being able to read the cards as a gift. I view it more as a talent. Because I am an "intuitive", I am able to pick up energy from people, places and things. So when I do a card reading, I allow my intuition to choose the appropriate card or cards that are meant to be read. The cards are laid out facedown and when the energy of a particular card feels right, I choose it for the spread. I don't know which one it is, until I choose it and turn it over. Sometimes, the reading applies to your question, and other times it may address something else you need to be made aware of but aren't dealing with or thinking about at the time of your reading.

Will I be making your decisions for you and take your free will away?

No, I can show you the potential future of the course you are on, but each one of us has free will and no one can take that away. Tarot Cards prepare you for situations and people that may appear in your life, but your actions and choices determine how your future plays itself out.

What you see in the cards can't be changed?

Everything that you see in the cards can be changed. The Tarot tells a story.... YOUR story. They can tell where you've been, where you are now, and where you're headed, based on the choices you make along the way. For example, imagine you are walking along the side of the road. Behind you comes a speeding car headed straight for you. Your near future is to get hit by that car, BUT, if you see or hear that car coming... and jump out of the way, then you won't get hit! Your action just changed your
future...That is the gift Tarot can offer you. An opportunity to control your Destiny rather than allowing Destiny to control You!

Do the names on the bottom of the cards represent what will happen? For example the Death card.

Every one of us has seen those movies where they flash the Death card and then flash to a scene in the movie and someone drops dead. Well I am here to tell you not to panic. The Death card does not represent physical death. It actually represents: transition, rebirth, and sweeping away the old to make room for the new.

Are you ready to embrace your Destiny?

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The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana (Trumps Major, Major Trumps) of the Tarot deck consists of 22 cards. The name Major Arcana is used only in esoteric practice. Game players using Tarot decks for playing call them Trumps and usually only show a Roman or Arabic numeral on each card, plus some decoration that is identical on all of them.

In esoteric sets, each Major Arcanum depicts a scene, mostly featuring a person or several people, with many symbolic elements. In many decks, each has a number (usually in Roman numerals) and a name, though not all decks have both, and some have only a picture. The earliest decks bore unnamed and unnumbered pictures on the Majors (probably because a great many of the people using them at the time were illiterate), and the order of cards is not standardised. However, one of the most common set of names and numbers is as follows:

0 - The Fool
I - The Magician or Juggler
II - The High Priestess or Popess
III - The Empress
IV - The Emperor
V - The Hierophant or Pope
VI - The Lovers
VII - The Chariot
VIII - Justice
IX - The Hermit
X - Wheel of Fortune
XI - Strength
XII - The Hanged Man
XIII - Death
XIV - Temperance
XV - The Devil
XVI - The Tower
XVII - The Star
XVIII - The Moon
XIX - The Sun
XX - Judgement
XXI - The World

The images on the Major Arcana in esoteric decks are often very heavy with symbolism; in occult decks, there is far more to the illustration than a mere depiction of the card title. The Major Arcana are usually regarded by card readers as relating to matters of higher purpose or deep significance, as opposed to the Minor Arcana which relate to the everyday world and matters of immediate significance.

Tarot Decks and Books For Purchase

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Universal Waite Tarot Deck and Book Set by Arthur Edward Waite

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The Minor Arcana

Often, the suits are associated with one of the four classical elements, with a common set of associations being the following: Wands with fire, Cups with water, Swords with air, and Coins with earth.[citation needed] In other sets of associations, Fire is occasionally exchanged with air for the Swords suit. Other associations are also possible:

Tarot Card Suit
Wands, Staves, Rods, Batons
Pentacles or Coins
Cups or Chalices
Swords

Playing Card Suit
Wands, Staves, Rods, Batons = Clubs
Pentacles or Coins = Diamonds
Cups or Chalices = Hearts
Swords = Spades

Elemental Correspondence
Wands = Fire
Pentacles = Earth
Cups = Water
Swords = Air

Class
Wands = Peasantry
Pentacles = Merchants
Cups = Clergy
Swords = Military or Nobility

Faculty
Wands = Creativity and Energy
Pentacles = Possessions or Material Body
Cups = Emotions and Love
Swords = Reason and Will

Seasonal Correspondence
Wands = Spring
Pentacles = Winter
Cups = Summer
Swords = Fall

Astrological Correspondence
Wands = Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Pentacles = Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Cups = Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Swords = Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Physical Characteristics - Complexion
Wands = Fair, Freckled
Pentacles = Dark, Sallow, Swarthy, Ethnic
Cups = Fair, Medium
Swords = Brown, Black

Physical Characteristics - Hair
Wands = Yellow, Auburn, Reddish
Pentacles = Black, Very Dark Brown
Cups = Light Brown, Blonde, Gray
Swords = Brown, Black

Physical Characteristics - Eyes
Wands = Dark or Light
Pentacles = Brown or Dark
Cups = Gray, Blue or Hazel
Swords = Light

Color Significance in the Tarot Cards

The following is the symbolism of Colors that can be recognized when reading the cards to someone. This information goes in conjunction with my Tarot for Beginners Podcast.

Black: Death, endings, darkness, destruction, the occult, negativity, sin, ignorance

Blue: Spirit, contemplation, emotion, water, sky, devotion, feelings, intuition

Gold: Attainment, illumination, sun, success, glory, the divine

Gray: Stormy weather, grief, mourning, sadness, depression, wisdom from experience

Green: New life, hope, fertility, growth, security, health, abundance, vitality

Orange: Fire, pride, ego, ambition, force, vitality, authority

Purple: Royalty, power, pride, esoteric understanding, psychic

Red: Blood, life, desire, action, strength, energy, courage, sex, death, passion

Silver: Moon, hidden knowledge, feminine intuition, inner self, psychic ability, emotions

White: Universal, purity, joy, happiness, truth, openness, enlightenment

Yellow: Sun, illumination, intellect, will, masculine power, caution

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  • Jan 27, 2011 @ 8:36 am | delete
    What are the MBT and Who need them,You’ve noticed them in commercials
    and on devoted walkers in the park. These are the shoes that have the rounded
    sole that makes them look somewhat like rocking horses. They are named MBTs,
    which is short for for Masai Barefoot Technology, though that appears somewhat
    odd when you consider that MBT walking shoes are at present the favorite
    of suburban housewives from Philadelphia to Portland.The primary implied benefit
    of MBT shoes is their capacity to pressure your body to use muscle groups
    which often aren’t involved in walking, especially if you are accustomed to
    strolling on pavement or running tracks. There is anecdotal evidence about
    cheap MBT shoes relieving continual lumbar pain, though you won’t see that
    in the commercials. The convex sole of the shoes is meant to duplicate strolling
    on sand, which is the daily walking conditions of the Masai people of Kenya.

    The principal thing to remember is that MBT UK are meant for fitness
    walking. When you solely employ them as you are working around the house, you
    could notice some minor improvement in muscle tone and posture, yet not so much
    as to drop a clothing size. Employing these shoes for lengthy periods of
    walking, especially speed walking, will enable them to re-sculpt your calves,
    thighs and backside, and strengthen your stabilizing muscles.

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  • Suzann Sep 23, 2007 @ 12:28 am | delete
    Very nice Lens, Marissa. I especially liked the module about color significance in the cards. Well done! ~ Suzann from "InsideTheTarot"
  • Jamie Aug 29, 2007 @ 8:45 pm | delete
    This is very informative and well put together. You really know your stuff! Great learning experience for me.
    Thanks!
    Jamie Volner
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bejewel

Hello, My name is Marissa Newman also known as Madame Tarot. About 11 years ago my husband, 4 children
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