Last week, we considered the two different sorts of cards in the Tarot deck; the Major Arcana (trumps), and the Minor Arcana (not trumps). This week, we are going to focus on the Major Arcana.

The Major Arcana consists of 21 numbered cards, plus The Fool, who has been given the number 0. (Some non-standard Tarot decks have more than 22 trump cards, and if you are using a deck that has more than 22 trump cards, that's fine.) Even in the Rider-Waite influenced decks, some of the trumps may be numbered differently. Again, we're not going to worry about that in just now. We're going to have some fun with the pictures.

This week, we're going to study the Major Arcana of the Tarot. Separate the Major Arcana cards in your Tarot deck from the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana cards will be numbered 0 – 21 (perhaps in Roman numerals, perhaps not). Spread the cards out so you can get a good look at them. If your tabletop is too small, use the floor. The object is to get all the cards spread, so you can look at all of them at once.

Study the cards, and study them in detail. Ask yourself the questions we considered last week. When you feel familiar with the cards, choose the one card that sums up the kind of day you had yesterday. For example, if you went hiking, you might choose The Fool. Once you've chosen your card, it is a good idea to write the name of your card and why you chose it in a journal or notebook. (You're going to be gleaning a lot of information in the next few weeks!)

Pick up your Major Arcana, put your selected card back into it, and still keeping the Major's separate from the rest of the deck, shuffle them. Once they've been shuffled, choose a card at random. You'll need to write down the name and a brief description of this card somewhere, so you can refer back to the information later. Refer again to the questions from last week, and answer them with the information from this card.

Tomorrow, or later in the week, look back over the notes you made regarding the random trump card you chose for this exercise. As you read your notes, consider the type of day you had that day. In what ways did the notes you made about this card correspond to the sort of day you had? Did anything that observed about the card occur in your day? Did you notice anything about your card that might be attributed to the theme running through your day? 

The purpose of these exercises is to start to understand how the images on the Tarot are speaking to you. I'm reminded of the line in the film Smoke Signals, when Thomas has just returned back to his grandmother, after his adventure with Victor.

"Tell me what happened. Tell me what is going to happen..."

Dumb Law of the Day:

In Natchez, Missouri, it is against the law to provide beer or other intoxicants to elephants.

The mind boggles...

Although the Tarot has traditional meanings that are well worth studying and learning (in fact, there are volumes and volumes written on precisely this topic, and these meanings ought to be learned by a serious student of the Tarot), it is possible to start 'reading the Tarot' as soon as you open the deck. Do I advise you to do this? No, because for metaphysical purposes we need to bond with the deck. But that's okay; because in the lighthearted exercises in this class, bonding is exactly what you are going to be doing. We're going to keep it light, simple, and fun. You won't even feel it.

Pounce on your Tarot deck and randomly pull out a card. Pick a card, any card. Look at it closely. Look at the images; are they people or animals? What are they doing? What are they wearing, holding, or using? What else is in the picture with them?

If we look at the 9 of Coins from the Universal Waite Tarot on Aeclectic.net's page here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-2/index.shtml The 9 of Coins is the card that is bottom center on the page. What do you notice about the card? Is the woman dressed in finery or rags? Does her expression look content or pained. Is the garden in which she is standing lush, or sparse; is it ill kept, or well manicured? Is the sky fair, or stormy? Is the building in the background a hovel or a ruin, is it a cabin or a castle? I look at this card, and I see someone who can afford the fine things in life; she is dressed well, standing in gardens that well attended, her face is content, the greenery of the surroundings is lush and plentiful, the bird looks to be a pet so she has enough wealth to feed and care for more than just herself; and indeed the traditional divinatory keywords associated with this card are achievement, success, and satisfaction.

The more information we can glean from the images on the Tarot cards, the more we can 'read' from them. It is possible to take any card, and consider a few aspects of it, and glean the meaning from it. This is why the Rider Waite Smith deck became so popular; it was one of the first decks of Tarot cards to put images on the Minor Arcana (the cards not considered 'trump' cards – we'll look at them in the next lesson), so that they, like the images on the Major Arcana (or trumps), told a story.

In order to obtain the story from the images on the cards, there are some simple, basic questions we can ask.

1. What numbers (if any) are on the card?

2. What words (such as titles or keywords, if anything) are on the card ?

3. What have you learned that this card meant in any previous work with it?

4. What are the characters on the card doing; what is their emotional state?

5. What do you think the characters on the card were doing prior to this image? What do you think they will be doing next?

These five basic questions can be expanded into a bit of fun. I like to also consider the following:

• If there was a cartoon speech bubble on the card, what would it say?

• If the characters on the card were singing, what song would it be?

• If this image was on a greeting card, what would the inside of the card say?

• If I was looking at this card from the other side (as in, from behind it, from a 180' perspective), what would I see? (In fact, there is a Tarot deck that does just this! Published by Lo Scarabeo, it looks very much like the original Rider Waite deck, but has the characters illustrated from behind, so we can see who is hiding behind the throne of the Empress, what would the Two of Swords see if she took off her blindfold, what lies ahead of the Fool. Have a look at some of the images here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/tarot-of-the-new-vision/ It is a very useful probing technique to get insight on a card!)

ysabetwordsmith pointed me to this list, which asks characterization questions (courtesy of siadea ). It also can be applied to the characters on the Tarot.

• What would the character die for?

• What would they refuse to do, under any circumstances?

• About what do they dream?

• What is their biggest nightmare?

• What single object would it be hardest with which to part, and why?

• What is their fondest memory?

• What is their worst memory?

• Who or what is their most significant influence?

• What makes them laugh?

You can probably think of your own questions, too, and that is great! That is the purpose of this exercise.

“Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died.” ~~ Steve Wright

Of course, the above quote is meant in jest. Tarot cards cannot kill anyone; they cannot even accurately predict death. Like so many other divination tools, the Tarot has been mislabeled out of fear by those who don't understand it, and cloaked in mystery by those who either fear it, or wish to wield power. The Tarot is simply a tool, and not even specifically a fortune-telling tool. When used properly, Tarot can help us to unravel one of life's deepest mysteries, and that is who we really are.
 

You may find it helpful while working with these lessons to keep a notebook or a journal. This can be part of your existing journal (should you keep one), or you might want to keep a specific journal just for the Tarot (being the Virgo that I am, I have a myriad of journals for a number of purposes!). Throughout this series on the Tarot there will be exercises that are to be kept in your journal, and this will build into your very own 'how to read the Tarot' workbook if you allow it so to do. I strongly urge all of you who are planning to take learning the Tarot seriously to keep a separate journal specifically for your Tarot work. I do this with composition books; by the time I am finished, I have quite a collection of composition books, each with my own interpretations of the lessons and information. A 'Library of Shadows' you might say!

When I was selling crystals and dreamcatchers and doing readings at the Folk Festivals, many people would stop by my market stall and ask, “You don't really believe in this stuff, do you.” My reply was always the same, “I don't believe in it, I know it.” I don't have to believe in my heart beating for it to keep beating, I know it is beating. And I know that 'this stuff' works, too.

Yet how do we really know if anything works? I'm writing on a computer now, but it only works as long as I'm operating it. I have heartworm treatment for my dog, but it only works as long as I remember to give it to him. I have a relationship with my spouse, but it only works because we both take the time and effort to make it mutually rewarding.

We've all seen infomercials on the television, advertising the latest gadget that we absolutely have to have to make our lives complete; how did we manage to live without it! Compare the infomercial to our stereotype of the fortune teller at the fair; if she was 'really' so great at predicting the future, why didn't she predict the winning lottery numbers and retire to the mountains?

The Tarot is not the latest greatest wonder gadget. Like any other tool, it has its strengths and its weaknesses. There are things it can do (such as provide clients with possible outcomes to circumstances in your life) and things that it cannot do (like predict the exact date someone will marry).

When I first tried to learn to read the Tarot, it was easy for me to believe I couldn't do it. The images on the cards always spoke to me differently than they spoke to my teacher, so she told me I was doing it wrong. I would start to work with the cards, but what I gleaned from them was not what my teacher or my latest book told me I should be seeing, so I put them back on the shelf. But I really wanted to read the Tarot, though, so sooner or later I'd buy another book, and another set of cards, and try again, only to find I didn't necessarily agree with what that book said, either, and back they'd go.

Finally, my dear friend Karrie enabled me to see that I wasn't wrong because I was not seeing exactly what everyone else saw, I was just different. She enabled me to see that our relationship with the Tarot is very intimate and personal, and why we need to learn that language ourselves, rather than memorizing meanings from a book. Once I started that, a whole new world opened up for me. The purpose of this series is to start that world opening up for you, too.

I consult the Tarot on a daily basis. I use it not to predict what is going to happen, but to give me advice. There's a world of difference! I use the Tarot to give me a 'thought for the day' on which to meditate. I use the Tarot as a picture book, to tell me a story about an issue on my mind. I use it to give me a 'heads up' when I need to make a quick decision about something. I use it as a mirror to reveal to me things about which I might not be objective enough to see clearly. And no doubt I use it for even more; those are just some things that come quickly to mind.