Post by MOON CHILD on Dec 10, 2022 8:34:45 GMT
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO TAROT
By Juliet Sharman-Burke.
INTRODUCTION TO THE TAROT
THE MAJOR ARCANA
The Major Arcana is composed to of twenty-two cards, which together describe all the stages of a person’s life. The journey through the procession of the Major Arcana cards is the Fools journey through life. The Fool, like each of us, must pass through childhood and adolescence until he finally enters adulthood where he encounters the four virtues of Justice, Temperance, Strength and prudence (The Hermit). At this point, he must face mid-life and the crisis that is so often evokes, signified by The Wheel of Fortune. The second half of his life involves some inner soul searching, represented by The Hanged Man, Death, The Devil and The Tower. Once he has reached a deeper understanding of himself, he can proceed to a meeting of higher principles, represented by The Star, The Moon and The sun. This results in rebirth, in the Judgement card, and finally in triumph to the world.
As you study the imagery of each card, try to ‘feel’ the image deeply within, to connect with it. If you can attach your own emotions to each card in some personal way, it will help increase the depth of your understanding.
As with the Minor Arcana, detailed analysis is provided for each of the card, drawing attention to the symbolism contained in each image.
MINOR ARCANA
THE SUITE OF CUPS
ELEMENT: Water:
KEY WORDS: Feelings and Emotions.
The Suite of Cups describes the shifting and ever-changing world of feelings, and the prime symbol of feeling is the element of Water. Like water, feelings are always changing. You will, I am sure, know from your own experience how you can move from feeling joyful to down cast in a relatively short space of time, often depending on what is going on around you. Water takes the shape of the container it is in. Similarly, both the people around you and the situation you are in can affect the way you feel. Take some time to reflect on the way your feelings ebb and flow. Then imagine water running through different containers. The better you are able to associate the element of water with feelings, the easier you will find it to understand the suite of Cups.
SUITE OF WANDS
ELEMENT: Fire, Creativity, imagination and energy.
The suite of Wands describes the magical process of creativity. One of the Primary symbols of creativity is fire. Fire is if you think about it pretty magical. A single spark can catch hold of a piece of wood and the next thing you know, a bright, blazing, warm fire is roaring. In the same way, the germ of the idea can kindle by the imagination of a person into a wonderful play or a fabulous picture, or can be communicated to others, by who, in turn, add more wood to the imaginary fire to create something amazing together. Once you have made the connection between fire and the imagination you are well on your way to understanding the suite of Wands.
THE SUITE OF SWORDS
ELEMENT: Air.
KEYWORDS: Life challenges, intellect, thoughts and ideas.
The suite of Swords connects to the element of air, which in turn is connected to the mind, to rational thought and to the creative aspect of mental process. We need the thinking function in order to discriminate, judge and evaluate. To think is to go beyond volatile feelings, instinctive desires and creative visions. The suite of Swords illustrates the various life events that will all in counter at some point or another, and suggests that the application of pure logic and rational analysis to them. The challenges are indicated by the Swords are not limited to a single area of life, such as relationships, creativity, or finance. The Swords in tarot more often than not indicate stress or anxiety, which may manifest in any area of your life. For example the Six of Swords is a card that means moving away from a difficult situation. This may be problematic relationship, a creative block, or a financial muddle. The suite of Swords reflects many of the problems we have in balancing intellect with feelings, intuition and physical needs.
SUITE OF PENTACLES
ELEMENT: Earth.
KEYWORD: Health, career, money, prosperity, potential and possessions.
The suite of Pentacles is linked to the element of earth which is concerned with the world of form and substance. Every brilliant idea originating with the imaginative Wands must pass through the Pentacles if it is to be made real. It is all very well having a wonderful idea about a painting or a sculpture, for instance, but it will never amount to anything more than an idea unless it is given concrete form. Giving ideas substance is the domain of the Pentacles. Consider the importance of the material world and in your mind connect it to the element of earth and the suite of Pentacles.
The symbol of the Pentacles is fascinating in itself. Shaped like a coin, which is the symbol of the material world, it has the magical five-pointed star on it, symbolizing the magical powers of earth itself. The fact that the earth is able to renew itself each year, and provide us with nourishment, shelter and beauty, is a magical concept. Yet the magic does not come from the imagination as in the case of the suite of wands. It comes from the earth itself. To use another analogy, our own physical bodies provide the containers for the ideas presented by the suite of Wands, the feeling highlighted by the suite of Cups and the thoughts symbolized by the suite of Pentacles.
IMPORANT NOTES
The Major Arcana represents the Major events in life, and the Minor Arcana represents the minor events in life.
Death card signifies endings, new beginnings, out with the old in with the new, and the end of one cycle to start another, not an actual death. This is one of the cards people fear the most, but the card itself is positive.
In some Tarot cards Strength can be card 8 or 11 and Justice can be card 11 or 8, depending on the deck you are using.
Pages in tarot are also know as princesses,
Wands can also be known as Rods or staffs,
Cups can be known as Chalices.
Pentacles can be known as Disks or coins.
Love and Light
PAGAN WOLF
By Juliet Sharman-Burke.
INTRODUCTION TO THE TAROT
THE MAJOR ARCANA
The Major Arcana is composed to of twenty-two cards, which together describe all the stages of a person’s life. The journey through the procession of the Major Arcana cards is the Fools journey through life. The Fool, like each of us, must pass through childhood and adolescence until he finally enters adulthood where he encounters the four virtues of Justice, Temperance, Strength and prudence (The Hermit). At this point, he must face mid-life and the crisis that is so often evokes, signified by The Wheel of Fortune. The second half of his life involves some inner soul searching, represented by The Hanged Man, Death, The Devil and The Tower. Once he has reached a deeper understanding of himself, he can proceed to a meeting of higher principles, represented by The Star, The Moon and The sun. This results in rebirth, in the Judgement card, and finally in triumph to the world.
As you study the imagery of each card, try to ‘feel’ the image deeply within, to connect with it. If you can attach your own emotions to each card in some personal way, it will help increase the depth of your understanding.
As with the Minor Arcana, detailed analysis is provided for each of the card, drawing attention to the symbolism contained in each image.
MINOR ARCANA
THE SUITE OF CUPS
ELEMENT: Water:
KEY WORDS: Feelings and Emotions.
The Suite of Cups describes the shifting and ever-changing world of feelings, and the prime symbol of feeling is the element of Water. Like water, feelings are always changing. You will, I am sure, know from your own experience how you can move from feeling joyful to down cast in a relatively short space of time, often depending on what is going on around you. Water takes the shape of the container it is in. Similarly, both the people around you and the situation you are in can affect the way you feel. Take some time to reflect on the way your feelings ebb and flow. Then imagine water running through different containers. The better you are able to associate the element of water with feelings, the easier you will find it to understand the suite of Cups.
SUITE OF WANDS
ELEMENT: Fire, Creativity, imagination and energy.
The suite of Wands describes the magical process of creativity. One of the Primary symbols of creativity is fire. Fire is if you think about it pretty magical. A single spark can catch hold of a piece of wood and the next thing you know, a bright, blazing, warm fire is roaring. In the same way, the germ of the idea can kindle by the imagination of a person into a wonderful play or a fabulous picture, or can be communicated to others, by who, in turn, add more wood to the imaginary fire to create something amazing together. Once you have made the connection between fire and the imagination you are well on your way to understanding the suite of Wands.
THE SUITE OF SWORDS
ELEMENT: Air.
KEYWORDS: Life challenges, intellect, thoughts and ideas.
The suite of Swords connects to the element of air, which in turn is connected to the mind, to rational thought and to the creative aspect of mental process. We need the thinking function in order to discriminate, judge and evaluate. To think is to go beyond volatile feelings, instinctive desires and creative visions. The suite of Swords illustrates the various life events that will all in counter at some point or another, and suggests that the application of pure logic and rational analysis to them. The challenges are indicated by the Swords are not limited to a single area of life, such as relationships, creativity, or finance. The Swords in tarot more often than not indicate stress or anxiety, which may manifest in any area of your life. For example the Six of Swords is a card that means moving away from a difficult situation. This may be problematic relationship, a creative block, or a financial muddle. The suite of Swords reflects many of the problems we have in balancing intellect with feelings, intuition and physical needs.
SUITE OF PENTACLES
ELEMENT: Earth.
KEYWORD: Health, career, money, prosperity, potential and possessions.
The suite of Pentacles is linked to the element of earth which is concerned with the world of form and substance. Every brilliant idea originating with the imaginative Wands must pass through the Pentacles if it is to be made real. It is all very well having a wonderful idea about a painting or a sculpture, for instance, but it will never amount to anything more than an idea unless it is given concrete form. Giving ideas substance is the domain of the Pentacles. Consider the importance of the material world and in your mind connect it to the element of earth and the suite of Pentacles.
The symbol of the Pentacles is fascinating in itself. Shaped like a coin, which is the symbol of the material world, it has the magical five-pointed star on it, symbolizing the magical powers of earth itself. The fact that the earth is able to renew itself each year, and provide us with nourishment, shelter and beauty, is a magical concept. Yet the magic does not come from the imagination as in the case of the suite of wands. It comes from the earth itself. To use another analogy, our own physical bodies provide the containers for the ideas presented by the suite of Wands, the feeling highlighted by the suite of Cups and the thoughts symbolized by the suite of Pentacles.
IMPORANT NOTES
The Major Arcana represents the Major events in life, and the Minor Arcana represents the minor events in life.
Death card signifies endings, new beginnings, out with the old in with the new, and the end of one cycle to start another, not an actual death. This is one of the cards people fear the most, but the card itself is positive.
In some Tarot cards Strength can be card 8 or 11 and Justice can be card 11 or 8, depending on the deck you are using.
Pages in tarot are also know as princesses,
Wands can also be known as Rods or staffs,
Cups can be known as Chalices.
Pentacles can be known as Disks or coins.
Love and Light
PAGAN WOLF