November 26th, 2024 § Comments Off on Lessons from the Field – tarot reading in the wild § permalink
These three points become super clear when you regularly read cards for multiple people over the course of a few hours …
There seems to be a daily theme, ie. during a particular session, many of the same cards appear in multiple people’s readings no matter how well the cards are shuffled
People are almost all interested in the same questions … work, health, love
Everyone is looking for validation and hope
So what would the Tarot lesson be? …
Wherever you are, the people around you are likely facing similar issues to what you’re dealing with, and they’re probably concerned about the same type of questions you are. And finally, whether we appear sure of ourselves or not, all of us can use some hope and validation.
With that in mind, let’s try to be good to each other. We can definitely use each other’s help.
History: As the title suggests, this book is focused on the history of Tarot… or more specifically, the history of the use of Tarot for divination and the meanings assigned to each card.
Major Arcana: After revealing his theory on the provenance of the whole series, Huson goes through each of the Major Arcana card by card, attempting to identify the origins of each image … Spoiler Alert: Huson believes that Tarot’s Major Arcana began as a representation of the ancient Mystery, Miracle, and Morality plays. He makes a compelling case.
Minor Arcana: For the Minors, Huson goes suit by suit, and card by card comparing the interpretations of historical Tarot heavyweights: Ettellia, Mathers, the Golden Dawn, and Waite.
Spreads:Mystical Origins includes a whole chapter on historical Tarot spreads. Some of them are straight forward, some very, very complicated, but I found all of them quite interesting. Huson includes a sample reading as well.
Tarot Reading Advice: Though this book isn’t so much a Tarot learning guide as it is an historical dissertation (with lots of illustrations), I think it could be quite helpful to new and seasoned readers alike. There’s some excellent advice on doing readings (though, obviously, everyone has their own style), and of course, as already described, there are detailed descriptions of each card, as well as some Tarot spreads to try … if a new or practiced reader is interested in learning the context from which Tarot evolved, as well as how it works, and general instructions on how to use it, this is a great book.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading Mystical Origins of the Tarot. Don’t know why it took so long for me to get to it, but I’m glad I finally did.
July 31st, 2024 § Comments Off on Three Things I Really Like about Reading Cards for Others § permalink
After reading cards now for over thirty years, I’d say that there are three things I especially like about reading for others …
•Getting to help people sort through thoughts and emotions when they’re facing a dilemma or crossroads. When you can help – it’s a real thrill.
•Having sincere, heartfelt conversations with people through the cards – all sorts of different people, with all sorts of different perspectives – friends and strangers, they always teach me something.
•Being reminded through the questions we ask, that we humans are all very similar, with the same hopes, fears, and needs. It helps me love people more.
And of course, I also just really like looking at pictures and talking about what they might mean (which I guess makes it four things I especially like.)
Tarot reading for oneself is fabulous, but Tarot reading for others has its own set of joys.
July 5th, 2024 § Comments Off on Draw Your Tarot Deck § permalink
A great tip for getting to really know your Tarot cards, whatever deck you use, is to draw them. This is true whether you’re good at drawing or not (however that might be determined). The learning happens either way. It’s about looking at the cards really carefully, not about making fine art.
I’ve been reminded of this lesson lately while redrawing the Cards of the Day for The Tarot Room, as well as while drawing on my newest wooden Tarot box. As is the case whenever I draw images from my decks, I’ve noticed things I had forgotten, or maybe had never noticed in the first place.
There are so many things to notice … and if you’re a practiced reader, you’ve probably considered most, if not all of the symbols, and colours, and key words from your favourite decks. But at least for me, getting ‘beginners’ eyes’ again as I try to etch the card pictures onto a page, always reignites my enthusiasm for the deck I’m drawing, and teaches me something new.
And for beginners … drawing your cards is a fantastic exercise to use to get to know your deck. The whole trick is that it forces you to look. And at least for me, Tarot reading at its core is about reading the stories in the pictures on the cards. The more you carefully look at those pictures, the richer your stories can be.
Give it a try. And if drawing all 78 cards in a deck is too daunting, try just drawing the cards you pull in a reading. Or just one card from a card of the day … or whatever might work for you. But try it. It’s fun.
If you’re a fan of musicians Nick Drake and/or Robin Williamson, you might want to take a look at the video below.
In it, Williamson, who founded the Incredible String Band in the 1960s, does a Tarot reading regarding the enigmatic character of Nick Drake who died back in 1974.
Even if you don’t know anything about either musician, if you enjoy Tarot, it’s worth taking a look. Williamson’s interpretation is interesting and I like the modified Celtic Cross spread he uses.
Though typically you don’t need more than your favourite Tarot deck to do a reading, it can be interesting to mix your oracles in order to get a deeper look at a question.
In the video below, Donnaleigh de LaRose from Beyond Worlds, demonstrates how you might mix Tarot with oracle decks, runes, angel cards, and Lenormand in a ‘two-card reading’.
It’s fascinating to see how the various divinatory tools seem to echo each other layer upon layer. They all keep saying the same thing, just with slightly different voices.
As of September 1st, you can no longer buy or sell services like magic spells, prayers, blessings, potions, or Tarot readings on eBay.
According to the site, their move is not meant as a stand against metaphysics or the potential usefulness of such services, but rather …
“Transactions in these categories often result in issues between the buyer and seller that are difficult to resolve. To help build confidence in the marketplace for both buyers and sellers, eBay is discontinuing these categories and including the items on the list of prohibited items.”
And I’ll take them at their word. Psychic advice isn’t the only category to have been discontinued. The list is fairly long:
•psychic or paranormal readings, spells, potions or Tarot readings
•advertising opportunities
•memberships
•advice and instruction in: business & computers, lessons & tutoring, diet & fitness, other
•business & websites for sale – advertising inventory, home-based businesses
•art – digital direct from artist, dealer, or reseller
•recipes
It’s important to note that the sale of actual metaphysical items including Tarot cards, books, or amulets are still permitted for sale.
Using regular playing cards for Tarot readings loses the fun of the imagery, and of course eliminates the main aspect of what makes Tarot what it is – the Major Arcana.
But sometimes all you have on hand are playing cards and you still want to do a reading. You can.
It’s just a matter of having a consistent system of converting the suits of the Tarot into those of your standard poker deck.
My typical system of conversion is:
Cups = Hearts
Pentacles = Diamonds
Wands = Clubs
Swords = Spades
Of course, I’m not the only one who uses this system. It’s the one I’ve seen most often.
In fact, it’s the one described in the video below by Nalani of Rebel Tarot. In her clip she colourfully explains an easy way to remember it.
In the video below, Scott Grossberg, creator of the Deck of Shadows, demonstrates a reading technique he calls the Hands of Truth.
He describes the method as being similar to using a pendulum in that ideo motor responses from the body direct the reading.
In Grossberg’s technique, a reader randomly chooses two cards from the deck and turns them up. He or she then passes them to the querent who holds each card face up in each hand.
The reader then tells the querent that one of their hands is going to rise, while the other will get lower. There’s no rush for this to happen, but typically it does.
The reader then takes the card from the lower hand and reads it as being an energy the querent is leaving. The card from the raised hand represents where they are likely headed.
It’s an interesting twist on a two-card reading, and really allows for the querent to be involved.
I think I’ll try it out with someone soon.
Scott was a guest on Beyond Worlds back at the end of 2010. He spoke about his Deck of Shadows and a lot of other interesting and magical things. You can listen to the show here …
