All You Want to Know about Tarot Cards

Tarot cards are an ancient tool created hundreds of years ago for seeking knowledge of the future and the unknown. Reading tarot cards is a complex art, requiring a skilled “reader” to interpret the illustrations that adorn the pack of 78 colorful tarot cards. Each card has incredible symbolism and meaning but it is up to the reader to tune into your energy, and intuitively decipher how the cards relate to your past, present, and future. A tarot reading can reveal your victories, passions, life lessons, destiny, challenges, and purposes, among other things. The cards are not magic, but they offer a way to tap into your own intuition and receive guidance from the spirit world, angels, and the universe.

Where do Tarot Cards Come From

Tarot cards originated in 14th-century Europe after game cards were brought to Europe from Turkey. Over the years the card illustrations and the number of cards in a deck have changed. At the time the cards were used to play a game similar to bridge, called tarocchi. Artists were commissioned to hand-paint the cards for wealthy families. The images may have been inspired by historic Italian carnival characters, but many were associated with Christianity and folklore. The cards gained their mystical associations around the 18th-century, and legends claimed that the cards originated from the gypsies, Egyptians, or Jewish Kabbalah. Antoine Court de Gébelin wrote a book linking tarot cards to ancient Egyptian lore, and 18th-century French occultist Jean-Baptiste Alliette, (Etteilla) wrote a treatise on the use of tarot cards for divination. As time passed the cards became associated with fortune-telling, the occult, and mysticism. For many years, they continued to be used both as a regular card game and for predicting the future. In 1909 the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck was first published. Rider-Waite cards were painted by occultist artist Pamala ColmanSmith (Pixie),  according to instructions from academic mystic, A.E. Waite, and published by the Rider Company. The RIder-Waite deck has become the standard for most tarot readers. Gradually the various techniques were established, and reading tarot cards became a skill that required training, experience, and a natural gift. 

The Tarot Cards

The 78 cards are divided into two groups – 22 Major Arcana cards, and 56 Minor Arcana cards. Arcana means secret. Each of the Major Arcana, or Trump cards represents an important life event, or spiritual lesson we learn during our lifetime. Trump cards can also deliver urgent messages. Each Major Arcana card has an illustration of an individual character such as the HangMan, Death, the Fool, and the Devil. The Minor Arcana or Lesser Arcana consists of four suits (pentacles, wands, swords, and cups) each with meanings and messages about the day-to-day trials and tribulations we face. Each Minor Arcana suit is numbered one to ten, plus four face cards or court cards, representing stages in our lives, relationships, careers, etc. When you pull a card from the pack, or when the cards are spread before you in a reading, the psychic reader interprets how each card’s symbols and images relate to you. You might have heard of Oracle cards. These are a different deck of cards, used in a similar way to tarot.

What to Expect from a Tarot Card Reading

Tarot card readers are not like in the movies! They are ordinary people with extraordinary gifts and skill sets. You can feel comfortable sharing your inner fears, and secrets, as tarot readings are completely confidential. Expect a caring professional reader who wants to give you spiritual guidance through the cards. Your reader or psychic will ask you to hold the cards and shuffle them so that your energy is infused into the deck. Then they will proceed with the reading using one of many techniques. Usually, the tarot interpreter takes a series of the cards out of the deck and arranges them on the table in a “spread”. Then each card in the spread is interpreted according to its image, symbols, and most importantly its position in the spread. 

The Tarot Spreads

There are countless formations, techniques, and methods of reading tarot cards. Usually, a series of cards are chosen, “spread” on the table, and then interpreted. The most popular spreads include the Three Fates Spread consisting of three cards representing our past, present, and future. There are other three-card spreads, for example, a spread of three cards depicting our present situation, obstacles, and how to overcome them. Another popular spread is the 10-card Celtic Cross that depicts the person’s influences, hopes, conflict, and inspirations in the past and the future.

What can a Tarot Consultation do For You?

You’ll learn the paths you are most likely to follow, and the possible outcomes. You’ll tap into hidden thoughts, feelings, and truths that perhaps you were ignoring. And with this new clarity and information, you’ll be more aware of your options, and be able to make more informed decisions. A tarot reading often gives a person a better understanding of what makes him behave and feel the way he does. If something negative turns up in your tarot reading, your psychic will be kind and understanding and offer suggestions, and guidance about how you could overcome or avoid the situation. Whether you have an online tarot reading because you have questions about your love life, relationship or career, you always come away with a new outlook and a clearer vision.

Online Tarot Readings

Obviously, with an online tarot consultation, you can’t physically touch the cards. So, in an online tarot reading, you’ll be asked to focus on the cards and think of the questions you want to be answered. Or the psychic will shuffle the deck and ask you to tell her/him when to stop. Online tarot readings are equally accurate as face-to-face readings. You also have the option for real-time live chat, offline email consultations, and tarot readings via video. Often people feel more comfortable discussing personal problems in an anonymous online reading. Online you have access to daily one-card pulls or more in-depth one-on-one consultations where you can ask questions about anything.

Are you Ready for your Tarot Reading?

Now that you know about tarot cards, are you ready to delve into this mysterious world? The only requirement is an open mind. After a tarot reading, you’ll feel empowered with insight into your past, present, and future. Aren’t you curious to know what the cards say about you? Get an online reading and find out.

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