|
INTRODUCTORY TAROT
Tools required:
This course aims to introduce the beginning tarot student to the basic archetypes of the Major Arcana cards, and to familiarize the student with the suit cards and court cards of the Minor Arcana. Preliminary concepts of spread constuction and of spread interpretation are included. The beginning student should use a basic tarot deck. Specialty "theme" decks (such as the Arthurian Tarot, Mythic Tarot, Xultan, Merlin, Motherpeace, etc.) require more specialized interpretation skills than this course aims to provide. Choice of Cards: Recommended cards for use with this course include the Rider-Waite deck, the Eileen Connolly deck, the Morgan- Greer Tarot, and the Albano-Waite deck. Suitable Rider derivatives include the Herbal Tarot, the Hanson-Roberts deck, the Aquarian Tarot, and the Builders of the Adytum deck (b&w for hand colouring). Preferred decks are derived from Pamela Coleman-Smith's beautiful 1909 artwork in which all the minor arcana cards are illustrative of their intrinsic meanings, rather than bearing elaborate numerical designs. Less traditional, but still suitable decks include the lovely pagan oriented Robin Wood deck, the Tarot of the Old Path, and the Witches Tarot (Ellen Cannon Reed). Recommended decks with numerical (traditional) suit cards include: Tarot Classic (1851), the Tarot of Marseilles (1761, also available as "Le Tarot de Marseille"), the IJJ Swiss Tarot, the Rolla Nordic (b&w for you to colour as you please) deck, the Oswald Wirth deck, the Eclectic Tarot (1943), and the Golden Dawn Tarot (Wang, 1978). The cards should be kept in a small carrying case. Traditionally they are wrapped in a silken cloth, inside an aromatic wooden box. Such wrapping is highly desirable to card readers who believe that magical quailities are imparted to the cards by the wrapping. It is protective, but not essential. Many readers believe that the only qualities imparted are those of the persons handling the cards. It is sufficient for the beginner to carry the cards in a scarf, pouch, or their original cardboard case. Learning the Minor Arcana
Memory KeysAll tarot books endeavour to instill in the student some system whereby memory of the ordering of the deck is prompted. Each author has his/her preferred method, and it is beyond the capacity of any student to compare all of these methods. The memory keys that I will provide you are in general agreement with many authors, and are the keys I have found to work best for me. Students may read books that suggest methods which they find more to their own liking. In this case, I will be happy to discuss the relative merits of the author's system. If you have questions in this regard, please e-mail them to me. Because tarot is a totally subjective study, every student will develop an individual "feel" for the cards. You must use the method that suits you best. I will provide memory keys by using alliteration, logical comparisons, etc. Whenever I refer to the cardinal points of a circle, or any cyclical progression, I normally always proceed in a deosil (clockwise) direction, for reasons that will become clear as this particular lesson is followed. Cardinal Points of the CompassMy own "memory key" method relates the cards to the cardinal points of the compass. Proceeding from the right, the points are East, South, West and North. East is where the sun rises, and in Native American lore it is the "Place of Beginnings." In the northern hemisphere, South is the direction of the midday sun (Fire), represented by Wands or Batons, and North is the direction of Winter's icy, cutting wind (Air), represented by Swords. Since West is almost universally recognized as the direction of Water, that only leaves Earth for the East. This makes perfect sense if one lives in continental Europe where the cards originated, the vast land-mass of Asia is to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean is to the west. Fortuitously, "earth" and "east" have a lovely alliterative relationship, as do "water" and "west". So we now have:
The Astrological YearTraditionally, the Astrological year commences with Aries, the Cardinal Fire sign, and each of the seasons begins as each cardinal sign becomes host to the Sun. The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes are the days on which the Sun moves into Aries and Libra, Summer and Winter Solstices are when the Sun enters Cancer and Capricorn respectively. In Astrology each of the Signs has a metaphysical Elemental correspondence, as follows:
Each Sign also has a metaphysical Qualitative correspondence, as follows:
As we follow the "Wheel of the Year," we find that each of the "fixed" signs comes into effect precisely at the time each of the seasons is at its peak.
Late springtime, when the crops are sown, is the time of Taurus; we swelter under Leo's burning mid-summer Sun; we gather the harvest and see the leaves fall during Scorpio's reign, and we shiver with Aquarius' cutting cold. If we visualize these Fixed signs as the four "corners" of the standard astrological wheel, we find Taurus at the lower left corner, Leo at the lower right, Scorpio at the upper right, and Aquarius at the upper left. If we now compare this with the Major Arcana cards "The Wheel of Fortune" and "The World," we find the Bull and Lion in the lower left and right corners respectively, the Eagle (associated with Scorpio) in the upper right, and Raphael (the Angel of Air) in the upper left. In harmony with these allocations, the four great Fire Festivals of the ancient Celtic Year correspond to the beginning of the second decanate of each of the Fixed signs, as follows:
Ordering the Minor ArcanaThe ordering of the deck is variable, according to different authors. It is most usual to find the Swords and Wands placed first and second, with Cups and Pentacles third and last. The numbered suit cards are usually ordered from Ace through Ten, followed by the court cards. My own preference is to order the deck with the Pentacles first, because directionally Pentacles represent East, the place of the sunrise, and in Native American lore, the "Place of Beginnings". Each student should decide to order the deck according to what "feels right". Fire, Earth, Air and WaterPentacles (Earth): Pentacles, also known as Coins or Disks, relate to the questioner's or subject's physical status, and the mundane world. They pertain to financial achievement, the rewards of enterprise. Pentacles usually show us people at work, or involved in creative activities that are the means of generating wealth. They are commonly called the "money" cards. Seasonally, Pentacles represent the Spring months (March, April, May) during which life springs anew, lambs are eaned, shoots and saplings spring from the ground, birds are building their nests, etc. The modern suit of Diamonds is the equivalent of Pentacles. East = beginnings, sunrise, springtime. Colours: Leaf green (trad.), Yellow (Dene lore), Tan, Brown, Black. Wands (Fire): Wands, also known as Batons or Firebrands, relate to personal growth. They also pertain to the fields of enterprise in which the questioner or subject is involved. If the subject seeks to be outstanding in something, the wands pertain to the area(s) of distinction. Wands represent the "fire of the soul", the "divine spark", action, eagerness, impetuosity. Generally wands show us people winning life's battles, overcoming obstacles, moving ahead. The "action" or "self" cards. Seasonally, wands represent the Summer months (June, July, August), the time of growth and fulfillment. Trees are in full leaf, grain heads are filling, fruits are ripening, nestlings have taken flight. The modern suit of Clubs is the equivalent of Wands. South = place of activity, rapid growth, heat. Colours: Red (trad. and Native American), Orange, Gold, Purple, Pink, Crimson. Cups (Water): Cups, also known as Vessels, relate to the subject's feelings. They pertain to love and happiness, and emotional relationships in which the subject is involved. Cups represent imagination, joy and peace, well-being, acceptance and comfort. Cups usually show us people reaping the rewards of life's achievements, and sharing with others. The participants are generally, passive, accepting, relaxed. The "love" cards. Seasonally, Cups represent the Autumn months (September, October, November), the time of harvest, feasting and plenty. Summer is over, and the migratory birds have departed, leaves are changing colour, weather is unpredictable. The modern suit of Hearts is equivalent to Cups. West = day turning into night, sunset, the place of changes. Colours: Dark/Med. blue (trad.), Black (Dene), Aqua, Turqoise, Dark sea-green. Swords (Air): Swords (Blades, Daggers, etc.) relate to the subject's intellect, the cold sharpness of reason. They pertain to acceptance of truth, the quest for the meaning of life, and sometimes painful understanding. Swords represent struggle and animosity. In the tarot, swords depict people embattled or encumbered, seeking to overcome difficulties or enemies, distressed, suffering losses. Commonly called the "sorrow" or "loss" cards. Seasonally, Swords represent the Winter months (December, January, February), the time of coldness, hardship, and oft-times death. The season of withdrawal that precedes renewal or rebirth. North = coldness and aging, hard lessons to be learned, maturity, the teachings of the elders. Colours: Yellow (trad.), White (Native American), Ice blue, Grey, Silver, Pale ice green. The Numbered Suit CardsNumerology is the study of numbers, and their metaphysical significances, applied to the subject's life situation. Each number represents a concept or set of concepts.
Exercises for Minor ArcanaThe following exercises are helpful in familiarizing yourself with the suit cards: Exercise #1: Separate the numbered suit cards from the deck, and lay them out in four rows, from Ace through Ten in each suit. a) Study each row, and take note of similarities between the cards within each suit, such as colour, action/inaction, dress, background, etc. b) Study each column, and take note of similarities between the cards of the same denomination. c) Compare your notes on the rows and columns with the guidelines presented in this lesson, and take note of ways in which your notes agree and/or disagree with the guidelines. d) jot down a brief assessment of whether or not the artist has succeeded in using the images to convey the traditional meanings of the cards. Exercise #2: Colour-in outline pictures of a few cards. Compare your colours to those of the artist's choice on a commercially printed card of the same denomination and suit. Is the artist's colouring similar/different from your own; in what ways? Which do you prefer? Learning the Court Cards
Court cards usually represent people, but can also represent situations. The client's query, the complete tarot spread, and the wisdom of the tarot being sought by the reader will determine which is the appropriate situation. Court Families
Characteristics of CourtiersKing (man in his maturity):
Queen (woman in her maturity):
Knight (a young man):
Page (youth or child of either sex):
Multiplicities of Court CardsThe recurrence of court cards within a spread of cards is considered by some to indicate additional information for the questioner and others in his/her life. A.E. Waite, in The Key to the Tarot, ascribes the following meanings to multiplicities of court cards: Upright: .................................4....................................... 3.......................................... 2
Inverted:
The reader is urged not to take these interpretations too literally. Each reader may form his/her own interpretation for multiplicities. Caution should always be used in advising the questioner as to certain meanings, i.e. "serious illness". It would be unethical to predict to a client that someone in the client's life was to become the subject of a serious illness sometime soon; however, it would be perfectly acceptable to take this combination as referring to some past event in the client's life, and how that event might have some bearing on the client's present situation. Astrological Correspondences of the Court CardsEach Sign of the Zodiac may be related to one of the court cards. The classification of the Signs by the metaphysical qualities Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable, reflects the three basic principle of life: creation, preservation and destruction, respectively. The Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn): generate outgoing, dynamic energy. The Kings are connected with the Cardinal signs. They are authoritative, powerful, and energetic. They represent creative, enterprising ways of relating to life, with a strong will to accomplish goals and realise ambitions. The Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius): are more consistent, steady, loyal and reliable, with great reserves of patience. The feminine, homemaking qualities of the Queens correspond to these Fixed signs. They are images of stability and containment. The Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces): are more volatile, always ready to change to suit the current mood or the surrounding environment. The Knights, restless, excitable, seeking new challenges and adventures, display the adaptable characteristics common to the Mutable signs.
The Pages There are still four Court cards, the Pages, to be accounted for. The Pages represent the spirit or essence of their respective Elements, and are less specific than their elders. They lack the Qualitative aspects that their elders have acquired, and are indicative of the unfulfilled potential that is consistent with their youthfulness. Pages are also frequently the bringers of messages or news, and may serve as aides to their elders. They may also challenge their elders, as children challenge their parents, pushing the limits.
Using Court Cards as SignificatorsCertain spreads include a card known as a significator. This card is chosen to denote the person who is asking the question or who is the subject of the question. For some spreads the significator is selected and positioned before the balance of the deck is shuffled; in other spreads the significator is determined after the spread has been laid out on the table, and may be repositioned or may be left as it falls according to the reader's preferred method of interpreting that spread. The significator is the central character within the story that the cards are depicting, and it is up to the reader to interpret the story surrounding or pertaining to that character. Some readers will choose a court card as the significator in a spread according to very rigid guidelines, other readers will use loose guidelines, and some readers will draw the significator purely by chance either from the separated pack of court cards, from the entire deck, or from a combined pack of court cards and Major Arcana. Use of a court card as the significator is the most popular choice, and selection of the appropriate court card may be according to some "traditional" rules, or by one's own set of rules. A very rigid traditional set of rules is the choice of the significator according to the preceding table under the heading "Court Families." In this method, the significator is removed from the deck prior to shuffling, and is chosen strictly in accordance with the subject's physical appearance. Another rigid set of rules is the choice of significator according to the subject's natal Sun Sign, as set out in the "Astrological Correspondences" table. In using this system, one may or may not choose to use Pages as significators for children, according to the Element of the child's Sun Sign. Somewhat less rigid is the choice made according to the "Characteristics of Court Cards" table. Indeed, this is the most popular method. This can be made even more flexible if one ignores the sex of the subject, and chooses the card only according to the subject's acquired qualities; i.e. King of Swords could represent a person of either sex who is active in the practice of law; a nurturing, family oriented man could be represented by the Queen of Pentacles, etc. Random selection of a significator card may be less satisfactory, and frequently requires the reader to apply in-depth intuitive skills. When the significator is randomly chosen, it may at first appearance be difficult to reconcile the image on the card with the subject. The reader must assess the apparent inconsistency, and determine why it has occured. Possibly the subject has questions concerning the aspect of his/her nature most typically represented by that card, or possibly the question is more closely related to someone in the questioner's environment (represented by the significator by proxy) rather than to the questioner hirself.
Exercise for the Court CardsSeparate the court cards from the deck, and lay them out in families, from Page through King in each suit. a) Study each row, and take note of similarities between the cards within each suit, such as colour, action/inaction, dress, background, etc. b) Study each column, and take note of similarities between the cards of the same rank. c) jot down a brief assessment of whether or not the artist has succeeded in using the images to convey the traditional qualities each of the court characters.
Learning the Major Arcana
Ordering of the Major ArcanaThe 22 Major Arcana, or Trump, cards comprise a "pack within the pack" of the tarot deck. Each of these cards bears an archetypal image. Archetypes are the original moulds or prototypes from which copies are made. In tarot parlance, an archetype represents a well- known pattern of behaviour, or a mythic hero, upon which a universal story or truth is based. The archetype may represent a person, an institution, a situation, or a stage of life. The major arcana are numbered 1-21, with the "Fool" un-numbered. In ordering the Arcana, there are several options for placement of the Fool. Traditionally, the Fool was inserted between 20 (Judgment) and 21 (the World). Nowadays, it is usually placed at the beginning of the deck. The positioning of this card is only another area in which there is little agreement among various authors, and for which there is no hard and fast rule. My own preference is to place the Fool at the beginning of the deck. There are many options for breaking down the major arcana into smaller groupings to simplify the study of these cards. The most obvious division is cutting it in half, with 0-10 (Fool through Wheel of Fortune) as the first half, and 11-21 (Justice through World) as the second half. The first half of the Arcana deals with external forces or outlook, and the second half represents internal development or wisdom. It may be divided into four esoteric categories each balanced by an Elemental force, representing power (balanced by Fire), conditions (Water), malefics (Air), and celestial spheres (Earth). My choice is for division into three seven-card groups, with the Fool standing alone. Astrological Correspondences of the TrumpsThe 22 major arcana cards are divided into three traditional groups, corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac, the seven "personal" planets and three of the elements: The Three Elements:
The Personal Planets:
The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac:
The fourth Element, Earth, isn't represented by a Trump. A modern variant of the above drops the Elements entirely, and assigns the outer (or "Collective") planets as follows:
Esoteric Grouping of the Trumps:The four esoteric categories (power, conditions, malefics, and celestial spheres) are comprised as follows:
The Unifying Force for all of the above is the Magus (Magician) placed at the Centre. The four balancing Forces are placed around the Magus:
The category cards opposing the forces are arranged as perpendicular four-card rows adjacent to the balancing Force of each, thus forming a square. The Fool remains outside. This esoteric arrangement places Earth (World = Pentacles) to the North, and Air (Justice = Swords) in the East. This is the traditional arrangement advocated by the Order of the Golden Dawn, and is the pattern followed in traditional ordering of the Minor Arcana (Swords, Wands, Cups, Pentacles) in which most decks are packaged by manufacturers. There is no reason why the student cannot rearrange this square in accordance with the Astrological Wheel, switching Justice and its Powers to the North, and World with its Powers to the East. The Three Septenaries - The Adventure of LifeTo study the cards by this method, the Major Arcana is laid out in three rows, as follows:
Magician -- High Priestess -- Empress -- Emperor -- Hierophant -- Lovers -- Chariot
The First Septenary (Material) - Consciousness - The World About Us
Using Major Arcana Cards as SignificatorsThis is as far as I have got with hypertext marking my course. I shall be working on the rest of it soon, but presently have several other pages that are calling for more urgent attention. Sorry.
|
