INTRODUCTORY TAROT
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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:
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