Through the ages Tarot has been many things to many people. Tarot relates to modern life as it related to people in the bygone years but its strength and acknowledgement of life patterns has never been more appreciated than in the 21st century!
Tarot is universal and relatable to any time period it finds itself in making it a great tool for self discovery…
The history of Tarot is mixed but it is believed to have made its appearance in the 14th century as a deck of playing card. 78 cards in total! In my opinion I believe the Tarot is far older and it wasn’t a deck of playing cards; the modern day playing cards evolved from Tarot and not the other way around.
The Tarot has many levels to it but most of the fraternity agree there are three levels …
- The Major Arcana making up 22 cards
- The Minor Arcana making up 40 cards categorised into 4 elemental suits
- The Court card making up 16 cards categorised into 4 elemental suits
It should be noted the Court Cards are also the Minor Arcana, but to understand how the numbering works I have separated them in my description.
The 4 elements are Air, Fire, Water and Earth. If we extrapolate this, the Major Arcana is the 5th element Ether, representing the spiritual realm.
Numbers play a big part in the Tarot - Numerology works through both the Major and Minor Arcana creating another level of meaning through the cards. The Major Arcana has the numbers 0 to 21, and the Minor Arcana has the numbers 1 to 10 running through the 4 suits.
Numerology has been with us for a very, very long time - millenniums!
Over that time the meanings behind the numbers have been, developed, experienced and agreed upon thus allowing the observer to use numbers to gain insights into the world at large and our place within it.
The Tarot in a reading can forecast where things are heading, but remember that you are always in the driver’s seat. Tarot is a reflective tool so if you are not liking where things are heading you now have the knowledge and tools to change things. In other words, the forecast does not become your future reality unless you want it to. The Tarot gives you the tools allowing you to change course and write your own destiny.
The Major Arcana in a reading relates to your karmic and spiritual life lessons. It speaks to you on a soul level. These lessons are needed for your growth and evolution in this life time, and because of that you can say it is your fate (learning lessons) in this lifetime.
The Minor Arcana in a reading reflects the trails and tribulations in your daily life. They highlight the more practical aspects and usually refer to temporary or minor issues that come and go like the tides.
The Court cards in a reading can either represent you, your attitudes, your outlook at the the time or it can represent people in your life exerting an influence or about to come into your life at the time of your reading.
To conclude, the Tarot is an empowering tool representing the storybook of your life at the time of your reading, it gives you clarity, understanding and direction, it reflects your inner wisdom or subconscious thoughts, and it is a mirror of your soul.
A Tarot reading is magical and is a gift from your soul to you through this beautiful medium, the Tarot.
