Originally, the Tarot Cards came from Alchemical Sufi sources and the Sufi Alchemical Meditations based on the correct working of the energies of the Universe were encoded as symbols into every one of the Thoth Tarot cards.

Here is an explanation from the book of “The Princess of Swords” of the Thoth Tarot with the addition of how it refers to explanations of the advanced techniques of meditation…

“The inflow of spiritual energy or kundalini energy is well known in all spiritual circles as being expected in all genuine courses with teachers who have advanced experience with enlightened masters yet some people just cannot get their heads around it and they do not trust it as this concept destroys their idea of a “normal” world. They start to fear the unknown!!

The wind of kundalini blowing through you usually leaves smoke and ashes in its wake. Normally, when kundalini energy starts to flow through the interiorly held negativities it starts to destroy and release the pain and trauma within. Fear can be the result. The techniques of the advanced techniques of meditation show you how to totally clear yourself from moods and disturbing thoughts because it works at the level of energy which underlies all the problems.

Transmutation is symbolised by the Yin Yang in the card. These Practical, Ancient and Successful Meditations based on the Tarot teach how to remove the traumatic nature of all this energy release by using the new alchemical concept of “transmutation” – there remains non of the problems associated with negative emotions like anger or depression.. They do not work at the level of memory. You do not have to remember anything as they work at the level of energy which underlies all of the painful memories, yet the performance of the advanced techniques of meditation can easily and totally remove all the energy blockages, in a non-painful way!!

The Princess of Swords student of the advanced techniques of meditation knows how necessary is the transmutation of all the old energies on the path of evolution, progress and inner freedom. The student’s “no” to all the past negative energy held inside springs from an unequivocal “yes” to themselves and to their life!

Princess of Swords necessity for positive and easy change is comparable to the drastic move by Jesus Christ when he drove the moneylenders out of the temple, and to the work of Hercules when he drove the river Styx through the Augean stables, thus easily cleaning out thousands of years of pain or horse shit in one day!

The Wand of the Princess of Discs stretches from heaven to earth and symbolizes the Antakarana, an ancient symbol of Kundalini yoga, which represents the tower, rainbow bridge of energy which flows through all your chakras from heaven to earth, when all energy blockages preventing that flow have been transmuted through the techniques of the advanced techniques of meditation.

The Princess of Swords says, by learning how to bring the spiritual energies of the center of the universe, the highest and purest form of light, into this earth which is the darkest and most negative of all elements, it becomes possible to raise the energy level of the advanced techniques of meditation student and the earth itself.

This advance into new territory has the ability to unify to integrate the mother, the father and all the internal children into one energetic, soul infused and peaceful being.

“there can only be one!!”

The Princess of Swords bringing together spirit and matter, the removal of energy blockages has created something new which can channel the light onto the earth and cosmic idea-impulses, thoughtforms, become visible to everyone and permeate everything with their divine quality. The true healing of you, and the earth itself!!”

The explanation of the Princess of Swords above comes from the Thoth Tarot which encodes Alchemical information in every one of its Tarot Cards!!

Alchemical techniques of meditation symbolized in the Tarot Cards of the Thoth pack show how to easily transmute all negative energy without going anywhere near the emotions and memory!! The buddhafield of energy, in which evolutionary progress can quickly be made, and kundalini energy are absolutely necessary to any course of meditation.

The Princess of Swords symbolizes the way of the energies of the Universe and shows ancient and hidden techniques preserved in Taoism and Hindu Kundalini Kriyas. It is the most gentle and effective tool for all those who want to increase their energy, their evolution, their genius.

Also Ancient Egyptian spiritual technology – The Alchemical Meditations of Hermes Trismegistus from the Emerald tablet, and of Alchemical VITRIOL, a Latin word meaning “Acid” which dissolves all negative emotions and “Anger” symbolising the removal of all trauma and negative emotion through, “Drain the Last Dregs of your Vitriol!.”

The same energy circulation meditation… from the Alchemical Sufi Dun Nun, “the Egyptian”, he who took, “The Path of Blame” symbolized by the Sufi Naqsbandi Fountain at the Alhambra at Granada in Spain.

The same meditations… The Five Elemental Paths of the Qi of Chinese Alchemical Taoism and the Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Orbits symbolized in the Yin Yang Symbol.

The same meditation,… “The point from which a Man cannot err.” .. From the Freemasonic ritual creating the Master Mason and the “Entry into the Crypt” The center of the earth, of the Royal Arch. Arch or rainbow bridge symbolises the creation of the Antahkarana.

It is not enough to worship these words, the higher energies are only satisfied when we create these functions within ourselves. Only then do we become a “Made Man”.

The same energy circulation meditation… “With This Technique, Your Evolution Will Increase With Every Energy Revolution To Create A Revolution In Your Evolution.” – Paramahamsa Yogananda On The Kriyas Of Kundalini of India, of Kriya Yoga, of Babaji, the 2000 years old sage in the Himalayas, of Sri Yukteswar and Lahira Mahasaya.

These Practical, Ancient and Successful Meditations for the removal of all negative emotions like Anger, Fear, and Depression teach Gaining More Energy – Meditation, Shaktipat, Energy Circulation, The Kundalini Kriyas, The Five Elemental Paths Of The Chi Of Chinese Alchemical Taoism, The Grounding Of Negative Energies, V.I.T.R.I.O.L and The Art Card Of The Thoth Tarot, Access To Kundalini Energy, Strong Psychic Protection, The Merkaba, Pyramid Protection, Power Tower Protection, the Creation of The Antahkarana, Soul Fusion, Monadic Infusion, Logos Infusion for the Painless Removal Of Stress, Trauma And Negative Emotion.

Swami Satchidanand
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/energy-enhancement-the-tarot-princess-of-swords-and-advanced-techniques-of-meditation-10510.html

Although it is not an unfamiliar sight to witness a Tarot reader drawing out cards from a deck of 78 to advice on problems ranging from relationships to career wellbeing, most people find it difficult to imagine doing the actual reading themselves. But the fact is that Tarot is now out there available for everyone to experience and learn. Although having a Tarot practitioner analyzing the symbols of the cards drawn is certainly an enchanting experience and probably “less risky,” a few of today’s Tarot lovers purchase their own decks and begin reading its cards with the help of Tarot manuals or mentors.

Starting to learn anything new is always a daunting experience and especially when one considers learning the Tarot cards can seem a bit odd; to say the least. This is probably the case because Tarot is associated with fortune-telling and future is the thing that excites human imagination the most. But Tarot, can in fact take people into a better understanding of the past and the present, assisting many to decode daily problems, and issues. Living in the information age, it is actually only logical to seek more information, on any given situation, before having to make a decision on the subject of interest. But the tremendous potential and effect Tarot relates to self-realization. That notion is probably less realized by those who wish to learn the future through Tarot, but in the end, this is where they are in fact led. Most often regarded as a method of predicting the future, Tarot is much less considered as a method used to better understand oneself. But, if you are interested in learning to read the Tarot cards, it is best if you keep in mind that you should do it primarily because it is one of the most effective methods to begin knowing thyself.

Since the Tarot cards have numerous different meanings depending on the order they are drawn and placed in relation to each other, many people quickly give up the effort of learning to read them. But experts claim that learning the meaning can be an effortless process, as well as rewarding and enjoyable. One of the simpler methods existing to learn the Tarot cards is through meditation. As practitioners reveal, you should begin by picking up a card from the pile and “studying” it for some time. You can always look up a guide for its “official” meaning, but the important thing here is to realize what the card you picked means to you. If the card suggests a positive career development, for example, it does not matter if in the Tarot manual symbolizes something entirely different. As long as it means this to you, it will always mean that when it comes up. As readers put it, “the card responds to you, not the other way around.”

By picking at least one card every day, you will slowly but surely familiarize yourself with the Tarot deck in a natural easy way. Keep notes and later read the Tarot manual to check how close your guessing was to the “original” meaning. The important thing here is to concentrate on the cards and let their images be “absorbed” by your brain. Ask questions and give answers to yourself in relation to the pictures you see and the story that the card is trying to convey. Remember that it does not matter how close to the “true” meaning you really are. What matters is how easily you will remember your original thoughts when you draw the same card later during this familiarization procedure. In less than a month you will be able to associate the cards together and “translate” their meaning. Remember that this is nothing more than a game to learn better yourself and how you react to a given set of variables. Then Tarot will be a fun experience to devote some time alone or with your friends.

Jonathon Hardcastle
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/learning-tarot-as-a-game-64922.html

INTRODUCING THE TAROT -
Tarot is a means of divination – that is, the art of ‘reading’ the future or uncovering the unknown. The tarot consists of a set of playing cards which are dealt into a particular layout according to what your question is. When dealing the cards you should focus on a particular problem you may be experiencing or think about an aspect of your life about which you’d like more clarity. Traditionally the tarot has been interpreted by a ‘tarot-reader’ – either professional or amateur. More recently, however, computers have been used more often to give readings online or on CD Roms etc.

HISTORY -
There is much mystery surrounding the history of the tarot and myths about its origins abound. Some cynics say that this mystery has been perpetuated as a marketing tool for tarot card salesmen! However, by just looking at the evidence available we can estimate that the earliest surviving full deck was painted in 1422 by Italian artist Bonifacio Bembo. This is known as the Visconti deck, named after the Duke of Milan, who commissioned them. Although accounts of Ancient Egyptian, Celtic, Indian and earlier Italian links have been suggested, there is no evidence to support claims of earlier decks than the Visconti. It is possible that these more exotic links were drawn as a result of the Moorish and other cultural influences on Italian society at the time.

The cards were originally used for a game called Tarocchi or ‘Game of Triumphs’ which was similar to Bridge. The game was played mainly by the Upper Classes and has continued in some circles (mainly in Italy and France) to be played to this day.

The tarot’s use by the Upper Classes probably saved the game from being banned by the Church (though some accounts state that tarot was considered heretical and outlawed by the Church). Indeed in the latter half of the fifteenth century some church sermons labelled tarot as the work of the Devil. But in fact the Church concerned itself more with the use of ordinary playing cards, which were considered gambling. Some cards from the tarot deck – such as the Devil, the Tower and the Death card – were on occasions omitted from the pack, as they were feared by many people, but little harm was actually done to the use of the cards until centuries later.

EVOLUTION -
The tarot has undergone many permutations in its use, design and interpretation over the centuries. There is early evidence, for instance, to suggest that one of the first permutations was in using the cards as inspiration for poetry – possibly the first use in describing aspects of the human psyche and personality traits. The cards have since evolved according to the prevailing culture of the times and attitudes within them.

The first evidence of tarot being used as a divinatory tool came in the early eighteenth century in Bologna. In 1781 a clergyman, Antoine Court de Gebelin, revitalised and raised awareness of the tarot in his book, which drew links between the imagery in the Major Arcana and the mysteries of Ancient Egypt. This was later picked up by occult practitioners (occult means “hidden”) such as Alistair Crowley and Waite of the Rider-Waite deck. The imagery on this deck is the one with which we are most familiar today as this was the deck introduced into America in the twentieth century and the only one readily available to generations of Americans. We therefore tend to associate the tarot with more esoteric connections, rather than the lighter use which defined its origins in fifteenth century Italy, over 500 years before.

THE TAROT CARDS -
There are 78 cards in a tarot deck. These cards are made up of a Major Arcana (Trumps) and Minor Arcana. Arcana means mystery, which reflects the secret wisdom contained in each card.

The Major Arcana
Major Arcana or ‘Great Mysteries’ consists of 22 cards and represents our journey through life.

The Minor Arcana (Lesser Mysteries)
consists of 56 cards and represents day-to-day living.
The Minor Arcana can be divided into four suits. These are Wands, Cups, Swords and Coins.

The Suits
The Wands represent doing
Key words: Action, change, beginning, resolution, fire element.

The Cups represent being
Key words: Feeling, emotions, spiritual, love, water element.

The Swords represent thinking
Key words: Ideas, understanding, reason, conflict, air element.

The Coins represent having
Key words: Money, property, abundance, earth element.

Each suit consists of numbered cards from Ace to Ten
plus four Court Cards – the Page, Knight, Queen and King.

Court cards
The Court Cards traditionally represent a person in your life or an aspect of yourself. For instance, turning up the Knight of Wands suggests you or someone in your life may be acting irresponsibly and therefore behaving like this Knight. This site has been written so that all the interpretations can be found in the text. You do not need to do any extra work in adding the Court Card interpretations into your readings.

Card numbering
These definitions are not intended to give comprehensive definitions (nor do they fit each card precisely). Rather, they provide general patterns and a rough path through the suits:

Ace: Represents the essence of its suit
Two: First steps into the area of the suit
Three: Further steps
Four: Inner blocks to be overcome along the way
Five: Hardship, strife, struggle, conflict
Six: Journeys and learning new lessons
Seven: Learning further, more challenging lessons in order to break into the new
Eight: Having to persist through difficulties
Nine: Final lessons
Ten: The end result of learning all the lessons of the suit
Page: The apprentice who learns and plays with the essence of the suit
Knight: The rebellious or ‘darker’ side to the suit
Queen: The feminine manifestation of the suit – its ‘inner aspect’
King: The masculine manifestation of the suit – its ‘outer,’ worldly aspect.

To learn more about Tarot and get a free reading visit http://www.tarot-cards-reading.com

Fred Street
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-tarot-card-readings-63725.html

Most of what I’m going to lecture from come from Cynthia Giles’ book: The Tarot, History, Mystery and Lore and some other resources.

The origins of the Tarot have been attributed a wide range of wacky sources paleolithic cave paintings, gypsy folk lore, Moroccan mystics and even gifts from space aliens to Egyptian priests!. Most of these stories are, of course, speculation of the wildest, most ridiculous kind, and only serve to muddy the waters when it comes to understanding the Tarot. If you’re going to use the cards, it’s important to understand where they come from so that you know their rich history, their potential and their value and not put faith in silly urban legends.

Tarot on parade

The first mention of the cards was in Italy in the 14th century, called “Tarocco” and used for games and already, authorities were lecturing against its use. The first known deck was made for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan, designed by the artist Bembo. According to Tarot expert Gertrude Moakley, the various characters illustrated in the major arcana represented the triomfi, or parade, that accompanied Italian celebrations.

Historians believe that there may have been other cards that existed to represent other characters but have disappeared over time. Few decks of Tarot cards exist for those early days, but there’s enough similarity in artwork to make it clear that the deck was in common use in that time. Some historians believe that the Tarot was originally only used as a gaming deck to play a game called tarocchi until occultists began using them for divination.

Taking Europe by storm

The next big milestone in Tarot’s history came in the late 1700′s when Court de Gebelen, a member of a secret society of occultists, came across the a game of tarocchi and became obsessed with the cards. He believed them to be imbued with important symbolism which he attributed to ancient Egyptian lore. De Geblen wrote a nine-volume treatise titled “Le Monde Primitif” in which he discussed the meanings of the Tarot. That he attributed the Tarot’s symbolism to the Egyptian’s was based less on any real fact than on the fascination that Europeans had with Egypt at that time, believing it to be the center of all of man’s early wisdom. Use of the cards for divination spread during that time, with a book by a man named Etteilla in 1783, in which he offered his interpretations of the cards. In fact, professional mystics began using the Tarot throughout Europe, although there was no consensus of what the cards actually meant.

The mystical background of the Tarot

Card readings have long been associated with Gypsies, although they certainly weren’t responsible for their creation. For hundreds of years, Gypsies made their way across the world, living by their wits and earning a living by any skills that they could market. Gypsies were exotic, feared and looked down on, but there was an aura of romance about them that caught the imagination of Europeans in the 1800′s. A book was published towards the end of the century called “The Tarot of the Bohemians,” attributing the Tarot to the Gypsies (who Europeans commonly believed came from Egypt). Interestingly, Gypsies used regular playing cards for divination not the Tarot.

In the 19th century, the famed mystic Eliphas Levi Zahed (whose real name was Alphonse Louis Constant) connected the Taror with Hebrew mysticism the Kabbalah. He saw the Tarot as a key to life, a tool that man can use to develop himself as a human being, as a way to grow so that he might find heaven. His work outlined 22 connections to the tarot major arcana, making it a tool to be used on the path to enlightenment.

The modern Tarot deck was most influenced by the cards used in the late 1800′s by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The order was founded in England by three men who, according to lore, found an old secret manuscript written in code, deciphered it as the by-laws of a secret German society, and received permission to start their own group in England. Years later, the woman who gave them permission died, and the German members disavowed the British branch, saying they never got permission after all.

The modern Tarot is born

Despite its contentious beginnings, the Golden Dawn became a very influential group, with two members in particular doing a great deal to spread the popularity of occultism Aleister Crowley and Arthur Edward Waite. Crowley, a protégé of the Golden Dawn founders in England, created a Tarot called the Book of Thoth. Waite created the Tarot deck that’s most familiar to modern users. Working with an American artist named Pamela Coleman Smith, Waite used a storytelling theme, utilizing characters from myth, legend and religion, allocating a group of symbols to each card that gives them unique meaning. His Tarot formed the foundation on which most decks that followed were based.

The next milestone in the Tarot’s history came in the 1920′s, when a Golden Dawn member named Paul Foster Case started a group in Los Angeles called Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). The BOTA deck is in black and white, created so that the owner could color the drawings themselves (it was a tradition in the Golden Dawn that each member had to make their own deck as part of their training). The group offers Tarot training to this day, although their interpretations of the cards are disputed by many divination experts.

Today, there are countless versions of the Crowley/Waite Tarot available, some with magnificent artwork, others less impressive. Whatever your choice of deck, using the Tarot as a divination tool is a personal experience, one that’s origins reach far back in history. Hopefully, knowing the background of this ancient art will enhance your connection to the cards, and to your own readings.

Mailcucan
http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/a-fascinating-history-of-tarot-and-what-you-should-know-about-tarot-reading-69803.html

The world of Tarot is a wondrous and fascinating place filled with mystical power and interesting legend. How the various tarot decks evolved from their original form to that of the common deck of playing cards is one of history’s best stories, but let’s take a look at some of the most well known cards that make up the old-fashioned tarot deck.

Remember, however, that many different tarot decks contain different cards from one another. Especially in the case of the minor arcana, the “suits” can change from deck to deck. There isn’t any consensus “right” deck, they all have their own powers to help a trained reader divine the future.

· The Fool – One of the best known cards in the tarot deck, the fool can symbolize many different things based on the question asked before the reading. In most cases, the fool brings about such descriptions as “immaturity, adventure, boldness, freedom” and “inexperience.” In history, the Fool has the special distinction of usually having the number zero. While that designation isn’t a uniform assignment across all decks, the Fool is usually seen as either the final trump card, the first trump card or even a completely separate card apart from the other trumps. Modern interpretations of the fool vary from the context in which the card fits into the question asked and the reader, but in most cases, the fool is interpreted as standing for folly and inexperience. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a negative connotation, but it is interpreted that way in most cases.

· Death – One of the most dreaded cards in the tarot deck, but also one of the most misunderstood. The card is only interpreted by the most literal readers as meaning physical death. In almost all cases, the card stands for a change; usually a deep and through change in one’s life. For some, the death card can be a positive if the change interpreted is the death of something negative. The number assigned to the card is 13, of course, an unlucky number in most Western cultures. In modern decks of playing cards, the ace of spades is considered to be the descendant of the death card, and is still referred to as such by many card players.

· The Devil – Card fifteen is also one of the most well known tarot cards. The devil, in most cases, stands for animal lust and vice. It can also be interpreted as a lack of morality and hedonism over other more moderate choices in life. Most readers believe that the Devil card represents a lack of growth or the inability to stop behavior that harms oneself. The card, in most cases, is considered negative, but there is also a large amount of flexibility in the Devil card. The subject receiving the reading may be caught in a particular behavior, but that behavior can change and the impact of the devil can be removed.

· The Moon – Card eighteen of the tarot deck is the Moon. The card is usually associated with the ideas of tension, deception, confusion and anxiety. The Moon is also thought to be associated with doubt, worry, unrealistic ideas and illusion. Most readers interpret the Moon as a lack of vision or purpose in a person’s life. A need to find the right path back to goals and meaning is needed before all is lost. It can also mean that an adventure awaits and to be brave when facing unknown circumstances. In most cases, the Moon has a negative connotation, but not in all.

· The Lovers – Card six in the tarot deck is The Lovers. The card is usually interpreted to mean union, passion and sexuality, as well as bonding, romance and heart. The card is seen almost universally as a positive, a sign that the subject has a positive, warm and healthy relationship in their life. There is a modicum of sacrifice with the Lovers card, the idea that the bachelor life will need to be jettisoned in favor of a caring and fulfilling relationship. The card is considered a positive building block when it comes up during a reading, a sign of good things to come.

· Wheel of Fortune – Card ten is the Wheel of Fortune. It is thought to stand for opportunities, possibilities and destiny, as well as fate, activity and life cycles. There is a strong karmic connection with the Wheel of Fortune card. The idea of “what comes around, goes around” is widely believed to exist within the Wheel of Fortune. The card also represents random chance, with the Wheel most likely standing for all the choices one makes and their positive and negative outcomes.

· Judgment – Card twenty in the tarot deck is Judgment. This is an almost universally positive card that most readers interpret to stand for hope, renewal, redemption and absolution. Even though with Judgment, there is a positive and negative side, this card is almost always thought to be a positive.

The tarot deck is filled with dozens of interesting stories and interpretations. The cards listed here can mean many different things based on the question asked, the interpretation and if the card is reversed or not. The energy and magic of tarot is eternal and it awaits your questions today.

Mailcucan
http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/7-important-tarot-cards-in-the-major-arcana-82383.html

One of the more common means of informing fortunes and offering insights into the yesteryear and future is the tarot. Tarot cards antecedent originated in Italy in the elementary half of the fifteenth century as a card game, used purely for recreation. This early game was something like the modern game of Bridge. The use of tarot cards for divination is premier recorded in the early 1700s and by the end of the 18th century; changes were made to tarot cards to make them more convenient for divination and esoteric meanings. Originally, tarot cards had no connection to the occult, and this link is a more modernistic one than the cards themselves. The specifics of the novel cards, cooked up for esoteric purposes, display their basis in the 19th century.

The concurrent tarot deck is separated into what is commonly called the major arcana or trump cards and minor arcane or suits of cards. The trump cards or major arcana consist of twenty two cards, every one of without suits. These include the fool, the Magician, the Empress, Justice, the Wheel of Fortune and others. The minor arcana consists of four suits of cards; swords, staves, cups and coins. Today, staves are often termed wands, but rods or batons are seen as well. Coins may be called disks or pentacles in some tarot decks.

Tarot card meanings are generally changing – and they display also changed drastically through time. In the neoteric era, be that as it may, there are common interpretations for cards. Minor arcana cards, for example, carry with them a widely astrological meaning that varies depending on the time of year. The court cards, on the additional hand, talk of diverse people. Their nature generally talks about the brute and emotional characters of these members of public.

To go into specific cards, their meanings are determined by the following things: Card Number, pivotal Number, Rulership (Astrology), Hebrew Letter, Translation, and Numerical Value. The meaning is also determined by the position of the card, whether it is upright or Ill-dignified/Reversed. Death (Arcana), for example, means change. Anyhow, an upright Death means change that brings about ‘new life,’ whilst a reversed Death means ‘distressing and abrupt change.’

Along with the enlarge interpretations to the meaning of tarot cards come new methods for card readers to express the message to the average Joe. Now, face-to-face card readings are being redeemed by phone and online readings. All the same, for gorged impact and experience, face-to-face card readings still trump more methods. Face-to-face tarot readings allow the human being to select his face-down card, giving him a semblance of control to his fortunes. Face-to-face readings are common in community fairs, parties, and in the roads. The price of a tarot card translating varies depending on the popularity of the reader and how much detail the character wants to know about his destination.

Telephone readings are generally more available than the street readings. A simple Google search will provide one with more options than one may normally spot in the local allies. These readings are available for more or less £5.00 per studying.

Phone readings are generally cheaper because being online the tarot card readers can appeal to a larger audience, and through which they do not show to over charge, as there is no lack of customers.

There is, without regard to, a drawback to phone readings: a lack of mystique. According to tarot card purists, again, phone readings are less effective than the typical face-to-face translating. Unfounded as this argument may be, it is enough to sway translating prices lower, and for those who believe in astrology, this might allude a whole lot.

This industry is largely helped by the enlargement of online communication. While old lang syne services present only been for local phone lines or party lines, the Internet has encouraged a big market rise in tarot card readings over the phone.

Tarot card translating is seen as a trivial activity now, but numerous still hold extreme opinions about these cards. Either these cards come from the devil or are legit guide to your fortunes. Whatever value we afford to these cards, there is no question that they reflect a curious angle to our history and civilisation.

Angelys Groshong
http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/a-preamble-to-playing-with-tarot-cards-737913.html

Tarot cards date back to 1390 in France and a tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 cards in the major arcana and 56 cards in the minor arcana. The minor arcana consists of four suits which are the pentacles, wands, cups and swords. There are various spreads and many ways of reading the cards. Each tarot reader is slightly different. Some use their psychic abilities when doing a reading and others merely look at the cards and let the thoughts and imagery flow. The cards can usually convey their messages well.

Many readers do not use a signifier but others prefer to. It is a matter of personal choice and you might prefer to try reading both with and without, to see which method suits you the best.

A tarot Card signifier, also known as a significator, is one card chosen from the pack to represent the querent (person you are reading for). A signifier is almost always a court card (king, queen, knight or page) and represents the temperament, age and coloring of the person the reading is for.

Kings and queens are usually people over 36 who are, or have been, married. Knights are younger and Pages can represent children of either gender.

Another way of choosing a signifier is to match only the physical characteristics of the querent so, for example, the King of Pentacles could represent an older, dark-haired male. You could match the personality too. The Queen of Swords perhaps could represent an older female who is stubborn and has strong beliefs. Different readers use differing systems. Some use only physical characteristics, some only age and hair color and some have their own systems altogether. The tarot is a very personal thing so whatever card a tarot reader chooses to be your signifier, that is their choice and will produce the best reading from them. There is a lot of intuition involved in selecting signifiers. Sometimes one just feels right even if it has the wrong color of hair or is in the wrong age bracket. You should always go with hunches when it comes to reading the cards.

The good thing about using a signifier is that it guarantees the reading will be only about the person asking for it, as you focus on the signifier whilst performing the tarot reading. However, it does take one card from the tarot pack, which might otherwise have been in a key position with a message. For example, if in a reading you get the Page of Wands in a spread, that card can mean that there is a creative restlessness within the querent and it is time to begin a project. If you are using the Page of Wands as a signifier, that card will not be able to appear in the spread. Other cards can convey similar messages but that is one thing to bear in mind (unless you use a second tarot deck for the signifier cards).

There are reasons for and against the use of a signifier and it does very much depend on the reader and what he or she is comfortable with. Being comfortable and happy with the manner of the reading usually ensures the best results.

James Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/what-is-a-tarot-cards-signifier-134718.html

Tarot cards consist of twenty-one cards for every suit. A lot of parts of Europe use the deck to play games, but this is less leading in English speaking countries where the deck is commonly used for divination.

Tarot cards find their history back in the 14th century. Speculation denotes that they were founded in Islamic countries, but the leading actual news of them is when they were banned in the dominantly Christian area of Bern, Switzerland. Early tarot decks, be that as it may, displayed only sixteen trump cards, as compared to the 21 that are recommended in up-to-date decks.

Tarot cards are separated into five divisions: The Major Arcana, The Suit of Wands, The Suit of Coins, The Suit of Cups, and the Suit of Swords. Each card in The Major Arcana has an equivalent face card for every following suit.

The suits themselves present divisions as well. Their interpretations and worth are determined by their statuses as Oudlers/Trulls, Kings, Queens, Cavaliers, Jacks, and Others. Oudlers generally display the same point and value as Kings, while the rest from Queens to Jacks are worth one point less than their predecessors.

More than the value of cards, the English-speaking world gives significantly more value to the interpretations of the cards.

Deciphering a tarot card is easy, as each trump card has a distinct meaning. Nonetheless, careful interpretation is needed if one wants to read the meaning from the mass of cards. These cards demonstrate astrological connections with readings placed under the context of the Octavian Calendar. Tarot cards are accredited to readily describe the physical and emotional properties of the subject.

The rich and age-bygone tradition of tarot deciphering is constantly growing through time. The methods of interpreting tarot cards continue to change to catch up with the grounding it is living in. The change in meaning can also contribute to the evolution of the card itself. The fundamentals of a tarot card present are far variant from what it was up to now.

When card readings are conducted face-to-face, the card reader will sometimes ask the querent to shuffle the cards as they concentrate on the question. The querent will on occasion be asked to split the deck into three piles, and then to put the deck back together again. The card reader then lays out the cards in a specific pattern, and each card has a various meaning, depending upon the layout used. For example, the card reader may layout three cards, one to signify the old lang syne, one for the present and one for the destination: every one of three cards together give a adequate interpretation of a given situation.

Phone readings are available on the Internet for approximately £5.00 per reading. Perhaps it is significantly cheaper than face to face readings due to the lack of mystique and personal/visual connection with the reader himself. While the old lang syne presented interested parties with the option of calling a phone line, the Internet now promotes international calls for the same price, and if one is interested, one may acquire a reading through credit card of PayPal.

The popular repute of phone readings is that the impersonal nature of the transaction weakens the link, although this can also be attributed to the absence of mystique from the service.

Tarot cards display been around for decades and demonstrate been used in legions cultures for the purposes of divination. There are a cross section of card layouts, and there are several variant card reading methods that card readers use. The interpretation of Tarot Cards is based on the card position and the various symbols in each card.

Salome Keomuangtani
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