Handling the Cards
Tags: basic concepts, techniques, shuffling, layouts
This article describes how to shuffle and lay out the cards.
Tarot Articles
Framing the Question
Tags: questions, techniques, basic concepts
I remember teachers in school insisting that there was no such thing as a bad question. I disagree wholeheartedly with that idea. I can think of many examples of bad questions, starting with those that trap the listener: "When did you stop beating your wife?" When it comes to reading tarot cards, asking the right question is crucial. Let's start with bad examples, and move up to good examples.
Centering
Tags: basic concepts, techniques, prayer, meditation, focus, centering
There are several different methods of centering oneself before performing a tarot card reading, each of them valid: meditation, a moment of silence, prayer, or even taking a moment to focus on the breath can help to provide the ambience you want when delving into the secrets of the cards.
The function of this behavior differs greatly depending on what you believe. For materialists, it can help to achieve a state of heightened awareness, remove the influence of negative thoughts, connect with the collective consciousness, and allow the mind to focus on what is directly in front of it; the reading.
...How to make your own tarot deck
Tags: card production techniques
I've been thinking about how to make my own tarot deck, and I figure it can't be too terribly hard to do via collage, although it would be incredibly time consuming. That doesn't scare me off because most of the crafts that I do are designed to be time consuming, and this activity seems like it would be deeply cathartic on a spiritual and creative level.
A gorgeous deck of this type was produced by LittleDeadGirl and released free to the public: Cool Tarot by LittleDeadGirl. It can be printed from her website but is also included here for...
Pamela Colman Smith
Tags: england, occultists, rider waite smith tarot deck
Pamela Colman Smith was the skilled artist and seer who was commissioned by fellow member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, Arthur Edward Waite, to illustrate the entire 78 card Tarot deck to his exact specifications, so that any variation introduced would not be her fault.
Arthur Edward Waite
Tags: england, occultists, rider waite tarot deck
Before the Rider-Waite deck was published in 1911, there was no modern deck that featured pictures for each of the 78 cards in the deck. Most decks had illustrations only for the Major Arcana, while the rest of the cards featured simply a pattern of easily recognizable pips. Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) wanted to publish a complete, modern version of the tarot that featured pictures for each card in the deck, including the minor arcana.
Cards that Point
Tags: cups-10, coins-11, trumps-3, trumps-9, tarot analysis, pointing
In most Tarot decks, there are certain cards that appear to be pointing in one or both directions. Try to look for this trait as you are reading, as it may help to give you some context for the other cards.
Taking Tricks, Making Books
Tags: techniques, tarot analysis
In the original games played with a tarot deck, taking tricks of cards was often the entire point of the game. It is appropriate, then, that we should look for the same tendency to form sets that the cards possess through their nature. In some readings, you may find that you received a large number of one suit, or a large number of one designation. There are varying viewpoints on what this might mean.
Printing on Paper
Tags: paper, history, printing
660-670, China: First example of printing on paper. Early xylography was accomplished with hemp paper and woodblocks.
First Use of the Codex
100s CE, Rome: The codex format is used for the first time. A codex is the very earliest form of book that we had that looks like a book. Before the invention of the codex, all knowledge was written in scrolls or on tablets, or the walls of monuments. This was the first time we could leaf through information in such a convenient manner.
