Tarot is one of the most popular forms of divination. It is a form of cartomancy used to gain insight on the past/present/future, your life and spiritual journey. There are 78 cards in each deck, each filled with symbolic imagery. Each card can be read intuitively based on the images. There are 22 Major Arcana Cards representing spiritual & life lessons, archetypes and the collective, and 56 Minor Arcana Cards representing daily experiences, behavior and how to integrate these lessons into your life.
A Brief History of Tarot
Tarot dates back to 14th century Europe although its history is mysterious. We know artists in Europe were creating playing cards used for entertainment with four suits. These suits are similar to the tarot suits used today: wands, cups, pentacles/coins and swords. In time, the cards were expanded to include triumph or trump cards which we know of today as the Major Arcana. It wasn’t until the early 17th century, people began using these cards for divination.
In 1781, French freemason, Antoine Court de Gébelin, published Le Monde primitif, analysé et comparé avec le monde moderne ("The Primeval World, Analyzed and Compared to the Modern World”). This work includes his analysis of tarot and connects its roots to Ancient Egypt. His work became the basis for the most popular tarot deck of all time, Rider-Waite, created by A.E. Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith; published in December 1909. It’s estimated that over 100 million copies are in circulation today. The first tarot deck released specifically for divination was in 1791 by French occultist Jean-Baptiste Alliette. Although today there are countless tarot decks to choose from, many decide to start their journey with tarot with the original Rider Waite deck as it’s the guide and inspiration for modern decks.
The Major Arcana
The cards in the Major Arcana hold universal lessons to guide us. These cards are highly detailed with lots of symbolism. The Major Arcana cards are numbered 0-21, beginning with the Fool and end with the World. This journey through the cards is often referred to as “the Fool’s Journey” as we follow the Fool through the wild journey of life.
The Minor Arcana
The Minor Arcana, also known as the pip cards, contains 56 cards, in four suits: pentacles/coins, swords, cups and wands.
Cups represent the element of water, feelings, emotion, love, intuition, spirituality, loss, and all matters of the heart.
Pentacles represent the element of earth, our physical world, home, resources, structure and foundations.
Swords represent the the element of air, intellect, thoughts, imagination, justice, and principles.
Wands represent the element of fire, consciousness, desires, the ego, beliefs, inspiration, and motivation.
Getting Started
You will want to select a deck you feel drawn to whether it’s the artwork, style or author. Many still choose to begin their journey with the Rider Waite deck due to to its highly symbolic artwork that can be interpreted without using a guidebook; the choice is completely yours! There are so many beautiful decks out there, each with a unique interpretation of the original deck.
Once you have selected a deck, you will want to cleanse your deck! I prefer to use smoke to cleanse my decks but you can also use Selenite or other cleansing crystals, sunlight or moonlight. Read more about cleansing here.
You will want to store your deck in a safe place to protect it from absorbing outside energy. They can be stored in their original box or you can get creative a store in a beautiful velvet pouch or wood box. Many choose to store the deck on an altar or somewhere safe in your sacred space. Storing crystals on or by your deck will also safeguard its energy.
Before you begin to work with your deck, I recommend spending some time with the deck so it can acclimate with your energy. You can place it in your lap or beside you during your meditations or by your bed. Allow your intuition to guide you on when to begin working with your deck. I am ready to begin working with a new deck after a few days of allowing it to acclimate with my energy.
How to Conduct a Reading
You will want to find a comfortable, quiet and relaxing space for readings. If you have a sacred space, I would do your readings here unless you are not at home. Cleansing the space with smoke or sound are my go-to methods for preparing for a reading. Select crystals to enhance your intuition and keep you grounded like Black Tourmaline, Scolecite, Amethyst, or Iolite. Determine what kind of card spread you are using. You can keep it as simple as a one card draw to answer a question or as elaborate as you want to make it. One of the most popular and my favorite methods is a three card pull, with past/present/future. I recommend starting simple before progressing to readings with more than just a few cards. Now, you are ready to shuffle your deck and pull cards. I prefer to shuffle between each card, allowing my intuition to guide me on when to pull and the specific card. Your strongest intuitive gifts will guide you on the card to pull or the card could even present itself by flying out while you are shuffling. The correct card will always present itself.
How to Interpret Your Cards
As you are beginning your journey with tarot, use the cards imagery as a guide and reflect on what the card is saying to you about your solution. Reflect on the image for a few minutes, then read the guidebook’s meaning for the card. A reading holding predominately one suit has special significance, like predominately cups would indicate a guidance or solution regarding love or emotions. Look for patterns like repeating numbers, numerology or even a specific story being told across your cards.
Remember to be patient with yourself on your spiritual journey! Using divination tools like tarot with crystals will enhance your natural intuitive abilities and help you connect with your Higher Self, spirit guides, guardian angels or Divine Source.
We are beginning a Crystals, Herbs and Tarot series every Tuesday on Instagram where I will be sharing the meaning for one card and its crystal + herb correspondences. A deeper look at each card and its correspondences will also be shared here on the blog. I’m looking forward to guiding you on this enlightening journey of the world of tarot!
All my love and blessings,
Jamie
Jamie Inglett is an intuitive healer, teacher, author, founder and CEO of Enchanting Earth; a gemstone jewelry and crystal shop. She is a crystal healing expert who has studied crystals and healing since her spiritual awakening in 2012 at a Quartz mine in Arkansas. Jamie has a master’s degree in business administration. She retired from her successful banking career to pursue her mission of spreading empowerment, love, and healing through crystals. Jamie loves to teach crystal healing live on her social media channels. Further your crystal knowledge and join the enchanting community on Instagram @enchantingearthco
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