Tarot 101

Tarot 101

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A Brief History of Tarot

Tarot cards were created in the 15th century, and they were originally used as playing cards similar to those we use today. These cards were most popular in Europe, specifically in Italy, and a few of the games played with these original tarot decks are still popular today. It wasn't until the mid 18th century that tarot cards began being used for as a tool for divination and occult purposes.

Fortune Telling with Tarot

Reading tarot cards is all about accessing your own intuition. There are many different ways that tarot cards can be interpreted and interact with one another, and their main purpose is to serve as a guide as opposed to spelling out the answers.

There are multiple ways to read tarot cards depending on what insights you're looking for. In these different readings, cards are laid out in varying numbers and patterns referred to as spreads, with each card representing a different aspect of life. One of the most popular is a three card spread in which the three cards are laid out in a row representing the past, the present, and the future.

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Tarot Card Meanings

Each tarot card has a generally agreed upon meaning, but these meanings can be interpreted in different ways depending on when, where, and with what other cards they appear in a reading. To understand tarot meanings, you need to understand the deck. 

The tarot desk is divided into two types of cards: the major arcana and the minor arcana. The major arcana, also called trumps, are the 22 cards in the tarot deck that are the most well known. Examples include the sun, the moon, the fool, and the lovers. The minor arcana are the other 56 cards in the deck which are divided into suits, just like a modern playing card deck.

Major Arcana

The major arcana represent the bigger picture, and when they pop up in a tarot reading, they signal overarching themes and life lessons. These are the most popular tarot cards, and their meanings tend to be deeper than the minor arcana. For example, the moon card represents your fears and anxieties that are caused by past experiences. When this card pops up in a reading, it may suggest that you're projecting those fears onto the current situation. The moon also represents illusions and is a sign to trust your intuition above all else because things aren't always as they appear.

Minor Arcana

The minor arcana represent the more mundane events of everyday life. They're divided into four suits, and each suit has 14 cards associated with it, including number cards ace-10 and four face cards: the page, the knight, the queen, and the king. Each suit has its own general meaning, with each card in every suit representing a more detailed version of that theme. 

The Four Suits

Cups: The cups suit represents emotions and intuition. These cards offer guidance on relationships and love.

Pentacles: The pentacles suit represents money and goals. These cards offer guidance on work and finances.

Swords: The swords suit represents ideas, words, and actions. These cards offer guidance on communication and decision making.

Wands: The wands suit represents motivation and purpose. These cards offer guidance on your life's path and when to take action.

Now that you've got the basics of tarot down, take charge of your own destiny with a card to wear every day.

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