The tarot has its origins in a variety of philosophical and spiritual backgrounds. It began at a time imbued with symbolic imagery which was influenced by several languages, cultures and historical references. The tarot’s symbolism is based on archetypal components and metaphors, giving its vision a universal appeal. Regardless of a person’s cultural, spiritual or educational history, the Tarot encounter is collective. Their interpretations are recognizable by everyone.
The Suit Cards
In tarot, the cups match represents the fantasy world, the unconscious, feelings and relationships. The wands suit represents fertility, creativity and one’s sense of purpose or livelihood endeavours. The sword lawsuit represents reason, life challenges, the brain and precision. And last, the pentacles suit reflects the material, financial and ethical facets of an individual’s life.
There is a queen, king, knight, and webpage in each suit also. They are called the court cards and every one excluding the webpage cards has an astrological sign associated to it. This adds yet another degree for interpretation in Tarot Reading. To be useful, here are the astrological associations. Often encourage people to identify their signal and the tarot card meaning. This can provide tremendous insights into ones strengths and vulnerabilities.
- Aries: King of Wands
- Taurus: Queen of Pentacles
- Gemini: Knight of Swords
- Cancer: King of Cups
- Leo: Queen of Wands
- Virgo: Knight of Pentacles
- Libra: King of Swords
- Scorpio: Queen of Cups
- Sagittarius: Knight of Wands
- Capricorn: King of Pentacles
- Aquarius: Queen of Swords
- Pisces: Knight of Cups
The Major Arcane Cards
The Major Arcane cards signify where one is in their life’s journey. There are 22 tarot cards in the Major Arcane. The first half of the Major Arcane the Fool throughout the Hermit identifies the transition from child to adult and all the challenges we have to confront as we advance into a deeper level of spirituality and maturity.
The Minor Arcane Cards
The Minor Arcane, or Pip cards, the numbered cards 1-10 which comprise each suit. The Minor Arcane reflects day to day difficulties. They can represent the way you interact with people, your job, your emotions, your finances, and your personal relationships. There’s absolutely no sense of permanence. If there are lots of minor arcane suit cards in your spread, know you could make adjustments, work through blocks, and knows where you are emotionally.
The Fundamentals of Tarot Reading
Now you know a little about the basics of the tarot cards, we can now consider what you can expect from the initial tarot card reading. Most readings typically consist of shuffling the deck, drawing on a fixed number of cards, and putting them at a particular configuration called tarot spread.