Today let’s talk about the structure of a tarot deck. It is truly a beautiful thing, being quite flexible and encouraging instead of rigid and confining.

One way to study the cards is to go in order. There are different ways to go “in order,” though. There are two that I find useful and interesting, no matter what deck I use.

Focusing on the Minor Arcana, I like to look at the cards by suit. I separate the cards into wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. Then I put them in numerical order. I find that there is a flow or story that unfolds in a linear fashion. To add more interest, lay out the Ace through 10 of any one suit and then lay the corresponding Major card (Magician through Wheel) above those cards. What parallels and insights can you draw by comparing the two stories?

Next, I like to look at the Aces together, the twos together, etc. It is fascinating to study the similarities as well as the differences in the cards. And, as usual, brining in the Majors only adds to the mix, considering the Magician with Aces, the High Priestess with the twos, etc.

Try this with your favorite deck or with a new deck and let me know if you discover anything interesting, curious, or just fun.

One of the trouble is, I think, that we forget how to tell stories based on pictures. As children, this is no problem! But when I lay three cards in front of an adult and say, “just tell me what you see…what is the story?” the person freezes and seem to be afraid they’ll “get it wrong.”

So, my first tip is of course that one: lay out three cards. The first card is the beginning of the story. The second is the middle. The third is the ending.

As you get more comfortable, you can add more cards or select cards for other parts of the story. For example pull a court card for the main character. Pull a Major for the theme.

Another way is one that I learned back in the early 1990s from tarot author Sasha Fenton. In her book Super Tarot (Thorsons, 1991) she explains a technique that I think is very helpful. She says:

“The theory of Super Tarot is to work in a completely back-to-front manner by choosing the cards which will illustrate a particular story…. The point of this approach is to encourage you to think about the cards in logical groups which will describe the story which you want told. ”

Sasha suggests that you look at a situation and pick the cards which describe it.

The next time you want to work with your cards, think of what happened to you yesterday and pull the cards that illustrate your day, or a movie you just saw, or a book you read.

When I know people are working on learning tarot, one thing I do is this: when they post a status update on Facebook, I respond in the comments: what card is that? It is a simple, easy, quick way to practice Sasha’s technique.

Another way I use this concept is to do a reverse tarot reading. Think about your situation and lay out the cards that represent what you would like to have happen. Turn those cards into either affirmations or an action plan. Or both!

We have, in a sense, already met the four Aces in the Magician card. They are the tools that he uses to manifest his will in the world.

Aces really are amazing. They are like seeds, and like all seeds they are more than just potential. They actually hold within them all that is possible from that particular seed. In the Ace of Wands is all will and passion and inspiration that can exist. In the Ace of Cups, all emotions and all manner of relationships. In the Ace of Swords, all thoughts, all ways of thinking, all systems, all truths. In the Ace of Pentacles, all abundance and prosperity of the physical world.

Aces are often illustrated with a disembodied hand holding the symbol of the suit. This is because we see the Aces as gifts from the Universe. When we are given the gift of an Ace, it is an opportunity. We are handed all possibilities. How we use it, what sort of Magician we are, determines what will ultimately become of this gift.

All images are from Ciro Marchetti’s Legacy of the Divine Tarot.

At this time of year, I am always attracted to Star cards. They almost always seem to hold so much hope and promise. They fill my heart with wishes for peace on Earth and goodwill towards all.

And I have less altruistic impulses as well. I wish for mundane things…I love getting and giving presents.

So, as we celebrate our various holidays and give thanks for the return of the Light, what do hope for? What do you wish for?

One thing I’ve wished for is the arrival of a special deck I’ve helped create. It’s called the Pagan Cats Tarot and will be available in January. Here is the Star card from that deck.

Bright Blessings!

• the cards reveal wisdom and truth
• you can revolve (or reverse) the cards and still read an image

That is, the cards are designed to be read both upright and reversed. By that, I don’t mean the book includes reversed meanings. It’s more wonderful than that! It means the artist, Zach, created the images so that they make sense both upright and reversed.

Here are three examples. Enjoy!

There are lots of ways to read a tarot card. The other day, I was rereading What’s in the Cards for You? by one of my favorite people on the planet, Mark McElroy. The book provides exercises (each one is about 15 minutes) that you do each day. One exercise, 15 minutes a day, 30 days. At the end, you assess your experience and find out what your best aptitude and inclinations are for using the tarot: educational, magickal, psychological, creative, predictive, or planning. It’s a clever book. I think a group that meets once a month could have fun with this, with each member doing the exercises and then coming together to do the assessment.

But I thought one of the exercises would be useful in another way. I like this method for working with a new deck, especially one that is not a RWS clone. It helps me get intimate with cards very quickly and also helps me leave my RWS lens at the door, so I can see the new deck on its own terms.

1. What elements do you notice in the card illustration?
2. Which element stands out to you the most?
3. What numbers are associated with the card?
4. What text, titles, or keywords appear on your card?
5. What emotions do postures or expressions suggest?
6. What meanings have others assigned to this card?
7. What are the characters on this card doing? What were they doing just before this? What will happen next?
8. If the characters on this card could talk, what advice would they offer you?
9. If this illustration appeared on the outside of a greeting card, what would the message on the inside be?
10. Based on what you discovered above, what are the best possible, worst possible, and a middle-of-the-road meanings for this card?

Catherine says

I’ve heard some pretty crazy methods and ways to shuffle and cut, but like most things in Tarot, I don’t believe there’s a right or a wrong way – just a lot of talking points! Perhaps one of the only things I really agree with is allowing the client to shuffle the cards as I feel this provides them with a sense of ownership over the reading, making it more pertinent to them – they shuffled after all! I don’t believe they put their energy or essence into the cards, the Tarot reader is the channel, but I believe it can be beneficial to their experience of the reading .

*It is interesting that she doesn’t think of shuffling as a way for the client to transfer energy to the cards because the reader is the channel.

Douglas comments:

I tend to be more concerned with how they cut the cards more than how they shuffle. As strange as this sounds, I’ve found that the “cut” can help the client feel more connected with the process. The shuffle does that as well – but the shuffle seems to produce a “feeling of relaxation” and the cut a “focus” in the people I read for.

*I like the idea of thinking of shuffling as relaxing and cutting as focusing.

Rose says:

As a reader, I don’t allow my clients to shuffle the cards. Often, it’s awkward for them because their hands are used to shuffling a playing card deck rather than larger-sized Tarot cards. I start by shuffling the cards myself, then I usually ask them to place their hand on the deck after I lay it on the table in front of them (and yes, I usually ask for left hand–I still follow a ritual from when I was 16 and started reading) as they think of their question or situation. I then ask them to cut the cards into three piles and then pile them into one any way they like. I then pick up the cards and deal the throw or spread off the top. I use this method for myself as well.

Zanna shares her favorite method:

I feel that the traditional style of shuffling (the poker shuffle, if you will) is much to hard on the cards. I do a push-pull type of shuffle while meditating on the question and focusing on tuning in to the client. I generally close my eyes while I shuffle and cut the cards. I then use what Norma Cowie calls the Ninth Card Method, where I count down to the ninth card, turn it up in the first position, then count down to the next ninth card, etc. Why? Because I tried it a few times and liked the results. It’s that simple.

Secret Shuffling Weapon

I feel very certain that I shared this already, but I cannot find where. Because I was recently reminded how much I love this tip, I had to talk about it again. My favorite secret shuffling weapon is fanning powder. Fanning powder is powder that stage magicians use on their cards to help them shuffle better. I think it cuts down on friction so the whole experience feels so much smoother. When I first got my powder a few years ago, I applied it to all my favorite decks. Well, I’ve gotten some new decks since then and haven’t taken the time to powder them. Last week, I worked with a deck I had powdered and was so pleased with the smoothness of the shuffle. The cards just felt so wonderful in my hands. So, get yourself some fanning powder. Totally worth it.

NaNoWriMo Update

National Novel Writing Month started on Sunday. I didn’t start until yesterday and am up to 1600 words, focusing mostly on introducing the characters. The protagonist and protagonist’s foil now have names: Juliana and Alice, respectively (thank you, Leigh, for Juliana’s name). Still working on the plot…I’ll write about my funny but sad/pitiful attempt at scrying a plot on Thursday, so check back!