Article Topic: Tarot

How do you create a tarot deck? How do you create something so universal, choosing images to represent the metaphors for each card and suit? Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, artist of Shadowscapes Tarot, explains how the inspiration came to her.

Looking through a typical Tarot deck, you find that human characters in the cards are distinguished by many different kinds of headwear. Tied in with the symbolic conflation of hat, head, and mind, headgear says something about different states of consciousness. Tarot author Janina Renée explores the many meanings of hats, crowns, and other headwear in the Tarot.

Learning the meanings of tarot cards is generally not that difficult; even small children can learn to associate a meaning with a particular card or describe what is happening (as far as illustrated Minor Arcana are concerned) in an image. That said, the majority of taroists will agree that the trouble lies in the Court Cards. In this fourth installment in a series on the Court Cards, tarot expert Barbara Moore delves into the Pages of the Tarot.

Tarot decks were originally used to play a trick-taking card came called Tarrochi. While the game is still played, particularly in Europe, tarot cards are more often used for readings, with readers approaching tarot more seriously and understanding the wisdom, advice, and guidance that the cards provide. But that close connection between cards (even tarot cards) and games cannot be overlooked, and can actually be used to liven up your tarot practice. Here, tarot expert Barbara Moore provides some fun ideas to play with your cards—and experience the tarot anew.

The High Priestess card is one of the most loved and most mysterious cards in the tarot deck. Its very nature, the way we interpret it, everything about this card suggests the unknowable. And yet we continue to try, as we should, for in the very act of seeking we find something. Perhaps not the answers we hoped for, but something of value. Tarot expert Barbara Moore not only presents some commonly accepted truths about the High Priestess but entertains ideas of her role in the scheme of things.

The Vampyre possess a supernatural sensitivity to whispers on the night breeze. This allows them to hear every ripple of sound in the darkness with deadly accuracy—distinguishing its source and quality. Much like the sonic artistry of bats—with which the Vampyre is often associated—this ability allows them to align themselves to the lightest of vibrations. By attuning themselves to such frequencies they can navigate the invisible web of sound around them, guiding them towards their prey, their sanctuary, and their ultimate destiny. How does the Vampyre myth connect with the Tarot? As Ian Daniels, creator of The Tarot of Vampyres, explains, the answer to that question is, simply, quite well.

Despite being comprised of a finite number of cards, seventy-eight to be exact, tarot opens us to an infinite universe, both within and without. A newcomer can be overwhelmed by the vastness of the tarot landscape. In addition to the general “bigness” of it all, there is that delightful, freeing aspect of tarot that can also be the bane of a beginner’s experience: there are very few hard and fast rules with tarot. Tarot expert Barbara Moore, author of Tarot for Beginners, explains just what tarot newcomers can expect from her new book.

Significators play a powerful role in Tarot readings. Not only do they identify a certain person, place or object, they can heighten the focus of the reader as well as the client when addressing the question at hand. But, choosing the best card to signify the main subject of one’s question can be challenging. Susyn Blair-Hunt, author of Tarot Prediction and Divination, provides some guidelines to identify which images of the Tarot will bring the greatest amount of focus to your readings.

Nothing beats the good fun of a pajama party. Who says you can’t relive the old days? Just because you have a family, full-time job, or other very grown-up responsibilities doesn’t mean you couldn’t or shouldn’t relive the good times. Treat yourself to a girlicious evening and empower yourself and your friends with a night you’ll never forget. Sasha Graham, author of Tarot Diva, offers up a myriad of ways to jump-start your magical life and connect with your friends on a magical sleepover inspired by the energy of Tarot's Three of Cups.

The Gaian Tarot was a long time, nine years, in the making, and arose from the seeds of earthly love. Here artist Joanna Powell Colbert describes the birth of the Gaian Tarot and the impact it is having on readers—and herself.