Lesson One - Part Two (Tarot Cards)
The tarot is a deck of 78 picture cards that has been used for centuries to reveal hidden truths amongst witches and wizards. Ten years ago, tarot card reading was highly unpopular but recently the interest in this fascinating form on Divination has grown with more and more wizards seeking insight and answers to life�s problems. It has even been said that, �He-who-must-not-be-named� received several readings from a now deceased Seer, who warned him of a dark shadow heading his way. Only months later did he meet his downfall in young Harry Potter. Fact or fiction? You decide.
A reading consists of shuffling the deck, drawing a set amount of cards at random and arranging them in a pattern or spread, and interpreting the symbols in relation to the past, present and future. A question or current life influence (perhaps that transfiguration homework you�ve been avoiding) may be considered in the light of the drawn cards. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts has received numerous tarot card readings and said several times that, �Tarot cards are deceptively simple but surprisingly rich�.
The Tarot is closely linked with our modern deck of playing cards.�It is generally accepted by scholars that the earliest playing cards originated in China and Korea, dating back at least to the 11th century. There are 78 cards in the deck, which is divided into two parts: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The word "arcana" means mysteries or secrets.�The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits, each suit having ten Pip cards and four Court cards.
The Minor Arcana:
Apart from the extra Court card in each suit (the Knight), the Minor Arcana resembles a pack of modern playing cares, but the suits have different names: Wands, Rods or Batons (corresponding to Clubs); Cups (corresponding to Hearts); Swords (corresponding to Spades) and Coins, Pentacles or Discs (corresponding to Diamonds).�Court cards are usually called King, Queen, Knight and Page.
The Major Arcana:
The 22 cards of the Major Arcana form a sequence of 21 numbered cards plus one unnumbered card called the Fool, which is sometimes numbered zero.�Each of the Major Arcana cards depicts a strange scene, which appears to tell a story or convey a message. Each card is appropriately titled - the Sun, the Lovers, the Tower, the Hanged Man, Justice, the Emperor, the Star, the Chariot, to name but a few.
More on Tarot
The basic idea in using the Tarot is that the cards are shuffled and a "spread" created.�This means taking cards in sequence from the top of the shuffled pile and placing them in a particular pattern with the cards face up.�The position of a card in the spread will signify a particular subject, such as the past or future of:
A specific card thus positioned will be interpreted according to its particular meaning. Each card has a particular interpretation but it is not quite a straightforward as this, as the relationships that appear between different cards in a spread should be taken into account too. Tarot reading is highly difficult and requires a lot of prior knowledge.
You won�t find many Seers who can successfully perform a Tarot reading but your previous Divination Professor, Sybill Trelawney was one of those talented few. Our next step in our first lesson is the Crystal Ball, follow the link below and let�s get started!
