Lesson 3 - Tarot Decks and How to Use Them

[Amethyst Rose]

Tarot Decks

Your standard tarot deck consists of 78 cards - 22 major arcana, and 56 minor arcana, or pips. There are also oracle decks which can have any number of cards, and some specialty decks that do not use the major arcana. It is even possible to use playing cards to read tarot, the suits corresponding with the tarot suits: hearts/cups, pentacles/diamonds, swords/aces, wands/clubs. It is possible, but it is very difficult, especially for the beginner. What is required is an extensive knowledge of the meanings of the corresponding tarot cards, seeing as how you're working completely without imagery and symbolism.

So, back you your standard 78 card deck. Even within decks there can be large differences. Often you will find the names of the major arcana cards changed, for example in the Gendron Tarot, the Death card is called Transition. And the suits can be different.... coins and pentacles are interchangeable, as well as staves and wands. There are specialty decks that don't use the common suits at all, for example, the Osho Zen Tarot (which incidently has 79 cards) uses elements.... water (cups), fire (wands), clouds (swords) and rainbows (pentacles). This deck is an extreme example, though, because almost every card is given a different name...some don't even consider it to be a tarot deck.

Another big difference is the order of the cards.... some decks you will find have different positions for Justice, the reason for this is actually, a question of morals, and which virtue is considered above the the other.. Justice is one of the three cardinal virtues of the tarot, the other two being temperance and strength. So depending on the deck, you will find that Justice switches places between these virtues. http://www.tarothermit.com/justice.htm, on The History of the Justice Cards states:


In the Tarot de Marseille and related decks, Justice follows the Lovers and the Chariot as trump VIII. (The switching of Justice and Strength by Waite in 1910 was without historic precedent.) In the southern tradition of Bologna (Tarocco Bolognese), Florence (Minchiate), and Sicily (Tarocco Siciliano), the virtues were all grouped together immediately above the Pope, Temperance coming first. In Florence and Sicily, Justice is the highest of the three, whereas in Bologna, she is in the middle, between Temperance and Fortitude. And it continues.... please read this page for more detailed information about the placement and history of the Justice card.

The biggest difference between tarot cards that is often debated, is the element assigned to the swords and wands. Some decks have the swords/fire, wands/air correlation, but you'll find that in most decks it's the opposite. The reason for this, it is rumored, was that when the Waite and Crowley decks were created, they didn't want to break oath to the Golden Dawn by giving away any secrets, so they purposely switched the elements relating to the cards. However, I have found some very interesting reasoning for why the Swords relate to air better than to fire. (Firstly, before I go into this, I'd like to point out that I have never worked with a Swords/fire deck, so I might sound a little biased when I talk about this, simply because that's where my experience lies.)

The Swords in Tarot respresent intellect and knowlege, the mind, communication and conflict -- often between friends and enemies. Air, also is the element of the mind. Air is the most distant element...it can opperate without any of the others.... earth needs water, fire needs air, water needs air, but air does not need earth, fire or water to exist. Just like the body needs the mind to operate, the mind can work on it's own, without he body, (well, beyond internal organs I guess... haha, try not to over think this analogy. :)) Also, if you think of the mind as a sword that cuts through ignorance, that might make more sense to you. :) I'll get into this more later.

Unfortunately I could find virtually no information online as to how the swords could relate to fire, baring the fact that it is the traditional Wiccan correspondance, and that swords are created by fire....but neither of those answers are very intellectual, so I don't think they're very valid. If anyone can point out a good artical on the Swords/Fire mix, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Okay, so where was I.... Ah!


How to Use Tarot


Before I get into how to read, I'd like to go over how to treat your cards. You will notice, the more you work with tarot, that Tarot cards have a personality. How can an inanimate object have personality, you ask? Well, they just do, okay? :) I don't know how or why, they just do. Listen to your cards' personality. Do what they want you to do, or they pout and often won't read for you....trust me, it's happened. I had to get rid of a new deck, because my old deck refused to read for me after I bought it. My cards let me know in suble ways...often it's just a feeling....how they want to be treated. For example, for the longest time my cards only wanted to be kept in their ratty box, they've since changed their mind, and now are wrapped in black velvet (which they chose), and in a different box.

So that leads me to card storage. Store your cards anyway you want. It's that simple. :) Be smart about it, of course, don't keep them any place damp, but it doesn't matter if you wrap them in silk, or an old tshirt, or if you keep them in a bag or a box, or anything like that. It's totally personal preference and your card's preference.

So, before you get to know your cards, you'll want to cleanse them. I prefer to do this, because if a lot of people have been handling them, from the supplier to other people in the store, you dont' know what's been put into them. Cards collect energy very easily, and negative energy can put them in a bad mood... either they won't read right, or only give negative readings. There are many different ways you can cleanse your cards.... some let them sit in salt, some let them sit in the light of the full moon.... some put a quartz crystal on them over night.... I do something very simple that can be done on the spot and it's instantaneous, so I can do it between readings. I blow the negative energy off. I'm a firm believer in the power of my own energy.... so I gather my positive energy and faning the cards out, I blow my energy out over them....like I'm blowing off dust, and I visualize the negative energy as dust that flies off the cards and dissipates in the air. Cleansing is also a very personal thing, so do what feels right to you.

To get to know your cards, is like getting to know a friend. Spend a lot of time with a new deck...some people sleep with them under a pillow, or at least on the bedside table. Every time you get a spare moment, look at your cards and study them.... write down meanings and such that you get from the cards....even read the LWB....whatever it takes. I carried my deck around for months, and in between classes in University I would stop and study a couple of cards. The first exercise I posted is really great for this. With enough time and study, you'll know the cards like an old friend.

So, when it comes to finally reading with your cards, the number one, most important thing is your intuition. A person can, in theory, pick up a deck their very first time and do a reading on their intuition alone. For the average person that'd be really difficult, but it is possible.

So what is your intuition and how do you know you're using it? Your intuition is that little voice in the back of your head that tells you something's going to happen. It's that feeling in your gut that tells you not to do something. It's that knowledge you have for a fraction of a second that the phone's about to ring. It is every person's innate psychic ability. No, you do not have to be a psychic to read the cards, that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is that everyone in the world has the ability to catch glimpses of meaning...sometimes the future, but it's so fast and so quick that the majority of people can't catch it, or don't even notice it's there. It takes practice to listen to it, and to catch it's meaning, but once you realize it's there, it can't be ignored.

Start practicing with simple things.... pulling playing cards and guessing their color... what does your intuition say it is? Don't over think it! Use your very first impulse. That's the hard part, the mind often intrudes and thrusts it's own guess in before you can catch what your intuition says. Practice! Practice! Draw one card an listen to that voice....what does it say? When you're reading the tarot, trust your instinct first. Read what your instinct says that the cards say, and then delve into them further with symbolism. I often lay down a spread, look them all over and then give a quick jist of what what my intuition says the cards mean. Then I will go back to each individual card, and explain to the querrant how that card fits in and what that specific card means, and why.

Reading with symbolism is what completes the reading. It goes into more depth and meaning, it makes the card what the author intended it to be and mean. Many cards meanings will change from deck to deck, from the symbolism alone, and so getting a new deck often means learning the meanings of a card over again. General meanings still stay the same.... the two of cups is about relationships for all decks, as far as I know, but the details of the reading will be different. There are so many different symbols that can be put into readings that it'll be hard to cover them all, but I'll try to cover as many as I can.

Color: Often a very important symbol, colors are often universal, but can change according to culture. Pay attention to how the details of your card are colored...what's the predominant color?

Here's a color correspondance list to help you out:

Red: energy, strength, passion, love, career goals, courage
Orange: business goals, career goals, justice, success, ambition
Yellow: learning, breaking mental blocks, confidence, persuasion
Pink: romantic love, peace, nurturing
Green: finances, luck, physical healing, abundance, growth, fertility
Blue: wisdom, protection, calm, creativity, patience, astral projection ,prophetic dreams
Purple: spiritual power, psychic ability, ambition, third eye, success, independence
Silver: telepathy, clairvoyance, intuition, dreams, astral energy
Black: protection, repelling, binding, banishing, meditation
White: peace, purity, spirituality, higher self, consecration, divination, clairvoyance

Numerology: It's very popoular for artists to use numerology with the cards, but the real thing to pay attention to is how numerology shows up in the reading of the cards. Certain numbers with that show up repeatedly in a reading... or groupings of numbers together, are very important....say if you got a 3 of swords, three of wands and three of pentacles all together, that would be something you'd really want to pay attention to. There is really a ton of info that I could go into here, and this lesson is already long enough. :) Here's a website that explains the numerology behind the card and what the numbers mean: http://realmagick.com/topics/33/33.html The newest articles are on Ones to Fives, and you can find Sixes to Tens under the "Brief Articles" heading at the bottom of the page.

Astrology: You'll find in many decks astrology symbols, often put in the corner of the card. I personaly don't think it's extrememly important to know the astrology behind it.... so don't feel you have to go out and learn an entire new complicated system. If you know it, wonderful, if you don't, dont' worry about it. If you're curious though, here's a break down of how the astrology works for the major arcana.... you can do some more research if you're interested in just how it all works:

Card.................Zodiac...........Planet

The Fool--------------------------Uranus
Magician--------------------------Mercury
High Priestess--------------------Moon
Empress--------------------------Venus
Emperor-------------Aries ----
Hyrophant-----------Taurus ----
Lovers----------------Gemini ----
Chariot---------------Cancer ----
Strenght-------------Leo ----
Hermit---------------Virgo ----
Wheel of Fortune--------------------------Jupiter
Justice---------------Libra ----
The Hanged Man ------------------------Neptune
Death-----------------Scorpio ----
Temperance---------Sagitarius ----
Devil------------------Capricorn----------Chiron
Tower--------------------------------------Mars
Star------------------Aquarius ----
Moon-----------------Pisces ----
Sun-----------------------------------------Sun
Judgement--------------------------------Pluto
World-------------------------------------Saturn


Animals: A lot of decks use animals for symbolism...Gendron Tarot is one. Your best bet with this is to read the LWB and see what it has to tell you about the animal symbolism, or a really good book is Ted Andrew's Animal Speak. Some basic correspondances are attached as files to this lesson.. I didnt want to make the lesson any longer than I had too.

Plants/Flowers: Plants and animals work the same as animals... consult the LWB for author's meanings, or do some research. I have correspondances for trees in my BOS but not for flowers, oddly. I'll attach the tree correspondance.

Kabbalah: I know absolutely nothing about the relation between Tarot and the Kabbalah....so here's a link: http://www.byzant.com/tarot/kabbalah.asp


There are so many other symbols that can be included included in the tarot. If you find one that that I didn't include here, (I know deities were mentioned, but I couldn't find any in my research, sorry), then take the time to research it.

So sorry that this lesson is so looooong.... I just got writing and couldn't stop. :) I'll give you extra time to absorb everything in it. :)

[Aidron]

I can't provide you with an article that explains the relation between swords and fire, as well as wands and air (mostly because I just took some sleep pills so I don't have to endure what is probably strep throat, in other words, sheer laziness), but I can explain to you why I view it as such.

A sword is a tool of action, used both offensively and defensively. Wielding one demands respect, both from the weapon and the wielder. No matter what setting you are in, if you observe a person wielding a blade it catches your eye. They stand out and call attention to themself. Blades, as with any weapon, have a great deal of energy surrounding them in from a psychological point of view. They can be used to maim or they can be used to save a life. Are they inherently dangerous? No more than anything else from my perspective, for they, like magic, become dangerous in the wrong hands. Whether the person is ignorant or under the influence of malice. Since blades and other weapons possess no sentience to them, just as fire does not (elemental beings aside), the wielder must exercise caution (a by-product of respect in this case).

All of these things correlate directly to elemental fire in how I view it. It is the element of action, of offense and defense. It commands attention and thus why so many people with strong fire influences are very charismatic and tend to draw the eyes of those around to them. Fire itself can both save our lives from a harsh winter and of course our own body heat, but they can also destroy us whether it be an erupting volcano or a fever (like yours truly is experiencing) that eventually destroys our own bodies. Therefore, fire is not inherently dangerous anymore than anything else, but rather its danger or a lack thereof stems directly from the context in which it exists at that moment in time. As previously mentioned fire rules action and aggression, and fire energy and fire elementals do not possess a sense of caution. If not contained it can consume everything, thus when working with either fire in an elemental sense or fire elementals you must possess enough caution and common sense to not get burned-metaphorically and literally.

I can explain my air/wands association too, if you wish, but my bed is calling me right now. ;)

[Anubis RainHawk]

Amethyst Rose, you mentioned how you cleanse the cards. This leads me to a question...if you cleanse the cards, won't you be ridding them of the "positive" energy? I did an excercise from a book that had Thoth blessed my deck. If I were to cleanse it, wouldn't the blessing go away?

Anubis RainHawk

[Amethyst Rose]

Hmmm well.... Salt purifies, so it just cleanses away negative energy, the same with the moon. My method uses positive energy to blow away negative, so it gets rid of negative and infuses with positive as well. I suppose if you were draining the cards of all energy and not replacing any it would take away some positive energy, but I don't think you could take away all of it.... I don't think, however, that no matter what you did it would take away the blessing on your cards. Once blessed, always blessed IMO.

[Anubis RainHawk]

Thanks for the explaination. I saw info on deities and the tarot in Kala Trobe's book "Invoke the Goddess" and "Invoke the Gods". After she gives a description of each deity and a meditation to commune with them, she lists their "mundane archetypes" and tarot attributes. I didn't find how or why she did it. I'll have to look again.

Anubis RainHawk

[Eternal Seeker]

http://www.tarothermit.com/justice.htm, on The History of the Justice Cards states:

In the Tarot de Marseille and related decks, Justice follows the Lovers and the Chariot as trump VIII. (The switching of Justice and Strength by Waite in 1910 was without historic precedent.) In the southern tradition of Bologna (Tarocco Bolognese), Florence (Minchiate), and Sicily (Tarocco Siciliano), the virtues were all grouped together immediately above the Pope, Temperance coming first. In Florence and Sicily, Justice is the highest of the three, whereas in Bologna, she is in the middle, between Temperance and Fortitude.

There may not have been an historic precedent, but there was an esoteric precedent.

The foundation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was based on a manuscript written in a cipher, which is usually refered to as the cipher manuscript. There is much debate over the origins of the document, who wrote it, etc. However, one thing is not in dispute: the teachings and hierarchy of the Golden Dawn were based on the cipher manuscript, and the cipher manuscript was present before the founding of the Golden Dawn.

Prior to the Golden Dawn, the Tarot trump Justice was in position eight, and Strength was in position eleven. The cipher manuscript, in folio 53 (http://www.hermetic.com/gdlibrary/cipher/cipher53.htm), shows the tradtional order. However, on the next two pages, it says:

19. VIII Justice = Lamed and Libra
20. and XI Strength = Teth and Leo which (http://www.hermetic.com/gdlibrary/cipher/cipher54.htm)

1. causeth a transposition
2. for these are cognate symbols
3. but at one time the sword of
4. Justice was the Egyptian
5. knife symbol of the sickle
6. of Leo while the scales
7. meant the Sun having
8. quitted the balance point
9. of highest declination.
10. To the female and the lion
11. gave the idea of Libra repressing the
13. fire of Vulcan (Saturn in Libra
14. exaulted). But earliest was
15. the lion goddess to Leo and Ma (Ma'at)
16. to Libra with her scales. And this
17. is better. (http://www.hermetic.com/gdlibrary/cipher/cipher55.htm)

While folio 53 shows the correct correspondences, the positions adhere to the old order. The Golden Dawn, in its teachings, took this one step further and restored Strength and Justice to their natural positions, Strength being eight and Justice being eleven, based on their astrological correspondences. When Israel Regardie revealed the teachings of the Golden Dawn, this is the order that was used.

From Aleister Crowley's The Book of Thoth:

But there is still one peculiarity, one disturbance in the natural sequence. This is that the cards VIII and XI have to be counterchanged, in order to preserve the attribution. For the card XI is called "Strength"; on it appears a Lion, and quite evidently refers to the zodiacal sign Leo, whereas the card VIII is called "Justice", and represents the convential symbolic figure, throned, with sword and balances, thus obviously referring to the zodiacal sign of Libra, the Balance.
Frater Perdurabo (Crowley) had made a very profound study of the Tarot since his initiation to the Order on 18th November, 1898; for, three months later, he had attained the grade of Practicus; as such, he became entitled to know the Secret Attribution.

From A.E. Waite's The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, description of Strength:

For reasons which satisfy myself, this card has been interchanged with that of Justice, which is usually numbered eight. As the variation carries nothing with it which will signify to the reader, there is no cause for explanation.

So, Waite, knowing the correct astrological correspondences, exchanged them anyway, although he did not care to reveal to the general public the reasons behind the exchange of positions.


The biggest difference between tarot cards that is often debated, is the element assigned to the swords and wands. Some decks have the swords/fire, wands/air correlation, but you'll find that in most decks it's the opposite. The reason for this, it is rumored, was that when the Waite and Crowley decks were created, they didn't want to break oath to the Golden Dawn by giving away any secrets, so they purposely switched the elements relating to the cards.

Crowley had absolutely no compunction about revealing any of the Golden Dawn secrets, as the above quote from The Book of Thoth shows. Waite is a different matter, however. In order to get to the truth, let us return to the source: the actual rituals and teachings of the Golden Dawn.


From Israel Regardie's The Golden Dawn: The Four Elemental Weapons

These are the Tarot Symbols of the letters of the Divine name YHVH, and of the elements, and have a certain bond and sympathy between them.
...
The Wand must then be consecrated. It is for all workings of the nature of Fire and under the presidency of Yod and of the "Wand of the Tarot."
...
The Cup must then be consecrated. It is to be used in all workings of the nature of Water, and under the presidency of the letter Heh, and the "Cup of the Tarot."
...
It (the Air Dagger) is to be used in all work of the Airy Nature, and under the presidency of Vau, and the "Sword of the Tarot."
...
The Pentacle must then be consecrated.
It is then to be used in all work of the nature of Earth, and is under the presidency of Heh final, and of the "Pentacle of the Tarot."

From Aleister Crowley's The Book of Thoth:

The four suits are named as follows: "Wands", attributed to Fire; "Cups", to Water; "Swords", to Air; and "Disks" ("Coins", or "Pantacles"), to Earth.

We have seen previously that Crowley has no inhibitions about revealing the secrets of the Golden Dawn. If they had used any different correspondences, why would he not have revealed it? I have been searching since Lesson 1 for any evidence that the Golden Dawn used anything different, and have found no such evidence. We can see for ourselves in the teachings revealed by Regardie what elemental correspondences were used. There doesn't seem to be any substance to this rumor.

That is the hisorical context for the elemental correspondences. That doesn't mean it is the only one that will work. All electrical current in houses today is AC. That doesn't mean you can't connect DC appliances to an AC outlet... you just need a transformer to convert the power (or walk around with underwear on your head). :lol:

[Amethyst Rose]

Awesome research, Eternal Seeker! Really interesting too, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks!

[Aleigh]

I just found a website with symbolic qualities of flowers...http://www.northernontario.org/StuffOfLife/CraftHaven/SymbolicQualitiesFlowersTrees.htm I just wanted to share it because you said you had a list for trees but not flowers. :)