The Basics of Tarot, Part 3
Technical difficulties prevented me from posting this article last week, so here is the final installation in the series of the Tarot. Previous articles discussed the history of the Tarot and the 22 cards of the Major Arcana. The remaining 56 cards of the deck, the Minor Arcana, are divided into four suits of fourteen cards each. Each suit is made up of two segments: the numbered cards and the face cards, referred to as court cards.
Let me begin by saying that there are as many interpretations to the Tarot deck as there are decks, and last I counted at one web site, there were over 250 different decks! This cannot be the in-depth interpretation that one would get in a class, for time and space does not permit it. However, you should be able to get an overall view of a reading and some knowledge of the cards next time you see them.
The swords have long been looked at as the dark side of tarot and interpreted with very negative connotations. More recent interpretations have allowed the swords to lighten up a little and no longer see dire and dreadful things when they appear in a reading. Swords can represent power; they also can represent ideas and thoughts, from which all power begins, for what a person can conceive, he or she can achieve. Sword cards in a reading, especially in the reversed position, can hold a warning to the client that all is not as it seems on the surface. Because of the symbolism of the swords, power obtained and held through force of some kind, a reversed card can indicate false friends or the devious and self-centered people you will find in your life. The cards hold a warning, not dire predictions, however, and often forewarned is forearmed!
The King represents a man of power and authority who prefers things in his “kingdom” (home or office) to run as he sees fit. He is intelligent but strongly opinionated. In the reversed position, he can be tyrannical and demand “his way or the highway”. The queen represents a very independent and strong woman, one who can stand up to the challenges of life on her own and succeed. Reversed, this woman can be manipulating and devious, using power as control. This card can also represent a widow or an emotionally devestating situation.
The Knight wears the armor of battle and is a younger man still fighting to obtain his power. Reversed, this card can warn of a spy or point out a bigot. The Page can indicate a message, usually a warning of a younger person who desires power and influence at all costs. Reversed, it can indicate bad news, in spades!
The following brief interpretation of the numbered cards can apply to any of the suits in a general way. The court cards for the remaining three suits will follow them.
One (or the Ace): Beginnings of new actions, emotions, prosperity, or ideas. If reversed, then the beginning will be delayed or not end as auspiciously as desired.
Two: Unions, conception, and imagination. Something new appears on the scene to add to the mix.
Three: This also represents union, but of three, a cooperation or blending of energies. Reversed, it can indicate a threesome of an unhappy situation; sometimes unfaithful spouse can appear like this in a reading.
Four: Represents balance at home and careful planning and work to keep it that way. Reversed, it can portent the arrival of an unexpected event to upset the balance and happiness you have worked to achieve.
Five: This number shows movement and construction, adventure and excitement. Reversed, it can show chaos and confusion, action of an unstable kind.
Six: Harmony, a happy childhood, love and romance. It can show peace after all the activity of five.
Seven: Solitude and an inner search are indicated. Therapy and analysis can be innre searches as well as spiritual soul searches. Looking for the inner comes in many ways. Reversed, it can indicate that the client needs to look deeper within for his own answers.
Eight: Wisdom gained through experience. Self-discipline and caution coupled with the opportunity to move forward, if the rest of the reading is favorable.
Nine: The number of completeness. Events are rapidly reaching the inevitable conclusion, for good or bad, and all is about to be made clear. There is still time to act, however, which can be helpful when trying to salvage a far from happy situation.
Ten: Both a beginning and an ending. The situation has been resolved and it is time to fold your tent and move on to the next adventure. It is a new beginning, welcoming the first of a new cycle while saying farewell to the old.
The suit of Cups is the second strongest and represents emotion, happiness and love, including unconditional love, no just romantic love. They can also show caring, concern, kindness, and healing in the placement. Cups can represent philanthropists, family members, close personal friends, and romantic ties to another. Cups usually show welcomed events and situations with reversed cards indicating delay, or perhaps a feeling of lack of emotion in the placement and situation.
The King represents a just and honorable who looks kindly on the client, perhaps fostering fatherly feelings. Reversed, he can be controlling or emotionally disturbed. The Queen is loving and nurturing, a motherly figure, or the true love of one’s life. Reversed, she can be neurotic and controlling, over protective and overbearing. The Knight represents a younger man, brother, or close friend. Also a good message, advice, or an invitation. Reversed, the card can indicate trickery, fraud, or lies, a betrayal of trust or emotional harm in the making. The Page can be a child, a younger sibling or relative, or a childhood sweetheart. A message or the arrival of someone, or a birth can be represented. Reversed? Look for false flattery and deceit.
Coins, or Pentacles, represent the financial world of the client, material wealth, business holdings, and worldly prestige. A person with several coin cards in a reading would either be one with money and/or one who understands the power of money and influence and know how to use it. Coin cards also show entrepreneurial potential and talent, someone highly successful in the business world, or someone with an uncanny sense of money or the stock market. This can be a banker, broker, or even the grandmother who is the president of her investment club.
The King is wealthy and powerful and can provide financial wisdom to those wise enough to seek his counsel. He knows how to make money work for him without having to work too hard for it. Reversed, it can indicate a man who is a spendthrift and spends on his whims while ignoring the needs of the family and home. The Queen is a kind and generous woman who is a wise money manager, always able to spot the batgains and negotiate sales. A reversed card shows suspicion and distrust, a suspenseful situation in which the client may not know who can be trusted. The Knight is an adventurous young man with great potential who is not quite there yet. He is courageous and determined but has not yet formulated life goals or the discipline with which to reach them Reversed, he is an idle and lazy person content to take as given without returning anything in kind. He may feel that the world owes him a living. The Page is a scholarly young person with great intellect and imagination, refined, sensitive and an art lover. This can also represent good news or the bearer of good news. Reversed, the person is crude and coarse or the bearer of bad tidings.
The suit of Wands shows action and represents the career path and ambition of the client. Wands can represent someone who started out “on the bottom” of the ladder and worked steadily up the ladder of life. Wands can describe a self made person who is sympathetic with others who are working on their own A Wand person is hard working, gifted and ambitious, and can be trusted to do whatever he or she says they will do, for they have the will and the know-how to succeed.
The King is usually a business man, unafraid of hard work, who has achieved a certain success and status in life through his own efforts. He is fair and generous and will advise wisely when asked. This card can also represent unexpected help in a situation that will ensure success. Reversed, the King can be a stingy and lazy man who feels that others should wait on him and provide him with all his needs and desires. The Queen is honorable and friendly, also successful in business, with some very creative ideas and plans of her own. She knows how to run a business or household, can organize beautifully, and is one to whom others readily go for advice. Reversed, she can be a dangerous enemy, since she operated on intellect more than emotion and can be cold and calculating in business affairs if it is to her advantage. The Knight is a younger person who is willing to help. He has maturity despite his age and a great head for business. This can also indicate a journey or a change in residence or the situation. Reversed, the Knight represent arguments and discord, possible the breakup of a friendship or partnership. The Page gives moral support and wishes to help, but is a younger person who may not have the qualifications. This is a good person to bear witness to your good points and endeavors, however, and is a faithful friend. Also a favorable message or a favorable contract or agreement. Reversed, the Page indicates a person who is jealous, wants what you have, and will try to obtain it at any cost. Not to be trusted! May use flattery to throw you off the true scent.
As I said, there are many meanings to the Tarot cards. Hopefully, these articles will serve to interest you in picking up a deck to see what they are all about. Remember that the real meanings of the cards in a reading are always obtained intuitively and may have little resemblance to any written interpretation you may have read. If you are interested in the Tarot, read books and find a teacher who can help you learn the symbolism behind the pretty pictures.
