A note on how to use these lessons

These lessons are "backposted" meaning that the newer the post, the farther you'll have to scroll through this blog to find it. I wanted the lessons to be in sequential order, like lessons in a book, and that's why I backposted all of them. Use the syllabus in the column to the left, if you like, to help you navigate the lessons, exercises, and various subjects discussed in Tarot 101.

Please feel free to pester me all you like with questions about the lessons or issues that arise as you are learning to read the cards. I love talking tarot.

I'm also over at Free Tarot Reading if it's a tarot reading you are interested in receiving, not doing. I don't charge for anything here, I just enjoy talking tarot, teaching tarot, and reading tarot.

Namaste!

Tarot Lessons 1 & 2 -- Demystification and Where To Begin

There are some excellent websites that teach tarot for free, see below, but if you find you could use some one on one guidance, drop me a line. I really enjoy teaching tarot and it keeps my feet wet with the cards. I live in a remote community and don't get to use my cards much here. Getting to teach tarot online is a real treat for me and I won't hit you up for money or donations or any of that mess. I'm not adept enough with the cards to be taking people's money for tarot lessons!

Farther down are tarot lessons that you may use if you like. If you'd prefer to have someone take you by the hand and teach you, just let me know. If you'd like to work with the lessons I have here and with me personally via email and/or comment, that's okay too. I'm all for helping you learn tarot in a way that most suits you.

Free Tarot Courses Online: Learn Tarot at Lotustarot.com and Learntarot.com.

Lesson 1: What tarot isn't... it's not magical. It's not a tool of Satan. It's not occult. A tarot deck is a set of 78 cards, usually, with illustrations on them. It's really very similar to a playing card deck. And, by the way, a playing card deck can be used just like a tarot deck, but it's not nearly as pretty or as fun. The illustrations on a tarot card are archetypal (like the image of a woman with a blue cloth draped over her head and holding a baby is the archetypal image of the Virgin Mother, no one wonders who she is, we all know) and have no hidden power from dark sources.

When it comes down to it, tarot artwork are simply images, their significance is really up to you. I like to use this analogy: A tarot deck is like a set of mirrors, each mirror reflecting back just a small aspect of the human experience. Cards in a tarot deck can also be compared to lenses, each one allowing a different view.

Drawing random cards and looking at your life or specific issues of your life through these "lenses" can allow you a perspective you might not have been able to achieve otherwise. For this reason ANYONE can read tarot cards. You don't have to be psychic to use the cards. You can invoke whatever deity or power you like when shuffling and drawing tarot cards, if any. If you are looking for divine inspiration or answers, you can invoke the god or higher power of your own understanding to speak to you through the cards... or through weather patterns, or through chicken guts, or through numbers, or through other signs that are significant to you.

So, you see, tarot cards do not hold their own power or magic. They are just paper with colorful pictures on them. The only power a tarot deck has is the power you permit it to have.

Lesson 2: Where to begin. If it's not too late and you are really really really new to tarot, don't crack open your tarot books yet! And don't look at your LWB. LWB = Little White Book. The LWB is the companion book that comes with nearly every tarot deck. This book may be very small--a literal LWB, or it might be a larger book.

There are two halves to a tarot deck. They are not equal. There is the major arcana, which are usually numbered from 0 to 21 and tend to have more to do with the karmic aspects of life. This is a guideline, not a rule.

The minor arcana is just like any poker deck except the cards have pictures. There are four suits and they are numbered from 1/Ace to 14/King. After 10, it's usually Page, Knight, Queen, King but this does vary in some decks. Sometimes it's Princess, Prince, Queen, King, and sometimes it's even more different from that. Either way, there are still 56 of them.

Minor Arcana tend to have more to do with every day life, but this too is only a guideline. If you apply the rest of this lesson to your tarotcation, you will really surprise yourself. Get a notebook. Open it up and write down the first card you want to work on. Let's say it's 0/The Fool. If you like, you can tape a photocopy of The Fool into your notebook. Some people buy an extra tarot deck for this purpose. Underneath the image (if you've taped one in) write down what you think of the card. Write your initial impressions. Then start looking at the different symbols in the card. What do they mean to you, if anything? What does your intuition whisper to you about this card? What does it remind you of? Do the people on the card seem happy, sad, wistful, mournful? Are the colors positive, tranquil, angry, dark, negative? How many living things are on the card? What do these living things seem to be doing? How does it compare to the card that came before it (if it was in the same suit/arcana/sequential order)? How do you feel about the number of the card? In other words, do you like 0's? Or Sevens or whatever number the card may be?

Now, turn it upside down and look at it as if you haven't seen it before. Ask yourself all the same questions. You might notice things about this card reversed that you didn't notice about it when it was upright (a.k.a. "dignified"). Write all this stuff down. Then leave plenty of room for future notes. Go on to the next card. Do the entire deck this way, relying only on your intuition and feelings about the cards you are looking at. If the card doesn't speak to you and all you can write about it is, "There are three coins floating in the air above a stupid looking guy," that's okay. But don't cheat! Leave the books alone! Only when you have gone through all the cards this way do you crack open a tarot book.

This is when it gets interesting! You'll be so proud of yourself for how close your descriptions come to what's in the books. And every book differs, by the way. But we'll get to that in a bit. On other things you may feel silly because you didn't recognize some symbol for what it was meant to be, yet you may notice things that the books never mention. And if you had known what it was "supposed" to be, you might have missed out on something!

Now and forever more whenever you see that card you'll remember what You thought of it first, not what someone else said about it. And your impressions are always going to be the most important. Once you've corrupted your vision of the cards with what someone else has said, you can never go back. Doing this exercise before you get too "tainted" by the opinions of others is a golden lesson in learning tarot. It's a lovely gift you can give yourself.

I'm working on a New Tarot Journal l right now, perhaps you'll find it useful. It's been awhile since I created one. I feel that it's important to keep updating my tarot journal because the longer I continue reading, the more I learn. And what I thought I understood about tarot two years ago may be very different today.

Lesson 3 -- Tarot Books

Lesson 3: So, maybe you've set up your journal and made a bunch of notes based on your own feelings and intuition, maybe you haven't. If you haven't and don't intend to, that's okay. Learn your way, by all means. With or without your personal tarot book, it's time to crack the books!

I recommend two tarot books in particular, although these aren't by any means the best/only books to use.

Tarot for Beginners by P. Scott Hollander because I really like the way she works numerology into tarot reading. I found it helpful without being complicated at all. Especially since I don't know numerology. I also have her book on handwriting analysis and am slowly working my way through it. The author puts a lot of thought, energy, time, and experience into her writing.

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack is the undisputed bible of tarot.

If you are looking for some good tarot resources, check out tarot books at Amazon and http://www.aeclectic.net/ and read the reviews carefully. I've been lead to many good books through the reviews at both sites. But you don't have to go buy any books. You can just use whatever books you can find that you can afford or borrow from the library. Also, your LWB will be helpful now. Every book on tarot is going to have a different view of tarot, take what works for you and keep your mind open to what may not work for you now but might work very well in the future.

You will find a wealth of information and opinion on tarot meanings online, you don't even have to own a tarot book to learn tarot with the world wide web at your fingertips.

It's important to keep in mind that every deck is different and so is every reader. There is no hard and fast rule to tarot design or to tarot card interpretation. What I recommend is that you, one card at a time, start looking through your books, your LWB(s), and surfing the net to find out some different views on the individual cards. Read through these resources and decide for yourself if they make sense to you. Take whatever descriptions, explanations, symbolism, and interpretations that make the most sense to you and add those to the tarot book you are creating for yourself, you can always add to or take from your book later. You can also apply your knowledge or books on astrology, symbolism, color, and numerology your tarot interpretations. You don't have to use these, but if those things have meaning for you and work for you, then go for it!Using a three ring binder as your tarot journal is helpful here, allowing you to take from or add to your interpretations easily. I created three different tarot books this way as well as an online blog. Here's what I discovered about studying tarot books and symbolism. It gives you a base for understanding that is vital, unless you are one of those who are naturally gifted with the tarot and find that you don't need help to understand what the Universe is trying to tell you through the cards. Me, I needed help. I committed keywords for individual cards and their numbers to memory. I studied the cards upright and reversed. I learned, memorized, read, and studied. And then one day it started to all come together. I had a basic understanding of the cards, of what they meant to me, and now I don't need all that stuff I learned anymore. But I needed it in the beginning. After awhile the cards will speak to you. Until that time, it is really good to have a frame of reference (a book, your book, the LWB). The other good thing about learning all of this stuff, and yes, it takes time, is that even when the day comes that the cards are speaking to you quite clearly--you'll find yourself stumped. And you'll be glad that somewhere in the back of your mind are the basics you learned about tarot. You'll have to call on that one day. It's the foundation of your tarot work and while in years to come you won't give it much thought, it will always be at the base of your work.

Breaking down a card -- Ace of Swords

To the left is the Ace of Swords from the The Goddess Tarot. This could be the Excalibur card, couldn't it? A sword has been driven into the ground and awaits the right person to come along and pull it back out again. That's one way to view it, anyway. But keep reading to see another take on this card. Note that there are pyramids in the background, the land seems dry and cracked, and this sword sticks out from the parched land slightly askew. There's an ankh on the sword. In the Goddess Tarot, the suit of swords is given an ancient Egyptian theme.

Let's break this card down. To me, this card says that someone has come home, or perhaps has just woken up, to see what has become of their land. This person has thrust her sword into the ground and has sworn, "As God as my witness, I shall never eat carrots again!" Okay, bear with me. What I mean is that she's had it with the desolation and is bent on changing things. By thrusting her sword into the ground she is making her stand. The sword is askew, suggesting movement--forward hopefully. The ankh is an ancient symbol for life. Consider that a sword bearing the symbol of life has been "planted" in desolate land. The owner of this sword is planting new things, new life.

If you go back to the Excalibur analogy, one might see this card as a hint from the tarot to take new action. But this will all fall into place during an actual reading. You may draw this card for three different people and see it three different ways. (To the right is the Ace of Swords from the Hanson Roberts Tarot, notice how different it is compared to the other?)

Traditionally, swords represent thought, action, and logic. Aces represent newness and/or youth. So the Ace of Swords could be seen as representing new action.

When I reverse the card, it appears to me as if this sword is piercing the land. You may see it differently, it's just what I see. It doesn't matter what I see, all that matters is what you interpret. To me, when the card is reversed, the swords is like a thorn. It's as if there is a problem with things moving because of this thorn. A kink in the works, so to speak, and a rather problematic one. To me, this card reversed could represent interference or someone purposefully trying to cause pain or problems. To me, this card looks like pain when it is upside down. The words "beam in thine own eye" flutter through my head.

A word on reversals, it's important to learn them, but you don't have to read reversed cards. I don't. But getting to know reversals is important because sometimes you will draw a card in a reading and you'll just know that its negative aspects are what are going to apply in the reading. But we'll get to that later on.

Lesson 4 -- Doing a reading

Please start small. Newbie readers confuse themselves starting out with spreads like the Celtic Cross (see right) which contain ten or twelve cards and that will just mess with your head. The Celtic Cross is very pretty, but it isn't always practical--not for a beginner anyway. In my experience, the fewer cards you draw per question the better. Now, not all tarot readers agree with this and many of them can use very complicated spreads to great effect. Yea for them and for you if you turn out to be one of those readers! I am not one of these readers.

My favorite spread is the Post-It Spread which uses the fewest cards per question or per aspect of a question. I will explain this further in a bit.

To start reading, you will need a tarot question. Let me use a question I hear too often. "When will I meet my soul mate?"

I am not one of those tarot readers who can predict time with the tarot. It's not my gift. It can be done, you can experiment with it for yourself to see if the tarot will help you in that department. When I was working with timing in a tarot reading, I preferred to ascribe Cups to days, Wands to weeks, Coins/Pentacles to months, Swords to a year and Majors to unknown/undecided block of time. For time, it's best to ask "when" and draw one card for the answer trusting that the ONE card will tell you "when." But since experimenting with predicting time frames has not gone well for me, I don't attempt to do them anymore and perhaps you should consult another resource on the matter.

Instead of allowing my Questioner to ask "when" she'll meet her soul mate, I ask the tarot what she can do to make herself more attractive to the kind of partner she is seeking.

Let's say I've drawn the Three of Cups in answer to the question. This card would lead me to tell the Questioner to stop worrying so much and to, instead, start celebrating the love that is already in her life. The card suggests to me that the very fact that her happiness has become dependent on finding a partner is what is making her unhappy and this unhappiness, in turn, makes her less attractive to a potential mate. After all, what's more attractive? A happy person or a desperate one?

At this point I will also ask the tarot what is blocking her from finding a soul mate. This can be a very revealing question.

So my Questioner is not going to be very happy with me at this point, she just wants to know her future. She doesn't want to WORK at it. But I much prefer to do a reading that empowers the questioner by taking their future out of the hands of fate and helping them to see that they are the ones who manifest their destiny.

Lesson 4a -- The Post-It Spread

Questioners a.k.a. Querents rarely have very clear questions for the tarot. An example of this is the woman who came to me recently worried about her son because he had suddenly become very religious and fearful of God and what would happen to his and her soul. She couldn't figure out where it was coming from and wanted to know what the tarot had to say. How do I ask the tarot THAT? That's where the Post-Its come in. Using one Post-It note for each question, I wrote the following on several sheets.

What does he fear?
Who might be influencing his thinking on this subject right now?
What does Mom need to consider about this situation right now?
Oracle.

I spread the Post-Its out on the table and considered them as I shuffled, trusting the Universe to spit out the right cards for the right Post-Its. I drew four cards, one for each Post-It. For me, "Oracle" is sort of a wild card, giving Source the option of sending me a message it knows I'll get.

Once I drew all the cards and considered them, I had the option of drawing more cards for each original card that I drew. These extra cards are often called Clarification Cards. If I don't understand what Source is trying to tell me on a particular question or aspect, then I draw a clarification card on top of that card. If that doesn't help, I know that I'm probably asking the wrong question.

Ultimately I ended up drawing about eleven cards on this issue because the cards that came up opened doors to more questions that helped us narrow down the issue and gave Mom some ideas on how to help her son. Having the Post-Its helped me keep track of what we were asking and what the cards represented.

Post-Its let you create a spread on the fly without having to remember what position represents what. You can lay them out very artistically, if you like. They help you narrow down the question like you'd narrow down a Google search.

Spreads are very personal and there is no right way to do a spread. Some look very fancy, others are quite plain. The Celtic Cross is very popular because it's so aesthetically pleasing and has a long history. I only use it when I'm working with someone who seems to need a big, pretty, fancy spread. Otherwise I prefer the more practical (for me) Post-It spread. Sometimes I rely on a simple three card spread, often ascribing the different meanings to the different positions:

Examples of what meanings I might use are:

1. Past, 2. Present, 3. Future. or
1. The heart of the matter, 2. what is desired, 3. what is suggested (by Source). or
1. What I want, 2. What I need, 3. What Source suggests I consider.

Sometimes no matter what spread you use, Source will have its own ideas about things. Pay attention, if the cards aren't making any sense it could be because the question that was asked is not the question Source cares to answer or it could be that you are asking the wrong question. When seemingly inappropriate cards come up, pay attention to them and see what message or story they may be trying to impart. Do they make you want to ask the Querent questions unrelated to the issue they are asking about? Then do! It's often the case that the Querent doesn't know or doesn't want you to know what they're really searching for. Be mindful of this and listen to your intuition as you view the cards you draw. If all else fails, ask the tarot what the Questioner is really concerned about or, ask the tarot what the Questioner should be asking.

Breaking down the cards -- Aces

These Aces are from the incredible Rohrig Tarot. Click on the image to see it much larger and more clearly. So few tarot decks have truly great artwork, this one does. My favorite touch being the notebook paper sketches and scribbles on every card. It adds something really special to the entire deck.

Aces=One. Aces denote beginnings, youth, newness, new approaches, new attitudes. Wands are about fire, passion, work enthusiasm, and I often associate Wands with friendliness. Cups are about emotions, love, feelings, the subconscious, water, and the sea. Disks=Pentacles=Coins. Coins are about the earth, material things, physical things, wealth, real estate, animals, and tactile things.

Starting with the Ace of Cups… in this deck I am always surprised that this isn’t a wands card because of the color and fire. Traditionally you will see red or “fire” colors associated with Wands. The artist who created this deck took a different tack with this card. There is a cup sitting on the sea, the woman seems to stand beyond the sea and to rise right out of the horizon. At the base of the sun that seems to burst from her you can see stars. The sea blends into paper on which is written words relating to the card. Not all of these words are in English but all of them relate to love and emotions. I suppose one could say that love and light is bursting forth from her heart. It’s a beautiful card even if I always have to do a double take to realize it’s not a Wands card. Looking at this card I see, simply, new love, new emotions, new attitudes about feeling/loving. If I reverse the card she seems to be almost swimming or diving into this ocean of red and gold. Her cup looks as if it could fall from what now looks like the light of the setting sun and into this ocean of emotion that she is diving into. I don’t know that in this deck I would interpret this as necessarily negative—that would depend, but it’s certainly a more powerful looking card when it’s reversed. She’s either falling into emotion (love) and/or she’s about to bite off way more than she can chew on an emotional level. This powerful ocean of feeling looks as if it could overpower her so easily.

Now we have the Ace of Wands. The wand on the card reminds me of a candle, although there is no wick. A feathery blossom of fire and fuscia spouts up from behind the wand. The paper has various messages of fire and empowerment written on it in various languages. A vast expanse stretches out behind the wand. There is so much possibility in this card. If I drew this card for someone I’d wonder what new enterprise they may have recently involved themselves in. Or, perhaps, I’d wonder what wonderful new empowering thing had just entered their life. When I reverse this card I am more aware of the abyss that sits at the bottom of this card—although it’s at the top now. The flame and fuchsia seems to be shooting at me rather than up in a celebratory way. The wand doesn’t look like it has anything to stand on anymore, now it looks more like a projectile than a candle. Even the paper appears to just be starting to burn in the center behind the candle. I see this card in this deck very negatively. You may see it differently. It doesn’t matter what I see. All that matters is what you see and what it means to you. But to me, reversed, Rohrig’s Ace of Wands looks like directionless, reckless energy. It also looks a bit like a face. The wand becomes a long nose, the hills become eyes, the fire and fuschia are like some kind of flaming facial hair. This has no particular meaning to me now, but it's important to note this kind of thing because, one day, someone may ask you to draw a card asking what, say, the burgler who robbed their house looked like and you'll draw a card like this and you'll remember, "Oh, yeah, this does look like a face... and this card doesn't make sense here except for this face... hmmmmm."

The Ace of Disks looks like a calm, cool salve after the reversed Ace of Wands. The cold rock mountain and the expanse of ice stretching beyond it are symbolic of the earth element that Coins nearly always represent. A man stands on the top of the rock mountain looking up at a bright and shiny star. Messages of success in various languages are written on the paper. The man has his eyes on his goal, in his mind he has reached a pinnacle of success, and he’s going to live into that vision. This card is an extremely good omen for material success. Reversed I am much more conscious of the Disk set into the stone. It holds my eye. I’m more conscious of how hard and barren the rock is. The man looks so small now. But the star is still there shining it’s beautiful light upon him. The possibilities are still there, but they may be more difficult to realize now. Reversed cards often indicate delays or that things will be more difficult than we had hoped or planned. All is not lost with the reversed Ace of Disks, but maybe more difficult.

Lesson 5 -- Cleansing and Protecting Your Cards

Here's my take on ritual and ceremony in regard to divination. The more rules you create for how tarot reading should be done, the more you put yourself in a box. The fact is, there are no rules. The only wrong way to read tarot is to do it with bad intentions. The only wrong way to treat your cards is to treat them in a way that makes you uncomfortable or goes against your belief system.

Your cards don't need a moon bath or to be passed through incense smoke. They don't need special colored cloths to cover them. They don't need a sacred box to be stored in or to be kept on an altar. They don't need to be prayed over. They don't need protection from evil spirits. They don't need any of these things unless it makes you happy to do them. Tarot cards are just a tool, like a hammer or a screwdriver. The "magic" is in you. So, in caring for and cleansing your cards, do what You need, not what someone somewhere says your cards need. They're just paper. All they really need is to be kept out of direct sunlight (or they will fade over time) and to be kept away from liquids.

My tarot cards frequently get moon baths. I do it because I like having an excuse to go outside and play in the moonlight. If there is a thunderstorm about I will open a window and set my cards near it--not too close--so that they can soak up all that awesome pre-storm air. I frequently pass my cards/runes/divination tools through incense smoke as I recite the following, "Through the use of (insert name of divination tool here) I shall do no harm. Under the influence of the full moon (or whatever phase the moon happens to be in at the time) I re-commit myself to serving a higher purpose. Through the use of __________ I seek to help others find their own truths. I release myself of any negativity, I release myself of illusions. I am cleansed. I am perfect. I am a clear channel of wisdom, love, and understanding. I am a part of All That Is. I am one with Everything." Is any of this ritual necessary? No. Not at all.


The thing is, it's not my cards that need this "spell." It's my mind that needs the reminder of why I read cards or cast runes or walk around with divining rods in my hands.


It's important, of course, to honor your personal beliefs and work that into your own personal rituals. I don't mean to discount what you believe in. I'm just suggesting that you don't box yourself in by creating too many new rules for yourself.

If I've been reading with a deck for a long while or if I do a reading that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I put all my cards in order by playing solitaire with them. If you cheat, it goes very quickly. This is a way to cleanse cards.... not cheating at solitaire but putting them all in order. I don't think it really cleanses the cards, although it could, but I think it does clear the mind. Playing solitaire with them is hardly a requirement for putting them in order. I just wanted to have more fun with my cards.

I once got a little too enthusiastic about my tarot ritual. I decided my cards needed to be annointed with my favorite oils. I thought I was being so smart to rub the oil into my hand and then, basically, just touch the cards a bit to pass the most minute amount of oil onto them. Well, I can tell you, this was really stupid of me. My cards stuck together and later I had to rip them apart in places. I still use that deck, but it's forever marked by my brilliant idea. Now I just keep a sachet of cloves in my tarot box (where all my tarot decks are stored) that I occasionally drip a few drops of oil onto. All my tarot bags smell so nice.

I honestly don't believe that a tarot deck needs the protection of a tarot cloth or bag. Not on a spiritual/cosmic level. But it keeps them together, protects them from light and dust, and it's very attractive. For this reason, all my tarot decks are in bags or bandanas. I found that I could buy bandanas in enough different colors that my decks are now color coded and I don't have to unwrap every deck to find the one I want. A dear, sweet, wonderful but sadly departed friend made me several tarot bags, each of a different fabric, that now provide excellent protection as well as easy identification for six of my tarot decks. I will treasure these bags forever. When I first started collecting decks I'd read that decks should be wrapped in black cloth for protection. Well..... this makes them nearly impossible to differentiate from each other. So I changed the rule.

Use a rule because it works for you, not because someone told you that you should do it. Use a rule so long as it serves you and when/if it ceases to serve you, change the rule! Make a ritual of it if you need to. Ritual can be so fun!

A final note on cleansing your decks of whatever it is you feel they need to be cleansed of or to protect them from whatever you feel they may need protection from: Whatever higher power you pray to, worship, or connect with... do you think it forgets you after a while? If you ask for protection from _______ for yourself or your tools, that same amount of protection will always be with you and your tools for as long as you desire it because Goddess/God/Source/The Universe doesn't take coffee breaks and s/he doesn't forget. I encourage you to have faith.

Lesson 6 -- Shuffling Tarot Cards

Most of this post is blatantly plagiarized from Learn Tarot, I edited it a bit according to my own experiences. What I didn't lift off of Learn Tarot or didn't add myself (mostly in bracketted italics) was taken from a Wikipedia page on shuffling cards.

There are many shuffling methods, but here are some of the main ones:

Card Player's Method [also known as "riffling" or "riffle style]. The Card Player's Method is commonly used ]to shuffle everyday playing cards. Hold about half the cards face down in each hand and intermingle them as they drop to the surface of the table. This technique mixes the cards thoroughly, but it can be awkward because most tarot cards are bigger than normal. This method is also hard on your cards. They tend to form a bend in the middle. The Card Player's Method is effective, but somewhat mechanical in spirit. [If you don't like reading reversed cards, simply be aware of how you shuffle them when you use the rifling technique. Make sure that when you cut the deck in half that, before you begin shuffling, all the bottoms of the cards are pointed in the same direction. This becomes quite natural in time, I do it without even thinking about it.]

Insertion Method Hold [also known as Lacing, Stripping, or Overhand] about half the deck in each hand, and insert one half in a scattered fashion down through the other half. You can hold the cards on their long or short side. This method is fast, efficient and composed with a lot of hand-to-card contact. Be careful with the edges as they can fray over time [this last sentence is very important to note as it's very very true, except that the edges WILL fray over time. But remember, in this day and age tarot decks are not hard to come by. Unless you are using a collectible deck, why worry too much? Your deck can be easily replaced when it wears out. That being said, I do shuffle rather gently, I want my cards to remain in excellent condition for as long as possible].

Hindu Shuffle Also known as 'Kattar' or 'Kenchi' [Hindi for scissor]. The deck is held face down, with the middle finger on one long edge and the thumb on the other on the bottom half of the deck. The other hand draws off a packet from the bottom of the deck. This packet is allowed to drop into the palm, then put on top of the first half.The manoever is repeated over and over until the deck is all in the second hand. It is also the most common way in Asia and other parts of the world. [I haven't used this method myself, although playing with it just now with my Halloween Tarot deck made me realize that it's a good technique for smaller and pocket decks, but lousy for your average sized deck unless you have very long fingers].

Cowie Push/Put Method In Tarot for Successful Living, Norma Cowie describes her push/put shuffling method. Her technique thoroughly mixes the cards with maximum hand contact and little or no damage. Hold the deck face down in your dominant hand. Push some cards from the top with your thumb into the other hand. Then, push again, but this time to the bottom of the new pile. Continue alternating a push to the top, then one to the bottom until all the cards have been transferred. At this point, put the entire deck back into your dominant hand and start over. This method can be difficult at first. You may push too many or drop some, but your technique will improve with practice. [my version of this method, which I've never bothered to name, involves holding the deck with the non-dominant hand and pulling the top and bottom card off the deck simultaneously with the dominant hand. It starts out smoothly enough but as the deck grows in your dominant hand -- usually held between my first and second finger as I'm going -- it gets rather hard to hold. I usually just slide off the bottom and top card onto the growing pile on my desk or work surface, ignoring the messy way they tend to fall, I repeat this shuffle several times, cutting or lacing the deck a bit between each repetition of the shuffle]

Scrambling Method [a.k.a. the Chemmy Shuffle] The Scrambling Method is about as basic as you can get. Spread all the cards face down on the floor or table, and start scrambling. This technique creates a good mix with few ill effects on the cards. The main drawback is that you need room. This shuffle also has a rather uncomposed feel which some find undesirable. [I almost never use this method as I rarely have enough room and because I don't read reversals, but I really like it for my double-ended deck and use it with that deck whenever space allows]

Pile shuffle Cards are simply dealt out into a number of piles, then the piles are stacked on top of each other. This ensures that cards that were next to each other are now separated. The pile shuffle does not provide a good randomization of the cards (but this can be enormously improved by dealing to the piles in a different order each circuit, not always in the same order).

Mongean shuffle The Mongean shuffle, or Monge's shuffle, is performed as follows (by a right-handed person): Start with the unshuffled deck in the left hand and transfer the top card to the right. Then repeatedly take the top card from the left hand and transfer it to the right, putting the second card at the top of the new deck, the third at the bottom, the fourth at the top, the fifth at the bottom, etc. [This sounds more efficient than my method of taking one from the top and bottom simultaneously and forming a new pile]

Weave and Faro shuffles Weaving is the procedure of pushing the ends of two halves of a deck against each other in such a way that they naturally intertwine. Sometimes the deck is split into equal halves of 26 cards which are then pushed together in a certain way so as to make them perfectly interweave. This is known as a Faro Shuffle

The faro shuffle is performed by cutting the deck into two, preferably equal, packs in both hands as follows (right-handed): The cards are held from above in the right and from below in the left hand. Separation of the deck is done simply lifting up half the cards with the right hand thumb slightly and pushing the left hand's packet forward away from the right hand. The two packets are often crossed and slammed into each other as to align them. They are then pushed together by the short sides and bent (either up or down). The cards will then alternately fall into each other, much like a zipper. A flourish can be added by springing the packets together by applying pressure and bending them from above. The faro is a controlled shuffle which does not randomize a deck. [I use the above Weaving method on my Rohrig deck because of it's size. The cards are HUGE and "lacing" or "weaving" them into each other from end to end is one of the few ways they can be shuffled]

To Avoid Reversed Cards Start with your cards all facing the same direction.Every time you divide the deck before shuffling,make sure the two piles stay facing the same way.

To Encourage Reversed Cards Every time you divide the deck before shuffling, rotate one of the piles 180 degrees.

I riffle most of my decks, if they aren't too large to do so. I don't have any collector's decks so I don't worry about wearing my cards out too fast. Although I'm much kinder to them than I am to playing card decks. I'm careful about how much I bend them and I make sure they get bent the other direction from time to time--if I don't, the deck becomes permanently arched. The average tarot deck is less expensive than a new, hardcover book. I finally realized there was no reason to treat them like they were glass. They are tools... meant to be utilized!

I don't believe it matters how many times you shuffle and which direction you cut the deck towards... if you cut it at all. Tarot references will stipulate that the deck must be cut with the left hand and lots of other rigormarole. If it makes sense to you to follow such rules and you believe it to be important, then by all means, do so! But don't decide that such strictures must be applied to shuffling tarot cards just because somebody wrote it in a book. Do what works for you and what aligns with your own beliefs.

For me, sevens and threes are important. I don't know why, I just like those numbers. So I tend to shuffle in groups of three or seven. Generally I riffle three times with one cutting of the deck as well as three "Lacings" between each riffle. I also announce to the Universe, usually silently, before I begin the shuffle how many times I intended to shuffle and how many cards I intend to draw. I think a certain amount of consistency in how I shuffle and draw may encourage better channeling of energy between myself and Source, but this is only a feeling, not a rule. It works for me, so I do it. It's just a belief I've had from the beginning... that I should be consistent. If I make a change, I make sure and have a brief conversation with Source about it.... just in case Source is still counting on me using the old method. By even believing this I know I put myself in a box as well as pulling the power of Source in there with me... but so what? If it works, don't fix it. We humans like our rituals, our habits, and our patterns. I'm human.

Lesson 7 -- Choosing a deck -- Suits/Symbolism -- Orientation of the people on a card -- the Two of Wands

Lesson 7 is interspersed in the breakdown of the Two of Wands. The lesson is about choosing tarot decks, paying attention to how suits are incorporated into a card, and noticing the orientation of the figures on a card.

To the left is the Two of Wands from the
Motherpeace Tarot. I bought this deck because it was ROUND and becuase it was multi-racial. Sadly, I really don't like the deck. The artwork doesn't speak to me at all. I personally don't think the artwork is very good. I am also not fond of the symbolism throughout most of the deck. The card backs are gorgeous, but this wasn't my best purchase.

This deck taught me to look at the quality of the artwork in a deck before I buy it. Before this deck, I really didn't know to do that. I bought a deck because of the title, the colors, and the concept. I simply didn't know a thing about art back then... not that I'm highly educated on art now! But you know what I mean. I so dislike this deck that I hardly ever read with it, despite it being wonderfully round and being quite delightful to hold in my hands. I couldn't read with it at all at first, but the longer I have it the easier it is to read with. I still don't like the artwork though.

Regardless, I chose to use this card as an example for the Two of Wands because it's such a non-traditional take on the card. A woman is imagining (or perhaps remembering) what she could be using her wands for. Wands are often seen as being of the fire element. They are also seen as representing entrepreneurs. Invention (of tools to create fire) isn't so far from entrepreneurial sprit.

So, what elements exist in this card that we can use an apply in a tarot reading? This woman is a problem-solver. She's someone who can use what she has available to improve her situation. She can envision ideas and she can implement them.

What if this card were reversed? Or what if you draw it and its more obvious aspects don't speak to you? What is the other side of this card? When I turn this card upside down I am less aware of the woman who is doing the thinking and more conscious of the woman inside the thought bubble. I'm more aware of her foot on the wand and the movement of her hands. When I turn this card upside down, it becomes a card that is less about ideas and invention and more about implementation of ideas and taking action.

The card to the right is how you usually see the Two of Wands. A man stands atop his castle, he holds a globe of the Earth in one hand. A staff in his other hand represents his power and success, the land around him represents his wealth, yet he wants more. At least that's one way to see it.

Yes, maybe he is holding the globe in his hand and maybe it represents how he feels like he owns the world, maybe he feels he's king of all he surveys. Or, maybe, the man holds the globe as a symbol of what he has not yet accomplished or experienced. Looking at it that way, he's now a man wistfully thinking about land he has yet to conquer.

Funny thing about tarot reading and intuition, you may see this card one way for one person and another way for someone else. It's good to explore every card and understand the multiple meanings one card can have.

Notice also that the wands are sprouting leaves (traditionally wands are alive). Wands are about growth, enthusiasm, and passion. In the Motherpeace deck the woman's wands aren't sprouting anything, but they are certainly being used as tools to create something--fire! And the wands also inspired thought in the woman. When you are reading tarot, remember to pay attention not just to the suit but how a particular suit is being used in the cards.

Let's talk about past and future for a moment. For Westerners, it's common to perceive the future as being to the right and the past being to the left. This shows up in our handwriting and in our body language when we are trying to remember something (our eyes drift to the left). Notice the woman on the Motherpeace card. Yeah, she's looking to her left but from our perspective she's facing the right side of the card--the future. She is thinking about what she is going to do. I see that card as a future oriented card. In the Universal Waite (above) Two of Wands the man looks off to the left side of the card. To me, he is wistful. He is thinking about what should have been or what he wishes for. He has so much, why is he so determined to have more? Something from his past driving him, perhaps? Which way the figures are facing on the cards you draw are something to factor into your readings. More on that later.

Lesson 8 -- Sample Reading

The last two cards weren't scanned in the order in which I drew them. I get easily confused when I scan a spread, I always get something turned around.

Alyssa asks: Will my relationship get stronger or fall apart. I’m not sure about the relationship being strong enough, although I do care for him.

The problem with this question is that the woman asking it doesn’t own the problem she’s asking about. She wants to know what’s going to happen. I consider it my job to empower her. Instead of asking the tarot what’s going to happen, I ask the tarot how she can improve the situation. I start by breaking down her question. I try to get as specific as possible.

What can Alyssa do to strengthen this relationship? Five of Cups

Look at the image on this card. The person on this card is grieving a loss. How does sadness figure into their relationship? Ask some questions. Is she grieving something? Is her lover grieving? Is she depressed? Is she addicted to drama? Does she create drama where it doesn’t exist? Does she know a relationship doesn’t have to be filled with pain? She may not know this. A lot of people don’t. If she clings to her pain, guilt, grief, and sense of loss she may not be giving herself an opportunity to enjoy life and love. This isn’t something she does on purpose, she may just not know better. I would probably draw a clarification card on this and ask the source of this pain.

What does Alyssa do that weakens this relationship? King of Rods

The King of Rods is an intensely enthusiastic individual. He can be kind of pushy, but only because he’s trying so hard to help those around him. He likes being involved, he’s very social. Alyssa is not a he, but this card could easily apply to her if her personality is very strong. So, the question is, does this card show what she does or what she doesn’t do. It’s such a positive card, I feel like this card isn’t showing her being overbearing but, rather, I think it’s showing what she’s not doing in the relationship. Perhaps she snubs the social stuff, doesn’t give into her passions much, and isn’t terribly supportive when it comes to work as well her man’s outside interests. Some questions I might ask Alyssa at this point is how she feels about his hobbies, his work, and his social connections. Is she jealous of them or does she support them? Does she try to get involved, or, at the very least, try and stay out of the way of her lover’s interest in these things?

But here is something else to consider. In the Hanson Roberts Tarot, this King looks rather sad. So, when you are doing a reading, listen to your intuition and consider what strikes you more powerfully about a card. Is it the emotion you see on the card? Or is it what you’ve learned about the card that comes to your mind? If you are more compelled by the figure of the King on this card who is looking down at the cups spilled over on the Five of Cups, well, this could open a whole new avenue of understand in this reading. Why does the King care about those cups? And how does this weaken the relationship? Because this really doesn’t take me anywhere, I don’t feel that it’s really pertinent, but it is something to be aware of. Sometimes something that just seems interesting at first, but doesn’t seem to apply, may have some meaning further into the reading. And I do feel, very strongly, that the King really is looking down at those tumbled cups.

If Alyssa does everything in her power to strengthen this relationship, what might the relationship be like in three months? Four of Cups.

Another Cups card!! This is a good sign that the tarot is working with me on this reading. Cups represent emotions and Alyssa is asking about love. Sometimes a card may not have any particular meaning except as validation that the reading is in sync with the question or with the person herself. In this case, I feel that even if Alyssa and her lover somehow manage to salvage their relationship that it still won’t be enough. The figure on the Four of Cups is surrounded by Cups and another is being offered to her, but it’s no good. It’s not what she wants. She is still sad.

If this relationship is still going in three months, what will Alyssa’s emotional state be like? Death

Notice that a man, woman, and child lie dead at the bottom of this card. The way I see this is that the couple is together, but there is no life in their togetherness. This card doesn’t hint that this relationship is going anywhere at all. At least not based on the current state of their relationship. This doesn’t mean that the relationship could never be successful, but things may have to be drastically different for the relationship to thrive.

What might Alyssa’s emotional state be like in three months if she backs out of this relationship right now? Nine of Pentacles

This is a very clear sign to me that Alyssa could be quite happy without this man in her life. The Nine of Pentacles depicts a lady of leisure. She is surrounded by beauty. She is alone but content. Her life is very very good.

Lesson 9, Exercise 1 -- Practice Reading

It's your turn. Here's a real question. If you need help creating a spread or drawing cards or rephrasing the question to make more sense to you, let me know. Post your reading here and I can help you fine tune your reading style. In addition to that, I can confirm your accuracy. This question will change every time someone reads on it so that the question is always fresh and different for each person who gets to this lesson.

Questions, pick one to start with:

1. My husband and I are involved in a few different "battles" (with outside forces) right now. Draw as many or as few cards as you like to see what you can learn about them.

2. I'm neck deep in a handwriting analysis for a friend. What is my analysis showing about him so far?

It's time to start warming up those psychic muscles!

Ready for some exercises? What follows are some practical exercises that will allow you to use and hone your skills with the added benefit of being able to see the results fairly instantly. You don't have to use these exercises, you can create your own. I simply hope that these inspire you in some way.

Before you start actively reading for people, it's a good idea to do some real readings (like the exercises that follow) that allow you to check your accuracy. That way, when you're reading for more and more people, you are doing it with confidence and the knowledge that you have ability.
And here's a tip for you: you can use the tarot for so much more than you may realize. Don't be afraid to ask the tarot questions like, "What can I do to improve my abilities with the cards?" Or, "What blocks me from being able to read better for myself?"

Lesson 10, Exercise 2: The Yes or No Spread

I have personally never found this technique very accurate, but it may work very well for you. For me, the tarot has no yes/no answers. But we are all different and our psychic gifts work differently with the tarot. Therefore, just because it doesn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you.

The yes/no spread I learned and use most often is a seven card spread. It works like this: You ask the tarot a yes/ no question and draw seven cards from a deck that is shuffled for reversed and upright reading. In other words, there should be cards in the deck that are upright and reversed.

The seven cards are laid out, face side down if you prefer but I have always found this to be a technique used more for effect than practicality. Basically, you count 'em up and if the majority are upright, the answer is yes and if the majority are reversed, the answer is no. However, from here, you do a reading on the situation based on the cards you have drawn.

Card 1. How things started, their source, the beginning
Card 2. What fuels the situation, what perpetuates it
Card 3. A card for clear prespective on the situation, what brings it into balance, what is right/fair here.
Card 4. Who stands to lose or suffer from the outcome
Card 5. What will be gained from the outcome, what will be new or different when it is done/complete/settled/decided upon.
Card 6. What is the ideal outcome, what is most desired in this situation.
Card 7. What should be done to bring about the best overall outcome.

Even if the tarot answers wrong to the yes/no situation, it may still provide some much needed insight through the cards drawn.

The meanings ascribed to the different card positions can be changed as you please, so can the number of cards drawn (although it needs to be an odd number).

However, when you decide to create or change a spread, know clearly in advance (of shuffling and drawing) what the spread is about and what the card positions are going to represent. In order to get the clearest answers possible from the Universe, shouldn't your spread be as clear as possible?

If in doubt as to what meaning to ascribe to the different positions of a spread you are creating, then consult the tarot. Let Source now what spread you are working on and what meanings it suggests you ascribe to the positions. You might get some very good insight that way! Don't be afraid to consult the tarot in designing your tarot spreads. What tool could be better suited for it?

Feel free to practice this spread and send me your results if you want some help interpreting the cards you drew on the situation. Preferably, practice this on a real situation, take plenty of notes, then check back after the even has come to pass so you can make sense of the reading and the cards. How else will you learn if you don't take notes and look back at them after the fact? This is the ideal way to hone your skills. Upcoming elections, races, games, and the like are not a great way to practice your tarot accuracy because you are asking the tarot to tell you about the future, and the future is a constantly changing thing--difficult to predict. No, it's not cheating to try and use the tarot to predict lottery numbers, but if predicting the future were very practical, more of us readers would be quite wealthy.

Better to practice a spread like this on, say, a situation like, "Will the ____ I ordered arrive in the mail today?" It's not exactly a future prediction because your package may already be queued up for delivery to your house the day you draw. You've already ordered it, there's not much chance it won't show--it's only exactly when that's up in the air. There aren't as many factors to interfere with this future, a much clearer answer is likely.

This reminds me of an online Yes/No oracle. It's silly fun.

Lesson 11, Exercise 3: What's in the News?

Here's an interesting exercise to develop your psychic intuition and tarot skills.

Before you turn on the tv or open your newspaper to check the news, grab a tarot deck and a pad of paper. Before you start shuffling, though, start attempting to tap into your own psychic skill and ask to be shown what the headlines are. If it's a newspaper you're about to open, ask to be shown the front page, especially the headline. Write down everything you intuit, letters, colors, shapes, faces, words, feelings. Write it all down. You can do something similar with the television news, but it's not going to be quite the same--understandably. A newspaper page is fixed, television news is in constant motion.

Now, start shuffling your cards, decide how many you are going to draw in advance and what kind of spread you are going to use. For instance, "I'm going to draw eight cards, the first four (top row) are to represent four different stories or separate bits of information on the front page, the next row of four will represent the content of each of those stories/bits of information, each card being the secondary card to the one above it." This is just one way you could do it, there are innumerable ways you could design your spread. But be clear about what you're going to do before you do it. Maybe you prefer to start small and draw one card to represent the lead story. It's up to you. Be one with Source, shuffle, draw, and and begin interpreting your cards. Take notes! Take lots of notes. Write down your impressions and stray thoughts. When you've exhausted what you are getting from the cards, THEN look at the paper. If you don't take these notes it's too easy to fool yourself into thinking your cards were more accurate than they are or, even worse, less accurate than they really are. Those notes will keep you honest with yourself.

Lesson 12, Designing a spread for Stephanie!

Tarot answers tend to be quite vague. So it's important that your spreads are clear. You already know the cards are going to be vague, ask a vague question for that vague card and you're getting a double whammy.

Sure, I ask some vague questions of the tarot, "What guidance does Cassandra need right now." I think it's always good to give Source the opportunity to speak its mind, after all. But don't let a vague question be the base of the work you are doing with a client.

A client comes in and doesn't know or says they don't know what they want to know. They just shrug and ask for a general reading. Maybe they're testing the accuracy of tarot. Maybe they are just getting a reading for fun. Maybe they really don't know what to ask. Ask them what they're main concerns are. It's usually love, money, their kids, or health. If they just aren't budging on information, no problem. Simply ask the tarot a few specific questions about your client. Some good ones might be,

"What question is on this person's mind right now?"
"What is s/he worried about right now?"
"Who is on her mind right now?"
"What should she be asking the tarot about?"

Voila, you've got a four card spread. I have a terrible memory so I'd have laid down four Post-Its already with these questions. I'd draw the cards and go from there. I'm asking the Hanson Roberts Tarot to help me with this lesson by playing along and pretending I'm really doing this reading for somebody. Oh, heck, Steph is the only one poking around lately. I'll do it for her. She can tell ME I'm off base for a change.

Six of Coins indicates she may be wishing for a little financial boost at the moment. This card indicates someone who is trying to lend a hand here and there. There is also the implication of someone trying to balance things out on a karmic level. The main character on the card is bubbly and joyous. The secondary figures are grateful to be receiving the older man's gift. Coins are the main feature, indicating money, health, land, or other material things. But my first impression was of Steph hoping for a little help and my feeling was that she was hoping for it from someone in particular.

The Ace of Swords is appropriate for a worry. This card often comes up to represent a change or shift in action or attitude towards an existing issue. Perhaps Steph is worried about a recent decision or perhaps there is some new issue that has just entered her life. The key points with this card are NEW and PROBLEM. So, if this card is right, the main worry for Stephanie right now is a new worry--or new worries on an old problem. Hard to be sure.

I asked who is on her mind right now and drew the Two of Swords. This gives me the impression that there is no one in particular who is weighing on her mind, rather, it's her own actions or choices (or perhaps waiting on the decision of another???) that weigh on her mind right now. There may be a who involved, but it seems that the center of this aspect of the question is about a choice or decision.

I'm always harping on how I'm not a fortune teller, but the appearance of The Wheel of Fortune for Steph rather clearly says, "She should be asking what's to come." Well, crap. I won't ignore fate. This seems clear. I'll ask what is coming around for Stephanie in the very near future. NOTE! I'm setting these cards aside. I'm still on the same reading so I don't shuffle these cards back into the deck. I may need to refer to them later in the reading. Sometimes what isn't clear at first becomes clear as the reading continues. Six of Cups. This card makes me want to put my hand on hers and tell her not to worry because balance is coming. Remember the Six of Coins? On the card the main figure holds a scale. Seems balance or harmony is an issue in this reading. This card says that the balance she is hoping for is coming.

Now, at this point I would rely on discussion of these cards to lead me to other questions or other aspects of the questions above. But I have to wait for Stephanie's input before I can do that.

Based on Stephanie's comments:

Ah, so the help is being given already. And more hours could be what you are counting on. Interesting. So, from here and since you aren't right in front of me where I can ask you for direction, I will ask what you can contribute towards harmony in your family situation and if the universe has any writing inspiration for you! Not that you asked for that, you implied more that it was a matter of organization and prioritization. I've switched to the African Tarot for it's bright colors in honor of Beltane.

I drew Five of Arrows and Judgment. Five of Arrows seems appropriate for your current family strife. My impression from this card is that there isn't a lot you can do except to stay out of the stuff that isn't important and only offer your input for the big stuff. Notice the smile on the adult figure's face. He's taking their squabbles lightly and is only standing by to keep anyone from getting hurt. He knows that, for the most part, he needs to let the kids muck through the little stuff on their own. The adult on the card isn't just an adult standing over children, I think there's a deeper meaning here. I hear the words, "Rise above it" in my head and feel like it's a message for you to just remain aloof of the more childish things. The adult isn't just taller because he's older, he keeps his head up and out of the drama the children have created. He hasn't distanced himself, he's still available, he's just not invested in their drama. And the interesting thing to me is that the adult doesn't seem to be admonishing the children, he's smiling. Yet the children still seem to be reacting as if they've been "schooled." It's possible that you need to lead by example and not through trying to point out to your family what should be obvious to them. The children are embarrassed not because their elder has told them what they've done wrong, but because he has set a higher example for them that makes them realize how foolish their actions have been.

As for your writing, the Universe seems to be listening! To me, Judgment is a wake up call. I think the only message for you here is what you already know, it's time to be working towards your goal.