Alright, so in Part One we obtained a deck. So what now? And what on Earth is an Arcana?
At this point, all you need to know are the very basics: that the Tarot is (usually) a 78 card deck, and that that deck comes in two parts: the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana comprises of 22 cards - these are the ones with names like 'The Wheel Of Fortune' and 'The Lovers'. The Minor Arcana is made up of the remaining 56 cards, and is made up of numbered and face cards in four different suits - much like a pack of regular playing cards. As we will later discover, this is no coincidence.
The next decision you have to make is whether to learn some of the meanings before you start to use the cards, or learn the interpretations as you go, looking up cards as they turn up in layouts or 'spreads'.
When I was thirteen years old, I was given my first deck as a birthday present by a friend of the family. I had never physically seen a deck until she began reading for me, and I was fascinated - and a little scared. Looking through the cards for the first time, something about the images on them disturbed and compelled me. I believe now that this had to do with the way the symbolism of Tarot speaks directly to the subconscious mind. The images, symbols and icons used to create many Tarot decks have been in use for centuries, and for many people a first look at them provokes this same giddy combination of curiosity and alarm.
I had to know what they meant.
I would recommend a little of both the above methods - by all means, interpret the cards as you go, but also try to learn as much as you can in between readings. There are hundreds, if not thousands of books on the Tarot out there. But after reading one or two, you will begin to notice something: the interpretations vary from person to person, sometimes subtly, sometimes by miles. It is easy to be put off by this. How, you may ask, can I be expected to find the right answer when nobody entirely agrees on what the right answer really is?
Whether or not a Reader should attach personal meaning to the cards - and to what extent - is one of the most active debates in the Tarot community. I certainly wouldn't advise ignoring the interpretations of others and simply making up your own. Instead, I would recommend a method I first discovered in what is still probably my favourite book on the Tarot: 'Tarotmania' by Jan Woudhuysen (more on this interesting book a few posts later ). It was the first time I heard such a theory, though I expect not the first time it has been suggested - and being new in such an overwhelming mine of information, it was a revelation.
The author's suggested method for learning the often complicated card meanings was this: draw up a chart, listing the names of each card in the Major Arcana. Collect as many books on Tarot meanings as you can, and as you read each interpretation of a card, jot down similar themes and keywords used to describe it. For example: one book may describe 'The Emperor' as 'tyranny', while another may describe him as 'a strong, protective force'. Truthfully, neither are wrong. The word you jot down is 'authority'. I picture each interpretation as a slider, like the volume control on an old stereo - turned all the way up, The High Priestess may mean insanity; turned all the way down, wisdom and intuition; but label on this slider would read 'insight', at either extreme. When people speak of reversed meanings, this is what they are talking about: the duality inherent in every card. There is no Injustice card because the Justice card incorporates the concept completely.
Other suggested methods involve meditation, and visualisation. One of my favourites (and I wish I could remember where I read it, because credit is most definitely due for the idea) involved taking a card from the Tarot deck, and simply gazing into it. The object of the exercise was to visualise the borders around the picture fading away, until you are in effect 'stepping into the picture' in your minds eye - perhaps standing on that cliff next to The Fool and feeling the grass beneath your feet, or feeling your stomach knot as you peer over the edge. Whether or not you believe in such visualisation techniques as a means to further understand the Tarot, it is certainly an enjoyable and calming exercise - if nothing else, you'll be nice and relaxed!
But whatever method you prefer, if you put the time in and really want to learn, you will know the basic difference between The High Priestess and The Hierophant in no time.
Next: Laying Out The Cards
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