A Basic Guide to Tarot
A short guide I wrote for a friend, and now also for you.
I recently agreed to teach a new friend how to read Tarot. Once I started writing up notes for him, I realised many more people might benefit from what I’ve written. In fact, I’ll be turning all of this into a downloadable short e-book in a little while.
In the meantime, here’s what I wrote for him. The first half is the basic theory, and the second half are explanations of the cycles of procession and individual card meanings. Those already experienced in Tarot might find a couple of useful things here, while those who’ve never done so, or who are really new to it, or just interested in the idea should find this quite helpful.
The Basics of Divination
All methods of divination function in a similar way, regardless their specific mechanism. Each opens the person up to the realm, sphere, or faculty that Islamic esotericists—following the Greeks—called “the imaginal.”
The imaginal is easiest understood as an intermediary between the mind and the larger realm of the divine or the external. There, in the imaginal, what is outside us is translated into symbols, images, or the drama of dreams. Imagination is somewhat the same process in the other direction, our attempts to translate our ideas, feelings, and existence into symbols or literally “images.”
Regardless whether you believe in many gods, in one god, in no gods, or whatever, this external world is an easily-accepted premise. What differs in each view is what that external world consists of, and divination can work regardless of your specific belief or conclusions.
So, some might believe it’s a way that God or angels communicate with us. Others might believe it’s how spirits, gods, and ancestors convey insight. More materialist or atheist sorts might see this as the “unconscious” or our own suppressed insights revealing themselves, as in a mirror.
Tarot, especially, fits very well in all three frameworks, and especially the third. In fact, it’s particularly useful as a method of self-development, a kind of cognitive therapy in which you learn how the processes of your own mind affect the way you see the world, yourself, and others.
More so, that self-development is an essential skill for other frameworks. If you don’t know how your mind works, if you don’t understand your own tendencies, biases, or fears, and especially if you don’t know how to listen to your own instincts and intuition, then you won’t be able to distinguish what’s an internal sensation or your own imagination from what’s coming from outside or through the imaginal.
What Tarot Is and Isn’t.
Tarot is a kind of cartomancy, meaning divination by cards. The second half of the word, “-mancy,” derives from a Greek word that referred to prophets, oracles, and the associated spirits.
Tarot’s specific origins are unclear and quite contested. It appears to be a composite form of divination, borrowing symbols from several older forms. Cartomancy itself was practiced by several different cultures, but the earliest evidence of the Tarot as we know is from the 15th century in what is now Italy.
It’s usually stated that Tarot was originally a kind of game that later came to be used for divination. This may be true, though it’s also just as likely that its game nature was a way of hiding its divinatory aspects from Catholic authorities. Regardless, that dual nature is typical of most divination methods: a coin toss, for example, repurposes an object used for buying things into something completely different.
The Tarot most people are familiar with, the “Rider-Waite” Tarot, is quite new. It was created by members of The Golden Dawn, an esoteric magical society in England (William Yeats was a member of this society, as was Oscar Wilde’s wife, Constance Lloyd). The paintings were made by Pamela Coleman Smith, who was also part of The Golden Dawn and was a suffragette.
Many of its images are based loosely on older Tarots, while others were conceived through the work of Arthur E. Waite. Waite was a historian of Western occult practices, and was not only a member of the Golden Dawn but also of the Freemasons. So, many of its symbols and images borrow heavily from these traditions, as well as from Western astrology and Islamic alchemist traditions, and some are completely new.
Most newer Tarot decks borrow heavily from this one. One that I’ve used for a very, very long time is the Druidcraft Tarot, primarily because I resonate better with its painting style. There are some that do not at all borrow from Rider-Waite, usually called “oracle cards.” These can be quite useful, of course, but if you’re just starting to learn, this guide will be most helpful if your deck is more “traditional.”
No deck is more “true” than the other. In fact, the first step to learning any divination is to release your death-grip on the idea of truth as a one-to-one correspondence. To see the problem with that notion, consider the “truth” of poetry. What does a poem “really mean?” If it’s good poetry, than it cannot be reduced to any one singular meaning.
Each card is like this, too. No card has “true” meanings, but lots of significations on multiple levels that unfold in a reading. As with a poem, subtle meanings build upon each other, shading or tinting each subsequent image. Think of the way color shifts and fades into other color in a painting, or the way harmonies play in a symphony, or how sunlight illuminates a landscape differently in each hour, and you’re closer to understanding how Tarot works.
This poetic skill cannot really be taught, but it can be learned and developed. Eastern spiritual traditions such as Taoism are founded upon this kind of thinking-feeling, so reading the Tao Te Ching may be very helpful. But just as helpful would be sitting in a garden all day, or walking in a forest.
Reading Tarot
You read Tarot like you read a poem or the clouds. Approaching it with a playful curiosity rather than a demand to know the future will get you very far. And, though you’re probably going to use it often to try to understand situations, relationships, and others around you, think of it more as the mirrored surface of a still lake, rather than a window into the cosmos. Your thoughts will reflect back to you, as will your hopes, fears, biases, and everything else. Some of that stuff will be at the bottom of the lake, some of it will be behind you in the sky, some of it will be on your own face. And sometimes, something else will be in your vision that you couldn’t see looking at it directly.
The easiest way to start is with a three-card pull after shuffling the deck. It doesn’t matter how you shuffle, nor do you really “need” any of the many rituals people suggest before reading. These can be useful, however: marking off your mundane world, shutting it out a bit, is a good way to enter into the thinking-feeling you’ll need for Tarot or any other divination. If you’re new to all this, go ahead and use these. Light incense, lay down a cloth, say a short prayer, light a candle, whatever. These can all help, but they’re not the source of the divination, nor their cause, just the way to get you to a point where you can actually be present for what you’re doing.
It also doesn’t matter how you pull the cards. Don’t think too much about this, and definitely do not fret that you’re doing it wrong. Shuffling (traditionally at least seven times) and then taking the top three cards is perfect. Or you can “cut” the deck after the shuffle. It really doesn’t matter.
While you’re doing all this, think on a question, a problem, or a situation about which you’re curious. Say it aloud if you’re comfortable with that. Start with a simple and emotionally-neutral one, rather than something stressful.
The Question
Before you even pull the cards, formulating this question opens you into the imaginal realm. Consider how we very rarely ask ourselves things. When’s the last time you’ve asked yourself if you’re happy, or satisfied, or if you’re doing your best, or if you’re lacking anything? We almost never ask such things, except when there’s a crisis. In Tarot, you get to learn to ask these questions before a crisis, and get a clearer idea of the results of certain actions or decisions that we usually don’t consider.
In other words, we rarely “reflect” on our life, but with Tarot or other methods of divination, you make the decision to do so. You may not always understand what you see or even like it, because you might find there are many unexamined things about yourself or your situation that surprise you. It’s also equally likely that you’ll discover some unnoticed joy or wonder, something you didn’t see because you’d never stopped to think about it before.
It’s best to phrase the question simply, and to realise that often what we think of as questions are really just statements. For instance, consider the question, “is my wife cheating on me?” You’ve not actually asked a question at all, but rather made the statement, “I’m worried my wife is cheating on me.” In such cases, the question should instead be rephrased along the lines of, “I’m afraid my wife is cheating on me, what should I do?”
Once the question is asked, then pull three cards, one after another, and lay them in a line. The first card will signify the past, the foundation, or the “root.” The second is the present, the trunk, or the structure. The third is a potential future, a result, or the branches. The meaning of each card will influence or shade the meaning of the next, and the three together will create a theme.
An Example
We’ll use a reading I did specifically for the purposes of writing this guide. I just pulled three cards while asking the question, “how do I better balance my work and the rest of my life?”
Keep in mind that this question also contains a statement: “I feel my work and the rest of my life are out of balance.” So, inherent in the question are other questions, including “why do I feel this imbalance?” “What’s causing this imbalance?” And many other related questions.
Now, I pulled the following three cards: the Princess of Cups (the Page of Cups in Rider-Waite), The Lovers, and the Lady (the Empress in Rider-Waite).
The first card, the Page or Princess of Cups, is in the “foundation” or “past” position. This is the root or grounding of the situation of imbalance I’m in, or it is the root of the solution to that imbalance. Both readings are possible, but the subsequent cards will give more context for this. This card has traditional meanings of childhood innocence, playfulness, and the early parts or stages of creativity, as well as sometimes also suggesting a new child, love, or dream, or the arrival of good news.
The second card is the Lovers, and this is in the “present,” “structure,” or “trunk” position. It’s easy to see this card as meaning actual lovers or the consummation of a relationship, etc. However, this is only a very surface reading. The Lovers also signifies surrender (as you surrender to love), the power of being vulnerable, union with a person or a principle, and also the idea of active choice.
The third card, the Lady or Empress, is in the fulfillment, potential outcome, result, or “branches” position. Traditional interpretations of this card often relate it to childbirth, whether literal or figurative, through the idea of fertility. Other shades of meaning include abundance, love, a maternal sense of rootedness, renewed sexual passion or passion for life, and compassion.
So, now we have the three cards with their many threads of meaning weaving into each other, all arrayed to help me answer the question of how to better balance work and the rest of my life. From these threads I can immediately pick out one that runs through all three: sexual drive and passion. Also, they seem to tell a story: the page or princess unites with a lover and gives birth. As a metaphor for a creative project, this is quite a good one, especially since the central card, the lovers, reminds that we need union or collaboration with others to manifest our creative desires.
Both of these narratives together seem to indicate that the path out of imbalance requires starting with the playful desire of creativity. I love writing, and it’s my greatest passion. However, it’s easy to lose sight of how much I love it because it’s also my work. Especially recently, I’ve often forgotten how much fun this is, and let the stress of deadlines, pressure from others, and the need for financial support get in the way of this primary joy.
If that’s the case, then the second card, the Lovers, reminds me I have choice in how my writing is done, and also that I’ve specifically chosen to do things which get in the way of that original passion. This means I can easily change these things, as I’m the one who did this. At the same time, the Lovers points to the power of sexual passion, which is also creative passion. Writing is really like sex: my ideas are thrust into others who’ve been drawn towards them by their own desire. I’m also seduced by the ideas of others. Remembering this “sexual” aspect fuels more passion, and helps me surrender to its joys.
This leads us to the final card, literally fruition. The Empress isn’t a card about creativity, but rather actual creation. It’s the material, sensual, and emotional connection to the self and to others, literally “the rest of life” in the question, “how do I balance work and the rest of my life?” The card’s presence at the end reminds me not to read the previous cards as related only to work, but rather to look where my passion might be too invested in work and not enough in the rest of my life.
So, one way of reading these cards, the one I’ve settled on, is that to have a better balance of work and the rest of my life, I need to make active choices about where I direct my passion. This, then, leads to more questions that I’ll be asking myself now:
What do I enjoy, want, and desire that I’m putting on hold because of my work?
How can I stoke my passion for life, and who can help me do that?
What does a truly abundant life look like for me?
What am I doing this all for?
And there’s also one more interpretation I’d be remiss if I didn’t consider, since all three cards are associated with sexual passion and love. The answer to this feeling of imbalance might be really simple, actually: maybe I should have more sex. Especially for someone who thinks all the time, who is always in his head, sex is a very powerful way of reminding that you’re also a body, regrounding you into physical reality.
Interpreting the Meaning of Individual Cards.
It’s best to start with a published guide when you begin, but also to keep in mind that it’s only a guide and that cards do not have have singular “true” meanings. The process is a lot like learning a new language. At the beginning, you “translate” meanings in your head until you finally intuitively grasp all the layers and shades of a symbol.
One thing that not all guides cover, a point that will help speed your understanding of the symbols, is that there is an internal logic in the relationship of cards to each other. These relationships are cycles, and there are several different cyclical processions in the Tarot.