Tarot Reading

The tarot cards of the past were hand painted and difficult to make so only members of the European nobility could use them. Since the time when the tarot was made available to the public, though, it gained popularity and its primary function as playing cards changed to fortune telling.

Tarot cards are said to be read because they are a tool that can be used to gain insights and predictions about a subject. Occultists believe that tarot readers are guided by spiritual forces, while others believe that the cards are a way to reach the collective unconscious. In the old methods of psychology, the trump cards were used to represent a person’s subconscious identity and were used to bring it to the conscious. The cards were then given archetypes that were used to psychologically analyze people. People who identified themselves with the Knight of Swords, for example, were thought to be the type of people who rushed into things blindly.

The cards retained various symbolic meanings that evolved through the years. The minor arcana are associated with astrological meaning and are used to pinpoint events happening in specific times of the year according to the Octavian calendar. The major arcana, on the other hand, are used to identify with the person and other people of significance in their life.

Tarot readings include ’spreads’ where the cards are laid out in a variety of patterns. The cards are then interpreted by the reader. The topics may include the subject’s thoughts and desires, or the events that have happened or will happen in the subject’s timeline. Usually, each card is assigned a position and read according to a certain order. The card’s position in the spread indicates the subject that the cards are being interpreted for.

The most common spread today is the Celtic cross. It uses ten cards, five of which are arranged in a cross, and another four positioned vertically next to the cross. The remaining card is positioned horizontally over the central card of the cross, and is supposed to represent the obstacle that the central card, or significator, is going to face. Other spreads include the one-card spread, the three-card spread where the cards represent the past, present and future, and the astrological spread, where twelve cards are arranged in a circle with a thirteenth in the middle. There are many other spreads, but the reader is generally allowed to use a spread that holds the most value to him or her.