Tarot Cards Essay Example

Tarot is a very mystifying process to both the reader and the querent. Tarot cards are just a tool readers use to provide answers for the querent. This is usually done for someone else or even for yourself. There are unlimited ways to how a reading could go, although tarot has a base it is different for every person and is always a new experience. The history, rituals, and meanings behind tarot are a big part of what it's made up of. 

Tarot cards have a very rich and mysterious history. Thay date back all the way to the 15th century (Mantis 4-5). Now they are viewed as a tool to answer questions and provide guidance, but it did not start out that way. It started as a simple game, and was not taken seriously like it is today (stanford). All cards both today and in the past are based upon the 9 pillars of tarot. Those 9 pillars are; the major arcana, numbered wands, ranked wands, numbered cups, ranked cups, numbered swords, ranked swords, numbered pentacles, and ranked pentacles (Moore b 30).Although the base of the cards have stayed the same the meanings have been shifting with time. The card meanings that we know today are not the same from 200 years ago and will not be the same 200 years in the future (Stanford). The tarot cards will continue to grow and evolve but it will always relate back to its roots. 

Tarot decks are used in many ways, but most of them are done through readings. A reading can be done in as many ways as one can think, it's all up to the reader of the cards. The reader can use one of the more common ways of reading or come up with a completely new way. Although it is all up  to the reader there are some common practices that most people use. These more common practices include using cards spreads, bonding and cleansing/charging your deck, and resetting the deck (Bridgit). Tarot spreads are ways the cards are laid out and read for the quirent. An example of this is past, present and future (Moore a 203-207). Bonding, cleansing, and charging the tarot decks is a personal choice every reader makes. A lot of readers say that doing these rituals will help the readings be more accurate and easier to read because all the negative energy is no longer in the deck and the reader has made a connection with the deck (Bridgit). These steps are not essential but they are said to help advance a readers skills. 

The major arcana is the first part of any tarot deck. It is numbered 0-21 and makes up almost 30 percent of the deck. These 22 cards stay consistent throughout all decks and are numbered with romen numerals (Moore b 34). The major arcana represents the bigger events in life from all past, present, and future. It is often referred to as the fool's journey (Moore a 23). This is because when bread all together they can be viewed like a story and told like a story.  Since they represent major events in one's life, the fool’s journey can be viewed  as an example of those events playing out in life (“The major arcana tarot cards explained''). That's how all the cards are connected in the major arcana. The fool’s journey helps put the cards into perspective of the querent and ties all the cards together (Moore b 34-35). The major arcana is a vital part of the deck, as it helps give a bigger picture of the advice the cards need to give. 

The other part of the deck is the minor arcana. It is made up of 4 suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. Each suit is made up of 14 cards, 10 numbered cards, and 4 court cards; page, knight, queen, and king (Mantis 61). These do not always stay consistent throughout all decks and are often varied slightly. Although they may have different names in different decks the base always stays the same. The wand is the suit of fire. It represents career and projects. Cups is the suit of water. It represents emotions and connections. Swords is the suit of air. It represents power and intelligence. Pentacles is the suit of earth. It represents materials objects and making.  The minor arcana deals more with day to day situations and are not as big of events as the major arcana (Moore a 73,103,133,163). These cards give advice for everyday situations that can be used often to help improve any conflicts or situations. 

Learning Tarot’s rich history, rituals, and meanings is the way to be able to see how tarot has grown and how it works. From the history all the way down to the structure of the deck, these components are what make up tarot. In order to fully understand the fundamentals of tarot it's important to keep furthering your knowledge on it. Keep expanding your horizon, and learning more as you continue forward.