There are some feelings in life that truly can’t be explained. I truly believe that tarot card readings fall deep into that category. I began my journey in tarot when I was sixteen years old. My aunt bought me a manga art tarot deck that I fell in love with and still use to this day. Like most people, when I first started practicing I thought it was so silly. How could pieces of cardboard possibly tell me the future? Well, maybe they can or maybe they can’t. Or maybe despite knowing that everything about tarot is about chance, you believe in the words, “What’re the odds?”. I’ve always felt that there is something to chance because of a certain form of mysticality those cards hold. In my heart, tarot cards are not just pieces of cardboard rather they are my way of spiritually connecting my heart to my mind. Without further ado, here is a short guide to the innerworkings of tarot cards:
Quick facts about tarot cards
- Arcanas
- A great place to start when learning about tarot cards is the makeup of a deck. A tarot card deck consists of 78 cards that classify themselves into what is called Arcanas. There are two arcanas, the major and the minor. The major arcana are the cards that have common life lessons and they represent the karmic influences that one may be put under. The major arcana (also known as the Trump Cards) is made up of 21 numbered cards and one unnumbered card called The Fool. The major arcana tells the story of The Fool and his journey through each life lesson that the major arcana is meant to tell. On the flip side, the minor arcana represents the trials and tribulations that can be experienced in the day to day life. The minor arcana consists of four different suites, similar to a standard deck of cards. Rather than having hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades; a tarot deck consists of the Suit of Cups, the Suit of Pentacles (often called coins), the Suit of Swords, and the Suit of Wands. In a tarot card reading, the appearance of a card of the minor arcana means that a theme or obstacle in your daily life is the most significant at the time of reading.
- Oracle Cards vs. Tarot Cards
- Both the style of Oracle and Tarot have recently been plaguing the For You Pages of Tiktok and the question that many people are asking is “what’s the difference?” For starters, while tarot card decks consist of 78 cards, an oracle deck can consist of as many cards as the reader sees fit. Oracle cards are considered “free-flowing” and those decks are not designed after an ‘origin deck’ in the way that tarot cards follow the style of the original Rider-Waite deck. Oracle cards can be used alongside tarot cards or even used separately. Oracle cards are all about connecting your heart to your energy and letting it flow through you. Whether you use both or one individually. Choose a deck that draws you in, you’ll know when you’re connecting with one or the other.
- Summary of the origins of Tarot
- Tarot decks first made an appearance in 15th century Italy. During this time frame, the printing press had yet to be invented so cards were hand-painted and were only popular amongst nobles. The original deck is known as the Visconti-Sforza deck.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to believe in tarot. You don’t have to believe in the dream catcher hanging above your head while you sleep. You don’t have to believe in the wonders of the world that everyone else believes rather you choose to believe in what makes you happy is all that matters in the world.