I hope this small corner of the web will become home to some interesting thoughts, ideas and ramblings about all things tarot related, with a smattering of spirituality thrown in for good measure. I also hope that it becomes a place of learning and debate for the tarot student.
I would encourage your thoughts and ideas to be expressed on tarot and spirituality as we are all in a state of learning when it comes to such matters and there is no one "right" answer.
I will be presenting my thoughts on the Major Arcana in due course, then move onto the Courts and Minors. I hope to discuss tarot spreads, decks, symbology, numerology, colours, pathworking, meditations and more.
I was aware of tarot a long time before I actually owned my first deck. Tarot (pronounced 'tarrow' as in 'marrow' for those who don't know) was always spoken about in hushed tones when I was a child. And living and growing up in a small village in Cumberland as it was known then, I guess it was as no surprise as we were a superstitious lot at that time.
As a teenager, I dabbled for a while in studying the 'unexplained' and such subjects as UFO's, ghosts, the Loch Ness monster and of course tarot. But again, I could take it or leave it as I had done previously.
When I started college however at Bolton, things changed for me. Free from home I could live my own life, not that tarot or anything else was discouraged in any way at home, but these were now my choices, my rules and as I say, my life. The first deck I bought I still have, the 1JJ Swiss tarot, which is modelled on woodcuts from 'ancient times' and was quite a 'basic' deck I recall, having faces much like a normal deck of playing cards, but with these other named cards, such as Strength, The Hierophant and of course, Death.
I studied the little booklet that came with it and I somehow felt special. Special that I was on the verge of some great secret. If I read that booklet and could understand it, then I would know things that others wouldn't; I would know their thoughts, their secrets, their future. Or so I thought.
I done my first 'readings' within a month of getting the cards, always referring to the booklet as I did so, always trying to remember the various meanings of each card, both upright and reversed. I say 'readings' as I didn't really feel competent at all when I read, it didn't feel right, didn't feel natural. To me at that time, I was struggling to understand it all and felt like giving up. I did however make some startlingly accurate predictions and this only deepened my interest. I mean, how can 78 pieces of card with different images on actually predict the future or tell me about someone's past? It's crazy, isn't it?
My big breakthrough came when I bought a tarot deck called the Rider Waite. This deck was different, this deck had much more colour and it also had pictures for the number cards unlike the 1JJ Swiss. I remember opening the box, carefully peeling off the cellophane wrapper very carefully then opening the box. I slid the cards from it, along with the obligatory booklet, and started to leaf through the images. I didn't get far. The third image in was The High Priestess and I was smitten. This card is still my favourite in pretty much any tarot deck, but in the Rider Waite she was just something else. There was just this knowing look in her eyes, in her expression. Calm, knowing, confident.
The rest of the cards didn't disappoint either. I still have both decks and still use them in readings. The Rider Waite I use on a daily basis. Both decks are over 20 years old, but to look at the 1JJ Swiss, you wouldn't think so. Where tarot will take me, well, who knows ;-) but I shall always be fascinated by it. I have a few projects up my sleeve regarding this wonderful art and these will be revealed in due course, but rest assured, you will be amongst the first to know of it.
Thank you for reading.
I will be presenting my thoughts on the Major Arcana in due course, then move onto the Courts and Minors. I hope to discuss tarot spreads, decks, symbology, numerology, colours, pathworking, meditations and more.
I was aware of tarot a long time before I actually owned my first deck. Tarot (pronounced 'tarrow' as in 'marrow' for those who don't know) was always spoken about in hushed tones when I was a child. And living and growing up in a small village in Cumberland as it was known then, I guess it was as no surprise as we were a superstitious lot at that time.
As a teenager, I dabbled for a while in studying the 'unexplained' and such subjects as UFO's, ghosts, the Loch Ness monster and of course tarot. But again, I could take it or leave it as I had done previously.
When I started college however at Bolton, things changed for me. Free from home I could live my own life, not that tarot or anything else was discouraged in any way at home, but these were now my choices, my rules and as I say, my life. The first deck I bought I still have, the 1JJ Swiss tarot, which is modelled on woodcuts from 'ancient times' and was quite a 'basic' deck I recall, having faces much like a normal deck of playing cards, but with these other named cards, such as Strength, The Hierophant and of course, Death.
I studied the little booklet that came with it and I somehow felt special. Special that I was on the verge of some great secret. If I read that booklet and could understand it, then I would know things that others wouldn't; I would know their thoughts, their secrets, their future. Or so I thought.
I done my first 'readings' within a month of getting the cards, always referring to the booklet as I did so, always trying to remember the various meanings of each card, both upright and reversed. I say 'readings' as I didn't really feel competent at all when I read, it didn't feel right, didn't feel natural. To me at that time, I was struggling to understand it all and felt like giving up. I did however make some startlingly accurate predictions and this only deepened my interest. I mean, how can 78 pieces of card with different images on actually predict the future or tell me about someone's past? It's crazy, isn't it?
My big breakthrough came when I bought a tarot deck called the Rider Waite. This deck was different, this deck had much more colour and it also had pictures for the number cards unlike the 1JJ Swiss. I remember opening the box, carefully peeling off the cellophane wrapper very carefully then opening the box. I slid the cards from it, along with the obligatory booklet, and started to leaf through the images. I didn't get far. The third image in was The High Priestess and I was smitten. This card is still my favourite in pretty much any tarot deck, but in the Rider Waite she was just something else. There was just this knowing look in her eyes, in her expression. Calm, knowing, confident.
The rest of the cards didn't disappoint either. I still have both decks and still use them in readings. The Rider Waite I use on a daily basis. Both decks are over 20 years old, but to look at the 1JJ Swiss, you wouldn't think so. Where tarot will take me, well, who knows ;-) but I shall always be fascinated by it. I have a few projects up my sleeve regarding this wonderful art and these will be revealed in due course, but rest assured, you will be amongst the first to know of it.
Thank you for reading.
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